Local bestsellers

1. Cross Country, by James Patterson. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) Alex Cross chases the leader of a lethal teenage gang.

2. The Christmas Sweater, by Glenn Beck with Kevin Balfe and Jason Wright. (Threshold Editions, $19.99.) A boy learns from his disappointment with his mother's gift.

3. The Private Patient, by P.D. James. (Knopf, $25.95.) Cmdr. Adam Dalgliesh investigates the murder of a journalist who had been a patient at a private clinic.

4. The Hour I First Believed, by Wally Lamb. (Harper, $29.95.) A man reconstructs five generations of family history.

5. Divine Justice, by David Baldacci. (Grand Central, $27.) Members of Washington's Camel Club rally to save their leader, who is hiding out in the town of Divine, Va.

6(x). Just After Sunset, by Stephen King. (Scribner, $28.) Short stories blending fantasy and psychological realism.

7. A Mercy, by Toni Morrison. (Knopf, $23.95.) In 17th-century America, a slave mother urges a Northern farmer to buy her daughter so that she can have a better life.

9. Dashing Through the Snow, by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark. (Simon & Schuster, $23.) Life in a picturesque New Hampshire town is not what it seems.

10. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, by David Wroblewski. (Ecco, $25.95.) A mute takes refuge with three dogs in the Wisconsin woods after his father's death.

1. Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) Why some people succeed -- it has to do with luck and opportunities as well as talent -- from the author of "Blink" and "The Tipping Point."

2. Too Fat to Fish, by Artie Lange with Anthony Bozza. (Spiegel & Grau, $24.95.) Humorous memories from the comedian, a member of the cast of "The Howard Stern Show."

3. Dewey, by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter. (Grand Central, $19.99.) The story of a kitten left freezing in the book-return slot of an Iowa public library, and its rise to fame.

5. Do the Right Thing, by Mike Huckabee. (Sentinel, $25.95.) A campaign memoir and statement of principles from the former Republican presidential aspirant.

6. Hot, Flat, and Crowded, by Thomas Friedman. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $27.95.) How a green revolution can renew America, by a New York Times columnist.

7. The Snowball, by Alice Schroeder. (Bantam, $35.) The life of Warren Buffett.

8. A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity, by Bill O'Reilly. (Broadway, $26.) The Fox News commentator on his upbringing and career.

9. Why We Suck, by Denis Leary. (Viking, $26.95.) Sardonic essays from the actor and comedian, currently co-creator and star of the TV series "Rescue Me."

1. The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow. (Hyperion, $21.95.) Thoughts on "seizing every moment" from Pausch, a professor who died of pancreatic cancer at age 47.

2. Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, by Ina Garten. (Clarkson Potter, $35.) Cooking techniques and nearly 100 new recipes for elegant meals.

3. The Purpose of Christmas, by Rick Warren. (Howard Books, $17.99.) Reclaiming the holiday as a time for celebration, salvation and reconciliation.

4. Guinness World Records 2009, edited by Craig Glenday. (Guinness, $28.95.) Tallest, fastest, youngest, most.

5. You: Being Beautiful, by Michael Roizen, Mehmet Oz et al. (Free Press, $26.99.) How foods and vitamins, creams and gels, mood swings and the management of pain affect inner and outer beauty.