by Dan Gibson

For New Readers: Behind the Bestsellers is TED's own monthly bestseller analysis, where we take a close look at what books are making splashes on three of the industry’s most valuable bestseller lists, the agents and publishers that brought them to market, and what their success or longevity on a given list tells us about the topsy-turvy world of publishing at the moment. Please note this data for fiction is culled from the New York Times (NYT) and Los Angeles Times (LAT) hardcover fiction lists along with the Booksense (BKS) (a.k.a Indiebound) list, which tracks sales at independent bookstores only. Nonfiction data comes from USA Today (USA), the New York Times (NYT), and Publishers Weekly(PW).

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, by Steve Harvey

 

A:                     P:  Amistad                   C:  Self Help/Improvement

 

NYT:  16            USAT:   16         PW:  16

 

From the host of the popular "Steve Harvey Morning Show" comes a funny, honest, and foolproof guide for all women that takes them inside the heads of men and shows how men think about love, sex, and commitment.

 

Resilience: Reflections on the Burdens and Gifts of Facing Life's Adversities, by Elizabeth Edwards

 

A:  Robert Barnett        P:  Broadway                 C:  Memoir

 

NYT:  2             USAT:   2          PW:  2

 

Elizabeth Edwards, wife of former Senator and presidential candidate John Edwards, discusses the various tragedies of her life from the death of her son to her husband's recent scandalous appearances on the front pages of the tabloids.

 

Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto, by Mark R. Levin

 

A:                     P:  Threshold Editions    C:  Politics/Government

 

NYT:  8             USAT:   8          PW:  8

 

Mark Levin, conservative radio talk show host, launches his defense on the American values and Constitutional values that he hold dear, as liberalism encroaches further.  Levin's experience in the Reagan administration and as an attorney are the foundation of his criticism of the New Deal and nearly Democratic policy that has followed.

 

Master Your Metabolism, by Jillian Michaels and Mariska van Aalst

 

A:  Andrea Barzvi           P:  Crown                                  C:  Health/Fitness

 

NYT:  6             USAT:   6          PW:  6

 

The strength and life coach from the NBC show “The Biggest Loser” offers shopping lists, shopping advice, recipes and advice to lose weight with the help of your metabolism, instead of in spite of it.

 

Always Looking Up, by Michael J. Fox

 

A:                     P:  Hyperion                              C:  Memoir

 

NYT:  7             USAT:   7          PW:  7

 

Michael J. Fox looks back at the last ten years of his life, following his retirement from acting full-time and as he struggles with the challenges of Parkinson's Disease.  While feeling a loss of his identity after the end of his career in the midst of his illness, Fox finds new things to focus on, including political action, family and faith.

 

The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch

A: David Black   P: Hyperion       C: Self Help/Improvement

NYT:  58            USAT:   58         PW:  58

Based on the extraordinary final lecture by Carnegie Mellon University professor Pausch, given after he discovered he had pancreatic cancer, this moving book goes beyond the now-famous lecture to inspire readers to live each day with purpose and joy.

Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell

A: - Tina Bennett P: Little, Brown  C: Self Help/Improvement

NTY: 26            USAT:   26         PW:  25

In this landmark work, the author of "Blink" and "The Tipping Point" asks what makes high-achievers different. Brilliant and entertaining, "Outliers" is a landmark work that will simultaneously delight and illuminate.

Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson

A: Laurie Harper             P: Penguin                    C: Politics/Government

NYT: -               USAT: 115                    PW: -

Anyone who despairs of the individual's power to change lives has to read the story of Greg Mortenson, a homeless mountaineer who, following a 1993 climb of Pakistan's treacherous K2, was inspired by a chance encounter with impoverished mountain villagers and promised to build them a school. Over the next decade he built fifty-five schools, focusing specifically on ones for girls, that offer a balanced education in one of the most isolated and dangerous regions on earth. As the book chronicles Mortenson's quest, which has brought him into conflict with both enraged Islamists and uncomprehending Americans, "Three Cups of Tea" combines adventure with a celebration of the humanitarian spirit.

The Love Dare, by Stephen Kendrick and Alex Kendrick

A:                     P:  B&H            C:  Self Help/Improvement

NYT:                 USAT:  34          PW:

Part of the storyline of the popular 2008 Christian film Fireproof, The Love Dare is a devotional set over forty days and designed to help couples with their marriage.  Each day features a Bible verse, a challenge and an area to journal in a collective search for true love.

The Girls From Ames, by Jeffrey Zaslow

A:                     P:  Gotham       C:  Other

NYT:  5             USAT:  4           PW:  4

Jeffrey Zaslow, co-author of The Last Lecture and Wall Street Journal columnist, looks into the power of friendship through the lens of eleven women who grew up in Ames, Iowa and remain friends decades later.  Zaslow learned of the women via a letter he received after a column he wrote about the power of friendship, then spent time learning about the women, their struggles and their successes.

 

Naturally Thin, by Bethenny Frankel with Eve Adamson

A:  Jeremy Katz             P:  Gotham       C:  Health/Fitness

NYT:  10            USAT:  10          PW:  5

Bethenny Frankel, head of the Skinnygirl line, encouragingly pontificates on dieting and developing a healthy lifestyle in Naturally Thin.  While Frankel's experience running a health food company, writing for Health magazine or even appearing on the Martha Stewart edition of The Apprentice, but these days Frankel (and her book) are probably best known these days from Bravo's Real Housewives of New York.

The End Of Overeating, by David Kessler

A:                     P:  Rodale         C:  Health/Fitness

NYT:  7             USAT:  2          PW:  1

Kessler, former commissioner of the Federal Drug Administration, exposes in great detail how the commercial food business (with chain restaurants in the lead) are making their customers fat with hyper-engineered food designed to make those eating it want more and more.  From Panera Bread to Chili's, no one is safe from Kessler analysis and scrutiny, even the lowly Snickers bar (or more appropriately, the designers of the Snickers bar) are trashed for making food that attacks its consumers.

Losing Mum And Pup, by Christopher Buckley

A:                     P:  Twelve          C:  Memoir

NYT:  3             USAT:  2           PW:  3

Christopher Buckley saw his mother and father die within less than a year and that difficult time might be fodder for a book by itself, but when those parents are William F. Buckley Jr. and his wife, Pat, legions of the American conservative moment, the pages basically write themselves.  The drama is high as Christopher, a well-known writer on his own, battles his parents via email and emotions page after page.  Still, after their death, Buckley wrestles with the vacuum left by their absence.

Columbine, by Dave Cullen

A:  Betsy Lerner            P:  Twelve          C:  Memoir

NYT:  6             USAT:  6          PW:  6

Ten years after Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed twelve of their former students and one teacher, Denver journalist Dave Cullen looks back at the leadup to the tragedy as well as how the media covered the evidence and the aftermath.  Cullen breaks apart many of the myths that were perpetuated after the crisis, looking deeply to find the truth of what happened and why.

A Bold Fresh Piece Of Humanity, by Bill O'Reilly

A:                     P:  Broadway     C:  Memoir

NYT:  31            USAT:  17         PW:

In somewhat of a turn from his previous politically charged books, Bill O'Reilly looks back on his childhood and the influences on his life.

Horse Soldiers, by Doug Stanton

A:                     P:  Scribner       C:  Other

NYT:  1             USAT:               PW:

Horse Soldiers unearths a previously unpublicized story about Special Forces troops who unconventionally defeated the Taliban in Afghanistan while on horseback and dramatically outnumbered.  After a first round of success, the mission turns nearly impossibly difficult and intense.  The book reads like an improbable action film of the Rambo sort, but Doug Stanton's research and writing ability grounds the tale in reality.

The G-Free Diet, by Elisabeth Hasselbeck

A:                    P:  Center Street            C:  Health/Fitness

NYT:  2             USAT:  2          PW:  2

You might ask what expertise Elisabeth Hasselbeck, former Survivor contestant and current television personality on The View, has to tell people with gluten allergies what to eat and how to live.  However, Hasselbeck had trouble with food for some time until she spent time away from wheat while on Survivor when she realized gluten was the problem.  Hasselbeck provides first hand advice and recipes to live life without gluten, but with an extra helping of awesome.

A-Rod, by Selena Roberts

A:                    P:  Harper         C:  Other

NYT:  2             USAT:  1          PW:  2

There isn't a player in baseball who makes more money than Alex Rodriguez, so when Rodriguez was exposed as a steroid user, no one should have been surprised that a book wasn't far behind.  Sports Illustrated writer Selena Roberts looks into the steroid use and beyond, detailing A-Rod's love of money, relationship with Madonna and dubious real estate deals.

Please click here for June's fiction list.