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Los Angeles Times bestsellers for Feb. 7, 2010

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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. 35
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.3
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. 23
4.Kisser by Stuart Woods (Putnam: $25.95) A smooth-talking New York lawyer becomes entangled with an aspiring actress with a shady past.1
5.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. 21
6.Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (Henry Holt: $27) The rise of Henry VIII’s advisor Thomas Cromwell.13
7.The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova (Little, Brown: $26.99) The past and present converge in a mystery surrounding a tormented artist.2
8.The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver (Harper: $26.99) A writer’s escapades encompass 1930s Mexican artist communities and Cold War America. 12
9.Iron River by T. Jefferson Parker (Dutton: $26.95) ATF agents patrolling the flow of illegal guns into the U.S. brace for vengeance from the violent Gulf Cartel.3
10.The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central: $24.99) A brother and sister begrudgingly spend the summer with their estranged pianist father and discover the meaning of unconditional love.5
11.The Burning Land by Bernard Cornwell (Harper: $25.99) Saxon and Danish armies battle in the 9th century in this further installment of his “Saxon Tales” series. 1
12.Roses by Leila Meacham (Grand Central: $24.99) An heiress turned plantation queen struggles with family curses and lost love.1
13.I, Sniper by Stephen Hunter (Simon & Schuster: $26) An infamous sniper is wrongly accused of the murders of four 1960s peace movement radicals.1
14.The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan (Disney Hyperion: $17.99) Percy Jackson and his army of demigods battle to stop the Lord of Time. 11
15.Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro (Knopf: $25.95) The short-story master explores women and their relationships in 10 new stories. 10
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.3
2.Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert (Viking: $26.95) After being forced to wed, the author tackles her fears of marriage by delving into the history and background of the institution.3
3.Stones Into Schools by Greg Mortenson (Viking: $26.95) The author’s continued struggle to establish schools for girls in Afghanistan in this sequel to “Three Cups of Tea.”8
4.Just Kids by Patti Smith (Ecco: $27) A memoir of the singer’s relationship and early days with artist Robert Mapplethorpe.1
5.Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown: $27.99) An exploration of the background of high achievers. 58
6.Star by Peter Biskind (Simon & Schuster: $30) An intimate biography of Hollywood’s leading ladies’ man, Warren Beatty.3
7.Open by Andre Agassi (Knopf: $28.95) The tennis star’s memoir and personal odyssey of a lost childhood, drug use and comebacks. 10
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. 18
9.What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown: $27.99) A collection of the author’s writings of everyday and extraordinary people. 14
10.Lit by Mary Karr (Harper: $25.99) The author’s descent into alcoholism and recovery. 8
11.Freefall by Joseph E. Stiglitz (W. W. Norton: $27.95) A look at American disillusionment created by the global economic crisis and future implications.1
12.The Fifth Agreement by Don Miguel Ruiz and Don Jose Ruiz (Amber-Allen: 19.95) How to recover your authentic self. 3
13.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. 37
14.Courting Disaster by Marc A. Thiessen (Regnery Press : $29.95) A case for how controversial CIA interrogation techniques protected the US from terrorist attacks and Obama’s dismantling of such programs invite disaster.1
15.I Am Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne and Chris Ayres (Grand Central : $26.99) The heavy metal singer reminisces on his death-defying life. 1
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