General retail sales figures for November can be read a variety of ways. On one hand, as the chief economist of Credit Suisse First Boston told the Wall Street Journal: "On the whole, we think the consumer is slowing down from the overheated pace of the past couple of years." On the other hand, an A.G. Edwards analyst wrote, as quoted in the New York Times, "It's easy to get emotional this time of year and to read lots of gloomy stuff" into the figures, but sales growth "remains steady."

On average, sales at stores open at least a year rose 3.5% in November, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers. Retail Metrics said comp-store sales rose 3.7%.

A few specialty retailers did exceptionally well (Abercrombie & Fitch was up 23% and Ann Taylor rose 12.9%). But department stores were sluggish, and luxury stores didn't shine as much as they have in the past.

Even discounters struggled for sales. Costco was a gain leader, up 6%; Wal-Mart, which tried to appeal more to upscale customers while heavily marketing and discounting, rose 4.3%; Target was off-target at 2.6%.

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Among holiday book roundups this week: USA Today's "hidden gems" and the Wall Street Journal's "coffee-table Christmas" guide in today's issue.

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Effective January 1, International Publishers Marketing, the Dulles, Va., sales, marketing and distribution company, will handle North American distribution of the U.K.'s National Archives' publications program. The National Archives collection encompasses more than 1,000 years of British history.

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Bookworld Companies, which now sells and distributes for 144 publishers, has added eight clients:

• House plans publisher Garlinghouse Company, which claims that more homes have been built from its plans than from any other publisher's plans.
• Huntington Press, the Las Vegas publisher of books on gambling and Las Vegas.
• Divine Egg of Barcelona, Spain, publisher of self-help texts in Spanish.
• Big City Publishing, which puts out children's activity books featuring Felix the Cat.
• Sacred Love Records, seller of religious music.
• Thind Commercial, which publishes the books by the philosopher Bhagat Singh Thind.
• Kabbalah Yoga, Inc., one of the principal yoga publishers.
• International Medical Publishing, which publishes for the medical profession.

Copperfield's, which has five stores in Napa and Sonoma counties in Northern California, had a "terrific Thanksgiving weekend," with sales up in the 20% range, half of which buyer Ty Wilson attributed to its expanded Napa store. That store reopened in March with nearly 10,000 square feet of space, up from 3,500, in a location just outside of downtown with an attractive range of stores nearby, including a Target, a Pete's and a Trader Joe's grocery.

So far in the season, "nonfiction is where there's a lot of activity," Wilson said. The company has launched a holiday promotion that features 14 adult and 13 children's titles called "gifts of comfort and joy."

Copperfield's has done well with many titles that are selling solidly across the country, including Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin, Our Endangered Values by Jimmy Carter, The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, The Lighthouse by P.D. James, Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire, Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan and The Penultimate Peril by Lemony Snicket. A Million Little Pieces by James Frey "may have longer legs than any Oprah book for a long while," Wilson said, and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See "has been very consistent." The company has been promoting On Beauty by Zadie Smith and The March by E.L. Doctorow.

A range of other titles are doing well for a variety of reasons, including local connections.

For example, a star this year is The Winning Spirit: 16 Timeless Principles That Drive Performance Excellence, a new motivational title by local god Joe Montana (the former 49ers quarterback). At one signing for the book in its Santa Rosa store, Copperfield's sold 1,300 copies. Montana will run the same play again in Napa in several weeks, and Wilson hopes for similar sales. In the meantime, the book continues to score major sales.

A Crack in the Edge of the World: America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906 by Simon Winchester has a special edge in this part of the country and is "selling well."

Billy Crystal's show of the same name has opened in San Francisco and has boosted sales of his 700 Sundays.

In part because "dog books always do well over the holidays," Marley and Me by John Grogan, about a young couple whose starter dog, a lab with a wild streak, turns out to be a nightmare, is selling, too.

Noting that humor does well at Christmas, Wilson said he is "personally pulling" for The Areas of My Expertise by John Hodgman, which he praised for its "Onion-esque humor."

An unusual non-Christmas Christmas book that is having "a nibble" is The Return of Light: The Imminent Restoration of Earth and Liberation of Humanity by Karen Kirschbaum and Elora Gabriel. Already 16 copies of these "winter solstice stories" have sold in one Copperfield's store, Wilson said.

Wilson has bright expectations for The Complete Calvin and Hobbes as well as the new National Geographic Complete Birds of North America. "Birding guides are always big here," he noted. And the sudoku book that's "emerged seems to be Workman's," which Wilson called "great stocking-stuffer size."

Copperfield's "restaurant cookbook of the season" will likely be Boulevard: The Cookbook, from the San Francisco restaurant. Wilson expressed some concern about the book's availability. Other titles he is tracking for adequate supplies:

• A Little History of the World by E.H. Gombrich
• The Elements of Style Illustrated
• 365: No Repeats by Rachael Ray

Copperfields stores range in size from 4,000 to 10,000 square feet, and sales volume varies accordingly. They all have similar demographics, but each is distinct. "Surfing titles are more popular in Sonoma than in Napa," for example, Wilson said. But all five stores have shared in what Wilson called a "very good year for us. We're very optimistic about Christmas coming through as well."

Book TV airs on C-Span 2 from 8 a.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Monday and focuses on political and historical books as well as the book industry. The following are highlights for this coming weekend. For more information, go to Book TV's Web site.

Saturday, December 3

7 p.m. Encore Booknotes. In a segment first aired in 2002, Linda Greenlaw discussed The Lobster Chronicles: Life on a Very Small Island (Hyperion, $13.95, 0786885912), her sequel to The Hungry Ocean, and told stories about being captain of her own lobster boat, Mattie Belle.

8 p.m. After Words. Brent Bozell, founder and president of the Media Research Center, interviews journalist Mary Mapes about her investigative story on George W. Bush's National Guard record that aired on 60 Minutes II last year and led to her dismissal from CBS. Mapes's book about the experience is Truth and Duty: The Press, The President, and the Privilege of Power (St. Martin's, $24.95, 031235195X). (Re-airs Sunday at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.)

9 p.m. History on Book TV. In an event held at the Harvard Center for European Affairs, NYU professor Tony Judt talks about his book Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 (Penguin Press, $39.95, 1594200653).

Sunday, December 4

1:40 a.m. Public Lives. Former Brigadier General Janis Karpinski, author of One Woman's Army: The Commanding General of Abu Ghraib Tells Her Story (Miramax, $24.95, 1401352472), tells her story.

12 p.m. In Depth: John Updike. A three-hour live conversation. Viewers can call in during the show or send questions via e-mail to booktv@c-span.org. (Re-airs Monday at 12 a.m.)

Today on WAMU's Diane Rehm Show: Lady Catherine Manning, author under the pen name of Elizabeth Ironside, of the recently reprinted Death in the Garden (Felony & Mayhem Press, $14.95, 1933397179).

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Today on WNYC's Leonard Lopate Show, William Sampson, author of Confessions of an Innocent Man: Torture and Survival in a Saudi Prison (McClelland & Stewart, $27.95, 0771079036), talks about his prison experience.

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Yesterday Morning Edition talked with Zaki Chehab, the political editor for al-Hayat, the Arabic-language newspaper published in London, and author of Inside the Resistance: The Iraqi Insurgency and the Future of the Middle East (Nation Books, $25, 1560257466).

Tara Parker-Pope, editor of health topics at the Wall Street Journal, has examined this year's health books and come up with her favorites:

• The Portion Teller: Smartsize Your Way to Permanent Weight Loss by Lisa R. Young (Morgan Road Books, $19.95, 0767920686). The author "makes a convincing case that it's not what we eat (carbs, proteins or fat) but how much we eat that really counts. She notes that most of us wouldn't eat five slices of bread for breakfast, but have no problem scarfing down the equivalent--a large bagel."
• 101 Diseases You Don't Want to Get by Michael Powell and Oliver Fischer, M.D. (Thunder's Mouth, $14.95, 1560257377). "This pocket guide offers a quick summary of some of the worst afflictions known to man. Reading it is a little bit like watching a scary movie, but it's also a fascinating tour of the human condition around the globe."
• Why Do Men Have Nipples?: Hundreds of Questions You'd Only Ask a Doctor After Your Third Martini by Mark Leyner and Billy Goldberg, M.D. (Three Rivers, $12.95, 1400082315). "I think the real message of this book is one of patient empowerment, and the importance of taking charge of your health, asking lots of strange questions and finding a doctor who is willing to answer them."
• Tales from the Scale by Erin J. Shea (Polka Dot Press, $12.95, 1593373287). "The book is filled with essays from seven women who tell their stories of growing up, getting fat and trying to take it off. These are stories from the front lines of dieting, dealing with childhood experiences (one woman's mother was a Weight Watchers meeting leader), honest stories about binge eating and even the depressing deflation of breast size that accompanies weight loss."
• Back Rx: A Fifteen-Minute-A-Day Yoga-And Pilates-Based Program to End Low Back Pain Forever by Vijay Vad, M.D., and Hilary Hinzmann (Gotham, $18, 1592400450). "At a time when many doctors still advise surgery to relieve back pain, Dr. Vad remains a staunch advocate for trying nonsurgical solutions first--and second and third."
• A Map of the Child: A Pediatrician's Tour of the Body by Darshak Sanghavi, M.D. (Owl, $15, 0805075119). "A tour of the human body one body part at a time. . . . Along the way, Dr. Sanghavi relates tales of patients he treated, scientific breakthroughs and stories of health problems that afflict his own family. The result is a fascinating study of the inner workings of the human machine and what happens when it breaks down."

The following are the bestselling titles during the week ended Sunday, November 27, at New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association stores as reported to Book Sense:

Hardcover Fiction

1. The Lighthouse by P.D. James (Knopf, $25.95, 030726291X)
2. Mary, Mary by James Patterson (Little, Brown, $27.95, 031615976X)
3. The Camel Club by David Baldacci (Warner, $26.95, 0446577383)
4. Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire (Regan Books, $26.95, 0060548932)
5. Light From Heaven by Jan Karon (Viking, $26.95, 0670034533)
6. The March by E.L. Doctorow (Random House, $25.95, 0375506713)
7. The Sea by John Banville (Knopf, $23, 0307263118)
8. Predator by Patricia Cornwell (Putnam, $26.95, 0399152830)
9. Memories of My Melancholy Whores by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Knopf, $20, 140004460X)
10. On Beauty by Zadie Smith (Penguin, $25.95, 1594200637)
11. At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks (Warner, $24.95, 0446532428)
12. Christ the Lord by Anne Rice (Knopf, $25.95, 0375412018)
13. Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood (Canongate, $18, 1841957178)
14. Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan (Putnam, $26.95, 0399153012)
15. The Scorpion's Gate by Richard A. Clarke (Putnam, $24.95, 0399152946)
 
Hardcover Nonfiction

1. Teacher Man by Frank McCourt (Scribner, $26, 0743243773)
2. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion (Knopf, $23.95, 140004314X)
3. Are Men Necessary? by Maureen Dowd (Putnam, $25.95, 0399153322)
4. Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin (S&S, $35, 0684824906)
5. Marley & Me by John Grogan (Morrow, $21.95, 0060817089)
6. Our Endangered Values by Jimmy Carter (S&S, $25, 0743284577)
7. 1776 by David McCullough (S&S, $32, 0743226712)
8. The World Is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman (FSG, $27.50, 0374292884)
9. Talk to the Hand by Lynne Truss (Gotham, $20, 1592401716)
10. The Truth (With Jokes) by Al Franken (Dutton, $25.95, 0525949062)
11. Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner (Morrow, $25.95, 006073132X)
12. Blink by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown, $25.95, 0316172324)
13. The Lost Painting by Jonathan Harr (Random House, $24.95, 0375508015)
14. A Man Without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (Seven Stories, $23.95, 158322713X)
15. The River of Doubt by Candice Millard (Doubleday, $26, 0385507968)
 
Trade Paperback Fiction

1. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead, $14, 1594480001)
2. Wicked by Gregory Maguire (Regan Books, $15, 0060987103)
3. Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld (Random House, $13.95, 081297235X)
4. The Plot Against America by Philip Roth (Vintage, $14.95, 1400079497)
5. Snow by Orhan Pamuk (Vintage, $14.95, 0375706860)
6. Runaway by Alice Munro (Vintage, $14.95, 1400077915)
7. The Chronicles of Narnia (adult movie tie-in) by C.S. Lewis (HarperCollins, $19.99, 0060765453)
8. Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult (Washington Square, $14, 0743454553)
9. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (Vintage, $12.95, 1400032717)
10. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson (Back Bay, $13.95, 0316010707)
11. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult (Washington Square, $14, 0743454537)
12. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden (Vintage, $14.95, 0307275167)
13. Light on Snow by Anita Shreve (Back Bay, $14.95, 0316010677)
14. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (Penguin, $14, 0142001740)
15. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke (Bloomsbury, $15.95, 1582346038)

Trade Paperback Nonfiction

1. A Million Little Pieces by James Frey (Anchor, $14.95, 0307276902)
2. 365: No Repeats by Rachael Ray (Clarkson Potter, $19.95, 1400082544)
3. Bad Dog by R.D. Rosen et al. (Workman, $9.95, 0761139834)
4. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (Vintage, $14, 0679745580)
5. Bad Cat by Jim Edgar (Workman, $9.95, 0761136193)
6. Chronicles by Bob Dylan (S&S, $14, 0743244583)
7. Why Do Men Have Nipples? by Mark Leyner et al. (Three Rivers, $12.95, 1400082315)
8. The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2006 edited by Ken Park (World Almanac, $12.95, 0886879647)
9. Sudoku Easy, Volume 1 by Will Shortz (St. Martin's, $6.95, 0312355025)
10. The Old Farmer's Almanac 2006 (Old Farmer's Almanac, $6.95, 1571983678)
11. The End of Faith by Sam Harris (Norton, $13.95, 0393327655)
12. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (Vintage, $14.95, 0375725601)
13. Zagat Survey: New York City Restaurants (Zagat, $13.95, 1570067457 )
14. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (Back Bay, $14.95, 0316346624)
15. Will in the World by Stephen J. Greenblatt (Norton, $14.95, 039332737X)

Mass Market

1. The Broker by John Grisham (Dell, $7.99, 0440241588)
2. State of Fear by Michael Crichton (Avon, $7.99, 0061015733)
3. Whiteout by Ken Follett (Signet, $7.99, 0451215710)
4. Night Fall by Nelson DeMille (Warner, $7.99, 0446616621)
5. Angels & Demons by Dan Brown (Pocket, $7.99, 0671027360)
6. Hour Game by David Baldacci (Warner, $7.99, 0446616494)
7. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden (Vintage, $7.99, 1400096898)
8. The Winds of Change by Martha Grimes (Signet, $7.99, 0451216962)
9. Blood Memory by Greg Iles (Pocket, $9.95, 0743454154 )
10. London Bridges by James Patterson (Warner, $7.99, 0446613355)
 
Children's (Fiction and Illustrated)

1. The Penultimate Peril (A Series of Unfortunate Events #12) by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Brett Helquist (HarperCollins, $11.99, 0064410153)
2. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (movie tie-in, children's) by C.S. Lewis (HarperCollins, $7.99, 0060765461)
3. Eragon by Christopher Paolini (Knopf, $9.95, 0375826696)
4. Eldest by Christopher Paolini (Knopf, $21, 037582670X)
5. The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg (Houghton Mifflin, $18.95, 0395389496)
6. Junie B., First Grader: Jingle Bells, Batman Smells! (P.S. So Does May) by Barbara Park, illustrated by Denise Brunkus (Random House, $11.95, 0375828087)
7. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling (Scholastic, $8.99, 0439139600)
8. Winter's Tale by Robert Sabuda (Little Simon, $26.95, 0689853637)
9. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (Scholastic, $9.99, 0439358078)
10. Dragonology by Ernest Drake, illustrated by Helen Ward and Douglas Carrel (Candlewick, $19.99, 0763623296)
11. Snowmen at Christmas by Caralyn Buehner, illustrated by Mark Buehner (Dial, $16.99, 0803729952)
12. Dog Train by Sandra Boynton (Workman, $17.95, 0761139664)
13. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Clement Hurd (HarperCollins, $7.99, 0694003611)
14. Flush by Carl Hiaasen (Knopf, $16.95, 0375821821)
15. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (Scholastic, $29.99, 0439784549)