Local best-seller lists can reveal a lot about a place. Looking at what Hawai'i residents are reading at a given moment illuminates our interests and what we, as a community, value.

Across the Islands, as on the Mainland, readers have been snapping up movie tie-ins such as "The Chronicles of Narnia" and "Memoirs of a Geisha." We're also addicted to sudoku books packed with the Japanese numbers puzzle.

But beyond those crowd pleasers, stories that touch the heart — especially local ones — are at the fore statewide.

A story that remains popular transports imaginations across continents, away from the fodder of everyday life. "The Kite Runner" (Riverhead, $39.95), the first Afghan novel written in English, offers a captivating vision of modern Afghanistan. Describing a boy coming of age just before Afghanistan is invaded by Russia, Khaled Hosseini offers something many can relate to in a time when the Middle East dominates headlines and the lives of many Hawai'i soldiers. The story speaks of friendship across class barriers, the relationship between father and son, and the struggle against forces of violence.

Closer to home, new stories by veteran local authors continue to enchant us with their visions of the Islands.

Best-selling author Kiana Davenport's latest novel, "House of Many Gods" (Ballantine Books, $24.95), about a Wai'anae family broken by war, addresses the effects of radiation from secret military weapons testing on O'ahu and throughout the world.

Lois-Ann Yamanaka's newest, "Behold the Many" (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $24), is likewise ambitious. Set in early 1900s Hawai'i, the book resurrects three sisters sent to a Kalihi orphanage after contracting tuberculosis. Its otherworldly, haunting depiction of their lives showcases Yamanaka's ability to re-imagine Hawai'i's past.

While O'ahu, Maui, Kaua'i and the Big Island have a lot of books in common, such as John Grogan's puppy-love memoir "Marley and Me" (William Morrow, $21.95), their best-seller lists reveal distinct tastes, too.

ON O'AHU'S LIST

On O'ahu, "The Surfer Spirit," a small gift book with photographs by Surfer magazine's John Bilderback, has been circulating among individuals and corporations. Beautiful shots of waves and surfing greats, and short, poetic messages, inspire one to connect not only to the art of surfing, but the art of life.

Overall, though, O'ahu readers are most fascinated by culture, outdone only by attention to local history.

"Kokoro: From the Heart" (The Japanese Women's Society of Honolulu, $17) is a collection of locally practiced Japanese traditions, compiled by members of the Japanese Women's Society of Honolulu in hopes of keeping the cross-cultural customs alive.

Rich Budnick has O'ahu (and Maui) seeing our past differently with "Hawai'i's Forgotten History" (Aloha Press, $14.95), which documents 2,001 little-known 20th-century local events, from the 1917 discovery of typhoid germs in Honolulu's water supply to the 1960 vote by Kahala residents against building a hotel there.

But it is two books about Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate that have dominated O'ahu book sales. "Lost Generations" by J. Arthur Rath is told in two parts, each an engaging talkstory. The first half details his unsettled life before attending Kamehameha from 1944 to 1949, which he credits with turning his life around and supporting Hawai'i's lost generations. The latter explores the trust's corruption and the struggle to make things right again, intended as ho'oponopono, a chance for resolution and change.

Where Rath's book leaves off, Samuel P. King and Randall W. Roth pick up, with a much different tone. "Broken Trust: Greed, Mismanagement and Political Manipulation at America's Largest Charitable Trust" was talked about even before its release last month. Pointedly addressing KSBE's controversial history, it expands the 1997 Star-Bulletin essay by King, Roth and three Hawaiian elders alleging the trust's erosion. Placing the conflict in historical context, the book is a behind-the-scenes recounting of what happened at KSBE. Unlike Rath, Roth and King see a continuation of the conversation as the path to change.

NEIGHBOR-ISLAND PICKS

On the island that's home to a teenager who bounced back from a shark attack with aplomb, people are reading "The Power of Intention" (Hay House, $14.95 paperback), inspirational speaker Wayne Dyer's book about not simply controlling thought but focusing clearly on what you want in life. In his authentic, positive voice, and based on his understanding of eastern and western philosophy, Dyer offers clear suggestions for shifting beliefs, circumventing negativity and connecting to the universal energy source.

Though it has been on shelves since 1997, "Guns, Germs and Steel" (W.W. Norton & Co., $16.95 paperback) by Jared Diamond is still grabbing Big Island residents with its look at human history on every continent since the Ice Age. Diamond reveals that those who domesticated plants and animals early also got ahead developing government, weapons, technology and immunity to germs. Thus, Diamond argues, different cultures advanced not because of innate biological difference but because of environment.

And Maui satisfies its curiosity with Mark Leyner and Billy Goldberg's "Why Do Men Have Nipples?" (Three Rivers, $13.95), which offers the 411 on lip balm's addictiveness, how coffee affects growth and knuckle-cracking.

EVERYONE'S READING

But the most widely read book these days has little to do with history or storytelling — Mary Philpotts McGrath's "Hawai'i: A Sense of Place" (Mutual Publishing, $45) features the interiors of luxurious Island homes. The book traces the roots of Island style from Native Hawaiian and missionary living to contemporary architecture.

Designer Philpotts McGrath looks back at influences and origins, such as the Hawaiian roof, the lanai and pune'e, as well as smaller details like light and vanishing walls. Duncan Livingston's artful photographs reveal a tradition of comfort, privacy and connection to the land.

These titles offer just a glimpse of our delight, our concerns and moments that have changed us forever. All the stories that weave through our lives connect, strengthen and sustain us.

Best-sellers in the Islands include many locally written books, fiction and nonfiction, that speak to hearts and reveal our culture and identity.