Los Angeles Times bestsellers (hardcover) for Feb. 21, 2010
| Fiction | Weeks on list | |
| 1. | The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Putnam: $24.95) The lives of a maid, a cook and a college graduate become intertwined as they change a Mississippi town. | 37 |
| 2. | First Rule by Robert Crais (Putnam: $26.95) Joe Pike’s past catches up with him when an old friend’s entire family is killed. | 5 |
| 3. | The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson (Knopf: $25.95) A hacker implicated in two murders must revisit her past to prove her innocence. | 25 |
| 4. | Wild Child by T.C. Boyle (Viking : $25.95) This collection’s title story refers to a tale based on Victor of Aveyron, the feral child discovered in the wilds of France in 1797. | 1 |
| 5. | Shadow Tag by Louise Erdrich (Harper: $25.99) A woman struggles to understand and quite possibly escape her loveless marriage to a downtrodden painter. | 1 |
| 6. | Point Omega by Don DeLillo (Scribner: $24) A filmmaker joins a former planner of the Iraq war at his desert retreat, hoping he’ll discuss that experience on camera. | 2 |
| 7. | Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro (Knopf: $25.95) The short-story master explores women and their relationships in 10 new stories. | 10 |
| 8. | Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel ( Henry Holt: $27) The rise of Henry VIII’s advisor Thomas Cromwell. | 15 |
| 9. | Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (Collins Design : $16.99) The classic telling of Alice’s journey through a fantasy world and encounters with the villainous Queen of Hearts. | 1 |
| 10. | The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb (W.W. Norton & Co.: $24.95) Graphic depictions from all 50 chapters of the first book of the Bible. | 9 |
| 11. | Worst Case by James Patterson (Little, Brown: $27.99) A kidnapper snatches the son of a wealthy N.Y. family playing a game of Q&A to determine the outcome. | 1 |
| 12. | Flirt by Laurell K. Hamilton (Berkley: $23.95) Necromancer Anita Blake revives a grieving husband’s dead wife. | 1 |
| 13. | The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan (Disney Hyperion: $17.99) Percy Jackson and his army of demigods battle to stop the Lord of Time. | 13 |
| 14. | Where the God of Love Hangs Out by Amy Bloom (Random House: $25) A collection of interconnected stories examining the many forms of love. | 2 |
| 15. | The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova (Little, Brown: $26.99) The past and present converge in a mystery surrounding a tormented artist. | 4 |
| Nonfiction | ||
| 1. | Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin (Harper: $27.99) An insider’s explanation of how the drama of the U.S. presidential campaign of 2008 unfolded. | 5 |
| 2. | Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert (Viking: $26.95) After circumstances force her to wed, the author tackles her fears of marriage by delving into the history and background of the institution. | 5 |
| 3. | The Politician by Andrew Young (Thomas Dunne: $24.99) An insider’s account of presidential hopeful John Edwards and the scandal that brought him down. | 2 |
| 4. | Just Kids by Patti Smith (Ecco: $27) A memoir of the singer’s early days and relationship with artist Robert Mapplethorpe. | 3 |
| 5. | Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown: $27.99) An exploration of the background of high achievers. | 60 |
| 6. | I Am Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne and Chris Ayres (Grand Central : $26.99) The heavy metal singer reminisces on his death-defying life. | 3 |
| 7. | Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Ultimate Guide by Rick Riordan (Hyperion: $12.99) An illustrated, in-depth guide to all things about Percy Jackson and Greek mythology. | 2 |
| 8. | Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom (Hyperion: $23.99) Albom’s observations of a rabbi and a pastor on an eight-year journey of faith. | 20 |
| 9. | If You Have to Cry, Go Outside by Kelly Cutrone (HarperOne: $22.99) The PR maven offers career and style advice in this memoir/self-help tome. | 1 |
| 10. | So Long Insecurity by Beth Moore (Tyndale House : $24.99) An examination of female insecurities and how to overcome them. | 2 |
| 11. | What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown: $27.99) A collection of the author’s writings of everyday and extraordinary people. | 14 |
| 12. | You Are Here by Thich Nhat Hanh (Shambhala: $19.95) Buddhist techniques and practices for finding happiness by living in the moment. | 1 |
| 13. | The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot(Crown: $26) How cancer cells, unknowingly taken from a poor, black woman in the 1950s, led to scientific breakthroughs though her family stayed in poverty. | 1 |
| 14. | Marry Him by Lori Gottlieb (Publisher: $25.95) A case for women to lower their expectations and settle for “Mr. Good Enough.” | 1 |
| 15. | The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin (Harper: $25.99) A year spent trying to be happier by making small changes in various aspects of daily life. | 3 |
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