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‘Eat, Pray’ L.A. Times bestseller again

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Elizabeth Gilbert, devastated after her marriage failed, went to Italy, India and Indonesia to recover and to try to rediscover something about herself. Her immersion in food, faith and the paradise of Bali sounds like a pretty good start at finding happiness, and her memoir, “Eat, Pray, Love,” captured it all. Given a boost by Oprah Winfrey, the 2006 book quickly became a bestseller. This Sunday, it’s popped back to the top of our paperback nonfiction list, due, of course, to the upcoming film. All the posters and tie-ins and movie trailers and advertising have prompted Southern California readers turn back to Gilbert’s original work. That’s not to say they won’t be going to see the film version of “Eat, Pray, Love,” which stars Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem and opens tomorrow. But they’ve brought Elizabeth Gilbert -- whose follow-up, “Committed,” was also a bestseller -- back to No. 1 with “Eat, Pray, Love” again.

After the jump, see the L.A. Times bestseller list in fiction, nonfiction, hardcover and paperback.

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-- Carolyn Kellogg

Hardcover Fiction Bestsellers
Place Book Weeks on list
1 The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson (Knopf: $27.95) The final book of the popular Millennium Trilogy. 11

2 The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell (Random House: $26.00) A pious Dutch official finds love in turn-of-the-19th-century Japan. 5

3 Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart (Random House: $26.00) A satirical, twisted, futuristic love story. 1

4 The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Putnam: $24.95) The Southern lives of a maid, cook and college graduate intertwine. 62

5 Star Island by Carl Hiaasen (Knopf: $26.95) A young pop star’s undercover stunt double is kidnapped by an obsessed paparazzo. 1

6 Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic: $17.99) In a post-apocalyptic future, kids are forced to fight in gladiator-like matches to the death. 12

7 The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender (Doubleday: $25.95) Rose Edelstein’s gift of taste is bittersweet. 8

8 The Rembrandt Affair by Daniel Silva (Putnam: $26.95) Murder and a stolen Rembrandt portrait. 3

9 A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron (Forge: $22.99) A dog is reborn several times before finding his true purpose. 4

10 Star Wars: The Old Republic by Sean Williams (LucasBooks: $27.00) A prequel to the role playing video game that takes place 3,500 years before the rise of Darth Vader. 2

11 Savages by Don Winslow (Simon & Schuster: $25.00) Laguna Beach drug dealers take on a violent Baja Cartel. 4

12 The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan (Disney Hyperion: $17.99) Siblings battle Egyptian gods to find their Egyptologist father. 14

13 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. 8

14 The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown: $13.99) The newborn vampire army closes in on Bella Swan and the Cullens. 8

15 The Obama Diaries by Laura Ingraham (Threshold: $25.00) A satirical look at fictional diaries of The Obamas. 3

16 Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris (Ace: $25.95) Sookie Stackhouse copes with loss and the paranormal. 10

17 Spies of the Balkans by Alan Furst (Random House: $26.00) A Greek official becomes immersed with European spies, in the early days of World War II. 7

18 Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner (Atria: $26.99) A mother and her daughters find comfort after an affair. 3

19 The Passage by Justin Cronin (Ballantine: $27.00) An apocalypse with fangs: a military experiment with vampires goes wrong and imperils humanity. 8

20 Private by James Patterson (Little, Brown: $27.99) A Former CIA agent tracks down the killer of a former lover. 7

Hardcover Nonfiction Bestsellers
Place Book Weeks on list
1 Women, Food and God by Geneen Roth (Scribner: $24.00) How the connection between eating and core beliefs brings fulfillment. 18

2 Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern (HarperCollins: $15.99) A son’s compilation of his elderly father’s ramblings and observations. 12

3 Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain (Ecco: $26.99) A gastronome’s journey for foodies everywhere. 8

4 Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M. by Sam Wasson (Harper: $19.99) How “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and a little black dress influenced a generation. 5

5 Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown: $27.99) An exploration of the background of high achievers. 70

6 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. 21

7 Orange Sunshine by Nicholas Schou (Thomas Dunne: $24.99) The history of a band of ‘60’s LSD-dealing hippies, the Brotherhood of Eternal Love 5

8 Tattoos on the Heart by Gregory Boyle (Free Press: $25.00) A Jesuit priest recounts working with L.A. youth through his gang intervention program. 18

9 War by Sebastian Junger (Twelve: $26.99) The author’s account of 14 months with a U.S. Army platoon in Afghanistan. 12

10 Furious Love by Nancy Schoenberger and Sam Kashner (Harper: $27.99) The high-octane marriage of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton 6

11 Just Kids by Patti Smith (Ecco: $27.00) The singer’s early days and relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe. 24

12 Portrait of An Addict As a Young Man by Bill Clegg (Little, Brown: $23.99) A literary agent’s crack-addicted confessional 3

13 Role Models by John Waters (Farrar, Straus and Giroux: $25.00) A quasi-memoir from the iconoclastic movie director. 9

14 LEGO Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary by DK Publishing (DK Publishing: $21.99) Details, history and lingo about all the Star Wars characters and vehicles. 5

15 You Are Here by Thich Nhat Hanh (Shambhala: $19.95) Buddhist techniques and practices for finding happiness by living in the moment. 8

16 Uncharted terriTORI by Tori Spelling (Gallery: $25.00) The darker side of life in the spotlight for the former 90210 actress. 1

18 Getting Pretty Back by Molly Ringwald (It Books: $25.99) The actress shares insights and tips on finding inner and outer beauty after 40. 3

19 Diary of a Wimpy Kid Movie Diary by Jeff Kinney (Amulet: $14.95) Behind the scenes during the making of the movie. 8

20 Strength Finders 2.0 by Tom Rath (Gallup Press: $22.95) An upgraded assessment on how to find your top talents. 10

Paperback Fiction Bestsellers
Place Book
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 One Day by David Nicholls ($14.95)

4 Little Bee by Chris Cleave ($14.00)

5 Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese ($15.95)

6 Tinkers by Paul Harding ($14.95)

7 The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver ($16.99)

8 This is Where I Leave You by Johnathan Tropper ($15.00)

9 To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee ($7.99)

10 Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann ($15.00)

11 Scott Pilgrim by Bryan O’Malley ($11.99)

12 Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon ($16.00)

13 Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay ($13.95)

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

15 The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho ($13.95)

Paperback Nonfiction Bestsellers
Place Book
1 Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert ($16.00)

2 Three Cups of Tea by David Oliver Relin and Greg Mortenson ($16.00)

3 Crazy for the Storm by Norman Ollestad ($10.00)

4 Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain ($15.99)

5 Where Men Win Glory by Jon Krakauer ($15.95)

6 Food Rules by Michael Pollan ($11.00)

7 Secret Stairs by Charles Fleming ($16.95)

8 The Official SAT Study Guide, 2nd Edition by The College Board ($21.99)

9 Zeitoun by Dave Eggers ($15.95)

10 Lit by Mary Karr ($14.99)

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

12 The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell ($15.99)

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

14 I’m Down by Mishna Wolff ($13.99)

15 Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean by Edward Kritzler ($15.00)


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