fiction

1. Plum Spooky

by Janet Evanovich ($27.95, St. Martin's Press).

The new bounty hunter Stephanie Plum novel.

2. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

by David Wroblewski ($25.95, Ecco).

A mute boy lives on his parents' farm.

3. Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

by Stieg Larsson ($24.95, Knopf).

A journalist and a hacker solve a cold case.

4. 2666

by Roberto Bolano ($30, Farrar, Straus and Giroux).

A group of writers follows a reclusive German novelist.

5. The Piano Teacher

by Janice Lee ($25.95, Viking).

A couples' love affair is threatened by World War II.

nonfiction

1. Outliers: The Story of Success

by Malcolm Gladwell ($27.99, Little, Brown).

A look at why different people succeed.

2. The Last Lecture

by Randy Pausch ($21.95, Hyperion).

A guide to seizing life's moments.

3. Strengths Finder 2.0

by Tom Rath ($21.95, Gallup).

A guide to finding your strengths.

4. Hot, Flat and Crowded

by Thomas L. Friedman ($27.95, Farrar, Straus & Giroux).

A look at challenges the United States faces.

5. Things I've Been Silent About

by Azah Nafisi ($27, Random House).

A memoir about the author's unhappy family life.