Two very similar titles by Greg Mortenson are on both the nonfiction and children’s bestseller lists this month. Mortenson’s “Three Cups of Tea,” now out in three different formats, is the One Book, One City – Malibu’s reading selection for 2009. Events begin in April to celebrate this citywide reading.
New to the fiction is what is sure to be one of the year’s best novels, and a reading group selection for years to come: “Little Bee,” by Chris Cleave. The character “Little Bee” springs fully formed from the first pages of Cleave’s beautiful novel and is great reading for every book group, every world citizen, every devoted reader of beautiful writing and engaged artistry.
Fiction
1. “The White Tiger,” by Aravind Adiga, paperback, Free Press, $14
2. “The Associate,” by John Grisham, hardcover, Doubleday, $27.95
3. “The Women,” by T.C. Boyle, hardcover, Viking Books, $27.95
4. “Out Stealing Horses,” by Per Petterson, paperback, Picador USA, $14
5. “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society,” by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer, hardcover, Dial Press Trade, $22
6. “Brida,” by Paulo Coelho, paperback, Harper Perennial, $14.99
7. “The Elegance of the Hedgehog,” by Muriel Barbery, paperback, Europa Editions, $15
8. “Little Bee,” by Chris Cleave, hardcover, Simon & Schuster, $24
9. “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” by Stieg Larsson, hardcover, Knopf, $24.95
10. “The Shack,” by William P. Young, paperback, Windblown Media, $14.99
Nonfiction
1. “Rex: A Mother, Her Autistic Child, and the Music That Transformed Their Lives,” by Cathleen Lewis, hardcover, $24.99
2. “Nothing to Fear: FDR’s Inner Circle and the Hundred Days That Created Modern America,” by Adam Cohen, hardcover, Penguin, $29.95
3. “Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace… One School at a Time,” by Greg Mortenson, paperback, Penguin, $15
4. “When You Are Engulfed in Flames,” by David Sedaris, hardcover, Little Brown, $25.99
5. “Outliers: The Story of Success,” by Malcolm Gladwell, hardcover, Little Brown, $27.99
6. “How to Live: A Search for Wisdom from Old People (While They Are Still on This Earth),” by Henry Alford, hardcover, Twelve, $23.99
7. “The Yankee Years,” by Joe Torre and Tom Verducci, hardcover, Doubleday, $26.95
8. “The One Hundred: A Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own,” by Nina Garcia, Illustrated by Ruben Toledo, hardcover, Collins Living, $21.95
9. “Wishful Drinking,” by Carrie Fisher, hardcover, Simon & Schuster, $21
10. “Eat This Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution,” by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding, paperback, Rodale, $19.95
Children
1. “Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Journey to Change the World…One Child at a Time,” by Greg Mortenson, paperback, Puffin Books, $8.99
2. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw,” by Jeff Kinney, hardcover, Amulet Books, $12.95
3. “Scat,” by Carl Hiaasen, hardcover, Alfred A. Knopf, $16.99
4. “New Moon (The Twilight Saga, Book 2,” by Stephenie Meyer, paperback, Little Brown, $10.99
5. “Star Wars: The Clone Wars Mad Libs,” by Roger Price and Leonard Stern, paperback, Price Stern Sloan, $3.99
6. “The I Love You Book,” by Todd Parr, hardcover, Little Brown, $9.99
7. “P.S. I Loathe You (Clique Series No. 10),” by Lisi Harrison, paperback, Poppy, $9.99
8. “The Ruins of Gorlan (Ranger’s Apprentice Book 1),” by John Flanagan, paperback, Puffin Books, $7.99
9. “Cat,” by Matthew Van Fleet, hardcover, Simon Schuster, $16.99
10. “The Tales of Beedle the Bard,” by J.K. Rowling, paperback, Scholastic, $12.99
-Book list provided by Diesel, A Bookstore