TheBestseller
Observatory

Best Sellers

Hardcover Fiction

Week of March 29, 2009

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1
HANDLE WITH CARE
Jodi Picoult
Cover of HANDLE WITH CARE

HANDLE WITH CARE

by Jodi Picoult · Atria

3 wks at #1 · 2 on list

When Willow is born with severe osteogenesis imperfecta, her parents are devastated—she will suffer hundreds of broken bones as she grows, a lifetime of pain. In this provocative story from the #1 New York Times bestselling author, “Picoult writes with unassuming brilliance” (Stephen King). Every expectant parent insists the same thing: they simply want a healthy baby. Charlotte and Sean O’Keefe wanted the same but instead, their lives are made up of sleepless nights, mounting bills, pity from other parents, and haunting what-ifs. Yet, in other ways, their daughter Willow is a perfect child. Smart as a whip, beautiful, brave, and kind, Willow is Willow, in sickness and in health. Everything changes, though, after a series of events forces Charlotte and Sean to confront the most serious what-ifs of all. What if Charlotte had known earlier of Willow’s illness? What if things could have been different? What if their beloved Willow had never been born? To do Willow justice, Charlotte must ask herself these questions and one more: what constitutes a valuable life? “Well-written and conscientiously researched” (The Washington Post), Handle with Care is an unforgettable and emotionally riveting novel that explores the fragility of life and the lengths we go to protect it.

2
NEW
CORSAIR
Clive Cussler and Jack Du Brul

CORSAIR

by Clive Cussler and Jack Du Brul · Putnam

1 wks on list

Over five novels, Clive Cussler has brought readers into the world of the Oregon, a seemingly dilapidated ship packed with sophisticated equipment, and captained by the rakish, one-legged Juan Cabrillo. And now the Oregon and its crew face their biggest challenge yet. Corsairs are pirates, and pirates come in many different varieties. There are the pirates who fought off the Barbary Coast in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the contemporary pirates who infest the waters of Africa and Asia and the pirates ... who look like something else. When the U.S. Secretary of State's plane crashes while bringing her to a summit meeting in Libya, the CIA, distrusting the Libyans, hire Cabrillo to search for her, and the misgivings are well founded. The crew locates the plane - but the Secretary of State has vanished. It turns out Libya's new foreign minister has other plans for the conference, ones Cabrillo cannot let happen. But what does it all have to do with a 200-year-old naval battle, and the centuries-old Islamic scrolls that the Libyans seem so determined to find? The answers will lead him, Cabrillo full circle into history and into another pitched battle on the sea, this time against Islamic terrorists, and with the fate of nations resting on its outcome.

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THE ASSOCIATE
John Grisham
Cover of THE ASSOCIATE

THE ASSOCIATE

by John Grisham · Doubleday

7 wks on list

Prometedor oscuro secreto del colegio de abogados graduados Kyle McAvoy es descubierto por unos personajes sin escr{250}pulos que chantajearlo a tomar un trabajo con un prestigioso bufete de abogados, donde participa en un sistema ilegal y peligroso.

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THE HOST
Stephenie Meyer
Cover of THE HOST

THE HOST

by Stephenie Meyer · Little, Brown

44 wks on list

The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed. But Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind. Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves--Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.--From publisher description.

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PROMISES IN DEATH
J. D. Robb
Cover of PROMISES IN DEATH

PROMISES IN DEATH

by J. D. Robb · Putnam

3 wks on list

Determined to capture whomever is responsible for murdering an experienced colleague who recently transferred to New York, Lieutenant Eve Dallas investigates the victim's life in her former precinct and uncovers unsettling links to her own painful past. 650,000 first printing.

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NEW
DEAD SILENCE
Randy Wayne White
Cover of DEAD SILENCE

DEAD SILENCE

by Randy Wayne White · Putnam

1 wks on list

So terrifying it'll leave readers breathless... When a Minnesota teen is kidnapped, Doc Ford is given an unthinkable ultimatum, and only 36 hours to act on it. But there's something unusual about the boy that his captors don't even know, twisting this deadly game out of control in ways no one can imagine.

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HEART AND SOUL
Maeve Binchy
Cover of HEART AND SOUL

HEART AND SOUL

by Maeve Binchy · Knopf

4 wks on list

Dr. Clara Casey was certain the senior cardiologist position was hers. Instead, she is offered the thankless job of establishing a rehab heart clinic that's woefully under funded. She reluctantly accepts the job, but promises to leave after one year. Clara quickly assembles a diverse and capable staff, all of whom pitch in to help heal the lives of their demanding and sometimes difficult patients. Before long, they have established the clinic as an integral part of the community. After the year is up, Clara struggles with the decision to leave, knowing that her time there has changed her life forever.

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ONE DAY AT A TIME
Danielle Steel
Cover of ONE DAY AT A TIME

ONE DAY AT A TIME

by Danielle Steel · Delacorte Press

3 wks on list

Danielle Steel celebrates families of every stripe in her compelling new novel—a tale of three very different couples who struggle and survive, love, laugh, and learn to take life… Coco Barrington was born into a legendary Hollywood family, her last name loaded with expectations. Her mother is a mega-bestselling author who writes under the name of Florence Flowers—and her sister, Jane, is one of Hollywood’s top producers. They’re not your typical family by any means.…Jane has lived with her partner, Liz, for ten years, in a solid, loving relationship. Florence, widowed but still radiant, has just begun a secret romance with a man twenty-four years her junior. And Coco, a law school dropout and the family black sheep, works as a dog walker, having fled life in the spotlight for the artsy northern California beach town of Bolinas. But when Coco reluctantly agrees to dog-sit in Jane’s luxurious home, she soon discovers how much things can change in just a matter of days.…It turns out Jane’s house comes complete with an unexpected houseguest: Leslie Baxter, a dashing but down-to-earth British actor who’s fleeing a psycho ex-girlfriend. Their worlds couldn’t be more different. The attraction couldn’t be more immediate. Suddenly Coco is seeing things differently: Leslie is not just a celebrity, he’s a single dad to an adorable six-year-old girl. Her mother is not just a self-centered walking advertisement for great cosmetic surgery, she’s a woman in love, with vulnerability and new insight. And Jane and Liz are about to take the bravest plunge of all—into parenthood. As Coco contemplates a future with one of Hollywood’s hottest stars, as her mother and sister settle into their lives, old wounds are healed and new familes are formed—some traditional, some not so traditional, but all bonded by love. With wit and intelligence, Danielle Steel’s new novel explores love in all its guises, taking us into the lives of three unusual but wonderfully real couples. Funny, sexy, and wise, One Day At a Time is at once moving, thought provoking, and utterly impossible to put down.

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NIGHT AND DAY
Robert B. Parker
Cover of NIGHT AND DAY

NIGHT AND DAY

by Robert B. Parker · Putnam

3 wks on list

They were the Sheridan men, ruled by passion, betrayed by love, heirs to a legacy of violence and forbidden desire. Gus, Boston's top homicide cop: he knew equally well the backroom politics of City Hall and the private passions of the very rich, a man haunted by the wanton courage and perilous obsessions he inherited from his father... Conn, the patriarch, a lawless cop who spawned a circle of vengeance and betrayal that would span half a century... and Chris, Gus's beloved son, a Harvard lawyer and criminologist, fated to risk everything to break the chain of obsession and rage... Three generations linked by crime and punishment--cops and heroes, fathers, sons, and lovers united at last by revelations that could bring a family to its knees...

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THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY
Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Cover of THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY

THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY

by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows · Dial Press

26 wks on list

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NOW A NETFLIX FILM • A remarkable tale of the island of Guernsey during the German Occupation, and of a society as extraordinary as its name. “Treat yourself to this book, please—I can’t recommend it highly enough.”—Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love “I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.” January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb. . . . As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all. Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever. Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, this novel is a celebration of the written word in all its guises and of finding connection in the most surprising ways. Praise for The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society “A jewel . . . Poignant and keenly observed, Guernsey is a small masterpiece about love, war, and the immeasurable sustenance to be found in good books and good friends.”—People “A book-lover’s delight, an implicit and sometimes explicit paean to all things literary.”—Chicago Sun-Times “A sparkling epistolary novel radiating wit, lightly worn erudition and written with great assurance and aplomb.”—The Sunday Times (London) “Cooked perfectly à point: subtle and elegant in flavour, yet emotionally satisfying to the finish.”—The Times (London)

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PATHS OF GLORY
Jeffrey Archer
Cover of PATHS OF GLORY

PATHS OF GLORY

by Jeffrey Archer · St. Martin’s Press

2 wks on list

Inspired by the true story of mountaineer George Mallory, Paths of Glory bring to life one of history's enduringly enigmatic figures in a stunning novel from bestselling author Jeffrey Archer. Some people have dreams that are so outrageous that if they were to achieve them, their place in history would be guaranteed. Francis Drake, Robert Scott, Amy Johnson, and Neil Armstrong are among such individuals. But what if one man had such a dream, and when he'd fulfilled it, there was no proof that he had achieved his ambition? Paths of Glory is the story of such a man. But not until you've turned the last page of Jeffrey Archer's extraordinary novel, will you be able to decide if mountaineer George Mallory should be added to this list of legends, because if he were, another name would have to be removed.

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TERMINAL FREEZE
Lincoln Child
Cover of TERMINAL FREEZE

TERMINAL FREEZE

by Lincoln Child · Doubleday

3 wks on list

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In this riveting, high-octane thriller, an ancient creature is inadvertently released to wreak havoc on the inhabitants of a desolate arctic landscape. Alaska's Federal Wilderness Zone is one of the most dangerous and inhospitable places on Earth. For paleoecologist Evan Marshall, an expedition to the Zone offers an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study the mounting effects of climate change. But once there, Marshall and his intrepid team make an astonishing discovery: an enormous prehistoric animal encased in solid ice. Despite repeated warnings from the local village, and Marshall's own mounting concern, the expedition sponsors want the creature cut from the ice, thawed, and revealed on a live television spectacular…But then the creature disappears and an unspeakable horror is unleashed. Don't miss Lincoln Child's new thriller, Chrysalis!

Historical bestseller data sourced from the New York Times Book Review, archived by Hawes Publications.