The summer is winding down now and this last list of the season shows what’s captured the imaginations of young and old alike. In fiction, the year’s favorite novels continue to sell strongly: “Out Stealing Horses,” “Great Man,” “Run” and “Ten Days in the Hills.” For nonfiction, humor seems to have taken over much of the list, with David Sedaris’ latest, “Goodnight Bush: A Parody” and Christian Lander’s “Stuff White People Like.” There has never been such a consolidation of children’s titles by author, by series, by subject. Stephenie Meyer’s teen vampire romance series take up the top three spots. Several of the top 20 titles of this past month are Star Wars-related and several are from the new Clique Summer Collection series. These are overpowering most other titles, though it’s nice to see a couple classics in the top 10 as well. Enjoy the last lazy days of summer and … happy reading.
Fiction
1. “Out Stealing Horses,” by Per Petterson, paperback, Picador, $14
2. “The Great Man,” by Kate Christensen, paperback, Random House, $14.95
3. “Run,” by Ann Patchett, paperback, HarperCollins, $14.95
4. “Ten Days in the Hills,” by Jane Smiley, paperback, Random House, $14.95
5. “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed,” by Sean Williams, hardcover, Random House, $26
6. “Bangkok Haunts,” by John Burdett, paperback, Random House, $13.95
7. “The Art of Racing in the Rain,” by Garth Stein, hardcover, HarperCollins, $23.95
8. “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society,” by Annie Fiery Barrows and Mary Ann Fiery Shaffer, hardcover, Random House, $22
9. “Away,” by Amy Bloom, paperback, Random House, $14
10. “The Yiddish Policemen’s Union,” by Michael Chabon, paperback, HarperCollins, $15.95
Nonfiction
1. “When You Are Engulfed in Flames,” by David Sedaris, hardcover, Hachette, $25.99
2. “The Last Lecture,” by Randy Pausch, hardcover, Harper, $21.95
3. “Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace … One School at a Time,” by Greg Mortenson, paperback, Penguin, $15
4. “Goodnight Bush: A Parody,” by Eric Origen, hardcover, Hachette, $14.99
5. “Stuff White People Like,” by Christian Lander, paperback, Random House, $14
6. “The Price of Privilege,” by Madeline Levine, paperback, HarperCollins, $13.95
7. “This Is Your Brain on Music,” by Daniel Levitin, paperback, Penguin, $15
8. “Eat, Pray, Love,” by Elizabeth Gilbert, paperback, Penguin, $15
9. “Glass Castle,” by Jeannette Walls, paperback, Simon & Schuster, $15
10. “The Ghost Train to the Eastern Star,” by Paul Theroux, hardcover, Houghton Mifflin, $28
Children
1. “Breaking Dawn,” by Stephenie Meyer, hardcover, Hachette, $22.99
2. “Twilight,” by Stephenie Meyer, paperback, Hachette, $10.99
3. “New Moon,” by Stephenie Meyer, paperback, Hachette, $10.99
4. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” by Jeff Kinney, hardcover, Abrams, $12.95
5. “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” by Tracey West, paperback, Penguin, $6.99
6. “Wind in the Door,” by Madleine L’Engle, paperback, MPS, $6.99
7. “Clone Wars Intergalactic Activity Book,” by Penguin, paperback, Penguin, $4.99
8. “Star Wars: The New Padawan,” by Eric Stevens, paperback, Penguin, $3.99
9. “The Clique Summer Collection #5: Claire (Clique Series),” by Lisi Harrison, paperback, Poppy, $6.99
10. “The Sign of the Beaver,” by Elizabeth Speare, paperback, Random House, $6.50
Book list provided by Diesel, A Bookstore