Los Angeles Times bestsellers (hardcover) for Feb. 28, 2010
| 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. | 38 |
| 2. | Point Omega by Don DeLillo (Scribner: $24) A filmmaker joins a former planner of the Iraq war at his desert retreat, hoping he’ll discuss that experience on camera. | 3 |
| 3. | Worst Case by James Patterson (Little, Brown: $27.99) A kidnapper snatches the son of a wealthy N.Y. family playing a game of Q&A to determine the outcome. | 2 |
| 4. | 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. | 26 |
| 5. | Conspirata by Robert Harris (Simon & Schuster: $26) A chronicle of the Roman orator Cicero as he battles intrigue on his way to becoming a ruler of Ancient Rome. | 1 |
| 6. | 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. | 6 |
| 7. | 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. | 4 |
| 8. | Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Camille Rose Garcia (Collins Design : $16.99) Updated illustrations offer a goth-like twist to Lewis Carroll’s classic tale. | 2 |
| 9. | Shadow Tag by Louise Erdrich (Harper: $25.99) A woman struggles to understand and quite possibly escape her loveless marriage to a downtrodden painter. | 2 |
| 10. | 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. | 22 |
| 11. | The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan (Disney Hyperion: $17.99) Percy Jackson and his army of demigods battle to stop the Lord of Time. | 14 |
| 12. | The Lost Books of the Odyssey by Zachary Mason(Farrar, Straus and Giroux: $24) A reinterpretation of Homer’s “Odyssey” told in humorous vignettes. | 1 |
| 13. | Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro (Knopf: $25.95) The short-story master explores women and their relationships in 10 new stories. | 11 |
| 14. | When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (Wendy Lamb Books: $15.99) A sixth-grader begins receiving mysterious notes accurately predicting the future. | 2 |
| 15. | Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah (St. Martin’s Press: $26.99) A father’s death reunites estranged sisters who discover the untold story of their mother’s harrowing life in war-torn Leningrad. | 1 |
| 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. | 6 |
| 2. | The Politician by Andrew Young (Thomas Dunne: $24.99) An insider’s account of presidential hopeful John Edwards and the scandal that brought him down. | 3 |
| 3. | Just Kids by Patti Smith (Ecco: $27) A memoir of the singer’s early days and relationship with artist Robert Mapplethorpe. | 4 |
| 4. | I Am Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne and Chris Ayres (Grand Central : $26.99) The heavy metal singer reminisces on his death-defying life. | 4 |
| 5. | Willie Mays by James S. Hirsch (Scribner: $30) The life and career of baseball’s legendary center fielder. | 1 |
| 6. | 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. | 21 |
| 7. | 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.” | 9 |
| 8. | The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin (Harper: $25.99) A year spent trying to be happier by making small changes in various aspects of daily life. | 4 |
| 9. | McSweeney’s 33: San Francisco Panorama by Dave Eggers et al. (McSweeney’s: $16) A Sunday-edition sized newspaper filled with current news, sports, arts and comics. | 2 |
| 10. | You Are Not a Gadget by Jaron Lanier (Knopf: $24.95) The Internet guru’s critique of online technology and its devaluation of individual accomplishment. | 1 |
| 11. | Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert (Viking: $26.95) After circumstances force her to wed, the author tackles her fears of marriage by delving into the history and background of the institution. | 6 |
| 12. | On the Brink by Henry M. Paulson (Publisher: $28.99) The former Secretary of the Treasury’s first-person account of the financial crisis of 2008. | 1 |
| 13. | Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown: $27.99) An exploration of the background of high achievers. | 61 |
| 14. | Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Ultimate Guide by Rick Riordan (Hyperion: $12.99) An illustrated, in-depth guide to all things about Percy Jackson and Greek mythology. | 3 |
| 15. | What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown: $27.99) A collection of the author’s writings of everyday and extraordinary people. | 15 |
The biggest entertainment stories
Get our big stories about Hollywood, film, television, music, arts, culture and more right in your inbox as soon as they publish.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
