Malibu’s Top Ten Books
In nonfiction, local Malibu books are strong on the list with Julius Shulman Yerugin Nogai’s “Malibu: A Century of Living by the Sea” still in the No. 1 spot; Robert Weingarten’s glorious book of art photography “6:30 A.M.” (on exhibit at Pepperdine this month); and Michael Banks’ philosophical nature memoir on Malibu, following his book signing at Diesel, A Bookstore in June.
Fiction has moved strongly into great summer reading. Paperback bestsellers from throughout the last year have reappeared: “Bangkok 8,” “Kite Runner,” “The Secret Life of Bees” and “The Shadow of the Wind.” Also, hot new summer hardbacks, such as “The Historian,” which promises to be the big, absorbing read that beach books used to be.
Summer books aren’t just for adults. The children’s bestseller list is full of the past year’s top books that make great summer reading, too, like “Inkheart” and “Hoot.” Also, books now made into movies such as “Second Summer of the Sisterhood” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” are hot. Speaking of children’s summer reading, don’t forget the upcoming ” Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince.” Diesel, A Bookstore is preselling and reserving copies for its Harry Potter Party on July 15, at midnight.
NONFICTION
1. “Malibu: A Century of Living By The Sea,” Julius Shulman et al, cloth, Abrams, $50
2. “6:30 A.M.,” Robert Weingarten, cloth, Hatje Cantz, $49.95
3. “Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything,” Steven Levitt, cloth, HarperCollins, $25.95
4. “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius,” Dave Eggers, paper, Random, $14
5. “Malibu: Hiking Along the Meaning of Life,” Michael Banks, paper, iUniverse, $21.95
6. “Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking,” Malcolm Gladwell, cloth, Little, Brown & Co., $25.95
7. “1776,” David McCullough, cloth, Simon & Schuster, $32
8. “The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century,” Thomas L. Friedman, cloth, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $27.50
9. “The Game of Life & How To Play It,” Florence Scovell Shinn, paper, DeVorss, $9
10. “Dress Your Family in Corduroy,” David Sedaris, paper, TimeWarner, $14.95
FICTION
1. “Blinding Light,” Paul Theroux, cloth, Houghton Mifflin, $26
2. “Bangkok 8,” John Burdett, paper, Random House, $12.95
3. “The Historian,” Elizabeth Kostova, cloth, Little, Brown, $25.95
4. “Kite Runner,” Khaled Hosseini, paper, Penguin, $14
5. “The Mermaid Chair,” Sue Monk Kidd, cloth, Penguin USA, $24.95
6. “Skinny Dip,” Carl Hiaasen, paper, TimeWarner, $12.95
7. “The Secret Life of Bees,” Sue Monk Kidd, paper, Penguin, $14
8. “The Starter Wife,” Gigi Levangie Grazer, cloth, Simon & Schuster, $24
9. “A Long Way Down,” Nick Hornby, cloth, Riverhead, $24.95
10. “The Shadow of the Wind,” Carlos Ruiz Zafon, paper, Penguin Group, $15
CHILDREN
1. “Second Summer of the Sisterhood,” Ann Brashares, paper, Random House Children’s, $6.99
2. “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” Roald Dahl, paper, Penguin, $6.99
3. “Egyptology,” Ernest Drake, cloth, Candlewick Press, $19.99
4. “Lotsa DeCasha,” Madonna, cloth, Penguin Kids, $19.95
5. “Where the Red Fern Grows} {,” Wilson Rawls, paper, Random House Children’s, $5.99
6. “Rhymes with Witches,” Lauren Myracle, cloth, Abrams, $16.95
7. “Hoot,” Carl Hiaasen, paper, Knopf, $8.95
8. “Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince,” A. K. Rowling, cloth, Scholastic, $29.99
9. “Girls in Pants,” Ann Brashares, cloth, Random House Children’s, $16.95
10. “Scribbles: A Really Great Drawing and Coloring Book,” Taro Gomi, paper, Editions du Seuil, $18.
Book list provided by Diesel, A Bookstore