BESTSELLERS

Los Angeles Times List for May 20, 2007

*--* Fiction weeks on list 1. The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon 2 (HarperCollins: $26.95) Murder mystery meets alternate history in an Alaska gone Yiddish. 2. Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey by Chuck 1 Palahniuk (Doubleday: $24.95) Those who knew him tell the tale of a bad boy-turned-evil man. 3. The Woods by Harlan Coben (Dutton: $26.95) A New Jersey 3 prosecutor whose sister was murdered years earlier learns that her killer has struck again. 4. Simple Genius by David Baldacci (Warner: $26.99) Two 2 former Secret Service agents must work out their demons on and off the job to save their relationship. 5. The Tourists by Jeff Hobbs (Simon & Schuster: $24) A trio 2 of Yale alumni get caught up in a tangled tale of illicit romance. 6. The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien with Christopher 3 Tolkien (Houghton Mifflin: $26) A prequel to “The Lord of the Rings.” 7. The Good Husband of Zebra Drive by Alexander McCall Smith 3 (Pantheon: $21.95) Precious Ramotswe investigates mysterious deaths in a local hospital. 8. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult (Atria: $26.95) A small 9 New England town tries to cope after a troubled teen kills 10 at the local high school. 9. I Heard That Song Before by Mary Higgins Clark (Simon & 5 Schuster: $25.95) Two bodies are found on a New Jersey estate, and police suspect the owner. 10. The Prince of Nantucket by Jan Goldstein (Shaye Areheart: 1 $24) A candidate quits his race to help his Alzheimer’s patient mother in her last days.

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*--* Nonfiction 1. Einstein by Walter Isaacson (Simon & Schuster: $32) 5 An examination of the life and genius of Albert Einstein, whose curiosity changed physics forever. 2. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (Beyond Words: $23.95) The 20 book promises the secret to life distilled from oral tradition, literature, religion and philosophy. 3. At the Center of the Storm by George Tenet 1 (HarperCollins: $30) The former CIA director defends himself and the agency in the wake of Sept. 11. 4. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, 1 Camille Kingsolver and Steven L. Hopp (HarperCollins: $26.95) Living off the family farm. 5. God Is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens (Twelve: 2 $24.99) The acerbic commentator argues that the world would be a better place without religion. 6. The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn and Hal Iggulden 1 (HarperCollins: $24.95) How to tie knots, find true north, build treehouses and other vital skills. 7. Mindfreak by Criss Angel with Laura Morton 2 (HarperEntertainment: $24.95) The illusionist gives a behind-the-scenes look at his craft. 8. The Loved Dog by Tamar Geller with Andrea Cagan 2 (Simon Spotlight: $24.95) How to train your canine with understanding and respect. 9. Nixon and Kissinger by Robert Dallek (HarperCollins: 2 $32.50) Ambition and rivalry converge in this chronicle of the powerful pair. 10. The Seventeen Traditions by Ralph Nader 1 (HarperCollins: $19.95) The longtime activist describes his childhood and 17 essential life lessons.

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