Fiction

1. “Eleven on Top,” by Janet Evanovich (St. Martin’s, $26.95). As she tries to leave the world of bounty hunting for good, Stephanie Plum comes to realize a lunatic is stalking her.

2. “The Historian,” by Elizabeth Kostova (Little, Brown, $25.95). A young woman’s quest to learn the truth about her father’s life and her mother’s death involves research into Vlad the Impaler and Dracula.

3. “Miracle,” by Danielle Steel (Delacorte, $20). When a terrible storm hits Northern California, the lives of three people are changed forever.

4. “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.

5. “The Mermaid Chair,” by Sue Monk Kidd (Viking, $24.95). On Egret Island, off the coast of South Carolina, a married woman is strongly attracted to a monk who is just months away from taking his final vows.

Nonfiction

1. “1776,” by David McCullough (Simon & Schuster, $32). An account of America’s founding year by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author, focusing on the inexperienced George Washington and heroic citizen soldiers.

2. “Freakonomics,” by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner (Morrow, $25.95). A maverick scholar applies economic thinking to everything from sumo wrestlers who cheat to legalized abortion.

3. “The World is Flat,” by Thomas L. Friedman (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $27.50). A columnist for The New York Times analyzes 21st-century economics and foreign policy.

4. “The Truth about Hillary,” by Edward Klein (Sentinel, $24.95). An unflattering portrait of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

5. “Blink,” by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown, $25.95). The author of “The Tipping Point” explores the importance of hunch and instinct.

Advice

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

2. “Natural Cures ‘They’ Don’t Want You to Know About,” by Kevin Trudeau (Alliance Publishing Group, $29.95). Remedies that do not include drugs or surgery.

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

4. “You: The Owner’s Manual,” by Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz (HarperResource, $24.95). A guide to how the body works, and advice on maintaining health and youth.

5. “French Women Don’t Get Fat,” by Mireille Guiliano (Knopf, $22). The secrets of French women, who enjoy food and wine while staying slim.