Deciding if James Frey's A Million Little Pieces should be classified as fiction or nonfiction would not be a problem in France, at least in terms of the bestsellers list, since autobiography and biography fall under the fiction column there. Biographies of two great artists take the second and third spot in France this week. Further down the list, American-style fiction is well represented, including State of Fear and Angels and Demons in the fourth and ninth spots, respectively. On the nonfiction side, an intriguing title is The Pretenders, 2007, a look at possible candidates for the French presidency in a year.
Challenging The Historian for the top spot on the fiction list in Spain is The Shadow of the Wind, a thriller set in Barcelona between 1932 and 1966.
On the Swedish fiction bestsellers list, Monika Fagerholm's The American Girl is the story of a teenage boy and girl who die under obscure circumstances in the late 1960s. Fagerholm's first novel, Wonderful Women by the Sea, examined life in Scandinavia during the 1960s and took two Scandinavian literary prizes. It was published in the U.S. in 1998 by New Press; no word on whether New Press has plans for The American Girl.
International Bestsellers
| France | ||
| Fiction | Nonfiction | |
| 1 | You Are Not Serious, Mister TannerJean-Paul Dubois, Editions de L'Oliver | Finding the PathVeronique Jannot Michel Lafont |
| 2 | RavelJean Echenoz Minuit | The Pretenders, 2007Alain Duhamel Plon |
| 3 | Mozart: The Great MagicianChristian Jacq XO | DishonoredMukhtar Mai Oh! Editions |
| For week ending Jan. 28, used by arrangement with Livres Hebdo/Ipsos. | ||
| Spain | ||
| Fiction | Nonfiction | |
| 1 | The HistorianElizabeth Kostova Urano | The Journey to HappinessEduardo Punset Planeta |
| 2 | The Shadow of the Wind CarlosRuiz Zafon Planeta | Why I Am a ChristianJose Antonio Marina Anagrama |
| 3 | The Chronicles of Narnia Vol. 1C.S. Lewis Planeta | Writing Is LivingJose Luis Sampedro Plaza & Janes |
| For week ending Jan. 28, used by arrangement with El Cultural. | ||
| Sweden | ||
| Fiction | Nonfiction | |
| 1 | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood PrinceJ.K. Rowling, Tiden | The Art of Being KindStefan Einhorn Forum |
| 2 | Mia's SecretMaria Eriksson Ordupplaget | Swedish Cakes and Cookies- ICA |
| 3 | The American GirlMonika Fagerholm Albert Bonniers | Nina's JourneyLena Einhorn Prisma |
| For week ending Jan. 28, used by arrangement with Svens Bokhandel. | ||
