How splendid to see "A Sick Day for Amos McGee" by Philip and Erin Stead at Number 1 on the Children's List. The author and illustrator live in Kerrytown and are very deserving winners of the Caldecott award.

My other favorite is "A Discovery of Witches," the grown-ups' vampire romance. The vampire in question is a professor at Oxford University, conducting research into — what else — the DNA of blood groups and how it can elucidate the evolution of the species —  witches, daemons, vampires and humans, that is! This book is the start of a series, and the next book promises to be even more interesting, as it will be taking place in the London of Shakespeare, Marlowe and friends.

HEARTLAND BESTSELLERS LIST FOR THE WEEK ENDING SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2011

HARDCOVER FICTION

1. A Discovery of Witches
Deborah Harkness, Viking,
$28.95, 9780670022410
2. Room
Emma Donoghue, Little Brown,
$24.99, 9780316098335
3. The Help
Kathryn Stockett, Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam,
$24.95, 9780399155345
4. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
Stieg Larsson, Knopf,
$27.95, 9780307269997
5. Swamplandia!
Karen Russell, Knopf,
$24.95, 9780307263995
6. Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk
David Sedaris, Ian Falconer (Illus.), Little Brown,
$21.99, 9780316038393
7. Tick Tock
James Patterson, Michael Ledwidge, Little Brown,
$27.99, 9780316037914
8. A Red Herring Without Mustard
Alan Bradley, Delacorte,
$23, 9780385342322
9. Clara and Mr. Tiffany
Susan Vreeland, Random House,
$26, 9781400068166
10. Freedom
Jonathan Franzen, FSG,
$28, 9780374158460
11. While Mortals Sleep
Kurt Vonnegut, Delacorte,
$27, 9780385343732
12. An Object of Beauty
Steve Martin, Grand Central,
$26.99, 9780446573641
13. The Weird Sisters
Eleanor Brown, Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam,
$24.95, 9780399157226
14. The Illumination
Kevin Brockmeier, Pantheon,
$24.95, 9780375425318
15. Fall of Giants
Ken Follett, Dutton,
$36, 9780525951650

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

1. Unbroken
Laura Hillenbrand, Random House,
$27, 9781400064168
2. Cleopatra
Stacy Schiff, Little Brown,
$29.99, 9780316001922
3. Autobiography of Mark Twain
Mark Twain, University of California Press,
$34.95, 9780520267190
4. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Rebecca Skloot, Crown,
$26, 9781400052172
5. Known and Unknown
Donald Rumsfeld, Sentinel,
$36, 9781595230676
6. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
Amy Chua, Penguin Press,
$25.95, 9781594202841
7. Wild Bill Donovan
Douglas Waller, Free Press,
$30, 9781416567448
8. Life
Keith Richards, Little Brown,
$29.99, 9780316034388
9. And Furthermore
Judi Dench, St. Martin's Press,
$26.99, 9780312659066
10. The Investment Answer
Daniel C. Goldie, Business Plus,
$18, 9781455503308
11. Sh*t My Dad Says
Justin Halpern, It Books,
$15.99, 9780061992704
12. Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life
Karen Armstrong, Knopf,
$22.95, 9780307595591
13. I Beat the Odds
Michael Oher, Gotham,
$26, 9781592406128
14. A Widow's Story
Joyce Carol Oates, Ecco,
$27.99, 9780062015532
15. I Remember Nothing
Nora Ephron, Knopf,
$22.95, 9780307595607

TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION

1. Cutting for Stone
Abraham Verghese, Vintage,
$15.95, 9780375714368
2. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
Helen Simonson, Random House,
$15, 9780812981223
3. The Postmistress
Sarah Blake, Berkley,
$15, 9780425238691
4. Half Broke Horses
Jeannette Walls, Scribner,
$15, 9781416586296
5. Little Bee
Chris Cleave, S&S,
$15, 9781416589648
6. Water for Elephants
Sara Gruen, Algonquin,
$14.95, 9781565125605
7. The Imperfectionists
Tom Rachman, Dial,
$15, 9780385343671
8. True Grit
Charles Portis, Overlook,
$14.95, 9781590204597
9. The Three Weissmanns of Westport
Cathleen Schine, Picador,
$14, 9780312680527
10. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
Jamie Ford, Ballantine,
$15, 9780345505347
11. Tinkers
Paul Harding, Bellevue Literary Press,
$14.95, 9781934137123
12. The Girl Who Fell From the Sky
Heidi W. Durrow, Algonquin,
$13.95, 9781616200152
13. Wench
Dolen Perkins-Valdez, Amistad,
$14.99, 9780061706561
14. The Invisible Bridge
Julie Orringer, Vintage,
$15.95, 9781400034376
15. The Art of Racing in the Rain
Garth Stein, Harper,
$14.99, 9780061537967

TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION

1. Heaven Is for Real
Todd Burpo, Thomas Nelson,
$16.99, 9780849946158
2. Just Kids
Patti Smith, Ecco,
$16, 9780060936228
3. The Big Short
Michael Lewis, Norton,
$15.95, 9780393338829
4. Zeitoun
Dave Eggers, Vintage,
$15.95, 9780307387943
5. The King's Speech
Mark Logue, Peter Conradi, Sterling,
$14.95, 9781402786761
6. Inside of a Dog
Alexandra Horowitz, Scribner,
$16, 9781416583431
7. The CalorieKing Calorie, Fat & Carbohydrate Counter 2011
Allan Borushek, Family Health,
$8.99, 9781930448339
8. The 5 Love Languages
Gary Chapman, Northfield,
$14.99, 9780802473158
9. Committed
Elizabeth Gilbert, Penguin,
$16, 9780143118701
10. NurtureShock
Po Bronson, Ashley Merryman, Twelve,
$14.99, 9780446504133
11. What to Expect When You're Expecting
Heidi Murkoff, Sharon Mazel, Workman,
$14.95, 9780761148579
12. Mr. Sunday's Soups
Lorraine Wallace, Wiley,
$19.95, 9780470640227
13. Stones Into Schools
Greg Mortenson, Penguin,
$16, 9780143118237
14. Three Cups of Tea
Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin, Penguin,
$16, 9780143038252
15. A Child Called "It"
Dave Pelzer, HCI,
$11.95, 9781558743663

MASS MARKET

1. The Girl Who Played With Fire
Stieg Larsson, Vintage,
$7.99, 9780307476159
2. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Stieg Larsson, Vintage,
$7.99, 9780307473479
3. This Body of Death
Elizabeth George, Harper,
$9.99, 9780061160912
4. The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary, 4th Edition
Merriam-Webster,
$7.50, 9780877799290
5. The Catcher in the Rye
J.D. Salinger, Warner,
$6.99, 9780316769488
6. To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee, Warner,
$7.99, 9780446310789
7. The Lost Symbol
Dan Brown, Anchor,
$9.99, 9781400079148
8. The Black Cat
Martha Grimes, Signet,
$9.99, 9780451232946
9. U Is for Undertow
Sue Grafton, Berkley,
$7.99, 9780425238110
10. Dreams of a Dark Warrior
Kresley Cole, Pocket,
$7.99, 9781439136805

CHILDREN'S ILLUSTRATED

1. A Sick Day for Amos McGee
Philip Christian Stead, Erin E. Stead (Illus.), Roaring Brook,
$16.99, 9781596434028
2. Silverlicious
Victoria Kann, Harper,
$17.99, 9780061781230
3. Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters
Barack Obama, Loren Long (Illus.), Knopf,
$17.99, 9780375835278
4. Goodnight Moon
Margaret Wise Brown, Clement Hurd (Illus.), Harper,
$8.99, 9780694003617
5. Where the Wild Things Are
Maurice Sendak, Harper,
$17.95, 9780060254926
6. Otis
Loren Long, Philomel,
$8.99, 9780399256004
7. Little White Rabbit
Kevin Henkes, Greenwillow,
$16.99, 9780062006424
8. Love You Forever
Robert Munsch, Sheila McGraw (Illus.), Firefly,
$5.95, 9780920668375
9. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Bill Martin Jr., John Archambault, Lois Ehlert (Illus.), S&S,
$17.99, 9780671679491
10. Interrupting Chicken
David Ezra Stein, Candlewick,
$16.99, 9780763641689

CHILDREN'S INTEREST

1. Moon Over Manifest
Clare Vanderpool, Delacorte,
$16.99, 9780385738835
2. I Am Number Four
Pittacus Lore, Harper,
$17.99, 9780061969553
3. The Book Thief
Markus Zusak, Knopf,
$12.99, 9780375842207
4. The Lost Hero
Rick Riordan, Hyperion,
$18.99, 9781423113393
5. The Red Pyramid
Rick Riordan, Hyperion,
$17.99, 9781423113386
6. Madeline at the White House
John Bemelmans Marciano, Viking,
$17.99, 9780670012282
7. I Broke My Trunk!
Mo Willems, Hyperion,
$8.99, 9781423133094
8. The Genius Files: Mission Unstoppable
Dan Gutman, Harper,
$16.99, 9780061827648
9. I Am the Messenger
Markus Zusak, Knopf,
$10.99, 9780375836671
10. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Sherman Alexie, Ellen Forney (Illus.), Little Brown,
$9.99, 9780316013697

CHILDREN'S FICTION SERIES TITLES

1. The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins, Scholastic,
$8.99, 9780439023528
2. Angel (Maximum Ride)
James Patterson, Little Brown and Company,
$17.99, 9780316036207
3. Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2)
Suzanne Collins, Scholastic,
$17.99, 9780439023498
4. Mockingjay (The Final Book of the Hunger Games)
Suzanne Collins, Scholastic,
$17.99, 9780439023511
5. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth
Jeff Kinney, Amulet,
$13.95, 9780810984912
6. The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 5)
Rick Riordan, Hyperion,
$7.99, 9781423101505
7. A Crazy Day With Cobras (Magic Tree House)
Mary Pope Osborne, Sal Murdocca (Illus., Random House,
$12.99, 9780375868238
8. A Tale of Two Pretties (The Clique)
Lisi Harrison, Poppy,
$9.99, 9780316084420
9. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
Jeff Kinney, Amulet,
$13.95, 9780810994737
10. Spirits in the Stars (Seekers, #6)
Erin Hunter, Harper,
$16.99, 9780060871406