New to the fiction list is one of the finest books to come along in years: “The Savage Detectives,” by Roberto Bolano. Rave reviews internationally, domestically and locally here in Malibu put the book at the top of recommended lists. The nonfiction top ten list is composed of the titles related to Diesel’s books events (Nat Young, Robert Schimmel, Elizabeth Gilbert) and books that are consistently selling list after list. These are perhaps the books that capture the tenor of the times we’re in and ways of living well with these times. For the children among us, two movie tie-ins (“Speed Racer” and “Horton Hears a Who”) pop on to the list, and the hot new clever “Cathy’s Book.”
Fiction
1. “The Witch of Portobello,” by Paulo Coelho, paperback, Harper, $13.95
2. “The Road,” by Cormac McCarthy, paperback, Vintage Books, $14.95
3. “The Savage Detectives,” by Roberto Bolano, paperback, Picador, $15
4. “Lush Life,” by Richard Price, hardcover, Farrar Straus Giroux, $26
5. “Mistress of the Art of Death,” by Ariana Franklin, paperback, Berkley, $15
6. “What the Dead Know,” by Laura Lippman, paperback, Harper, $7.99
7. “The Silver Swan,” by Benjamin Black, hardcover, Henry Holt, $25
8. “What is the What,” by Dave Eggers, paperback, Vintage, $15.95
9. “The Gathering,” by Anne Enright, paperback, Black Cat, $14
10. “The God of Animals,” by Aryn Kyle, paperback, Scribner, $14
Nonfiction
1. “The Complete History of Surfing: From Water to Snow,” by Nat Young, hardcover, Gibbs Smith, $39.95
2. “The New Earth,” by Eckhart Tolle, paper, Penguin, $14
3. “Cancer on Five Dollars a Day (Chemo Not Included): How Humor Got Me Through the Toughest Journey of My Life,” by Robert Schimmel, hardcover, Da Capo, $22
4. “Eat, Pray, Love,” by Elizabeth Gilbert, paperback, Penguin, $15
5. “Nat’s Nat and That’s That: A Surfing Legend,” by Nat Young, paperback, Nymboida Press, $24.95
6. “Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time,” by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, paperback, Penguin, $15
7. “The Audacity of Hope,” by Barack Obama, paperback, Random House, $14.95
8. “The Diving Bell and The Butterfly,” by Jean-Dominique Bauby, paperback, Random House, $12.95
9. “Skinny Bitch: A No-Nonsense, Tough-Love Guide for Savvy Girls Who Want to Stop Eating Crap and Start Looking Fabulous,” by Rory Freedman, paperback, Perseus, $13.95
10. “The Third Jesus: The Christ We Cannot Ignore,” by Deepak Chopra, hardcover, Harmony, $24
Children
1. “Cathy’s Book: If Found Call (650) 266-8233,” by Sean Stewart, paperback, Running Press, $9.95
2. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Roderick Rules,” by Jeff Kinney, hardcover, Abrams, $12.95
3. “Calling All Whos! (Color Plus Chunky Crayons)”, by Dr. Seuss, paperback, Golden Books, $3.99
4. “Thirteen Reasons Why,” by Jay Asher, hardcover, Penguin, $16.99
5. “The Tail of Emily Windsnap,” by Liz Kessler, paperback, Candlewick Press, $5.99
6. “Slam,” by Nick Hornby, hardcover, Putnam Publishing, $19.99
7. “Oh The Places You’ll Go!,” by Dr. Seuss, hardcover, Random House, $17.99
8. “Clique #9, Bratfest at Tiffany’s,” by Lisi Harrison, paper, Poppy, $9.99
9. “The Great Plan (Speed Racer #1), by Chase Wheeler, hardcover, Grosset & Dunlap, $6.99
10. “Thirteen,” by Lauren Myracle, hardcover, Dutton, $15.99
Book list provided by Diesel, A Bookstore