Complete book coverage for Dec. 6, 2009

Fans of mystery series often think they know certain characters better than the authors who created them.

Dec. 6, 2009

Photos and reflections of humans’ greatest trip.

Dec. 6, 2009

Collections from the likes of New York Review of Books and Penguin include books that are alluring to read and beautiful to behold.

Dec. 6, 2009

The book editors offer their 25 favorite picks from the past year. A separate list offers picks in nonfiction.

Dec. 6, 2009

The editors offer a selection of their nonfiction picks for the past year. A separate list offers picks in fiction and poetry.

Dec. 6, 2009

1Comfortably over a thousand pages, “The Complete Stories of J.G.

Dec. 6, 2009

Just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean they’re not there.

Dec. 6, 2009

In “First as Tragedy, Then as Farce” (Verso: 158 pp., $12.95), the philosopher and cultural-theorist Slavoj Zizek uses his razzle-dazzle postmodern intellect to probe the economic catastrophe of 2008.

Dec. 6, 2009

Philip Kerr’s ‘A Quiet Flame’ also made an impression.

Dec. 6, 2009

The Guggenheim, Fallingwater and more.

Dec. 6, 2009

Superman as an existentialist? Batman as a character out of Dostoevsky? Classic novels meet the comics in Sikoryak’s work.

Dec. 6, 2009

Fiction Weeks on list1.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. 26 2.Under the Dome by Stephen King (Scribner: $35) A ragtag cast of characters fight to survive in their small Maine town inexplicably surrounded by an invisible force field. 2 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. 11 4.The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver (Harper: $26.99) A writer’s escapades encompassing 1930s Mexican artist communities and Cold War America. 35.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.76.Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro (Knopf : $25.95) The short story master explores women and their relationships in ten new stories. 17.Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel ( Henry Holt: $27) The rise of Henry VIII’s advisor Thomas Cromwell.48.I, Alex Cross by James Patterson (Little, Brown: $27.99) Detective Alex Cross infiltrates a secret society while tracking down the killer of a close relative.29.Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown: $19.99) Bella must choose between her lover and a friend, between life and death. 65 10.Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving (Random House: $28) A father and son on the run in 1950s Northeast logging communities. 311.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. 1512.Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney (Amulet: $12.95) Greg’s dad enlists him in sports to toughen him up. 3113.Ford County by John Grisham (Doubleday: $24) A collection of short stories set in the same locale as “A Time to Kill.”314.The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson (Tor: $29.99) Rand al’Thor, the Dragon Reborn, attempts to unite kingdoms and alliances in preparation for the Last Battle. 515.The Wrecker by Clive Cussler (Putnam: $27.95) The hunt for a saboteur wrecking Western railroads in the early 1900s.1Nonfiction 1.Open by Andre Agassi (Knopf: $28.95) The tennis star’s memoir and personal odyssey of a lost childhood, drug use and comebacks.3 2.What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown: $27.99) A collection of the author’s writings of everyday and extraordinary people. 5 3.Going Rogue by Sarah Palin (HarperCollins: $28.99) A memoir of the 2008 vice presidential nominee and former Alaska governor.1 4.Lit by Mary Karr (Harper: $25.99) The author’s descent into alcoholism and recovery.35.SuperFreakonomics by Steven D.

Dec. 6, 2009

Fiction 1. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson ($14.95) 2.

Dec. 6, 2009