The Gathering Storm, by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson

A:  Nat Sobel      P:  Tor      C:  Speculative Fiction

NYT:  1     LAT:  1      BS:  1

Unfortunately, Robert Jordan couldn't finish his massive Wheel of Time series before his death in 2007, but Jordan's wife (and editor) felt Brandon Sanderson could be trusted with her husband's sizable legacy.  The endgame of the series turned out to be just too large to hold within one set of covers, so The Gathering Storm is the first of three volumes completed by Sanderson from Jordan's notes.

The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown

A: Heidi Lange     P: Doubleday     C: Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
NYT: 7     LAT: 7     BS: 7

It's a follow-up to the Da Vinci Code, it's the fastest selling adult novel in history. Harvard symbolist Robert Langdon takes on Mal'akh, a tattooed and brilliant villain, while wrapped up in the secrets of Freemasonry that lurks all around him in Washington, D.C.

True Blue, by David Baldacci

A: Aaron M. Priest Literary Agency     P:  Grand Central     C: Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
NYT: 1     LAT: -     BS: 1

A cop is framed, after being kidnapped, losing her job and her reputation in the process.  A young lawyer loses his ideals working for a giant corporate law firm.  Their fates collide as they search for justice together.

Last Night in Twisted River, by John Irving

A:  Dean Cooke     P:  Random House      C:  Literary Fiction

NYT:   1     LAT:  -     BS:  1

I haven't read this book, but it's John Irving, so it should be good, right?  As far as I can tell, the plot involves loggers and New England style stoicism, which doesn't seem to be a thrilling subject, but John Irving is a great writer, seemingly in the midst of his creative peak, so it's probably worth a shot.

Pursuit of Honor, by Vince Flynn

A:  Sloan Harris     P:  Atria     C:  Mystery/Thriller/Suspense

NYT:  3     LAT:  -     BS:  -

There's been a catastrophic terrorist attack in our nation's capital, but those elitist politicans can't seem to stop preening and holding press conferences to finally take care of Al-Qaeda, whether within the law or outside it.  Thankfully, America has Mitch Rapp on the case.  Glenn Beck endorsed.

The Scarpetta Factor, by Patrica Cornwell

A:  Esther Newberg     P:  Putnam    C:  Mystery/Thriller/Suspense

NYT:  2     LAT:  -      BS:  -

Kay Scarpetta is facing a gruesome murder in Central Park, when she draws conclusions that no one surrounding her seems to believe, when the case surrounds her in a way she didn't welcome or expect, including a stolen Blackberry.

The Help, by Kathryn Stockett

A:  Susan Ramer     P:  Putnam     C:  Literary Fiction
NYT: 31     LAT: 22     BS: 38

In Jackson, Mississippi, in 1962, there are lines that are not crossed. With the civil rights movement exploding all around them, three women start a movement of their own, forever changing a town and the way women--black and white, mothers and daughters--view one another.

Nine Dragons, by Michael Connelly

A:  Phillip Spitzer     P:  Little, Brown   C:  Mystery/Thriller/Suspense

NYT:  3      LAT:  3     BS:  3

Detective Harry Bosch takes on the Asian underworld, in a manner which I'm sure is gritty and suspenseful.

Grave Secret, by Charlaine Harris

A:  Joshua Bilmes     P:  Berkeley   C:  Mystery/Thriller/Suspense

NYT:  1      LAT:  -     BS:  -

Charlaine Harris leaves behind her True Blood vampire friends for awhile to return to the sleuthery of Harper Connelly, who is trapped in a puzzle of family troubles, dead children and visible spirits living in the material world.

Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel

A:  -       P:  Holt     C:  Literary Fiction

NYT:  3     LAT:  -     BS:  4

Man Booker Prize winner Hilary Mantel manages to find a fresh take on one of the most famous historical characters in literature (Henry VIII) and the amazing characters surrounding his reign on the throne.

The Book Of Genesis Illustrated, by R. Crumb

A:  Lora Fountain     P:  W.W. Norton     C:  Other

NYT:  -     LAT:  2     BS: -

It's Genesis as told by famous graphic novelist/cartoonist R. Crumb.  Word for word, the whole thing.  Unexpected, but amazing.

Half Broke Horses, by Jeannette Walls

A:  Jennifer Rudolph Walsh     P:  Scribner     C:  Literary Fiction

NYT:  4    LAT:  3     BS:  5

The author of The Glass Castle fictionalizes the story of her grandmother on the frontier, Prohibition and the challenges of the old days.

The Children's Book, by A.S. Byatt

A:  The Steven Barclay Agency     P:  Knopf     C:  Literary Fiction

NYT:  -     LAT:  2     BS:  5

Speaking of Booker Prizes, former winner Byatt tells a massive story of British intellegencia during the era of the Boer War.  Also, there are puppets!

The Wild Things, by Dave Eggers

A:  Andrew Wylie     P:  McSweeneys      C:  Literary Fiction

NYT:  -      LAT:  2     BS:  -

It's a little strange to see a film novelization on the best-seller lists, but not all movies are Where The Wild Things Are and few adapters are as adept as Dave Eggers who takes the Maurice Sendak children's book and expands the idea into novel form.  Furry cover included.

The Lacuna, by Barbara Kingsolver

A:  The Frances Goldin Literary Agency      P:  Harper      C:  Literary Fiction

NYT:  -      LAT:  -      BS:  1

I was certainly aware Barbara Kingsolver is an adept novelist, but The Lacuna is of a scale I wasn't necessarily expecting spanning several decades and tying together American political policy, Frida Kahlo, and J. Edgar Hoover.  Thankfully, Kingsolver released her book at this particular point in the year, because making a "best of" list for novels just got a lot easier.

The Girl Who Played With Fire, by Stieg Larsson

A:                       P: Knopf        C: Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
NYT: -      LAT: -       BS: 15

The "girl with the dragon tattoo", Lisbeth Salander, returns in the second thriller in Stieg Larsson's posthumous trilogy in a thriller mixing journalism, cybercrimes, murder and sex trafficking.