Los Angeles Times bestsellers for August 9, 2009
| Fiction | Weeks on list | |
| 1. | The Defector by Daniel Silva (Putnam: $26.95) When a Russian defector disappears, Gabriel Allon is forced to track down a deadly arms dealer. | 2 |
| 2. | Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner (Atria: $26.99) Two childhood friends on the outs since high school reconnect when one is in trouble. | 2 |
| 3. | Shanghai Girls by Lisa See (Random House: $25) Two sisters from Shanghai encounter tragedy and heartbreak as they are sold into arranged marriages in 1930s Los Angeles. | 9 |
| 4. | Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown: $22.99) The final book in the “Twilight” saga finds Bella choosing immortality. | 52 |
| 5. | 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. | 1 |
| 6. | The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (Doubleday: $26.95) A novelist in 1920s Barcelona takes a dangerous writing assignment. | 6 |
| 7. | The Shimmer by David Morrell (Vanguard: $25.95) A police officer searching for his missing wife encounters unexplained nighttime phenomena. | 1 |
| 8. | The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Putnam: $24.95) The lives of a maid, a cook and a college graduate become intertwined while changing a Mississippi town. | 9 |
| 9. | Swimsuit by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Little, Brown: $27.99)A supermodel disappears from a photo shoot in Hawaii. | 5 |
| 10. | Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella (Dial Press: $26) A woman is visited by the spirit of her great aunt requesting she locate a long-lost necklace. | 1 |
| 11. | Rain Gods by James Lee Burke (Simon & Schuster: $25.99) The sheriff of a tiny Texas town investigates the mass murder of illegal immigrants on the Mexican border. | 2 |
| 12. | Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown: $19.99) Bella must choose between her lover and a friend, between life and death. | 55 |
| 13. | Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney (Amulet: $12.95) Greg’s dad enlists him in sports to toughen him up. | 24 |
| 14. | Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris (Ace: $25.95) Sookie Stackhouse finds herself a pawn in a war with a race of unhuman beings. | 6 |
| 15. | Finger Lickin’ Fifteen by Janet Evanovich (St. Martin’s: $27.95) A witness enters a barbecue competition to uncover the killer of a contestant. | 6 |
| Nonfiction | ||
| 1. | Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown: $27.99) An exploration of the background of high achievers. | 35 |
| 2. | Crazy for the Storm by Norman Ollestad (Ecco: $25.99) The son of a daredevil tells of his life on the edge and how he survived a deadly plane crash. | 7 |
| 3. | A Bright and Guilty Place by Richard Rayner (Doubleday: $25) The sagas of an ambitious young lawyer, a prime suspect in a mob murder, and a police photographer paint a picture of early 20th century L.A. | 4 |
| 4. | The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich (Doubleday: $25) The story and phenomenon behind the founders of Facebook. | 2 |
| 5. | Liberty and Tyranny by Mark R. Levin (Threshold Editions: $25) The talk-radio personality’s call to revitalize the conservative vision in America. | 18 |
| 6. | 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. | 26 |
| 7. | Catastrophe by Dick Morris and Eileen McGann (Harper: $26.99) A call to prevent President Obama from transforming America into a socialist state. | 6 |
| 8. | Unmasked by Ian Halperin (Simon Spotlight Entertainment: $25) A look into the final years and days of Michael Jackson. | 3 |
| 9. | Zeitoun by Dave Eggers (McSweeney’s: $24) The disappearance of a Syrian-American father and good Samaritan in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. | 1 |
| 10. | Culture of Corruption by Michelle Malkin (Regnery Publishing: $27.95) An investigation into corruption in the Obama administration. | 1 |
| 11. | The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion: $21.95) A professor’s terminal cancer inspires a call to seize life’s moments. | 65 |
| 12. | Losing Mum and Pup by Christopher Buckley (Twelve: $24.99) The son of William F. and Patricia Buckley tells of life with the high-powered couple and how he coped with their deaths. | 12 |
| 13. | Byron in Love by Edna O’Brien (W.W. Norton.: $24.95) An intimate biography of the 19th century English romance poet. | 1 |
| 14. | Home Game by Michael Lewis (W.W. Norton: $23.95) A father’s record of ordinary life occurrences with his three children. | 4 |
| 15. | The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (Beyond Words: $23.95) Life’s secrets, distilled. | 117 |
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