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Anthony Bourdain’s cooking on the June 27 L.A. Times bestseller list

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Because Anthony Bourdain often says the kind of things people aren’t used to hearing in polite conversation, he has become, as he writes in his new book, a “professional traveler, writer and TV guy,” one who knows food from all angles. Bourdain first made a splash with “Kitchen Confidential,” a tell-all about his years as a chef, and on his TV show he’ll try anything -- and he’s willing to say what’s good and what isn’t. Bourdain’s strong voice carries from the camera directly to the page -- he’s sarcastic, profane, bombastic, unapologetic. In Bourdain’s world, Jonathan Gold, Fergus Henderson and Jamie Oliver are heroes; Alice Waters, Wolfgang Puck and Gael Greene are villains. Exactly why is explained in his new book, “Medium Raw: A bloody valentine to the world of food and the people who cook.” Bourdain’s “Medium Raw” enters our bestseller list this week -- it’s No. 3 on the hardcover nonfiction list. See the complete L.A. Times Bestseller List for June 27 after the jump.

-- Carolyn Kellogg
twitter.com/paperhaus

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Hardcover Fiction Bestsellers

weeks on list

1.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson (Knopf: $27.95) The highly anticipated final book of the “Millennium Trilogy.”

4

2.

The Passage by Justin Cronin (Ballantine: $27) An apocalypse with fangs: a military experiment with vampires goes wrong and imperils humanity.

1

3.

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

55

4.

The Lion by Nelson DeMille (Grand Central: $27.99) A terrorist returns to the U.S. to kill those responsible for bombing his village.

2

5.

The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman (Dial Press: $25) The goings-on at a ragtag English-language newspaper in Rome.

4

6.

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.

6

7.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender (Doubleday: $25.95) Rose Edelstein’s gift of taste is bittersweet.

1

8.

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

5

9.

Imperial Bedrooms by Bret Easton Ellis (Knopf: $24.95) An L.A. noir nightmare that returns to “Less Than Zero’s” characters as they near middle-age.

1

10.

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

2

11.

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (Knopf: $25.95) The novelist wonders: What happens to all those rock ‘n’ roll rebels when they grow older?

1

12.

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

6

13.

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

6

14.

Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham (Dutton: $16.99) A 13-year-old aspiring lawyer finds himself in the middle of a murder trial.

3

15.

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

5

16.

The Overton Window by Glenn Beck (Threshold: $26) A p.r. executive encounters a conspiracy threatening the U.S. and his lady love.

1

17.

The Spy by Clive Cussler (St. Martin‘s Press: $27.95). Espionage in warship and armament manufacturing in the buildup to World War I.

2

18.

The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall (W.W. Norton: $26.95) A man and his four wives (and 28 children) struggle to keep their family intact.

2

19.

Bullet by Laurell K. Hamilton (Berkley: $26.95) The Mother of All Darkness returns to control vampire executioner, Anita Blake.

2

20.

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.

2

Hardcover Nonfiction Bestsellers

1.

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

6

2.

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

11

3.

Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain (Ecco: $26.99) A frank, witty gastronome’s journey: for foodies everywhere.

1

4.

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

13

5.

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

11

6.

War by Sebastian Junger (Twelve: $26.99) The author’s account of 14 months with a U.S. Army platoon in Afghanistan.

6

7.

Delivering Happiness byTony Hsieh (Business Plus: $23.99) The transformation of Zappos CEO from Harvard student to entrepreneur.

2

8.

The Promise by Jonathan Alter (Simon & Schuster: $28) An inside look at President Obama’s first year in office.

4

9.

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

6

10.

Role Models by John Waters (Farrar, Straus and Giroux: $25) A self-portrait of the cult filmmaker as told through profiles of famous personalities.

2

11.

Hitch-22 by Christopher Hitchens (Twelve: $26.99) The contrarian shares his political and personal life stories.

3

12.

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

8

13.

Colossus by Michael Hiltzik (Free Press: $30) An account of the building of the Hoover Dam.

1

14.

Just Kids by Patti Smith (Ecco: $27) The singer’s early days and relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe.

19

15.

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion: 21.95) A professor’s terminal cancer inspires a call to seize life’s moments.

77

16.

The Why of Work by David Ulrich, Wendy Ulrich and Marshall Goldsmith (McGraw-Hill: $27.95) A guide for both employees and employers.

1

17.

In the Green Kitchen by Alice Waters (Clarkson Potter: $21.99) The basics of cooking by the author and renowned chef.

1

18.

Wooden byJohn Wooden & Steve Jamison (McGraw-Hill: $19.95) The timeless wisdom and teachings of the late UCLA basketball coach.

2

19.

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

9

20.

Born to Run by Christopher McDougall (Knopf: $24.95) Discovering the key to ultra-running.

2

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.

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

6.

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese ($15.95)

7.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery ($15)

8.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho ($13.95)

9.

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan ($7.99)

10.

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick ($14.95)

11.

Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner ($15)

12.

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein ($14.99)

13.

That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo ($15)

14.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan ($7.99)

15.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger ($13.99)

Paperbacks: Nonfiction

1.

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

2.

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

3.

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

4.

Manhood for Amateurs by Michael Chabon ($14.99)

5.

Teach Like a Champion by Doug Lemov ($27.95)

6.

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen ($14)

7.

How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer ($14.95)

8.

Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler ($16)

9.

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell ($15.99)

10.

The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz ($12.95)

11.

What to Expect When You’re Expecting by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel ($24.95)

12.

My Booky Wook by Russell Brand ($14.99)

13.

Secret Stairs by Charles Fleming ($16.95)

14.

Food Rules by Michael Pollan ($7.99)

15.

Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean by Ed Kritzler ($15)

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


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