NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLERS

Rankings reflect sales for the week ending Dec. 19.

FICTION

1. A TIME FOR MERCY, by John Grisham. (Doubleday) The third book in the “Jake Brigance” series. A 16-year-old is accused of killing a deputy in Clanton, Mississippi, in 1990. (WEEKS ON LIST: 10)

2. DEADLY CROSS, by James Patterson. (Little, Brown) The 28th book in the “Alex Cross” series. An investigation of a double homicide sends Alex Cross to Alabama. (4)

3. READY PLAYER TWO, by Ernest Cline. (Ballantine) In a sequel to “Ready Player One,” Wade Watts discovers a technological advancement and goes on a new quest. (4)

4. THE VANISHING HALF, by Brit Bennett. (Riverhead) The lives of twin sisters who run away from a Southern Black community at age 16 diverge as one returns and the other takes on a different racial identity but their fates intertwine. (29)

5. THE RETURN, by Nicholas Sparks. (Grand Central) A doctor serving in the Navy in Afghanistan goes back to North Carolina where two women change his life. (12)

6. DAYLIGHT, by David Baldacci. (Grand Central) FBI agent Atlee Pine’s search for her twin sister overlaps with a military investigator’s hunt for someone involved in a global conspiracy. (5)

7. 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. (114)

8. HOME BODY, by Rupi Kaur. (Andrews McMeel) Poems and illustrations by the author of “Milk and Honey” and “The Sun and Her Flowers.” (5)

9. THE SENTINEL, by Lee Child and Andrew Child. (Delacorte) Jack Reacher intervenes on an ambush in Tennessee and uncovers a conspiracy. (8)

10. THE LAW OF INNOCENCE, by Michael Connelly. (Little, Brown) The sixth book in the “Mickey Haller” series. Haller defends himself when police find the body of a former client in his car’s trunk. (6)

11. THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY, by Matt Haig. (Viking) Nora Seed finds a library beyond the edge of the universe that contains books with multiple possibilities of the lives one could have lived. (4)

12. THE AWAKENING, by Nora Roberts. (St. Martin’s) The first book in the “Dragon Heart Legacy” series. Breen Kelly travels through a portal in Ireland to a land of faeries and mermaids. (4)

13. NYPD RED 6, by James Patterson and Marshall Karp. (Grand Central) Detectives Kylie MacDonald and Zach Jordan search for a reality TV star who goes missing from her wedding reception. (1)

14. FORTUNE AND GLORY, by Janet Evanovich. (Atria) The 27th book in the “Stephanie Plum” series. Stephanie deals with a soldier of fortune from Little Havana. (7)

15. ANXIOUS PEOPLE, by Fredrik Backman. (Atria) A failed bank robber holds a group of strangers hostage at an apartment open house. (15)

NONFICTION

1. A PROMISED LAND, by Barack Obama. (Crown) In the first volume of his presidential memoirs, Barack Obama offers personal reflections on his formative years and pivotal moments through his first term. (5)

2. GREENLIGHTS, by Matthew McConaughey. (Crown) The Academy Award-winning actor shares snippets from the diaries he kept over the last 35 years. (9)

3. HUMANS, by Brandon Stanton. (St. Martin’s) Photos and stories of people from over 40 countries collected by the creator of “Humans of New York.” (9)

4. BAG MAN, by Rachel Maddow and Michael Yarvitz. (Crown) The MSNBC host gives an account of the 1973 investigation of then Vice President Spiro T. Agnew and its impact on politics and the media. (2)

5. CASTE, by Isabel Wilkerson. (Random House) The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist examines aspects of caste systems across civilizations and reveals a rigid hierarchy in America today. (20)

6. 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. (90)

7. WORLD OF WONDERS, by Aimee Nezhukumatathil. (Milkweed) In a collection of essays, the poet celebrates various aspects of the natural world and its inhabitants. (2)

8. UNTAMED, by Glennon Doyle. (Dial) The activist and public speaker describes her journey of listening to her inner voice. (41)

9. THE LAST DAYS OF JOHN LENNON, by James Patterson with Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge. (Little, Brown) The story of the killing of the former

member of the Beatles by Mark David Chapman in 1980 and interviews with some of Lennon’s friends and associates. (2)

10. THE SPLENDID AND THE VILE, by Erik Larson. (Crown) An examination of the leadership of Prime Minister Winston Churchill. (29)

11. IS THIS ANYTHING? by Jerry Seinfeld. (Simon & Schuster) The comedian shares material he collected in an accordion folder over the last 45 years. (9)

12. MY OWN WORDS, by Ruth Bader Ginsburg with Mary Hartnett and Wendy W. Williams. (Simon & Schuster) A collection of articles and speeches by the Supreme Court justice. (11)

13. KILLING CRAZY HORSE, by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard. (Holt) The ninth book in the conservative commentator’s “Killing” series focuses on conflicts with Native Americans. (13)

14. THE MAMBA MENTALITY, by Kobe Bryant. (Melcher Media/MCD/Farrar, Straus & Giroux) Various skills and techniques used on the court by the late Los Angeles Lakers player. (21)

15. THE ANSWER IS …, by Alex Trebek. (Simon & Schuster) A memoir by the host of the TV game show “Jeopardy!” from 1984 to 2020. (8)