1 No Time for Goodbye
by Linwood Barclay
Highest position 1 Weeks in top ten 19
2008 sales 636,105 Total sale 636,105
(Orion £7.99)
A woman stirs up the past, 25 years after her family's disappearance
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2 A Thousand Splendid Suns
by Khaled Hosseini
Highest position 1 Weeks in top ten 27
2008 sales 609,945 Total sale 850,690
(Bloomsbury £11.99)
Two women struggle to survive in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan
The Times review | Buy the book

3 The Kite Runner
by Khaled Hosseini
Highest position 1 Weeks in top ten 13
2008 sales 529,450* Total sale 1,359,910*
(Bloomsbury £7.99)
A tale of friendship, betrayal and redemption set in Afghanistan
The Times review | Buy the book

4 The Book Thief
by Markus Zuzak
Highest position 4 Weeks in top ten 5
2008 sales 400,135* Total sale 416,690*
(Black Swan 7.99)
The grim reaper narrates the story of a girl growing up in Nazi Germany
Sunday Times review | Buy the book

5 The Forgotten Garden
by Kate Morton
Highest position 1 Weeks in top ten 10
2008 sales 389,025 Total sale 389,025
(Pan £7.99)
Cottage and its buried garden hold the secret to a century-old mystery
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6 On Chesil Beach
by Ian McEwan
Highest position 2 Weeks in top ten 7
2008 sales 387,855 Total sale 419,655
(Vintage £6.99)
Newlyweds confront their anxieties before their first night together
The Times review | Sunday Times review | Buy the book

7 This Year It Will Be Different
by Maeve Binchy
Highest position 1 Weeks in top ten 16
2008 sales 361,220 Total sale 361,220
(Orion £7.99)
A Christmas short-story collection from much-loved Irish author
Sunday Times review | Buy the book

8 Book of the Dead
by Patricia Cornwell
Highest position 1 Weeks in top ten 7
2008 sales 354,935 Total sale 354,935
(Sphere £7.99)
Kay Scarpetta's dreams of a quiet life in Charleston are shattered
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9 PS, I Love You
by Cecelia Ahern
Highest position 1 Weeks in top ten 17
2008 sales 302,355* Total sale 402,395*
(Harper £6.99)
Young Irish widow faces life with help of late husband's letters
The Times review | Buy the book

10 The Outcast
by Sadie Jones
Highest position 1 Weeks in top ten 8
2008 sales 301,335 Total sale 301,355
(Vintage £7.99)
A 19 year-old, released from jail, triggers a community's implosion
The Times review | Sunday Times review | Buy the book


List prepared by The Bookseller using data supplied by and copyright to Nielsen BookScan for the 51 weeks ending 20/12/08. *Includes sales of more than one edition in the same format and at the same recommended retail price.

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