Bestsellers

PAPERBACKS

Fiction

*--* Fiction weeks on list 1. Scarecrow by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown: $27.99) A 1 recently downsized reporter investigates a serial killer who uses his computer job to find his victims. 2. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See (Random House: $25) Two 1 sisters from Shanghai encounter tragedy and heartbreak as they are sold into arranged marriages in 1930s Los Angeles. 3. Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child (Delacorte: $27) The capture 2 of a suspected suicide bomber on a N.Y. subway causes a chain of global events. 4. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown: $19.99) Bella 47 must choose between her lover and a friend, between life and death. 5. The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan (Disney Hyperion: 5 $17.99) Percy Jackson and his army of demigods battle to stop the Lord of Time. 6. Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuk (Doubleday: $24.95) Terrorists 4 disguised as foreign exchange students plot mass destruction. 7. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown: $22.99) 44 The final book in the “Twilight” saga finds Bella choosing immortality. 8. Sunnyside by Glen David Gold (Knopf: $26.95) Tales of a 1 young soldier, Charlie Chaplin and an aspiring actor portray life in early 20th century America. 9. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney 20 (Amulet: $12.95) Greg’s dad enlists him in sports to toughen him up. 10. The Women by T.C. Boyle (Viking: $27.95) Frank Lloyd 14 Wright’s life as told by four women who loved him. *--*

*--* Nonfiction 1. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown: $27.99) 29 An exploration of the background of high achievers. 2. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow 57 (Hyperion: $21.95) A professor’s terminal cancer inspires a call to seize life’s moments. 3. Liberty and Tyranny by Mark R. Levin (Threshold 11 Editions: $25) The talk-radio personality’s call to revitalize the conservative vision in America. 4. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man by Steve Harvey 18 (Amistad: $23.99) The talk-show host lets women inside the mind-set of a man. 5. Horse Soldiers by Doug Stanton (Scribner: $28) The 1 true story of a small unit of Special Forces soldiers who pursued the Taliban in Afghanistan after 9/11. 6. This Is Water by David Foster Wallace (Little, 4 Brown: $14.99) Thoughts and advice from a 2005 commencement speech at Kenyon College. 7. Losing Mum and Pup by Christopher Buckley (Twelve: 5 $24.99) The son of William F. and Patricia Buckley tells of life with the high-powered couple and how he coped with their deaths. 8. Resilience by Elizabeth Edwards (Broadway: $22.95) 4 The wife of the former presidential candidate reflects on facing life’s adversities. 9. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (Beyond Words: $23.95) 110 Life’s secrets, distilled. 10. Mirrors by Eduardo Galeano (Nation Books: $26.95) A 1 history of the world told through tales of lesser-known artists, writers and visionaries. *--*

1. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith ($12.95)

2. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows ($14)

3. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout ($14)

4. The Shack by William P. Young ($14.99)

5. Netherland by Joseph O’Neill ($14.95)

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Nonfiction

1. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin ($15)

2. Blink by Malcolm Gladwell ($15.99)

3. My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor ($15)

4. American Lion by Jon Meacham ($18)

5. I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max ($15.95)

Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores.

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latimes.com/books

A monstrous memoir

Astral Weeks: Frankenstein’s monster, in his own words. Off the Shelf: Karen Bender’s fascination with the letter “e.” Jacket Copy: How many books are too many?