Books

Dai Sijie, author of Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, our no. 9 bestseller
(photo by Jacques Saunes)

HARDCOVER

1.The Correctionsby Jonathan Franzen
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $26

2. Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriageby Alice Munro
Knopf, $24

3. The Universe In A Nutshellby Stephen Hawking
Bantam, $35

4. John Adamsby David McCullough
Simon & Schuster, $35

5. Theodore Rexby Edmund Morris
Random House, $35

6. Nickel and Dimedby Barbara Ehrenreich
Metropolitan, $23

7. The Darwin Awards IIby Wendy Northcutt
Dutton, $18.95

8. The Botany of Desireby Michael Pollan
Random House, $24.95

9. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstressby Dai Sijie
Knopf, $18

10. Peace Like a Riverby Leif Enger
Atlantic Monthly Press, $24

PAPERBACK

1.The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clayby Michael Chabon
Picador, $15

2. 9-11by Noam Chomsky
Seven Stories Press, $8.95

3. Me Talk Pretty One Dayby David Sedaris
Little, Brown, $14.95

4. Holidays on Iceby David Sedaris
Little, Brown, $8.95

5. Prodigal Summerby Barbara Kingsolver
HarperPerennial, $14

6. Dispatches From the Tenth CircleEdited by Robert Siegel
Three Rivers Press, $16

7. Paris to the Moonby Adam Gopnik
Random House, $14.95

8.The Best American Short Stories 2001Edited by Barbara Kingsolver
Houghton Mifflin, $13

9. Empireby Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri
Harvard University Press, $18.95

10.Brunelleschi'S Domeby Ross King
Penguin, $13

VLS Bestsellers is Compiled From These Independent Bookstores:

Bailey/Coy BooksSeattle, WA; Black Oak BooksBerkeley, CA; Book SoupWest Hollywood, CA; Book WomanAustin, TX; Canterbury BooksMadison, WI; City Lights BookstoreSan Francisco, CA; Cody's BooksBerkeley, CA; Fact & FictionMissoula, MT; Farley's Bookshop New Hope, PA; Harvard Book StoreCambridge, MA; Labyrinth Books New York, NY; Left Bank Books St. Louis, MO; Midnight Special BookstoreSanta Monica, CA; Politics & ProseWashington, D.C.; Posman BooksNew York, NY; Prairie Lights Bookstore Iowa City, IA; The Regulator BookshopDurham, NC; Ruminator BooksSt. Paul, MN; St. Mark's BookshopNew York, NY; Seminary Co-operative Bookstore, Inc.Chicago, IL; Shaman Drum BookshopAnn Arbor, MI; That Bookstore in BlythevilleBlytheville, AR; Women & Children FirstChicago, IL.

Related story:
"The Lit Parade: Our 25 Favorite Books of 2001"