October 2009 Bestsellers Books List

HARDCOVER FICTION
1. Maneater by Mary B. Morrison and Noire (Dafina, $24)*
2. Basketball Jones by E. Lynn Harris (Doubleday, $22.95)*
3. Up to No Good by Carl Weber (Dafina, $24) (3)
4. Midnight by Sister Souljah (Atria, $26.95) (2)
5. A Mercy by Toni Morrison (Knopf, $23.95)*

PAPERBACK FICTION
1. Queen B---- (Part 4) by Deja King (A King Production, $15) (1)
2. Obsession by Kayla Perrin (Spice, $13.95) (4)
3. The Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah (Pocket Star, $7.99) (3)
4. The Someday List by Stacy Hawkins Adams (Revell, $12.99) (5)
5. Push: A Novel by Sapphire (Vintage, $12.95)*

HARDCOVER NONFICTION
1. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man by Steve Harvey (Amistad, $23.99) (1)
2. The 4 Day Diet by Ian K. Smith, M.D. (St. Martin's Press, $24.95)*
3. Letters to a Young Sister by Hill Harper (Gotham, $22.50) (2)
4. Hope on a Tightrope by Cornel West (SmileyBooks, $19.95)*
5. Life Overflowing by T.D. Jakes (Bethany House, $19.99)*

PAPERBACK NONFICTION
1. The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama (Vintage, $7.99) (1)
2. Change We Can Believe In by Barack Obama (Three Rivers Press, $13.95) (3)
3. Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama (Three Rivers Press, $14.95) (2)
4. The Straight-Up Truth About the Down-low by Joy Marie (Creative Wisdom, $16.95)*
5. The Mis-Education of the Negro by Carter G. Woodson (The Book Tree, $17.95) (5)

ABOUT THIS LIST: The ESSENCE Best Sellers List is based on reports of retail sales. Respondents are African-American bookstores. Numbers in parentheses indicate position on last Best Sellers List. An asterisk indicates a title that did not appear on that month's list. REPORTING STORES: Pyramid Books (Boynton Beach, Florida), 561-731-4422; Not Just A Bookstore (St. Louis), 877-361-9955; Knowledge Bookstore (Brampton, Ontario), 905-459-9875; Cushcity (Houston, Texas), 281-444-4265; Underground Books (Sacramento, California), 916-737-3333; MochaReaders (Dayton), 937-361-7657; Da Book Joint (Chicago), 773-655-3146; The Dock Bookshop (Fort Worth, Texas), 817-457-5700.