BOOK REVIEW

PAPERBACKS

Fiction

*--* Fiction weeks on list 1. The Associate by John Grisham (Doubleday: $27.95) A dark 2 secret forces a law school graduate to take a job at a corrupt law firm that could cost him his life. 2. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney 4 (Amulet: $12.95) Greg’s dad enlists him in organized sports in order to toughen him up. 3. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown: $19.99) Bella 31 must choose between her lover and a friend, between life and death. 4. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski (Ecco: 30 $25.95) A mute dog breeder is banished by his uncle a la “Hamlet.” 5. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by 28 Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (Dial Press: $22) A writer corresponds with islanders after German occupation. 6. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown: $22.99) 28 The final book in the “Twilight” saga finds Bella choosing immortality. 7. Run for Your Life by James Patterson and Michael 1 Ledwidge (Little, Brown: $27.99) A killer called “The Teacher” is offing the elite in NYC. 8. The Host by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown: $25.99) 27 Aliens take over the minds of humans. 9. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (Knopf: 8 $24.95) A journalist explores the cold-case disappearance of a Swedish teen heiress. 10. Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs (Ace: $24.95) A car 1 mechanic by day and supernatural heroine by night takes on paranormal enemies. *--*

*--* Nonfiction 1. The Yankee Years by Joe Torre (Doubleday: $26.95) 2 Behind the scenes of what it really took to keep the Yankees on top of the baseball world. 2. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown: $27.99) 13 An exploration of the background of high achievers. 3. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man by Steve Harvey 2 (Amistad : $23.99) The talk-show host lets women inside the mind-set of a man. 4. Dewey by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter (Grand Central: 20 $19.99) The impact that a cat named Dewey Readmore Books had on an Iowa library and its patrons. 5. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow 41 (Hyperion: $21.95) A professor’s terminal cancer inspires a call to seize life’s moments. 6. Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher (Simon & 6 Schuster: $21) The actress and writer’s humorous confession to alcoholism, drug addiction and mental breakdowns. 7. The Black Hand by Chris Blatchford (William Morrow: 1 $25.95) An in-depth look at the Mexican Mafia told through the biography of Rene “Boxer” Enriquez. 8. Snark by David Denby (Simon & Schuster: $15.95) 1 Critic and author Denby discusses the meaning and history of snark. 9. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (Beyond Words: $23.95) 97 Life’s secrets, distilled. 10. The Inaugural Address 2009 by Barack Obama (Penguin: 1 $12) A keepsake edition commemorating the inauguration of the 44th president. *--*

1. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer ($10.99)

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

3. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga ($14)

4. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink ($13.95)

5. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz ($14)

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Nonfiction

1. Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama ($14.95)

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

3. The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama ($7.99)

4. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert ($15)

5. Suze Orman’s 2009 Action Plan by Suze Orman ($9.99)

Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores.