BESTSELLERS LOS ANGELES TIMES Dec. 20, 2009
- Share via
| Fiction | weeks on list | |
| 1. | U Is for Undertow by Sue Grafton (Putnam: $27.95) PI Kinsey Millhone investigates the 20-year-old case of the mysterious disappearance of a 4-year-old girl. | 1 |
| 2. | Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro (Knopf : $25.95) The short-story master explores women and their relationships in 10 new stories. | 3 |
| 3. | The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Putnam: $24.95) The lives of a maid, a cook and a college graduate become intertwined as they change a Mississippi town. | 28 |
| 4. | Hollywood Moon by Joseph Wambaugh (Little, Brown: $26.99) The third Hollywood station novel follows the daily lives of cops on the trail of a team of identity thieves. | 2 |
| 5. | Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton (Harper: $27.99) A swashbuckling pirate and his crew attempt to commandeer a Spanish ship carrying a treasure of gold. | 2 |
| 6. | The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver (Harper: $26.99) A writer’s escapades encompass 1930s Mexican artist communities and Cold War America. | 5 |
| 7. | The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (Doubleday: $25.99) Harvard professor Robert Langdon uses his symbology skills to find a missing Freemason in Washington, D.C. | 13 |
| 8. | Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (Henry Holt: $27) The rise of Henry VIII’s advisor Thomas Cromwell. | 6 |
| 9. | Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown: $19.99) Bella must choose between her lover and a friend, between life and death. | 67 |
| 10. | I, Alex Cross by James Patterson (Little, Brown: $27.99) Detective Alex Cross infiltrates a secret society while tracking down the killer of a close relative. | 4 |
| Nonfiction | ||
| 1. | Stones Into Schools by Greg Mortenson (Viking : $26.95) The author’s continued struggle to establish schools for girls in Afghanistan in this sequel to “Three Cups of Tea.” | 1 |
| 2. | Open by Andre Agassi (Knopf: $28.95) The tennis star’s memoir and personal odyssey of a lost childhood, drug use and comebacks. | 5 |
| 3. | What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown: $27.99) A collection of the author’s writings of everyday and extraordinary people. | 7 |
| 4. | Guinness World Records 2010 by Guinness World Records (Guinness: $28.95) Bizarre and unfathomable feats from the first decade of the 21st century. | 3 |
| 5. | Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom (Hyperion: $23.99) Albom’s observations of a rabbi and a pastor on an eight-year journey of faith. | 11 |
| 6. | Going Rogue by Sarah Palin (HarperCollins: $28.99) A memoir of the 2008 vice presidential nominee and former Alaska governor. | 3 |
| 7. | Bicycle Diaries by David Byrne (Viking: $25.95) A journal of the former Talking Heads lead singer and avid bicyclist’s trek across major cities around the globe. | 2 |
| 8. | I Used to Know That by Caroline Taggart (Readers Digest: $14.95) A collection of forgotten, fun facts we learned in school. | 1 |
| 9. | Last Words by George Carlin with Tony Hendra (Free Press: $26.99) Memoir of the acerbic comedian’s 50-year career filled with triumphs, substance abuse and setbacks. | 1 |
| 10. | Manhood for Amateurs by Michael Chabon (Harper: $26.99) A collection of autobiographical essays reflecting on what it means to be a man and father. | 8 |
Sign up for our Book Club newsletter
Get the latest news, events and more from the Los Angeles Times Book Club, and help us get L.A. reading and talking.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
