Copyright © 2005 by

The New York Times

THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW August 14, 2005

Best Sellers
This Last Weeks This
Week FICTION Week On List Week NONFICTION Last
Week
Weeks
On List

LIFEGUARD, by James Patterson and Andrew Gross.

1 (Little, Brown, $26.95.) Things go terribly awry when
1 3
1 1776, by David McCullough. (Simon & Schuster, $32.)
An account of America’s founding year by the Pulitzer
1 10

a lifeguard at a Florida resort agrees to take part in a Prize-winning author, focusing on the inexperienced
$5 million heist. George Washington and heroic citizen soldiers.

THE HISTORIAN, by Elizabeth Kostova. (Little,

2 Brown, $25.95.) A young woman’s quest to learn the
3 7
2 100 PEOPLE WHO ARE SCREWING UP AMERICA,
by Bernard Goldberg. (HarperCollins, $25.95.) The
2 4

truth about her father’s life and her mother’s death author of ‘‘Bias’’ takes aim at ‘‘Hollywood blow-
involves research into Vlad the Impaler and Dracula. hards,’’ ‘‘America bashers,’’ rappers and others.

THE DA VINCI CODE, by Dan Brown. (Doubleday,

3 $24.95; special illustrated edition, $35.) A murder at
5 124
3 THE WORLD IS FLAT, by Thomas L. Friedman. (Far-
rar, Straus & Giroux, $27.50.) A columnist for The New
3 17

the Louvre leads to a trail of clues found in the work York Times analyzes 21st-century economics and foreign
of Leonardo and to the discovery of a secret society. policy and presents an overview of globalization trends.

THE INTERRUPTION OF EVERYTHING, by Terry

4 McMillan. (Viking, $25.95.) At the age of 44, an unhappi-
2 2
4 FREAKONOMICS, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J.
Dubner. (Morrow, $25.95.) A maverick scholar applies
4 16

ly married California woman discovers she’s pregnant. economic thinking to everything from sumo wrestlers
who cheat to legalized abortion and the falling crime rate.
UNTIL I FIND YOU, by John Irving. (Random House,
5 $27.95.) Tracing the experiences of a movie star
4 3
BLINK, by Malcolm Gladwell. (Little, Brown, $25.95.)
named Jack Burns, whose life has revolved around his 5 The author of ‘‘The Tipping Point’’ explores the impor-
6 29

relationships with older girls and older women. tance of hunch and instinct to the workings of the mind.

DOUBLE TAP, by Steve Martini. (Putnam, $26.95.) The

6 lawyer Paul Madriani comes upon government secrets
1
6 CONFESSIONS OF A VIDEO VIXEN, by Karrine
Steffans. (Amistad/HarperCollins, $24.95.) A tell-all
5 5

when he defends a soldier who is on trial for murder. memoir by a dancer and actress who has appeared in
many hip-hop videos.
THE UNDOMESTIC GODDESS, by Sophie Kinsella.
7 (Dial, $23.) At her wit’s end, a high-powered attorney
7 2
LANCE ARMSTRONG’S WAR, by Daniel Coyle.
decamps from London and winds up as an unqualified 7 (HarperCollins, $25.95.) How the great cyclist won
9 6

housekeeper in the middle of nowhere. his sixth Tour de France in 2004.

THE MERMAID CHAIR, by Sue Monk Kidd. (Viking,

8 $24.95.) On Egret Island, off the coast of South Caro-
10 17
8 THE SECRET MAN, by Bob Woodward. (Simon &
Schuster, $23.) The longtime reporter and editor for
7 4

lina, a married woman is strongly attracted to a monk The Washington Post tells the story of Deep Throat
who is just months away from taking his final vows. and Watergate; with an afterword by Carl Bernstein.

9 NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, by Cormac McCarthy.

(Knopf, $24.95.) Mayhem ensues after a West Texas
8 2
9* ON BULL – – – –, by Harry G. Frankfurt. (Princeton
University, $9.95.) A philosopher attempts a theoretical
10 20

man stumbles upon $2 million in drug money — and understanding of a ‘‘vast and amorphous’’ phenomenon.
decides to keep it.
NEW RULES, by Bill Maher. (Rodale, $24.95.) The co-
LONG TIME GONE, by J. A. Jance. (Morrow, $24.95.) 10 1

10 A homicide investigator for the state of Washington

1 median and onetime host of ‘‘Politically Incorrect’’
takes on everyone from President Bush to Bob Dylan.
probes a 50-year-old murder case.
THE TRUTH ABOUT HILLARY, by Edward Klein.
MIRACLE, by Danielle Steel. (Delacorte, $20.) When 11 8 6

11 a terrible storm hits Northern California, the lives of

9 5 (Sentinel, $24.95.) An unflattering portrait of Senator
Hillary Rodham Clinton.
three people are changed forever.
AMERICA (THE BOOK), by Jon Stewart, Ben Karlin,
CHILL OF FEAR, by Kay Hooper. (Bantam, $25.) 12 11 44

12 Haunted by a murder that took place 20 years earlier,

1 David Javerbaum et al. (Warner, $24.95.) ‘‘The Daily
Show’’ offers an illustrated parody of a civics textbook.
an F.B.I. agent heads to Tennessee to try to solve it.
IT TAKES A FAMILY, by Rick Santorum. (ISI Books,
ELEVEN ON TOP, by Janet Evanovich. (St. Martin’s, 13 1

13 $26.95.) As she tries to leave the world of bounty hunt-

6 6 $25.) The Republican senator from Pennsylvania
discusses ‘‘conservatism and the common good.’’
ing, Stephanie Plum realizes a lunatic is stalking her.
COLLAPSE, by Jared Diamond. (Viking, $29.95.)
ORIGIN IN DEATH, by J. D. Robb. (Putnam, $24.95.) 14 13 29

14 In 2059, Lt. Eve Dallas investigates the killings of a

11 3 A historical investigation, by the author of ‘‘Guns,
Germs, and Steel,’’ into why some societies succeed
father and son, both of whom were cosmetic surgeons; while others fail.
by Nora Roberts, writing pseudonymously.
THREE NIGHTS IN AUGUST, by Buzz Bissinger.
TRUE BELIEVER, by Nicholas Sparks. (Warner, 15 14 18

15 $24.95.) A hip young New Yorker finds love with a

12 16 (Houghton Mifflin, $25.) A three-game series in 2003
between the Cubs and the Cardinals, as seen through
beautiful librarian who lives in North Carolina. the eyes of Tony La Russa, the St. Louis manager.

Rankings reflect sales, for the week ended July 30, at almost 4,000 bookstores plus wholesalers serving 50,000 other retailers, statistically weighted to represent all
such outlets nationwide. An asterisk (*) indicates that a book’s sales are barely distinguishable from those of the book above. A dagger (†) indicates that some book-
stores report receiving bulk orders. Expanded rankings are available at The New York Times on the Web: nytimes.com/books.
Copyright © 2005 by
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW August 14, 2005
The New York Times

Paperback Best Sellers

This Weeks This Weeks
Week FICTION On List Week NONFICTION On List

IT’S NOT ABOUT THE BIKE, by Lance Armstrong

1 NIGHT TALES: NIGHTSHADE, NIGHT SMOKE, by
Nora Roberts. (Silhouette, $7.99.) Reprints two dark
1
1 with Sally Jenkins. (Berkley, $14.) A memoir by the
77

novels from 1993 and 1994. Tour de France champion and cancer survivor.

THE TIPPING POINT, by Malcolm Gladwell. (Back

2 DEAN KOONTZ’S FRANKENSTEIN: CITY OF NIGHT,
by Dean Koontz and Ed Gorman. (Bantam, $7.99.)
1
2 Bay/Little, Brown, $14.95.) A journalist’s study of
51

New Orleans detectives must stop the monster set social epidemics, otherwise known as fads.
loose by the modern Frankenstein, a biotech tycoon.
DRESS YOUR FAMILY IN CORDUROY AND DENIM,
WHITE HOT, by Sandra Brown. (Pocket Books, 3 by David Sedaris. (Back Bay/Little, Brown, $14.95.)
9

3 $9.95.) Returning home after her brother’s

2
The humorist’s latest collection of essays.
mysterious death, a woman is embroiled in family
GUNS, GERMS, AND STEEL, by Jared Diamond.
intrigue.
4 (Norton, $16.95.) An argument that Western domi-
152

TRACE, by Patricia Cornwell. (Berkley, $7.99.) The 5 nance is due to geographical advantages.
4 inept man who replaced Dr. Kay Scarpetta as chief
THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY, by Erik Larson.
medical examiner of Virginia asks for her help in
investigating the unexplained death of a 14-year-old. 5 (Vintage, $14.95.) A great architect and a serial
77

killer, linked by the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893.

THE KITE RUNNER, by Khaled Hosseini. (River-
5 head, $14.) An Afghan-American returns to Kabul to
47
6 TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE, by Mitch Albom. 138
learn how his childhood friend fared under the Taliban. (Broadway, $11.95.) The author,a sportswriter, tells
of his visits to his old college mentor, who was near
FINAL SCREAM, by Lisa Jackson. (Zebra, $7.99.) A death’s door.
6 woman returns to the Oregon town where a fire
1

READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN, by Azar Nafisi.

destroyed her family 17 years ago to face more fires
and deaths. Originally published as ‘‘Intimacies.’’ 7 (Random House, $13.95.) A memoir of a teacher’s
83

life in Iran, centered on a women’s reading group

THE RULE OF FOUR, by Ian Caldwell and Dustin 5 she organized.
7 Thomason. (Dell, $7.99.) Two Princeton students
ME TALK PRETTY ONE DAY, by David Sedaris.
trying to unravel the mysteries of a Renaissance
text become ensnared in murderous intrigue. 8 (Back Bay/Little, Brown, $14.95.) A collection of auto-
104

biographical comic essays by the author of ‘‘Naked.’’

LOST CITY, by Clive Cussler with Paul Kemprecos.
8 (Berkley, $9.99.) The discovery of a life-prolonging
1
9 A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING, by 42
enzyme — 2,000 feet down in the Atlantic Ocean — Bill Bryson. (Broadway, $15.95.) From the Big Bang
results in a series of disappearances and killings. to the 21st century: a guided tour of the sciences and
what they tell us about the physical world.
THE WEDDING, by Nicholas Sparks. (Warner,
9 $12.95 and $7.50.) A man tries to regain his wife’s
12
10 DREAMS FROM MY FATHER, by Barack Obama. 47
love; a sequel to ‘‘The Notebook.’’ (Three Rivers, $13.95.) The Democratic senator
from Illinois reflects on life as the son of a black
NIGHT TALES: NIGHT SHIFT, NIGHT SHADOW, by 5 African father and white American mother.
10 Nora Roberts. (Silhouette, $7.99.) Reprints two dark
RUNNING WITH SCISSORS, by Augusten
novels from 1990 and 1991.
11 Burroughs. (Picador, $14.) In the 1970’s, a young boy
91

ANGELS & DEMONS, by Dan Brown. (Pocket Star, lives with a crazy psychiatrist in a squalid household.
11 $7.99.) A Harvard scholar tries to save the Vatican
107

A CHILD CALLED ‘‘IT,’’ by Dave Pelzer. (Health

from the machinations of an underground society.
12 Communications, $9.95.) The autobiography of a
322

LYON’S GATE, by Catherine Coulter. (Jove, $9.99.) In man who survived his mother’s abuse.
12 19th-century England, a well-born man and woman
1

SHADOW DIVERS, by Robert Kurson. (Random

compete to buy a racing stud farm.
13 House, $14.95; Ballantine, $7.50.) Divers discover the
8

MEMORIAL DAY, by Vince Flynn. (Pocket Star, wreckage of a World War II-era German U-boat 60
13 $9.95.) A counterterrorism expert rushes to prevent
2
miles off the coast of New Jersey.
an attack on American soil.
UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN, by Jon
BACK TO THE BEDROOM, by Janet Evanovich. 14 Krakauer. (Anchor, $14.95.) The author of ‘‘Into Thin
53

14 (HarperTorch, $7.50.) Two neighbors fall in love;

1
Air’’ explores the implications of the murder of a
originally published in slightly altered form in 1989. woman by two religious fundamentalists.

15 THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES, by Sue Monk Kidd.

(Penguin, $14.) In South Carolina in 1964, a teenage
97
15* (Back
THE BOOKSELLER OF KABUL, by Asne Seierstad.
Bay/Little, Brown, $12.95.) A Norwegian
35

girl tries to discover the secret to her mother’s past. journalist examines the treatment of Afghan women.

Rankings reflect sales, for the week ended July 30, at almost 4,000 bookstores plus wholesalers serving 60,000 other retailers (gift shops, department stores, newsstands,
supermarkets), statistically weighted to represent all such outlets nationwide. An asterisk (*) indicates that a book’s sales are barely distinguishable from those of the
book above. A dagger (†) indicates that some bookstores report receiving bulk orders. Expanded rankings are available at The New York Times on the Web:
nytimes.com/books.
Copyright © 2005 by THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW August 14, 2005
The New York Times

Best Sellers Expanded List

HARDCOVER FICTION HARDCOVER NON-FICTION

16 THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN, by Mitch Albom

16 GOOD TO GREAT, by Jim Collins (HarperBusiness)
(Hyperion)

17 OBJECTION!, by Nancy Grace with Diane Clehane (Hyperion)

17 CRUSADER’S CROSS, by James Lee Burke (Simon & Schuster)

18 MY FRIEND LEONARD, by James Frey (Riverhead)

18 A LONG WAY DOWN, by Nick Hornby (Riverhead)

19 SHOOTER, by Jack Coughlin and Casey Kuhlman with Donald A.

19 THE BIG OVER EASY, by Jasper Fforde (Viking) Davis (St. Martin’s)

20 ROCOCO, by Adriana Trigiani (Random House)

20 SILENT WITNESS, by Mark Fuhrman (Morrow)

21 DANCING IN THE DARK, by Mary Jane Clark (St. Martin’s)

21 KILLING YOURSELF TO LIVE, by Chuck Klosterman (Scribner)

22 CROSS BONES, by Kathy Reichs (Scribner)

22 THE DEVIL’S TEETH, by Susan Casey (Holt)

23 BREAKING POINT, by Suzanne Brockmann (Ballantine)

23 UNDER AND ALONE, by William Queen (Random House)

24 4TH OF JULY, by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Little,

24 A LOTUS GROWS IN THE MUD, by Goldie Hawn with Wendy
Brown)
Holden (Putnam)

25 SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN, by Lisa See (Random

25 PRAYING FOR GIL HODGES, by Thomas Oliphant (Thomas
House)
Dunne/St.Martin’s)

26 THE PATRIOTS CLUB, by Christopher Reich (Delacorte)

26 COACH, by Michael Lewis (Norton)

27 ANGELS AND DEMONS, by Dan Brown (Atria)

27 SURROUNDED BY IDIOTS by Mike Gallagher (Morrow)

28 HAUNTED, by Chuck Palahniuk (Doubleday)

28 ASSASSINATION VACATION by Sarah Vowell (Simon & Schuster)

29 FIRE SALE, by Sara Paretsky (Putnam)

29 OH THE GLORY OF IT ALL, by Sean Wilsey (Penguin Press)

30 DINNER WITH A PERFECT STRANGER, by David Gregory

(WaterBrook) 30 LIBERALISM IS A MENTAL DISORDER, by Michael Savage (Nel-
son Current/Thomas Nelson)

31 MINE ARE SPECTACULAR, by Janice Kaplan and Lynn Schnurn-

berger (Ballantine) 31 MY LIFE SO FAR, by Jane Fonda (Random House)

32 ALWAYS TIME TO DIE, by Elizabeth Lowell (Morrow) 32 EVERYBODY INTO THE POOL by Beth Lisick (ReganBooks)

33 THE TRAVELER, by John Twelve Hawks (Doubleday) 33 ELVIS BY THE PRESLEY’S Edited by David Ritz (Crown)

34 FREDDY AND FREDERICKA, by Mark Helprin (Penguin Press)

34 SEARCHING FOR THE SOUND, by Phil Lesh (Little, Brown)

35 VELOCITY, by Dean Koontz (Bantam)

35 CHINA INC., by Ted C. Fishman (Scribner)
Copyright © 2005 by August 14, 2005
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
The New York Times

Best Sellers Expanded List

PAPERBACK FICTION PAPERBACK NON-FICTION
16 THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME, by 16 WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH KANSAS?, by Thomas Frank
Mark Haddon (Vintage Contemporaries) (Owl/Holt)

17 BODY DOUBLE, by Tess Gerritsen (Ballantine) 17 MOUNTAINS BEYOND MOUNTAINS, by Tracy Kidder (Random
House)

18 BLACK ROSE, by Nora Roberts (Jove)

18 GHOST WARS, by Steve Coll (Penguin)

19 TEN BIG ONES, by Janet Evanovich (St. Martin’s)

19 MY LIFE, by Bill Clinton (Vintage)

20 NIGHTS OF RAIN AND STARS, by Maeve Binchy (Signet) 20 PLEDGED, by Alexandra Robbins (Hyperion)

21 MY SISTER’S KEEPER, by Jodi Picoult (Washington Square) 21 FAST FOOD NATION, by Eric Schlosser (Perennial)

22 TRUTH & BEAUTY, by Ann Patchett (Perennial/HarperCollins)

22 DARK SKY, by Carla Neggers (Mira)

23 FATHER JOE, by Tony Hendra(Random House)

23 LITTLE EARTHQUAKES, by Jennifer Weiner (Washington Square)

24 GENGHIS KHAN, by Jack Weatherford (Three Rivers)

24 DECEPTION POINT, by Dan Borwn (Pocket)

25 ALEXANDER HAMILTON, by Ron Chernow (Penguin)

25 THE SUMMER I DARED, by Barbara Delinsky (Pocket Books)

26 LEAP OF FAITH, by Queen Noor (Miramax/Hyperion)

26 STAR WARS: DARK NEST 1: THE JOINER KING, by Troy Denning

(Lucas/DelRey/Ballantine) 27 ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN, by Carl Bernstein and Bob Wood-
ward (Simon & Schuster/Pocket)

27 LAKESIDE COTTAGE, by Susan Wiggs (Mira)

28 DON’T LET’S GO TO THE DOGS TONIGHT, by Alexandra Fuller
(Random House)

28 SKINNY DIP, by Carl Hiaasen (Warner)

29 THE UNITED STATES OF WAL-MART, by John Dicker

(Tarcher/Penguin)
29 DIGITAL FORTRESS, by Dan Brown (Thomas Dunne/St. Matin’s)

30 NICKEL AND DIMED, by Barbara Ehrenreich

30 WICKED, by Gregory Maguire (ReganBooks) (Metropolitan/Owl/Holt)

31 HOT NUMBER, by Carly Phillips(HQN) 31 FOUNDING MOTHERS, by Cokie Roberts (Perennial/HarperCollins)

32 LIFE OF PI, by Yann Martel (Harvest Books, Harvest Edition) 32 SKELETONS ON THE ZAHARA, by Dean King (Little, Brown/Back
Bay)

33 BLAZE, by JoAnn Ross (Pocket)

33 BIG RUSS AND ME, by Tim Russert(Miramax/Hyperion)

34 BERGDORF BLONDES, by Plum Sykes (Miramax)

34 JOHN ADAMS, by David McCullough (Simon & Schuster)

35 THUNDER AT DAWN, by Jill Gregory (Dell) 35 SUPERSTUD, by Paul Feig (Three Rivers)
Copyright © 2005 by
The New York Times
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW August 14, 2005

Advice, How-To and Miscellaneous

HARDCOVER PAPERBACK
THE SOUTH BEACH DIET, by Arthur Agatston. (St.
1 NATURAL CURES ‘‘THEY’’ DON’T WANT YOU TO
KNOW ABOUT, by Kevin Trudeau. (Alliance
6
1 Martin’s, $14.95 and $7.99.) A weight-loss plan
15

Publishing Group, $29.95.) Remedies that do not designed by a Miami cardiologist.

include drugs or surgery. (†)
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING,
YOUR BEST LIFE NOW, by Joel Osteen. (Warner 2 by Heidi Murkoff, Arlene Eisenberg and Sandee
231

2 Faith, $19.99.) A faith-based approach to living. (†)

41
Hathaway. (Workman, $13.95.) Advice for parents-
to-be. (†)
THE PURPOSE-DRIVEN LIFE, by Rick Warren. (Zon-
3 133
RICH DAD, POOR DAD, by Robert T. Kiyosaki with
dervan, $19.99.) Finding the meaning of life through
God. (†) 3 Sharon L. Lechter. (Warner, $16.95.) Teaching one’s
250

children how to get rich and stay rich. (†)

YOU: THE OWNER’S MANUAL, by Michael F.
4 13
1,000 PLACES TO SEE BEFORE YOU DIE, by
Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz. (HarperResource,
$24.95.) A guide to how the body works, and advice 4 Patricia Schultz. (Workman, $18.95.) A reference
52

on maintaining health and youth. book for travelers.

BAD CAT, by Jim Edgar. (Workman, $9.95.) The

5 THE 3-HOUR DIET, by Jorge Cruise.
(HarperCollins, $24.95.) Reset your metabolism by
3
5 feline dark side, depicted in humorous pictures and
23

eating frequently. captions.

Advice, How-To and Miscellaneous Expanded List

HARDCOVER PAPERBACK

6 WINNING, by Jack Welch with Suzy Welch (HarperBusiness) 6 DON’T THINK OF AN ELEPHANT, by George Lakoff (Chelsea-
Green)

7 HE’S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU, by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuc-
cillo (Simon Spotlight Entertainment) 7 PROPHECY, by Sylvia Browne written with Lindsay Harrison
(NAL)

8 FRENCH WOMEN DON’T GET FAT, by Mireille Guiliano (Knopf)

8 THE MAKER’S DIET, by Jordan S. Rubin (Berkley)

9 WHO MOVED MY CHEESE?, by Spencer Johnson (Putnam) 9 THE SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE, by Stephen
R. Covey (Free Press)

10 BODY FOR LIFE FOR WOMEN, by Pamela Peeke (Rodale)

10 THE HIDDEN MESSAGES IN WATER, by Masaru Emoto (Beyond
Words)
11 REAL MONEY, by James J. Cramer (Simon & Schuster)

11 POWER OF NOW, by Eckhart Tolle (New World Library)

12 GOD’S MIRROR, by Max Lucado (Integrity)

12 THE FOUR AGREEMENTS, by Don Miguel Ruiz (Amber-Allen)

13 HOW FULL IS YOUR BUCKET?, by Tom Rath and Donald O.

Clifton (Gallup Press) 13 THE MILLIONAIRE REAL ESTATE INVESTOR, by Gary Keller, with
Dave Jenks, Jay Papasan (McGraw-Hill)

14 NOW, DISCOVER YOUR STRENGHTS, by Marcus Buckingham and

14 BOYS WILL PUT YOU ON A PEDESTAL (SO THEY CAN LOOK UP
Donald O. Clifton (Free Press) YOUR SKIRT) by Philip Van Munching (Simon & Schuster)

15 CAPTIVATING, by John and Stasi Eldredge (Nelson) 15 30-MINUTE GET REAL MEALS, by Rachael Ray (Clarkson Potter)

Rankings reflect sales, for the week ended July 30, at almost 4,000 bookstores plus wholesalers serving 60,000 other retailers (gift shops, department stores, newsstands,
supermarkets), statistically weighted to represent all such outlets nationwide. An asterisk (*) indicates that a book’s sales are barely distinguishable from those of the
book above. A dagger (†) indicates that some bookstores report receiving bulk orders. Expanded rankings are available at The New York Times on the Web:
nytimes.com/books.
Copyright © 2005 by
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW August 14, 2005
The New York Times

Children’s Best Sellers

This Last Weeks This Last Weeks
Week PICTURE BOOKS Week On List Week CHAPTER BOOKS Week On List

DR. ERNEST DRAKE’S DRAGONOLOGY, edited by

1 Dugald A. Steer. (Candlewick, $18.99.) The complete
1 72
1 READY OR NOT, by Meg Cabot. (HarperCollins,
$15.99.) Samantha Madison, the all-American girl, is
1

book of dragons. (Ages 8 and up) dating the president’s son and just trying to fit in at
school. (Ages 12 and up)
ENCYCLOPEDIA PREHISTORICA: DINOSAURS, by
2 Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart. (Candlewick,
3 2
DRAGON RIDER, by Cornelia Funke. (Chicken
$26.99.) A pop-up dinosaur compendium. (Ages 5 2 House/Scholastic, $12.95.) A boy and a dragon set off
2 51

and up) on a magical quest. (Ages 10 and up)

DIARY OF A SPIDER, by Doreen Cronin. Illustrated

3 by Harry Bliss. (Cotler/HarperCollins, $15.99.) Oh,
1
3 MAXIMUM RIDE: THE ANGEL EXPERIMENT, by
James Patterson. (Little, Brown, $16.99.) Bred to fly, a
3 16

what a sticky web we weave; an arachnidan ‘‘memoir.’’ flock of children has to track down its parents, rescue
(Ages 4 to 8) one of its own and save the world. (Ages 12 and up)

THE DRAGONOLOGY HANDBOOK, edited by Dugald

4 A. Steer. (Candlewick, $12.99.) A companion volume
2 15
4 THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX, by Kate DiCamillo.
Illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering. (Candlewick,
1 65

to ‘‘Dr. Ernest Drake’s Dragonology,’’ offering a $17.99.) A mouse, a rat and a simple servant girl
‘‘practical course in dragons.’’ (Ages 8 and up) embark on a magical journey. (Ages 10 and up)

EGYPTOLOGY, by Emily Sands. Illustrated by Ian

5 Andrew, Nick Harris and Helen Ward. (Candlewick,
6 39
5 LUNCH MONEY, by Andrew Clements. (Simon &
Schuster, $15.95.) A sixth grader with a penchant for
4 5

$19.99.) The fanciful journal of an explorer from the making money decides to sell the comic books he writes
1920’s. (Ages 8 and up) and illustrates. (Ages 8 to 12)

OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO! written and illustrated

6 by Dr. Seuss. (Random House, $17.) The problems of
4 298
6 AL CAPONE DOES MY SHIRTS, by Gennifer Chol-
denko. (Putnam, $15.99.) Growing up on Alcatraz as
5 22

finding your way through life. (Ages 8 and up) the son of a guard has its challenges. (Ages 9 to 12)

10 LITTLE RUBBER DUCKS, written and illustrated

7 by Eric Carle. (HarperCollins, $19.99.) Bathtub toys
8 12
7 RAVEN’S GATE, by Anthony Horowitz. (Scholastic,
$17.95.) A boy wrongfully banished to a small town
8 8

overboard! Adrift at sea, rubber duckies meet ma- must foil a sinister plan. (Ages 9 to 12)
rine animals; a counting book. (Ages 2 to 6)
SEPTIMUS HEAP: MAGYK, by Angie Sage. (Tegen/
RUNNY BABBIT, by Shel Silverstein. (HarperCollins, 8 6 19

8 $17.99.) A clayful pollection of animal verse by the au-

5 20 HarperCollins, $16.99.) A boy stolen at birth, a girl left
for dead and raised by her rescuers, and their quests to
thor of ‘‘Where the Sidewalk Ends.’’ (Ages 6 and up) uncover their true identities. (Ages 9 and up)

TAILS, written and illustrated by Matthew Van Fleet.

9 Edited by Skip Skwarek. (Red Wagon/Harcourt,
7 72
9 KIRA-KIRA, by Cynthia Kadohata. (Atheneum,
$15.95.) A Japanese-American family copes with a
7 28

$12.95.) All about them: furry ones and rough ones, move and a terminal disease. (Ages 11 and up)
long ones and stumpy ones. (Ages 2 to 5)
PETER AND THE STARCATCHERS, by Dave Barry
ZEN SHORTS, written and illustrated by Jon J. Muth. 10 9 46

10 (Scholastic, $16.95.) Stillwater the giant panda tells

9 20 and Ridley Pearson. (Disney/Hyperion, $17.99.) In a
prequel to ‘‘Peter Pan,’’ an orphan and his friend Mol-
classic Zen tales to his young neighbors. (Ages 4 to 8) ly try to save the world from evil. (Ages 10 and up)

Rankings reflect sales, for the week ended July 30, at almost 4,000 bookstores plus wholesalers serving 50,000 other retailers (gift shops, department stores, newsstands,
supermarkets), statistically weighted to represent all such outlets nationwide. An asterisk (*) indicates that a book’s sales are barely distinguishable from those of the
book above. A dagger (†) indicates that some bookstores report receiving bulk orders. Expanded rankings are available at The New York Times on the Web:
nytimes.com/books.
Copyright © 2005 by
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW August 14, 2005
The New York Times

Children’s Best Sellers

This Last Weeks This Last Weeks
Week PAPERBACK BOOKS Week On List Week SERIES Week On List

CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, by Roald

1 Dahl. (Puffin, $6.99.) A boy’s adventures with Willy
1 7
1 HARRY POTTER, by J. K. Rowling. (Levine/Scholas-
tic, hardcover and paperback.) A boy wizard hones his
1 44

Wonka; the unabridged original, with illustrations from skills and battles evil at Hogwarts. (Ages 10 and up)
the movie. (Ages 8 to 12)
THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS, by
ERAGON, by Christopher Paolini. (Knopf, $9.95.) A 2 2 27

2 boy and a young dragon must navigate a bewildering

2 14 Ann Brashares. (Delacorte, hardcover and paperback.)
Four friends share magical pants. (Ages 12 and up)
world of dark powers. (Ages 12 and up)
MAGIC TREE HOUSE, by Mary Pope Osborne. Illus-
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, by C. S. Lewis. 3 3 44

3 (HarperCollins, $19.99.) Through the wardrobe with

3 9 trated by Sal Murdocca. (Stepping Stone/Random
House, hardcover and paperback.) Children travel to
the Pevensie siblings and friends; all seven volumes the past in a spinning tree house. (Ages 6 to 9)
collected in one book. (Ages 9 and up)
A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS, by Lemony
INKHEART, by Cornelia Funke. (Scholastic, $7.99.) An 4 5 44

4 evil fictional character escapes from the book a girl is

8 11 Snicket. (HarperCollins, hardcover only.) The chroni-
cles of the poor Baudelaire siblings. (Ages 10 and up)
reading and turns up in her house. (Ages 10 and up)
ARTEMIS FOWL, by Eoin Colfer. (Miramax/Hyperi-
CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, by Roald 5 4 44

5 Dahl. (Puffin, $6.99.) Abridged from the original, with

7 8 on, hardcover and paperback.) The adventures of a
magical criminal mastermind. (Ages 8 and up)
illustrations from the movie. (Ages 5 to 8)
JUNIE B., FIRST GRADER, by Barbara Park. Illus-
HOOT, by Carl Hiaasen. (Knopf, $8.95.) Trying to 6 7 44

6 solve a mystery, a boy newly arrived in Florida en-

9 62 trated by Denise Brunkus. (Stepping Stone/Random
House, hardcover and paperback.) It’s a whole new
counters bizarre people. (Ages 10 and up) school year for Junie B. Jones. (Ages 4 to 8)

NOBODY DOES IT BETTER, by Cecily von Ziegesar.

7 (Little, Brown, $9.99.) Sex, love and college admis-
5 15
7 PENDRAGON, by D. J. MacHale. (Aladdin, hardcover
and softcover.) A teenage boy travels through time
8 8

sions in the world of Gossip Girl. (Ages 14 and up) and space. (Ages 10 and up)

SPEAK, by Laurie Halse Anderson. (Puffin, $8.99.) Af- 10

8 ter calling the cops about an end-of-summer party, a
5
8 CHARLIE BONE, by Jenny Nimmo. (Orchard/
Scholastic, hardcover and paperback.) An ancient
6 10

teenager is shunned at school. (Ages 12 and up) king’s descendants learn magic at Bloor’s Academy.
(Ages 9 to 12)
BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE, by Kate DiCamillo. (Can-
9 dlewick, $5.99.) The new girl in town makes friends
6 50
THE PRINCESS DIARIES, by Meg Cabot. (Harper-
with the help of a dog. (Ages 9 to 12) 9 Collins, hardcover and paperback.) Mia Thermopolis
34

is the crown princess of Genovia. (Ages 12 and up)

THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE, by
10 C. S. Lewis. (HarperCollins/HarperTrophy, $10.95 and
4 6
THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES, by Tony DiTerlizzi
$5.99.) The Pevensie siblings discover the land of Nar- 10 and Holly Black. (Simon & Schuster, hardcover only.)
9 41

nia on the other side of the wardrobe. (Ages 9 and up) The Grace siblings find a hidden world. (Ages 6 to 10)

Rankings reflect sales, for the week ended July 30, at almost 4,000 bookstores plus wholesalers serving 50,000 other retailers (gift shops, department stores, newsstands,
supermarkets), statistically weighted to represent all such outlets nationwide. An asterisk (*) indicates that a book’s sales are barely distinguishable from those of the
book above. A dagger (†) indicates that some bookstores report receiving bulk orders. Expanded rankings are available at The New York Times on the Web:
nytimes.com/books.
Copyright © 2005 by August 14, 2005
The New York Times THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

Editor’s Choice
ALMONDS TO ZHOOF: Collected Stories, by ISRAEL ON THE APPOMATTOX, by Melvin FINDING MARTHA’S VINEYARD: African
Richard Stern. (TriQuarterly/Northwestern Uni- Patrick Ely. (Knopf, $35.) A historian’s report on Americans at Home on an Island, by Jill Nelson.
versity, $29.95.) A lifetime’s stories by an acade- Richard Randolph’s emancipation of 90 slaves at (Doubleday, $27.50.) A memoir and oral history
mic who knows much but judges none. his death in 1796; despite the anxieties of the Vir- about a black vacation colony since the 1880’s.
ginia establishment, it worked.
THE SUMMER HE DIDN’T DIE, by Jim Harri- ROGUE REGIME: Kim Jong Il and the Looming
son. (Atlantic Monthly, $24.) Three novellas, in THE EMPEROR OF WINE: The Rise of Robert Threat of North Korea, by Jasper Becker. (Ox-
tones ribald to reflective, by a versatile writer. M. Parker, Jr. and the Reign of American Taste, ford University, $28.) A veteran reporter’s read-
by Elin McCoy. (Ecco/HarperCollins, $25.95.) ing of an ace tyrant and an immiserated people.
MR. MUO’S TRAVELLING COUCH, by Dai Sijie. The success story of a tough, dogmatic expert.
(Knopf, $22.) A novel about China, in which a MARSDEN HARTLEY: Race, Region, and Na-
Freudian analyst must find a chaste woman. MAGIC FOR BEGINNERS, by Kelly Link. (Small tion, by Donna M. Cassidy. (University Press of
Beer, $24.) Anxious regular folks mix with zom- New England, $39.95.) A reading of Hartley as a
THE FIRST EMANCIPATOR, by Andrew Levy. bies to powerful effect in these stories. Nazi fellow traveler whose enthusiasms went un-
(Random House, $25.95.) An examination, by a marked in the ubiquitous racism of the 1930’s.
professor of English, of the psychic and religious HIDE & SEEK, by Clare Sambrook. (Canongate,
struggles that made Robert Carter III, a Virginia $21.) A first novel, plausibly told by a 9-year-old The full reviews of these and other recent books
planter, free his slaves, starting in 1791. whose little brother has disappeared. are on the Web: nytimes.com/books

Paperback Row
THE SILVER SCREEN, by Maureen Howard. (Pen- separate hallucination from reality and find the PUBLIC ENEMIES: America’s Greatest Crime
guin, $14.) The third in a four-book project inspired trigger that will release him from his coma. Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34, by
by the seasons, following winter (‘‘A Lover’s Al- Bryan Burrough. (Penguin, $16.) This is a colorful
manac’’) and spring (‘‘Big as Life’’), this medita- ADVENTURES OF THE ARTIFICIAL WOMAN, by history of the early days of the Federal Bureau of
tive novel looks at celebrity and its distortions of Thomas Berger. (Simon & Schuster, $13.) Berger’s Investigation and its first national crime problem:
family life. The fame attained by Bel Murphy, a 23rd novel is a satirical fantasy about a beautiful heavily armed, highly mobile criminals like Ma-
silent film star, works its changes on her aging chil- creation gone haywire. ‘‘Never having found a real chine Gun Kelly, Ma Barker and John Dillinger.
dren: Joe, a Jesuit priest; Rita, who falls for a mob- woman with whom he could sustain a more than Burrough, a special correspondent for Vanity Fair
ster and joins him in the witness protection pro- temporary connection,’’ he writes, ‘‘Ellery Pierce, and the author of ‘‘Barbarians at the Gate,’’ ex-
gram; and Bel’s honorary third child, Gemma, a a technician at a firm that made animatronic crea- plores the gangs’ pulpish glamour, and his profile of
photographer. The narrative blends past, present tures . . . decides to fabricate one.’’ When this hu- J. Edgar Hoover is compelling. Our reviewer, Mark
and future, and the stories of all four characters man-robot marriage fails, Ellery’s creation, Phyl- Costello, said this book ‘‘brims with vivid portrai-
are anchored by Howard’s precise prose. lis, goes on to become a Hollywood sensation. ‘‘Ad- ture.’’
ventures’’ is deadpan humor at its best; ‘‘Berger is
POWER, TERROR, PEACE, AND WAR: Ameri- as stone-faced as an Easter Island statue playing BLING, by Erica Kennedy. (Miramax/Hyperion,
ca’s Grand Strategy in a World at Risk, by Wal- poker,’’ Donald E. Westlake wrote here. $13.95.) In Kennedy’s gleefully trashy first novel,
ter Russell Mead. (Vintage, $13.95.) This which our reviewer, Sia Michel, called ‘‘hip-hop
cleareyed survey measures the Bush administra- WAKE UP, SIR! by Jonathan Ames. (Scribner, gossip lit,’’ a rapacious music mogul turns a
tion’s foreign-policy record against America’s his- $14.) In this laugh-out-loud-funny novel, Alan small-town singer into a star.
torical role in the world. Mead, a senior fellow at Blair, an eccentric, alcoholic writer, hires a gen-
the Council on Foreign Relations, expresses sup- tleman’s gentleman named Jeeves who, despite THE DREAM LIFE: Movies, Media and the
port for some of the administration’s controver- his various talents, may be only imaginary. Alan Mythology of the Sixties, by J. Hoberman. (New
sial policies (on Iraq, for example) but criticizes sets off for an artists’ colony in Saratoga Press, $19.95.) Hoberman, the senior film critic at
the White House’s brusque conduct. In PEACE Springs, where his efforts to clean up his act and The Village Voice, retells American history from
KILLS (Grove, $13), P. J. O’Rourke visits Kosovo, finish his second novel are repeatedly interrupt- John F. Kennedy to Watergate with a focus on the
Egypt, Israel, Kuwait and Iraq, relentlessly point- ed by more neurotic residents. era’s films. Thus ‘‘Spartacus’’ and ‘‘The Alamo’’
ing out the absurdities in America’s recent foreign competed for Americans’ hearts and minds during
interventions. ONE MATCHLESS TIME: A Life of William the 1960 presidential campaign, and ‘‘Bonnie and
Faulkner, by Jay Parini. (Harper Perennial, Clyde’’ became an inspiration to the radical left.
THE COMA, by Alex Garland. Illustrated by $15.95.) Parini, a novelist and biographer of IHSAN TAYLOR
Nicholas Garland. (Riverhead, $13.) Garland’s Robert Frost and John Steinbeck, presents a full
novella, which includes original woodblock illus- account of Faulkner’s life (1897-1962) and critical-
trations by his father, a political cartoonist, con- ly evaluates the Nobel laureate’s body of work.
cerns a young man, Carl, who slips into a coma
after being assaulted on the London Under-
ground. Trapped in a fugue state, Carl fights to