Recordpub.com - One for the Books: Cults, Power Politics, Obsession

For a true account of the life of a young woman raised inside a cult of ignorance and paranoia, "Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs" by Elissa Wall with Lisa Pulitzer is surprisingly well written and easy to read. Wall grew up in the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints, a renegade polygamous branch of the Mormons. She was the 11th of her mother's 14 children and 19th of her father's 24. In her book, she takes us inside the FLDS community, detailing what happens at home, at school and at worship services. "Sometimes we would go to bed hungry," she says, because there were so many children there wasn't always enough food. When a father would bring a new "sister wife" into the family, she was welcomed as a gift from God, approved by the "prophet, ... the Lord's mouthpiece on earth." Marriage was the only goal of every girl because a female can get into heaven only by being invited in by her husband. In fact, the FLDS has lots of bizarre rules to subjugate women and keep even men under the thumb of the all-powerful "prophet." Wall writes, "Our religion left no room for logical reasoning and honest questioning." They even wear special undergarments to keep them pure.

But the underwear hit the fan when young Elissa, at the tender age of 14, was told by "prophet" Warren Jeffs that she was to have the privilege of marrying her 19-year-old first cousin. No part of this was good news for Elissa: she wanted a chance to grow up; she wanted an education; she hated her bullying cousin. She felt this was incestuous and begged Jeffs for mercy, but he ignored her pleas and, at 14, she was forced to marry. After enduring years of abuse at the hands of her husband, she finally realized that "Marriage wasn't about God, or the prophet, or any of that. It was about controlling women" and, in fact, that "Many aspects of the religion were based on revoking the rights of women." When she finally got away from the FLDS, she decided to sue Jeffs so that her sisters wouldn't have to go through what she did. The trial was very moving for me; as I read the court proceedings, I could feel my blood pressure rising: There is no excuse, ever, for anyone to treat a child this way, or to treat a female as less than a male. Cult or mainstream religion, it is totally unacceptable to me.

It's a powerful memoir. The last book on the oppression of women that got me this angry was the novel "Possessing the Secret of Joy" by Alice Walker.

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Much has been said about how ex-White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan turned against his former boss by writing "What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception." But this is not an exposé of a failed presidency. In fact, McClellan says he still believes in President Bush. He does, however, have plenty to say against Bush's advisers, including Donald Rumsfeld, Karl Rove, "the fully trusted and sometimes too accommodating Condi Rice," and, of course, "the magic man, Vice President Cheney." McClellan says the advisers failed the president. In discussing the run-up to the Iraq war, he says Bush's motive all along was to transform the region into a "free Middle East." Cheney and Rumsfeld's motives were different, but their means were the same: War was the easiest way to gain their goal, and they set out to sell the idea to the American people. Did they exaggerate, twist the facts or even make things up, to build their case? McClellan says Bush didn't, but the advisers did. But he also says that "To this day, the president seems unbothered by the disconnect between the chief rationale for war and the driving motivation behind it, and unconcerned about how the case was packaged," that Bush is "unable to acknowledge that he got it wrong, ... too stubborn to change and grow," that his first "grave mistake" was rushing to invade Iraq, and his second "was his virtual blindness about his first mistake."

He describes his duties and routine at the White House and on official trips and discusses Sept. 11, Hurricane Katrina, and the Valerie Plame-CIA leak scandal. He has no love for the Washington press, which he says no longer does its job, and he has nothing good to say about Democrats, as he repeatedly bashes the Clinton White House. McClellan's main complaint is the "permanent campaign" mentality that pervades Washington. He has some interesting points about how government has deteriorated into bitter partisanship and "politics as war." This is really a long discourse on political philosophy that would be interesting for any young person interested in going into politics, journalism or public relations.

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As pretty much of a teetotaler, I found "The Billionaire's Vinegar: The Mystery of the World's Most Expensive Bottle of Wine" by Benjamin Wallace remarkably interesting. The book is filled with colorful personalities -- including auctioneers, celebrities, and very, very rich collectors -- who have in common their love for wine -- or just an obsession to possess something rare and valuable. The "mystery" centers around bottles of wine marked "1787," being sold as the former property of Thomas Jefferson. Is the wine really that old? Did it indeed once belong to the American president? Or is it a fake? The author teaches us about wine, vintages, bottles, storing wine, uncorking, decanting, how the wine, cork and bottle can be tested for age, how bottles and labels can be counterfeited, how wine can be tampered with while still in the bottle, and methods devised to prevent or reveal such deceptions. He conveys the anticipation of uncorking an old wine: "Opening one of these bottles could be like waking something up gradually, or igniting something that burned brightly before quickly petering out. You never knew which it would be." He said wine-tasters "crowded around like children about to unwrap Christmas presents." The author's explanations help the reader understand the importance of what takes place at an auction and during tastings, and how wine is valued. So, here's a quiz for you: How much wine is in a double magnum? What is a hogshead? What's the biggest bottle of wine called?*

*For the answers, along with a list of best-sellers and other book news, go to www.recordpub.com, click on "Lifetimes," and check out "One for the Books" online.

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BOOK NOTES, One for the Books Extra Online Exclusives:

*ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS IN COLUMN:
(from "The Billionaire's Vinegar: The Mystery of the World's Most Expensive Bottle of Wine" by Benjamin Wallace)

Names of wine containers --

A storage bin holds 300 bottles.
A hogshead is a 63-gallon cask.
magnum = 2 bottles
Marie-Jeanne = 3 bottles
double magnum = 4 bottles
Jeroboam = 6 bottles (older: Rehoboam)
Imperiale = 8 bottles (older: Methusaleh)
Salmanazar = 12 bottles
Balthazar = 16 bottles
Nebuchadnezzer = 20 bottles

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For more information on the "sacred" Mormon underwear, go to

http://lds.about.com/od/faq/f/faq_garments.htm

I am not making fun of them for this. I'm just saying. By the way, the Mormon church is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but I called the FLDS what Elissa Wall called it in her book. Believe me, this bunch has very little to do with Jesus.

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Speaking of the role of women in the church, Maryknoll Father Roy Bourgeois, who celebrated a Mass at a women's ordination ceremony earlier this month, is in trouble for doing so:

"Bourgeois considers the exclusion of women from ordination an injustice and one rooted in the fact that "the interpretation of the teachings of Jesus, over time, has been controlled exclusively by men." ... Even so, he said, Maryknoll and other men's orders should be "open enough" and "have courage enough" to discuss the matter with women. "We don't have to start ordaining women, but can we at least invite women in and just listen? Can we shut up long enough to hear their stories, their experiences of being marginalized in the church? Can we hear the pain they feel?""

http://ncronline3.org/drupal/?q=node/1650

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LOCAL BOOK CLUBS:

The Book Discussion Group at the Randolph Library meets the first Monday of the month, except August, at 6:30 p.m. in the Randolph Senior Center. The group is open to everyone, and new members are always welcome. The library will have extra copies of the chosen book each month.

September: To be announced. Call the library at 330-325-7003.
October 6: The Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin
November 3: City of Fallen Angels by John Berendt
December 1: Manhunt by James Swanson

Pierce-Streetsboro Library's Book Discussion Group meets regularly on the second Monday of each month at 6:45 p.m. in the library's meeting room. New members are always welcome to attend and participate in the discussion. The library is located at 8990 Kirby Lane in Streetsboro, next to the administrative offices of the Streetsboro City Schools. For more information, call the library at 330-626-4458. Here is the schedule of meeting dates and books to be discussed:

Sept. 8: Daniel Isn't Talking by Marti Leimbach (fiction)
Oct. 20: (third Monday, due to Columbus Day holiday): The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (nonfiction)
Nov. 10: Just Beyond the Clouds by Karen Kingsbury (fiction)
Dec. 8: Where Angels Go by Debbie Macomber (fiction)
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Jerome Corsi's anti-Obama book (published by Mary Matalin's imprint) has soared to No. 1. Obama's campaign has issued a 40-page rebuttal, called "Unfit for Publication."

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5j-xORhpHhivePOAxUDFJ3U1xmjJAD92IASUG2

and

http://my.barackobama.com/page/invite/corsi

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Will Simon & Schuster have to answer for Corsi? That's what The New York Observer asks in this piece about Jerome Corsi, the author of the sleazy "The Obama Nation," as well as the 2004 full-of-lies anti-John Kerry book "Unfit for Command."

http://www.observer.com/2008/media/will-simon-schuster-have-answer-corsi

That, in turn, will lead you to this blog:

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0808/Corsis_publisher_unscathed.html?showall

Look for the Aug. 19, 2008, entry.
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Now, it's my turn:

****** ONE FOR THE BOOKS EDITORIAL!!!!***

O.K. I'm a self-confessed political junkie, and I'm as fascinated by political books as the next person. But I don't need lies. We already get plenty of those. Corsi's "facts," from all accounts, are mostly exaggerations, twistings of the truth, or outright falsehoods against Senator Obama. Much of the "documentation" he uses in his "footnotes" just refers to right-wing blogs. What kind of source of information are they?

Look. We all need information. We need to know the truth -- THE TRUTH -- about the people we're voting for -- and against. I don't want to read a scathing rebuke of one candidate based on lies, nor do I want to read another sanctifying the saintly, walk-on-water, too-good-to-be-true-ness of another. This is NO time for worthless, time-wasting, soul-destroying tripe. And I will feel the same way if someone comes out with a book of lies slamming Senator McCain.

But this book is published by Simon and Schuster -- a reputable publisher -- thereby lending validity to this hunk of junk. What I want you to do is write to Simon and Schuster and tell them what a disgrace this is.

Of course I believe in freedom of the press, but why waste time, money and trees in a grand effort to lie to the American people? Simon and Schuster should be ashamed of themselves, and we should tell them so.

Please join me in writing to:

Carolyn Reidy, president and CEO
Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, 11th floor
New York, NY 10020

And after you've done so, please call me at 330-296-9657, ext. 1254, drop an e-mail to me at books@recordpub.com, or add a comment to this page to let me know you wrote to her. Or let me know you disagree with me.

Thanks for your help!
******
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Well, at least SOMEBODY is checking out the facts.

http://mediamatters.org/action_center/corsi_freddoso/archive

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And here's a really good summary of the Corsi situation.

http://mediamatters.org/columns/200808190001

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from Publishers Weekly: "In the grand tradition of the recent Best of the Bookers award, the Bookseller will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year with the "Diagram of Diagrams--a public vote to find the oddest book title of the past 30 years." Among the contenders are previous winners Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Nude Mice (1978), How to Avoid Huge Ships (1992), Greek Rural Postmen and Their Cancellation Numbers (1996) and The Stray Shopping Carts of Eastern North America: A Guide to Field Identification (2006)."

http://www.thebookseller.com/in-depth/feature/64672-more-odd-than-odd.html

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I just discovered that my favorite Catholic nun, Sister Joan Chittister, has her own Web site, and she recommends books and everything! (I'm not Catholic; I just recognize a wise woman when I see one.)

http://www.benetvision.org

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Want to have some fun? Check this one out -- "Selections from H.P. Lovecraft's Brief Tenure as a Whitman's Sampler Copywriter":

http://www.mcsweeneys.net/2008/8/15burns.html

Then, be sure to click on the link at the bottom to "The Proofreader." It's hilarious!
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The winners of the Hugo Awards have been announced.

http://www.thehugoawards.org/

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There are more political books for children this year than you can shake a hanging chad at:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6519245.html?nid=2788

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Random House has canceled publication of a novel purporting to be about the wife of the Islamic prophet, on advice that it could be offensive to Muslims. Duh.

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6587282.html

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The newest book in the National Catholic Reporter Book Club is

"Re-engage! America and the World After Bush: An Informed Citizen's Guide -- The newest book by Quaker Helena Cobban, Re-Engage! America and the World After Bush, is a succinct blueprint for bringing the United States back into the international fold and, in doing so, tackle some of the world's problems."

http://ncronline3.org/drupal/?q=node/1655

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The finalists for the Thurber Prize for American Humor have been announced.

http://www.thurberhouse.org

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Who knew? When Julia Child was still Julia McWilliams, she was a spy for the U.S. Office of War Information. You can't make this stuff up!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/14/AR2008081403220.html

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The winners of the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association Book of the Year Awards have been announced:

http://www.newatlanticbooks.com/bookawards.asp

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The Dayton Peace Prize finalists have been announced.
"Celebrating the power of literature to promote peace and non-violent conflict resolution, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Committee today announced the ten finalists for the 2008 Dayton Literary Peace Prize. The Dayton Literary Peace Prize is the only international literary peace prize awarded in the United States. It was founded in 2006 as an outgrowth of the Dayton Peace Prize, which commemorates the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords ending the war in Bosnia. Each year, it recognizes a Lifetime Achievement recipient and adult fiction and nonfiction authors whose works promotes the cause of peace."

http://daytonliterarypeaceprize.org/2008-finalists.htm

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Who's the most beloved writer in the United Kingdom? Shakespeare? Jane Austen, maybe? Guess again! It's Enid Blyton. I kid you not.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/aug/19/awardsandprizes?gusrc=rss&feed=books

If it isn't there, look for Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2008's entry.

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from Publishers Weekly:
"B&N Cancels Order for Chelsea Green's Obama Book By Lynn Andriani
Barnes & Noble has cancelled its 10,000-copy order of Obama's Challenge, a book by Robert Kuttner that Chelsea Green is making available early exclusively through Amazon.com. Chelsea Green president and publisher Margo Baldwin said the chain will make the book available on BN.com and will special order it, but that it will not stock it in its stores. "In effect, they have made a decision to boycott this book in order to punish Chelsea Green," said Baldwin. B&N's decision follows in the wake of independent booksellers' outrageover the book being sold early exclusively through Amazon.com. B&N spokesperson Mary Ellen Keating said Chelsea Green's move "effectively takes away sales from all booksellers in the period when the predominate sales of such media related titles typically occur. Our initial order was based on the book being available to all booksellers simultaneously"an even playing field"which is common practice in book publishing." She continued, "We agree with Margo Baldwin's statement that 'a little perspective is in order' but believe the appropriate perspective is for the publisher to show appreciation to the bookselling community that has supported Chelsea Green for many years. To couch their action as a bold political move is a red herring for unfair business practices." Borders, however, is keeping its order. Spokesperson Anne Roman told PW, "We are keeping with our original buy and marketing plans for this title. It is an important book that will be sought after by our customers as the election heats up in October and we want to meet their needs." "

The author responds:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-kuttner/amazon-barnes-noble-battl_b_119913.html

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Should books be stored? recycled? given away? made into useful art?

http://blogs.smh.com.au/lifestyle/renovationnation/archives/2008/08/books_should_we.html

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A U.K. market research firm has released a list of the top 12 books that bookstores must keep in stock at all times:

http://www.quillandquire.com/blog/index.php/2008/08/12/twelve-must-haves-for-booksellers/

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from Publishers Weekly:
"The top-10 hardcover titles on the August 2008 Catholic Bestseller list are Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light by Mother Teresa with Brian Kolodiejchuk (Doubleday); A Persistent Peace by John Dear (Loyola Press); The Dream Manager by Matthew Kelly (Beacon Publishing/Hyperion); Rediscovering Catholicism by Matthew Kelly (Beacon Publishing); Catechism of the Catholic Church (Doubleday/Our Sunday Visitor/USCCB Publishing); The Gift of Years by Joan Chittister (BlueBridge); Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright (HarperOne); Celebration of Discipline, 25th Anniversary Edition by Richard Foster (HarperOne); Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To by Anthony DeStefano (Doubleday); and Christ Our Hope by Pope Benedict XVI (Paulist Press)."

Publishers Weekly's religious book best-seller list for August:

Hardcover
1 Become a Better You. Joel Osteen.
2 Mistaken Identity. Don & Susie Van Ryn and Newell, Colleen & Whitney Cerak.
3 Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires, the Respect he Desperately Needs.
4 Jesus Calling: Seeking Peace in His Presence. Sarah Young.
5 The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism. Timothy Keller.
6 Walking with God: Talk to Him. Hear from Him. Really. John Eldredge.
7 The Winner's Manual. Jim Tressel with Chris Fabry.
8 Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations. Alex Harris and Brett Harris.
9 Have a New Kid by Friday. Kevin Leman.
10 The Secret of True Happiness. Joyce Meyer.

Paperback
1 The Shack. William P. Young.
2 90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death and Life. Don Piper with Cecil Murphey.
3 A Sister's Hope. Wanda E. Brunstetter.
4 The Five Love Languages. Gary Chapman.
5 The God Delusion. Richard Dawkins.
6 Allison's Journey. Wanda E. Brunstetter.
7 The Purpose-Driven Life. Rick Warren.
8 Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul. John and Stasi Eldredge.
9 Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential. Joel Osteen.
10 Mere Christianity. C.S. Lewis.
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from Shelf Awareness: New Books Out August 19:

Rough Justice by Jack Higgins
Being Elizabeth by Barbara Taylor Bradford
First Daughter by Eric Van Lustbader
Death's Half Acre by Margaret Maron
Hard Driving: The Wendell Scott Story: An American Odyssey of NASCAR's First Black Driver by Brian Donovan

Now in paperback

The Choice by Nicholas Sparks

New Books out August 26:

Silks by Dick Francis and Felix Francis
Devil Bones: A Novel by Kathy Reichs
The Black Tower by Louis Bayard
Laughter of Dead Kings by Elizabeth Peters
She Had It Coming by Mary Monroe
Epilogue by Anne Roiphe
Creating Myself: How I Learned That Beauty Comes in All Shapes, Sizes, and Packages, Including Me by Mia Tyler

Now in paperback

Cold Hearted by Beverly Barton
Critical by Robin Cook
Stone Cold by David Baldacci
The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright
Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult
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Publishers Weekly On-Sale Calendar for Graphic Novels, Comics:

August 13, 2008
Simon Dark: What Simon Does (DC)
New Exiles Vol. 1: New Life, New Gambit (Marvel)
Grotesque Vol. 2 (Fantagraphics)
Amazing Remarkable Monsieur Leotard (First Second)
From the Shadow of the Northern Lights (Top Shelf Production)
Blood + Vol. 3 (Dark Horse)
Disappearance Diary (Fanfare/ Ponent Mon)
Doors of Chaos Vol. 2 (Tokyopop)
Black Lagoon Vol. 1 (Viz Media)
Forest of Gray City Vol. 2 (Yen Press)
Gimmick Vol. 2 (Viz Media)
I-Doll Vol. 2 (Tokyopop)

August 20, 2008
Achewood: The Great Outdoor Fight (Dark Horse)
Youngblood Vol. 1: Focus Tested (Image)
Wolverine: Logan (Marvel)
Midnighter Vol. 2: Anthem (DC/ Wildstorm)
Mighty Avengers Vol. 1: Ultron Initiative (Marvel)
Abandoned Cars (Fantagraphics)
Good-Bye Marianne (Tundra Publishing)
Song of the Hanging Sky Vol. 1 (Go! Comics)
Dragon Ball Z Vizbig Edition Vol. 2 (Viz Media)
The Yagyu Ninja Scrolls Vol. 4 (Del Ray Manga)
MySpace Dark Horse Presents Vol. 1 (Dark Horse)
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PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST-SELLERS

HARDCOVER FICTION
1. "Smoke Screen" by Sandra Brown (Simon & Schuster)
2. "Acheron" by Sherrilyn Kenyon (St. Martin's Press)
3. "The Bourne Sanction" by Robert Ludlum, Eric Van Lustbader (Grand Central)
4. "Moscow Rules" by Daniel Silva (Putnam)
5. "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown)
6. "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows (The Dial Press)
7. "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" by David Wroblewski (Ecco)
8. "The Mercedes Coffin: A Decker and Lazarus Book" by Faye Kellerman (William Morrow)
9. "Tribute" by Nora Roberts (Putnam)
10. "Off Season" by Anne Rivers Siddons (Grand Central)
11. "The Lace Reader" by Brunonia Barry (Morrow)
12. "Foreign Body" by Robin Cook (Putnam)
13. "Love the One You're With" by Emily Giffin (St. Martin's Press)
14. "The 19th Wife" by David Ebershoff (Random House)
15. "The Gargoyle" by Andrew Davidson (Doubleday)

NONFICTION/GENERAL
1. "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch, Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion)
2. "The Obama Nation" by Jerome R. Corsi (Threshold Editions)
3. "Stori Telling" by Tori Spelling (Simon Spotlight)
4. "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne (Atria Books/Beyond Words)
5. "When You Are Engulfed in Flames" by David Sedaris (Little, Brown)
6. "The Case Against Barack Obama: The Unlikely Rise and Unexamined Agenda of the Media's Favorite Candidate" by David Freddoso (Regnery)
7. "You: Staying Young: The Owner's Manual for Extending Your Warranty" by Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz (Free Press)
8. "The Way of the World: A Story of Truth and Hope in an Age of Extremism" by Ron Suskind (Harper)
9. "Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea" by Chelsea Handler (Simon Spotlight Entertainment)
10. "Fleeced: How Barack Obama, Media Mockery of Terrorist Threats, Liberals Who Want to Kill Talk Radio, The Do-Nothing Congress, Companies That Help Iran, and Washington Lobbyists for Governments Are Scamming Us ... and What to Do About It" by Dick Morris, Eileen McGann (Harper)
11. "The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals" by Jane Mayer (Doubleday)
12. "Just Who Will You Be? Big Question. Little Book. Answer Within." by Maria Shriver (Hyperion)
13. "StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup's Now, Discover Your Strengths" by Tom Rath (Gallup Press)
14. "YOU: The Owner's Manual, Updated and Expanded Edition: An Insider's Guide to the Body that Will Make You Healthier and Younger" by Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz (Collins Living)
15. "Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us)" by Tom Vanderbilt (Knopf)

MASS MARKET PAPERBACKS
1. "Playing for Pizza" by John Grisham (Dell)
2. "You've Been Warned" by James Patterson, Howard Roughan (Vision)
3. "Nights in Rodanthe" by Nicholas Sparks (Warner Vision)
4. "Into The Flame" by Christina Dodd (Signet)
5. "Strangers in Death" by J.D. Robb (Berkley)
6. "Play Dirty" by Sandra Brown (Pocket)
7. "Cry Wolf" by Patricia Briggs (Ace)
8. "Turbulent Sea" by Christine Feehan (Jove)
9. "Left to Die" by Lisa Jackson (Zebra)
10. "The Sanctuary" by Raymond Khoury (Signet)
11. "The Burnt House" by Faye Kellerman (Harper)
12. "The Manning Brides" by Debbie Macomber (Mira)
13. "Sweet Spot" by Susan Mallery (HQN)
14. "The Bone Garden" by Tess Gerritsen (Ballantine Books)
15. "Beyond Reach" by Karin Slaughter (Dell)

TRADE PAPERBACKS
1. "The Shack" by William P. Young (Windblown Media)
2. "Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Penguin)
3. "Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia" by Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin)
4. "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
5. "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen (Algonquin)
6. "A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose" by Eckhart Tolle (Plume)
7. "Money, and the Law of Attraction: Learning to Attract Wealth, Health, and Happiness" by Esther Hicks, Jerry Hicks (Hay House)
8. "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead)
9. "Skinny B----" by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin (Running Press)
10. "Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Picoult (Washington Square Press)
11. "Barefoot" by Elin Hilderbrand (Back Bay Books)
12. "Run" by Ann Patchett (Harper Perennial)
13. "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream" by Barack Obama (Three Rivers Press)
14. "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy
15. "Big Russ and Me: Father and Son: Lessons of Life" by Tim Russert (Miramax Books)

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USA TODAY BEST-SELLERS

Key: F-Fiction; NF-Nonfiction; H-Hardcover; P-Paperback
1. "Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer (Little Brown) (F-H)
2. "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown) (F-P)
3. "New Moon" by Stephenie Meyer (Little Brown for Young Readers) (F-H)
4. "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch, Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion) (NF-H)
5. "Eclipse" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown) (F-H)
6. "The Shack" by William P. Young (Windblown Media) (F-P)
7. "Playing for Pizza" by John Grisham (Dell) (F-P)
8. "The Obama Nation" by Jerome R. Corsi (Threshold Editions) (NF-H)
9. "Nights in Rodanthe" by Nicholas Sparks (Warner Vision) (F-P)
10. "You've Been Warned" by James Patterson, Howard Roughan (Vision) (F-P)
11. "Left To Die" by Lisa Jackson (Zebra) (F-P)
12. "Smoke Screen" by Sandra Brown (Simon & Schuster) (F-H)
13. "Watchmen" by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons (DC Comics) (F-P)
14. "The Manning Brides" by Debbie Macomber (Mira) (F-P)
15. "Strangers in Death" by J.D. Robb (Berkley) (F-P)
16. "Stori Telling" by Tori Spelling (Simon Spotlight) (NF-H)
17. "Acheron" by Sherrilyn Kenyon (St. Martin's Press) (F-H)
18. "Play Dirty" by Sandra Brown (Pocket) (F-P)
19. "Summer by the Sea" by Susan Wiggs (Mira) (F-P)
20. "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown) (F-H)
21. "Three Cups Of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Penguin) (NF-P)
22.
23. "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne (Atria Books/Beyond Words) (NF-H)
24. "Claire: The Clique Summer Collection 5" by Lisi Harrison (Poppy) (F-P)
25. "The Bourne Sanction" by Robert Ludlum, Eric Van Lustbader (Grand Central) (F-H)
26. "Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia" by Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin) (NF-P)
27. "Into The Flame" by Christina Dodd (Signet) (F-P)
28. "Turbulent Sea" by Christine Feehan (Jove) (F-P)
29. "Shadowfires" by Dean Koontz (Berkley) (F-P)
30. "The Case Against Barack Obama: The Unlikely Rise and Unexamined Agenda of the Media's Favorite Candidate" by David Freddoso (Regnery) (NF-P)
31. "You: Staying Young: The Owner's Manual for Extending Your Warranty" by Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz (Free Press) (NF-H)
32. "The Way of the World: A Story of Truth and Hope in an Age of Extremism" by Ron Suskind (Harper) (NF-H)
33. "Moscow Rules" by Daniel Silva (Putnam) (F-H)
34. "Cry Wolf" by Patricia Briggs (Ace) (F-P)
35. "Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox" by Eoin Colfer (Hyperion Books for Children) (F-H)
36. "A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose" by Eckhart Tolle (Plume) (NF-P)
37. "Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea" by Chelsea Handler (Simon Spotlight Entertainment) (NF-H)
38. "The Dangerous Days Of Daniel X" by James Patterson, Michael Ledwidge (Little, Brown) (F-H)
39. "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) (NF-P)
40. "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen (Algonquin) (F-P)
41. "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead) (F-P)
42. "When You Are Engulfed in Flames" by David Sedaris (Little, Brown) (NF-H)
43. "Beyond Reach" by Karin Slaughter (Dell) (F-P)
44. "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows (The Dial Press) (F-H)
45. "The Burnt House" by Faye Kellerman (Harper) (F-P)
46. "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee (Grand Central Publishing) (F-P)
47. "Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Picoult (Washington Square Press) (NF-P)
48. "Skinny B----" by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin (Running Press) (NF-P
49. "Barefoot" by Elin Hilderbrand (Back Bay Books) (F-P)
50. "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy (Vintage) (F-P)
"The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" by David Wroblewski (Ecco) (F-H)

Reporting stores include Amazon.com, B. Dalton Bookseller, Barnes & Noble.com, Barnes & Noble Inc., Books-A-Million and Bookland, Booksamillion.com, Borders Books & Music, Bookstar, Bookstop, Brentano's, Davis Kidd Booksellers in Nashville, Jackson, Memphis, Tenn., Doubleday Book Shops, Hudson Booksellers, Joseph-Beth Booksellers (Lexington, Ky.; Cincinnati, Cleveland), Powell's Books (Portland, Ore.), Powells.com, R.J. Julia Booksellers (Madison, Conn.), Schuler.

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WALL STREET JOURNAL BEST-SELLERS

FICTION
1. "Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer (Little Brown)
2. "Eclipse" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown)
3. "Smoke Screen" by Sandra Brown (Simon & Schuster)
4. "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown)
5. "The Bourne Sanction" by Robert Ludlum, Eric Van Lustbader (Grand Central)
6. "Acheron" by Sherrilyn Kenyon (St. Martin's Press)
7. "Moscow Rules" by Daniel Silva (Putnam)
8. "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows (The Dial Press)
9. "New Moon" by Stephenie Meyer (Little Brown for Young Readers)
10. "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown)
11. "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" by David Wroblewski (Ecco)
12. "Off Season" by Anne Rivers Siddons (Grand Central)
13. "The Mercedes Coffin: A Decker and Lazarus Book" by Faye Kellerman (William Morrow)
14. "The Dangerous Days Of Daniel X" by James Patterson, Michael Ledwidge (Little, Brown)
15. "Tribute" by Nora Roberts (Putnam)

NONFICTION
1. "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch, Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion)
2. "The Obama Nation" by Jerome R. Corsi (Threshold Editions)
3. "Stori Telling" by Tori Spelling (Simon Spotlight)
4. "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne (Atria Books/Beyond Words)
5. "StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup's Now, Discover Your Strengths" by Tom Rath (Gallup Press)
6. "The Case Against Barack Obama: The Unlikely Rise and Unexamined Agenda of the Media's Favorite Candidate" by David Freddoso (Regnery)
7. "Killing Sacred Cows: Overcoming the Financial Myths That Are Destroying Your Prosperity" by Garrett B. Gunderson, Stephen Palmer (Greenleaf Book Group)
8. "The Way of the World: A Story of Truth and Hope in an Age of Extremism" by Ron Suskind (Harper)
9. "Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea" by Chelsea Handler (Simon Spotlight Entertainment)
10. "When You Are Engulfed in Flames" by David Sedaris (Little, Brown)
11. "You: Staying Young: The Owner's Manual for Extending Your Warranty" by Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz (Free Press)
12. "Fleeced: How Barack Obama, Media Mockery of Terrorist Threats, Liberals Who Want to Kill Talk Radio, The Do-Nothing Congress, Companies That Help Iran, and Washington Lobbyists for Foreign Governments Are Scamming Us ... and What to Do About It" by Dick Morris, Eileen McGann (Harper)
13. "Real Change: From the World That Fails to the World That Works" by Newt Gingrich (Regnery)
14. "Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap ... and Other's Don't" by Jim Collins (Collins)
15. "The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals" by Jane Mayer (Doubleday)

The Wall Street Journal's list reflects nationwide sales of hardcover books during the week ended last Saturday at more than 2,500 Barnes & Noble, B. Dalton, Bookland, Books-a-Million, Books & Co., Bookstar, Bookstop, Borders, Brentano's, Coles, Coopersmith, Doubleday, Scribners and Waldenbooks stores, as well as sales from online retailers Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.

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The following authors are making the media rounds, talking about their books:

--Tom Vanderbilt, author of Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us)
--George H.W. Bush, The China Diary of George H.W. Bush: The Making of a Global President
--Jon Scieszka, Smash! Crash!
--David Maraniss, Rome 1960: The Olympics That Changed the World
--Andrea Lavinthal and Jessica Rozler, Friend or Frenemy? A Guide to the Friends You Need and the Ones You Don't
--David Carr, The Night of the Gun: A Reporter Investigates the Darkest Story of His Life. His Own.
--Nancy Pelosi, author of Know Your Power: A Message to America's Daughters
--Diana DeGette, author of Sex, Science, and Stem Cells
--Ron Suskind, author of The Way of the World: A Story of Truth and Hope in an Age of Extremism
--Senator Mel Martinez, author of A Sense of Belonging: From Castro's Cuba to the U.S. Senate, One Man's Pursuit of the American Dream
--Abbe Smith, author of Case of a Lifetime: A Criminal Defense Lawyer's Story
--Jorge Ramos, author of The Gift of Time: Letters from a Father
--Robert Kagan, author of The Return of History and the End of Dreams
--Tommy Chong, author of Cheech & Chong: The Unauthorized Autobiography
--Courtney Humphries, author of Superdove: How the Pigeon Took Manhattan . . . And the World
--Marie Brenner, author of Apples and Oranges: My Brother and Me, Lost and Found
--James Van Praagh, author of Ghosts Among Us: Uncovering the Truth About the Other Side
--Jane Mayer, author of The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals
--Freda McKissic Bush, co-author of Hooked: New Science on How Casual Sex is Affecting Our Children
--Lee Israel, Can You Ever Forgive Me? Memoirs of a Literary Forger
--Mel Martinez, A Sense of Belonging: From Castro's Cuba to the U.S. Senate, One Man's Pursuit of the American Dream
--Mary Ellen Geist, author of Measure of the Heart: A Father's Alzheimer's, A Daughter's Return
--Philip Pan, author of Out of Mao's Shadow: The Struggle for the Soul of a New China
--Dick Meyer, author of Why We Hate Us: American Discontent in the New Millennium
--Ernest Borgnine, author of Ernie: The Autobiography
--Donald Ray Pollock, author of Knockemstiff
--Alvin S. Felzenberg, author of The Leaders We Deserved (and a Few We Didn't): Rethinking the Presidential Rating Game
--Bing West, author of The Strongest Tribe: War, Politics, and the Endgame in Iraq
--Mike Shreve, author of In Search of the True Light
--Senator Harry Reid, The Good Fight: Hard Lessons from Searchlight to Washington
--Rebecca Gray, American Artisanal: Finding the Country's Best Real Food, from Cheese to Chocolate
--Cynthia Ozick, Dictation: A Quartet
--Paul Coughlin, No More Jellyfish, Chickens or Wimps: Raising Secure, Assertive Kids in a Tough World
--Gustav Niebuhr, author of Beyond Tolerance: Searching for Interfaith Understanding in America
--George Pelecanos, author of The Turnaround
--Billie Jean King, author of Pressure Is a Privilege: Lessons I've Learned from Life and the Battle of the Sexes
--Les Standiford, author of Washington Burning: How a Frenchman's Vision for Our Nation's Capital Survived Congress, the Founding Fathers, and the Invading British Army
--Anthony Kronman, author of Education's End: Why Our Colleges and Universities Have Given Up on the Meaning of Life
--Tom Engelhardt, editor of The World According to TomDispatch: America in the New Age of Empire
--Leonard Susskind, The Black Hole War: My Battle with Stephen Hawking to Make the World Safe for Quantum Mechanics
--Pedro Noguera, The Trouble With Black Boys: And Other Reflections on Race, Equity, and the Future of Public Education
--Debra Winger, Undiscovered
--Gustav Niebuhr, author of Beyond Tolerance: Searching for Interfaith Understanding in America
--Tom Kraeutler, co-author of My Home, My Money Pit: Your Guide to Every Home Improvement Adventure
--Billie Jean King, Pressure is a Privilege: Lessons I've Learned from Life and the Battle of the Sexes
--Frances Richey, The Warrior: A Mother's Story of a Son at War
--Daoud Hari, author of The Translator: A Tribesman's Memoir of Darfur
--Author and attorney Jim Noles, A Pocketful of History: Four Hundred Years of America - One State Quarter at a Time
--Barbara Oakley, Evil Genes: Why Rome Fell, Hitler Rose, Enron Failed, and My Sister Stole My Mother's Boyfriend
--Ted Sorensen, Counselor: A Life at the Edge of History
--Siri Hustvedt, The Sorrows of an American
--Matt Taibbi, The Great Derangement: A Terrifying True Story of War, Politics, and Religion at the Twilight of the American Empire
--Bing West, The Strongest Tribe: War, Politics, and the Endgame In Iraq
--Chelsea Handler, author of Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea
--Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life
--Frank Luntz, author of Words That Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear
--Marvelyn Brown, author of The Naked Truth: Young, Beautiful, and (HIV) Positive
--Philip Shabecoff, author of Poisoned Profits: The Toxic Assault on Our Children
--Helen Thomas, The Great White House Breakout
--Charla Krupp, How Not to Look Old: Fast and Effortless Ways to Look 10 Years Younger, 10 Pounds Lighter, 10 Times Better
--Scott Haltzman and Theresa Foy DiGeronimo, The Secrets of Happily Married Women: How to Get More Out of Your Relationship by Doing Less
--Frank Luntz, Words That Work, Revised, Updated Edition: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear
--Kyle Baker, Nat Turner
--Michael Beschloss, author of Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America 1789-1989
-- Philip and Alice Shabecoff, Poisoned Profits: The Toxic Assault on Our Children
--Kym Douglas, co-author of The Black Book of Hollywood Diet Secrets
--Juan Felipe Herrera, 187 Reasons Mexicanos Can't Cross the Border: Undocuments 1971"2007
--Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of Team of Rivals
--John Wood, author of Leaving Microsoft to Change the World: An Entrepreneur's Odyssey to Educate the World's Children
--Paul Auster, author of Man in the Dark
--Walter Dean Myers, Sunrise Over Fallujah
--Trisha Yearwood, Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen: Recipes from My Family to Yours
--Moustafa Bayoumi, How Does It Feel to Be a Problem? Being Young and Arab in America
--Marie Winn, Central Park in the Dark: More Mysteries of Urban Wildlife
--Stacey O'Brien, Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl
--Doris Lessing, author of Alfred and Emily
--Gene Healy, author of The Cult of the Presidency: America's Dangerous Devotion to Executive Power
--Thomas Frank, author of The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule
--Alexandra Harney, author of The China Price: The True Cost of Chinese Competitive Advantage
--Congressman Robert Wexler, author of Fire-Breathing Liberal: How I Learned to Survive (and Thrive) in the Contact Sport of Congress
--David Henderson, 'Scuse Me While I Kiss the Sky: Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child
--Andrew Bacevich, The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism
-- Paul Auster, Man in the Dark
--Jess McCann, author of You Lost Him at Hello: A Saleswoman's Secrets to Closing the Deal with Any Guy You Want
--Cynthia Saltzman, Old Masters, New World: America's Raid on Europe's Great Pictures

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Here are links to other recent One for the Books columns:

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"One for the Books" appears the second, fourth, and fifth Fridays of the month in the Record-Courier. Extra columns may appear on occasion, especially preceding Christmas and Hanukkah.