Books

LOCAL BEST SELLERS FROM BOOKS-A-MILLION IN OXFORD

FICTION

1. (1) THE CHRISTMAS SWEATER by Glenn Beck. (Threshold Editions, $19.99)

2. (2) CROSS COUNTRY by James Patterson. (Little, Brown, $27.99)

3. (3) DIVINE JUSTICE by David Baldacci. (Grand Central, $27.99)

4. (4) THE LUCKY ONE by Nicholas Sparks. (Grand Central, $24.99.)

5. 6) JUST AFTER SUNSET by Stephen King. (Scribner, $20)

NONFICTION

1. (5) DEWEY, by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter. (Grand Central, $19.99.)

2. (7) BOLD FRESH PIECE OF HUMANITY by Bill O¹Reilly. (Broadway, $26.)

3. (9) FLAT BELLY DIET by Liz Vacariello. (Rodale, $25.95)

4. (16) TOO FAT TO FISH by Artie Lange (Spiegel & Grau, $24.95)

5. (19) THE LAST LECTURE by Randy Pausch. (Hyperion, $21.95)

FICTION

1. THE CHRISTMAS SWEATER, by Glenn Beck with Kevin Balfe and Jason Wright. (Threshold Editions, $19.99.) A boy learns from his disappointment with his mother's gift. THIS WEEK: 1 LAST WEEK: — WEEKS ON LIST: 1

2. JUST AFTER SUNSET, by Stephen King. (Scribner, $28.) Short stories blending fantasy and psychological realism. THIS WEEK: 2 LAST WEEK: — WEEKS ON LIST: 1

3. DIVINE JUSTICE, by David Baldacci. (Grand Central, $27.) Members of Washington's Camel Club rally to save their leader, who is hiding out in the town of Divine, Va. THIS WEEK: 3 LAST WEEK: 1 WEEKS ON LIST: 2

4. THE HOUR I FIRST BELIEVED, by Wally Lamb. (Harper, $29.95.) A man reconstructs five generations of family history and secrets from a cache of old diaries and letters. THIS WEEK: 4 LAST WEEK: — WEEKS ON LIST: 1

5. A MERCY, by Toni Morrison. (Knopf, $23.95.) In 17th-century America, a slave mother urges a Northern farmer to buy her daughter so that she can have a better life. THIS WEEK: 5 LAST WEEK: — WEEKS ON LIST: 1

6. THE GATE HOUSE, by Nelson DeMille. (Grand Central, $27.99.) In a sequel to “The Gold Coast” (1990) a tax attorney and his ex-wife explore a reconciliation. THIS WEEK: 6 LAST WEEK: 4 WEEKS ON LIST: 3

7. EXTREME MEASURES, by Vince Flynn. (Atria, $27.95.) Mitch Rapp teams up with a CIA colleague to fight a terrorist cell and the politicians who would rein them in. THIS WEEK: 7 LAST WEEK: 5 WEEKS ON LIST: 4

8. SALVATION IN DEATH, by J. D. Robb. (Putnam, $25.95.) Lt. Eve Dallas investigates the murder of a mysterious priest; by Nora Roberts, writing pseudonymously. THIS WEEK: 8 LAST WEEK: 2 WEEKS ON LIST: 2

9. THE LUCKY ONE, by Nicholas Sparks. (Grand Central, $24.99.) A marine returning home sets out to track down the woman whose photo he found in Iraq. THIS WEEK: 9 LAST WEEK: 6 WEEKS ON LIST: 7

10. SWALLOWING DARKNESS, by Laurell K. Hamilton. (Ballantine, $26.) In the seventh Meredith Gentry paranormal romance, Meredith is pregnant with twins. THIS WEEK: 10 LAST WEEK: 3 WEEKS ON LIST: 2

11(x). THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE, by David Wroblewski. (Ecco, $25.95.) A mute takes refuge with three dogs in the Wisconsin woods after his father's death. THIS WEEK: 11 (x) LAST WEEK: 9 WEEKS ON LIST: 23

12. THE BRASS VERDICT, by Michael Connelly. (Little, Brown, $26.) Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller (the Lincoln lawyer) team up to find a killer. THIS WEEK: 12 LAST WEEK: 8 WEEKS ON LIST: 5

13. THE BODIES LEFT BEHIND, by Jeffery Deaver. (Simon & Schuster, $26.95.) A sheriff's deputy is hunted in the Wisconsin woods by hit men after she finds the scene of their crime. THIS WEEK: 13 LAST WEEK: — WEEKS ON LIST: 1

14. MIDNIGHT, by Sister Souljah. (Atria, $26.95.) A boy from Sudan struggles to protect his mother and sister and remain true to his Islamic principles in a Brooklyn housing project. THIS WEEK: 14 LAST WEEK: 7 WEEKS ON LIST: 2

15. THE HOST, by Stephenie Meyer. (Little, Brown, $25.99.) One woman won't surrender to the aliens that have taken control. THIS WEEK: 15 LAST WEEK: 13 WEEKS ON LIST: 28

16(x). ENDER IN EXILE, by Orson Scott Card. (Tor/Tom Doherty, $25.95.) The latest entry in the “Ender” science fiction series. THIS WEEK: 16 (x) LAST WEEK: WEEKS ON LIST: 1

NONFICTION

1. TOO FAT TO FISH, by Artie Lange with Anthony Bozza. (Spiegel & Grau, $24.95.) Humorous memories from the comedian, a member of the cast of “The Howard Stern Show.” THIS WEEK: 1 LAST WEEK: WEEKS ON LIST: 1

2. AMERICAN LION, by Jon Meacham. (Random House, $30.) Andrew Jackson, the seventh president, in the White House, by the editor of Newsweek. THIS WEEK: 2 LAST WEEK: — WEEKS ON LIST: 1

3. DEWEY, by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter. (Grand Central, $19.99.) The kitten left freezing in the returned-book slot of an Iowa public library and his rise to fame. THIS WEEK: 3 LAST WEEK: 1 WEEKS ON LIST: 9

4(x). HOT, FLAT, AND CROWDED, by Thomas L. Friedman. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $27.95.) How a green revolution can renew America, by the New York Times columnist. THIS WEEK: 4 (x) LAST WEEK: 6 WEEKS ON LIST: 10

5. THE SNOWBALL, by Alice Schroeder. (Bantam, $35.) The life of Warren Buffett. THIS WEEK: 5 LAST WEEK: 2 WEEKS ON LIST: 7

6. A BOLD FRESH PIECE OF HUMANITY, by Bill O'Reilly. (Broadway, $26.) The Fox News commentator on his upbringing and career. THIS WEEK: 6 LAST WEEK: 3 WEEKS ON LIST: 8

7. THE AMERICAN JOURNEY OF BARACK OBAMA, by the editors of Life magazine. (Little, Brown, $24.99.) Photographs and essays, starting with Obama's birth in Hawaii. THIS WEEK: 7 LAST WEEK: 7 WEEKS ON LIST: 2

8. CALL ME TED, by Ted Turner with Bill Burke. (Grand Central, $30.) The entrepreneur's personal story. THIS WEEK: 8 LAST WEEK: — WEEKS ON LIST: 1

9. LETTER TO MY DAUGHTER, by Maya Angelou. (Random House, $25.) Reminiscences, appreciations and poems from the author of “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” THIS WEEK: 9 LAST WEEK: 4 WEEKS ON LIST: 7

10. DREAMS FROM MY FATHER, by Barack Obama. (Crown, $25.95.) The president-elect on life as the son of a black African father and a white American mother. THIS WEEK: 10 LAST WEEK: 8 WEEKS ON LIST: 2

11. THE AUDACITY OF HOPE, by Barack Obama. (Crown, $25.) The president-elect asks Americans to move beyond political divisions. THIS WEEK: 11 LAST WEEK: 11 WEEKS ON LIST: 32

12. FLEECED, by Dick Morris and Eileen McGann. (Harper, $26.95.) Americans are fleeced by government, business, labor unions and lobbyists. (b) THIS WEEK: 12 LAST WEEK: 12 WEEKS ON LIST: 18

13. AGAINST MEDICAL ADVICE, by James Patterson and Hal Friedman. (Little, Brown, $26.99.) A family's struggle to get treatment for their son's Tourette's syndrome. THIS WEEK: 13 LAST WEEK: 5 WEEKS ON LIST: 4

14(x). MY STROKE OF INSIGHT, by Jill Bolte Taylor. (Viking, $24.95.) A brain scientist shares what she learned from her 1996 stroke. THIS WEEK: 14 (x) LAST WEEK: 9 WEEKS ON LIST: 14

15. MULTIPLE BLESSINGS, by Jon Gosselin, Kate Gosselin and Beth Carson. (Zondervan, $19.) A couple has sextuplets. THIS WEEK: 15 LAST WEEK: 10 WEEKS ON LIST: 5

16(x). THE RISE OF BARACK OBAMA, by Pete Souza. (Triumph, $27.95.) Photographs of Obama's career, from his first day in the U.S. Senate to the Pennsylvania primary last April. THIS WEEK: 16 (x) LAST WEEK: 16 WEEKS ON LIST: 2

ADVICE, HOW-TO AND MISCELLANEOUS

1. BAREFOOT CONTESSA BACK TO BASICS, by Ina Garten. (Clarkson Potter, $35.) Cooking techniques and nearly 100 new recipes for elegant meals. THIS WEEK: 1 WEEKS ON LIST: 3

2. THE LAST LECTURE, by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow. (Hyperion, $21.95.) Thoughts on “seizing every moment” from Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon professor who died of pancreatic cancer at age 47. THIS WEEK: 2 WEEKS ON LIST: 32

3. YOU: BEING BEAUTIFUL, by Michael F. Roizen, Mehmet C. Oz et al. (Free Press, $26.99.) How foods and vitamins, creams and gels, mood swings and the management of pain affect inner and outer beauty. THIS WEEK: 3 WEEKS ON LIST: 1

4. FLAT BELLY DIET!, by Liz Vaccariello and Cynthia Sass. (Rodale, $25.95.) Nutrition advice and workout tips from the editors of Prevention magazine. THIS WEEK: 4 WEEKS ON LIST: 3

5. THE PURPOSE OF CHRISTMAS, by Rick Warren. (Howard Books, $17.99.) Reclaiming the holiday as a time for celebration, salvation and reconciliation. THIS WEEK: 5 WEEKS ON LIST: 2

6. GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS 2009, edited by Craig Glenday. (Guinness, $28.95.) Tallest, fastest, youngest, most. THIS WEEK: 6 WEEKS ON LIST: 9

7. THE SECRET, by Rhonda Byrne. (Atria/Beyond Words, $23.95.) The law of attraction as a key to getting what you want. THIS WEEK: 7 WEEKS ON LIST: 97

8. MARTHA STEWART'S COOKING SCHOOL, by Martha Stewart with Sarah Carey. Photographs by Marcus Nilsson and Ditte Isager. (Clarkson Potter, $45.) How to roast, broil, braise, stew, saute, poach and more. THIS WEEK: 8 WEEKS ON LIST: 4

9. GIADA'S KITCHEN, by Giada De Laurentiis. (Clarkson Potter, $32.50.) A collection of 100 Italian recipes with a California twist. THIS WEEK: 9 WEEKS ON LIST: 7

10. REAL SEX FOR REAL WOMEN, by Laura Berman. (DK Adult, $25.) Approaching sex in a way that maximizes physical health, emotional health and sexual pleasure. THIS WEEK: 10 WEEKS ON LIST: 2

NONFICTION

1. THE AUDACITY OF HOPE, by Barack Obama. (Three Rivers, $14.95, Vintage, $7.99.) The president-elect asks Americans to move beyond political divisions. THIS WEEK: 1 WEEKS ON LIST: 47

2. DREAMS FROM MY FATHER, by Barack Obama. (Three Rivers, $14.95.) Obama on life as the son of a black African father and a white American mother. THIS WEEK: 2 WEEKS ON LIST: 122

3. CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN, by the editors of Time Magazine with a foreword by Barack Obama. (Three Rivers, $13.95.) Speeches and policy proposals from Obama's presidential campaign. THIS WEEK: 3 WEEKS ON LIST: 5

4. MARLEY & ME, by John Grogan. (Harper, $13.95 and $7.99.) Lessons learned from a neurotic dog. THIS WEEK: 4 WEEKS ON LIST: 36

5. THREE CUPS OF TEA, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. (Penguin, $15.) A former climber builds schools in villages in Pakistan and Afghanistan. THIS WEEK: 5 WEEKS ON LIST: 94

6. TEAM OF RIVALS, by Doris Kearns Goodwin. (Simon & Schuster, $21.) The political genius of Abraham Lincoln. THIS WEEK: 6 WEEKS ON LIST: 16

7(x). EAT, PRAY, LOVE, by Elizabeth Gilbert. (Penguin, $15.) A writer's yearlong journey in search of self. THIS WEEK: 7 (x) WEEKS ON LIST: 95

8. 90 MINUTES IN HEAVEN, by Don Piper with Cecil Murphey. (Revell, $12.99.) A minister on the otherworldly experience he had after an accident. THIS WEEK: 8 WEEKS ON LIST: 108

9. THE FORGOTTEN MAN, by Amity Shlaes. (Harper Perennial, $15.95.) A reinterpretation of the New Deal and the Great Depression. THIS WEEK: 9 WEEKS ON LIST: 6

10(x). I HOPE THEY SERVE BEER IN HELL, by Tucker Max. (Citadel/Kensington, $12.95.) Life as a self-absorbed, drunken womanizer. THIS WEEK: 10 (x) WEEKS ON LIST: 59

11. THE ZOOKEEPER'S WIFE, by Diane Ackerman. (Norton, $14.95.) How a Warsaw couple sheltered Jews and members of the Resistance during World War II. THIS WEEK: 11 WEEKS ON LIST: 10

12. A LONG WAY GONE, by Ishmael Beah. (Sarah Crichton/Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $12.) A former child soldier from Sierra Leone describes his ordeal. THIS WEEK: 12 WEEKS ON LIST: 14

13. THE TIPPING POINT, by Malcolm Gladwell. (Back Bay/Little, Brown, $14.95.) A study of social epidemics. THIS WEEK: 13 WEEKS ON LIST: 215

14. THE OMNIVORE'S DILEMMA, by Michael Pollan. (Penguin, $16.) Tracking food from soil to plate. THIS WEEK: 14 WEEKS ON LIST: 61

15. THE NINE, by Jeffrey Toobin. (Anchor, $15.95.) Inside the secret world of the Supreme Court. THIS WEEK: 15 WEEKS ON LIST: 9

16. MUSICOPHILIA, by Oliver Sacks. (Vintage, $14.95.) The neurologist and author of “Awakenings” examines the interaction between music and the brain. THIS WEEK: 16 WEEKS ON LIST: 7

17. SAME KIND OF DIFFERENT AS ME, by Ron Hall and Denver Moore with Lynn Vincent. (Nelson, $14.99.) The unlikely friendship between a homeless drifter and a successful art dealer who meet at a shelter in Texas. THIS WEEK: 17 WEEKS ON LIST: 5

18. ANIMAL, VEGETABLE, MIRACLE, by Barbara Kingsolver with Steven L. Hopp and Camille Kingsolver. (Harper Perennial, $14.95.) The novelist and her family spend a year eating homegrown or local food. THIS WEEK: 18 WEEKS ON LIST: 28

19. OBAMA'S CHALLENGE, by Robert Kuttner. (Chelsea Green, $14.95.) How the next president should handle the current economic crisis. THIS WEEK: 19 WEEKS ON LIST: 1

20. RIGGED, by Ben Mezrich. (Harper Perennial, $14.95.) A young trader on the Mercantile Exchange in Manhattan conspires to revolutionize the oil-trading industry. THIS WEEK: 20 WEEKS ON LIST: 2

ADVICE, HOW-TO AND MISCELLANEOUS

1. TWILIGHT, by Mark Cotta Vaz. (Little, Brown, $16.99.) A behind-the-scenes look at the film based on the vampire romance for young adults by Stephenie Meyer. THIS WEEK: 1 WEEKS ON LIST: 5

2. THE LOVE DARE, by Stephen and Alex Kendrick with Lawrence Kimbrough. (B&H, $14.99.) A 40-day challenge for spouses to practice unconditional love. (b) THIS WEEK: 2 WEEKS ON LIST: 8

3. RACHAEL RAY'S BIG ORANGE BOOK, by Rachael Ray. (Clarkson Potter, $24.95.) New 30-minute meals, including vegetarian dinners, kosher meals, holiday menus and recipes for one. THIS WEEK: 3 WEEKS ON LIST: 2

4. WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING, by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel. (Workman, $14.95.) Advice for parents-to-be. (b) THIS WEEK: 4 WEEKS ON LIST: 387

5. THE FIVE LOVE LANGUAGES, by Gary Chapman. (Northfield, $13.99.) How to communicate love in a way a spouse will understand. THIS WEEK: 5 WEEKS ON LIST: 73

6. SKINNY BITCH, by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. (Running Press, $13.95.) Vegan diet advice from the world of modeling. THIS WEEK: 6 WEEKS ON LIST: 71

7. A NEW EARTH, by Eckhart Tolle. (Plume, $14.) A spiritual teacher prescribes letting go of the ego to help end conflict and suffering. THIS WEEK: 7 WEEKS ON LIST: 42

8(x). I CAN HAS CHEEZBURGER?, by Professor Happycat and icanhascheezburger.com. (Gotham, $10.) More than 200 “LOLcats” pictures of cats with funny captions (sample: “im in ur tube, blockin ur internets”) from the popular Web site. THIS WEEK: 8 (x) WEEKS ON LIST: 6

9. THE POWER OF NOW, by Eckhart Tolle. (New World Library, $14.) A guide to personal growth and spiritual enlightenment. THIS WEEK: 9 WEEKS ON LIST: 57

10. THE BRO CODE, by Barney Stinson with Matt Kuhn. (Fireside, $13.) Rules of conduct for “Bros,” inspired by the television show “How I Met Your Mother.” THIS WEEK: 10 WEEKS ON LIST: 2

PAPERBACK BOOKS

TRADE FICTION

1. THE SHACK, by William P. Young. (Windblown Media, $14.99.) A man whose daughter was abducted receives an invitation to an isolated shack, apparently from God. (b) THIS WEEK: 1 WEEKS ON LIST: 26

2. THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES, by Sue Monk Kidd. (Penguin, $15 and $14.) In South Carolina in 1964, a teenage girl tries to discover the secret to her mother's past. THIS WEEK: 2 WEEKS ON LIST: 22

3. WORLD WITHOUT END, by Ken Follett. (New American Library, $22.) Love and intrigue in Kingsbridge, the medieval English cathedral town at the center of Follett's “Pillars of the Earth.” THIS WEEK: 3 WEEKS ON LIST: 6

4. THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO, by Junot Diaz. (Riverhead, $14.) A nerdy Dominican-American struggles to escape a family curse. THIS WEEK: 4 WEEKS ON LIST: 11

5. REMEMBER ME?, by Sophie Kinsella. (Dial, $14.) After an auto accident, a London woman loses her memory. THIS WEEK: 5 WEEKS ON LIST: 3

6. THE ALCHEMIST, by Paulo Coelho. (HarperOne, $13.95.) A Spanish shepherd boy travels to Egypt in search of treasure. THIS WEEK: 6 WEEKS ON LIST: 62

7. THE ROAD, by Cormac McCarthy. (Vintage, $14.95.) A father and son travel in post-apocalypse America. THIS WEEK: 7 WEEKS ON LIST: 63

8. LOVING FRANK, by Nancy Horan. (Ballantine, $14.) A story of the romance between Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Borthwick Cheney. THIS WEEK: 8 WEEKS ON LIST: 31

9. EVERY NOW AND THEN, by Karen Kingsbury. (Zondervan, $14.99.) A young man haunted by the death of his father on 9/11 is determined to infiltrate an environmental terrorist group to stop its evil deeds. THIS WEEK: 9 WEEKS ON LIST: 1

10. WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, by Sara Gruen. (Algonquin, $13.95.) A young man and an elephant save a Depression-era circus. THIS WEEK: 10 WEEKS ON LIST: 63

11. BAREFOOT, by Elin Hilderbrand. (Back Bay/Little, Brown, $13.99.) Three women with various problems spend a transformative summer together on Nantucket. THIS WEEK: 11 WEEKS ON LIST: 23

12(x). THE WHITE TIGER, by Aravind Adiga. (Free Press, $14.) A chauffeur in India relates the story of his transformation from manservant to entrepreneur to murderer; the winner of the 2008 Man Booker Prize. THIS WEEK: 12 (x) WEEKS ON LIST: 5

13. THE KITE RUNNER, by Khaled Hosseini. (Riverhead, $15.95 and $14.) An Afghan-American returns to Kabul to learn how a childhood friend has fared. THIS WEEK: 13 WEEKS ON LIST: 62

14. THE CHOICE, by Nicholas Sparks. (Grand Central, $13.99.) How a North Carolina man's decisions about love and death play out in his life. THIS WEEK: 14 WEEKS ON LIST: 13

15. THE WORLD ACCORDING TO BERTIE, by Alexander McCall Smith. (Anchor, $13.95.) Complications romantic, familial and canine at 44 Scotland Street. THIS WEEK: 15 WEEKS ON LIST: 1

16. IN THE WOODS, by Tana French. (Penguin, $14.) An Irish detective investigating the murder of a 12-year-old girl returns to the woods where he experienced a terrible ordeal as a child. THIS WEEK: 16 WEEKS ON LIST: 15

17(x). THE ALMOST MOON, by Alice Sebold. (Little, Brown, $14.99.) A woman accustomed to satisfying the needs of her clinging family finally reaches the point of no return. THIS WEEK: 17 (x) WEEKS ON LIST: 10

18. NIGHTS IN RODANTHE, by Nicholas Sparks. (Grand Central, $13.99.) Romance ignites between a middle-aged man and woman at a North Carolina inn. THIS WEEK: 18 WEEKS ON LIST: 15

19. OUT STEALING HORSES, by Per Petterson. (Picador, $14.) In a remote cabin, a Norwegian man circles around his memories. THIS WEEK: 19 WEEKS ON LIST: 18

20. HOME TO HOLLY SPRINGS, by Jan Karon. (Penguin, $14.95.) The Mitford character Father Tim returns to his native town to reconnect with family and friends. THIS WEEK: 20 WEEKS ON LIST: 3

MASS-MARKET FICTION

1. THE DARKEST EVENING OF THE YEAR, by Dean Koontz. (Bantam, $7.99.) A woman who rescues golden retrievers is shadowed by an evil stranger. THIS WEEK: 1 WEEKS ON LIST: 4

2. ONE SILENT NIGHT, by Sherrilyn Kenyon. (St. Martin's, $6.99.) Stryker's plot to kill his enemies is complicated by the return of his ex-wife; a Dark-Hunter novel. THIS WEEK: 2 WEEKS ON LIST: 2

3. DEAD UNTIL DARK, by Charlaine Harris. (Ace, $7.99.) Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic cocktail waitress in rural Louisiana, falls in love with a bad-boy vampire. THIS WEEK: 3 WEEKS ON LIST: 10

4. FOUL PLAY, by Janet Evanovich. (Harper, $7.99.) A veterinarian hires a woman who has lost her TV job to a dancing chicken, then helps her prove her innocence when the chicken disappears; a reissue of a 1989 book. THIS WEEK: 4 WEEKS ON LIST: 3

5(x). DOUBLE CROSS, by James Patterson. (Vision, $9.99.) Alex Cross and his new girlfriend, a police detective, confront a boastful Washington killer. THIS WEEK: 5 (x) WEEKS ON LIST: 7

6. THE CHASE, by Clive Cussler. (Berkley, $9.99.) A detective tails a killer all over the early-20th-century West. THIS WEEK: 6 WEEKS ON LIST: 3

7. SUITE 606, by J. D. Robb, Mary Blayney, Ruth Ryan Langan and Mary Kay McComas. (Berkley, $7.99.) Four new stories of paranormal romance and suspense. THIS WEEK: 7 WEEKS ON LIST: 2

8(x). DUMA KEY, by Stephen King. (Pocket, $9.99.) A Minnesota contractor moves to Florida to recover from an injury and starts creating paintings with eerie powers. THIS WEEK: 8 (x) WEEKS ON LIST: 4

9. SMALL TOWN CHRISTMAS, by Debbie Macomber. (Mira, $7.99.) A reissue of two books: “Return to Promise” and “Mail-Order Bride.” THIS WEEK: 9 WEEKS ON LIST: 3

10. TOM CLANCY'S GHOST RECON, by David Michaels. (Berkley, $9.99.) An elite military team must thwart a plot by Chinese renegades to seize Taiwan. THIS WEEK: 10 WEEKS ON LIST: 2

11. LIVING DEAD IN DALLAS, by Charlaine Harris. (Ace, $7.99.) A vampire asks Sookie Stackhouse to find one of his missing companions. THIS WEEK: 11 WEEKS ON LIST: 10

12. THE ARCTIC EVENT, by James H. Cobb. (Vision, $7.99.) Robert Ludlum's character Lt. Col. Jon Smith is dispatched to Canada to defuse a situation involving weaponized anthrax; a Covert-One book. THIS WEEK: 12 WEEKS ON LIST: 2

13. DEAD TO THE WORLD, by Charlaine Harris. (Ace, $7.99.) Sookie Stackhouse's vampire boyfriend has traveled to Peru, leaving her to deal with his amnesiac boss. THIS WEEK: 13 WEEKS ON LIST: 6

14(x). CLUB DEAD, by Charlaine Harris. (Ace, $7.99.) When Sookie Stackhouse's boyfriend is kidnapped, she goes to Mississippi to find him with the help of an undead Elvis. THIS WEEK: 14 (x) WEEKS ON LIST: 9

15. SILVER BELLS, by Fern Michaels, JoAnn Ross, Mary Burton and Judy Duarte. (Zebra/Kensington, $7.99.) Four new holiday-themed romances. THIS WEEK: 15 WEEKS ON LIST: 3

16. QUICKSAND, by Iris Johansen. (St. Martin's, $7.99.) The forensic sculptor Eve Duncan tracks a killer who claims to have murdered her daughter years earlier. THIS WEEK: 16 WEEKS ON LIST: 4

17. DEAD AS A DOORNAIL, by Charlaine Harris. (Ace, $7.99.) Sookie Stackhouse is drawn into the world of were-politics when a friend's father tries to take over his local werewolf pack. THIS WEEK: 17 WEEKS ON LIST: 5

18. DEFINITELY DEAD, by Charlaine Harris. (Ace, $7.99.) A New Orleans vampire queen tries to stop Sookie Stackhouse from looking into the past of her consort, who is Sookie's cousin. THIS WEEK: 18 WEEKS ON LIST: 4

19. ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS A VAMPIRE, by Kerrelyn Sparks. (Avon, $6.99.) A woman tries to win her friend's release from a mental hospital by proving that vampires really exist. THIS WEEK: 19 WEEKS ON LIST: 3

20. FIRST IMPRESSIONS, by Nora Roberts. (Silhouette, $7.99.) A businessman hoping to escape women is beguiled by his sassy neighbor; a reissue of a 1984 story, along with “Blithe Images,” a story from 1982. THIS WEEK: 20 WEEKS ON LIST: 7