Los Angeles Times bestsellers for Nov. 8, 2009
| Fiction | Weeks on list | |
| 1. | Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown : $27.99) An LAPD detective travels to Hong Kong to solve the murder of a Chinese immigrant. | 3 |
| 2. | 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. | 22 |
| 3. | The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (Doubleday: $25.99) Harvard professor Robert Langdon uses his symbology skills to find a missing Freemason in Washington, D.C. | 7 |
| 4. | Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney (Amulet: $13.95) Greg desires to spend summer vacation indoors despite his mother’s wishes for outdoor family fun. | 3 |
| 5. | 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. | 2 |
| 6. | Pursuit of Honor by Vince Flynn (Atria: $27.99) Two counterterrorism operatives deal with the fallout from a deadly terrorist attack. | 3 |
| 7. | Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls (Scribner: $26) The story of a hard-knock gal who raised horses and survived floods and the Depression. | 3 |
| 8. | The Scarpetta Factor by Patricia Cornwell (Putnam: $27.95) Kay Scarpetta’s fame grows as do the bizarre events surrounding several unsolved cases. | 2 |
| 9. | The Children’s Book by A.S. Byatt (Knopf: $26.95) A runaway boy is taken in by a famous children’s book author and her storybook world. | 2 |
| 10. | The Wild Things by Dave Eggers (McSweeney’s: $19.95) An interpretation and elaboration of Maurice Sendak’s “ Where the Wild Things Are.” | 2 |
| 11. | Blood’s a Rover by James Ellroy (Knopf : $28.95) A bank heist sets off an escapade through ‘60s L.A. with run-ins with the mob, the FBI and Howard Hughes. | 5 |
| 12. | The Death of Bunny Munro by Nick Cave (Faber & Faber: $25) The relationship between a father and son in the aftermath of the mother’s suicide. | 1 |
| 13. | The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson (Tor Books: $29.99) Rand al’Thor, the Dragon Reborn, attempts to unite kingdoms and alliances in preparation for the Last Battle. | 1 |
| 14. | Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby (Riverhead: $25.95) A woman acquaints herself with the songwriter whose album caused the breakup of her recent relationship. | 4 |
| 15. | A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore (Knopf : $25.95) A naive Midwestern college coed takes a job as a nanny for a recently adopted toddler. | 8 |
| Nonfiction | ||
| 1. | What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown: $27.99) A collection of the author’s writings of everyday and extraordinary people. | 1 |
| 2. | SuperFreakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner (William Morrow: $29.99) More funny, informative facts and questions to ponder. | 2 |
| 3. | Manhood for Amateurs by Michael Chabon (Harper: $26.99) A collection of autobiographical essays reflecting on what it means to be a man and father. | 3 |
| 4. | 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. | 5 |
| 5. | Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin (Viking: $32.95) A behind-the-scenes account of the players behind America’s financial crisis. | 1 |
| 6. | Republican Gomorrah by Max Blumenthal (Nation Books: $25) A liberal look at how fringe elements are defining a new Republican Party. | 2 |
| 7. | Knockout by Suzanne Somers (Crown: $25.99) Interviews with innovative cancer doctors. | 1 |
| 8. | Zeitoun by Dave Eggers (McSweeney’s: $24) The disappearance of a Syrian American father and good Samaritan in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. | 12 |
| 9. | The Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons ( ESPN: $30) An encyclopedia of all you need to know about the NBA. | 1 |
| 10. | Moon River & Me by Andy Williams (Viking : $25.95) A memoir of the singer’s seven-decade career as an entertainer. | 1 |
| 11. | Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown: $27.99) An exploration of the background of high achievers. | 48 |
| 12. | True Compass by Edward Kennedy (Twelve: $35) The memoirs of the late U.S. senator from Massachusetts. | 6 |
| 13. | The Clinton Tapes by Taylor Branch (Simon & Schuster: $35) An unfiltered personal record of the former president’s experience during his 8 years in the White House. | 2 |
| 14. | Guardians of Being by Eckhart Tolle (New World Library: $18) A collection of meditations along with illustrations by the creator of “Mutts,” celebrating the love of animals. | 1 |
| 15. | The Big Burn by Timothy Egan (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: $27) The story and consequences of the fire of 1910 that destroyed thousands of acres of forests across the Northwest. | 3 |
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