Los Angeles Times bestsellers for Feb. 7, 2010
| Fiction | Weeks on list | |
| 1. | The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Putnam: $24.95) The lives of a maid, a cook and a college graduate become intertwined as they change a Mississippi town. | 35 |
| 2. | First Rule by Robert Crais (Putnam: $26.95) Joe Pike’s past catches up with him when an old friend’s entire family is killed. | 3 |
| 3. | The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson (Knopf: $25.95) A hacker implicated in two murders must revisit her past to prove her innocence. | 23 |
| 4. | Kisser by Stuart Woods (Putnam: $25.95) A smooth-talking New York lawyer becomes entangled with an aspiring actress with a shady past. | 1 |
| 5. | The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (Doubleday: $25.99) Harvard professor Robert Langdon uses his symbology skills to find a missing Freemason in Washington, D.C. | 21 |
| 6. | Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (Henry Holt: $27) The rise of Henry VIII’s advisor Thomas Cromwell. | 13 |
| 7. | The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova (Little, Brown: $26.99) The past and present converge in a mystery surrounding a tormented artist. | 2 |
| 8. | The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver (Harper: $26.99) A writer’s escapades encompass 1930s Mexican artist communities and Cold War America. | 12 |
| 9. | Iron River by T. Jefferson Parker (Dutton: $26.95) ATF agents patrolling the flow of illegal guns into the U.S. brace for vengeance from the violent Gulf Cartel. | 3 |
| 10. | The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central: $24.99) A brother and sister begrudgingly spend the summer with their estranged pianist father and discover the meaning of unconditional love. | 5 |
| 11. | The Burning Land by Bernard Cornwell (Harper: $25.99) Saxon and Danish armies battle in the 9th century in this further installment of his “Saxon Tales” series. | 1 |
| 12. | Roses by Leila Meacham (Grand Central: $24.99) An heiress turned plantation queen struggles with family curses and lost love. | 1 |
| 13. | I, Sniper by Stephen Hunter (Simon & Schuster: $26) An infamous sniper is wrongly accused of the murders of four 1960s peace movement radicals. | 1 |
| 14. | The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan (Disney Hyperion: $17.99) Percy Jackson and his army of demigods battle to stop the Lord of Time. | 11 |
| 15. | Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro (Knopf: $25.95) The short-story master explores women and their relationships in 10 new stories. | 10 |
| Nonfiction | ||
| 1. | Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin (Harper: $27.99) An insider’s explanation of how the drama of the U.S. presidential campaign of 2008 unfolded. | 3 |
| 2. | Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert (Viking: $26.95) After being forced to wed, the author tackles her fears of marriage by delving into the history and background of the institution. | 3 |
| 3. | Stones Into Schools by Greg Mortenson (Viking: $26.95) The author’s continued struggle to establish schools for girls in Afghanistan in this sequel to “Three Cups of Tea.” | 8 |
| 4. | Just Kids by Patti Smith (Ecco: $27) A memoir of the singer’s relationship and early days with artist Robert Mapplethorpe. | 1 |
| 5. | Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown: $27.99) An exploration of the background of high achievers. | 58 |
| 6. | Star by Peter Biskind (Simon & Schuster: $30) An intimate biography of Hollywood’s leading ladies’ man, Warren Beatty. | 3 |
| 7. | Open by Andre Agassi (Knopf: $28.95) The tennis star’s memoir and personal odyssey of a lost childhood, drug use and comebacks. | 10 |
| 8. | Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom (Hyperion: $23.99) Albom’s observations of a rabbi and a pastor on an eight-year journey of faith. | 18 |
| 9. | What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown: $27.99) A collection of the author’s writings of everyday and extraordinary people. | 14 |
| 10. | Lit by Mary Karr (Harper: $25.99) The author’s descent into alcoholism and recovery. | 8 |
| 11. | Freefall by Joseph E. Stiglitz (W. W. Norton: $27.95) A look at American disillusionment created by the global economic crisis and future implications. | 1 |
| 12. | The Fifth Agreement by Don Miguel Ruiz and Don Jose Ruiz (Amber-Allen: 19.95) How to recover your authentic self. | 3 |
| 13. | Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man by Steve Harvey (Amistad: $23.99) The talk-show host lets women inside the mind-set of a man. | 37 |
| 14. | Courting Disaster by Marc A. Thiessen (Regnery Press : $29.95) A case for how controversial CIA interrogation techniques protected the US from terrorist attacks and Obama’s dismantling of such programs invite disaster. | 1 |
| 15. | I Am Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne and Chris Ayres (Grand Central : $26.99) The heavy metal singer reminisces on his death-defying life. | 1 |
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