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New York Times bestselling author Teri Woods found her chic book party quickly turn into a nightmare when all of her guests were left outside this summer. And now she is filing a $1 Billion class action suit with others against New York hot spot Greenhouse, for denying partygoers based on race. Woods kept derogatory text messages from the club owner Barry Mullineax the night of her party, including one that allegedly said, "I couldn't let in 300lb girls." Woods has quickly risen to fame for her thrilling novels, including her latest release, "Alibi" and is a ESSENCE Bestsellers List favorite. -CJ

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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.

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