Los Angeles Times Bestsellers

April 7, 2002

FICTION

Southern California Rating

1 ATONEMENT by Ian McEwan (Nan A. Talese/Doubleday: $26) A haunting novel of guilt and redemption that follows several lives through the chaos of England in World War II. Last Week: 1 Weeks on List: 3

2 THE SUMMONS by John Grisham (Doubleday: $27.95) A man discovers $3 million in his dead father’s house and hides it from his prodigal brother and a mysterious extortioner. Last Week: 3 Weeks on List: 7

3 EVERYTHING’S EVENTUAL by Stephen King (Scribner: $28) A collection of stories about close encounters with the dead, the near dead; includes King’s e-book “Riding the Bullet.” Last Week: -- Weeks on List: 1

4 THE NANNY DIARIES by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus (St. Martin’s: $24.95) The travails of an overworked and underappreciated Park Avenue caregiver. Last Week: 5 Weeks on List: 4

5 2nd CHANCE by James Patterson (Little, Brown: $26.95) The Women’s Murder Club is back on the case, looking to stop a racist killer who doesn’t like cops. Last Week: 2 Weeks on List: 4

6 THE STONE MONKEY by Jeffery Deaver (Simon & Schuster: $25) A smuggler sabotages a ship full of Chinese immigrants and then tries to evade the survivors. Last Week: 10 Weeks on List: 2

7 WIDOW’S WALK by Robert B. Parker (Putnam: $24.95) Boston detective Spenser defends a sexy young woman against charges that she had her banker husband murdered. Last Week: -- Weeks on List: 1

8 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: 4 Weeks on List: 30

9 BALZAC AND THE LITTLE CHINESE SEAMSTRESS by Daj Sijie (Alfred A. Knopf: $18) Two Chinese youths use classic Western literature to free their minds in the face of Communist re-education. Last Week: 7 Weeks on List: 13

10 SOUTHAMPTON ROW by Anne Perry (Ballantine: $25) Amid political turmoil in 1890s England, Thomas Pitt fears for his family’s safety as he investigates a spiritualist’s murder. Last Week: 9 Weeks on List: 3

11 THE COTTAGE by Danielle Steel (Delacorte Press: $26.95) An aging movie star encounters a whole new world when money troubles force him to rent out part of his Bel-Air estate. Last Week: 6 Weeks on List: 4

12 THE ENGLISH ASSASSIN by Daniel Silva (Putnam: $25.95) An art restorer and spy finds himself framed for the murder of a client and untangles a web of betrayals to find the killer. Last Week: 8 Weeks on List: 4

13 UP COUNTRY by Nelson DeMille (Warner: $26.95) A U.S. Army investigator travels to Vietnam to probe a 30-year-old murder in which the only living eyewitness is an enemy soldier. Last Week: 11 Weeks on List: 7

14 HELL TO PAY by George Pelecanos (Little, Brown: $24.95) When thugs murder the rising star on his Pee Wee football team, investigator Derek Strange is torn between the law and revenge. Last Week: -- Weeks on List: 2

15 TISHOMINGO BLUES by Elmore Leonard (William Morrow: $25.95) A high diver plunges into the Delta drug trade and the Dixie Mafia after witnessing a murder from atop his rig. Last Week: -- Weeks on List: 6

NONFICTION

Southern California Rating

1 STUPID WHITE MEN ... AND OTHER SORRY EXCUSES FOR THE STATE OF THE NATION by Michael Moore (Regan Books: $24.95) Lampooning the Bush administration and more. Last Week: 1 Weeks on List: 5

2 SELF MATTERS by Phillip C. McGraw (Simon & Schuster: $25) A self-improvement guru and “Oprah” regular teaches readers how to “create your life from the inside out.” Last Week: 3 Weeks on List: 10

3 THE WISDOM OF MENOPAUSE by Christiane Northrup (Bantam: $27.95) A physician describes symptoms and treatments for menopause. Last Week: 5 Weeks on List: 6

4 SHAKEDOWN by Kenneth R. Timmerman (Regnery: $29.95) An investigative reporter contends that Jesse Jackson has used the race issue for personal gain. Last Week: 2 Weeks on List: 4

5 BLINDED BY THE RIGHT by David Brock (Crown: $25.95) Conspiracies, schemes and character assassination are the focus of these confessions by a self-described “ex-conservative.” Last Week: -- Weeks on List: 1

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 discuss managing change. Last Week: 6 Weeks on List: 105

7 SATISFACTION by Kim Cattrall and Mark Levinson (Warner: $24.95) A star of HBO’s “Sex and the City” and her husband draw on viewer feedback for this guide to pleasing women. Last Week: 9 Weeks on List: 8

8 NEGOTIATING WITH THE DEAD by Margaret Atwood (Oxford University Press: $18) A novelist reflects on her art, contemplating the sources of creativity and the challenges of the writing life. Last Week: -- Weeks on List: 1

9 TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE by Mitch Albom (Doubleday: $21) An acclaimed sports columnist describes the moving life lessons he learned from a dying former teacher. Last Week: -- Weeks on List: 183

10 BODY FOR LIFE by Bill Phillips and Michael D’Orso (HarperCollins: $26) A 12-week program of weightlifting and cardiovascular exercise, along with nutrition and motivation tips. Last Week: 11 Weeks on List: 2

11 NIGGER by Randall Kennedy (Pantheon: $22) The evolution of an explosive word and its shifting meanings in the history of American race relations. Last Week: 13 Weeks on List: 3

12 LOVE, GREG & LAUREN by Greg Manning (Bantam: $24.95) A husband’s daily account as his wife recovers from harrowing burns sustained in the World Trade Center attacks. Last Week: 10 Weeks on List: 2

13 SACRED CONTRACTS by Caroline Myss (Harmony: $25) Lessons in decoding symbols, myths, intuition and coincidences to understand your purpose in life. Last Week: 8 Weeks on List: 8

14 THE NATURAL by Joe Klein (Doubleday: $22.95) “Primary Colors” author Klein looks at the strengths and flaws of former President Bill Clinton. Last Week: -- Weeks on List: 1

15 JOURNEY THROUGH HEARTSONGS by Mattie J.T. Stepanek (VSP Books/Hyperion: $14.95) A new collection of poetry from a boy struggling with a rare form of muscular dystrophy. Last Week: 14 Weeks on List: 7

PAPERBACKS

FICTION

Southern California Rating

1 THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER AND CLAY by Michael Chabon (Picador: $15) Cousins in the comics biz.

2 THE BONESETTER’S DAUGHTER by Amy Tan (Ballantine: $7.99) A ghostwriter uncovers her family’s anguished past.

3 A PAINTED HOUSE by John Grisham (Dell Island: $7.99) Violence looms over a boyhood in rural Arkansas in 1952.

4 A WALK TO REMEMBER by Nicholas Sparks (Warner: $6.99) A man recalls the bittersweet love story of his youth.

5 SHOPGIRL by Steve Martin (Theia: $10.95) Department store clerk Mirabelle meets an older man too good to be true.

6 FALL ON YOUR KNEES by Ann-Marie MacDonald (Scribner: $14) The travails of a family in coal-mining Nova Scotia.

7 A DARKNESS MORE THAN NIGHT by Michael Connelly (Warner: $7.99) An ace detective is a prime murder suspect.

8 THE RED TENT by Anita Diamant (Picador USA: $14.95) The blossoming of Dinah, Jacob’s only daughter, in Genesis.

9 THE LAST TIME THEY MET by Anita Shreve (Little, Brown: $13.95) Two poets share a lifelong passion.

10 1st TO DIE by James Patterson (Warner Vision: $7.99) Four women track a killer with a penchant for newlyweds.

NONFICTION

Southern California Rating

1 FAST FOOD NATION by Eric Schlosser (HarperCollins: $13.95) The unappetizing practices of the junk-food industry.

2 A BEAUTIFUL MIND by Sylvia Nasar (Touchstone: $16) A brilliant mathematics professor’s battle with schizophrenia.

3 THE WRINKLE CURE by Nicholas Perricone (Warner: $13.95) Using antioxidants to keep the skin looking young.

4 9-11 by Noam Chomsky (Seven Stories Press: $8.95) An alternative view of the U.S.-led war on terrorism.

5 THE FOUR AGREEMENTS by Don Miguel Ruiz (Amber-Allen: $12.95) Life lessons based on ancient Toltec wisdom.

6 FOUNDING BROTHERS by Joseph Ellis (Vintage: $14) The genius, cunning and flaws of the nation’s architects.

7 RICH DAD, POOR DAD by Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter (Techpress: $15.95) Adventures in fiscal parenting.

8 PARIS TO THE MOON by Adam Gopnik (Random House: $14) Joyous dispatches from the City of Light.

9 WE WERE SOLDIERS ONCE ... AND YOUNG by Harold G. Moore and Joseph Galloway (Harper: $7.99) Against all odds.

10 THE BLESSING OF A SKINNED KNEE by Wendy Mogel (Penguin: $14) Applying Jewish thought to raising children.