BESTSELLERS

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST

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*--* 1 The Plot Against America by Philip Roth (Houghton 1 4 Mifflin: $26) Charles Lindbergh becomes president in 1940, setting the country on a course of isolationism and nationwide pogroms.

2 The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (Doubleday: $24.95) A 2 83 Louvre curator’s killing leads to clues hidden in Leonardo’s paintings and a secret society with something to hide.

3 The Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith 3 3 (Pantheon: $19.95) A woman investigates the case of a young man who falls to his death in an Edinburgh concert hall.

4 Shopaholic & Sister by Sophie Kinsella (Dial: $23) A 7 3 London newlywed depressed over a lack of closet space for her new trinkets discovers she has a sibling who hates to shop.

5 Northern Lights by Nora Roberts (Putnam: $25.95) An urban -- 1 cop who fled divorce and the death of his partner to become police chief in an Alaskan town finds new love and a murder to solve.

6 The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom 6 56 (Hyperion: $19.95) An amusement park maintenance man faces his life, death and afterlife in this three-part parable.

7 Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy (Dutton: $25.95) -- 3 Tragedy strikes a small village on a Greek island, forever changing the world of the travelers and local residents who call it home.

8 War Trash by Ha Jin (Pantheon: $25) A Chinese army -- 1 officer and fellow captives try to hold on to their humanity amid brutality in a U.S. prisoner-of-war camp in Korea.

9 The Dark Tower VII by Stephen King (Donald M. Grant: $35) 10 4 Roland and his ka-tet near their goal, the Dark Tower, but the gunslingers face mutants, vampires and the fearsome Crimson King.

10 Grave Endings by Rochelle Krich (Ballantine: $24.95) A -- 1 true-crime writer puts her wedding plans on hold when police find the locket of her best friend, whose murderer was never caught.

11 Light on Snow by Anita Shreve (Little, Brown: $24.95) A -- 1 motherless girl rescues an infant in the snow and tries to make sense of a world in which a woman could leave her baby to die.

12 California Girl by T. Jefferson Parker (William Morrow: 4 4 $24.95) Three brothers try to find a killer who left a young girl’s body behind an Orange County fruit-packing plant.

13 Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke 8 8 (Bloomsbury: $27.95) A reclusive magician teams with a risk-taking younger man to delve into England’s magical past.

14 Are You Afraid of the Dark? by Sidney Sheldon (William 9 5 Morrow: $25.95) Two widows try to find out who killed their husbands and wants them dead too.

15 The Inner Circle by T.C. Boyle (Viking: $25.95) An 5 6 assistant to zoology professor Alfred Kinsey becomes immersed in an inner circle of researchers participating in sexual experiments.

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST

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*--* 1 Chronicles, Volume One by Bob Dylan (Simon & Schuster: 2 3 $24) The songwriter reflects on the influences that helped shape him and his struggle to rediscover his creativity.

2 America (The Book): A Citizen’s Guide to Democracy 1 5 Inaction by Jon Stewart et al. (Warner: $24.95) Comedy writers poke fun at U.S. politics and our institutions of democracy.

3 He’s Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt and Liz 3 5 Tuccillo (Simon Spotlight Entertainment: $19.95) The no-excuses guide to help women understand guys and get on with their lives.

4 A Paper Life by Tatum O’Neal (HarperEntertainment: -- 1 $24.95) The award-winning child actress details her battle with loneliness, abusive parents, drug addiction and damaging relationships.

5 How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must) by Ann Coulter 4 2 (Crown Forum: $26.95) The contentious pundit explains why she thinks liberals have it all wrong.

6 When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops? by George Carlin -- 1 (Hyperion: $23.95) The veteran comedian takes on Diane Sawyer, big oil and mass marketing in a stinging social commentary.

7 The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren (Zondervan: 5 85 $19.99) How the “God ordained” principles of worship, community, discipleship, ministry and evangelism bring fulfillment.

8 Magical Thinking by Augusten Burroughs (St. Martin’s 9 2 Press: $23.95) Telemarketing revenge and the precision killing of a rodent populate these essays from the peculiar recesses of Burroughs’ mind.

9 Ojibwa Warrior by Dennis Banks (St. Martin’s Press: -- 1 $23.95) The American Indian Movement leader talks about his childhood, the 1972 march on Washington and the 1973 standoff at Wounded Knee.

10 The Power of the Actor by Ivana Chubbuk (Gotham: $27.50) -- 1 The coach to the stars (Halle Berry, Charlize Theron, Brad Pitt) gives her 12-step technique for getting into a character’s skin.

11 Don’t Try This at Home by Dave Navarro and Neil Strauss -- 1 (Regan Books: $29.95) The rock guitarist chronicles a year in which his home was part halfway house, part crack gallery and after-hours club.

12 Family First by Phil McGraw (Free Press: $26) A 15 5 day-by-day guide to raising cooperative, caring and competent children through effective parenting and putting family first.

13 Confessions of an Heiress by Paris Hilton (Fireside: $22) -- 6 The do’s and don’ts of beauty, fashion, etiquette -- and life in general -- from the hotel-chain heiress, model and current it-girl.

14 Chain of Command by Seymour M. Hersh (HarperCollins: 7 5 $25.95) The investigative reporter traces the nation’s path from Sept. 11 to abuse at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison.

15 Coast of Dreams by Kevin Starr (Knopf: $35) Riots, -- 2 recession, political upheaval and a trial of the century tarnish the golden promise of California from 1990 to 2003.

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