Los Angeles Times Bestsellers

December 2, 2001

FICTION

Southern California Rating

1 THE CORRECTIONS by Jonathan Franzen (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $26) The saga of a dysfunctional Midwestern family living at the end of the 20th century. Last Week: 1 12

2 LAST MAN STANDING by David Baldacci (Warner: $26.95) A G-man needs the help of a psychiatrist to uncover who’s behind an ambush that killed six of his men but mysteriously spared him. Last Week: 2 Weeks on List: 2

3 PORTRAIT IN SEPIA by Isabel Allende (HarperCollins: $26) A young Chilean woman finds that photography helps reveal the mysteries and shadings in her family’s past. Last Week: 4 Weeks on List: 4

4 SKIPPING CHRISTMAS by John Grisham (Doubleday: $19.95) Grisham takes a holiday from the legal thriller to poke some fun at the suburban yuletide ritual. Last Week: 9 Weeks on List: 2

5 HALF A LIFE by V.S. Naipaul (Alfred A. Knopf: $24) A writer drifts from bohemian London to colonial Africa in this tale of the collision of identity, class and politics. Last Week: -- Weeks on List: 3

6 THE FIERY CROSS by Diana Gabaldon (Delacorte Press: $27.95) The Fraser clan finds romance and adversity in pre-Revolutionary North Carolina in the latest in the “Outlander” series. Last Week: 3 Weeks on List: 2

7 THE SIGMA PROTOCOL by Robert Ludlum (St. Martin’s: $27.95) A businessman and a beautiful secret agent pursue a shadowy, powerful cartel around the globe. Last Week: 6 Weeks on List: 3

8 FALLING ANGELS by Tracy Chevalier (Dutton: $24.95) Friendship between two girls of different social classes blooms in 19th century London and endures through several crises. Last Week: -- Weeks on List: 3

9 PALE HORSE COMING by Stephen Hunter (Simon & Schuster: $25) Arkansas state cop Earl Swagger is bent on cleaning up a crooked jail for black criminals in the Mississippi swamps. Last Week: -- Weeks on List: 3

10 CARTER BEATS THE DEVIL by Glen David Gold (Hyperion: $24.95) A magician comes of age in the surly, seedy world of 1920s San Francisco and is tied to a U.S. president’s death. Last Week: 5 Weeks on List: 6

11 DESECRATION by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins (Tyndale House: $24.99) The antichrist takes the throne of a world government in the latest installment in the “Left Behind” series. Last Week: 8 Weeks on List: 3

12 STEEL TOES by Eddie Little (St. Martin’s: $23.95) A violent prison escapee lands in Boston, looking to add to his criminal resume by stealing a rare coin. Last Week: 13 Weeks on List: 2

13 BLOOD AND GOLD by Anne Rice (Alfred A. Knopf: $26.95) The autobiography of Marius, the mentor of Lestat, and his moral struggles during his 2,000 years as a vampire. Last Week: 10 Weeks on List: 5

14 THE MITFORD SNOWMEN by Jan Karon (Viking: $10.95) The eccentric denizens of Mitford gather on Main Street to share some old-fashioned Christmas cheer. Last Week: -- 3

15 A BEND IN THE ROAD by Nicholas Sparks (Warner: $23.95) A widower’s romance with a small-town schoolteacher is threatened by the unsettling mystery surrounding his wife’s death. Last Week: -- Weeks on List: 8

NONFICTION

Southern California Rating

1 JACK by Jack Welch with John A. Byrne (Warner: $29.95) The life and times of a respected chief executive, from a Massachusetts childhood to his successful reinvention of General Electric. Last Week: 2 Weeks on List: 10

2 BEST-LOVED POEMS OF JACQUELINE KENNEDY ONASSIS Edited by Caroline Kennedy (Hyperion: $21.95) A selection of Jackie’s favorite verse and some of her own, introduced by her daughter. Last Week: 10 Weeks on List: 4

3 CHURCHILL by Roy Jenkins (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $40) A biography of the legendary British statesman who inspired his people during the darkest hours of World War II. Last Week: -- Weeks on List: 1

4 JOHN ADAMS by David McCullough (Simon & Schuster: $35) The story of our second president, a man Thomas Jefferson called “the colossus of independence.” Last Week: 1 Weeks on List: 27

5 THE FINAL DAYS by Barbara Olson (Regnery: $27.95) The Clintons’ last actions in the White House, from pardons to executive orders, with commentary from the late Olson. Last Week: 11 Weeks on List: 4

6 WHO MOVED MY CHEESE? by Spencer Johnson (Putnam: $19.95) The co-author of “The One Minute Manager” uses the parable of mice in a maze to show people how to manage change. Last Week: 9 Weeks on List: 88

7 THE LOST SON by Bernard B. Kerik (ReganBooks: $26.50) New York City’s police commissioner on his life in law enforcement, from narcotics to corrections to the challenges posed by Sept. 11. Last Week: -- Weeks on List: 1

8 THE NO-SPIN ZONE by Bill O’Reilly (Broadway: $24.95) The Fox News commentator presents interviews with famous figures in his tough, no-holds-barred style. Last Week: 5 Weeks on List: 5

9 THE UNIVERSE IN A NUTSHELL by Stephen Hawking (Bantam: $35) The celebrated physicist offers up a simplified look at space, time and the origin of the cosmos. Last Week: 4 Weeks on List: 2

10 CALL ME CRAZY by Anne Heche (Scribner: $25) Heartache and childhood tragedy preceded Heche’s rise to stardom and much-publicized romance with comedian Ellen DeGeneres. Last Week: -- Weeks on List: 3

11 THE CONTRARIAN’S GUIDE TO LEADERSHIP by Steven B. Sample (Jossey-Bass: $24) Lessons on managing people, gleaned from Sample’s record as the president of USC. Last Week: -- Weeks on List: 1

12 HOLY WAR, INC. by Peter L. Bergen (The Free Press: $26) A Western journalist draws on extensive research to throw light on Osama bin Laden’s secret terrorist network. Last Week: -- Weeks on List: 1

13 SELF MATTERS by Phillip C. McGraw (Simon & Schuster Source: $25) A self-improvement guru and “Oprah” show regular teaches readers how to “create your life from the inside out.” Last Week: -- Weeks on List: 1

14 HOW I PLAY GOLF by Tiger Woods (Warner: $34.95) The links master explains his game in words and pictures, offering tips on the best ways to get from the tee to the cup. Last Week: 8 Weeks on List: 6

15 REACHING FOR GLORY by Michael Beschloss (Simon & Schuster: $30) Edited transcripts of Lyndon Johnson’s White House tapes, with commentary by historian Beschloss. Last Week: -- Weeks on List: 1