'Elf on the Shelf' book is No. 41 on USA Today best-seller list

Normally, in this space on Sundays, I give you a weekly review of the Publishers Weekly Best-Seller Lists for hardcover fiction and nonfiction, mass market paperbacks and trade paperbacks.

This week, however, it appears that the good folks at Publishers Weekly have taken a well deserved week off and haven’t updated their online best-seller lists because of the latest holiday. They normally release their best-seller lists on Thursday, and last Thursday, as you all know, was Thanksgiving.

For that reason, I’m having to offer you something a little different this week. The boys down at USA Today apparently don’t get as much time off, and they did come out with their best-seller list this week, and as you’ll see it’s a little different from Publishers Weekly’s list.

Whereas, Publishers Weekly gives you the best-sellers in four separate formats, USA Today gives readers an overall list of the top 50 best-selling books, regardless of format. This list is based on reports that it receives from a number of bookstores nationwide, including Amazon.com, B.Dalton Bookseller, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Booland and Borders Books & Music.

As a reminder, I’m posting this list on Sunday because, as a whole, it represents a great, contemporary recommended reading list. USA Today and Publishers Weekly initially release their lists each week on Thursday, and if you’re interested in reading them then, visit Publishers Weekly’s Web site at www.publishersweekly.com or USA Today online at www.usatoday.com.

Below you’ll find this week’s USA Today best-seller list, and here’s the key to understanding some of the abbreviations used in this list: F-Fiction; NF-Nonfiction; H-Hardcover; P-Paperback.

1. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth" by Jeff Kinney (F-H)
2. "Decision Points" by George W. Bush (NF-H)
3. "Happy Ever After" by Nora Roberts (F-P)
4. "The Confession" by John Grisham (F-H)
5. "Hell's Corner" by David Baldacci (F-H)
6. "Full Dark, No Stars" by Stephen King (F-H)
7. "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson (F-P)
8. "Broke" by Glenn Beck, Kevin Balfe (NF-H)
9. "The Lost Hero" by Rick Riordan (F-H)
10. "The Girl Who Played With Fire" by Stieg Larsson (F-P)
11. "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" by Stieg Larsson (F-H)
12. "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown (F-P)
13. "Life" by Keith Richards (NF-H)
14. "Towers of Midnight" by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson (F-H)
15. "Indulgence in Death" by J.D. Robb (F-H)
16. "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins (F-P)
17. "Southern Lights: A Novel" by Danielle Steel (F-P)
18. "American Assassin: A Thriller" by Vince Flynn (F-H)
19. "I Still Dream About You" by Fannie Flagg (F-H)
20. "Christmas in Cedar Cove: 5-B Poppy Lane" by Debbie Macomber (F-P)
21. "Worth Dying For: A Reacher Novel" by Lee Child (F-H)
22. "I Remember Nothing and Other Reflections" by Nora Ephron (NF-H)
23. "Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain" by Portia de Rossi (NF-H)
24. "Safe Haven" by Nicholas Sparks (F-H)
25. "Deeper Than the Dead" by Tami Hoag (F-P)
26. "House Rules" by Jodi Picoult (F-P)
27. "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins (F-H)
28. "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins (F-H)
29. "Holiday Magic" by Mary Carter, Terri DuLong, Fern Michaels, Cathy Lamb (F-P)
30. "Fall of Giants" by Ken Follett (F-H)
31. "The Christmas Brides" by Linda Lael Miller (F-P)
32. "Barefoot Contessa: How Easy Is That?" by Ina Garten (NF-H)
33. "I, Alex Cross" by James Patterson (F-P)
34. "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett (F-H)
35. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney (F-H)
36. "61 Hours: A Reacher Novel" by Lee Child (F-P)
37. "Pinheads and Patriots" by Bill O'Reilly (NF-H)
38. "Justin Bieber: First Step 2 Forever: My Story" by Justin Bieber (NF-H)
39. "Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese (F-P)
40. "Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary" by David Sedaris and Ian (F-H)
41. "The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition" by Carol V. Aebersold, Chanda B. Bell (F-H)
42. "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert (NF-P)
43. "Cleopatra: A Life" by Stacy Schiff (NF-H)
44. "Autobiography of Mark Twain, Vol. 1" by Mark Twain (NF-H)
45. "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf" by Ntozake Shange (F-P)
46. "Little Bee: A Novel" by Chris Cleave (F-P)
47. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules" by Jeff Kinney (F-H)
48. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw" by Jeff Kinney (F-H)
49. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days" by Jeff Kinney (F-H)
50. "In The Company of Others: A Father Tim Novel" by Jan Karon (F-H)

In the end, let me know if you’ve had a chance to read any of these books. What did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.