Best Seller Round-Up

"A good word is like a good tree
whose root is firmly fixed and whose top is in the sky."

- The Koran

I. The New York Times.
Published June 7, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows.
Fiction Hardcover: The Scarecrow, Michael Connelly



Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Liberty and Tyranny, Mark R. Levin.

II. Los Angeles Times.
Published June 7, 2009.

Fiction Paperback: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
Fiction Hardcover: The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Book 5) Rick Riordan.
Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell.

III. Northern California Independent Booksellers.
For the week ending May 31, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows.
Fiction Hardcover: The Scarecrow, Michael Connelly
Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell.

IV. Heartland Indie Bestseller List.
Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association
For the week ending May 31, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows.
Fiction Hardcover: The Scarecrow, Michael Connelly.
Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Horse Soldiers, Doug Stanton.

Recommended Reading: "Ms. Hempel Chronicles" by Sarah Shun-lien Bynum

Ms. Hempel Chronicles, a novel by Sarah Shun-lien Bynum, is a funny and engaging story. It perfectly captures that delicate bubble of time following college when twenty-somethings, after decades of being special at home, exceptional at school, and dreaming of an exciting life ahead, meet the reality of work and adult life.

The protagonist is Beatrice Hempel. Hempel, in her late 20s, is teaching 7th grade English. Was this the right career choice? How to get the job done: the evaluations, parent-teacher conferences, presenting the material correctly? Bynum lightly and brilliantly captures the problems of this young, new teacher so that anyone who recalls starting a new profession will recognize themselves in Beatrice Hempel. Hempel's family and friends are also woven into this story of a young woman trying to get her work and personal life into a satisfactory groove.

My description of this book sounds much heavier and ordinary than the book itself. Bynum uses a light touch with language. The structure of Ms. Hempel Chronicles is wonderful. If it were a painting, it would be a watercolor; if it were a food, then it would be a delicate meringue. Bynum provides a lot of intensity and content without overworking the story.

A lovely, funny book.

Best Seller Round-Up

“If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are rotten,
either write things worth reading or do things worth the writing.”

- Benjamin Franklin .

I. The New York Times.
Published May 15, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): Vision in White, Nora Roberts.
Fiction Hardcover: Dead and Gone, Charlaine Harris.


Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Liberty and Tyranny, Mark R. Levin.

II. Los Angeles Times.
Published May 17, 2009.

Fiction Paperback: City of Thieves, David Beniof.



Fiction Hardcover: Eclipse, Stephenie Meyer.
Nonfiction Paperback: The Soloist, Steve Lopez.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, Steve Harvey.

III. Northern California Independent Booksellers.
For the week ending May 10, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): Olive Kitteridge, Elizabeth Strout.
Fiction Hardcover: Tea Time for the Traditionally Built, Alexander McCall Smith.
Nonfiction Paperback:Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell.

IV. Heartland Indie Bestseller List.
Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association
For the week ending May 10, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows.
Fiction Hardcover: Tea Time for the Traditionally Built, Alexander McCall Smith.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Liberty and Tyranny, Mark R. Levin.
Nonfiction Paperback (Trade): In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan.

Recommend Reading: "People of the Book" by Geraldine Brooks

People of the Book, a novel by Geraldine Brooks, is an interesting read that offers a great deal of opportunity for reflection.

The novel is spun around a real object, the Sarajevo Haggadah. The haggadah is a Jewish religious text used during the Passover sedar. The Sarajevo Haggadah is an illustrated manuscript of the haggadah text created in 14th century Spain. According to Yale University Library, which has a facsimile of the manuscript, the Sarajevo Haggadah was brought to the former Ottoman Empire by Jews expelled from Spain in 1492. In 1894 it was acquired by the Sarajevo Museum.

Sarajevo, as you will recall, was under siege by the Serbs from 1992 until 1996. The Sarajevo Haggadah was almost destroyed during the bombardment, but was saved by museum staff. In her novel, Brooks uses these contemporary facts about the Haggadah as the base camp from which she journeys into its past and then back again.

People of the Book begins in 1996. The Haggadah resurfaces in Sarajevo after the siege ends. The story's protagonist, Australian rare-book expert Hanna Heath, travels there to examine and restore the manuscript. Little is known about the Haggadah's history, and during her examination Heath looks for clues about its past.

Heath finds small things, including an insect wing, a wine stain, salt crystals, and a white hair. As she investigates each clue and speculates about its origin, in alternating chapters the author goes back in time to tell a story of how, for example, an insect wing got into the Haggadah, and how a wine stain appeared, and so on. The chapters that set forth these fictional, historical flashbacks are wonderful short stories and the most successful part of the book, transporting readers to Sarajevo in 1940, to late-19th-century Vienna, 15th-century Venice, Catalonia during the Spanish Inquisition and lastly to Seville in 1480.

Two downsides to the book. First, Brooks does a bit of direct sermonizing to the effect of 'why can't people just get along', which is unnecessary. The historical flashbacks alone do a great job of showing the evils of intolerance and hatred. Second, with the exception of the opening, the chapters concerning Hanna Heath are not the best bits.

Read People of the Book for the chapters that go back into the past. They are interesting, transporting, and provoke thinking about injustice, intolerance, and the importance of defending individual rights, freedom, and diversity in our communities.

Reading Slump

Over the last few weeks I've picked up and put down a lot of bad books. When I find a bad read, I feel no compunction to finish it. Time is a precious thing and I'm not willing to invest my time on a book that I don't like.

As a result, when this type of steak hits I start feeling jangly. My brain becomes littered with bits of silly plots and stupid characters, and I restlessly prowl around for something, somewhere, that is good to read. During this slump, my need-to-read has been satisfied only by spending a lot of time lingering over the three daily newspapers we subscribe to; while I am feeling terribly well-informed about toxic funds, French business executives, and NCAA basketball, this is no substitute for a good book.

Fortunately, I think this streak may be at an end. Last night I started reading People of the Book, a novel by Geraldine Brooks. So far, so good.

All this reminds me about why I get so excited about really good books, books that you don't want to stop reading, that you hate to see end. There is nothing like it. And so, I'll keep hunting for that next captivating story.

Best Seller Round-Up

"Always read something that

will make you look good if you die in the middle of it."

P.J. O'Rourke.

In the top spot for paperback fiction on the Northern California Independent Booksellers list is The Elegance of the Hedgehog, a book that has been on my to-read list for months. This book has been a best seller outside the U.S. and appeared on numerous "best of 2008" lists, including the Washington Post and Christian Science Monitor.

Speaking of the CSM, I've picked up many good book recommendations from that paper. In April, it is scheduled to move from print to a daily web publication. I hope its book coverage continues successfully.

I. The New York Times
Published March 20, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Shack, William P. Young.
Fiction Hardcover: Handle With Care, Jodi Picoult.
Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell.


II. Los Angeles Times
Published March 22, 2009.

Fiction Paperback: The Shack, William P. Young.
Fiction Hardcover: Handle with Care: A Novel Jodi Picoult.
Nonfiction Paperback: Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell.

III. Northern California Independent Booksellers
For the week ending March 15, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Elegance of the Hedgehog Muriel Barbery.
Fiction Hardcover: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows .
Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell.

IV. Heartland Indie Bestseller List
Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association
For the week ending March 15, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Shack, William P. Young.
Fiction Hardcover: Handle with Care: A Novel Jodi Picoult.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell.
Nonfiction Paperback (Trade): Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin.

Best Seller Round-Up

"Our life is March weather, savage and serene in one hour." - Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Today is March 1st, the beginning of the end of winter. As the old saying goes, if March weather comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb. Whether your weather today is ferocious or gentle, as Emerson's quote implies, if you wait a few minutes it will likely change.

Two new books appear in top spots today. First, from the Los Angeles Times best seller list, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney. Second, from the Northern California Booksellers list, People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks.

I. The New York Times.
Published February 27, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Shack, William P. Young.
Fiction Hardcover: The Associate, John Grisham.
Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: The Yankee Years, Joe Torre and Tom Verducci.

II. Los Angeles Times.
Published March 1, 2009.

Fiction Paperback: The Shack, William P. Young.
Fiction Hardcover: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, Jeff Kinney.
Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell.

III. Northern California Independent Booksellers.
For the week ending February 22, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): People of the Book, Geraldine Brooks.
Fiction Hardcover: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows .
Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell.

IV. Heartland Indie Bestseller List.
Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association
For the week ending February 22, 2009.

Fiction Paperback: The Shack, William P. Young.
Fiction Hardcover: The Associate, John Grisham.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Dewy, The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World, Vicki Myron.
Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin.

Best Seller Round-Up

"The income tax has made more liars out of the American people than golf has." - Will Rogers.

In the top spot this week for hardcover fiction on all four lists tracked here is John Grisham's The Associate. Yet this morning on Amazon, The Associate, with 108 reader reviews, has an average rating by readers of 2.5 stars out of a possible 5. Now that's mysterious.

Frankly, I have zero interest in reading The Associate, in which, according to the description of the book at its Amazon link, lawyer Kyle McAvoy "becomes an associate at the largest law firm in the world [oh my!], where, in addition to practicing law, he is expected to lie, steal, and take part in a scheme that could send him to prison, if not get him killed". Who needs legal fiction when you can be mesmerized and horrified by reading the real story of two Pennsylvania judges who pled guilty last Thursday to accepting $2.6 million in kickbacks for sending juveniles to private detention facilities?

If you are looking for an action-packed mystery to read, try David Rollins' The Death Trust. This book is a fast-moving thriller in which Major Vin Cooper of Air Force Special Investigations looks into the death of a four-star general who was also the son-in-law of the United States' vice president. Although the end of the book is a bit weak, throughout the bulk of it Vin works in a world of danger, corruption, and murder that will keep you rapidly turning pages.





I. The New York Times.
Published February 15, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The Shack, William P. Young.
Fiction Hardcover: The Associate, John Grisham.
Nonfiction Paperback: Dreams From My Father, Barack Obama.
Nonfiction Hardcover: The Yankee Years, Joe Torre and Tom Verducci.

II. Los Angeles Times
Published February 15, 2009.

Fiction Paperback: Revolutionary Road, Richard Yates.
Fiction Hardcover: The Associate, John Grisham.
Nonfiction Paperback: Dreams From My Father, Barack Obama.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell.

III. Northern California Independent Booksellers
For the week ending February 8, 2009.

Fiction Paperback (Trade): The White Tiger: A Novel (Man Booker Prize) Aravind Adiga.
Fiction Hardcover: The Associate, John Grisham.
Nonfiction Paperback: Dreams From My Father, Barack Obama.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Outliers, The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell.

IV. Heartland Indie Bestseller List
Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association
For the week ending February 8, 2009.

Fiction Paperback: The Shack, William P. Young.
Fiction Hardcover: The Associate, John Grisham.
Nonfiction Hardcover: Dewy, The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World, Vicki Myron.
Nonfiction Paperback: Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin.

New Books in 2009

The Wall Street Journal's Weekend Journal highlights a number of forthcoming books that retailer's hope will generate buzz in 2009.

You will likely not be shocked to learn that one of these is by James Patterson. Mr. Patterson's name appears on such an overwhelming number of book jackets that I have completely stopped paying any attention at all to his work. You may not feel this way. If that's the case, then in September look for James Patterson's The Murder of King Tut, a nonfiction investigation into the death of that young pharaoh. Let me know if you like it.

The Wall Street Journal notes also that this January, a new book from John Grisham is being published, The Associate. Mr. Grisham, like Mr. Patterson, is an author whose work I typically skip. I blame this on the movie versions of The Firm and The Pelican Brief, which somehow soured the whole of Mr. Grisham's work for me. Que lastima!

A number of forthcoming books that do look intriguing include:

Ape House by Sara Gruen. Ms. Gruen wrote the wonderful Water for Elephants. Her new book is scheduled for release in June.

The Kindly Ones by Jonathan Littell. This March release, which won France's Prix Concourt in 2006, is a fictional memoir of a Nazi officer.

Noah's Compass by Anne Tyler, which is scheduled for publication in September, according to the Wall Street Journal. Ms. Tyler's work is always engaging and beautifully written.

Check out the full story in the Wall Street Journal for additional titles.