Local bestsellers

FICTION

1. THE LOST SYMBOL, by Dan Brown. (Doubleday, $29.95.) Robert Langdon among the Masons.

2. THE LAST SONG, by Nicholas Sparks. (Grand Central, $24.99.) A 17-year-old girl spends the summer with her divorced father in North Carolina and finds many kinds of love.

3. THE HELP, by Kathryn Stockett. (Amy Einhorn/Putnam, $24.95.) A young white woman and two black maids in 1960s Mississippi.

4. ALEX CROSS'S 'TRIAL', by James Patterson and Richard DiLallo. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) The detective Alex Cross writes a novel about his great-uncle, who fought the Klan.

5. SOUTH OF BROAD, by Pat Conroy. (Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, $29.95.) An unlikely group's friendship from the '60s to the '80s, by the author of "The Prince of Tides."

6. SPARTAN GOLD, by Clive Cussler with Grant Blackwood. (Putnam, $26.96.) Husband-and-wife treasure hunters search for bottles of wine from Napoleon's "lost cellar."

7. THE WHITE QUEEN, by Philippa Gregory. (Touchstone/Simon & Schuster, $25.99.) Palace intrigue during the War of the Roses, by the author of "The Other Boleyn Girl."

8. DEAD AND GONE, by Charlaine Harris. (Ace, $25.95.) Sookie Stackhouse searches for the killer of a werepanther.

9. THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE, by Stieg Larsson. (Knopf, $25.95.) A Swedish hacker becomes a murder suspect.

10. A GATE AT THE STAIRS, by Lorrie Moore. (Knopf, $25.95.) A Midwestern college student takes a job as a nanny with a couple on the eve of adoption, from the author of "Birds of America."

NONFICTION

1. TRUE COMPASS, by Edward M. Kennedy. (Twelve, $35.) The late senator's autobiography.

2. WHERE MEN WIN GLORY, by Jon Krakauer. (Doubleday, $27.95.) The story of Pat Tillman, the NFL player who enlisted after 9/11, and the Army's cover-up of his death by friendly fire in Afghanistan.

3. OFFICIAL BOOK CLUB SELECTION, by Kathy Griffin. (Ballantine, $25.) A humorous memoir from the star of "My Life on the D-List."

4. OUTLIERS, by Malcolm Gladwell. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) Why some people succeed, from the author of "Blink."

5. CULTURE OF CORRUPTION, by Michelle Malkin. (Regnery, $27.95.) President Obama and his team are portrayed as tax cheats, petty crooks, influence peddlers and Wall Street cronies.

6. END THE FED, by Ron Paul. (Grand Central, $21.99.) The Texas congressman and presidential candidate advocates abolishing the Federal Reserve.

7 (x). LIBERTY AND TYRANNY, by Mark R. Levin. (Threshold Editions, $25.) A conservative manifesto from a talk-show host and president of Landmark Legal Foundation.

8. IN THE PRESIDENT'S SECRET SERVICE, by Ronald Kessler. (Crown, $26.) Agents and the presidents they protect.

9. SHOOTING STARS, by LeBron James and Buzz Bissinger. (Penguin Press, $26.95.) James and his friends as young basketball players; the co-author wrote "Friday Night Lights."

10. A BOLD FRESH PIECE OF HUMANITY, by Bill O'Reilly. (Broadway, $26.) The Fox News commentator on his upbringing and career.

ADVICE, HOW-TO AND MISCELLANEOUS

1. MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING, VOL. 1, by Julia Child, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle. (Knopf, $40.) A reissue of the book that started Julia Child's career.

2. WHAT HAPPY WORKING MOTHERS KNOW, by Cathy L. Greenberg and Barrett S. Avigdor. (Wiley, $19.95.) How to be a successful parent and professional without sacrificing personal happiness. (b)

3. GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS 2010, edited by Craig Glenday. (Guinness, $28.95.) Tallest, fastest, youngest, most.

4. FIERCE LEADERSHIP, by Susan Scott. (Broadway Business, $25.) How to spot long-accepted but wrongheaded organizational practices. (b)

5. ACT LIKE A LADY, THINK LIKE A MAN, by Steve Harvey with Denene Millner. (Amistad/HarperCollins, $23.99.) Relationship tips from the comedian and host of "The Steve Harvey Morning Show."

An (x) indicates that a book's sales are barely distinguishable from those of the book above. A (b) indicates that some bookstores report receiving bulk orders. Rankings reflect sales for the week ending Sept. 19 at thousands of venues.