It’s (astonishingly) the last few days of January ... and headed into new month, below is what’s selling rather well.
Nonfiction sees several new entries, from conservative pundit Mark Levin’s “Ameritopia” (warning that the US is fast becoming a dangerous utopia) to “The Psychology of Wealth” by, well, a clinical psychologist — Dr. Charles Richards — who, aside from his own private practice, has coached many a Fortune 100 executive on job performance. Which must have some cache.
Over on the fiction list, the sole newcomer is Bernard Cornwell’s latest yarn in his Saxon Tales saga (debuting at #1 ), exploring the aftermath of Alfred the Great’s passing.
BOOK WORLD
Bestsellers — January 29, 2012
[click on the author’s name to be linked to Book World’s review]
NONFICTION HARDCOVER
1.
AMERITOPIA: THE UNMAKING OF AMERICA
(Threshold, $26.99). By Mark R. Levin. Claiming that the American Dream (individualism) is at risk, courtesy of a rise of utopian fervor. (1)
2.
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF WEALTH: UNDERSTAND YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH MONEY AND AND ACHIEVE PROSPERITY
(McGraw-Hill, $26). By Charles Richards (1)
3.
TAKING PEOPLE WITH YOU: THE ONLY WAY TO MAKE BIG THINGS HAPPEN
(Portfolio, $25.95). By David Novak (3)
4. STEVE JOBS
(Simon Schuster, $35)
By Walter Isaacson. The life of the offbeat, visionary founder of Apple, based on numerous interviews with Jobs himself. (13)
5.
ELIZABETH THE QUEEN: THE LIFE OF A MODERN MONARCH
(Random House, $30). By Sally Bedell Smith (2)
6.
THE OBAMAS
(Little, Brown, $29.99)
By Jodi Kantor. The New York Times journalist’s profile of the First Family, with an emphasis on Michelle Obama. (2)
7.
AMERICAN SNIPER: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THE MOST LETHAL SNIPER IN U.S. MILITARY HISTORY
(Morrow, $26.99). By Chris Kyle with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice (3)
8.
STRENGTHS FINDER 2.0: ... ONLINE TEST FROM GALLUP'S “NOW, DISCOVER YOUR STRENGTHS”
(Gallup, $24.95). By Tom Rath (66)
9.
THINKING, FAST AND SLOW
(FSG, $30)
By Daniel Kahneman. The Nobel Prize winner (economic sciences) examines the modes of thought that fuel our decision making. (9)
10.
KILLING LINCOLN: THE SHOCKING ASSASSINATION THAT CHANGED AMERICA FOREVER
(Henry Holt, $28). By Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard (16)
FICTION HARDCOVER
1. DEATH OF KINGS
(Harper, $27.99)
By Bernard Cornwell. As Alfred the Great lay dying, the Saxon warrior Uhtred must choose whether to defend the king’s vision of a united England. (1)
2. PRIVATE: #1 SUSPECT
(Little, Brown, $27.99)
By James Patterson Maxine Paetro. The ex-Marine founder of an elite PI firm becomes the lead suspect in his former girlfriend’s murder. (3)
(Knopf, $25.95). By P.D. James. A bit of murder is injected into the milieu of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.” (7)
4.
BELIEVING THE LIE
(Dutton, $28.95)
By Elizabeth George. Inspector Lynley heads undercover to probe a death in an affluent family that has already been designated an accident. (2)
5.
SHADOWS IN FLIGHT
(Tor, $21.99)
By Orson Scott Card. Bean, who fled to space with his three children in an effort to arrest a genetic disorder, find new hope in a crippled Formic colony ship. (1)
6. LOCKED ON
(Putnam, $28.95)
By Tom Clancy with Mark Greaney. While Jack Ryan Sr. runs for president once again, his son and the Campus special-ops team have their own worries. (6)
7.
THE ORPHAN MASTER’S SON
(Random House, $26)
By Adam Johnson. A debut novel that fleshes out the horrors and beauty of North Korea by way of a young man’s swift rise through the ranks of the state. (2)
8.
THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST
(Knopf, $27.95). By Stieg Larsson. The Millennium Trilogy ends as Salander hunts for her failed assassin. (60)
9. 11/22/63
(Scribner, $35)
By Stephen King. A modest English professor is offered the chance to change history — by preventing the JFK assassination. (11)
10.
THE LITIGATORS
(Doubleday, $28.95)
By John Grisham. The fortunes of a sketchy law practice may change thanks to a new recruit and one major lawsuit. (12)
NONFICTION PAPERBACK
1.
BOSSYPANTS
(Reagan Arthur, $15.99)
By Tina Fey. An amusing memoir from the acclaimed former SNL writer, comedian and actress. (3)
2. THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS
(Broadway, $16). By Rebecca Skloot. How one woman’s death from cervical cancer in 1951 led to the creation of the prodigious HeLa cell line. (46)
3.
HEAVEN IS FOR REAL: A LITTLE BOY’S ASTOUNDING STORY OF HIS TRIP TO HEAVEN AND BACK
(Thomas Nelson, $16.99). By Todd Burpo (54)
4.
THE OFFICIAL SAT STUDY GUIDE
(College Board, $21.99). This revised manual offers 10 practice tests and loads of tips. (96)
5. THE 5 LOVE LANGUAGES: THE SECRET TO LOVE THAT LASTS
(Northfield, $14.99)
By Gary D. Chapman. Knowing that special someone. (24)
6.
THE MONEY CLASS: HOW TO STAND IN YOUR TRUTH AND CREATE THE FUTURE YOU DESERVE
(Spiegel Grau, $16). By Suze Orman (1)
7.
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING
(Workman, $14.95). By Heidi Murkoff Sharon Mazell. Fourth edition of the popular guide. (19)
8.
GETTING TO YES: NEGOTIATING AGREEMENT WITHOUT GIVING IN
(Penguin, $16)
By Roger Fisher and William Ury. Second edition. (6)
9.
THE CALL OF SEDONA: JOURNEY OF THE HEART
(Best Life, $16.95). By Ilchi Lee. The teacher, known for his advocacy of the “awakened brain” and spiritual mind-body principles, reflects on his life in the Arizona desert. (1)
10.
THE HAPPINESS PROJECT
(Harper, $14.99)
By Gretchen Rubin. What happened when a lawyer, writer and mom set out to improve her life in a year. (20)
FICTION PAPERBACK
1.
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
(Vintage, $14.95; $7.99). By Stieg Larsson.
First book in the late Swede’s “Millennium Trilogy.” (120)
2.
THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE
(Vintage, $15.95; $7.99). By Stieg Larsson.
Sex trafficking between Sweden and Eastern Europe is exposed. (65)
3.
THE HELP
(Berkley, $16)
By Kathryn Stockett. A frank chronicle of the lives of several black maids working in a town in 1960s Miss. (41)
4.
THE TIGER’S WIFE
(Random House, $15)
By Téa Obreht.
While on a humanitarian mission, a doctor in the Balkans is confronted by the riddles of her own family’s past. (11)
5.
EXTREMELY LOUD INCREDIBLY CLOSE
(Mariner, $14.95). By Jonathan Safran Foer. A novel of the aftermath of 9/11 on young Oskar Schell; a new feature film. (3)
6.
10TH ANNIVERSARY
(Grand Central, $14.99)
By James Patterson Maxine Paetro.
A new Women’s Murder Club tale in which children are entwined in shocking murders. (2)
7.
HOW TO ARCHER: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ESPIONAGE AND STYLE AND WOMEN AND ALSO COCKTAILS EVER WRITTEN
(It!, $15.99). By Sterling Archer. A style primer “written” by the debonair spy, star of the animated series “Archer” on the FX Network. (1)
8. THE NEXT ALWAYS: BOOK ONE OF THE INN BOONSBORO TRILOGY
(Berkley, $16). By Nora Roberts. A love story set in the very real Maryland town. (11)
9.
TRADER OF SECRETS
(Harper, $9.99)
By Steve Martini. Attorney Paul Madriani juggles a daughter in danger and the leak of some rather lethal technology. (3)
10.
THE JEFFERSON KEY
(Ballantine, $9.99)
By Steve Berry. Cotton Malone stumbles across a secret society (of pirates!) which for centuries has shaped U.S. history. (1)
Rankings reflect sales for the week ended January 22, 2012. The charts may not be reproduced without permission from Nielsen BookScan. Copyright 2012 by Nielsen BookScan. (The right-hand column of numbers represents weeks on this list, which premiered in Book World on Jan. 11, 2004. The bestseller lists in print alternate between hardcover and paperback; the complete list can be found online.)