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Take two parts Robert James Waller and one part John Grisham, and what do you get? A huge best-seller -- or so hopes Warner Books. Last fall the company, angling for another Bridges of Madison County, snatched up a nostalgic rural love story called The Notebook for $1 million. Its relatively unknown author, Nicholas Sparks, had been rejected by 22 agents -- much like Grisham -- before one finally took him on. With 421,500 copies of the book in print, it looks like Warner's gamble might just pay off. New Line Cinema has the film rights. Wonder if Meryl and Clint are available?
FICTION WEEKS ON LIST 1 THE DEEP END OF THE OCEAN Jacquelyn Mitchard, Viking, $23.95 6 2 DESPERATION Stephen King, Viking, $27.95 3 3 EXECUTIVE ORDERS Tom Clancy, Putnam, $27.95 9 4 THE REGULATORS Richard Bachman, Dutton, $24.95 3 5 JACK AND JILL James Patterson, Little, Brown, $24.95 6 6 TO THE HILT Dick Francis, Putnam, $24.95 3 7 A SECRET AFFAIR Barbara Taylor Bradford, HarperCollins, $16 1 8 THE NOTEBOOK Nicholas Sparks, Warner, $16.95 1 9 THE CELESTINE PROPHECY James Redfield, Warner, $17.95 137 10 THE LAW OF LOVE Laura Esquivel, Crown, $25 4
NONFICTION
1 MAKE THE CONNECTION Bob Greene and Oprah Winfrey, Hyperion, $18.95 5 2 THE DILBERT PRINCIPLE Scott Adams, HarperBusiness, $20 26 3 THE ZONE Barry Sears, Ph.D., with Bill Lawren, ReganBooks, $22 34 4 MEN ARE FROM MARS, WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS John Gray, HarperCollins, $23 184 5 THE RUN OF HIS LIFE: THE PEOPLE V. O.J. SIMPSON Jeffrey Toobin, Random House, $25 5 6 HOW GOOD DO WE HAVE TO BE? Harold S. Kushner, Little, Brown, $21.95 5 7 SIMPLE ABUNDANCE Sarah Ban Breathnach, Warner, $17.95 30 8 ANGELA'S ASHES Frank McCourt, Scribner, $24 6 9 MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL John Berendt, Random House, $23 118 10 JAMES HERRIOT'S FAVORITE DOG STORIES James Herriot, St. Martin's, $17.95 2
TRADE PAPERBACKS
1 IT'S A MAGICAL WORLD: A CALVIN AND HOBBES COLLECTION Bill Watterson, Andrews & McMeel, $14.95 5 2 SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS David Guterson, Vintage, $12 54 3 A CIVIL ACTION Jonathan Harr, Vintage, $13 7 4 FUGITIVE FROM THE CUBICLE POLICE: A DILBERT BOOK Scott Adams, Andrews & McMeel, $12.95 4 5 DR. ATKINS' NEW DIET REVOLUTION Dr. Robert C. Atkins, M. Evans, $12.95 41 6 REVIVING OPHELIA Mary Pipher, Ph.D., Ballantine, $12.50 79 7 HIGH TIDE IN TUCSON Barbara Kingsolver, HarperPerennial, $12.50 3 8 THE LIARS' CLUB Mary Karr, Penguin, $11.95 24 9 CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL Jack Canfield and Mark Hansen, Health Communications, $12.95 116 10 WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING A. Eisenberg, H. Murkoff, and S. Hathaway, Workman, $10.95 155
SOURCE: PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
