Fiction

1. “The Five People You Meet in Heaven,” by Mitch Albom (Hyperion, $19.95). An old man who died while trying to rescue a little girl from danger discovers that all will be explained to him in the afterlife.

2. “The Da Vinci Code,” by Dan Brown (Doubleday, $24.95). The murder of a curator at the Louvre leads to a trail of clues found in the work of Leonardo and to the discovery of a centuries-old secret society.

3. “A Salty Piece of Land,” by Jimmy Buffett (Little, Brown, $27.95). A cowboy’s life is changed forever when he meets a 101-year-old woman who hires him to be a lighthouse keeper in the southern Bahamas.

4. “Black Wind,” by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler (Putnam, $27.95). Dirk Pitt and his children confront a villain who has acquired biotoxins from World War II.

5. “Night Fall,” by Nelson DeMille (Warner, $26.95). A husband and wife who work for an antiterrorism task force reopen the investigation into the crash of T.W.A. Flight 800 over the Atlantic, off Long Island, in 1996.

Nonfiction

1. “America (The Book),” by Jon Stewart, Ben Karlin and David Javerbaum (Warner, $24.95). “The Daily Show” offers a lavishly illustrated parody of a civics textbook.

2. “When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?” by George Carlin (Hyperion, $23.95). Another volume of observations and opinions from the stand-up comedian.

3. “His Excellency,” by Joseph J. Ellis (Knopf, $26.95). A biography of George Washington, by the author of ”Founding Brothers.”

4. “Faithful,” by Stewart O’Nan and Stephen King (Scribner, $26). Two novelists — and die-hard Boston Red Sox fans — chronicle the 2004 championship season, from spring training to the World Series.

5. “Favre,” by Brett Favre and Bonita Favre with Chris Havel (N.F.L. Publishing/RuggedLand, $29.95). A profusely illustrated book about the quarterback.

Advice and miscellaneous

1. “Your Best Life Now,” by Joel Osteen (Warner Faith, $19.99). A faith-based approach to living with enthusiasm.

2. “The Purpose-Driven Life,” by Rick Warren (Zondervan, $19.99). Finding the meaning of life through God.

3. “He’s Just Not That Into You,” by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo (Simon Spotlight Entertainment, $19.95). How a woman can tell if a relationship is going nowhere.

4. “The Perricone Promise,” by Nicholas Perricone (Warner, $27.95). A guide to looking younger and living longer.

5. “Guinness World Records 2005,” (Guinness, $27.95). A profusely illustrated collection of records about subjects as various as sports and technology.

— The New York Times