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Observatory

Best Sellers

Hardcover Fiction

Week of November 6, 2011

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THE BEST OF ME
Nicholas Sparks
Cover of THE BEST OF ME

THE BEST OF ME

by Nicholas Sparks · Grand Central

2 wks at #1 · 2 on list

The bestselling love story behind the massive Hollywood film starring James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan. They were teenage sweethearts from opposite sides of the tracks - with a passion that would change their lives for ever. But life would force them apart. Years later, the lines they had drawn between past and present are about to slip . . . Called back to their hometown for the funeral of the mentor who once gave them shelter when they needed it most, they are faced with each other once again, and forced to confront the paths they chose. Can true love ever rewrite the past? This is the new epic love story from the multi-million-copy bestselling author of The Notebook, The Lucky One and The Last Song. Nicholas Sparks is one of the world's most beloved authors.

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THE CHRISTMAS WEDDING
James Patterson and Richard DiLallo
Cover of THE CHRISTMAS WEDDING

THE CHRISTMAS WEDDING

by James Patterson and Richard DiLallo · Little, Brown

1 wks on list

The tree is decorated, the cookies are baked, and the packages are wrapped, but the biggest celebration this Christmas is Gaby Summerhill's wedding. Since her husband died three years ago, Gaby's four children have drifted apart, each consumed by the turbulence of their own lives. They haven't celebrated Christmas together since their father's death, but when Gaby announces that she's getting married--and that the groom will remain a secret until the wedding day--she may finally be able to bring them home for the holidays. But the wedding isn't Gaby's only surprise--she has one more gift for her children, and it could change all their lives forever. With deeply affecting characters and the emotional twists of a James Patterson thriller, The Christmas Wedding is a fresh look at family and the magic of the season.

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BONNIE
Iris Johansen
Cover of BONNIE

BONNIE

by Iris Johansen · St. Martin’s Press

1 wks on list

The truth has eluded her for years... Now is she ready to face it? When Eve Duncan gave birth to her daughter, she experienced a love she never knew existed. Nothing would stand in the way of giving Bonnie a wonderful life - until the unthinkable happened and the seven-year-old vanished into thin air. Eve found herself in the throes of a nightmare from which there was no escape. But a new Eve emerged: a woman who would use her remarkable talent as a forensic sculptor to help others find closure in the face of tragedy. Now with the help of her beloved Joe Quinn and CIA agent Catherine Ling, Eve has come closer than ever to the truth. But the deeper she digs, the more she realizes that Bonnie's father is a key player in solving this monstrous puzzle. And that Bonnie's disappearance was not as random as everyone had always believed...

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THE MARRIAGE PLOT
Jeffrey Eugenides
Cover of THE MARRIAGE PLOT

THE MARRIAGE PLOT

by Jeffrey Eugenides · Farrar, Straus & Giroux

2 wks on list

Madeleine Hanna breaks out of her straight-and-narrow mold when she falls in love with charismatic loner Leonard Bankhead, while at the same time an old friend of hers resurfaces, obsessed with the idea that Madeleine is his destiny.

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THE AFFAIR
Lee Child
Cover of THE AFFAIR

THE AFFAIR

by Lee Child · Delacorte Press

4 wks on list

A young woman is dead, and solid evidence points to a soldier at a nearby military base. But that soldier has powerful friends in Washington. Elite military cop Jack Reacher is ordered undercover the truth.

6
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DAMNED
Chuck Palahniuk
Cover of DAMNED

DAMNED

by Chuck Palahniuk · Doubleday

1 wks on list

'Are you there, Satan? It's me, Madison' Meet Madison, whip-tongued daughter of a narcissistic film star and a billionaire, abandoned at a Swiss boarding school over Christmas while her parents are off adopting more orphans. Madison dies of a marijuana overdose and awakes to find herself in Hell, sharing her cell with a motley crew of young sinners that's almost too good to be true. Welcome to the afterlife as only Palahniuk could imagine it - he makes eternal torment, well, simply divine.

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SHOCK WAVE
John Sandford
Cover of SHOCK WAVE

SHOCK WAVE

by John Sandford · Putnam

3 wks on list

The fifth Virgil Flowers novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author John Sandford A billion-dollar superstore has its sights set on a small Minnesota river town for its next outlet. Two very angry groups want to stop it: local merchants, fearing for their businesses, and environmentalists, predicting ecological disaster. The protests are ignored, until a bomb goes off at the megastore’s Michigan headquarters—the first of a series of explosions. The blasts are meant to inflict maximum damage and utmost fear. They do. Virgil Flowers has been enlisted to find out who’s behind the dangerous acts, but the answer he uncovers may be the biggest shock of all.

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THE SENSE OF AN ENDING
Julian Barnes
Cover of THE SENSE OF AN ENDING

THE SENSE OF AN ENDING

by Julian Barnes · Knopf

1 wks on list

A monumental novel capturing how one man comes to terms with the mutable past. 'A masterpiece... I would urge you to read - and re-read ' Daily Telegraph **Winner of the Man Booker Prize for Fiction** Tony Webster and his clique first met Adrian Finn at school. Sex-hungry and book-hungry, they would navigate the girl-less sixth form together, trading in affectations, in-jokes, rumour and wit. Maybe Adrian was a little more serious than the others, certainly more intelligent, but they all swore to stay friends for life. Now Tony is retired. He's had a career and a single marriage, a calm divorce. He's certainly never tried to hurt anybody. Memory, though, is imperfect. It can always throw up surprises, as a lawyer's letter is about to prove.

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THE TEHRAN INITIATIVE
Joel C. Rosenberg
Cover of THE TEHRAN INITIATIVE

THE TEHRAN INITIATIVE

by Joel C. Rosenberg · Tyndale House

1 wks on list

In this companion piece to his book, Inside the revolution, Joel C. Rosenberg takes you deeper with more than 100 study questions, helpful excerpts and scripture references, and a workbook format with additional space for discussion notes.

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THE LADY OF THE RIVERS
Philippa Gregory
Cover of THE LADY OF THE RIVERS

THE LADY OF THE RIVERS

by Philippa Gregory · Touchstone/Simon & Schuster

1 wks on list

#1 New York Times bestselling author and “queen of royal fiction” (USA TODAY) Philippa Gregory brings to life the story of Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford, a woman of passion and of legend who navigated a treacherous path through the battle lines in the War of the Roses to bring her family unimaginable power. When the young and beautiful Jacquetta is married to the older Duke of Bedford, English regent of France, he introduces her to a mysterious world of learning and alchemy. Her only friend in the great household is the duke’s squire Richard Woodville, who is at her side when the duke’s death leaves her a wealthy young widow. The two become lovers and marry in secret, returning to England to serve at the court of the young King Henry VI, where Jacquetta becomes a close and loyal friend to his new queen. The Woodvilles soon achieve a place at the very heart of the Lancaster court, though Jacquetta has visions of the growing threat from the people of England and the danger of their royal York rivals. Jacquetta fights for her king and queen, as she sees an extraordinary and unexpected future for her daughter Elizabeth: a change of fortune, the white rose of York, and the throne of England…

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THE NIGHT CIRCUS
Erin Morgenstern
Cover of THE NIGHT CIRCUS

THE NIGHT CIRCUS

by Erin Morgenstern · Doubleday

6 wks on list

THE TIKTOK SENSATION Discover the million-copy bestselling fantasy read. The circus arrives without warning. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Against the grey sky the towering tents are striped black and white. A sign hanging upon an iron gates reads: Opens at Nightfall Closes at Dawn Full of breath-taking amazements and open only at night, Le Cirque des Rêves seems to cast a spell over all who wander its circular paths. But behind the glittering acrobats, fortune-tellers and contortionists a fierce competition is underway. Celia and Marco are two young magicians who have been trained since childhood for a deadly duel. With the lives of everyone at the Circus of Dreams at stake, they must test the very limits of the imagination, and of their love. Complete your collection with The Starless Sea, the second novel from the author of the The Night Circus, out now. 'The only response to this novel is simply: wow. It is a breath-taking feat of imagination, a flight of fancy that pulls you in and wraps you up in its spell' The Times

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A DANCE WITH DRAGONS
George R. R. Martin
Cover of A DANCE WITH DRAGONS

A DANCE WITH DRAGONS

by George R. R. Martin · Bantam

15 wks on list

A latest installment of the popular series follows a showdown set in the north of the Seven Kingdoms and reveals the circumstances that shaped southern-region events. By the best-selling author of A Feast for Crows.

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THE DOVEKEEPERS
Alice Hoffman
Cover of THE DOVEKEEPERS

THE DOVEKEEPERS

by Alice Hoffman · Scribner

3 wks on list

A tale inspired by the tragic first-century massacre of hundreds of Jewish people at Masada presents the stories of a hated daughter, a baker's wife, a girl disguised as a warrior, and a medicine woman who keep doves and secrets while Roman soldiers draw near.

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DOUBLE DEXTER
Jeff Lindsay
Cover of DOUBLE DEXTER

DOUBLE DEXTER

by Jeff Lindsay · Doubleday

4 wks on list

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The Dexter series continues with a deadly duel with a copycat. • The Killer Character That Inspired the Hit Showtime Series Dexter Dexter is displeased. Like any self-respecting, totally decent, soundly homicidal guy, Dexter Morgan takes great pride in his work and is careful to remain anonymous. So he is, naturally, upset to discover that someone has identified him and—worst of all—is now turning his own methods against him. The situation soon becomes more complicated when a brutal cop-killer begins targeting Miami’s police detectives—leaving behind bodies that are battered beyond recognition—and stoking the department’s worst fears. As his colleagues grow more paranoid of the psychotic killer in their midst, Dexter’s position is increasingly perilous. He is running out of time to track down this copycat and deliver his usual special justice, before his dark hobby is revealed to the world.

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1225 CHRISTMAS TREE LANE
Debbie Macomber
Cover of 1225 CHRISTMAS TREE LANE

1225 CHRISTMAS TREE LANE

by Debbie Macomber · Mira

1225 Christmas Tree Lane The people of Cedar Cove know how to celebrate Christmas. Like Grace, Olivia and everyone else, Beth Morehouse expects this Christmas to be one of her best. Her small Christmas tree farm is prospering, her daughters and her dogs are happy and well, and her new relationship with local vet, Ted Reynolds, is showing plenty of romantic promise. But...someone has left a basket filled with puppies on her doorstep - puppies she’s determined to place in good homes. To complicate matters her daughters Bailey and Sophie have invited their dad, Beth’s ex-husband, Kent, to Cedar Cove for Christmas. The girls have visions of a mum and dad reunion. As always in life - and in Cedar Cove - there are surprises, too. More than one family’s going to have a puppy under the tree. More than one scheme will go awry. And more than one romance will have a happy ending! Christmas Masquerade Jo Marie first met Andrew, her dream man, in a Mardi Gras parade. But by Christmas, he was introduced to her as someone else’s fiancé. Yet Jo Marie noticed that Andrew and his intended didn’t always act like a loving couple. During the whirlwind of Christmas parties and festivities they constantly seemed to be changing partners - including Andrew sharing a tender moment with Jo Marie! Had she gone crazy? In the harsh light of reality, her dream man was going to marry another woman. Or was he? The confusion had to end - it was a lonely game that just wasn’t in the spirit of the Christmas season!

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ZONE ONE
Colson Whitehead
Cover of ZONE ONE

ZONE ONE

by Colson Whitehead · Doubleday

From the author of the Man Booker longlisted The Underground Railroad A pandemic has devastated the planet, sorting humanity into two types: the uninfected and the infected, the living and the living dead. The worst of the plague is now past, and Manhattan is slowly being resettled. Armed forces have successfully reclaimed the island south of Canal Street – aka ‘Zone One’ and teams of civilian volunteers are clearing out the remaining infected ‘stragglers’. Mark Spitz is a member of one of these taskforces and over three surreal days he undertakes the mundane mission of malfunctioning zombie removal, the rigours of Post-Apocalyptic Stress Disorder, and attempting to come to terms with a fallen world. But then things start to go terribly wrong...

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