Bestselling books of 2004

The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown, Doubleday, $24.95. A religious thriller about the secret origins of Christianity hidden in a Renaissance painting.

The South Beach Diet, by Arthur Agatston, Rodale Press, $24.95. Tasty recipes based on the famous diet by a Miami cardiologist emphasizes good fats and good carbs.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven, by Mitch Albom, Hyperion, $19.95. An amusement-park worker discovers that life in heaven is a journey with unexpected twists and turns.

Angels and Demons, by Dan Brown, Simon & Schuster, $7.99. World-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon discovers the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood.

The South Beach Diet Good Fats/Good Carbs Guide, by Arthur Agatston, Rodale Press, $7.99. The latest information regarding good fats and good carbs.

The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, Zondervan, $19.99. Pastor Warren thinks there is too much focus on the self. He puts the focus back on God, a chapter a day, for 40 days.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents America the Book, by Jon Stewart, Warner, $24.95. A satiric textbook on American history and government.

My life, by Bill Clinton, Knopf, $35. The former president recounts his hardscrabble childhood in Hope, Ark; his illustrious academic career; and his meteoric rise in politics.

Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd, Penguin, $14. In this coming-of-age story set in the early 1960s, 14-year-old Lily Owen is determined to find out more about her mother.

Deception Point, by Dan Brown, Simon & Schuster, $7.99. A rare object is discovered in the Arctic ice that could have profound implications for NASA and the presidential election.

Courtesy of Barnes & Noble