1. Outliers
By Malcolm Gladwell. Little, Brown.
2. The Fence
By Dick Lehr. Harper.
3. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man
By Steve Harvey. Amistad.
4. Horse Soldiers
By Doug Stanton. Scribner.
5. The End of Overeating
By David Kessler. Rodale.
6. Red and Me
By Bill Russell and Alan Steinberg. Harper.
7. The Girls from Ames
By Jeffrey Zaslow. Gotham.
8. Extraordinary Boston.
By Steve Dunwell. Back Bay.
9. Satchel
By Larry Tye. Random House.
10. The Gardner Heist
By Ulrich Boser. Smithsonian.

1. Outliers
By Malcolm Gladwell. Little, Brown.
2. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man
By Steve Harvey. Amistad.
3. The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow. Hyperion.
4. The Girls From Ames
By Jeffrey Zaslow. Gotham.
5. The Third Reich at War
By Richard J. Evans. Penguin.
6. Horse Soldiers
By Doug Stanton. Scibner.
7. The Last Lecture
By Richard J. Evans. Penguin.
8. Always Looking Up
By Michael J. Fox. Hyperion.
9. The Food of a Younger Land
By Mark Kurlansky. Riverhead.
10. Red and Me
By Bill Russell and Alan Steinberg. Harper.

Source: Boston area bookstores

1. The Girls from Ames
By Jeffrey Zaslow. Gotham.
2. Red and Me
By Bill Russell and Alan Steinberg. Harper.
3. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man
By Steve Harvey. Amistad.
4. Outliers
By Malcolm Gladwell. Little, Brown.
5. A-Rod
By Selena Roberts. Harper.
6. Master Your Metabolism
By Jillian Michaels. Crown.
7. Pretty in Plaid
By Jen Lancaster. NAL.
8. Always Looking Up
By Michael J. Fox. Hyperion.
9. House of Cards
By William D. Cohan. Doubleday.
10. Practicing Catholic
By James Carroll. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

The AP is reporting that Duke University Press will publish an edited version of Ann Dunham's dissertation on rural craftsmen in Indonesia this fall. Dunham wrapped up the study in 1995, three years before her death.
From the story:

Duke marketing manager Emily Young said the foreword was written by the president's half-sister and Dunham's daughter, Maya Soetoro-Ng (so-TOR'-oh ING).
The book is based on Dunham's 14 years of research among village industry workers on the Indonesian island of Java.
Young said the project came to the university's press arm because it has a good reputation for publishing anthropological studies.

Posted by Paul Makishima, Globe staff

1. Outliers
By Malcolm Gladwell. Little, Brown.
2. Columbine
By Dave Cullen. Twelve.
3. House of Cards
By William D. Cohan. Doubleday.
4. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man
By Steve Harvey. Amistad.
5. Summer World
By Bernd Heinrich. Ecco.
6. Greater Than Yourself
By Steve Farber. Broadway Business.
7. Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea
By Chelsea Handler. Simon Spotlight.
8. The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow. Hyperion.
9. Liberty and Tyranny
By Mark R. Levin. Threshold.
10. How We Decide
By Jonah Lehrer. Houghton Mifflin.

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

The Russians are coming, again. At least that's how it has often seemed in the last several years, since more than a decade of lessened US-Russian tensions gave way to a partial return of the old East-West tug of war for international power and influence.
The collapse of Soviet communism after 70 years in the early 1990s led to a blossoming of democratic and capitalist values in Russia. But a flagging economy soon led to soaring prices and lost jobs, meaning that many people eventually wondered if they'd traded rigid controls for a kind of freedom that merely meant instability. That set the tone for the rise of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who in recent years has used the income from soaring gas and oil prices to fill his government's coffers, salve the public, isolate the opposition, and flex his nation's diplomatic muscles, particularly on issues involving Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
Nicholas Daniloff knows about Russia's old ways, from the inside out, as in from a jail cell. Daniloff is a journalism professor at Northeastern University, but in 1986, as a Moscow correspondent for the Associated Press, he was arrested by the KGB and accused of spying. His arrest spurred international headlines and intense negotiations, which resulted in his release three weeks later in what amounted to a prisoner exchange.
Daniloff has remained a keen follower of events in the former Soviet Union. In his memoir last year, "Of Spies and Spokesmen," he wrote: "What I see happening in Russia today is the failure of strong, independent media to develop -- what Benjamin Franklin called 'the bulwark against tyranny.' The Kremlin has caged national TV broadcasting that reaches the masses, while allowing a small amount of critical reporting by newspapers that reach a comparatively small number of people." In other words, some of the old tight controls are back.
As part of the Ford Hall Forum lecture series, Daniloff will further discuss Russia today from 6:30-8 p.m. on Thursday , April 30, at the Rabb Auditorium, Boston Public Library, Copley Square.

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.

1. Outliers
By Malcolm Gladwell. Little, Brown.
2. House of Cards
By William D. Cohan. Doubleday.
3. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man
By Steve Harvey. Amistad.
4. Liberty and Tyranny
By Mark Levin. Threshold.
5. The Gardner Heist
By Ulrich Boser. Collins.
6. Practicing Catholics
By James Carroll. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
7. The Yankee Years
By Joe Torre and Tom Verducci. Doubleday.
8. The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow. Hyperion.
9. Cheever: A Life
By Blake Bailey. Knopf.
10. The Lost City of Z
By David Grann. Doubleday.

1. Outliers
By Malcolm Gladwell. Little, Brown.
2. Last Lion
By the Team at the Boston Globe. Simon & Schuster.
3. The Yankee Years
By Joe Torre and Tom Verducci. Doubleday.
4. The Lost City of Z
By David Grann. Doubleday.
5. The Gardner Heist
By Ulrich Boser. Collins.
6. The Inaugural Address 2009
By Barack Obama. Penguin.
7. Animals Make Us Human
By Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
8. Food Matters
By Mark Bittman. Simon & Schuster.
9. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man
By Steve Harvey. Amistad.
10. Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics
By Ina Garten. Clarkson Potter.

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

1. The Yankee Years
By Joe Torre and Tom Verducci. Doubleday.
2. Outliers
By Malcolm Gladwell. Little, Brown.
3. Food Matters
By Mark Bittman. Simon & Schuster.
4. Dewey
By Vicki Myron. Grand Central.
5. The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch. Hyperion.
6. The Inaugural Address 2009
By Barack Obama. Penguin.
7. Animals Make Us Human
By Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
8. The Gamble
By Thomas E. Ricks. Penguin.
9. The Return of Depression Economics and the Crisis of 2008
By Paul Krugman. Norton.
10. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Atria.

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

1. Outliers
By Malcolm Gladwell. Little, Brown.
2. Dewey
By Vicki Myron. Grand Central.
3. Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics
By Ina Garten. Clarkson Potter.
4. The Return of Depression Economics and the Crisis of 2008
By Paul Krugman. Norton.
5. American Lion
By Jon Meacham. Random House.
6. The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch. Hyperion.
7. We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land
By Jimmy Carter. Simon & Schuster.
8. The Ascent of Money
By Niall Ferguson. Penguin.
9. Food Matters
By Mark Bittman. Simon & Schuster.
10. Animals Make Us Human
By Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

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

1. Outliers
By Malcolm Gladwell. Little, Brown.
2. Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics
By Ina Garten. Clarkson Potter.
3. The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch. Hyperion.
4. American Lion
By Jon Meacham. Random House.
5. Dewey
By Vicki Myron. Grand Central.
6. The Return of Depression Economics and the Crisis of 2008
By Paul Krugman. Norton.
7. The Ascent of Money
By Niall Ferguson. Penguin.
8. When You Are Engulfed in Flames
By David Sedaris. Little, Brown.
9. Why We Su**
By Denis Leary. Viking.
10. Annie Leibovitz at Work
By Annie Leibovitz. Random House.

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

1. Outliers
By Malcolm Gladwell. Little, Brown.
2. American Lion
By Jon Meacham. Random House.
3. Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics
By Ina Garten. Clarkson Potter.
4. Dewey
By Vicki Myron. Grand Central.
5. Hot, Flat, and Crowded
By Thomas L. Friedman. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
6. The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch. Hyperion.
7. Why We Su**
By Denis Leary. Viking.
8. Annie Leibovitz at Work
By Annie Leibovitz. Random House.
9. Holidays on Ice
By David Sedaris. Little, Brown.
10. The Wordy Shipmates
By Sarah Vowell. Riverhead.

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

1. Outliers
By Malcolm Gladwell. Little, Brown.
2. American Lion
By Jon Meacham. Random House.
3. Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics
By Ina Garten. Clarkson Potter.
4. Dewey
By Vicki Myron. Grand Central.
5. Hot, Flat, and Crowded
By Thomas L. Friedman. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
6. Annie Leibovitz at Work
By Annie Leibovitz. Random House.
7. The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch. Hyperion.
8. Why We S***
By Denis Leary. Viking.
9. The Return of Depression Economics and the Crisis of 2008
By Paul Krugman. Norton.
10. Too Fat to Fish
By Artie Lange. Spiegel & Grau.

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

Nonfiction
1. Outliers
By Malcolm Gladwell. Little, Brown.
2. American Lion
By Jon Meacham. Random House.
3. The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch. Hyperion.
4. Dewey
By Vicki Myron. Grand Central.
5. Annie Leibovitz at Work
By Annie Leibovitz. Random House.
6. Hot, Flat, and Crowded
By Thomas L. Friedman. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
7. Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics
By Ina Garten. Clarkson Potter.
8. Why We S***
By Denis Leary. Viking.
9. Too Fat to Fish
By Artie Lange. Spiegel & Grau.
10. How to Cook Everything
By Mark Bittman. Wiley.

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

1. Outliers
By Malcolm Gladwell. Little, Brown.
2. American Lion
By Jon Meacham. Random House.
3. Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics
By Ina Garten. Clarkson Potter.
4. Too Fat to Fish
By Artie Lange. Spiegel & Grau.
5. The Ascent of Money
By Niall Ferguson. Penguin.
6. Hot, Flat, and Crowded
By Thomas L. Friedman. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
7. Why We Su**
By Denis Leary. Viking.
8. The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch. Hyperion.
9. Danger’s Hour
By Maxwell Taylor Kennedy. Simon & Schuster.
10. Dewey
By Vicki Myron. Grand Central.

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

1. Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics
By Ina Garten. Clarkson Potter.
2. Hot, Flat, and Crowded
By Thomas L. Friedman. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
3. American Lion
By Jon Meacham. Random House.
4. Dewey
By Vicki Myron. Grand Central.
5. Too Fat to Fish
By Artie Lange. Spiegel & Grau.
6. You Being Beautiful
By Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz. Free Press.
7. The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch. Hyperion.
8. The Snowball
By Alice Schroeder. Bantam.
9. Team of Rivals
By Doris Kearns Goodwin. Simon & Schuster.
10. The Wordy Shipmates
By Sarah Vowell. Riverhead.

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

1. Hot, Flat, and Crowded
By Thomas L. Friedman. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
2. Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics
By Ina Garten. Clarkson Potter.
3. The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch. Hyperion.
4. The Snowball
By Alice Schroeder. Bantam.
5. Dewey
By Vicki Myron. Grand Central.
6. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Atria.
7. The Wordy Shipmates
By Sarah Vowell. Riverhead.
8. Tried by War
By James M. McPherson. Penguin.
9. How Fiction Works
By James Wood. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
10. Giants
By John Stauffer. Twelve.

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

1. Hot, Flat, and Crowded
By Thomas L. Friedman. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
2. Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics
By Ina Garten. Clarkson Potter.
3. The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch. Hyperion.
4. The Snowball
By Alice Schroeder. Bantam.
5. Dewey
By Vicki Myron. Grand Central.
6. The Wordy Shipmates
By Sarah Vowell. Riverhead.
7. Letter to My Daughter
By Maya Angelou. Random House.
8. Top of the World
By Peter May. Da Capo.
9. Boston Then and Now
By Elizabeth McNulty. Thunder Bay.
10. Goodnight Bush
By Erich Origen and Gan Golan. Little, Brown.

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

1. Hot, Flat, and Crowded
By Thomas L. Friedman. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
2. The Wordy Shipmates
By Sarah Vowell. Riverhead.
3. The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch. Hyperion.
4. Dewey
By Vicki Myron. Grand Central.
5. The Snowball
By Alice Schroeder. Bantam.
6. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Atria.
7. Against Medical Advice
By James Patterson and Hal Friedman. Little, Brown.
8. The Invisible Constitution
By Laurence H. Tribe. Oxford University.
9. The Black Swan
By Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Random House.
10. Domino
Edited by Deborah Needleman et al. Simon & Schuster.

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

1. Hot, Flat, and Crowded
By Thomas L. Friedman. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
2. Dewey
By Vicki Myron. Grand Central.
3. The Snowball
By Alice Schroeder. Bantam.
4. The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch. Hyperion.
5. The Wordy Shipmates
By Sarah Vowell. Riverhead.
6. When You Are Engulfed in Flames
By David Sedaris. Little, Brown.
7. Giada’s Kitchen
By Giada De Laurentiis. Clarkson Potter.
8. Drinking Problems at the Fountain of Youth
By Beth Teitell. Morrow.
9. Here’s the Story
By Maureen McCormick. Morrow.
10. State by State
Edited by Matt Weiland and Sean Wilsey. Ecco.

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

1. Hot, Flat, and Crowded
By Thomas L. Friedman. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
2. The Wordy Shipmates
By Sarah Vowell. Riverhead.
3. The Snowball
By Alice Schroeder. Bantam.
4. The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch. Hyperion.
5. Giada’s Kitchen
By Giada De Laurentiis. Clarkson Potter.
6. The Forever War
By Dexter Filkins. Knopf.
7. Dewey
By Vicki Myron. Grand Central.
8. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Atria.
9. When You Are Engulfed in Flames
By David Sedaris. Little, Brown.
10. Letter to My Daughter
By Maya Angelou. Random House.

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

1. The Snowball
By Alice Schroeder. Bantam.
2. Hot, Flat, and Crowded
By Thomas L. Friedman. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
3. The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch. Hyperion.
4. Giada’s Kitchen
By Giada De Laurentiis. Clarkson Potter.
5. Dewey
By Vicki Myron. Grand Central.
6. The Forever War
By Dexter Filkins. Knopf.
7. Goodnight Bush
By Erich Origen and Gan Golan. Little, Brown.
8. The War Within
By Bob Woodward. Simon & Schuster.
9. Ballistics
By Billy Collins. Random House.
10. The Limits of Power
By Andrew J. Bacevich. Metropolitan.

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

1. The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch. Hyperion.
2. When You Are Engulfed in Flames
By David Sedaris. Little, Brown.
3. Ahead of the Curve
By Philip Delves Broughton. Penguin.
4. Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea
By Chelsea Handler. Simon Spotlight.
5. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Atria.
6. The Four-Hour Work Week
By Timothy Ferriss. Crown.
7. The Limits of Power
By Andrew J. Bacevich. Metropolitan.
8. Traffic
By Tom Vanderbilt. Knopf.
9. The Way of the World
By Ron Suskind. Harper.
10. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
By Haruki Murakami. Knopf.

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

1. The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch. Hyperion.
2. When You Are Engulfed in Flames
By David Sedaris. Little, Brown.
3. Ahead of the Curve
By Philip Delves Broughton. Penguin.
4. Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea
By Chelsea Handler. Simon Spotlight.
5. The Way of the World
By Ron Suskind. Harper.
6. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Atria.
7. The Dark Side
By Jane Mayer. Doubleday.
8. Traffic
By Tom Vanderbilt. Knopf.
9. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
By Haruki Murakami. Knopf.
10. Life in the Balance
By Thomas Graboys. Union Square.

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

1. The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch. Hyperion.
2. When You Are Engulfed in Flames
By David Sedaris. Little, Brown.
3. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
By Haruki Murakami. Knopf.
4. Ahead of the Curve
By Philip Delves Broughton. Penguin.
5. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Atria.
6. Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea
By Chelsea Handler. Simon Spotlight.
7. sTori Telling
By Tori Spelling. Simon Spotlight.
8. Goodnight Bush
By Eric Origen and Gan Golan. Little, Brown.
9. The Dark Side
By Jane Mayer. Doubleday.
10. The Way of the World
By Ron Suskind. Harper.

Source: Boston area bookstores

1. The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch. Hyperion.
2. The Way of the World
By Ron Suskind. Harper.
3. When You Are Engulfed in Flames
By David Sedaris. Little, Brown.
4. The Dark Side
By Jane Mayer. Doubleday.
5. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
By Haruki Murakami. Knopf.
6. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Atria.
7. You Staying Young
By Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz. Free Press.
8. Ahead of the Curve
By Philip Delves Broughton. Penguin.
9. Goodnight Bush
By Erich Origen and Gan Golan. Little, Brown.
10. The Four-Hour Work Week
By Timothy Ferriss. Crown.

Source: Boston area bookstores

1. The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch. Hyperion.
2. When You Are Engulfed in Flames
By David Sedaris. Little, Brown.
3. The Dark Side
By Jane Mayer. Doubleday.
4. Life With My Sister Madonna
By Christopher Ciccone. Simon Spotlight.
5. The Monster of Florence
By Douglas Preston. Grand Central.
6. Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea
By Chelsea Handler. Simon Spotlight.
7. How the States Got Their Shapes
By Mark Stein. Collins.
8. Havana Nocturne
By T.J. English. HarperCollins.
9. Come on Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All
By Christina Thompson. Bloomsbury.
10. My Stroke of Insight
By Jill Bolte Taylor. Viking.

Source: Boston area bookstores

1. When You Are Engulfed in Flames
By David Sedaris. Little, Brown.
2. The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch. Hyperion.
3. The Dark Side
By Jane Mayer. Doubleday.
4. Life With My Sister Madonna
By Christopher Ciccone. Simon Spotlight.
5. Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea
By Chelsea Handler. Simon Spotlight.
6. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Atria.
7. The Monster of Florence
By Douglas Preston. Grand Central.
8.The Four-Hour Work Week
By Timothy Ferriss. Crown.
9. The Last Fish Tale
By Mark Kurlansky. Ballantine.
10. In Defense of Food
By Michael Pollan. Penguin.

Source: Boston area bookstores

1. When You Are Engulfed in Flames
By David Sedaris. Little, Brown.
2. The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch. Hyperion.
3. Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea
By Chelsea Handler. Simon Spotlight.
4. The Monster of Florence
By Douglas Preston. Grand Central.
5. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Atria.
6. The Drunkard’s Walk
By Leonard Mlodinow. Pantheon.
7. The Last Fish Tale
By Mark Kurlansky. Ballantine.
8. Deep Drive
By Mike Lowell. Celebra.
9. The Post-American World
By Fareed Zakaria. Norton.
10. What Happened
By Scott McClellan. PublicAffairs.

Source: Boston area bookstores

1. When You Are Engulfed in Flames
By David Sedaris. Little, Brown.
2. The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch. Hyperion.
3. Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea
By Chelsea Handler. Simon Spotlight.
4. What Happened
By Scott McClellan. PublicAffairs.
5. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Atria.
6. The Last Fish Tale
By Mark Kurlansky. Ballantine.
7. The Monster of Florence
By Douglas Preston. Grand Central.
8. How the States Got Their Shapes
By Mark Stein. Collins.
9. In Defense of Food
By Michael Pollan. Penguin.
10. The Billionaire’s Vinegar
By Benjamin Wallace. Crown.

SOURCE: Boston area bookstores

1. When You Are Engulfed in Flames
By David Sedaris. Little, Brown.
2. What Happened
By Scott McClellan. PublicAffairs.
3. The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch. Hyperion.
4. The Post-American World
By Fareed Zakaria. Norton.
5. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Atria.
6. Counselor
By Ted Sorensen. Harper.
7. Are You There Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea
By Chelsea Handler. Simon Spotlight.
8. Audition
By Barbara Walters. Knopf.
9. Deep Drive
By Mike Lowell. Celebra.
10. The Last Fish Tale
By Mark Kurlansky. Ballantine.

SOURCE: Boston area bookstores

1. The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch. Hyperion.
2. When You Are Engulfed In Flames
By David Sedaris. Little, Brown.
3. What Happened
By Scott McClellan. PublicAffairs.
4. The Post-American World
By Fareed Zakaria. Norton.
5. Me of Little Faith
By Lewis Black. Riverhead.
6. Audition
By Barbara Walters. Knopf.
7. Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea
By Chelsea Handler. Simon Spotlight.
8. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Atria.
9. Counselor
By Ted Sorensen. Harper.
10. The Downhill Lie
By Carl Hiaasen. Knopf.

SOURCE: Boston area bookstores

1. What Happened
By Scott McClellan. PublicAffairs.
2. The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch. Hyperion.
3. The Post-American World
By Fareed Zakaria. Norton.
4. Audition
By Barbara Walters. Knopf.
5. Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea
By Chelsea Handler. Simon Spotlight.
6. Counselor
By Ted Sorensen. Harper.
7. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Atria.
8. In Defense of Food
By Michael Pollan. Penguin.
9. The New Paradigm for Financial Markets
By George Soros. PublicAffairs.
10. Deep Drive
By Mike Lowell. Celebra.

SOURCE: Boston area bookstores

1. Audition
By Barbara Walters. Knopf.
2. The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch. Hyperion.
3. Bringing Home the Birkin
By Michael Tonello. Morrow.
4. Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea
By Chelsea Handler. Simon Spotlight.
5. The Post-American World
By Fareed Zakaria. Norton.
6. Deep Drive
By Mike Lowell. Celebra.
7. Home
By Julie Andrews. Hyperion.
8. A Voyage Long and Strange
By Tony Horwitz. Holt.
9. The Second Journey
By Joan Anderson. Hyperion.
10. Just Who Will You Be?
By Maria Shriver. Hyperion.

SOURCE: Boston area bookstores

1. Audition
By Barbara Walters. Knopf.
2. The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch. Hyperion.
3. Bringing Home the Birkin
By Michael Tonello. Morrow.
4. Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea
By Chelsea Handler. Simon Spotlight.
5. The Post-American World
By Fareed Zakaria. Norton.
6. Deep Drive
By Mike Lowell. Celebra.
7. Home
By Julie Andrews. Hyperion.
8. A Voyage Long and Strange
By Tony Horwitz. Holt.
9. The Second Journey
By Joan Anderson. Hyperion.
10. Just Who Will You Be?
By Maria Shriver. Hyperion.

SOURCE: Boston area bookstores

1. The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch. Hyperion.
2. Ladies of Liberty
By Cokie Roberts. Morrow.
3. Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea
By Chelsea Handler. Simon Spotlight.
4. In Defense of Food
By Michael Pollan. Penguin.
5. Home
By Julie Andrews. Hyperion.
6. Girls Like Us
By Sheila Weller. Atria.
7. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Atria.
8. Beautiful Boy
By David Sheff. Houghton Mifflin.
9. Bonk
By Mary Roach. Norton.
10. Just Who Will You Be?
By Maria Shriver. Hyperion.

SOURCE: Boston area bookstores

1. The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch. Hyperion.
2. Beautiful Boy
By David Sheff. Houghton Mifflin.
3. Red Sox Rule
By Michael Holley. HarperCollins.
4. Home
By Julie Andrews. Hyperion.
5. In Defense of Food
By Michael Pollan. Penguin.
6. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Atria.
7. Bonk
By Mary Roach. Norton.
8. Get In the Game
By Cal Ripken Jr. Gotham.
9. The Greatest Game
By Richard Bradley. Free Press.
10. The Open Road
By Pico Iyer. Knopf.

SOURCE: Boston area bookstores

1. Red Sox Rule
By Michael Holley. HarperCollins.
2. Home
By Julie Andrews. Hyperion.
3. The Bin Ladens
By Steve Coll. Penguin.
4. Armageddon in Retrospect
By Kurt Vonnegut. Putnam.
5. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Atria.
6. Predictably Irrational
By Dan Ariely. HarperCollins.
7. Beautiful Boy
By David Sheff. Houghton Mifflin.
8. Women and Money
By Suze Orman. Spiegel & Grau.
9. In Defense of Food
By Michael Pollan. Penguin.
10. Vindicated
By Jose Canseco. Simon Spotlight.

SOURCE: Boston area bookstores

1. Predictably Irrational
By Dan Ariely. HarperCollins.
2. Beautiful Boy
By David Sheff. Houghton Mifflin.
3. In Defense of Food
By Michael Pollan. Penguin.
4. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Atria.
5. The Assist
By Neil Swidey. PublicAffairs.
6. Black Postcards
By Dean Wareham. Penguin.
7. Women and Money
By Suze Orman. Spiegel & Grau.
8. Spark
By John J. Ratey. Little, Brown.
9. Good to Great
By Jim Collins. Collins.
10. The Book of General Ignorance
By John Lloyd and John Mitchinson. Harmony.

SOURCE: Boston area bookstores

1. This Republic of Suffering
By Drew Gilpin Faust. Knopf.
2. In Defense of Food
By Michael Pollan. Penguin.
3. Beautiful Boy
By David Sheff. Houghton Mifflin.
4. The Assist
By Neil Swidey. PublicAffairs.
5. Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?
By Peter Walsh. Free Press.
6. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Atria.
7. The Age of American Unreason
By Susan Jacoby. Pantheon.
8. Losing It
By Valerie Bertinelli. Free Press.
9. Predictably Irrational
By Dan Ariely. HarperCollins.
10. Chasing the Flame
By Samantha Power. Penguin.

SOURCE: Boston area bookstores

1. This Republic of Suffering
By Drew Gilpin Faust. Knopf.
2. In Defense of Food
By Michael Pollan. Penguin.
3. Beautiful Boy
By David Sheff. Houghton Mifflin.
4. Predictably Irrational
By Dan Ariely. HarperCollins.
5. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Atria.
6. Chasing the Flame
By Samantha Power. Penguin.
7. Losing It
By Valerie Bertinelli. Free Press.
8. The Nine
By Jeffrey Toobin. Doubleday.
9. The Dangerous Book for Boys
By Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden. Collins.
10. Things I’ve Learned From Women Who’ve Dumped Me
Edited by Ben Karlin. Grand Central.

SOURCE: Boston area bookstores

1. This Republic of Suffering
By Drew Gilpin Faust. Knopf.
2. In Defense of Food
By Michael Pollan. Penguin.
3. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Atria.
4. Reconciliation
By Benazir Bhutto. Harper.
5. I Am America (And So Can You!)
By Stephen Colbert. Grand Central.
6. Freedom for the Thought That We Hate
By Anthony Lewis. Basic.
7. Chasing the Flame
By Samantha Power. Penguin.
8. The Daring Book for Girls
By Andrea J. Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz. Collins.
9. The Nine
By Jeffrey Toobin. Doubleday.
10. The Four-Hour Workweek
By Timothy Ferriss. Crown.

Source: Boston area bookstores

1. This Republic of Suffering
By Drew Gilpin Faust. Knopf.
2. In Defense of Food
By Michael Pollan. Penguin.
3. Blessed Unrest
By Paul Hawken. Viking.
4. Artscience
By David Edwards. Harvard.
5. Sit, Ubu, Sit
By Gary David Goldberg. Harmony.
6. God’s Crucible
By David Levering Lewis. Norton.
7. Comfortably Numb
By Charles Barber. Pantheon.
8. The Art of Simple Food
By Alice Waters. Clarkson Potter.
9. I Am America (And So Can You!)
By Stephen Colbert. Grand Central.
10. Students for a Democratic Society
By Harvey Pekar. Hill & Wang.

Source: Boston area bookstores

1. In Defense of Food
By Michael Pollan. Penguin.
2. This Republic of Suffering
By Drew Gilpin Faust. Knopf.
3. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Atria.
4. The Food You Crave
By Ellie Krieger. Taunton.
5. The Nine
By Jeffrey Toobin. Doubleday.
6. Freedom for the Thought That We Hate
By Anthony Lewis. Basic.
7. Memo to the President Elect
By Madeleine Albright. Harper.
8. The Assist
By Neil Swidey. PublicAffairs.
9. Aristotle and an Aardvark Go to Washington
By Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. Abrams.
10. Jim Cramer’s Stay Mad for Life
By James J. Cramer. Simon & Schuster.

SOURCE: Boston area bookstores

GREAT WRITERS

Our own Neil Swidey, whose writing for the Globe Magazine has earned a whole trophy case full of awards and accolades, is the new featured author on the Great Writers podcast.

In "The Assist: Hoops, Hope, and the Game of Their Lives," Swidey chronicles the remarkable, multi-championship saga of the Charlestown High School basketball program. Playing in a school and in a neighborhood that were once the epicenter of racial conflict during Boston's busing era, a group of inner-city African-American youths and their hard-driving coach have established a remarkable record for earning both state championships and college acceptances.

Swidey's engrossing reading and talk also mark the debut of the venerable Harvard Bookstore in Cambridge as a partner in the Great Writers podcast, joining fellow independent literary powerhouses Newtonville Books, Brookline Booksmith, and Wellesley Booksmith.

Take a listen, you won't be disappointed. You can either go straight to the podcast or check out Boston.com's Podcasts page for other offerings.

To subscribe to the podcast or to listen to previous episodes, you can either click on the RSS feed button on the Podcast page or visit the Great Writers page on iTunes.

-- Ralph Ranalli

1. In Defense of Food
By Michael Pollan. Penguin.
2. Free Lunch
By David Cay Johnston. Portfolio.
3. Musicophilia
By Oliver Sacks. Knopf.
4. I Am America (And So Can You!)
By Stephen Colbert. Grand Central.
5. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Atria.
6. The Rest Is Noise
By Alex Ross. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
7. Memo to the President Elect
By Madeleine Albright. Harper.
8. Tom Cruise
By Andrew Morton. St. Martin’s.
9. The Nine
By Jeffrey Toobin. Doubleday.
10. Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar...
By Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. Abrams.

SOURCE: Area bookstores

1. In Defense of Food
By Michael Pollan. Penguin.
2. I Am America (And So Can You!)
By Stephen Colbert. Grand Central.
3. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Atria.
4. The Dangerous Book for Boys
By Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden. Collins.
5. You Staying Young.
By Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz. Free Press.
6. Musicophilia
By Oliver Sacks. Knopf.
7. Born Standing Up
By Steve Martin. Scribner.
8. Become a Better You
By Joel Osteen. Free Press.
9. The Nine
By Jeffrey Toobin. Doubleday.
10. This Republic of Suffering
By Drew Gilpin Faust. Knopf.

1. I Am America (And So Can You!)
By Stephen Colbert. Grand Central.

2. Musicophilia
By Oliver Sachs. Knopf.

3. The Rest Is Noise
By Alex Ross. Farrar, Straus.

4. Born Standing Up
By Steve Martin. Scribner.

5. The Nine
By Jeffrey Toobin. Doubleday.

6. American Creation
By Joseph Ellis. Knopf.

7. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Atria.

8. Diary of a Red Sox Season
By Johnny Pesky. Triumph.

9. The Dangerous Book for Boys
By Conn and Hal Iggulden. Collins.

10. Our Dumb World
By the staff of The Onion. Little, Brown.

1. I Am America (And So Can You!)
By Stephen Colbert. Grand Central.
2. Musicophilia
By Oliver Sacks. Knopf.
3. You Staying Young
By Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz. Free Press.
4. Born Standing Up
By Steve Martin. Scribner.
5. The Daring Book for Girls
By Andrea J. Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz. Collins.
6. Boom!
By Tom Brokaw. Random House.
7. The Age of Turbulence
By Alan Greenspan. Penguin.
8. The Dangerous Book for Boys
By Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden. Collins.
10. Deceptively Delicious
By Jessica Seinfeld. Collins.
10. Good Dog. Stay.
By Anna Quindlen. 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.

1. I Am America (And So Can You!)
By Stephen Colbert. Grand Central.
2. You Staying Young
By Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz. Free Press.
3. Musicophilia
By Oliver Sacks. Knopf.
4. Boom!
By Tom Brokaw. Random House.
5. The Age of Turbulence
By Alan Greenspan. Penguin.
6. The Dangerous Book For Boys
By Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden. Collins.
7. Rigged
By Ben Mezrich. Morrow.
8. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
9. Clapton
By Eric Clapton. Broadway.
10. The Daring Book for Girls
By Andrea J. Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz. Collins.

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

1. You Staying Young
By Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz. Free Press.
2. I Am America (And So Can You!)
By Stephen Colbert. Grand Central.
3. Musicophilia
By Oliver Sacks. Knopf.
4. The Age of Turbulence
By Alan Greenspan. Penguin.
5. Clapton
By Eric Clapton. Broadway.
6. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
7. The Daring Book for Girls
By Andrea J. Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz. Collins.
8. Boom!
By Tom Brokaw. Random House.
9. The Conscience of a Liberal
By Paul Krugman. Norton.
10. The Art of Simple Food
By Alice Waters. Clarkson Potter.

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

1. I Am America (And So Can You!)
By Stephen Colbert. Grand Central.
2. Musicophilia
By Oliver Sacks. Knopf.
3. You Staying Young
By Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz. Free Press.
4. Rigged
By Ben Mezrich. Morrow.
5. The Age of Turbulence
By Alan Greenspan. Penguin.
6. Clapton
By Eric Clapton. Broadway.
7. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
8. American Creation
By Joseph J. Ellis. Knopf.
9. The Dangerous Book for Boys
By Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden. Collins.
10. The Coldest Winter
By David Halberstam. Hyperion.

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

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. Eat, Pray, Love
By Elizabeth Gilbert. Penguin.
2. Three Cups of Tea
By Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. Penguin.
3. The Omnivore’s Dilemma
By Michael Pollan. Penguin.
4. Into the Wild
By Jon Krakauer. Anchor.
5. This Is Your Brain on Music
By Daniel J. Levitin. Plume.
6. Skinny B****
By Kim Barnouin and Rory Freedman. Running Press.
7. The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid
By Bill Bryson. Broadway.
8. The World Is Flat
By Thomas L. Friedman. Picador.
9. Stumbling On Happiness
By Daniel Gilbert. Vintage.
10. Confidence
By Rosabeth Moss Kanter. Three Rivers.

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

1. I Am America (And So Can You!)
By Stephen Colbert. Grand Central.
2. Musicophilia
By Oliver Sacks. Knopf.
3. Clapton
By Eric Clapton. Broadway.
4. The Age of Turbulence
By Alan Greenspan. Penguin.
5. Deceptively Delicious
By Jessica Seinfeld. Collins.
6. The Art of Simple Food
By Alice Waters. Clarkson Potter.
7. Fair Game
By Valerie Plame Wilson. Simon & Schuster.
8. Rigged
By Ben Mezrich. Morrow.
9. America the Principled
By Rosabeth Moss Kanter. Crown.
10. Become a Better You
By Joel Osteen. Free Press.

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

1. I Am America (And So Can You!)
By Stephen Colbert. Grand Central.
2. Clapton
By Eric Clapton. Broadway.
3. The Age of Turbulence
By Alan Greenspan. Penguin.
4. The Nine
By Jeffrey Toobin. Doubleday.
5. Musicophilia
By Oliver Sacks. Knopf.
6. Become a Better You
By Joel Osteen. Free Press.
7. Deceptively Delicious
By Jessica Seinfeld. Collins.
8. Come On, People
By Bill Cosby and Alvin F. Poussaint. Thomas Nelson.
9. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
10. The Art of Simple Food
By Alice Waters. Clarkson Potter.

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

1. The Age of Turbulence
By Alan Greenspan. Penguin.
2. The Nine
By Jeffrey Toobin. Doubleday.
3. The Coldest Winter
By David Halberstam. Hyperion.
4. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
5. Mother Teresa
By Mother Teresa. Doubleday.
6. Look Me in the Eye
By John Elder Robison. Crown.
7. The Dangerous Book For Boys
By Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden. Collins.
8. My Grandfather’s Son
By Clarence Thomas. Harper.
9. Restless Virgins
By Abigail Jones and Marissa Miley. Morrow.
10. Good to Great
By Jim Collins. Collins.

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

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. The Age of Turbulence
By Alan Greenspan. Penguin.
2. The Nine
By Jeffrey Toobin. Doubleday.
3. Look Me in the Eye
By John Elder Robison. Crown.
4. The Coldest Winter
By David Halberstam. Hyperion.
5. Giving
By Bill Clinton. Knopf.
6. Restless Virgins
By Abigail Jones and Marissa Miley. Morrow.
7. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
8. The Heroin Diaries
By Nikki Sixx. Pocket.
9. Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar .....
By Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. Abrams.
10. The Vixen Diaries
By Karrine Steffans. 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.

1. The Age of Turbulence
By Alan Greenspan. Penguin.
2. The Nine
By Jeffrey Toobin. Doubleday.
3. Giving
By Bill Clinton. Knopf.
4. The Dangerous Book for Boys
By Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden. Collins.
5. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
6. Restless Virgins
By Abigail Jones and !,Marissa Miley. Morrow.
7. Mother Teresa
By Mother Teresa. Doubleday.
8. If I Did It
By O.J. Simpson. Beaufort.
9. Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar ....
By Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. Abrams.
10. The Shock Doctrine
By Naomi Klein. Metropolitan.

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

1. Giving
By Bill Clinton. Knopf.
2. Restless Virgins
By Abigail Jones and Marissa Miley. Morrow.
3. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
4. The World Without Us
By Alan Weisman. St. Martin.
5. Mother Teresa
By Mother Teresa. Doubleday.
6. Never Give Up
By Tedy Bruschi. Wiley.
7. The Bluest State
By Jon Keller. St. Martin’s.
8. The Stuff of Thought
By Steven Pinker. Viking.
9. Microtrends
By Mark J. Penn. Twelve.
10. Boston in Photographs
By Saba Alhadi. Gramercy.

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

1. Restless Virgins
By Abigail Jones and Marissa Miley. Morrow.
2. Giving
By Bill Clinton. Knopf.
3. The Dangerous Book for Boys
By Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden. Collins.
4. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
5. Never Give Up
By Tedy Bruschi. Wiley.
6. The World Without Us
By Alan Weisman. St. Martin’s.
7. Proust and the Squid
By Maryanne Wolf. HarperCollins.
8. The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy
By John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
9. The Bluest State
By Jon Keller. St. Martin’s.
10. Lone Survivor
By Marcus Luttrell. 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.

1. Restless Virgins
By Abigail Jones and Marissa Miley. Morrow.
2. The Dangerous Book for Boys
By Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden. Collins.
3. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
4. Never Give Up
By Tedy Bruschi. Wiley.
5. God Is Not Great
By Christopher Hitchens. Twelve.
6. Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar .....
By Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. Abrams.
7. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
By Barbara Kingsolver. HarperCollins.
8. Wonderful Tonight
By Pattie Boyd. Harmony.
9. A Long Way Gone
By Ishmael Beah. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
10. Letters to a Young Teacher
By Jonathan Kozol. Crown.

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

1. The Dangerous Book for Boys
By Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden. Collins.
2. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
3. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
By Barbara Kingsolver. HarperCollins.
4. Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar .....
By Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. Abrams.
5. Never Give Up
By Tedy Bruschi. Wiley.
6. Change Your Thoughts -- Change Your Life
By Wayne W. Dyer. Hay House.
7. Lone Survivor
By Marcus Luttrell. Little, Brown.
8. God Is Not Great
By Christopher Hitchens. Twelve.
9. A Long Way Gone
By Ishmael Beah. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
10. Be Happy
By Monica Sheehan. Running Press.

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

1. The Dangerous Book for Boys
By Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden. Collins.
2. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
By Barbara Kingsolver. HarperCollins.
3. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
4. Never Give Up
By Tedy Bruschi. Wiley.
5. Lone Survivor
By Marcus Luttrell. Little, Brown.
6. Change Your Thoughts — Change Your Life
By Wayne W. Dyer. Hay House.
7. God Is Not Great
By Christopher Hitchens. Twelve.
8. Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar .....
By Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. Abrams.
9. The World Without Us
By Alan Weisman. St. Martin’s.
10. The Weight Loss Cure ‘‘They’’ Don’t Want You to Know About
By Kevin Trudeau. Alliance.

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

1. The Dangerous Book for Boys
By Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden. Collins.
2. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
By Barbara Kingsolver. HarperCollins.
3. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
4. Never Give Up
By Tedy Bruschi. Wiley.
5. Lone Survivor
By Marcus Luttrell. Little, Brown.
6. Change Your Thoughts — Change Your Life
By Wayne W. Dyer. Hay House.
7. God Is Not Great
By Christopher Hitchens. Twelve.
8. Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar .....
By Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. Abrams.
9. The World Without Us
By Alan Weisman. St. Martin’s.
10. The Weight Loss Cure ‘‘They’’ Don’t Want You to Know About
By Kevin Trudeau. Alliance.

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

1. The Dangerous Book for Boys
By Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden. Collins.
2. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
By Barbara Kingsolver. HarperCollins.
3. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
4. Change Your Thoughts — Change Your Life
By Wayne W. Dyer. Hay House.
5. The Weight Loss Cure ‘‘They’’ Don’t Want You to Know About By Kevin Trudeau. Alliance.
6. Never Give Up
By Tedy Bruschi. Wiley.
7. Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar .....
By Thomas Cathcart and !,Daniel Klein. Abrams.
8. God Is Not Great
By Christopher Hitchens. !,Twelve.
9. The World Without Us
By Alan Weisman. St. Martin’s.
10. The House That George Built
By Wilfrid Sheed. 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.

1. The Dangerous Book for Boys
By Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden. Collins.
2. A Long Way Gone
By Ishmael Beah. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
3. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
4. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
By Barbara Kingsolver. HarperCollins.
5. Happier
By Tal Ben-Shahar. McGraw-Hill.
6. The Black Swan
By Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Random House.
7. God Is Not Great
By Christopher Hitchens. Twelve.
8. Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar .....
By Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. Abrams.
9. Legacy of Ashes
By Tim Weiner. Doubleday.
10. Leviathan
By Eric Jay Dolin. Norton.

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

1. The Dangerous Book for Boys
By Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden. Collins.
2. God Is Not Great
By Christopher Hitchens. Twelve.
3. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
4. The Diana Chronicles
By Tina Brown. Doubleday.
5. Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar .....
By Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. Abrams.
6. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
By Barbara Kingsolver. HarperCollins.
7. The Black Swan
By Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Random House.
8. Happier
By Tal Ben-Shahar. McGraw-Hill.
9. Rico Petrocelli’s Tales From the Impossible Dream Red Sox
By Rico Petrocelli and Chaz Scoggins. Sports Publishing.
10. The Assault on Reason
By Al Gore. Penguin.

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

1. The Dangerous Book for Boys
By Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden. Collins.
2. God Is Not Great
By Christopher Hitchens. Twelve.
3. The Assault on Reason
By Al Gore. Penguin.
4. Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar .....
By Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. Abrams.
5. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
6. The Diana Chronicles
By Tina Brown. Doubleday.
7. A Long Way Gone
By Ishmael Beah. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
8. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
By Barbara Kingsolver. HarperCollins.
9. Lone Survivor
By Marcus Luttrell. Little, Brown.
10. The Boston Italians
By Stephen Puleo. Beacon.

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

1. The Dangerous Book for Boys
By Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden. Collins.
2. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
By Barbara Kingsolver. HarperCollins.
3. Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar ....
By Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. Abrams.
4. The Diana Chronicles
By Tina Brown. Doubleday.
5. God Is Not Great
By Christopher Hitchens. Twelve.
6. The Assault on Reason
By Al Gore. Penguin.
7. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
8. A Long Way Gone
By Ishmael Beah. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
9. Einstein
By Walter Isaacson. Simon & Schuster.
10. The Boston Italians
By Stephen Puleo. Beacon.

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

1. The Dangerous Book for Boys
By Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden. Collins.
2. The Assault on Reason
By Al Gore. Penguin.
3. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
4. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
By Barbara Kingsolver. HarperCollins.
5. God Is Not Great
By Christopher Hitchens. Twelve.
6. The Diana Chronicles
By Tina Brown. Doubleday.
7. Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar .....
By Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. Abrams.
8. The Black Swan
By Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Random House.
9. Big Papi
By David Ortiz. St. Martin’s.
10. A Woman in Charge
By Carl Bernstein. Knopf.

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

1. The Dangerous Book for Boys
By Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden. Collins.
2. The Assault on Reason
By Al Gore. Penguin.
3. Senior Year
By Dan Shaughnessy. Houghton Mifflin.
4. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
By Barbara Kingsolver. HarperCollins.
5. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
6. Einstein
By Walter Isaacson. Simon & Schuster.
7. The Reagan Diaries
Edited by Douglas Brinkley. HarperCollins.
8. The Diana Chronicles
By Tina Brown. Doubleday.
9. God Is Not Great
By Christopher Hitchens. Twelve.
10. The Zen of Fish
By Trevor Corson. HarperCollins.

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

1. The Dangerous Book for Boys
By Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden. Collins.
2. The Assault on Reason
By Al Gore. Penguin.
3. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
By Barbara Kingsolver. HarperCollins.
4. God Is Not Great
By Christopher Hitchens. Twelve.
5. Einstein
By Walter Isaacson. Simon & Schuster.
6. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
7. A Woman in Charge
By Carl Bernstein. Knopf.
8. Senior Year
By Dan Shaughnessy. Houghton Mifflin.
9. No Excuses
By Robert Shrum. Simon & Schuster.
10. A Long Way Gone
By Ishmael Beah. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.

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

1. The Assault on Reason
By Al Gore. Penguin.
2. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
By Barbara Kingsolver. HarperCollins.
3. God Is Not Great
By Christopher Hitchens. Twelve.
4. The Dangerous Book for Boys
By Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden. Collins.
5. The Reagan Diaries
Edited by Douglas Brinkley. HarperCollins.
6. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
7. How Doctors Think
By Jerome Groopman. Houghton Mifflin.
8. Big Papi
By David Ortiz. St. Martin’s.
9. Better
By Atul Gawande. Metropolitan.
10. Senior Year
By Dan Shaughnessy. Houghton Mifflin.

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

1. The Assault on Reason
By Al Gore. Penguin.
2. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
By Barbara Kingsolver.HarperCollins.
3. God Is Not Great
By Christopher Hitchens. Twelve.
4. The Reagan Diaries
Edited by Douglas Brinkley. HarperCollins.
5. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
6. A Long Way Gone
By Ishmael Beah. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
7. Einstein
By Walter Isaacson. Simon & Schuster.
8. The Dangerous Book for Boys
By Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden. Collins.
9. How Doctors Think
By Jerome Groopman. Houghton Mifflin.
10. Better
By Atul Gawande. Metropolitan.

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

1. God Is Not Great
By Christopher Hitchens. Twelve.
2. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
3. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
By Barbara Kingsolver.HarperCollins.
4. Einstein
By Walter Isaacson. Simon & Schuster.
5. Better
By Atul Gawande. Metropolitan.
6. A Long Way Gone
By Ishmael Beah. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
7. The Dangerous Book for Boys
By Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden. Collins.
8. The Black Swan
By Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Random House.
9. Presidential Courage
By Michael Beschloss. Simon & Schuster.
10. Big Papi
By David Ortiz. 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.

1. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
By Barbara Kingsolver.HarperCollins.
2. At the Center of the Storm
By George Tenet. HarperCollins.
3. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
4. Einstein
By Walter Isaacson. Simon & Schuster.
5. I Feel Bad About My Neck
By Nora Ephron. Knopf.
6. The Women Who Raised Me
By Victoria Rowell. Morrow.
7. Everyday Pasta
By Giada De Laurentiis. Clarkson Potter.
8. How Doctors Think
By Jerome Groopman. Houghton Mifflin.
9. The Boston Italians
By Stephen Puleo. Beacon.
10. Not on Our Watch
By Don Cheadle and John Prendergast. Hyperion.

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

"The wardrobe mistress of baseball history," author and former Globe sports columnist Leigh Montville writes, "seems to have assigned the white hat to Babe Ruth and the black hat to Ty Cobb for all time."

Readers of Tom Stanton's new book, however, are more likely to envision both baseball legends wearing gray flannel. In "Ty and The Babe," the Casey Award winning baseball writer tells the story of the unlikely friendship that developed between the two men after their playing days were over.

In a recent appearance at Newtonville Books, Stanton read from his new book and talked about the relationship between the two men, which began when the Detroit Tigers' Cobb was the biggest star in baseball and Ruth was a raw but promising Red Sox rookie. Cobb, always looking to grab a psychological edge over an opponent, would taunt Ruth for his personal-grooming habits, asking loudly: "Does anyone smell a polecat?"

An edited version of Stanton's appearance is now live as this week's episode of the Globe's Great Writers Podcast. Check it out.

1. At the Center of the Storm
By George Tenet. HarperCollins.
2. Einstein
By Walter Isaacson. Simon & Schuster.
3. How Doctors Think
By Jerome Groopman. Houghton Mifflin.
4. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
5. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
By Barbara Kingsolver. HarperCollins.
6. The Dangerous Book for Boys
By Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden. Collins.
7. God Is Not Great
By Christopher Hitchens. Twelve.
8. Jerusalem 1913
By Amy Dockser Marcus. Viking.
9. A Long Way Gone
By Ishmael Baeh. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
10. Death by Meeting
By Patrick Lencioni. Jossey-Bass.

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

1. Einstein
By Walter Isaacson. Simon & Schuster.
2. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
3. Big Papi
By David Ortiz. St. Martin’s.
4. A Long Way Gone
By Ishmael Baeh. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
5. Better
By Atul Gawande. Metropolitan.
6. How Doctors Think
By Jerome Groopman. Houghton Mifflin.
7. The Loved Dog
By Tamar Geller. Simon Spotlight.
8. Where Have All the Leaders Gone?
By Lee Iacocca. Scribner.
9. Grace (Eventually)
By Anne Lamott. Riverhead.
10. I Feel Bad About My Neck
By Nora Ephron. Knopf.

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

1. Einstein
By Walter Isaacson. Simon & Schuster.
2. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
3. Big Papi
By David Ortiz. St. Martin’s.
4. How Doctors Think
By Jerome Groopman. Houghton Mifflin.
5. A Long Way Gone
By Ishmael Baeh. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
6. Better
By Atul Gawande. Metropolitan.
7. Where Have All the Leaders Gone?
By Lee Iacocca. Scribner.
8. The Life of Jews in Poland Before the Holocaust
By Ben-Zion Gold. University of Nebraska.
9. The Paths We Choose
By Sully Erna. Bartleby.
10. The Audacity of Hope
By Barack Obama. Crown.

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

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. Eat, Pray, Love
By Elizabeth Gilbert. Penguin.
2. The Year of Magical Thinking
By Joan Didion. Vintage.
3. Three Cups of Tea
By Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. Penguin.
4. Great Food Fast
By the editors of Martha Stewart Living. Clarkson Potter.
5. The Glass Castle
By Jeannette Walls. Scribner.
6. Dreams From My Father
By Barack Obama. Three Rivers.
7. The Bookseller of Kabul
By Asne Seierstad. Back Bay.
8. The Places in Between
By Rory Stewart. Harvest
9. Brutal
By Kevin Weeks and Phyllis Karas. HarperCollins.
10. Is It Hot in Here? Or Is It Me?
By Pat Wingert and Barbara Kantrowitz. Workman.

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

1. Grace (Eventually)
By Anne Lamott. Riverhead.
2. How Doctors Think
By Jerome Groopman. Houghton Mifflin.
3. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
4. A Long Way Gone
By Ishmael Baeh. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
5. Women and Money
By Suze Orman. Spiegel & Grau.
6. I Feel Bad About My Neck
By Nora Ephron. Knopf.
7. The No A------ Rule
By Robert I. Sutton. Warner.
8. The Audacity of Hope
By Barack Obama. Crown.
9. Deep Economy
By Bill McKibben. Times.
10. Infidel
By Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Free Press.

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

1. A Long Way Gone
By Ishmael Baeh. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
2. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
3. Women and Money
By Suze Orman. Spiegel & Grau.
4. The Audacity of Hope
By Barack Obama. Crown.
5. How Doctors Think
By Jerome Groopman. Houghton Mifflin.
6. The Intellectual Devotional
By David S. Kidder and Noah D. Oppenheim. Rodale.
7. Infidel
By Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Free Press.
8. You on a Diet
By Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz. Free Press.
9. In an Instant
By Lee and Bob Woodruff. Random House.
10. Second Chance
By Zbigniew Brzezinski. Basic.

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

1. A Long Way Gone
By Ishmael Baeh. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
2. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
3. Women and Money
By Suze Orman. Spiegel & Grau.
4. The Audacity of Hope
By Barack Obama. Crown.
5. The Best Life Diet
By Bob Greene. Simon & Schuster.
6. In an Instant
By Lee and Bob Woodruff. Random House.
7. Infidel
By Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Free Press.
8. About Alice
By Calvin Trillin. Random House.
9. American Bloomsbury
By Susan Cheever. Simon & Schuster.
10. Leap!
By Sara Davidson. Random House.

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

1. The Audacity of Hope
By Barack Obama. Crown.
2. In an Instant
By Lee and Bob Woodruff. Random House.
3. Women and Money
By Suze Orman. Spiegel & Grau.
4. A Long Way Gone
By Ishmael Baeh. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
5. Freakonomics
By Stephen D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. Morrow.
6. American Bloomsbury
By Susan Cheever. Simon & Schuster.
7. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
8. Infidel
By Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Free Press.
9. The Art of Aging
By Sherwin B. Nuland. Random House.
10. Beyond Basketball
By Mike Krzyzewski and James K. Spatola. Warner Business.

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

1. The Audacity of Hope
By Barack Obama. Crown.
2. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
3. About Alice
By Calvin Trillin. Random House.
4. The Intellectual Devotional
By David S. Kidder and Noah D. Oppenheim. Rodale.
5. A Long Way Gone
By Ishmael Baeh. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
6. The No A——— Rule
By Robert I. Sutton. Warner Business.
7. You on a Diet
By Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz. Free Press.
8. I Feel Bad About My Neck
By Nora Ephron. Knopf.
9. American Bloomsbury
By Susan Cheever. Simon & Schuster.
10. Born on a Blue Day
By Daniel Tammet. Free Press.

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

1. About Alice
By Calvin Trillin. Random House.
2. The Secret
By Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
3. The Audacity of Hope
By Barack Obama. Crown.
4. A Long Way Gone
By Ismael Baeh. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
5. The God Delusion
By Richard Dawkins. Houghton Mifflin.
6. I Feel Bad About My Neck
By Nora Ephron. Knopf.
7. The Intellectual Devotional
By David S. Kidder and Noah D. Oppenheim. Rodale.
8. Palestine, Peace Not Apartheid
By Jimmy Carter. Simon & Schuster.
9. American Bloomsbury
By Susan Cheever. Simon & Schuster.
10. Finding Oprah’s Roots
By Henry Louis Gates Jr. Crown.

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

1. The Audacity of Hope
By Barack Obama. Crown.
2. The Secret
Edited by Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
3. Palestine, Peace Not Apartheid
By Jimmy Carter. Simon & Schuster.
4. About Alice
By Calvin Trillin. Random House.
5. The Best Life Diet
By Bob Greene. Simon & Schuster.
6. The Innocent Man
By John Grisham. Doubleday.
7. The Omnivore’s Dilemma
By Michael Pollan. Penguin.
8. American Bloomsbury
By Susan Cheever. Simon & Schuster.
9. The Intellectual Devotional
By David S. Kidder and Noah D. Oppenheim. Rodale.
10. Barefoot Contessa at Home
By Ina Garten. Clarkson Potter.

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

1. About Alice
By Calvin Trillin. Random House.
2. The Audacity of Hope
By Barack Obama. Crown.
3. Palestine, Peace Not Apartheid
By Jimmy Carter. Simon & Schuster.
4. American Bloomsbury
By Susan Cheever. Simon & Schuster.
5. I Feel Bad About My Neck
By Nora Ephron. Knopf.
6. The Secret
Edited by Rhonda Byrne. Beyond Words.
7. On ‘‘The Wealth of Nations’’
By P..J. O’Rourke. Atlantic Monthly.
8. The Intellectual Devotional
By David S. Kidder and Noah D. Oppenheim. Rodale.
9. The Best Life Diet
By Bob Greene. Simon & Schuster.
10. The Blind Side
By Michael Lewis. Norton.

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

1. Palestine, Peace Not Apartheid
By Jimmy Carter. Simon & Schuster.
2. The Audacity of Hope
By Barack Obama. Crown.
3. American Bloomsbury
By Susan Cheever. Simon & Schuster.
4. The Best Life Diet
By Bob Greene. Simon & Schuster.
5. The God Delusion
By Richard Dawkins. Houghton Mifflin.
6. About Alice
By Calvin Trillin. Random House.
7. The Intellectual Devotional
By David S. Kidder and Noah D. Oppenheim. Rodale.
8. Jim Cramer’s Mad Money
By James J. Cramer. Simon & Schuster.
9. You on a Diet
By Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz. Free Press.
10. Freakonomics
By Stephen D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. Morrow.

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

1. The Audacity of Hope
By Barack Obama. Crown.
2. About Alice
By Calvin Trillin. Random House.
3. I Feel Bad About My Neck
By Nora Ephron. Knopf.
4. Palestine, Peace Not Apartheid
By Jimmy Carter. Simon & Schuster.
5. The Best Life Diet
By Bob Greene. Simon & Schuster.
6. American Bloomsbury
By Susan Cheever. Simon & Schuster.
7. You on a Diet
By Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz. Free Press.
8. Stumbling on Happiness
By Daniel Gilbert. Knopf.
9. The Intellectual Devotional
By David S. Kidder and Noah D. Oppenheim. Rodale.
10. The God Delusion By Richard Dawkins. Houghton Mifflin.

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

1. Palestine, Peace Not Apartheid
By Jimmy Carter. Simon & Schuster.
2. About Alice
By Calvin Trillin. Random House.
3. The Audacity of Hope
By Barack Obama. Crown.
4. I Feel Bad About My Neck
By Nora Ephron. Knopf.
5. American Bloomsbury
By Susan Cheever. Simon & Schuster.
6. In My Blood
By John Sedgwick. HarperCollins.
7. You on a Diet
By Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz. Free Press.
8. Prime Green
By Robert Stone. HarperCollins.
9. Moving the Chains
By Charles P. Pierce. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
10. Joy of Cooking
By Irma S. Rombauer et al. Scribner.

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

1. About Alice
By Calvin Trillin. Random House.
2. The Audacity of Hope
By Barack Obama. Crown.
3. The God Delusion
By Richard Dawkins. Houghton Mifflin.
4. Palestine, Peace Not Apartheid
By Jimmy Carter. Simon & Schuster.
5. American Bloomsbury
By Susan Cheever. Simon & Schuster.
6. I Feel Bad About My Neck
By Nora Ephron. Knopf.
7. Moving the Chains
By Charles P. Pierce. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
8. The Innocent Man
By John Grisham. Doubleday.
9. You on a Diet
By Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz. Free Press.
10. Mayflower
By Nathaniel Philbrick. Viking.

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

1. The Audacity of Hope
By Barack Obama. Crown.
2. Palestine, Peace Not Apartheid
By Jimmy Carter. Simon & Schuster.
3. I Feel Bad About My Neck
By Nora Ephron. Knopf.
4. The God Delusion
By Richard Dawkins. Houghton Mifflin.
5. Moving the Chains
By Charles P. Pierce. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
6. The Innocent Man
By John Grisham. Doubleday.
7. American Bloomsbury
By Susan Cheever. Simon & Schuster.
8. The Omnivore’s Dilemma
By Michael Pollan. Penguin.
9. I Like You
By Amy Sedaris. Warner.
10. You on a Diet
By Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz. Free Press.

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

1. Mayflower
By Nathaniel Philbrick. Viking.
2. The Audacity of Hope
By Barack Obama. Crown.
3. Palestine
By Jimmy Carter. Simon & Schuster.
4. Joy of Cooking
By Irma S. Rombauer et al. Scribner.
5. The Omnivore’s Dilemma
By Michael Pollan. Penguin.
6. I Feel Bad About My Neck
By Nora Ephron. Knopf.
7. Barefoot Contessa at Home
By Ina Garten. Clarkson Potter.
8. Grayson
By Lynne Cox. Knopf.
9. I Like You
By Amy Sedaris. Warner.
10. Theories of Everything
By Roz Chast. Bloomsbury.

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

1. The Audacity of Hope
By Barack Obama. Crown.
2. Moving the Chains
By Charles P. Pierce. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
3. Mayflower
By Nathaniel Philbrick. Viking.
4. I Feel Bad About My Neck
By Nora Ephron. Knopf.
5. Palestine
By Jimmy Carter. Simon & Schuster.
6. I Like You
By Amy Sedaris. Warner.
7. The Omnivore’s Dilemma
By Michael Pollan. Penguin.
8. Joy of Cooking
By Irma S. Rombauer et al. Scribner.
9. The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid
By Bill Bryson. Broadway.
10. Barefoot Contessa at Home
By Ina Garten. Clarkson Potter.

1. The Audacity of Hope
By Barack Obama. Crown.
2. I Feel Bad About My Neck
By Nora Ephron. Knopf.
3. The Omnivore’s Dilemma
By Michael Pollan. Penguin.
4. William James
By Robert D. Richardson. Houghton Mifflin.
5. You on a Diet
By Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz. Free Press.
6. I Like You
By Amy Sedaris. Warner.
7. The Innocent Man
By John Grisham.Doubleday.
8. Mysteries of the Middle Ages
By Thomas Cahill. Doubleday.
9. Reading Like a Writer
By Francine Prose. HarperCollins.
10. Thunderstruck
By Erik Larson. Crown.

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

1. The Audacity of Hope
By Barack Obama. Crown.
2. Thunderstruck
By Erik Larson. Crown.
3. I Feel Bad About My Neck
By Nora Ephron. Knopf.
4. The God Delusion
By Richard Dawkins. Houghton Mifflin.
5. The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid
By Bill Bryson. Broadway.
6. The Innocent Man
By John Grisham. Doubleday.
7. Team of Rivals
By Doris Kearns Goodwin. !,Simon & Schuster.
8. The Holy Vote
By Ray Suarez. Rayo.
9. From Rage to Hope
By Crystal Kuykendall. National Educational Service.
10. One Country
By Ali Abunimah. Metropolitan.

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

1. The Audacity of Hope
By Barack Obama. Crown.
2. The God Delusion
By Richard Dawkins. Houghton Mifflin.
3. Six Frigates
By Ian W. Toll. W.W. Norton.
4. State of Denial
By Bob Woodward. Simon & Schuster.
5. Easter Rising
By Michael Patrick MacDonald. Houghton Mifflin.
6. I Feel Bad About My Neck
By Nora Ephron. Knopf.
7. The Punishment of Virtue
By Sarah Chayes. Penguin.
8. Thunderstuck
By Erik Larson. Crown.
9. How Bush Rules
By Sidney Blumenthal. Princeton University.
10. You: On a Diet
By Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz. Free Press

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

1. The Audacity of Hope
By Barack Obama. Crown.
2. State of Denial
By Bob Woodward. Simon & Schuster.
3. I Feel Bad About My Neck
By Nora Ephron. Knopf.
4. The Innocent Man
By John Grisham. Doubleday.
5. The God Delusion
By Richard Dawkins. Houghton Mifflin.
6. The Blind Side
By Michael Lewis. Norton.
7. The Lost
By Daniel Mendelsohn. HarperCollins.
8. Making Globalization Work
By Joseph E. Stiglitz. Norton.
9. Crawling
By Elisha Cooper. Pantheon.
10. Climbing the Mango Trees
By Madhur Jaffrey. Knopf.

1. State of Denial
By Bob Woodward. Simon & Schuster.
2. I Feel Bad About My Neck
By Nora Ephron. Knopf.
3. The Blind Side
By Michael Lewis. Norton.
4. The Lost
By Daniel Mendelsohn. HarperCollins.
5. The Greatest Story Ever Sold
By Frank Rich. Penguin.
6. Letter to a Christian Nation
By Sam Harris. Knopf.
7. The God Delusion
By Richard Dawkins. Houghton Mifflin.
8. What Terrorists Want
By Louise Richardson. Random House.
9. Six Frigates
By Ian W. Toll. Norton.
10. The Iron Cage
By Rashid Khalidi. Beacon.

1. The Price of Admission
By Daniel Golden. Crown.
2. I Feel Bad About My Neck
By Nora Ephron. Knopf.
3. The Looming Tower
By Lawrence Wright. Knopf.
4. Mayflower
By Nathaniel Philbrick. Viking.
5. La Bella Figura
By Beppe Severgnini. Broadway.
6. The Creation
By E..O. Wilson. Norton.
7. Fiasco
By Thomas E. Ricks. Penguin.
8. Marley and Me
By John Grogan. Morrow.
9. The World Is Flat
By Thomas L. Friedman. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
10. Applebee’s America
By Ron Fournier, Douglas B. Sosnik, and Matthew J. Dowd. Simon & Schuster.