Fiction

1. “Polar Shift,” by Clive Cussler with Paul Kemprecos (Putnam, $26.95). Kurt Austin must contend with the leader of an antiglobalization group who possesses technology that has the potential to destroy all of humanity.

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. “Slow Burn,” by Julie Garwood (Ballantine, $25.95). Terrible mishaps befall a successful businesswoman in Charleston, S.C.

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. “Point Blank,” by Catherine Coulter (Putnam, $25.95). Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock – FBI agents as well as husband and wife – pursue a violent couple.

Nonfiction

1. “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.

2. “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.

3. “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 and the falling crime rate.

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

5. “100 People Who Are Screwing Up America,” by Bernard Goldberg (HarperCollins, $25.95). The author of “Bias” takes aim at “Hollywood blowhards,” “America bashers,” rappers and others.

Advice

1. “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.

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

5. “Guinness World Records 2006,” (Guinness, $27.95). A profusely illustrated collection of records about subjects as various as sports and technology.

– The New York Times