DC's 'The Joker: Death of the Family' tops best-sellers list this week

Today is Tuesday, so that means it’s time for my weekly breakdown of this week’s New York Times lists of best-selling graphic novels. According to those lists, there are two new books at the top of the two major graphic novel lists this week.

“The Joker: Death of the Family” by Scott Snyder and various replaced “The Walking Dead, Book 9” by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard as the No. 1 book on the Hardcover Graphic Books best-sellers list this week.

“The Walking Dead Compendium, Vol. 1” by Robert Kirkman and others replaced “Batman, Vol. 2” by Scott Snyder and others as the top book on the Paperback Graphic Books best-sellers list this week.

There were four books on this week’s Hardcover Graphic Books best-sellers list that weren’t on that list last week. They (and their places on the list) included “The Joker: Death of the Family” by Scott Snyder and various (1), “Green Lantern: Rise of the Third Army” by Geoff Johns and various (2), “Batman, Vol. 2” by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo (9) and “Earth 2, Vol. 2” by James Robinson and Nicola Scott (10).

There were three books on this week’s Paperback Graphic Books best-sellers list that wasn’t on that list last week. They included “Smallville Season 11, Vol. 3” by Bryan Q. Miller and Jorge Jimenez (2), “Watchmen” by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (5) and “Lazarus, Vol. 1” by Greg Rucka and Michael Lark (8).

As a reminder, I’m posting these lists each Tuesday because they, as a whole, represent a great, contemporary recommended reading list. These lists are initially released each week on Sunday, and if you’re interested in reading them then, visit The New York Times’ Web site at www.nytimes.com. Below you’ll find both of this week’s best-seller lists.

HARDCOVER GRAPHIC BOOKS:
1. “The Joker: Death of the Family” by Scott Snyder and various.
2. “Green Lantern: Rise of the Third Army” by Geoff Johns and various.
3. “The Woman Rebel: The Margaret Sanger Story” by Peter Bagge
4. “Avengers: Endless Wartime” by Warren Ellis and Mike McKone
5. “The Walking Dead, Book 9” by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard
6. “The Best American Comics 2013” by Jeff Smith
7. “Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman, Omnibus Vol. 1” by Jonathan Hickman and various
8. “Justice League, Vol. 3” by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis
9. “Batman, Vol. 2” by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo
10. “Earth 2, Vol. 2” by James Robinson and Nicola Scott

PAPERBACK GRAPHIC BOOKS:

1. “The Walking Dead Compendium, Vol. 1” by Robert Kirkman and others

2. “Smallville Season 11, Vol. 3” by Bryan Q. Miller and Jorge Jimenez

3. “Battling Boy” by Paul Pope

4. “Batman, Vol. 2” by Scott Snyder and others

5. “Watchmen” by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

6. “Blue is the Warmest Color” by Julie Maroh

7.”Smile” by Raina Telgemeier

8. “Lazarus, Vol. 1” by Greg Rucka and Michael Lark

9. “Drama” by Raina Telgemeier

10. “March: Book One” by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin

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.

G. Willow Wilson's 'Alif the Unseen' wins Best Novel World Fantasy Award

The winners of this year’s slate of World Fantasy Awards were announced Sunday during the final day of the World Fantasy Convention in Brighton, U.K.

For those of you unfamiliar with the World Fantasy Awards, they are given annually for outstanding achievement in the field of fantasy. Along with the Hugo Awards and Nebula Awards, the World Fantasy Awards are generally considered among the most prestigious awards in the fantasy and science fiction genres.

This year, awards were presented in nine categories – Lifetime Achievement, Best Novel, Best Novella, Best Short Story, Best Anthology, Best Collection, Best Artist, Special Award – Professional and Special Award – Non-Professional.

This year’s slate of winners in each category included:

Best Novel – “Alif the Unseen” by G. Willow Wilson

Best Novella – “Let Maps to Others” by K.J. Parker

Best Short Story – “The Telling” by Gregory Norman Bossert

Best Anthology – “Postscripts #28/#29: Exotic Gothic 4,” edited by Daniel Olson

Best Collection – “Where Furnaces Burn” by Joel Lane

Best Artist – Vincent Chong

Special Award (Professional) – Lucia Graves for the translation of “The Prisoner of Heaven” by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Special Award (Non-Professional) – S.T. Joshi for “Unutterable Horror: A History of Supernatural Fiction, Volumes 1 & 2”

The Lifetime Achievement Awards are “presented annually to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding service to the fantasy field.” This year’s lifetime achievement awards went to Susan Cooper and Tanith Lee.

The Best Novel Award is arguably the most prestigious of all the World Fantasy Awards. As you might have imagined a number of outstanding novels have won World Fantasy Awards over the years. What follows is a complete list of the all-time winners in the Best Novel category:

1975 – The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip
1976 – Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson
1977 – Doctor Rat by William Kotzwinkle
1978 – Our Lady of Darkness by Fritz Leiber
1979 – Gloriana by Michael Moorcock

1980 – Watchtower by Elizabeth A. Lynn
1981 – The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe
1982 – Little, Big by John Crowley
1983 – Nifft the Lean by Michael Shea
1984 – The Dragon Waiting by John M. Ford

1985 – Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock and Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart
1986 – Song of Kali by Dan Simmons
1987 – Perfume by Patrick Susking
1988 – Replay by Ken Grimwood
1989 – Koko by Peter Straub

1990 – Lyonesse: Madouc by Jack Vance
1991 – Only Begotten Daughter by James Morrow and Thomas the Rhymer by Ellen Kushner
1992 – Boy’s Life by Robert R. McCammon
1993 – Last Call by Tim Powers
1994 – Glimpses by Lewis Shiner

1995 – Towing Jehovah by James Morrow
1996 – The Prestige by Christopher Priest
1997 – Godmother Night by Rachel Pollack
1998 – The Physiognomy by Jeffrey Ford

1999 – The Antelope Wife by Louise Erdich

2000 – Thraxas by Martin Scott
2001 – Declare by Tim Powers and Galveston by Sean Stewart
2002 – The Other Wind by Ursula K. Le Guin

2003 – The Facts of Life by Graham Joyce and Ombria in Shadow by Patricia A. McKillip

2004 – Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton

2005 – Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

2006 – Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

2007 – Soldier of Sidon by Gene Wolfe

2008 – Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay

2009 – The Shadow Year by Jeffrey Ford and Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan

2010 – The City & the City by China Mieville

2011 – Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor

2012 – Osama by Lavie Tidhar

2013 – Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson

For more information about the World Fantasy Awards and this year's slate of winners as well as past winners, visit www.worldfantasy.org/awards.

Daily Weather Observations for Tues., Nov. 5, 2013

Temp: 51.6 degrees F

Rainfall (past 24 hours): 0.00 inches

Humidity: 71 percent (Normal)

Conditions: Partly Cloudy skies and sunny; birds audible; windy.

Wind: Not measured.

Barometric Pressure: 29.78 inHg

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.00 inches

Month to Date Rainfall: 0.60 inches

Fall to Date Rainfall: 2.60 inches

Year to Date Rainfall: 44.85 inches

NOTES: Today is the 309th day of 2013 and the 45th day of Fall. There are 56 days left in the year.

Readings taken at 0700 hrs Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834°N Lon 87.30131°W. Elevation: 400 feet above sea level. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-4, Station Name: Excel 2.5 ESE.

LIFE LIST UPDATE – No. 947: Watch “Citizen Kane” (1941)

I scratched another item off my “life list” yesterday when I watched for the first time the motion picture classic, “Citizen Kane.” This is one of those movies that I’ve heard about all of my life, but for whatever reason, I’d never taken the time to watch it. I put it on my “life list” a couple of years ago, and on Sunday, thanks to NetFlix, I watched the entire thing. It was great.

Aside from the fact that this movie’s famous, I knew very little about it before watching it. I did know that it was about a newspaperman who became one of the most famous men in the world and for the “Rosebud” catchphrase, but that’s about all I knew. As it turned out, that was for the best, and I probably enjoyed the movie more because I went in with a blank slate.

For those of you unfamiliar with “Citizen Kane,” this movie was released in 1941 and was directed, written and produced by Orson Welles, who also played the leading role in the movie. Welles, you will remember, is arguably best known for his famous Halloween “War of the Worlds” radio hoax of 1938. In “Citizen Kane,” Welles plays the role of Charles Foster Kane.

Kane’s family was poor, but struck it rich when it was discovered that they owned property on top of a huge gold reserve. Instead of raising the boy themselves, his parents turned his upbringing over to their lawyers and financial advisors. Kane went on to be educated in the finest schools in the world, but he had sort of a wild streak that helped him get kicked out of more than a few of these institutions.

Kane came into his full fortune when he turned 25, and he launched into a career as a newspaper publisher. He also burned through much of his money, bought expensive works of art from around the world, constructed a monstrosity of a mansion and was married and divorced a couple of times. He also lost his best friends along the way thanks to his bad behavior and poor decisions.

When Kane dies, journalists begin trying to get the story behind Kane’s last words, “Rosebud.” At the end of the film, we learn that this is a reference to a simple, wooden snow sled that Kane owned as a child. It’s seen early in the movie as a plaything that Kane enjoys just before he’s taken away from his parents’ home.

The message of this movie seems simple enough: No matter how much money or how many possessions you have, the simple things in life are what’s important. Relationships with our friends and family are worth more than material things because, after all, we can’t take it with us and it all ends up in someone else’s hands.

In the end, I enjoyed watching “Citizen Kane” and scratching another item off my life list. How many of you have seen “Citizen Kane”? What did you think about it? Let us know in the comments section below.

2013 LIFE LIST ITEM “CONFIRMED KILLS” TO DATE:
1. Ate a funnel cake
2. Ate a peach from Chilton County, Alabama
3. Ate at Big Daddy’s Grill in Fairhope
4. Ate at Callaghan’s Irish Social Club in Mobile
5. Ate catfish at the Stage Coach Café in Stockton
6. Ate octopus
7. Ate pigs feet
8. Attended a Beulah Campground service
9. Drank a fresh lemonade at Toomer’s Drugs in Auburn
10. Drank a Mimosa
11. Drank Cognac
12. Drank goat’s milk
13. Hiked the Grand Canyon
14. Joined the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society
15. Joined the Sons of Confederate Veterans
16. Made an origami animal
17. Listened to Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” without interruption
18. Listened to The Beatles’ “White Album” without interruption
19. Planted a vegetable garden
20. Ran the Alligator Trot 5K in Florala
21. Ran the Battle of Mobile Bay 5K on Dauphin Island
22. Ran through the Bankhead Tunnel in Mobile
23. Read all the Hellboy graphic novels
24. Read “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie
25. Read “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” by Roald Dahl
26. Read MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech
27. Read “Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer” by Warren St. John
28. Read “Savage Wilderness” by Barry Ralph
29. Read the “Complete Stories and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe”
30. Read the entire Bible
31. Read “Who Goes There?” by John W. Campbell Jr.
32. Saw the Ginkgo tree in Evergreen
33. Spent the night in the Old Dr. John Watkins House at Burnt Corn
34. Started a fire without matches
35. Took the downtown Selma walking tour
36. Tried 100 different types of beer
37. Visited Ellicott’s Stone
38. Visited Packer’s Bend
39. Visited the Grand Canyon

40. Visited the grave of Lewis Lavon Peacock

41. Visited the Hank Williams Statue in Montgomery

42. Watched “A Streetcar Named Desire”

43. Watched “Brazil” (1985)

44. Watched “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” (1958)

45. Watched “Citizen Kane” (1941)

46. Watched “Dracula” (1931)
47. Watched “Easy Rider” (1969)
48. Watched “Frankenstein” (1931)

49. Watched “Nosferatu” (1922)

50. Watched “This Is Spinal Tap”

(AUTHOR’S NOTE: The whole point of these life list updates is NOT to draw attention to myself or to anything that I’ve done. Instead, I hope to encourage others to accomplish their own bucket list goals. I’m just a regular guy, and if I can do these things, so can you.)

The Evergreen Courant's News Flashback for Nov. 4, 2013

Jim Martin's 'Victory Special'

TWO YEARS AGO

NOV. 3, 2011

Local weather reporter Betty Ellis reported no rain between Oct. 24 and Oct. 30, 2011. She reported high temperatures of 81 degrees on Oct. 25 and Oct. 27 and a low of 48 on Oct. 30. Total rainfall for the month of October 2011 was .17 of an inch.

“A new, multi-screen movie theatre similar to the one in Greenville, could be headed to the City of Evergreen, according to a presentation made to city officials earlier this week.

“During a meeting of the Evergreen City Council Tuesday night at Evergreen City Hall, representatives of two retail consulting firms – Decision Data Resource and Retail Specialists – told the council that they plan to ‘do their very best to recruit a movie theatre to Evergreen.’”

“The lawsuit filed by Repton in April to try and reverse the Conecuh County Commission’s approval of a landfill permit near the town will carry on after appointed Judge Burt Smithart denied the defendants’ motion to dismiss the case.”

“U.S. Representative Martha Roby (R-Alabama) announced earlier this week that she plans to visit with citizens during an upcoming ‘Meet with Martha’ event in Evergreen.”

“Firefighters from Johnsonville and Brooklyn spent four hours Sunday afternoon battling a blaze that destroyed a former sawmill in the Franklintown community.”

17 YEARS AGO
NOV. 7, 1996

“County Commissioners Frank Pate and Freddie Stallworth were honored with a reception at their last meeting this past Friday morning. The gentlemen were presented a plaque from the county and a certificate from the State of Alabama commending their service to Conecuh County.”

“First Alabama Bank will officially change its name next Tuesday to Regions Bank. In conjunction with the change, the bank will hold open house throughout the week. In addition to the week full of prizes and fun for the customers the bank will host Business After Hours Thurs., Nov. 14, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Pictured with the logo for the bank are Loan Officer John E. Brock, Administrative Officer Carol Cook and Chamber representative Alesia Stuart.”

“Dr. John Winton Deming, 76, of Alexandria, La. died Sun., Nov. 3, 1996 at his residence after a long illness. Dr. Deming was born in Evergreen and was the son of the late John Deming and Katherine Haynes Deming Cardwell.”

“Castleberry Post Office Ribbon Cutting Nov. 16: Postmaster Milton Sullivan, the Evergreen-Conecuh County Chamber of Commerce, the Town of Castleberry and the Conecuh County Economic Development Authority wish to invite the public to the grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony for the newly erected United States Post Office in Castleberry. The ceremony will be held on Saturday morning, Nov. 16, 1996 at 8:30 a.m.”

32 YEARS AGO
NOV. 5, 1981

“Mrs. M.C. (Mrs. Josie) Brooks was one of the first tenants to move into the Evergreen Retirement Center, Rural Street. The center was officially opened at a ceremony on Wednesday of last week. Mayor Lee F. Smith and Center Manager Mrs. Rhonda Grant are shown with Mrs. Brooks who was honored Sunday by Evergreen United Methodist Church. ‘Mrs. Josie’ will be 100 years of age on Sun., Nov. 8.”

“It’s still dry with ‘Ole Earl’: Don’t fault him, The Courant’s weatherman, ‘Ole Earl’ Windham does his job, week-in, week-out. This week he had no comments… that is easy to understand… because, he reports a very light shower of .15 inches of rain on this parched Conecuh County early on Oct. 26 and no more.” Windham reported high temperatures of 77 on Oct. 30 and Oct. 31 and a low of 45 on Oct. 28.

“The Evergreen City Council had a long and busy meeting Tuesday night, according to City Clerk Miller T. Sellers.
“County Agent Joe Lashley was present and asked the council to help establish a Farmers Market on the old State Prison Camp grounds, Highway 83 North, across from Hardees. The council voted to work with the county commission on this project, and Mayor Lee Smith and Councilman-Mayor Pro Tem Aubrey Padgett was named to represent the city.”

47 YEARS AGO
NOV. 3, 1966

“Conecuh County and Alabama voters return to the polls Tuesday for the third time this year. The races for governor and U.S. Senator hold the most interest in the General Election in this county as all Democratic nominees for local and area offices are unopposed.
“There may be more than normal interest in Conecuh in the election because of the county’s new voting machines, which will be put into use for the first time.
“The Board of Directors bought 30 of the machines in time to use them in this election. An additional six have since been purchased and received and will be used in the next election, thus eliminating paper ballots in the county, except for the absentee box.”

“JORDAN SELLS BULL: Lee Roy Jordan, Repton, recently sold an Aberdeen-Angus bull to William Kirby, McCullough.”

“GOP Gubernatorial candidate Jim Martin stopped his ‘Victory Special’ in Evergreen Monday afternoon for a brief address. Here Martin addresses the crowd of several hundred that gathered for the occasion. With Marin on the back of the train are Mrs. Alice Hudson, candidate for State Auditor; Jodie Connell, candidate for Public Service Commission; Don Collins, candidate for Attorney General, Martin, Mrs. Martin, the former Pat Huddleston and a former Miss Alabama, and the Martin’s young son.”

“The purchase of a ‘Skyworker’ utility truck for the City Electrical Department was authorized by the City Council at its meeting Tuesday night. Cost of the truck and equipment is nearly $15,000.”

62 YEARS AGO
NOV. 1, 1951

“Pfc. John C. Powell, whose wife, Rachel, lives at Evergreen, Ala., is serving with the 7th Infantry Division in the front lines of Korea.
“The division now attacking Communist positions in rugged mountain terrain above the 38th parallel, is a veteran unit of the war and has been in Korea more than a year.”

“With some cotton still going through the gins, the 1951 crop in Conecuh County has already yielded over 10,000 bales, according to County Agent Mabry Huggins.”

“G.C. Thomasson, good citizen of Brooklyn, was in Evergreen Monday showing some of the longest ears of corn that have been seen around here in many a day. The longest ear he had measured 13 inches and all were extra long.”

“By direction of the Secretary of the Air Force, Capt. Frederick F. Dean of Evergreen has been awarded the Commendation Ribbon. The award was made in Nagoya, Japan where Capt. Dean is area provost marshall.”

“Coach Wendell Hart began his driving classes on Wednesday of this week by calling a meeting of all the students who are interested in taking advantage of the course. Fifteen students were enrolled in the class. Each student will attend the class for two periods on one day each week. Ivey Chevrolet Co. is furnishing the Chevrolet that will be used in the training program.”

COMIC BOOK OF THE WEEK – “Conan the Barbarian” #244 (May 1991)

This week’s “Comic Book of the Week” is “Conan the Barbarian” #244, which was published by Marvel Comics in May 1991. This comic was titled “Fiends of the Flaming Mountains” and featured Conan and two of his old sidekicks, Red Sonja and Zula. This issue’s creative team included Roy Thomas, writer; Gary Hartle, penciler; Mike DeCarlo, inker; Mike Heisler, letterer; Nel Yomtov, colorist; Mike Rockwitz, editor; and Tom DeFalco, editor and chief. Steve Lightle was the cover artist for the issue, which sold for $1 at newsstands.

“Conan the Barbarian” #244 was a 32-page issue that begins with Conan and Red Sonja, who are on horseback near Koth’s eastern border. Not only are they fleeing from King Strabonus’ troops, but they’re also having to dodge a field of erupting “fire geysers.” Conan manages to miss one, but in the next instant one of these geysers takes out Sonja’s horse.

Sonja and Conan stand their ground against the approaching troops, who are out rounding up mercenaries to keep them from joining the army of Khoraja. Conan and Sonja take out a few troops before their commander gives the order to take the two adventurers alive so that they can be questioned in regard to the whereabouts of Amalric the Nemedian. The battle continues for a little while longer, and Conan and Sonja are eventually knocked unconscious.

When Conan and Sonja regain consciousness, they realize they’ve been tossed into a stockade. They discuss their situation for a few moments before they realize that they’re not alone. Someone, who knows Conan’s name, is sitting in a dark corner. This stranger and Conan exchange a few words and when Conan leaps upon the stranger, he realizes the man’s no stranger at all. It’s his old friend, Zula, a Kushite known as the “Last of the Zamballahs.”

Conan hasn’t seen Zula in over three years. Before that, they sailed together on the Tigress with Conan’s old girlfriend, the pirate queen Belite, who has died. Zula explains that he was on his way to Khoraja to work as a mercenary when he was captured by the Kothians the day before Conan’s capture.

Zula didn’t resist capture, which is why he wasn’t killed, and the Kothians have given him until dawn to decide whether to join them or not. Zula says he plans to join them just long enough to desert at the earliest opportunity. Zula also shows Conan and Sonja the corpse of another man in the stockade, a man killed when he tried to defend himself against the guards.

A few moments later, Zula also shows Conan and Sonja a small passage in the back of the stockade that was covered by an ill-balanced boulder. The small tunnel leads into the mountain, but the three adventurers don’t plan to venture down the tunnel without weapons. Two guards are gambling outside the stockade, and Zula throws his voice to draw them to the bars.

When they get too close, Zula grabs them through the bars, knocks them out and gets their weapons and a nice torch. Conan, Sonja and Zula enter the tunnel, and it goes down and down. Suddenly and without warning, out of the darkness, swoops what at first looks like a huge bat, but actually turns out to be an “afterling,” a large type of man-bat that Conan and Sonja’s encountered before.

The afterlings Conan and Sonja saw before in a hidden valley in the Zamorian Badlands were gentle and revered humans. They were created by the brother and sister duo of Morophla and Uathacht, who weren’t vampires, but kept themselves alive for centuries by drinking blood. Conan and Sonja defeated the brother and sister and were eventually helped to safety and freedom by the afterlings.

As Conan and Sonja tell Zula about the afterlings, they’re attacked by an enormous swarm of unfriendly afterlings. The man-bats are too numerous to fight, and the three adventurers eventually stop fighting for fear of being dropped from a deadly height. The swarm carries them through the bejeweled caverns and eventually sets them down before a talking afterling.

Conan and Sonja wonder if Morophla may have survived their earlier encounter and brought his afterlings to Koth. While talking this over, they turn to realize that they’ve been set down in a hellish throne room lorded over by Varnae, the “First Lord of the Vampires.” Conan, Sonja and Zula gaze as Varnae’s horrible bulk and skull-littered throne, and the issue ends as Conan utters a single word – “Crom!”

This comic (unless I’ve sold it) and others are available for purchase through Peacock’s Books on Amazon.com. If you’re interested in buying it, search for it there by title, issue number and date of publication.

Grisham's new novel 'Sycamore Row' takes top spot on best-sellers list

Today is Sunday, so that means that it’s time for my weekly breakdown of this week’s Publishers Weekly Best-Sellers Lists. According to those lists, there are two new books at the top of the four major best-sellers lists this week.

"Sycamore Row" by John Grisham replaced "Doctor Sleep" by Stephen King as the No. 1 book on the hardcover fiction best-sellers list.

"Angels at the Table" by Debbie Macomber replaced "The Sins of the Mother" by Danielle Steel as the No. 1 book on the mass market paperback best-sellers list.

"Killing Jesus" by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard remained the top book on the hardcover nonfiction best-sellers list for the fifth week straight.

"The Hit" by David Baldacci remained the top book on the trade paperbacks best-sellers list for the sixth straight week.

There were four books on this week’s hardcover fiction best-sellers list that weren’t on that list last week. They (and their places on the list) included "Sycamore Row" by John Grisham (1), "The Goldfinch" by Donna Tartt (2), "We Are Water" by Wally Lamb (5) and "The Lowland" by Jhumpa Lahiri (15).

There were six books on this week’s hardcover nonfiction best-sellers list that weren’t on the list last week. They included "Things That Matter" by Charles Krauthammer (4), "Forty Chances" by Howard G. Buffett (6), "The Duck Commander Devotional" by Alan Robertson (9), "Driven" by Donald Driver (10), "The Power of Right Believing" by Joseph Prince (11) and "Grain Brain" by David Perlmutter (14).

There were two books on this week’s mass market paperbacks best-sellers list that weren’t on the list last week. They included "Angels at the Table" by Debbie Macomber (1) and "Black and Blue" by Gena Showalter (7).

There were three books on this week’s trade paperbacks best-sellers list that weren’t on the list last week. They included "Week in a Day" by Rachael Ray (7), "Quiet" by Susan Cain (14) and "Where'd You Go, Bernadette" by Maria Semple (15).

As a reminder, I’m posting these lists each Sunday because they, as a whole, represent a great, contemporary recommended reading list. These lists are initially released each week on Thursday, and if you’re interested in reading them then, visit Publishers Weekly’s Web site at www.publishersweekly.com. Below you’ll find all four of this week’s best-seller lists.

HARDCOVER FICTION
1. "Sycamore Row" by John Grisham
2. "The Goldfinch" by Donna Tartt
3. "Doctor Sleep" by Stephen King
4. "The Longest Ride" by Nicholas Sparks
5. "We Are Water" by Wally Lamb
6. "Gone" by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
7. "Identical" by Scott Turow
8. "Storm Front" by John Sandford
9. "Starry Night" by Debbie Macomber
10. "Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy" by Helen Fielding
11. "Just One Evil Act" by Elizabeth George
12. "Never Go Back" by Lee Child
13. "The Signature of All Things" by Elizabeth Gilbert
14. "The Wolves of Midwinter" by Anne Rice
15. "The Lowland" by Jhumpa Lahiri

HARDCOVER NONFICTION
1. "Killing Jesus" by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
2. "David and Goliath" by Malcolm Gladwell
3. "I Am Malala" by Malala Yousafzai
4. "Things That Matter" by Charles Krauthammer
5. "Si-Cology 1" by Si Robertson
6. "Forty Chances" by Howard G. Buffett
7. "My Story" by Elizabeth Smart
8. "Guinness World Records 2014" by Guinness World Records
9. "The Duck Commander Devotional" by Alan Robertson
10. "Driven" by Donald Driver
11. "The Power of Right Believing" by Joseph Prince
12. "Break Out!" by Joel Osteen
13. "Johnny Carson" by Henry Bushkin
14. "Grain Brain" by David Perlmutter
15. "The Reason I Jump" by Naoki Higashida

MASS MARKET PAPERBACKS
1. "Angels at the Table" by Debbie Macomber
2. "The Racketeer" by John Grisham
3. "The Sins of the Mother" by Danielle Steel
4. "The Black Box" by Michael Connelly
5. "Mad River" by John Sandford
6. "Private London" by James Patterson and Mark Pearson
7. "Black and Blue" by Gena Showalter
8. "The Forgotten" by David Baldacci
9. "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card
10. "Whispered Promises" by Nora Roberts
11. "The Bone Bed" by Patricia Cornwell
12. "Glory, Glory" by Linda Lael Miller
13. "Call Me Mrs. Miracle" by Debbie Macomber
14. "Flintlock" by William W. Johnstone
15. "Merry Christmas, Cowboy" by Janet Dailey

TRADE PAPERBACKS
1. "The Hit" by David Baldacci
2. "Dear Life" by Alice Munroe

3. "Proof of Heaven" by Eben Alexander

4. "Four Blood Moons" by John Hagee

5. "The Casual Vacancy" by J.K. Rowling

6. "Unlikely Loves" by Jennifer S. Holland

7. "Week in a Day" by Rachael Ray

8. "Brain on Fire" by Susannah Cahalan

9. "The Racketeer" by John Grisham

10. "The Time Keeper" by Mitch Albom

11. "Beautiful Ruins" by Jess Walter

12. "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed

13. "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

14. "Quiet" by Susan Cain

15. "Where'd You Go, Bernadette" by Maria Semple

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.