TheBestseller
Observatory

Best Sellers

Hardcover Fiction

Week of July 7, 2002

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1
NEW
HARD EIGHT
Janet Evanovich
Cover of HARD EIGHT

HARD EIGHT

by Janet Evanovich · St. Martin's

1 wks at #1 · 1 on list

The #1 bestselling phenomenon continues in the eighth Stephanie Plum novel. The stakes get higher, the crimes get nastier, the chases get faster, and the men get hotter. This time Stephanie, Morelli, Ranger. Lula, Valerie, and Grandma Mazur are strapped in for the ride of their lives. Stephanie is hired to find a missing child. But things aren't always as they seem and Stephanie must determine if she's working for the right side of the law. Plus, there's the Morelli question: can a Jersey girl keep her head on straight when more than just bullets are aimed for her heart? And with the Plum and Morelli relationship looking rocky, is it time for Ranger to move in for the kill? Janet Evanovich's latest thriller proves that Hard Eight will never be enough.

5
2
IN THIS MOUNTAIN
Jan Karon

IN THIS MOUNTAIN

by Jan Karon · Viking Press

4 wks on list

Mitford's village rector, Father Tim, is sixty-something, a lifelong bachelor, and running scared. He can no longer deny (even to himself), that he is in love with his neighbor, Cynthia Coppersmith.

6
THE NANNY DIARIES
Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
Cover of THE NANNY DIARIES

THE NANNY DIARIES

by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus · St. Martin's

16 wks on list

Written by two former nannies, Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus, The Nanny Diaries deftly punctures the glamour of Manhattan's upper class. Now a major motion picture starring Scarlett Johansson and Laura Linney. Wanted: One young woman to take care of four-year-old boy. Must be cheerful, enthusiastic and selfless--bordering on masochistic. Must relish sixteen-hour shifts with a deliberately nap-deprived preschooler. Must love getting thrown up on, literally and figuratively, by everyone in his family. Must enjoy the delicious anticipation of ridiculously erratic pay. Mostly, must love being treated like fungus found growing out of employers Hermès bag. Those who take it personally need not apply. Who wouldn't want this job? Struggling to graduate from NYU and afford her microscopic studio apartment, Nanny takes a position caring for the only son of the wealthy X family. She rapidly learns the insane amount of juggling involved to ensure that a Park Avenue wife who doesn't work, cook, clean, or raise her own child has a smooth day. When the Xs' marriage begins to disintegrate, Nanny ends up involved way beyond the bounds of human decency or good taste. Her tenure with the X family becomes a nearly impossible mission to maintain the mental health of their four-year-old, her own integrity and, most importantly, her sense of humor. Over nine tense months, Mrs. X and Nanny perform the age-old dance of decorum and power as they test the limits of modern-day servitude.

9
4
THE SUMMONS
John Grisham
Cover of THE SUMMONS
10
NEW
DRAGONS OF A VANISHED MOON
Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
Cover of DRAGONS OF A VANISHED MOON

DRAGONS OF A VANISHED MOON

by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman · Wizards of the Coast

1 wks on list

A mysterious force holds Krynn in thrall. A young woman, protected by her regiment of dark-armored knights, calls upon the might of an unknown god to bring victory to her army as it sweeps across the land. The souls of the dead rob the living of their magic. A dragon overlord threatens the very land the elves hold most dear. Amidst the chaos, a band of brave and selfless heroes struggles against an immortal power that appears to thwart them at every turn. The encroaching darkness threatens to engulf all hope, all faith, all light. The War of Souls rages on. The New York Times bestselling hardcover now in paperback. This latest title from Dragonlance cocreators Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman is the sequel to the New York Times bestselling Dragons of a Fallen Sun. This paperback version contains a preview chapter from the upcoming conclusion to the trilogy, Dragons of a Vanished Moon.

11
2
THE DIVE FROM CLAUSEN'S PIER
Ann Packer
Cover of THE DIVE FROM CLAUSEN'S PIER

THE DIVE FROM CLAUSEN'S PIER

by Ann Packer · Knopf

2 wks on list

How much do we owe the people we love? Is it a sign of strength or weakness to walk away from someone in need? These questions lie at the heart of Ann Packer’s intimate and emotionally thrilling new novel, which has won its author comparisons with Jane Hamilton and Sue Miller. At the age of twenty-three Carrie Bell has spent her entire life in Wisconsin, with the same best friend and the same dependable, easygoing, high school sweetheart. Now to her dismay she has begun to find this life suffocating and is considering leaving it–and Mike–behind. But when Mike is paralyzed in a diving accident, leaving seems unforgivable and yet more necessary than ever. The Dive from Clausen’s Pier animates this dilemma–and Carrie’s startling response to it–with the narrative assurance, exacting realism, and moral complexity we expect from the very best fiction.

15
NEW
A THOUSAND COUNTRY ROADS
Robert James Waller
Cover of A THOUSAND COUNTRY ROADS

A THOUSAND COUNTRY ROADS

by Robert James Waller · John M. Hardy

A special edition, in slipcase, limited to 1500 copies, numbered and signed by the author.

Historical bestseller data sourced from the New York Times Book Review, archived by Hawes Publications.