Three Northwest writers are on this week's Northwest Bestseller list: Lavinia, by Portland author Ursula K. Le Guin; The Hearts of Horses by Molly Gloss; and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Week ending May 4, 2008.

Our own William Dietrich has a new book out. Entertaining and vividly evocative, The Rosetta Key is Dietrich at his fast-paced, cliff-hanger best.

Surviving murderous thieves, a nerve-racking sea voyage, and the deadly sands of Egypt with Napoleon's army, American adventurer Ethan Gage solved a five-thousand-year-old riddle with the help of a mysterious medallion.

Gage finds himself hurled into the Holy Land in dogged pursuit of an ancient Egyptian scroll imbued with magic, even as Bonaparte launches his 1799 invasion of Israel, which will climax at the epic siege of Acre. Pursuing Napoleon to France, where the general hopes ancient secrets will catapult him to power, the wily and inventive Gage faces old enemies with unlikely new friends, and must use wit, humor, derring-do, and an archaeological key to prevent dark powers from seizing control of the world.

For lovers of stirring historical adventure laden with intriguing myste ry and puzzles galore, The Rosetta Key is a terrific thrill ride not to be missed.

Week ending April 27, 2008.

A bestseller's bonanza for Northwest authors this week: four books on the Northwest Bestsellers list. Lavinia, by Portland author Ursula K. Le Guin, is on the list, along with The Hearts of Horses by Molly Gloss. Also, Napoleon's Pyramids, by Anacortes, Wash., author William Dietrich. And, in the children's book area, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie is there, too. These books are available at Watermark Books in Anacortes or online via Anacortes-based northwest-books.com.

HARDCOVER FICTION

1. The Miracle at Speedy Motors, Alexander McCall Smith
2. Unaccustomed Earth, Jhumpa Lahiri
3. The Hearts of Horses, Molly Gloss
4. Lavinia, Ursula K. Le Guin
5. The Girl With No Shadow, Joanne Harris
6. Red Bird, Mary Oliver
7. Hold Tight, Harlan Coben
8. A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini
9. Passage, Lois McMaster Bujold
10. Our Story Begins, Tobias Wolff

In The Aeneid, Vergil's hero fights to claim the king?s daughter, Lavinia, with whom he is destined to found an empire. Lavinia herself never speaks a word in the poem. Now, Ursula K. Le Guin gives Lavinia a voice in a novel that takes us to the half-wild world of ancient Italy, when Rome was a muddy village near seven hills. Lavinia is a book of love and war, generous and austerely beautiful, from a writer working at the height of her powers.

Lavinia grows up knowing nothing but peace and freedom, until suitors come. Her mother wants her to marry handsome, ambitious Turnus. But omens and prophecies spoken by the sacred springs say she must marry a foreigner?that she will be the cause of a bitter war?and that her husband will not live long. When a fleet of Trojan ships sails up the Tiber, Lavinia decides to make her own destiny, and she tells us what Vergil did not: the story of her life, and of the love of her life.

About the Author

URSULA K. LE GUIN is the author of numerous short stories, essays, volumes of poetry, books for children, and novels. Among her honors are a National Book Award, five Hugo and five Nebula Awards, the Kafka Award, a Pushcart Prize, and the Howard Vursell Award of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She lives in Portland, Oregon.

Shop locally: Find Lavinia at Watermark Books in Anacortes or online at Anacortes-based northwest-books.com.

Two northwest authors remain on the Northwest Bestsellers list this week:The Hearts of Horses by Molly Gloss and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Week ending April 20. 2008. Shop Local: order these books through Anacortes-based northwest-books.com or look for them at Watermark Books in downtown Anacortes.

HARDCOVER FICTION

1. The Miracle at Speedy Motors, Alexander McCall Smith
2. Unaccustomed Earth, Jhumpa Lahiri
3. A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini
4. Red Bird, Mary Oliver
5. The Girl With No Shadow, Joanne Harris
6. Hold Tight, Harlan Coben
7. The Hearts of Horses, Molly Gloss
8. Our Story Begins, Tobias Wolff
9. Lush Life, Richard Price
10. World Without End, Ken Follett

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

1. Just Who Will You Be?, Maria Shriver
2. The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch
3. In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan
4. Bonk, Mary Roach
5. Armageddon in Retrospect, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
6. The Secret, Rhonda Byrne
7. The Open Road, Pico Iyer
8. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Barbara and Camille Kingsolver, Steven Hopp
9. Beautiful Boy, David Sheff
10. Don'ts for Husbands, Blanche Ebbutt