National bestsellers

Top selling fiction, nonfiction and advice books

The Associated Press
August 31, 2010 at 8:34PM

FICTION

1. THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET'S NEST, by Stieg Larsson. (Knopf, $27.95.) The third volume of a trilogy about a Swedish hacker and a journalist.

2. TOUGH CUSTOMER, by Sandra Brown. (Simon & Schuster, $26.99.) A private investigator pursues a deranged killer who is stalking the daughter he never knew.

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

4. STAR ISLAND, by Carl Hiaasen. (Knopf, $26.95.) A paparazzo attempting to kidnap a drug-addled pop star grabs her stunt double by mistake.

5. VEIL OF NIGHT, by Linda Howard. (Ballantine, $26.) There are many suspects when a bridezilla is murdered.

6(x). THE VIGILANTES, by W.E.B. Griffin and William E. Butterworth IV. (Putnam, $26.95.) Members of the Philadelphia Police Department are plagued by vigilante groups.

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

8. THE REMBRANDT AFFAIR, by Daniel Silva. (Putnam, $26.95.) The art restorer and assassin Gabriel Allon discovers that there are deadly secrets behind a stolen painting.

9. PRIVATE, by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) The head of an investigation company pursues the murderer of his best friend's wife.

10. FLY AWAY HOME, by Jennifer Weiner. (Atria, $26.99.) A senator's extramarital affair affects his wife and daughters.

NONFICTION

1. ---- MY DAD SAYS, by Justin Halpern. (It Books/HarperCollins, $15.99.) A coming-of-age memoir organized around the musings, purveyed on Twitter, of the author's father.

2. THE OBAMA DIARIES, by Laura Ingraham. (Threshold Editions, $25.) A satirical fictional journal with commentary, by the conservative political commentator.

3. THE BIG SHORT, by Michael Lewis. (Norton, $27.95.) The people who saw the real estate crash coming and made billions from their foresight.

4. EMPIRE OF THE SUMMER MOON, by S.C. Gwynne. (Scribner, $27.50.) The story of Quanah Parker, the last and greatest chief of the Comanches.

5. CHELSEA CHELSEA BANG BANG, by Chelsea Handler. (Grand Central, $25.99.) More humorous personal essays.

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

7. ANGELINA, by Andrew Morton. (St. Martin's, $26.99.) A biography of Angelina Jolie, actress and humanitarian.

8(x). PACKING FOR MARS, by Mary Roach. (Norton, $25.95.) A humorous investigation of life without gravity in the space program, by the author of "Stiff" and "Bonk."

9. SLIDING INTO HOME, by Kendra Wilkinson with Jon Warech. (Gallery, $26.) The life of the reality TV star and former Playboy cover model.

10. COMMITTED, by Elizabeth Gilbert. (Viking, $26.95.) The author of "Eat, Pray, Love" wrestles with, and overcomes, her ambivalence about marriage.

ADVICE, HOW-TO AND MISCELLANEOUS

1. WOMEN, FOOD AND GOD, by Geneen Roth. (Scribner, $24.) How women can free themselves from the tyranny of fear and hopelessness surrounding their bodies.

2. IT'S NOT JUST WHO YOU KNOW, by Tommy Spaulding. (Broadway, $23.) Secrets for engaging colleagues and contacts in lasting, genuine relationships. (b)

3. BURY MY HEART AT CONFERENCE ROOM B, by Stan Slap. (Portfolio Penguin, $25.95.) The power of emotional commitment in managers and how to achieve it. (b)

4. THE MENTOR LEADER, by Tony Dungy. (Tyndale House, $24.99.) The former pro football coach offers tips for helping to inspire growth.

5. DELIVERING HAPPINESS, by Tony Hsieh. (Business Plus, $23.99.) Lessons from business (pizza place, worm farm, Zappos) and life. (b)

Rankings reflect sales for the week that ended Aug. 14 at thousands of venues nationwide. 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.

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