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. “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.

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

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 Secret Man,” by Bob Woodward (Simon & Schuster, $23). The longtime reporter and editor for The Washington Post tells the story of Deep Throat and Watergate; with an afterword by Carl Bernstein.

5. “Confessions of a Video Vixen,” by Karrine Steffans (Amistad/HarperCollins, $24.95). A tell-all memoir by a dancer and actress who has appeared in many hip-hop videos.

Advice

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

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

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.

– The New York Times