TheBestseller
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Best Sellers

Hardcover Fiction

Week of October 12, 2008

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1
THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE
David Wroblewski
Cover of THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE

THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE

by David Wroblewski · Ecco

2 wks at #1 · 16 on list

A contemporary retelling of Hamlet of stark and striking brilliance set on a farm in remote northern Wisconsin. On a farm in remote northern Wisconsin the mute and brilliant Edgar Sawtelle leads an idyllic life with his parents Gar and Trudy. For generations, the Sawtelles have raised and trained a breed of dog whose thoughtful companionship is epitomised by Almodine, Edgar's lifelong companion. But when his beloved father mysteriously dies, Edgar blames himself, if only because his muteness left him unable to summon help. Grief-stricken and bewildered by his mother's desperate affair with her dead husband's brother, Edgar's world unravels one spring night when, in the falling rain, he sees his father's ghost. After a botched attempt to prove that his uncle orchestrated Gar's death, Edgar flees into the Chequamegon wilderness leading three yearling dogs. Yet his need to face his father's murderer, and his devotion to the Sawtelle dogs, turn Edgar ever homeward. When he returns, nothing is as he expects, and Edgar must choose between revenge or preserving his family legacy...

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HEAT LIGHTNING
John Sandford
Cover of HEAT LIGHTNING
4
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HOT MAHOGANY
Stuart Woods
Cover of HOT MAHOGANY

HOT MAHOGANY

by Stuart Woods · Putnam

1 wks on list

Stone Barrington is hired to protect a former intelligence agent with amnesia—and secrets worth killing for—in this heart-stopping thriller in the #1 New York Times bestselling series. Barton Cabot’s intelligence career is even more top secret than that of his brother, CIA boss Lance Cabot. But following a random act of violence, Barton is suffering from amnesia—a dangerous thing in a man whose memory is chock full of state secrets. So Lance hires Stone Barrington to watch his brother’s back. Stone soon discovers that his charge is a spy with a rather unusual hobby: building and restoring furniture. The genteel world of antiques and coin dealers seems a far cry from Stone’s usual underworld. But Barton is a man with a past, and one event in particular is coming back to haunt his present in ways he’d never expected...

5
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ONE FIFTH AVENUE
Candace Bushnell
Cover of ONE FIFTH AVENUE

ONE FIFTH AVENUE

by Candace Bushnell · Hyperion

1 wks on list

Tothom que sigui algú a Nova York sap que Victory, Wendy i Nico són les cares boniques de l'èxit a la ciutat dels gratacels: Victory s'ha convertit en la dissenyadora de moda més sol·licitada; Wendy és la directora general de Parador Pictures i, a més d'estar produint una pel·lícula que serà un veritable èxit, té tres fills preciosos; Nico, per últim, és la redactora en cap de la revista Bonfire, la bíblia novaiorquesa per estar al dia. Als ulls dels altres, totes tres es troben en el millor moment de les seves vides. Però malgrat tot, des del lloc que elles ocupen les coses no es veuen exactament així.

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THE OTHER QUEEN
Philippa Gregory
Cover of THE OTHER QUEEN

THE OTHER QUEEN

by Philippa Gregory

2 wks on list

From #1 New York Times bestselling author and “queen of royal fiction” (USA TODAY) Philippa Gregory—a dazzling new novel about the intriguing, romantic, and maddening Mary, Queen of Scots. Fleeing violent rebellions in Scotland, Mary looks to Queen Elizabeth of England for sanctuary. Though promised protection, Mary, perceived as a serious threat to the English crown, is soon imprisoned by her former friend as a “guest” in the house of George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, and his indomitable wife, Bess of Hardwick. The newly married couple welcomes the condemned queen into their home, certain that serving as her hosts and jailers will bring them an advantage in the cutthroat world of the Elizabethan court. To their horror, they grow to realize that the task will bankrupt their estate and lose them what little favor they’ve managed to gain as their home becomes the epicenter of intrigue and rebellion against Queen Elizabeth. And Mary is not as hopeless as she appears, manipulating the earl and spinning her own web of treachery and deceit, as she sharpens her weapons to reclaim her Scottish throne—and to take over Queen Elizabeth’s of England.

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THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
Stieg Larsson
Cover of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

by Stieg Larsson · Knopf

2 wks on list

Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared off the secluded island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger family. There was no corpse, no witnesses, no evidence. Her uncle is convinced that she was murdered by someone in her own family, the deeply dysfunctional Vanger clan. Journalist Mikael Blomkvist is hired to investigate.

8
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TSAR
Ted Bell
Cover of TSAR

TSAR

by Ted Bell · Atria

1 wks on list

Swashbuckling counter spy Alex Hawke is the only man who can stop the madness created by the new Russia and its new Tsar, who is pulling strings and pulling them hard.

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THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY
Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Cover of THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY

THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY

by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows · Dial Press

9 wks on list

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NOW A NETFLIX FILM • A remarkable tale of the island of Guernsey during the German Occupation, and of a society as extraordinary as its name. “Treat yourself to this book, please—I can’t recommend it highly enough.”—Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love “I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.” January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb. . . . As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all. Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever. Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, this novel is a celebration of the written word in all its guises and of finding connection in the most surprising ways. Praise for The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society “A jewel . . . Poignant and keenly observed, Guernsey is a small masterpiece about love, war, and the immeasurable sustenance to be found in good books and good friends.”—People “A book-lover’s delight, an implicit and sometimes explicit paean to all things literary.”—Chicago Sun-Times “A sparkling epistolary novel radiating wit, lightly worn erudition and written with great assurance and aplomb.”—The Sunday Times (London) “Cooked perfectly à point: subtle and elegant in flavour, yet emotionally satisfying to the finish.”—The Times (London)

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THE HOST
Stephenie Meyer
Cover of THE HOST

THE HOST

by Stephenie Meyer · Little, Brown

21 wks on list

The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed. But Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind. Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves--Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.--From publisher description.

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THE BOOK OF LIES
Brad Meltzer
Cover of THE BOOK OF LIES

THE BOOK OF LIES

by Brad Meltzer · Grand Central

4 wks on list

Cain killed Abel: the original murder. But the Bible is silent about one key detail: the weapon Cain used to kill his brother. It's a mystery that's never been solved. Until now. In Florida, Cal Harper comes face-to-face with his family's greatest secret: his long-lost father, who's been shot with a gun that traces back to an unsolved murder in 1932. What could that murder have to do with the biblical one? Father and son are suddenly thrown into a bloodthirsty quest for an ancient weapon, and the answer to a secret that people are dying to find. But closing in on them is a man tattooed with the mark of Cain - the world's first killer. In his pocket he carries the means of causing a horrifying death. And in his heart an insatiable desire for what he believes is his birthright . . .

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AMERICAN WIFE
Curtis Sittenfeld
Cover of AMERICAN WIFE

AMERICAN WIFE

by Curtis Sittenfeld · Random House

4 wks on list

In the year 2000, in the closest election in American history, Alice Blackwell's husband becomes president of the United States. Their time in the White House proves to be heady, tumultuous, and controversial. But it is Alice's own story - that of a kind, bookish, only child born in the 1940s Midwest who comes to inhabit a life of dizzying wealth and power - that is itself remarkable. Alice candidly describes her small-town upbringing, and the tragedy that shaped her identity; she recalls her early adulthood as a librarian, and her surprising courtship with the man who swept her off her feet; she tells of the crisis that almost ended their marriage; and she confides the privileges and difficulties of being first lady, a role that is uniquely cloistered and public, secretive and exposed. In Alice Blackwell, Curtis Sittenfeld has created her most dynamic and complex heroine yet. American Wife is not a novel about politics. It is a gorgeously written novel that weaves race, class, fate and wealth into a brilliant tapestry. It is a novel in which the unexpected becomes inevitable, and the pleasures and pain of intimacy and love are laid bare.

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FAEFEVER
Karen Marie Moning
Cover of FAEFEVER

FAEFEVER

by Karen Marie Moning · Delacorte Press

2 wks on list

In the third book of the Fever series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Marie Moning, a woman explores the limits of her mysterious powers as she enters a world of ancient sorcery—and confronts an enemy more insidious than she could ever have imagined. He calls me his Queen of the Night. I’d die for him. I’d kill for him, too. When MacKayla Lane receives a torn page from her dead sister’s journal, she is stunned by Alina’s desperate words. And now Mac knows that her sister’s killer is close. But evil is closer. And suddenly the sidhe-seer is on the hunt: For answers. For revenge. And for an ancient book of dark magic so evil, it corrupts anyone who touches it. Mac’s quest for the Sinsar Dubh takes her into the mean, shape-shifting streets of Dublin, with a suspicious cop on her tail. Forced into a dangerous triangle of alliance with V’lane, an insatiable Fae prince with lethally erotic tastes, and Jericho Barrons, a man of primal desires and untold secrets, Mac is soon locked in a battle for her body, mind, and soul. As All Hallows’ Eve approaches, the city descends into chaos as a shocking truth about the Dark Book is uncovered, and not even Mac can prevent a deadly race of immortals from shattering the walls between worlds—with devastating consequences. Karen Marie Moning’s explosive Fever series continues DARKFEVER • BLOODFEVER • FAEFEVER • DREAMFEVER • SHADOWFEVER • ICED • BURNED • FEVERBORN • FEVERSONG • HIGH VOLTAGE • KINGDOM OF SHADOW AND LIGHT

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ANATHEM
Neal Stephenson
Cover of ANATHEM

ANATHEM

by Neal Stephenson · William Morrow and Company

3 wks on list

The latest magnificent creation from the award-winning author of Cryptonomicon and the Baroque Cycle trilogy. Erasmas, 'Raz', is a young avout living in the Concent, a sanctuary for mathematicians, scientists, and philosophers. Three times during history's darkest epochs, violence has invaded and devastated the cloistered community. Yet the avout have always managed to adapt in the wake of catastrophe. But they now prepare to open the Concent's gates to the outside world, in celebration of a once-a-decade rite. Suddenly, Erasmas finds himself a major player in a drama that will determine the future of his world - as he sets out on an extraordinary odyssey that will carry him to the most dangerous, inhospitable corners of the planet...and beyond.

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THE COMFORTS OF A MUDDY SATURDAY
Alexander McCall Smith
Cover of THE COMFORTS OF A MUDDY SATURDAY

THE COMFORTS OF A MUDDY SATURDAY

by Alexander McCall Smith · Knopf

ISABEL DALHOUSIE - Book 5 Nothing captures the charm of Edinburgh like the bestselling Isabel Dalhousie series of novels featuring the insatiably curious philosopher and woman detective. Whether investigating a case or a problem of philosophy, the indefatigable Isabel Dalhousie, one of fiction’s most richly developed amateur detectives, is always ready to pursue the answers to all of life’s questions, large and small. In the delectable fifth installment of the bestselling adventures of Isabel Dalhousie, our cherished inquisitive heroine returns to investigate a medical mystery. A doctor's career has been ruined by allegations of medical fraud and Isabel cannot ignore what may be a miscarriage of justice. Besides, Isabel's insatiable interest is piqued and she finds herself asking questions. Would a respected doctor make such a grave mistake? If not, what explains the death of the patient? Clearly, an investigation is in order. Meanwhile, there is her baby Charlie, who needs looking after; her niece Cat who needs someone to mind her deli; and a mysterious composer who has latched on to Jamie, making Isabel decidedly uncomfortable. Whatever the problem, whatever the case, we know we can count on Isabel's instincts to help her find the right solution.

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