Average Bed Time Of Americans

Best-sellers

Rankings for hard-cover books sold in Southern California, as reported by selected book stores:</p><p> Nonfiction</p><p> "In the Garden of Beasts," by Erik Larson (Crown: $26) Complex ties between the U.S. ambassador's family and the Nazi elite in 1930s Berlin.</p><p> "Go the F - to Sleep," by Adam Mansbach (Akashic: $14.95) A comical not-for-kids picture book on the perils of bedtime.</p><p> "Unbroken," by Laura Hillenbrand (Random House: $27) The extraordinary life story of Louis Zamperini: World War II bombardier, POW and Olympian.</p><p> "A Stolen Life," by Jaycee Dugard (Simon &#38; Schuster: $24.99) A kidnap victim at 11, Jaycee Dugard describes her 18-year imprisonment.</p><p> "Bossypants," by Tina Fey (Reagan Arthur: $26.99) How the actress, mom and writer rocked the comedy world.</p><p> "The Greater Journey," by David McCullough (Simon &#38; Schuster: $37.50) How Americans in 19th century Paris shaped ideals back home.</p><p> "SEAL Team Six," by Howard Wasdin and Stephen Templin (St. Martin's: $26.99) A former member of the Navy SEALs recounts his training and missions.</p><p> "Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book," by Jeff Kinney (Amulet: $10.95) A revised, expanded interactive journal based on the books and movies.</p><p> "Inside Scientology," by Janet Reitman (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: $28) A history of L. Ron Hubbard and his controversial religion-without-a-deity.</p><p> "Area 51," by Annie Jacobsen (Little, Brown: $27.99) A history of the top-secret Nevada base with familiar conspiracy theories and unexpected ties to Stalin.

Rankings for hard-cover books sold in Southern California, as reported by selected book stores:

Nonfiction

"In the Garden of Beasts," by Erik Larson (Crown: $26) Complex ties between the U.S. ambassador's family and the Nazi elite in 1930s Berlin.

"Go the F - to Sleep," by Adam Mansbach (Akashic: $14.95) A comical not-for-kids picture book on the perils of bedtime.

"Unbroken," by Laura Hillenbrand (Random House: $27) The extraordinary life story of Louis Zamperini: World War II bombardier, POW and Olympian.

"A Stolen Life," by Jaycee Dugard (Simon & Schuster: $24.99) A kidnap victim at 11, Jaycee Dugard describes her 18-year imprisonment.

What On Earth?: Bedtime for Bono

These days everyone who is anyone must have a fashionable cause. You simply cannot be a successful entertainer or athlete without one. It is not enough to bring joy to someone's life for an hour or two with your stand-up comedy routine or your half-hour bass guitar solo. You must be politically involved and socially concerned. (Conservative causes count too, but they count against you.) , but the notion that a celebrity must have a cause goes back at least to the mid-19th century when novelist Charles Dickens​ used his considerable celebrity to rail against social injustice and inequality in Britain. It wasn't long before causes became for actors, artists and those famous for being famous, an essential accessory, not unlike those tiny handbag dogs. U2's Bono is perhaps the best-known example of a contemporary celebrity with a cause. Actually he has countless causes. There is a good chance even he does not know how many he has. This allows Bono -- Ireland's mononymous answer to Sting -- to incessantly scold and hector the West over how wasteful, greedy and decadent it is. It's not just western governments that have to listen to Bono's inane lecturing. (After all, western governments truly are Bono watchers are familiar with his list of pet causes: relocating his business empire to Holland to avoid paying taxes, flying hats round the world first class , establishing a private equity fund to invest billions in a series of money-making schemes… sorry, wrong list. That's Bono's double-standards list. His pet causes include rebuilding New Orleans, fighting AIDs in Africa, and debt relief for slacker nations. This month Bono and his bandmates brought their giant carbon-footprint-sized rock extravaganza to my hometown. It reportedly took six jumbo jets to fly in all of the stage equipment, which was loaded onto 110 tractor-trailers and hauled to the stadium. At that point it took roadies and an additional 120 laborers more than a week to tear up the sod from the diamond of Busch Stadium and construct the massive revolving spaceship with an aluminum floor. (Yes, the empathetic Bono had workers build an aluminum floor for concert-goers to stand on in 100-plus degree temperatures.) Even the local alternative weekly had to ask: "Is there anything less 'green' than tearing up grass to accommodate a concert?