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LA Times bestsellers: Books hit the beach

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The L.A. Times bestseller list gets darkly beachy this week with the entry of “Point Dume” by Katie Arnoldi. The book, which is at No. 9 on our hardcover fiction list, is about crime and drugs in the Malibu community. Arnoldi isn’t the only one with a new SoCal novel -- Chuck Palahniuk’s “Tell-All” riffs on classic Hollywood -- it’s at No. 6. The complete list appears after the jump.

Hardcover Fiction Bestsellers

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Fiction

Weeks on list

1.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Putnam: $24.95). The lives of a maid, cook and college graduate intertwine.

52

2.

Innocent by Scott Turow (Grand Central: $27.99). Rusty Sabich and Tommy Molto return to the courtroom after the mysterious death of Rusty’s wife.

2

3.

Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris (Ace: $25.95). Sookie Stackhouse copes with loss and paranormal politics.

2

4.

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan (Hyperion: $17.99). Siblings battle Egyptian gods to uncover family secrets and find their Egyptologist father.

2

5.

The Double Comfort Safari Club by Alexander McCall Smith (Pantheon: $24.95). Multiple adventures await sleuth Precious Ramotswe.

4

6.

Tell-All by Chuck Palahniuk (Doubleday: $24.95). A washed-up actress looking for a comeback embarks on a love affair with a gold-digging suitor.

1

7.

Fever Dream by Douglas Preston (Grand Central: $26.99). Special Agent Pendergast delves into his wife’s mysterious and tragic death.

2

8.

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan (Disney Hyperion: $17.99). Percy Jackson and his army of demigods battle the Lord of Time.

23

9.

Point Dume by Katie Arnoldi (Overlook: $24.95). Surf culture and marijuana farming collide in Malibu.

1

10.

Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende (HarperCollins: $26.99). Crises confront a slave girl and plantation owner in the Caribbean in the 1700s.

2

11.

Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes (Atlantic Monthly: $24.95). The ravages of the Vietnam War as told by an ambitious young soldier.

8

12.

The 9th Judgment by James Patterson (Little, Brown: $27.99). Lindsay Boxer calls on the Women’s Murder Club to catch two elusive criminals.

3

13.

61 Hours by Lee Child (Delacorte: $28). Roving ex-military cop Jack Reacher helps a small South Dakota town deal with sinister forces.

1

14.

Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin (St. Martin’s Press: $26.99). A pediatric plastic surgeon is tempted by a patient’s mother.

1

15.

Private Life by Jane Smiley(Knopf: $26.95). A woman is trapped in a marriage to an eccentric astronomer in early 20th century San Francisco.

1

16.

Storm Prey by John Sandford (Putnam: $27.95). Agent Lucas Davenport’s surgeon wife is a key witness in a botched robbery case.

1

17.

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson (Random House: $25). An English widower fights to keep greedy relatives from selling a valuable family heirloom.

5

18.

Burned by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast (St. Martin’s/Griffin: $17.99). Teen drama reigns in this supernatural fantasy.

4

19.

The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall (W. W. Norton: $26.95). A polygamist with four wives and 28 children struggles to keep his family together.

1

20.

This Body of Death by Elizabeth George (Harper: $28.99). Still mourning the loss of his wife and unborn child, an inspector returns to Scotland Yard.

4

Hardcover Nonfiction Bestsellers

1.

Women, Food and God by Geneen Roth (Scribner: $24). The connection between eating and core beliefs that brings fulfillment.

7

2.

War by Sebastian Junger (Twelve: $26.99). The author’s account of a year embedded with a U.S. Army platoon in Afghanistan.

1

3.

Spoken From the Heart by Laura Bush (Scribner: $30). The former first lady’s memoir of growing up in western Texas and life in the White House.

2

4.

The Big Short by Michael Lewis (W.W. Norton: $27.95). How the U.S. economy was driven to collapse by the bond and real estate markets.

10

5.

... My Dad Says by Justin Halpern (HarperCollins: $15.99). A son’s compilation of his elderly father’s ramblings and observations.

2

6.

The Bedwetter by Sarah Silverman (Harper: $25.99). The stand-up comic known for her salty humor shares her life story.

4

7.

Tattoos on the Heart by Gregory Boyle (Free Press: $25). A Jesuit priest recounts working with L.A. youth through his gang intervention program.

8

8.

The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary by Jeff Kinney (Amulet: $14.95). Behind the scenes during the making of the movie.

10

9.

Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler (Grand Central: $25.99). Essays and amusing tales from the comic’s personal life.

5

10.

The Men Who Would Be King by Nicole Laporte (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: $28). The rise and fall of DreamWorks Studios.

2

11.

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown: $27.99). An exploration of the background of high achievers.

66

12.

The Last Stand by Nathaniel Philbrick (Viking: $30). Col. Custer, Sitting Bull and the battle of Little Big Horn.

1

13.

Theatre by David Mamet (Faber & Faber: $22). The playwright offers his distinctive views on acting and directing.

1

14.

Always an Angel by Tim Salmon (Triumph: $19.95). The California Angel recalls his struggles, challenges and triumphant World Series Championship.

15.

When I Stop Talking, You’ll Know I’m Dead by Jerry Weintraub (Twelve: $25.99). Memoir of the legendary Hollywood producer and manager.

3

16.

Operation Mincemeat by Ben Macintyre (Harmony: $25.99). A true account of a how a fictional story and a dead body fooled the Nazis in WWII.

1

17.

You Are Here by Thich Nhat Hanh (Shambhala: $19.95). Buddhist techniques and practices for finding happiness by living in the moment.

3

18.

An Actor and a Gentleman byLouis Gossett Jr. (Wiley:$26.95). The award-winning actor looks back at his 50-year career in film, TV and theater.

1

19.

She Ain’t Heavy, She’s My Mother by Bryan Batt (Harmony: $24). The “Mad Men” actor’s story of the South, show biz and a mother’s love.

1

20.

Satiristas by Paul Provenza & Dan Dion (It Books: $29.99). A collection of comics’ satirical views on politics, culture and society.

Paperbacks: Fiction

1.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson ($14.95)

2.

The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson ($15.95)

3.

Little Bee by Chris Cleave ($14)

4.

Tinkers by Paul Harding ($14.95)

5.

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese ($15.95)

6.

Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann ($15)

7.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho ($13.95)

8.

The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan ($7.99)

9.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan ($7.99)

10.

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick ($14.95)

11.

Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts ($16)

12.

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See ($15)

13.

South of Broad by Pat Conroy ($16)

14.

The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan ($7.99)

15.

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan ($7.99)

Paperbacks: Non-Fiction

1.

Food Rules by Michael Pollan ($7.99)

2.

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin ($15)

3.

The Black Swan by Nassim Taleb ($17)

4.

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert ($15)

5.

You’re Not The Boss of Me by Betsy Brown Braun ($15.99)

6.

For You, Mom. Finally by Ruth Reichl ($13)

7.

The Lost City of Z by David Grann ($15.95)

8.

L.A. Noir by John Buntin ($16)

9.

Just Tell Me What to Say by Betsy Brown Braun ($15.99)

10.

You’re a Horrible Person, But I Like You by The Believer ($13.95)

11.

Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner ($15.99)

12.

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell ($15.99)

13.

Crazy for the Storm by Norman Ollestad ($14.99)

14.

Julie & Julia byJulie Powell ($7.99)

15.

Secret Stairs by Charles Fleming ($16.95)

Rankings are based on a weekly poll of Southern California bookstores.


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