BEST-SELLERS: HARDCOVER BOOKS

15:29 - 11 December 2018

Rankings reflect sales for the week ending Saturday, Dec. 1, which were reported on a confidential basis by vendors offering a wide range of general interest titles. Every week, thousands of diverse selling locations report their actual sales on hundreds of thousands of individual titles. The panel of reporting retailers is comprehensive and reflects sales in stores of all sizes and demographics across the United States. An asterisk (*) indicates that a book’s sales were barely distinguishabl...

FICTION

1. KINGDOM OF THE BLIND, by Louise Penny. (Minotaur)

While on suspension, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is made an executor of a stranger’s will and tries to keep a deadly narcotic off Montreal’s streets.

THIS WEEK: 1

LAST WEEK: —

WEEKS ON LIST: 1

2. FIRE AND BLOOD, by George R.R. Martin. (Bantam)

Set 300 years before the events of “A Game of Thrones,” this is the first volume of the two-part history of the Targaryens in Westeros.

THIS WEEK: 2

LAST WEEK: 1

WEEKS ON LIST: 2

3. THE RECKONING, by John Grisham. (Doubleday)

A decorated World War II veteran shoots and kills a pastor inside a Mississippi church.

THIS WEEK: 3

LAST WEEK: 3

WEEKS ON LIST: 6

4. TARGET: ALEX CROSS, by James Patterson. (Little, Brown)

Alex Cross returns for the 26th book in the series bearing his name.

THIS WEEK: 4

LAST WEEK: 2

WEEKS ON LIST: 2

5. EVERY BREATH, by Nicholas Sparks. (Grand Central)

Difficult choices surface when Hope Anderson and Tru Walls meet in a North Carolina seaside town.

THIS WEEK: 5

LAST WEEK: 4

WEEKS ON LIST: 7

6. PAST TENSE, by Lee Child. (Delacorte)

Jack Reacher explores the New England town where his father was born.

THIS WEEK: 6

LAST WEEK: 6

WEEKS ON LIST: 4

7. LONG ROAD TO MERCY, by David Baldacci. (Grand Central)

Atlee Pine, an FBI agent who is haunted by the childhood kidnapping of her twin sister, must choose between protecting her career or the United States’ democracy.

THIS WEEK: 7

LAST WEEK: 7

WEEKS ON LIST: 3

8. LOOK ALIVE TWENTY-FIVE, by Janet Evanovich. (Putnam)

The 25th book in the Stephanie Plum series. When several managers of a deli in Trenton, New Jersey, disappear, a bounty hunter and her detective boyfriend look for clues.

THIS WEEK: 8

LAST WEEK: 5

WEEKS ON LIST: 3

9. NINE PERFECT STRANGERS, by Liane Moriarty. (Flatiron)

A romance writer becomes fascinated by the owner and director of a health resort.

THIS WEEK: 9

LAST WEEK: 9

WEEKS ON LIST: 4

10. THE NEXT PERSON YOU MEET IN HEAVEN, by Mitch Albom. (Harper)

The sequel to “The Five People You Meet in Heaven” follows Annie on her heavenly journey.

THIS WEEK: 10

LAST WEEK: 8

WEEKS ON LIST: 8

11. ELEVATION, by Stephen King. (Scribner)

A man who is losing weight without getting thinner forms an unlikely alliance with his neighbors who are dealing with prejudices.

THIS WEEK: 11

LAST WEEK: 10

WEEKS ON LIST: 5

12. TOM CLANCY: OATH OF OFFICE, by Marc Cameron. (Putnam)

President Jack Ryan must contain the fallout of a flu epidemic, an undermining senator and two hijacked Russian nuclear missiles.

THIS WEEK: 12

LAST WEEK: —

WEEKS ON LIST: 1

13. DARK SACRED NIGHT, by Michael Connelly. (Little, Brown)

Detective Renée Ballard teams up with retired detective Harry Bosch, who is working on a cold case.

THIS WEEK: 13

LAST WEEK: 12

WEEKS ON LIST: 5

14. WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING, by Delia Owens. (Putnam)

A woman who survived alone in the marsh becomes a murder suspect.

THIS WEEK: 14

LAST WEEK: 14

WEEKS ON LIST: 13

15. BEAUCHAMP HALL, by Danielle Steel. (Delacorte)

Winona Farmington leaves behind the disappointments in her Michigan hometown to visit the English town where her favorite television show is filmed.

THIS WEEK: 15

LAST WEEK: 11

WEEKS ON LIST: 2

NONFICTION

1. 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.

THIS WEEK: 1

LAST WEEK: 1

WEEKS ON LIST: 3

2. KILLING THE SS, by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard. (Holt)

A look at the postwar manhunt for members of Hitler’s inner circle.

THIS WEEK: 2

LAST WEEK: 2

WEEKS ON LIST: 8

3. EDUCATED, by Tara Westover. (Random House)

The daughter of survivalists leaves home for university.

THIS WEEK: 3

LAST WEEK: 4

WEEKS ON LIST: 41

4. SHADE, by Pete Souza. (Little, Brown)

Pictures of former President Barack Obama are juxtaposed with tweets, headlines and quotes from the Trump administration.

THIS WEEK: 4

LAST WEEK: 6

WEEKS ON LIST: 7

5. BEASTIE BOYS BOOK, by Michael Diamond and Adam Horovitz. (Spiegel & Grau)

The story of the New York band who achieved hip-hop stardom.

THIS WEEK: 5

LAST WEEK: 11

WEEKS ON LIST: 5

6. SHIP OF FOOLS, by Tucker Carlson. (Free Press)

The Fox News anchor argues that America’s ruling class is out of touch with everyday citizens.

THIS WEEK: 6

LAST WEEK: 3

WEEKS ON LIST: 9

7. LEADERSHIP, by Doris Kearns Goodwin. (Simon & Schuster)

The challenges that shaped the leadership abilities of four presidents.

THIS WEEK: 7

LAST WEEK: 5

WEEKS ON LIST: 11

8. FEAR, by Bob Woodward. (Simon & Schuster)

Debates and decision-making within the Trump White House.

THIS WEEK: 8

LAST WEEK: 7

WEEKS ON LIST: 12

9. BRIEF ANSWERS TO THE BIG QUESTIONS, by Stephen Hawking. (Bantam)

A collection of essays from the late scientist’s personal archive that address 10 imponderables.

THIS WEEK: 9

LAST WEEK: 10

WEEKS ON LIST: 7

10. ASTROPHYSICS FOR PEOPLE IN A HURRY, by Neil deGrasse Tyson. (Norton)

A straightforward, easy-to-understand introduction to the universe.

THIS WEEK: 10

LAST WEEK: —

WEEKS ON LIST: 75

11. TRUMP’S ENEMIES, by Corey R. Lewandowski and David N. Bossie. (Center Street)

The authors of “Let Trump Be Trump” give their perspectives on the president’s foes. (b)

THIS WEEK: 11

LAST WEEK: —

WEEKS ON LIST: 1

12. HINDSIGHT, by Justin Timberlake. (Harper Design)

A memoir by the actor and Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter.

THIS WEEK: 12

LAST WEEK: 12

WEEKS ON LIST: 5

13. THE LIBRARY BOOK, by Susan Orlean. (Simon & Schuster)

The story of the 1986 fire at the Los Angeles Public Library provides a backdrop to the evolution and purpose of libraries.

THIS WEEK: 13

LAST WEEK: 13

WEEKS ON LIST: 5

14. THE MAMBA MENTALITY, by Kobe Bryant. (Melcher/MCD/Farrar, Straus & Giroux)

The former Los Angeles Laker describes various skills and techniques he used.

THIS WEEK: 14

LAST WEEK: —

WEEKS ON LIST: 5

15. CHURCHILL: WALKING WITH DESTINY, by Andrew Roberts. (Viking)

A biography focusing on what motivated the war leader and how he learned from his mistakes.

THIS WEEK: 15

LAST WEEK: 8

WEEKS ON LIST: 3

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.