1. The Lacuna

By Barbara Kingsolver. Harper.

2. The Help

By Kathryn Stockett. Putnam.

3. The Lost Symbol

By Dan Brown. Doubleday.

4. Under the Dome

By Stephen King. Scribner.

5. Wolf Hall

By Hilary Mantel. Henry Holt.

6. Diary of a Wimpy Kid

By Jeff Kinney. Amulet Books.

7. Last Night in Twisted River

By John Irving. Random House.

8. The Girl Who Played with Fire

By Stieg Larsson. Knopf.

9. The Museum of Innocence

By Orhan Pamuk. Knopf.

10. The Children’s Book

By A.S. Byatt. Knopf.

Source: Boston Area Bookstores

FULL ENTRY

1. The Lost Symbol

By Dan Brown. Doubleday.

2. The Lacuna

By Barbara Kingsolver. Harper.

3. The Help

By Kathryn Stockett. Putnam.

4. Wolf Hall

By Hilary Mantel. Henry Holt.

5. Last Night in Twisted River

By John Irving. Random House.

6. The Gathering Storm

By Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. Tor Books.

7. The Museum of Innocence

By Orhan Pamuk. Knopf.

8. Ford County

By John Grisham. Doubleday.

9. Kindred In Death

By J.D. Robb. Putnam.

10. True Blue

By David Baldacci. Grand Central.

Source: Boston Area Bookstores

FULL ENTRY

1. The Gathering Storm

By Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. Tor Books.

2. Last Night in Twisted River

By John Irving. Random House.

3. The Help

By Kathryn Stockett. Putnam.

4. The Lost Symbol

By Dan Brown. Doubleday.

5. Diary of a Wimpy Kid

By Jeff Kinney. Amulet.

6. Tempted

By P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast. St. Martin’s.

7. A Gate at the Stairs

By Lorrie Moore. Knopf.

8. Wolf Hall

By Hilary Mantel. Henry Holt.

9. True Blue

By David Baldacci. Grand Central.

10. The Year of the Flood

By Margaret Atwood. Nan A. Talese.

Source: Boston Area Bookstores

FULL ENTRY

1. The Lost Symbol

By Dan Brown. Doubleday.

2. The Help

By Kathryn Stockett. Putnam.

3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid

By Jeff Kinney. Amulet.

4. The Museum of Innocence

By Orhan Pamuk. Knopf.

5. Wolf Hall

By Hilary Mantel. Henry Holt.

6. Pursuit of Honor

By Vince Flynn. Atria.

7. The Scarpetta Factor

By Patricia Cornwell. Putnam.

8. The Children’s Book

By A.S. Byatt. Knopf.

9. Juliet, Naked

By Nick Hornby. Riverhead.

10. Half Broke Horses

By Jeannette Walls. Scribner.

Source: Boston Area Bookstores

FULL ENTRY

1. The Lost Symbol
By Dan Brown. Doubleday.

2. The Help
By Kathryn Stockett. Putnam.

3. Wolf Hall
By Hilary Mantel. Henry Holt.

4. Nine Dragons
By Michael Connelly. Little, Brown.

5. Diary of a Wimpy Kid
By Jeff Kinney. Amulet.

6. Pursuit of Honor
By Vince Flynn. Atria.

7. Her Fearful Symmetry
By Audrey Niffenegger. Scribner.

8. Juliet, Naked
By Nick Hornby. Riverhead.

9. The Children’s Book
By A.S. Byatt. Knopf.

10. A Gate at the Stairs
By Lorrie Moore. Knopf.

FULL ENTRY

1. The Lost Symbol
By Dan Brown, Doubleday.

2. The Help
By Kathryn Stockett, Putnam.

3. Juliet, Naked
By Nick Hornby, Riverhead.

4. A Gate at the Stairs
By Lorrie Moore, Knopf.

5. Wolf Hall
By Hilary Mantel, Henry Holt.

6. The Children’s Book
By A.S. Byatt, Knopf.

7. The Girl Who Played With Fire
By Stieg Larsson, Knopf.

8. Her Fearful Symmetry
By Audrey Niffenegger, Scribner.

9. A Touch of Dead
By Charlaine Harris, Ace.

10. The Professional
By Robert Parker, Putnam.

Source: Boston area bookstores

FULL ENTRY

1. The Lost Symbol
By Dan Brown. Doubleday.

2. Juliet, Naked
By Nick Hornby. Riverhead.

3. The Help
By Kathryn Stockett. Putnam.

4. Her Fearful Symmetry
By Audrey Niffenegger. Scribner.

5. Year of the Flood
By Margaret Atwood. Nan A. Talese.

6. An Echo in the Bone
By Diana Gabaldon. Delacorte.

7. A Gate at the Stairs
By Lorrie Moore. Knopf.

8. Breaking Dawn
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.

9. The Girl Who Played With Fire
By Stieg Larsson. Knopf.

10. The Anthologist
By Nicholson Baker. Simon & Schuster.

SOURCE: Boston area bookstores

FULL ENTRY

By Judith Maas

TODAY: Emily Arsenault reads from “The Broken Teaglass,” at 3 p.m., at Concord Bookshop, 65 Main St., Concord.

MONDAY: Poets Fred Marchant and Teresa Cader read at 8 p.m., at the Blacksmith House, 56 Brattle St., Cambridge; tickets ($3) … Nicholas Christakis discusses “Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives,” at 7 p.m., at First Parish Church, 3 Church St., Harvard Square, Cambridge; tickets ($5) available at harvard.com; Harvard Book Store, 1256 Mass. Ave.; or by calling 617-661-1515.

TUESDAY: John Freeman discusses “The Tyranny of E-mail,” at 7 p.m., at Harvard Book Store … Gwen Romagnoli reads from “The Bicycle Runner,” at 7 p.m., at Porter Square Books, 25 White St., Cambridge … Tom Perrotta leads a discussion of Richard Price’s “Lush Life,” at 7 p.m., at Newtonville Books, 296 Walnut St., Newtonville … Alton Brown discusses “Good Eats: The Early Years,” at 6 p.m., at Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline ($5) … Jeff Bell discusses “When in Doubt, Make Belief,” at 7 p.m., at Wellesley Booksmith, 82 Central St., Wellesley … Erik Qualman discusses “Socialnomics,” at 7 p.m., at the Harvard Square Coop, Cambridge.

WEDNESDAY: Patrick J. Carr discusses “Hollowing Out the Middle,” at 6:30 p.m., at First Parish Church … Lucy Honig reads from “Waiting for Rescue,” at 7 p.m., at Porter Square Books … Daniel Jonah Goldhagen discusses “Worse Than War,” at 7 p.m., at Harvard Book Store … Anthony Rao discusses “The Way of Boys,” at 7 p.m., at Brookline Booksmith, Coolidge Corner, Brookline … Michael Stanley reads from “The Second Death of Goodluck Tinubu,” at 5:30 p.m., at Stellina Restaurant, 47 Main St., Watertown … Poet Mary Oliver reads at 7 p.m., at Cape Cod Community College, 2240 Iyannough Road, West Barnstable.

THURSDAY: Barbara Ehrenreich discusses “Bright-Sided,” at 6 p.m., at the Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Cambridge; tickets ($5) available at harvard.com; Harvard Book Store; or by calling 617-661-1515 … Mary E. Mitchell reads from “Americans in Space,” at 7 p.m., at Newtonville Books … Andrew Pessin discusses “The 60-Second Philosopher,” at 7 p.m., at Porter Square Books … Charles London discusses “Far from Zion,” at 7 p.m., at Brookline Booksmith … Poets David Ferry, Suji Kwock Kim, Jill McDonough, Gail Mazur, and Lloyd Schwartz read at 6:30 p.m., at the Boston Public Library, Copley Square; for additional Massachusetts Poetry Festival events, visit www.masspoetry.org … Frank Warren reads from “Postsecret,” at 7 p.m., at Boston University Law School Auditorium, 765 Comm. Ave.; for tickets ($5), visit Barnes & Noble, Boston University, Kenmore Square, or call 617-236-7405 … Dick Lehr discusses “The Fence,” at 7 p.m., at Andover Bookstore, 89R Main St., Andover … Chef Peter Davis discusses “Fresh and Honest,” at 7 p.m., at Wellesley Booksmith; RSVP 781-431-1160 or events@wellesleybooksmith.com … Joan Wickersham discusses “The Suicide Index,” at 7 p.m., at the Harvard Square Coop … Anita Diamant reads from “Day After Night,” at 7 p.m., at the Bookstore of Gloucester, 81 Main St., Gloucester ... Peter Nichols discusses "Final Voyage," at 7 p.m., at Jabberwocky Bookshop, 50 Water St., Newburyport.

FRIDAY: Novelist Andrea Barrett speaks at 7 p.m., in Rm. 6-120, 182 Memorial Dr., MIT, Cambridge … Nancy Rappaport reads from “In Her Wake,” at 7 p.m., at Harvard Book Store … Lauren Mackler discusses “Solemate,” at 7 p.m., at the Harvard Square Coop … Gary Vaynerchuk discusses “Crush It!,” at 1 p.m., at Barnes & Noble, Boston University.

SATURDAY: Tapestry of Voices poets read at noon at St. Anne’s Church, 8 Kirk St., Lowell … New England Poetry Club poets read at noon at Cobblestones of Lowell, 91 Dutton St., Lowell … Stuart Weisberg discusses “Barney Frank,” at 4 p.m., at Harvard Book Store … Children’s author David Biedrzycki reads at 10:30 a.m., at Newtonville Books … Elise Lemire (“Black Walden”) speaks at 5 p.m., at the Concord Free Library, 129 Main St., Concord … Mike Farrell discusses “Of Mule and Man,” at 7 p.m., at Brookline Booksmith … Ann Lister discusses “Sheet Music: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Love Story,” at 1 p.m., at Tatmuck Booksellers, 18 Lyman St., Westboro … Maureen Foley reads from “The Book of Illuminiation,” at 2 p.m., at Borders, CambridgeSide Galleria, Cambridge … Carol Newman Cronin reads from “Oliver’s Surprise,” at 1 p.m., at the Cape Cod Maritime Museum, 135 South St., Hyannis ... Local authors sign their books from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Books by the Sea, 846 Main St., Osterville ... Children's author Joan Hiatt Harlow reads from her books from 1 to 4 p.m., at the House of Distinction, 169 Grove St., Wellesly; for ticket information, visit rfkchildren.org or call 617-227-4183.

Stanford University is shuttering its Publishing Course for Professionals after more than 30 years, citing the recession along with changes in the advertising industry and in reading habits brought about by the Internet.

According to a Publishers Marketplace subscription-only report, the move comes in the wake of significant cost-cutting at the Palo Alto, Calif., university, which suffered a 27 percent drop in endowment capital over the past fiscal year. The piece also noted that paid attendance at the program, which has been training publishing and magazine professionals since 1978, reportedly tumbled last year.

Program director Holly Brady, who is leaving Stanford, told Publishers Marketplace that "the problem that got us here is, of course, the digital transformation of the business, which has caused so many layoffs in the publishing industry, coupled with the recession. When a company has laid off dozens of people and is struggling to survive itself, it's hard to
send staffers to Stanford."

Posted by Paul S. Makishima, Globe staff

1. The Lost Symbol
By Dan Brown. Doubleday.

2. An Echo in the Bone
By Diana Gabaldon. Delacorte.

3. The Help
By Kathryn Stockett. Putnam.

4. A Gate at the Stairs
By Lorrie Moore. Knopf.

5. The Girl Who Played With Fire
By Stieg Larsson. Knopf.

6. Blood’s A Rover
By James Ellroy. Knopf.

7. Change in Altitude
By Anita Shreve. Little, Brown.

8. Breaking Dawn
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.

9. Homer and Langley
By E.L. Doctorow. Random House.

10. That Old Cape Magic
By Richard Russo. Knopf.

SOURCE: Boston area bookstores

FULL ENTRY

1. That Old Cape Magic
By Richard Russo. Knopf

2. The Girl Who Played With Fire
By Stieg Larsson. Knopf

3. South of Broad
By Pat Conroy. Nan A. Talese

4. Inherent Vice
By Thomas Pynchon. Penguin

5. The Help
By Kathryn Stockett. Putnam

6. White Queen
By Philippa Gregory. Touchstone.

7. The Magicians
By Lev Grossman. Viking

8. Brooklyn
By Colm Toibin. Scribner

9. A Long, Long Time Ago...
By Brigid Pasulka. Houghton Mifflin.

10. Breaking Dawn
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown

FULL ENTRY

Well, flex that quad and call me Ishmael.

Eva Talmadge and Justin Taylor, a contributor to literary e-zine HTML Giant, launched a call for submissions of high quality photos of literary body art for a book they hope to compile. “From Shakespeare to Bukowski to The Little Prince in a Baobab tree, if it’s a literary tattoo and its on your body, we want to see it.’’

But lest you think different, their interest isn’t simply prurient. “We’d also like to read a few words about the tattoo’s meaning to you — why you chose it, when you first read that poem or book, or how its meaning has evolved over time. How much (or how little).’’

Talmadge and Taylor appear to be tapping into a rising interest in body art with a literary bent.

Back in the day, tattoos carried simple unambiguous messages: Mom, Navy, Sharleen. That was then.

One site, Contrariwise: Literary Tatoos has dedicated itself to sharing of and about this genre of body art. Visitors to the site submit photos of their tats and then write a little note explaining what it's about. For instance, there is a black-and-white shot of a shoulder, adorned famous lines from Dylan Thomas: “Do not go gentle into that good night./Rage, rage against the dying of the light.’’ Numerous tributes to Harry Potter. And some more personal ones such as one of a burning candle in a stand on a young woman who says that it is an allusion to a poem by Shel Silverstein and a tribute to her grandparents who have died, particularly one grandmother who was a fan of the poet and children’s author: “If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar/A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer…/If you’re a pretender, come sit by my fire/ For we have some flax-golden tales to spin.’’

On another site, Yuppie Punk, there can be found an alleged short history of the trend (“Johannes Guttenberg invented the printing press in Germany in 1439. Samuel O’Reilly invented the modern tattoo machine in 1891 .... The lowbrow nature of the tattoo juxtaposes nicely against the highbrow art of the book.’’).

The range of the tattoos here is impressive. There are quotes from the the Bible and the likes of literary types like Shakespeare, Plath, Dickens, Frost, Kerouac, Vonnegut, along with the expected science fiction and fantasy crowd -- Frank Herbert, Ray Bradbury and George Orwell.

Unlike Contrariwise, whose collection appears to be heavily word oriented, here there are portraits of famous authors like Faulkner and Thoreau and equally famous characters like Alice in Wonderland, Curious George, and the Wild Thing.

These are but two sites. A quick Google check will reveal many others.

Got a literary tat? It’s your time. Step out of the closet, flex an appendage, shed shirt or trou, and stage a public reading.

Photos of tattoos of Kurt Vonnegut quotes and illustrations from Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are'' from YuppiePunk.com

Posted by Paul Makishima, Globe staff

As part of a larger push into the e-book world, Barnes & Noble says that it is offering complimentary WiFi at its nearly 780 stores across the nation.

Formerly, BN customers were charged $3.95 for two hours of access to AT&T's in-store wireless Internet service, which has been available in stores since 2005.

The book retailer said in a news release that customers in its stores now will be able to download and preview any of the more than 700,000 titles in its recently launched e-bookstore, along with the thousands of free, public-domain books available through Google.

Earlier this month, the company released its free eBook reader application called eReader for the BlackBerry, iPhone, and iPod touch.

Posted by Paul S. Makishima, Globe staff

1. Best Friends Forever
By Jennifer Weiner. Atria.
2. Eclipse
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
3. Commencement
By J. Courtney Sullivan. Knopf.
4. The Angel’s Game
By Carlos Ruiz Zafón. Doubleday.
5. Breaking Dawn
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
6. The Help
By Kathryn Stockett. Putnam.
7. Swimsuit
By James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. Little, Brown.
8. The Castaways
By Elin Hilderbrand. Little, Brown.
9. Finger Lickin’ Fifteen
By Janet Evanovich. St. Martin’s.
10. Shanghai Girls
By Lisa See. Random House.

FULL ENTRY

After more than 25 years in business, Kate’s Mystery Books in Cambridge will close on Aug. 1.
Kate Mattes, owner of the bookstore, put her 3,400-square-foot Victorian on the market in 2007 and says that she has finally sold it to a real estate trust that plans on a mixed use for the building. Besides the store, the building houses Kate’s apartment as well as a rental unit.
“This is, of course, very sad about the store,’’ she said in a telephone interview. “But it was just the right time to do it. The near future for the real estate market looks bad. And it’s kind of bleak when you look at the book business.’’
Since opening the bookstore in August 1983, Kate’s Mystery Books has become a local gathering spot for aficionados of such writers as Robert B. Parker and Stephen King, who have become customers and friends. The store, which specializes in mysteries by American writers but recently has built up foreign offerings, has hosted numerous readings and book signings.
Mattes said that the thing that prompted the move was the death of her brother, a book agent, about five years ago. “He was a really big part of the store. I could just pick up the phone and call him’’ for advice. After he died, he left a big trove of books, and Mattes was the only one in her family who had any idea what to do with them.
“I started thinking about things, and decided that I couldn’t do this to my sister and her kids,’’ she said. So she started thinking about getting things in order. One of the first things she decided to do was to try to sell the building. That way she could potentially reopen the store in a new location and get a place to live separate from the store, hopefully making it easier to dispose of her property when the time came.
Mattes, 62, said she will stay in the house till the end of August but hopes to find other housing in Cambridge. She also has not closed the door on re-entering the book business and will put some things in storage while she decides what to do next.
"Just moving is enough for now. Before I got into the book business I was a social worker and it took a couple of years to decide I wanted to open a book store.''
In the meantime she says that she intends to try to hold the community of mystery lovers together even after her store closes.
“I hope you can get in in the next few weeks to say good-bye although I won't actually disappear,’’ she said in an e-mail to customers. “We will be having author events at different venues and of course we will have the annual holiday party so there will be opportunities for the mystery community to get together. You will get notices of them from me.’’
As she prepares to wind down the business Mattes plans to mark down everything in the store 25 percent, and on Aug. 1 there will be a packing party from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. and annual yard sale, with books going for $1 or less.

Posted by Paul S. Makishima, Globe staff

Photo of Kate Mattes by David L. Ryan/Globe Staff file photo

1. The Angel’s Game
By Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Doubleday.
2. Swimsuit
By James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. Little, Brown.
3. Commencement
By J. Courtney Sullivan. Knopf.
4. Breaking Dawn
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
5. Finger Lickin’ Fifteen
By Janet Evanovich. St. Martin’s.
6. Eclipse
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
7. Shanghai Girls
By Lisa See. Random House.
8. Selected Works of T.S. Spivet
By Reif Larsen. Penguin.
9. A Short History of Women
By Kate Walbert. Scribner.
10. My Father’s Tears and Other Stories
By John Updike. Knopf.

FULL ENTRY

1. Scarecrow
By Michael Connelly. Little, Brown.
2. Eclipse
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
3. The Last Olympian
By Rick Riordan. Disney Hyperion.
4. Breaking Dawn
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
5. Pygmy
By Chuck Palahniuk. Doubleday.
6. Gone Tomorrow
By Lee Child. Delacorte.
7. Selected Works of T.S. Spivet
By Reif Larsen. Penguin.
8. Dead and Gone
By Charlaine Harris. Ace.
9. Brooklyn
By Colm Toibin. Scribner.
10. Wicked Prey
By John Sandford. Putnam.

Source: Boston area bookstores

FULL ENTRY

1. Dead and Gone
By Charlaine Harris. Ace.
2. The Last Olympian
By Rick Riordan. Disney Hyperion.
3. 8th Confession
By James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. Little, Brown.
4. Eclipse
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
5. Breaking Dawn
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
6. Handle with Care
By Jodi Picoult. Atria.
7. First Family
By David Baldacci. Grand Central.
8. Losing Mum & Pup
By Chistopher Buckley. Twelve.
9. Tea Time for the Traditionally Built
By Alexander McCall Smith. Pantheon.
10. The Heretic’s Daughter
By Kathleen Kent. Little, Brown.

FULL ENTRY

You fiction writers out there: Time to rev up the dream machine. Esquire just sprang a new contest, open to all, with an interesting twist. They give you three titles to choose from and you produce a short story. The options are:

1. "Twenty-Ten"
2. "An Insurrection"
3. "Never, Ever Bring This Up Again"

The winning writer will get $2,500 and his/her story will be published in Esquire. The rules?
Yours must be an original piece of fiction -- "no taking an old story and slapping one of our new titles on it. We'll know, and we won't be happy.'' Your piece can't be longer than 4,000 words, and you can only submit one. Entries must be received by midnight Aug. 1, and they must be submitted electronically at esquiresubmissions.com/
Esquire is doing this to promote the fact that, starting immediately, it will be posting some new American fiction exclusively online on the fiction portion of the site.
Interesting, yes?

Thanks to the Practicing Writing blog for pointing us to this.

Posted by Paul Makishima, Globe staff

Johnny Depp, pal of the late dearly departed Hunter S., currently is in Puerto Rico filming an adaptation of Thompson's semi-autobiographical (did he write any other kind) novel "The Rum Diary'' about a lost, alcohol-fueled journalist who moves from New York to work on a newspaper in Puerto Rico.
Depp, you'll recall, played Thompson in the film version of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas'' (I film I couldn't get through, owing to camera work seeking to replicate the experience of being really high and my own tendency toward motion sickness), and he also delivered a eulogy for the writer at a private memorial service.
Anyway, intrigued by the prospect of the film, an editor of Media Bistro's Galley Cat book blog reread "The Rum Diary,'' written very early in Thompson's career, and put together this video tour retracing the gonzo journalist's life on the island nation.
It's fun, interesting, and unlike "Fear and Loathing'' requires no Dramamine to watch.

Posted by Paul Makishima, Globe staff

I was intrigued by a piece in yesterday morning's Globe by Jenna Nierstedt on plans to launch a Boston Book Festival in October. Nierstedt quoted Deborah Z. Porter, the festival's founder and president, as saying the theme will involve the city's history of being at the vanguard of "literary and technological creativity."
I was curious what that meant so I called Porter to get a preview.
She told me that the group plans presentations on how technology is changing the world of readers and books.
For instance one session will feature David Pogue, technology columnist for The New York Times, on how technology and devices are changing the way we read.
Another event will highlight Brewster Kahle, founder of the Internet Archive, and will focus on how programs to collect digitized content, like the Archive and the Google books project, will affect readers and writers.
Porter said that in keeping with the theme the festival will feature a cyberart installation that will be "a visualization of what people are reading.'' She envisions gathering lists from various bookstores and individual readers and transforming the information into a multimedia presentation.
She also took pains to point out that the book festival will not be all tech, all the time. There will be plenty of the regular book festival fare. Writers such as Dennis Lehane, Skip Gates, Joe Finder, Tom Perrotta, Anita Diamant, Stephen Carter, Elinor Lipman, Walter Isaacson, Robert Pinsky, and Chris van Allsburg will attend and chat. And there will be programs for children and families, workshops on writing and publishing, and musical performances.
"At bottom we want this to be a cool public event that enhances the life of the city,'' she said.
A place, as the Boston Book Festival website says, “where you might want to bring a date. Or your thirteen-year-old niece.’’ Or, at least this year, your favorite gearhead.

Posted by Paul Makishima, Globe staff

1. Tea Time for the Traditionally Built
By Alexander McCall Smith. Pantheon.
2. Eclipse
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
3. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
By Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. Dial.
4. Breaking Dawn
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
5. Long Lost
By Harlan Coben. Dutton.
6. Handle with Care
By Jodi Picoult. Atria.
7. First Family
By David Baldacci. Grand Central.
8. Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi
By Geoff Dyer. Pantheon.
9. Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned
By Wells Tower. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
10. Just Take My Heart
By Mary Higgins Clark. Simon & Schuster.

FULL ENTRY

On Friday night, the winners of the Los Angeles Times 29th annual book prizes were announced. Recipients of the $1,000 awards include:
*Fiction: Marilynne Robinson for "Home'' (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
* Current interest: Barton Gellman for "Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency" (Penguin Press)
*Biography: Paula J. Giddings for "Ida: A Sword Among Lions: Ida B. Wells and the Campaign Against Lynching'' (HarperCollins/Amistad)
*History: Mark Mazower for "Hitler's Empire: How the Nazis Ruled Europe'' (Penguin Press)
*Mystery/Thriller: Michael Koryta for "Envy the Night'' (St. Martin's Minotaur/Thomas Dunne)
*Poetry: Frank Bidart for "Watching the Spring Festival: Poems'' (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
*Science & Technology: Leonard Susskind for The Black Hole War: My Battle with Stephen Hawking to Make the World Safe for Quantum Mechanics (Little, Brown)
*Young Adult Literature: Terry Pratchett for "Nation'' (HarperCollins)
*Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction: Zoe Ferraris for "Finding Nouf'' (Houghton Mifflin)
*Robert Kirsch Award (given annually to a living author "with a substantial connection to the American West”): Robert Alter.

Posted by Paul Makishima, Globe staff

This Sunday, the very cool, smart, and funny Adam Mansbach will be reviewing the newest novel by the very cool, smart, and funny Colson Whitehead. The book, "Sag Harbor'' is an autobiographical, coming-of-age story about two brothers in the summer of 1985.
I came across this YouTube video of Whitehead talking about the book and the town and because I'm just that kind of guy I thought I'd share.

1. Outliers
By Malcolm Gladwell. Little, Brown.
2. Last Lion
By the Team at the Boston Globe. Simon & Schuster.
3. House of Cards
By William D. Cohan. Doubleday.
4. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man
By Steve Harvey. Amistad.
5. Practicing Catholic
By James Carroll. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
6. The Gardner Heist
By Ulrich Boser. Collins.
7. The Yankee Years
By Joe Torre and Tom Verducci. Doubleday.
8. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Atria.
9. Liberty and Tyranny
By Mark R. Levin. Threshold.
10. The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow. Hyperion.

1. Long Lost
By Harlan Coben. Dutton.
2. Eclipse
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
3. Breaking Dawn
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
4. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
By May Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. Dial.
5. Turn Coat
By Jim Butcher. Roc.
6. About Face
By Donna Leon. Atlantic Monthly.
7. Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned
By Wells Tower. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
8. Just Take My Heart
By Mary Higgins Clark. Simon & Schuster.
9. Cutting for Stone
By Abraham Verghese. Knopf.
10. The Host
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.

FULL ENTRY

A friend who teaches at a major university in the area tells me that there is a piece in The Chronicle of Higher Education by a linguistics professor at the University of Edinburgh being passed around writing centers and the English department at her school and eliciting not-so-muffled calls of support along with a not inconsiderable amount of giggling.

The essay, "50 Years of Stupid Grammar Advice,'' takes the venerated little style guide to task on the occasion of its 50th birthday, which took place on Thursday. (Instant update: I just learned that NPR has also recently weighed in on the dust-up.)

The piece takes backhanded shots at the book's guidance on style ("vapid'' and "silly" but perhaps best "described the way "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' describes Earth: mostly harmless'').

Author Geoffrey K. Pullum's main complaint, however, is with the way Strunk and White ("grammatical incompetents'') teach grammar, particularly given that "'Elements' settled in as the primary vehicle through which grammar was taught to college students and the general public.''

Pullum rails at blanket dictums such as "use the active voice,'' pointing out that there are completely appropriate uses of the passive voice and poking fun at the fact that Strunk and White apparently unwittingly lapse into passive voice in a number of places.

He also takes issue with their injunction against the split infinitive, arguing that it "has always been grammatical and does not need to be avoided.''

Pullum scratches his head at the fact that Strunk and White seemingly "preferred to base their grammar claims on intuition and prejudice rather than established literary usage.''

As evidence he takes apart their instructions on the verb agreement with the word "none'' (always use the singular verb, they counsel), their command to refrain from starting a sentence with "however,'' and the insistence that "which'' should not be used to introduce a restrictive relative clause. He rebuts these assertions by citing places where the practices of many famous and celebrated writers over the years contradict the guidance offered by "Elements.''

All in all, a good bit of fun for writerly and academic types. Pass it on.

Everyone's worried about keeping their jobs -- or finding a new one.
If Motoko Rich of the Times is right, perhaps we should get into the romance-writing game.
Rich reports that the recession appears to be fueling the demand for pot-boilers:

Harlequin Enterprises, the queen of the romance world, reported that fourth-quarter earnings were up 32 percent over the same period a year earlier, and Donna Hayes, Harlequin’s chief executive, said that sales in the first quarter of this year remained very strong. While sales of adult fiction overall were basically flat last year, according to Nielsen Bookscan, which tracks about 70 percent of retail sales, the romance category was up 7 percent after holding fairly steady for the previous four years.
At Barnes & Noble, the country’s largest book chain, where its chief financial officer, Joe Lombardi, recently warned that overall 2009 sales were likely to fall between 4 percent and 6 percent, sales of romance novels are up. And in the first three months of this year Nielsen Bookscan tracked a 2.4 percent rise in romance sales compared with a slight decline in sales of general adult fiction for the same period.

Why the upsurge? Apparently, it's escapism, a port in the economic maelstrom, safe haven from falling employment figures and 401(k)s.
Might be time to get pro-active. Sharpen up a pencil or two and start ripping those bodices.

Posted by Paul Makishima, Globe staff

Photo by Damon Winter/The New York Times

1. Handle With Care
By Jodi Picoult. Atria.
2. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
By May Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. Dial.
3. Eclipse
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
4. The Associate
By John Grisham. Doubleday.
5. Breaking Dawn
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
6. Outcast
By Aaron Allston. Del Rey.
7. Heart and Soul
By Maeve Binchy. Knopf.
8. A Mercy
By Toni Morrison. Knopf.
9. Host
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
10. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
By Stieg Larsson. Knopf.

FULL ENTRY

1.Breaking Dawn
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
2. The Associate
By John Grisham. Doubleday.
3. Night and Day
By Robert B. Parker. Putnam.
4. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
By Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. Dial.
5. Eclipse
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
6. Promises in Death
By J.D. Robb. Putnam.
7. Run for Your Life
By James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. Little, Brown.
8. One Day at a Time
By Danielle Steel. Delacorte.
9. Fool
By Christopher Moore. Morrow.
10. Blindspot
By Jane Kamensky and Jill Lepore. Spiegel & Grau.

From Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. Fool
By Christopher Moore. Morrow.
2. The Associate
By John Grisham. Doubleday.
3. Breaking Dawn
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
4. Eclipse
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
5. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
By Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. Dial.
6. Run for Your Life
By James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. Little, Brown.
7. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
By Jeff Kinney. Amulet.
8. Cutting for Stone
By Abraham Verghese. Knopf.
9. The Given Day
By Dennis Lehane. Morrow.
10. Galway Bay
By Mary Pat Kelly. Grand Central.

From Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. Breaking Dawn
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
2. The Associate
By John Grisham. Doubleday.
3. The Guernsey Literary andPotato Peel Pie Society
By Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. Dial.
4. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
By Jeff Kinney. Amulet.
5. Eclipse
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
6. The Graveyard Book
By Neil Gaiman. HarperCollins.
7. The Tales of Beedle the Bard
By J.K. Rowling. Scholastic.
8. Lark and Termite
By Jayne Anne Phillips. Knopf.
9. Netherland
By Joseph O’Neill. Pantheon.
10. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
By David Wroblewski. Ecco.

From Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. A Mercy
By Toni Morrison. Knopf.
2. Unaccustomed Earth
By Jhumpa Lahiri. Knopf.
3. The Hour I First Believed
By Wally Lamb. Harper.
4. The Tales of Beedle the Bard
By J.K. Rowling. Scholastic.
5. Breaking Dawn
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
6. Cross Country
By James Patterson. Little, Brown.
7. The Given Day
By Dennis Lehane. Morrow.
8. The Private Patient
By P.D. James. Knopf.
9. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
By Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. Dial.
10. Scarpetta
By Patricia Cornwell. Putnam.

From Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. A Mercy
By Toni Morrison. Knopf.
2. The Private Patient
By P.D. James. Knopf.
3. Scarpetta
By Patricia Cornwell. Putnam.
4. The Tales of Beedle the Bard
By J.K. Rowling. Scholastic.
5. The Given Day
By Dennis Lehane. Morrow.
6. Unaccustomed Earth
By Jhumpa Lahiri. Knopf.
7. Breaking Dawn
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
8. Netherland
By Joseph O’Neill. Pantheon.
9. The Hour I First Believed
By Wally Lamb. Harper.
10. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
By David Wroblewski. Ecco.

From Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. The Private Patient
By P.D. James. Knopf.
2. A Mercy
By Toni Morrison. Knopf.
3. The Hour I First Believed
By Wally Lamb. Harper.
4. The Given Day
By Dennis Lehane. Morrow.
5. The Tales of Beedle the Bard
By J.K. Rowling. Scholastic.
6. Cross Country
By James Patterson. Little, Brown.
7. Scarpetta
By Patricia Cornwell. Putnam.
8. Eclipse
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
9. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
By David Wroblewski. Ecco.
10. Breaking Dawn
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.

From Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. A Mercy
By Toni Morrison. Knopf.
2. The Private Patient
By P..D. James. Knopf.
3. The Hour I First Believed
By Wally Lamb. Harper.
4. Cross Country
By James Patterson. Little, Brown.
5. Just After Sunset
By Stephen King. Scribner.
6. The Given Day
By Dennis Lehane. Morrow.
7. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
By David Wroblewski. Ecco.
8. Divine Justice
By David Baldacci. Grand Central.
9. Unaccustomed Earth
By Jhumpa Lahiri. Knopf.
10. Princeps’ Fury
By Jim Butcher. Ace.

From Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

1. A Mercy
By Toni Morrison. Knopf.
2. The Hour I First Believed
By Wally Lamb. Harper.
3. The Private Patient
By P.D. James. Knopf.
4. The Given Day
By Dennis Lehane. Morrow.
5. The Gate House
By Nelson DeMille. Grand Central.
6. Cross Country
By James Patterson. Little, Brown.
7. Sea of Poppies
By Amitav Ghosh. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
8. Divine Justice
By David Baldacci. Grand Central.
9. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
By Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. Dial.
10. Dying for Revenge
By Eric Jerome Dickey. Dutton.

From Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. A Mercy
By Toni Morrison. Knopf.
2. The Hour I First Believed
By Wally Lamb. Harper.
3. The Gate House
By Nelson DeMille. Grand Central.
4. Just After Sunset
By Stephen King. Scribner.
5. Divine Justice
By David Baldacci. Grand Central.
6. A Most Wanted Man
By John le Carré. Scribner.
7. 2666
By Roberto Bolano. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
8. The Given Day
By Dennis Lehane. Morrow.
9. I See You Everywhere
By Julia Glass. Pantheon.
10. One Fifth Avenue
By Candace Bushnell. Voice.

From Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. The Given Day
By Dennis Lehane. Morrow.
2. The Gate House
By Nelson DeMille. Grand Central.
3. Divine Justice
By David Baldacci. Grand Central.
4. A Lion Among Men
By Gregory Maguire. Morrow.
5. I See You Everywhere
By Julia Glass. Pantheon.
6. Salvation in Death
By J.D. Robb. Putnam.
7. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
By Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. Dial.
8. Testimony
By Anita Shreve. Little, Brown.
9. A Most Wanted Man
By John le Carré. Scribner.
10. Extreme Measures
By Vince Flynn. Atria.

From Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. The Given Day
By Dennis Lehane. Morrow.
2. The Gate House
By Nelson DeMille. Grand Central.
3. A Most Wanted Man
By John le Carré. Scribner.
4. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
By David Wroblewski. Ecco.
5. Rough Weather
By Robert B. Parker. Putnam.
6. Extreme Measures
By Vince Flynn. Atria.
7. One Fifth Avenue
By Candace Bushnell. Voice.
8. I See You Everywhere
By Julia Glass. Pantheon.
9. A Lion Among Men
By Gregory Maguire. Morrow.
10. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
By Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. Dial.

From Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. The Given Day
By Dennis Lehane. Morrow.
2. A Most Wanted Man
By John le Carré. Scribner.
3. A Lion Among Men
By Gregory Maguire. Morrow.
4. Testimony
By Anita Shreve. Little, Brown.
5. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
By David Wroblewski. Ecco.
6. Rough Weather
By Robert B. Parker. Putnam.
7. The Brass Verdict
By Michael Connelly. Little, Brown.
8. Extreme Measures
By Vince Flynn. Atria.
9. One Fifth Avenue
By Candace Bushnell. Voice.
10. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
By Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. Dial.

From Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. The Given Day
By Dennis Lehane. Morrow.
2. A Most Wanted Man
By John le Carré. Scribner.
3. A Lion Among Men
By Gregory Maguire. Morrow.
4. The Brass Verdict
By Michael Connelly. Little, Brown.
5. One Fifth Avenue
By Candace Bushnell. Voice.
6. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
By David Wroblewski. Ecco.
7. The Lucky One
By Nicholas Sparks. Grand Central.
8. I See You Everywhere
By Julia Glass. Pantheon.
9. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
By Stieg Larsson. Knopf.
10. Brisingr
By Christopher Paolini. Knopf.

From Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. The Given Day
By Dennis Lehane. Morrow.
2. A Most Wanted Man
By John le Carre. Scribner.
3. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
By David Wroblewski. Ecco.
4. Brisingr
By Christopher Paolini. Knopf.
5. One Fifth Avenue
By Candace Bushnell. Voice.
6. The Lucky One
By Nicholas Sparks. Grand Central.
7. Indignation
By Philip Roth. Houghton Mifflin.
8. The Other Queen
By Philippa Gregory. Touchstone.
9. The Pirate King
By R.A. Salvatore. Wizards of the Coast.
10. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
By Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. Dial.

From Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. The Given Day
By Dennis Lehane. Morrow.
2. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
By David Wroblewski. Ecco.
3. Brisingr
By Christopher Paolini. Knopf.
4. Anathem
By Neal Stephenson. Morrow.
5. American Wife
By Curtis Sittenfeld.Random House.
6. The Lucky One
By Nicholas Sparks.Grand Central.
7. One Fifth Avenue
By Candace Bushnell. Voice.
8. Indignation
By Philip Roth. Houghton Mifflin.
9. The Other Queen
By Philippa Gregory. Touchstone.
10. Breaking Dawn
By Stephenie Meyer.Little, Brown.

From Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. American Wife
By Curtis Sittenfeld. Random House.
2. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
By David Wroblewski. Ecco.
3. Breaking Dawn
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
4. The Book of Lies
By Brad Meltzer. Grand Central.
5. Home
By Marilynne Robinson. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
6. Eclipse
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
7. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
By Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. Dial.
8. Dark Curse
By Christine Feehan. Berkley.
9. Unaccustomed Earth
By Jhumpa Lahiri. Knopf.
10. Chasing Harry Winston
By Lauren Weisberger. Simon and Schuster.

From Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. The Lace Reader
By Brunonia Barry. Morrow.
2. Breaking Dawn
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
3. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
By David Wroblewski. Ecco.
4. Eclipse
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
5. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
By Junot Díaz. Riverhead.
6. Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Sanction
By Eric Van Lustbader. Grand Central.
7. Devil Bones
By Kathy Reichs. Scribner.
8. Man in the Dark
By Paul Auster. Holt.
9. Moscow Rules
By Daniel Silva. Putnam.
10. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
By Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. Dial.

From Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. Breaking Dawn
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
2. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
By David Wroblewski. Ecco.
3. Moscow Rules
By Daniel Silva. Putnam.
4. The Lace Reader
By Brunonia Barry. Morrow.
5. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
By Junot Díaz. Riverhead.
6. Unaccustomed Earth
By Jhumpa Lahiri. Knopf.
7. Alfred and Emily
By Doris Lessing. Harper.
8. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
By Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. Dial.
9. Eclipse
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
10. Chasing Harry Winston
By Lauren Weisberger. Simon & Schuster.

Source: Boston area bookstores

FULL ENTRY

1. Breaking Dawn
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
2. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
By David Wroblewski. Ecco.
3. The Lace Reader
By Brunonia Barry. Morrow.
4. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
By Junot Díaz. Riverhead.
5. Moscow Rules
By Daniel Silva. Putnam.
6. Acheron
By Sherrilyn Kenyon. St. Martin’s.
7. Unaccustomed Earth
By Jhumpa Lahiri. Knopf.
8. Eclipse
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
9. Chasing Harry Winston
By Lauren Weisberger. Simon & Schuster.
10. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
By Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. Dial.

Source: Boston area bookstores

FULL ENTRY

1. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
By David Wroblewski. Putnam.
2. Moscow Rules
By Daniel Silva. Putnam.
3. Unaccustomed Earth
By Jhumpa Lahiri. Knopf.
4. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
By Junot Díaz. Riverhead.
5. The Condition
By Jennifer Haigh. Harper.
6. Chasing Harry Winston
By Lauren Weisberger. Simon & Schuster.
7. The Dangerous Days of Daniel X
By James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. Little, Brown.
8. The Enchantress of Florence
By Salman Rushdie. Random House.
9. The Art of Racing in the Rain
By Garth Stein. Harper.
10. Love the One You’re With
By Emily Giffin. St. Martin’s.

Source: Boston area bookstores

FULL ENTRY

1. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
By David Wroblewski. Ecco.
2. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
By Junot Díaz. Riverhead.
3. Unaccustomed Earth
By Jhumpa Lahiri. Knopf.
4. Love the One You’re With
By Emily Giffin. St. Martin’s.
5. Chasing Harry Winston
By Lauren Weisberger. Simon & Schuster.
6. The Beach House
By Jane Green. Viking.
7. Sail
By James Patterson and Howard Roughan. Little, Brown.
8. Just Too Good to Be True
By E. Lynn Harris. Doubleday.
9. The Enchantress of Florence
By Salman Rushdie. Random House.
10. The Condition
By Jennifer Haigh. Harper.

Source: Boston area bookstores

FULL ENTRY

1. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
By David Wroblewski. Ecco.
2. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
By Junot Díaz. Riverhead.
3. Unaccustomed Earth
By Jhumpa Lahiri. Knopf.
4. Tribute
By Nora Roberts. Putnam.
5. Chasing Harry Winston
By Lauren Weisberger. Simon & Schuster.
6. The Beach House
By Jane Green. Viking.
7. Brida
By Paulo Coelho. Harper.
8. Love the One You’re With
By Emily Giffin. St. Martin’s.
9. The Spies of Warsaw
By Alan Furst. Random House.
10. Fearless Fourteen
By Janet Evanovich. St. Martin’s.

Source: Boston area bookstores

FULL ENTRY

1. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
By Junot Díaz. Riverhead.
2. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
By David Wroblewski. Ecco.
3. Unaccustomed Earth
By Jhumpa Lahiri. Knopf.
4. Love the One You’re With
By Emily Giffin. St. Martin’s.
5. Chasing Harry Winston
By Lauren Weisberger. Simon & Schuster.
6. The Garden of Last Days
By Andre Dubus III. Norton.
7. The Enchantress of Florence
By Salman Rushdie. Random House.
8. The Condition
By Jennifer Haigh. Harper.
9. Fearless Fourteen
By Janet Evanovich. St. Martin’s.
10. Chasing Darkness
By Robert Crais. Simon & Schuster.

SOURCE: Boston area bookstores

FULL ENTRY

1. Fearless Fourteen
By Janet Evanovich. St. Martin’s.
2. Unaccustomed Earth
By Jhumpa Lahiri. Knopf.
3. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
By Junot Díaz. Riverhead.
4. The Spies of Warsaw
By Alan Furst. Random House.
5. Sail
By James Patterson and Howard Roughan. Little, Brown.
6. Chasing Harry Winston
By Lauren Weisberger. Simon & Schuster.
7. Nothing to Lose
By Lee Child. Delacorte.
8. Love the One You’re With
By Emily Giffin. St. Martin’s.
9. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
By David Wroblewski. Ecco.
10. Netherland
By Joseph O’Neill. Pantheon.

SOURCE: Boston area bookstores

FULL ENTRY

1. The Enchantress of Florence
By Salman Rushdie. Random House.
2. Nothing to Lose
By Lee Child. Delacorte.
3. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
By Junot Díaz. Riverhead.
4. The Garden of Last Days
By Andre Dubus III. Norton.
5. Unaccustomed Earth
By Jhumpa Lahiri. Knopf.
6. Love the One You’re With
By Emily Giffin. St. Martin’s.
7. The Spies of Warsaw
By Alan Furst. Random House.
8. Chasing Harry Winston
By Lauren Weisberger. Simon & Schuster.
9. Devil May Care
By Sebastian Faulks. Doubleday.
10. Netherland
By Joseph O’Neill. Pantheon.

SOURCE: Boston area bookstores

FULL ENTRY

1. Unaccustomed Earth
By Jhumpa Lahiri. Knopf.
2. Love the One You’re With
By Emily Giffin. St. Martin’s.
3. Bright Shiny Morning
By James Frey. Harper.
4. The Host
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
5. Devil May Care
By Sebastian Faulks. Doubleday.
6. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
By Junot Díaz. Riverhead.
7. The Enchantress of Florence
By Salman Rushdie. Random House.
8. Chasing Harry Winston
By Lauren Weisberger. Simon & Schuster.
9. Blood Noir
By Laurell K. Hamilton. Berkley.
10. Odd Hours
By Dean Koontz. Bantam.

SOURCE: Boston area bookstores

FULL ENTRY

1. Unaccustomed Earth
By Jhumpa Lahiri. Knopf.
2. Careless in Red
By Elizabeth George. Harper.
3. The Host
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
4. Sundays at Tiffany’s
By James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet. Little, Brown.
5. The Whole Truth
By David Baldacci. Grand Central.
6. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
By Junot Díaz. Riverhead.
7. The Miracle at Speedy Motors
By Alexander McCall Smith. Pantheon.
8. Phantom Prey
By John Sandford. Putnam.
9. Certain Girls
By Jennifer Weiner. Atria.
10. The Plague of Doves
By Louise Erdrich. Harper.

SOURCE: Boston area bookstores

FULL ENTRY

1. Unaccustomed Earth
By Jhumpa Lahiri. Knopf.
2. Careless in Red
By Elizabeth George. Harper.
3. The Host
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
4. Sundays at Tiffany’s
By James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet. Little, Brown.
5. The Whole Truth
By David Baldacci. Grand Central.
6. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
By Junot Díaz. Riverhead.
7. The Miracle at Speedy Motors
By Alexander McCall Smith. Pantheon.
8. Phantom Prey
By John Sandford. Putnam.
9. Certain Girls
By Jennifer Weiner. Atria.
10. The Plague of Doves
By Louise Erdrich. Harper.

SOURCE: Boston area bookstores

FULL ENTRY

1. Unaccustomed Earth
By Jhumpa Lahiri. Knopf.
2. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
By Junot Díaz. Riverhead.
3. The Miracle at Speedy Motors
By Alexander McCall Smith. Pantheon.
4. The Whole Truth
By David Baldacci. Grand Central.
5. Hold Tight
By Harlan Coben. Dutton.
6. Certain Girls
By Jennifer Weiner. Atria.
7. Our Story Begins
By Tobias Wolff. Knopf.
8. Remember Me?
By Sophie Kinsella. Dial.
9. The Appeal
By John Grisham. Doubleday.
10. Change of Heart
By Jodi Picoult. Atria.

SOURCE: Boston area bookstores

FULL ENTRY

1. Unaccustomed Earth
By Jhumpa Lahiri. Knopf.
2. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
By Junot Díaz. Riverhead.
3. Hold Tight
By Harlan Coben. Dutton.
4. The Miracle at Speedy Motors
By Alexander McCall Smith. Pantheon.
5. Where Are You Now?
By Mary Higgins Clark. Simon & Schuster.
6. Remember Me?
By Sophie Kinsella. Dial.
7. Our Story Begins
By Tobias Wolff. Knopf.
8. The Appeal
By John Grisham. Doubleday.
9. Certain Girls
By Jennifer Weiner. Atria.
10. The Third Angel
By Alice Hoffman. Shaye Areheart.

SOURCE: Boston area bookstores

FULL ENTRY

1. Unaccustomed Earth
By Jhumpa Lahiri. Knopf.
2. The Appeal
By John Grisham. Doubleday.
3. Change of Heart
By Jodi Picoult. Atria.
4. Lush Life
By Richard Price. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
5. Small Favor
By Jim Butcher. Roc.
6. Remember Me?
By Sophie Kinsella. Dial.
7. Belong to Me
By Marisa de los Santos. Morrow.
8. People of the Book
By Geraldine Brooks. Viking.
9. Compulsion
By Jonathan Kellerman. Ballantine.
10. The Ten-Year Nap
By Meg Wolitzer. Riverhead.

SOURCE: Boston area bookstores

FULL ENTRY

1. Lush Life
By Richard Price. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
2. Change of Heart
By Jodi Picoult. Atria.
3. People of the Book
By Geraldine Brooks. Viking.
4. Remember Me?
By Sophie Kinsella. Dial.
5. The Appeal
By John Grisham. Doubleday.
6. A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead.
7. Seventh Heaven
By James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. Little, Brown.
8. The Reserve
By Russell Banks. Harper.
9. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
By Junot Díaz. Riverhead.
10. The Soul Thief
By Charles Baxter. Pantheon.

SOURCE: Boston area bookstores

FULL ENTRY

1. Change of Heart
By Jodi Picoult. Atria.
2. Lush Life
By Richard Price. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
3. The Appeal
By John Grisham. Doubleday.
4. People of the Book
By Geraldine Brooks. Viking.
5. The Reserve
By Russell Banks. Harper.
6. A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead.
7. Remember Me?
By Sophie Kinsella. Dial.
8. Beautiful Children
By Charles Bock. Random House.
9. The Soul Thief
By Charles Baxter. Pantheon.
10. Honor Thyself
By Danielle Steel. Delacorte.

SOURCE: Boston area bookstores

FULL ENTRY

1. Remember Me?
By Sophie Kinsella. Dial.
2. The Appeal
By John Grisham. Doubleday.
3. A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead.
4. People of the Book
By Geraldine Brooks. Viking.
5. Beautiful Children
By Charles Bock. Random House.
6. The Senator’s Wife
By Sue Miller. Knopf.
7. World Without End
By Ken Follett. Dutton.
8. Beginner’s Greek
By James Collins. Little, Brown.
9. Seventh Heaven
By James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. Little, Brown.
10. The Commoner
By John Burnham Schwartz. Nan A. Talese/Doubleday.

SOURCE: Boston area bookstores

FULL ENTRY

1. The Appeal
By John Grisham. Doubleday.
2. Seventh Heaven
By James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. Little, Brown.
3. A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead.
4. The Senator’s Wife
By Sue Miller. Knopf.
5. People of the Book
By Geraldine Brooks. Viking.
6. Strangers in Death
By J.D. Robb. Putnam.
7. Stranger in Paradise
By Robert B. Parker. Putnam.
8. The Commoner
By John Burnham Schwartz. Nan A. Talese/Doubleday.
9. Song Yet Sung
By James McBride. Riverhead.
10. The Reserve
By Russell Banks. Harper.

Source: Boston area bookstores

FULL ENTRY

1. Beautiful Children
By Charles Bock. Random House.
2. The Senator’s Wife
By Sue Miller. Knopf.
3. The Reserve
By Russell Banks. Harper.
4. The Golden Age
By Tahmima Anam. Harper Collins.
5. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
By Junot Díaz. Riverhead.
6. When the Ground Turns in Its Sleep
By Sylvia Sellers-Garcia. Riverhead.
7. Diary of a Bad Year
By J.M. Coetzee. Viking.
8. The Abyssinian Proof
By Jenny White. Norton.
9. War and Peace
By Leo Tolstoy. Knopf.
10. Song Yet Sung
By James McBride. Riverhead.

Source: Boston area bookstores

FULL ENTRY

1. The Appeal
By John Grisham. Doubleday.
2. The Senator’s Wife
By Sue Miller. Knopf.
3. People of the Book
By Geraldine Brooks. Viking.
4. Beautiful Children
By Charles Bock. Random House.
5. A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead.
6. Duma Key
By Stephen King. Scribner.
7. World Without End
By Ken Follett. Dutton.
8. The Commoner
By John Burnham Schwartz. Nan A. Talese/Doubleday.
9. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
By Junot Díaz. Riverhead.
10. Life Class
By Pat Barker. Doubleday.

SOURCE: Boston area bookstores

FULL ENTRY

1. The Senator’s Wife
By Sue Miller. Knopf.
2. People of the Book
By Geraldine Brooks. Viking.
3. A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead.
4. Plum Lucky
By Janet Evanovich. St. Martin’s.
5. World Without End
By Ken Follett. Dutton.
6. Double Cross
By James Patterson. Little, Brown.
7. Beginner’s Greek
By James Collins. Little, Brown.
8. Diary of a Bad Year
By J.M. Coetzee. Viking.
9. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
By Junot Díaz. Riverhead.
10. The Almost Moon
By Alice Sebold. Little, Brown.

SOURCE: Boston area bookstores

FULL ENTRY

1. People of the Book
By Geraldine Brooks. Viking.
2. A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead.
3. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
By Junot Díaz. Riverhead.
4. Plum Lucky
By Janet Evanovich. St. Martin’s.
5. World Without End
By Ken Follett. Dutton.
6. The Senator’s Wife
By Sue Miller. Knopf.
7. The Almost Moon
By Alice Sebold. Little, Brown.
8. Diary of a Bad Year
By J.M. Coetzee. Viking.
9. Then We Came to the End
By Joshua Ferris. Little, Brown.
10. Double Cross
By James Patterson. Little, Brown.

FULL ENTRY

1. A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead.

2. T Is for Treason
By Sue Grafton. Putnam.

3. Tree of Smoke
By Denis Johnson. Farrar, Straus.

4. Double Cross
By James Patterson. Little, Brown.

5. The Yiddish Policeman’s Union
By Michael Chabon. HarperCollins.

6. The Darkest Evening of the Year
By Dean Koontz. Bantam.

7. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
By Junot Diaz. Riverhead.

8. The Abstinence Teacher
By Tom Perrotta. St. Martin’s.

9. World Without End
By Ken Follett. Dutton.

10. Run
By Ann Patchett. Harper.

FULL ENTRY

1. A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead.
2. Playing for Pizza
By John Grisham. Doubleday.
3. Double Cross
By James Patterson. Little, Brown.
4. Stone Cold
By David Baldacci. Grand Central.
5. Confessor
By Terry Goodkind. Tor.
6. A Free Life
By Ha Jin. Pantheon.
7. World Without End
By Ken Follett. Dutton.
8. Run
By Ann Patchett. HarperCollins.
9. Book of the Dead
By Patricia Cornwell. Putnam.
10. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
By Junot Díaz. Riverhead.

Compiled by Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead.
2. Double Cross
By James Patterson. Little, Brown.
3. The Almost Moon
By Alice Sebold. Little, Brown.
4. Stone Cold
By David Baldacci. Grand Central.
5. Bridge of Sighs
By Richard Russo. Knopf.
6. World Without End
By Ken Follett. Dutton.
7. Gentlemen of the Road
By Michael Chabon. Del Rey.
8. Confessor
By Terry Goodkind. Tor.
9. Run
By Ann Patchett. HarperCollins.
10. A Free Life
By Ha Jin. Pantheon.

Compiled by Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead.
2. World Without End
By Ken Follett. Dutton.
3. The Abstinence Teacher
By Tom Perrotta. St. Martin’s.
4. Stone Cold
By David Baldacci. Grand Central.
5. Book of the Dead
By Patricia Cornwell. Putnam.
6. A Free Life
By Ha Jin. Pantheon.
7. Bridge of Sighs
By Richard Russo. Knopf.
8. The Almost Moon
By Alice Sebold. Little, Brown.
9. Now and Then
By Robert B. Parker. Putnam.
10. Protect and Defend
By Vince Flynn. Atria.

Compiled by Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

Nick Hornby is featured on the new episode of Great Writers

GREAT WRITERS

"Slam," the new novel by Nick Hornby, is ostensibly for young adults, but its 16-year-old protagonist's struggle with an unplanned pregnancy and an equally unplanned launch into adulthood resonates just as genuinely with adult readers.

During a recent appearance at Brookline Booksmith, Hornby had the adult audience laughing and groaning along with an excerpt of the book that described Sam's lame attempt at solving his problems by running away to a run-down resort town by the English seaside. That appearance is featured in the current episode of Great Writers, the Boston Globe's books podcast.

Hornby, the author of the bestsellers "About a Boy," "High Fidelity," and "Fever Pitch," is the acknowledged master of creating adult male characters who act like boys. In "Slam," he reverses field and writes about a boy grappling too soon with manhood, and Sam's wry-yet-naive observations about parenthood, employment, and the other big decisions of adult life are the best part of the book.

Or, as the New York Times put it:

Hornby has a knack, in “Slam,” for taking predictable moments and turning them into gently glowing satire.

Click here to listen to the latest Great Writers episode featuring Nick Hornby.

Click here to visit the Globe's podcasts page.

Great Writers is also available via subscription through RSS and iTunes.

-- Ralph Ranalli

1. A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead.
2. The Abstinence Teacher
By Tom Perrotta. St. Martin’s.
3. Bridge of Sighs
By Richard Russo. Knopf.
4. Gentlemen of the Road
By Michael Chabon. Ballantine.
5. Book of the Dead
By Patricia Cornwell. Putnam.
6. Now and Then
By Robert B. Parker. !,Putnam.
7. The Almost Moon
By Alice Sebold. Little, Brown.
8. Protect and Defend
By Vince Flynn. Atria.
9. World Without End
By Ken Follett. Dutton.
10. War and Peace
By Leo Tolstoy. Knopf.

Compiled by Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

GREAT WRITERS PODCAST

Don't look now, but your dogma just got run over by Shalom Auslander's karma.

It's amazing that a book so full of painful soul-baring can be so funny, but it is. Just listen to the laughs in the background from the crowd at Brookline Booksmith during Auslander's recent reading of excerpts from his new book "Foreskin's Lament."

But be forewarned: A howling [double meaning alert] rant on his orthodox Jewish upbringing and against those who teach children that God is a vengeful deity to be feared and obeyed at all times, the book is probably not for the faint of faith.

The New York Times said this:

Now Shalom Auslander has entered the ring, flying off the ropes, pro-wrestling style, with his memoir, “Foreskin’s Lament,” a no-holds-barred affront to the G-d whose name is never uttered by the faithful under Jewish law.

Also in the current episode of Great Writers, we serve up or "Top of the Stack" book recommendations from today's hottest writers, including Brock Clarke, the author of "An Arsonist's Guide to New England Writers' Homes;" Jon Clinch, the author of "Finn;" and Jennifer Belle, the author of "Little Stalker."

The recommendations are worth a listen to hear why the authors are recommending their favorites, but for your convenience, here are some links to their recommended books:

Brock Clarke:
"US!" by Chris Bachelder
"The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" by Muriel Spark
"The Good People of New York" by Thisbe Nissen

Jon Clinch:
"I Hate to See That Evening Sun Go Down" by William Gay
"Absolom, Absolom" by William Faulkner
"Memoir from Antproof Case" by Mark Helprin

Jennifer Belle
"Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov
"Lovely Me: The Life of Jacqueline Susann" by Barbara Seaman
"Good Morning, Midnight" by Jean Rhys

Enjoy.

-- Ralph Ranalli

1. Now and Then
By Robert B. Parker. Putnam.
2. A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead.
3. The Abstinence Teacher
By Tom Perrotta. St. Martin’s.
4. The Almost Moon
By Alice Sebold. Little, Brown.
5. World Without End
By Ken Follett. Dutton.
6. Run
By Ann Patchett. HarperCollins.
7. War and Peace
By Leo Tolstoy. Knopf.
8. Bridge of Sighs
By Richard Russo. Knopf.
9. A Lick of Frost
By Laurell K. Hamilton. Ballantine.
10. Like You’d Understand, Anyway
By Jim Shepard. Knopf.

Compiled by Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. The Abstinence Teacher
By Tom Perrotta. St. Martin’s.
2. A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead.
3. Bridge of Sighs
By Richard Russo. Knopf.
4. Playing for Pizza
By John Grisham. Doubleday.
5. The Almost Moon
By Alice Sebold. Little, Brown.
6. Run
By Ann Patchett. HarperCollins.
7. War and Peace
By Leo Tolstoy. Knopf.
8. World Without End
By Ken Follett. Dutton.
9. The Choice
By Nicholas Sparks. Grand Central.
10. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
By Junot Díaz. Riverhead.

Compiled by Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. Bridge of Sighs
By Richard Russo. Knopf.
2. Run
By Ann Patchett. HarperCollins.
3. A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead.
4. Playing for Pizza
By John Grisham. Doubleday.
5. Exit Ghost
By Philip Roth. Houghton Mifflin.
6. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
By Junot Díaz. Riverhead.
7. The Choice
By Nicholas Sparks. Grand Central.
8. Dark of the Moon
By John Sandford. Putnam.
9. Away
By Amy Bloom. Random House.
10. You’ve Been Warned
By James Patterson and Howard Roughan. Little, Brown.

Compiled by Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

Claire Messud is featured in the current episode of Great Writers.
(Globe staff photo by Dina Rudick)

GREAT WRITERS

The Great Writers podcast is back from summer hiatus, with a new format, more events, and bigger names than before.

Launched last year in conjuction with independent literary powerhouse Newtonville Books, Great Writers has now added two more of the region's best independent bookstores as partners: Brookline Booksmith and Wellesley Booksmith. Another big change: new episodes this season will debut on Tuesdays instead of Sundays.

The first episode of the 2007-2008 season is now online. It features a special double appearance from Brookline Booksmith by bestselling authors Claire Messud, reading and discussing "The Emperor's Children," (recently released in paperback) and Valerie Martin, talking about and reading from her latest work, "Tresspass."

"The Emperor's Children" is Messud's fourth book and was named one of the ten best books of 2006 by the New York Times, which called her "a novelist of unnerving talent." Her 1996 debut novel, "When the World Was Steady," earned her a nomination for the PEN/Faulkner Award. Martin's 2003 novel "Property" won the prestigious Orange Prize.

Next week's episode will feature our first recommendations from the Books section staff of the Globe and a reading by Brock Clarke, the author of the remarkable new novel "An Arsonist's Guide to New England Writers' Homes."

Listen, enjoy, and tell a friend. Or what the heck, tell your whole book club.

Click here to listen to this week's episode.

Click here to visit Boston.com's Podcast page.

Click here to subscribe to the series via RSS. Great Writers is also available through iTunes.

-- Ralph Ranalli

1. Run
By Ann Patchett. HarperCollins.
2. A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead.
3. Bridge of Sighs
By Richard Russo. Knopf.
4. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
By Junot Díaz. Riverhead.
5. Playing for Pizza
By John Grisham. Doubleday.
6. The Choice
By Nicholas Sparks. Grand Central.
7. Exit Ghost
By Philip Roth. Houghton Mifflin.
8. You’ve Been Warned
By James Patterson and Howard Roughan. Little, Brown.
9. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
By J.K. Rowling. Scholastic.
10. Shoot Him If He Runs
By Stuart Woods. Putnam.

Compiled by Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead.
2. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
By Junot Diaz. Riverhead.
3. Away
By Amy Bloom. Random House.
4. You’ve Been Warned
By James Patterson and Howard Roughan. Little, Brown.
5. Making Money
By Terry Pratchett. Harper.
6. Dead Heat
By Dick Francis and Felix Francis. Putnam.
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
By J.K. Rowling. Scholastic.
8. Tree of Smoke
By Denis Johnson. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
9. Exit Ghost
By Philip Roth. Houghton Mifflin.
10. Power Play
By Joseph Finder. St. Martin’s.

Compiled by Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead.
2. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
By Junot Diaz. Riverhead.
3. Tree of Smoke
By Denis Johnson. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
4. You’ve Been Warned
By James Patterson and Howard Roughan. Little, Brown.
5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
By J.K. Rowling. Scholastic.
6. Heartsick
By Chelsea Cain. St. Martin.
7. The Septembers of Shiraz
By Dalia Sofer. Ecco.
8. Power Play
By Joseph Finder. St. Martin.
9. The Wheel of Darkness
By Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Grand Central.
10. On the Road: The Original Scroll
By Jack Kerouac. Viking.

Compiled by Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. Tree of Smoke
By Denis Johnson. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
2. A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead.
3. Away
By Amy Bloom. Random House.
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
By J..K. Rowling. Scholastic.
5. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
By Junot Díaz. Riverhead.
6. Heartsick
By Chelsea Cain. St. Martin’s.
7. On the Road: 50th Anniversary Edition
By Jack Kerouac. Viking.
8. Power Play
By Joseph Finder. St. Martin’s.
9. On the Road: The Original Scroll
By Jack Kerouac. Viking.
10. The Wheel of Darkness
By Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Grand Central.

Compiled by Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead.
2. Spook Country
By William Gibson. Putnam.
3. Away
By Amy Bloom. Random House.
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
By J. K. Rowling. Scholastic.
5. The Wheel of Darkness
By Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Grand Central.
6. Bones to Ashes
By Kathy Reichs. Scribner.
7. Power Play
By Joseph Finder. St. Martin.
8. On the Road
By Jack Kerouac. Viking.
9. The Maytrees
By Annie Dillard. HarperCollins.
10. The Yiddish Policemen's Union
By Michael Chabon. HarperCollins.

Compiled by Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead.
2. Spook Country
By William Gibson. Putnam.
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
By J..K. Rowling. Scholastic.
4. Power Play
By Joseph Finder. St. Martin.
5. The Yiddish Policemen's Union
By Michael Chabon. HarperCollins.
6. Eclipse
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
7. On the Road
By Jack Kerouac. Viking.
8. Away
By Amy Bloom. Random House.
9. On Chesil Beach
By Ian McEwan. Doubleday.
10. Innocence
By David Hosp. Grand Central.

Compiled by Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
By J..K. Rowling. Scholastic.
2. A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead.
3. Spook Country
By William Gibson. Putnam.
4. Eclipse
By Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown.
5. Sandworms of Dune
By Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. Tor.
6. Waking With Enemies
By Eric Jerome Dickey. Dutton.
7. The Yiddish Policemen’s Union
By Michael Chabon. HarperCollins.
8. Loving Frank
By Nancy Horan. Ballantine.
9. The Secret Servant
By Daniel Silva. Putnam.
10. No One Belongs Here More Than You
By Miranda July. Scribner.

Compiled by Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead.
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
By J.K. Rowling. Scholastic.
3. The Yiddish Policemen’s Union
By Michael Chabon. HarperCollins.
4. The Secret Servant
By Daniel Silva. Putnam.
5. First Among Sequels
By Jasper Fforde. Viking.
6. The Quickie
By James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. Little, Brown.
7. New England White
By Stephen L. Carter. Knopf.
8. The Maytrees
By Annie Dillard. HarperCollins.
9. The Tin Roof Blowdown
By James Lee Burke. Simon & Schuster.
10. On Chesil Beach
By Ian McEwan. Doubleday.

Compiled by Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead.
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
By J.K. Rowling. Scholastic.
3. On Chesil Beach
By Ian McEwan. Doubleday.
4. New England White
By Stephen L. Carter. Knopf.
5. The Quickie
By James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. Little, Brown.
6. Peony in Love
By Lisa See. Random House.
7. The Yiddish Policemen’s Union
By Michael Chabon. HarperCollins.
8. House Lights
By Leah Hager Cohen. Norton.
9. Up Close and Dangerous
By Linda Howard. Ballantine.
10. God Is Dead
By Ron Currie Jr. Viking.

Compiled by Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead.
2. On Chesil Beach
By Ian McEwan. Doubleday.
3. New England White
By Stephen L. Carter. Knopf.
4. The Yiddish Policemen’s Union
By Michael Chabon. HarperCollins.
5. Lean Mean Thirteen
By Janet Evanovich. St. Martin’s.
6. Peony in Love
By Lisa See. Random House.
7. The Quickie
By James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. Little, Brown.
8. High Noon
By Nora Roberts. Putnam.
9. Michael Tolliver Lives
By Armistead Maupin. HarperCollins.
10. The Maytrees
By Annie Dillard. HarperCollins.

Compiled by Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead.
2. On Chesil Beach
By Ian McEwan. Doubleday.
3. Peony in Love
By Lisa See. Random House.
4. Lean Mean Thirteen
By Janet Evanovich. St. Martin’s.
5. The Quickie
By James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. Little, Brown.
6. The Yiddish Policemen’s Union
By Michael Chabon.HarperCollins.
7. The Maytrees
By Annie Dillard. HarperCollins.
8. Slip and Fall
By Nick Santora. State Street.
9. Barefoot
By Elin Hilderbrand. Little, Brown.
10. Mere Anarchy
By Woody Allen. Random House.

Compiled by Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead.
2. On Chesil Beach
By Ian McEwan. Doubleday.
3. The Maytrees
By Annie Dillard.HarperCollins.
4. Lean Mean Thirteen
By Janet Evanovich. St. Martin’s.
5. New England White
By Stephen L. Carter. Knopf.
6. The Yiddish Policemen’s Union
By Michael Chabon. HarperCollins.
7. Michael Tolliver Lives
By Armistead Maupin. HarperCollins.
8. Bungalow Two
By Danielle Steel. Delacorte.
9. Slip and Fall
By Nick Santora. State Street.
10. Free Food for Millionaires
By Min Jin Lee. Grand Central.

Compiled by Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead.
2. On Chesil Beach
By Ian McEwan. Doubleday.
3. Lean Mean Thirteen
By Janet Evanovich. St. Martin’s.
4. The Yiddish Policemen’s Union
By Michael Chabon. HarperCollins.
5. Michael Tolliver Lives
By Armistead Maupin. HarperCollins.
6. Blaze
By Richard Bachman. Scribner.
7. Divisadero
By Michael Ondaatje. Knopf.
8. Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Betrayal
By Eric Van Lustbader. Grand Central.
9. Double Take
By Catherine Coulter. Putnam.
10. Slip and Fall
By Nick Santora. State Street.

Compiled by Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead.
2. On Chesil Beach
By Ian McEwan. Doubleday.
3. The Yiddish Policemen’s Union
By Michael Chabon. HarperCollins.
4. Michael Tolliver Lives
By Armistead Maupin. HarperCollins.
5. Slip and Fall
By Nick Santora. State Street.
6. Divisadero
By Michael Ondaatje. Knopf.
7. The Overlook
By Michael Connelly. Little, Brown.
8. The Children of Húrin
By J.R.R. Tolkien. Houghton Mifflin.
9. The Maytrees
By Annie Dillard. HarperCollins.
10. Double Take
By Catherine Coulter. Putnam.

Compiled by Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead.
2. On Chesil Beach
By Ian McEwan. Doubleday.
3. Divisadero
By Michael Ondaatje. Knopf.
4. Falling Man
By Don DeLillo. Scribner.
5. The Yiddish Policemen’s Union
By Michael Chabon. HarperCollins.
6. The Last Summer (of You and Me)
By Ann Brashares. Riverhead.
7. The Overlook
By Michael Connelly. Little, Brown.
8. The Good Guy
By Dean Koontz. Bantam.
9. The Harlequin
By Laurell K. Hamilton. Berkley.
10. After Dark
By Haruki Murakami. Knopf.

Compiled by Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

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1. A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead.
2. Divisadero
By Michael Ondaatje. Knopf.
3. The Yiddish Policemen’s Union
By Michael Chabon. HarperCollins.
4. Falling Man
By Don DeLillo. Scribner.
5. After Dark
By Haruki Murakami. Knopf.
6. The Good Guy
By Dean Koontz. Bantam.
7. Rant
By Chuck Palahniuk. Doubleday.
8. The Gravedigger’s Daughter
By Joyce Carol Oates. Ecco.
9. The Children of Húrin
By J.R.R. Tolkien. Houghton Mifflin.
10. The Sixth Target
By James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. Little, Brown.

Compiled by Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hosseini. Riverhead.
2. The Yiddish Policemen’s Union
By Michael Chabon. HarperCollins.
3. The Overlook By Michael Connelly. Little, Brown.
4. The Sixth Target
By James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. Little, Brown.
5. Falling Man
By Don DeLillo. Scribner.
6. Bad Luck and Trouble
By Lee Child. Delacorte.
7. Invisible Prey
By John Sandford. Putnam.
8. Rant
By Chuck Palahniuk. Doubleday.
9. Nineteen Minutes
By Jodi Picoult. Atria.
10. Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
By Dr. Seuss. HarperCollins.

Compiled by Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. Falling Man
By Don DeLillo. Scribner.
2. The Yiddish Policemen’s Union
By Michael Chabon. HarperCollins.
3. Rant
By Chuck Palahniuk. Doubleday.
4. The Sixth Target
By James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. Little, Brown.
5. Bad Luck and Trouble
By Lee Child. Delacorte.
6. Invisible Prey
By John Sandford. Putnam.
7. After Dark
By Haruki Murakami. Knopf.
8. Simple Genius
By David Baldacci. Warner.
9. The Children of Húrin
By J.R.R. Tolkien. Houghton Mifflin.
10. The Good Husband of Zebra Drive
By Alexander McCall Smith. Pantheon.

Compiled by Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. The Yiddish Policemen’s Union
By Michael Chabon. HarperCollins.
2. Rant
By Chuck Palahniuk. Doubleday.
3. The Woods
By Harlan Coben. Dutton.
4. Simple Genius
By David Baldacci. Warner.
5. The Children of Húrin
By J.R.R. Tolkien. Houghton Mifflin.
6. The Sixth Target
By James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. Little, Brown.
7. Nineteen Minutes
By Jodi Picoult. Atria.
8. The Good Husband of Zebra Drive
By Alexander McCall Smith. Pantheon.
9. Body Surfing
By Anita Shreve. Little, Brown.
10. For One More Day
By Mitch Albom. Hyperion.

Compiled by Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. The Yiddish Policemen’s Union
By Michael Chabon. HarperCollins
2. The Children of Húrin
By J.R.R. Tolkien. Houghton Mifflin.
3. Rant
By Chuck Palahniuk. Doubleday.
4. The Good Husband of Zebra Drive
By Alexander McCall Smith. Pantheon.
5. Simple Genius
By David Baldacci. Warner.
6. The Woods
By Harlan Coben. Dutton.
7. Body Surfing
By Anita Shreve. Little, Brown.
8. Nineteen Minutes
By Jodi Picoult. Atria.
9. The Ministry of Special Cases
By Nathan Englander. Knopf.
10. Angelica
By Arthur Phillips. Random House.

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Jon Clinch
(Globe staff photo by Wendy Maeda)

Everywhere they go, Jon Clinch and his debut novel "Finn" have been making a splash. Last month, Clinch's appearance and his dark, powerful work telling the story of Huckleberry Finn's father were the talk of the Newburyport Literary Festival.

Last week, Clinch gave a reading and talk at Newtonville Books in Newton and agreed to be featured in this week's episode of the Globe's Great Writers Podcast.

Clinch runs his own advertising agency in the suburbs of Philadelphia, but if the buzz over his novel continues to grow, he may have to quit his day job someday soon...

1. The Children of Húrin
By J.R.R. Tolkien. Houghton Mifflin.
2. The Good Husband of Zebra Drive
By Alexander McCall Smith. Pantheon.
3. Body Surfing
By Anita Shreve. Little, Brown.
4. The Woods
By Harlan Coben. Dutton.
5. Simple Genius
By David Baldacci. Warner.
6. Nineteen Minutes
By Jodi Picoult. Atria.
7. What Is the What
By Dave Eggers. McSweeney’s.
8. Shopaholic and Baby
By Sophie Kinsella. Dial.
9. Boomsday
By Christopher Buckley. Twelve.
10. I Heard That Song Before
By Mary Higgins Clark. Simon & Schuster.

From Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. The Children of Húrin
By J.R.R. Tolkien. Houghton Mifflin.
2. The Good Husband of Zebra Drive
By Alexander McCall Smith. Pantheon.
3. The Woods
By Harlan Coben. Dutton.
4. Nineteen Minutes
By Jodi Picoult. Atria.
5. I Heard That Song Before
By Mary Higgins Clark. Simon & Schuster.
6. Fresh Disasters
By Stuart Woods. Putnam.
7. The Blue Zone
By Andrew Gross. Morrow.
8. Boomsday
By Christopher Buckley. Twelve.
9. What Is the What
By Dave Eggers. McSweeney’s.
10. My French Whore
By Gene Wilder. St. Martin’s.

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Michael Thomas shares his favorite books in a new Great Writers podcast feature
(Globe staff photo by Suzanne Kreiter)

Whenever an aspiring author asks a successful one for advice, the answer is invariably: "Read."

But read what?

To help answer that question, the Globe's Great Writers podcast has been asking our participating authors to recommend the great books they've been reading lately. We're calling the new feature "Top of the Stack" - as in the books that have earned exulted status amid that pile next to their favorite reading chair.

The first installment of the new feature is already live online. We're also offering a recap and links here for those seeking more information.

Lionel Shriver, the author of the best selling book "We Need to Talk About Kevin," read last month from her new novel "The Post-Birthday World." She recommended:

"Intiution", by Allegra Goodman"
"Revolutionary Road" by Richard Yates, and
"Atonement" by Ian McEwan

Michael Thomas, the Newton native who recently published the acclaimed novel "Man Gone Down," included a collection by poet Yusef Komunyakaa among his recommendations. They were:

"Just Above My Head" by James Baldwin
"Four Quartets" by T.S. Eliot, and
"Taboo" by Yosef Komunyakaa.

Finally, Pagan Kennedy, the author of the fascinating transsexual surgical history "The First Man-Made Man," recommended:

"The Year of Magical Thinking" by Joan Didion,
"The Midnight Disease" by Alice Flaherty, and
"His Brother's Keeper" by Jonathan Weiner.

We'll bring you more recommendations as the series moves along. The next episode of Great Writers will feature Erica Wagner, literary editor for The Times of London, reading and discussing her new novel "Seizure" at Newtonville Books.

1. Nineteen Minutes
By Jodi Picoult. Atria.
2. Heart-Shaped Box
By Joe Hill. Morrow.
3. Shopaholic and Baby
By Sophie Kinsella. Dial.
4. Then We Came to the End
By Joshua Ferris. Little, Brown.
5. Christine Falls
By Benjamin Black. Holt.
6. What Is the What
By Dave Eggers. McSweeney’s.
7. Whitethorn Woods
By Maeve Binchy. Knopf.
8. For a Few Demons More
By Kim Morrison. Eos.
9. The Post-Birthday World
By Lionel Shriver. HarperCollins.
10. Innocent Traitor
By Alison Weir. Ballantine.

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1. What Is the What
By Dave Eggers. McSweeney’s.
2. Nineteen Minutes
By Jodi Picoult. Atria.
3. Shopaholic and Baby
By Sophie Kinsella. Dial.
4. Whitethorn Woods
By Maeve Binchy. Knopf.
5. Heyday
By Kurt Andersen. Random House.
6. You Don’t Love Me Yet
By Jonathan Lethem. Doubleday.
7. Step On a Crack
By James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. Little, Brown.
8. The Post-Birthday World
By Lionel Shriver. HarperCollins.
9. Christine Falls
By Benjamin Black. Holt.
10. For One More Day
By Mitch Albom. Hyperion.

From Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. What Is the What
By Dave Eggers. McSweeney’s.
2. Nineteen Minutes
By Jodi Picoult. Atria.
3. Step On a Crack
By James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. Little, Brown.
4. Shopaholic and Baby
By Sophie Kinsella. Dial.
5. Suite Française
By Irène Némirovsky. Knopf.
6. Whitethorn Woods
By Maeve Binchy. Knopf.
7. The Double Bind
By Chris Bohjalian. Shaye Areheart.
8. Sisters
By Danielle Steel. Delacorte.
9. Make Way for Ducklings
By Robert McCloskey. Viking.
10. For One More Day
By Mitch Albom. Hyperion.

From Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. Ten Days in the Hills
By Jane Smiley. Knopf.
2. What Is the What
By Dave Eggers. McSweeney’s.
3. Shopaholic and Baby
By Sophie Kinsella. Dial.
4. The Double Bind
By Chris Bohjalian. Shaye Areheart.
5. Step On a Crack
By James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. Little, Brown.
6. Strangled
By Brian McGrory. Atria.
7. Dragon of the Red Dawn
By Mary Pope Osborne. Random House.
8. Plum Lovin’
By Janet Evanovich. St. Martin’s.
9. For One More Day
By Mitch Albom. Hyperion.
10. Forever in Blue
By Ann Brashares. Delacorte.

From Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. What Is the What
By Dave Eggers. McSweeney’s.
2. Step On a Crack
By James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. Little, Brown.
3. Innocent in Death
By J.D. Robb. Putnam.
4. For One More Day
By Mitch Albom. Hyperion.
5. High Profile
By Robert B. Parker. Putnam.
6. Heart-Shaped Box
By Joe Hill. Morrow.
7. Strangled
By Brian McGrory. Atria.
8. The Emperor’s Children
By Claire Messud. Knopf.
9. Ten Days in the Hills
By Jane Smiley. Knopf.
10. The Double Bind
By Chris Bohjalian. Shaye Areheart.

From Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. The Castle in the Forest
By Norman Mailer. Random House.
2. Step On a Crack
By James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. Little, Brown.
3. Strangled
By Brian McGrory. Atria.
4. The Double Bind
By Chris Bohjalian. Shaye Areheart.
5. Suite Française
By Irène Némirovsky. Knopf.
6. Water for Elephants
By Sara Gruen. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill.
7. What Is the What
By Dave Eggers. McSweeney’s.
8. You Suck: A Love Story
By Christopher Moore. Morrow.
9. For One More Day
By Mitch Albom. Hyperion.
10. The Emperor’s Children
By Claire Messud. Knopf.

From Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. Suite Française
By Irène Némirovsky. Knopf.
2. The Castle in the Forest
By Norman Mailer. Random House.
3. Step On a Crack
By James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. Little, Brown.
4. High Profile
By Robert B. Parker. Putnam.
5. The Alexandria Link
By Steve Berry. Ballantine.
6. The Emperor’s Children
By Claire Messud. Knopf.
7. Forever in Blue
By Ann Brashares. Delacorte.
8. Water for Elephants
By Sara Gruen. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill.
9. The Strangler
By William Landay. Delacorte.
10. Plum Lovin’
By Janet Evanovich. St. Martin’s.

From Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. The Castle in the Forest
By Norman Mailer. Random House.
2. Suite Française
By Irène Némirovsky. Knopf.
3. House of Meetings
By Martin Amis. Knopf.
4. For One More Day
By Mitch Albom. Hyperion.
5. Hannibal Rising
By Thomas Harris. Delacorte.
6. Plum Lovin’
By Janet Evanovich. St. Martin’s
7. Sacred Games
By Vikram Chandra. HarperCollins.
8. Travels in the Scriptorium
By Paul Auster. Holt.
9. Cross
By James Patterson. Little, Brown.
10. Dust
By Martha Grimes. Viking.

From Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. You Suck: A Love Story
By Christopher Moore. Morrow.
2. Suite Française
By Irène Némirovsky. Knopf.
3. Plum Lovin’
By Janet Evanovich. St. Martin’s.
4. The Castle in the Forest
By Norman Mailer. Random House.
5. For One More Day
By Mitch Albom. Hyperion.
6. The Terror
By Dan Simmons. Little, Brown.
7. The Emperor’s Children
By Claire Messud. Knopf.
8. The Echo Maker
By Richard Powers.Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
9. Travels in the Scriptorium
By Paul Auster. Holt.
10. Hannibal Rising
By Thomas Harris. Delacorte.

From Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. Sacred Games
By Vikram Chandra. HarperCollins.
2. Suite Française
By Irène Némirovsky. Knopf.
3. The Echo Maker
By Richard Powers. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
4. The Emperor’s Children
By Claire Messud. Knopf.
5. House of Meetings
By Martin Amis. Knopf.
6. What Is the What
By Dave Eggers. McSweeney’s.
7. You Suck
By Christopher Moore. Morrow.
8. Breakpoint
By Richard A. Clarke. Putnam.
9. Forever in Blue
By Ann Brashares. Delacorte.
10. Charity Girl
By Michael Lowenthal. Houghton Mifflin.

From Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. Suite Française
By Irène Némirovsky. Knopf.
2. What Is the What
By Dave Eggers. McSweeney’s.
3. Sacred Games
By Vikram Chandra. HarperCollins.
4. The Emperor’s Children
By Claire Messud. Knopf.
5. Cross
By James Patterson. Little, Brown.
6. Plum Lovin’
By Janet Evanovich. St. Martin’s.
7. The Boleyn Inheritance
By Philippa Gregory. Touchstone.
8. Forever in Blue
By Ann Brashares. Delacorte.
9. Exile
By Richard North Patterson. Holt.
10. The Echo Maker
By Richard Powers. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.

From Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. The Emperor’s Children
By Claire Messud. Knopf.
2. What Is the What
By Dave Eggers. McSweeney’s.
3. For One More Day
By Mitch Albom. Hyperion.
4. Mothers and Sons
By Colm Tóibín. Scribner.
5. Suite Française
By Irène Némirovsky. Knopf.
6. The Boleyn Inheritance
By Philippa Gregory. Touchstone.
7. Cross
By James Patterson. Little, Brown
8. Hannibal Rising
By Thomas Harris. Delacorte.
9. The Hunters
By W.E.B. Griffin. Penguin.
10. Next
By Michael Crichton. HarperCollins.

From Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. What Is the What
By Dave Eggers. McSweeney’s.
2. For One More Day
By Mitch Albom. Hyperion.
3. Cross
By James Patterson. Little, Brown.
4. Suite Française
By Irène Némirovsky. Knopf.
5. The View From Castle Rock
By Alice Munro. Knopf.
6. The Echo Maker
By Richard Powers. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
7. The Boleyn Inheritance
By Philippa Gregory. Touchstone.
8. Hannibal Rising
By Thomas Harris. Delacorte.
9. One Good Turn
By Kate Atkinson. Little, Brown.
10. The Emperor’s Children
By Claire Messud. Knopf.

From Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

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1. The Emperor’s Children
By Claire Messud. Knopf.
2. The View From Castle Rock
By Alice Munro. Knopf.
3. The Echo Maker
By Richard Powers. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
4. Nature Girl
By Carl Hiaasen. Knopf.
5. Absurdistan
By Gary Shteyngart. Random House.
6. Suite Francaise
By Irène Némirovsky. Knopf.
7. Against the Day
By Thomas Pynchon. Penguin.
8. The Road
By Cormac McCarthy. Knopf.
9. For One More Day
By Mitch Albom. Hyperion.
10. Next
By Michael Crichton. HarperCollins.

From Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

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1. Against the Day
By Thomas Pynchon. Penguin.
2. Nature Girl
By Carl Hiaasen. Knopf.
3. The View From Castle Rock
By Alice Munro. Knopf.
4. Hannibal Rising
By Thomas Harris. Delacorte.
5. Cross
By James Patterson. Little, Brown.
6. Next
By Michael Crichton. HarperCollins.
7. For One More Day
By Mitch Albom. Hyperion.
8. The Emperor’s Children
By Claire Messud. Knopf.
9. The Shape Shifter
By Tony Hillerman. HarperCollins.
10. Wild Fire
By Nelson DeMille. Warner.

FULL ENTRY

1. Against the Day
By Thomas Pynchon. Penguin.
2. The View From Castle Rock
By Alice Munro. Knopf.
3. Next
By Michael Crichton. HarperCollins
4. The Lay of the Land
By Richard Ford. Knopf.
5. Nature Girl
By Carl Hiaasen. Knopf.
6. For One More Day
By Mitch Albom. Hyperion.
7. Thirst
By Mary Oliver. Beacon.
8. Cross
By James Patterson. Little, Brown.
9. Wild Fire
By Nelson DeMille. Warner.
10. The Shape Shifter
By Tony Hillerman. HarperCollins.

From Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

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1. Nature Girl
By Carl Hiaasen. Knopf.
2. Cross
By James Patterson. Little, Brown.
3. Wild Fire
By Nelson DeMille. Warner.
4. The Echo Maker
By Richard Powers. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
5. The Lay of the Land
By Richard Ford. Knopf.
6. What Is the What
By Dave Eggers. McSweeney’s.
7. For One More Day
By Mitch Albom. Hyperion.
8. The View From Castle Rock
By Alice Munro. Knopf.
9. The Ghost at the Table
By Suzanne Berne. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill.
10. One Good Turn
By Kate Atkinson. Little, Brown.

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1. The Lay of the Land
By Richard Ford. Knopf.
2. Lisey’s Story
By Stephen King. Scribner.
3. What is the What
By Dave Eggers. McSweeney’s.
4. Hundred-Dollar Baby
By Robert B. Parker. Putnam.
5. For One More Day
By Mitch Albom. Hyperion.
6. The Emperor’s Children
By Claire Messud. Knopf.
7. What Came Before He Shot Her
By Elizabeth George. HarperCollins.
8. Suite Francaise
By Irene Nemirovsky. Knopf.
9. One Good Turn
By Kate Atkinson. Little, Brown.
8. Thirteen Moons
By Charles Frazier. Random House.

From Borders Books & Music, Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Harvard Book Store, New England Mobile Book Fair, Newtonville Books, and Porter Square Books.

FULL ENTRY

1. Thirteen Moons
By Charles Frazier. Random House.
2. What Came Before He Shot Her
By Elizabeth George. HarperCollins.
3. One Good Turn
By Kate Atkinson. Little, Brown.
4. For One More Day
By Mitch Albom. Hyperion.
5. Echo Park
By Michael Connelly. Little, Brown.
6. The Thirteenth Tale
By Diane Setterfield. Atria.
7. The Emperor’s Children
By Claire Messud. Knopf.
8. The Road
By Cormac McCarthy. Knopf.
9. The Collectors
By David Baldacci. Warner.
10. Act of Treason
By Vince Flynn. Atria.

FULL ENTRY

1. The Road
By Cormac McCarthy. Knopf.
2. Thirteen Moons
By Charles Frazier. Random House.
3. The Emperor’s Children
By Claire Messud. Knopf.
4. For One More Day
By Mitch Albom. Hyperion.
5. Under Orders
By Dick Francis. Putnam.
6. The Right Attitude to Rain
By Alexander McCall Smith. Pantheon.
7. The Book of Fate
By Brad Meltzer. Warner.
8. The Thirteenth Tale
By Diane Setterfield. Atria.
9. Fiddler’s Dream
By Gregory Spatz. Southern Methodist University.
10. Messenger of Truth
By Jacqueline Winspear. Holt.

FULL ENTRY

1. The Emperor’s Children
By Claire Messud. Knopf.
2. After This
By Alice McDermott. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
3. Rise and Shine
By Anna Quindlen. Random House.
4. Tolstoy Lied
By Rachel Kadish. Houghton Mifflin.
5. The Book of Fate
By Brad Meltzer. Warner.
6. Special Topics in Calamity Physics
By Marisha Pessl. Viking.
7. The Thirteenth Tale
By Diane Setterfield. Atria.
8. Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman
By Haruki Murakami. Knopf.
9. Coronado
By Dennis Lehane. Morrow.
10. Wizard of the Crow
By Ngugi wa Thiong’o. Pantheon.

FULL ENTRY