Hot Picks : Non-Fiction

Week of November 22nd's Bestsellers

There are countless bestseller lists. This week, sports stories occupied three of the top 15 slots on Publishers Weekly's list of bestselling hardcover nonfiction books. Pick and choose.

Open : an Autobiography by Andre Agassi

Agassi's candid memoir about his struggles on and off the tennis court is one of the more compelling sports autobios to come down the pike in the last few years. This one is far more interesting than the traditional celebrity tell-all.

It's Your Time by Joel Osteen

The best-selling author of Become a Better You (2007) shares a new message of hope with readers --that, by using faith as a cornerstone, readers can find a new place in their lives where they are happy, secure, and fulfilled.

What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell

A collection of the Gladwell's best "New Yorker" pieces, including essays on such topics as why there are so many kinds of mustard but only one type of ketchup, a surprising assessment of what makes a safer car, and an examination of a machine built to predict hit movies.

The Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons

Bill Simmons, the from-the-womb hoops addict known to millions as ESPN.com's Sports Guy, offers in a single volume his wildly opinionated and thoroughly entertaining look at the past, present, and future of pro basketball.

When the Game Was Ours by Larry Bird and Earvin "Magic" Johnson

The story of two extremely talented b-ball players and their determination to best each other as collegiate players and then as pros. Great book for anyone who remembers NBA basketball as less whoop-wow showy and more elegant than it is today.

Last Words by George Carlin

Comedian and social commentator George Carlin, spent the better part of a decade working on this, his autobiography. Carlin's 'last words' are funny, insightful, and rippled with honesty and self-knowing. Carlin died in 2008; his legacy's a sure thing.