FICTION 1. "Alex Cross's Trial" by James Patterson, Richard DiLallo (Little, Brown) 2. "Blood Promise: A Vampire Academy Novel" by Richelle Mead (Razorbill) 3. "South of Broad" by Pat Conroy (Nan A. Talese) 4. "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett (Putnam/Amy Einhorn) 5. "The White Queen" by Philippa Gregory (Touchstone) 6. "206 Bones: A Novel ...

HARDCOVER FICTION 1. "Black Hills" by Nora Roberts (Putnum Adult) 2. "Swimsuit" by James Patterson, Maxine Paetro (Little, Brown) 3. "Finger Lickin' Fifteen" by Janet Evanovich (St. Martin's) 4. "Burn" by Linda Howard (Ballantine Books) 5. "The Devil's Punchbowl" by Greg Iles (Scribner) 6. "The Apostle: A Thriller" by Brad Thor (Atria) 7. "The Doomsday ...

A year before it became a best seller, author Jeffrey Zaslow wondered if all the time he'd put into his book about the longtime friendship of 11 women would be wasted. The women initially had been eager to talk about their enduring relationship, which began ...