2008

I've been scouting for a list of the U.S. best sellers for last year, but haven't found one that looks satisfactory or complete. Anyone stumble across one?

USA Today updated this article on January 16. Their Top 100 Titles of 2008 list jumbles all categories together.

Nielsen published this list, but it is dated December 19, so it might be skewed by last-minute Christmas purchases.

I found this list on someone's blog.

Found it!

Fiction
1 The Appeal. John Grisham. Doubleday (11/08) ##
2 The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. David Wroblewski. Ecco (9/08) 1,320,000
3 The Host. Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown (5/08) 1,240,005
4 Cross Country. James Patterson. Little, Brown (11/08) 1,181,458
5 The Lucky One. Nicholas Sparks. Grand Central (9/08) 1,150,023
6 Fearless Fourteen. Janet Evanovich. St. Martin's (6/08)1,058,427
7 Christmas Sweater. Glenn Beck. Threshold (11/08) 900,800
8 Scarpetta. Patricia Cornwell. Putnam (12/08) 800,000
9 Your Heart Belongs to Me. Dean Koontz. Bantam 784,645 (11/08)
10 Plum Lucky. Janet Evanovich. St. Martin's (1/08)748,414
11 7th Heaven. James Patterson. Little, Brown (2008) 700,313
12 Sail. James Patterson. Little, Brown (1/2008) 665,358
13 A Good Woman. Danielle Steel. Delacorte (10/2008) (636,375)
14 Divine Justice. David Baldacci. Grand Central (11/2008) (633,607)
15 The Gate House. Nelson DeMille. Grand Central (10/2008) 606,845

Nonfiction
1 The Last Lecture. Randy Pausch. Hyperion (4/08) 4,388,137
2 The Purpose of Christmas. Rick Warren. Howard (11/08) #1,290,000
3 You: Being Beautiful. Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz. Free Press (11/08) #910,000
4 Outliers. Malcolm Gladwell. Little, Brown (11/08) 821,721
5 A Bold, Fresh Piece of Humanity. Bill O'Reilly. Broadway (9/08) 776,608
6 Dewey. Vicki Myron with Brett Witter. Grand Central (9/08) 758,931
7 Audition. Barbara Waters. Knopf (1/08) 702,000
8 Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics. Ina Garten. Clarkson Potter (10/08) 641,741
9 The Snowball. Alice Schroeder. Bantam (9/08) 634,546
10 Hot, Flat and Crowded. Thomas L. Friedman. Farrar, Straus & Giroux (9/08) 625,363
11 When You Are Engulfed in Flames. David Sedaris. Little, Brown (6/08) 621,873
12 Multiple Blessings. Jon and Kate Gosselin and Beth Carson. Zondervan (10/08) 523,000
13 American Lion. Jon Meacham. Random (11/08) 463,678
14 Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea. Chelsea Handler. Simon Spotlight (4/08) #460,000
15 Just Who Will You Be? Maria Shriver. Hyperion (4/08) 418,721

The fiction list seems pretty light weight and not much that interests me outside of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle and possibly The Gate House.

I read When you are Engulfed in Flames while on vacation and found it rather amusing, particularly since Sedaris writes a bit of my home state. I'm told by his fans that this one wasn't nearly as funny as his others.

I have read The Appeal by John Grisham, plus Sail and Cross Country by James Patterson. In self-defence I must add that I did not buy those books - they were given to me to review.