Los Angeles Times bestsellers for May 31, 2009
| Fiction | weeks on list | |
| 1. | The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan (Disney Hyperion: $17.99) Percy Jackson and his army of demigods battle to stop the Lord of Time. | 3 |
| 2. | Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown: $22.99) The final book in the “Twilight” saga finds Bella choosing immortality. | 42 |
| 3. | Wicked Prey by John Sandford (Putnam: $27.95) Criminals with a grudge crash the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn. | 2 |
| 4. | Cemetery Dance by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Grand Central: $26.99) Special Agent Pendergast returns to New York City to investigate a murderous cult. | 2 |
| 5. | Brooklyn by Colm Toibin (Scribner: $25) A young woman must decide whether to return to her lucrative life in 1950s New York or remain in Ireland. | 1 |
| 6. | Tea Time for the Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith (Pantheon: $23.95) In the latest installment of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Precious Ramotswe is in need of her own investigation skills. | 4 |
| 7. | First Family by David Baldacci (Grand Central: $27.99) A child is kidnapped from a birthday party held at Camp David. | 5 |
| 8. | Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown: $19.99) Bella must choose between her lover and a friend, between life and death. | 45 |
| 9. | Road Dogs by Elmore Leonard (William Morrow: $26.99) An ex-bank robber is seduced by his former jail mate’s girlfriend and his fortune. | 1 |
| 10. | Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris (Ace: $25.95) Sookie Stackhouse finds herself a pawn in a war with a race of unhuman beings. | 3 |
| 11. | Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuk (Doubleday: $24.95) Terrorists disguised as foreign exchange students living with American families plot mass destruction. | 2 |
| 12. | The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Putnam: $24.95) The lives of a maid, a cook and a college graduate become intertwined while changing a Mississippi town. | 2 |
| 13. | Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney (Amulet: $12.95) Greg’s dad enlists him in sports to toughen him up. | 18 |
| 14. | The 8th Confession by James Patterson (Little, Brown : $27.99) The murders of a priest and high society couple test the limits of the Women’s Murder Club. | 4 |
| 15. | The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (Dial Press: $22) A writer corresponds with islanders after German occupation. | 41 |
| Nonfiction | ||
| 1. | Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown: $27.99) An exploration of the background of high achievers. | 27 |
| 2. | Liberty and Tyranny by Mark R. Levin (Threshold Editions: $25) The talk-radio personality’s call to revitalize the conservative vision in America. | 9 |
| 3. | Resilience by Elizabeth Edwards (Broadway: $22.95) The wife of the former vice presidential candidate reflects on facing life’s adversities. | 2 |
| 4. | Not Becoming My Mother by Ruth Reichl (Penguin Press: $19.95) The food journalist relates the trials of a woman she comes to find she never really knew. | 2 |
| 5. | Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man by Steve Harvey ( Amistad: $23.99) The talk-show host lets women inside the mind-set of a man. | 16 |
| 6. | The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (Beyond Words: $23.95) Life’s secrets, distilled. | 109 |
| 7. | Stories From Candyland by Candy Spelling (St. Martin’s: $25.95) The transformation of a quiet, insecure girl into the trophy wife of TV producer Aaron Spelling. | 2 |
| 8. | The Girls From Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow (Gotham: $26) Eleven childhood friends from Iowa maintain enduring friendships throughout the years. | 3 |
| 9. | The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion: $21.95) A professor’s terminal cancer inspires a call to seize life’s moments. | 55 |
| 10. | Always Looking Up by Michael J. Fox (Hyperion: $25.99) The actor’s emotional and spiritual outlook in his struggle with Parkinson’s disease. | 8 |
| 11. | The Inaugural Address 2009 by Barack Obama (Penguin: $12) A keepsake edition commemorating the inauguration of the 44th president. | 12 |
| 12. | Who Is Mark Twain? By Mark Twain (HarperStudio: $19.99) Twenty-four pieces from his personal collection shine a light on the iconic American author. | 1 |
| 13. | In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms by Laura Schlessinger (Harper: $25.99) Advice and support to mothers choosing to stay at home with their children. | 4 |
| 14. | Losing Mum and Pup by Christopher Buckley (Twelve: $24.99) The son of William F. and Patricia Buckley tells of life with the high-powered couple and how he coped with their deaths. | 3 |
| 15. | Columbine by Dave Cullen (Twelve: $26.99) A journalist reconstructs the psychological journey of two teenage boys who became killers. | 5 |
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