books

FICTION

1. I, ALEX CROSS, by James Patterson. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) Tracking the murderer of a relative, Alex Cross discovers a wild Washington scene with explosive secrets.

2. UNDER THE DOME, by Stephen King. (Scribner, $35.) When a Maine town is trapped by an invisible force field, a sanctimonious and hypocritical politician takes over.

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

4. FORD COUNTY, by John Grisham. (Doubleday, $24.) Stories set in rural Mississippi.

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

6. THE WRECKER, by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott. (Putnam, $27.95.) In 1907, a detective tracks a mysterious saboteur all over the West.

7. TRUE BLUE, by David Baldacci. (Grand Central, $27.99.) An ex-cop struggles to clear her name.

8(x). THE LACUNA, by Barbara Kingsolver. (Harper/HarperCollins, $26.99.) A young American growing up in Mexico becomes friends with artists and radicals; later, in the United States, he is menaced by McCarthyism.

9. THE GATHERING STORM, by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. (Tor/Tom Doherty, $29.99.) Book 12 of the Wheel of Time fantasy series.

10. PURSUIT OF HONOR, by Vince Flynn. (Atria, $27.99.) Counterterrorism operative Mitch Rapp must teach politicians about national security following a new Al-Qaida attack.

NONFICTION

1. GOING ROGUE, by Sarah Palin. (Harper/HarperCollins, $28.99.) A memoir by the former Alaska governor and vice-presidential candidate.

2. OPEN, by Andre Agassi. (Knopf, $28.95.) The tennis champion's autobiography.

3. HAVE A LITTLE FAITH, by Mitch Albom. (Hyperion, $23.99.) A suburban rabbi and a Detroit pastor teach lessons about the comfort of belief.

4. ARGUING WITH IDIOTS, written and edited by Glenn Beck, Kevin Balfe and others. (Mercury Radio Arts/Threshold Editions, $29.99.) The case against big government. (b)

5. A SIMPLE CHRISTMAS, by Mike Huckabee. (Sentinel, $19.95.) Christmas memories from the former Arkansas governor and Republican presidential aspirant. (b)

6. WHAT THE DOG SAW, by Malcolm Gladwell. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) A decade of New Yorker essays.

7. SUPERFREAKONOMICS, by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. (Morrow/HarperCollins, $29.99.) A scholar and a journalist apply economic thinking to everything: the sequel.

8. LAST WORDS, by George Carlin with Tony Hendra. (Free Press, $26.99.) The life of the comedian, who died in 2008.

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

10. TOO BIG TO FAIL, by Andrew Ross Sorkin. (Viking, $32.95.) The 2008 financial implosion on Wall Street and in Washington, by a newspaper reporter and columnist.

ADVICE

1. IT'S YOUR TIME, by Joel Osteen. (Free Press, $25.) Prayers, stories and tools for moving forward in Christian faith.

2. DIVINE SOUL MIND BODY HEALING AND TRANSMISSION SYSTEM, by Zhi Gang Sha. (Atria, $27.99.) The divine way to heal. (b)

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

4. THE PIONEER WOMAN COOKS, by Ree Drummond. (Morrow/HarperCollins, $27.50.) Cowboy-tested recipes from the proprietor of ThePioneerWoman.com. (b)

5. KNOCKOUT, by Suzanne Somers. (Crown, $25.99.) Advice and interviews with doctors offering innovative cancer treatments.

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 Nov. 21 at thousands of venues.