Los Angeles Times bestsellers (hardcover) for Feb. 28, 2010
| Fiction | Weeks on list | |
| 1. | The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Putnam: $24.95) The lives of a maid, a cook and a college graduate become intertwined as they change a Mississippi town. | 38 |
| 2. | Point Omega by Don DeLillo (Scribner: $24) A filmmaker joins a former planner of the Iraq war at his desert retreat, hoping he’ll discuss that experience on camera. | 3 |
| 3. | Worst Case by James Patterson (Little, Brown: $27.99) A kidnapper snatches the son of a wealthy N.Y. family playing a game of Q&A to determine the outcome. | 2 |
| 4. | 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. | 26 |
| 5. | Conspirata by Robert Harris (Simon & Schuster: $26) A chronicle of the Roman orator Cicero as he battles intrigue on his way to becoming a ruler of Ancient Rome. | 1 |
| 6. | First Rule by Robert Crais (Putnam: $26.95) Joe Pike’s past catches up with him when an old friend’s entire family is killed. | 6 |
| 7. | Iron River by T. Jefferson Parker (Dutton: $26.95) ATF agents patrolling the flow of illegal guns into the U.S. brace for vengeance from the violent Gulf Cartel. | 4 |
| 8. | Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Camille Rose Garcia (Collins Design : $16.99) Updated illustrations offer a goth-like twist to Lewis Carroll’s classic tale. | 2 |
| 9. | Shadow Tag by Louise Erdrich (Harper: $25.99) A woman struggles to understand and quite possibly escape her loveless marriage to a downtrodden painter. | 2 |
| 10. | The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (Doubleday: $25.99) Harvard professor Robert Langdon uses his symbology skills to find a missing Freemason in Washington, D.C. | 22 |
| 11. | The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan (Disney Hyperion: $17.99) Percy Jackson and his army of demigods battle to stop the Lord of Time. | 14 |
| 12. | The Lost Books of the Odyssey by Zachary Mason(Farrar, Straus and Giroux: $24) A reinterpretation of Homer’s “Odyssey†told in humorous vignettes. | 1 |
| 13. | Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro (Knopf: $25.95) The short-story master explores women and their relationships in 10 new stories. | 11 |
| 14. | When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (Wendy Lamb Books: $15.99) A sixth-grader begins receiving mysterious notes accurately predicting the future. | 2 |
| 15. | Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah (St. Martin’s Press: $26.99) A father’s death reunites estranged sisters who discover the untold story of their mother’s harrowing life in war-torn Leningrad. | 1 |
| Nonfiction | ||
| 1. | Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin (Harper: $27.99) An insider’s explanation of how the drama of the U.S. presidential campaign of 2008 unfolded. | 6 |
| 2. | The Politician by Andrew Young (Thomas Dunne: $24.99) An insider’s account of presidential hopeful John Edwards and the scandal that brought him down. | 3 |
| 3. | Just Kids by Patti Smith (Ecco: $27) A memoir of the singer’s early days and relationship with artist Robert Mapplethorpe. | 4 |
| 4. | I Am Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne and Chris Ayres (Grand Central : $26.99) The heavy metal singer reminisces on his death-defying life. | 4 |
| 5. | Willie Mays by James S. Hirsch (Scribner: $30) The life and career of baseball’s legendary center fielder. | 1 |
| 6. | Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom (Hyperion: $23.99) Albom’s observations of a rabbi and a pastor on an eight-year journey of faith. | 21 |
| 7. | Stones Into Schools by Greg Mortenson (Viking: $26.95) The author’s continued struggle to establish schools for girls in Afghanistan in this sequel to “Three Cups of Tea.†| 9 |
| 8. | The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin (Harper: $25.99) A year spent trying to be happier by making small changes in various aspects of daily life. | 4 |
| 9. | McSweeney’s 33: San Francisco Panorama by Dave Eggers et al. (McSweeney’s: $16) A Sunday-edition sized newspaper filled with current news, sports, arts and comics. | 2 |
| 10. | You Are Not a Gadget by Jaron Lanier (Knopf: $24.95) The Internet guru’s critique of online technology and its devaluation of individual accomplishment. | 1 |
| 11. | Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert (Viking: $26.95) After circumstances force her to wed, the author tackles her fears of marriage by delving into the history and background of the institution. | 6 |
| 12. | On the Brink by Henry M. Paulson (Publisher: $28.99) The former Secretary of the Treasury’s first-person account of the financial crisis of 2008. | 1 |
| 13. | Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown: $27.99) An exploration of the background of high achievers. | 61 |
| 14. | Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Ultimate Guide by Rick Riordan (Hyperion: $12.99) An illustrated, in-depth guide to all things about Percy Jackson and Greek mythology. | 3 |
| 15. | What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown: $27.99) A collection of the author’s writings of everyday and extraordinary people. | 15 |
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