NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLERS
Rankings reflect sales for the week ending Dec. 28, and include both electronic- and print-edition sales.
FICTION
1. WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING, by Delia Owens. (Putnam) In a quiet town on the North Carolina coast in 1969, a young woman who survived alone in the marsh becomes a murder suspect. (Weeks on list: 68)
2. THE GUARDIANS, by John Grisham. (Doubleday) Cullen Post, a lawyer and Episcopal minister, antagonizes some ruthless killers when he takes on a wrongful conviction case. (11)
3. THE INSTITUTE, by Stephen King. (Scribner) Children with special talents are abducted and sequestered in an institution where the sinister staff seeks to extract their gifts through harsh methods. (16)
4. THE LAST WISH, by Andrzej Sapkowski. (Orbit) Linked stories follow the exploits of Geralt of Rivia, a monster-slaying mercenary. (1)
5. THE NIGHT FIRE, by Michael Connelly. (Little, Brown) Harry Bosch and Renée Ballard return to take up a case that held the attention of Bosch’s mentor. (7)
6. CRISS CROSS, by James Patterson. (Little, Brown) The 27th book in the “Alex Cross” series. Copycat crimes make the detective question whether an innocent man was executed. (5)
7. BLUE MOON, by Lee Child. (Delacorte) Jack Reacher gets caught up in a turf war between Ukrainian and Albanian gangs. (9)
8. A MINUTE TO MIDNIGHT, by David Baldacci. (Grand Central) When Atlee Pine returns to her hometown to investigate her sister’s kidnapping from 30 years ago, she winds up tracking a potential serial killer. (6)
9. THE TESTAMENTS, by Margaret Atwood. (Nan A. Talese/Doubleday) In a sequel to “The Handmaid’s Tale,” old secrets bring three women together as the Republic of Gilead’s theocratic regime shows signs of decay. (14)
10. THE SILENT PATIENT, by Alex Michaelides. (Celadon) Theo Faber looks into the mystery of a famous painter who stops speaking after shooting her husband. (15)
11. THE DUTCH HOUSE, by Ann Patchett. (Harper) A sibling relationship is impacted when the family
goes from poverty to wealth and back again over the course of many decades. (14)
12. BLOOD OF ELVES, by Andrzej Sapkowski. (Orbit) The first book in the “Witcher” series. As war looms, Geralt of Rivia must protect the prophesied savior of the world. (1)
13. THE TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ, by Heather Morris. (Harper) A concentration camp detainee tasked with permanently marking fellow prisoners falls in love with one of them. (61)
14. THE WATER DANCER, by Ta-Nehisi Coates. (One World) A young man who was gifted with a mysterious power becomes part of a war between slavers and the enslaved. (9)
15. THE GIVER OF STARS, by Jojo Moyes. (Pamela Dorman/Viking) In Depression-era Kentucky, five women refuse to be cowed by men or convention as they deliver books. (11)
NONFICTION
1. EDUCATED, by Tara Westover. (Random House) The daughter of survivalists, who is kept out of school, educates herself enough to leave home for university. (97)
2. BECOMING, by Michelle Obama. (Crown) The former first lady describes her journey from the South Side of Chicago to the White House, and how she balanced work, family and her husband’s political ascent. (56)
3. TALKING TO STRANGERS, by Malcolm Gladwell. (Little, Brown) Famous examples of miscommunication serve as the backdrop to explain potential conflicts and misunderstandings. (16)
4. ME, by Elton John. (Holt) The multi-award-winning solo artist’s first autobiography chronicles his career, relationships and private struggles. (11)
5. SAM HOUSTON AND THE ALAMO AVENGERS, by Brian Kilmeade. (Sentinel) The “Fox & Friends” host gives an account of the battle against the Mexican Army in 1836. (8)
6. THE BODY, by Bill Bryson. (Doubleday) An owner’s manual of the human body covering various parts, functions and what happens when things go wrong. (11)
7. SAPIENS, by Yuval Noah Harari. (Harper) How Homo sapiens became Earth’s dominant species. (87)
8. A WARNING, by Anonymous. (Twelve) A senior official in the Trump administration offers an assessment of the president and makes a moral appeal. (6) 9. NO ONE IS TOO SMALL TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE, by Greta Thunberg. (Penguin) Speeches by the Swedish climate activist, including her address to the United Nations. (2)
10. FINDING CHIKA, by Mitch Albom. (Harper) Lessons learned by the Alboms when they bring a Haitian orphan with a life-threatening illness into their family. (8)
11. BLOWOUT, by Rachel Maddow. (Crown) The MSNBC host argues that the global oil and gas industry has weakened democracies and bolstered authoritarians. (13)
12. TRIGGERED, by Donald Trump Jr. (Center
Street) Forays into politics and views on liberals from the executive vice president of the Trump Organization. (8)
13. JUST MERCY, by Bryan Stevenson. (Spiegel & Grau) A law professor and MacArthur grant recipient’s memoir of his decades of work to free innocent people condemned to death. (18)
14. CATCH AND KILL, by Ronan Farrow. (Little, Brown) The Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter details some surveillance and intimidation tactics used to pressure journalists and elude consequences by certain wealthy and connected men. (6)
15. THE BOOK OF GUTSY WOMEN, by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton. (Simon & Schuster) Profiles of women from around the world who have blazed trails and challenged the status quo. (10)