BESTSELLERS

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

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*--* 1 The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom 2 67 (Hyperion: $19.95) An amusement park maintenance man faces his life, death and afterlife in this three-part parable.

2 State of Fear by Michael Crichton (HarperCollins: $27.95) 1 4 A globe-trotting thriller involving nefarious environmentalists and manufactured threats of global warming.

3 The Plot Against America by Philip Roth (Houghton 3 15 Mifflin: $26) Charles Lindbergh becomes president in 1940, setting the country on a course of isolationism and nationwide pogroms.

4 Night Fall by Nelson DeMille (Warner Books: $26.95) Two 7 6 federal agents try to find a videotape to prove that the crash of a jet off Long Island was not caused by mechanical failure.

5 The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (Doubleday: $24.95) A 5 94 Louvre curator’s killing leads to clues hidden in Leonardo’s paintings and a secret society with something to hide.

6 I Am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe (Farrar, Straus & 4 9 Giroux: $28.95) A North Carolina ingenue tries to fit in with the beautiful-people-in-training at an elite university.

7 Black Wind by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler (Putnam: 8 5 $27.95) Dirk Pitt and his progeny seek to stop a deadly seaborne virus headed toward Los Angeles.

8 The Da Vinci Code Special Illustrated Edition by Dan 6 9 Brown (Doubleday: $35) The blockbuster thriller, complete with images of all the artwork, symbols and locales mentioned in the text.

9 The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst (Bloomsbury: 13 6 $24.95) An Oxford student is caught up in the go-go 1980s London of Margaret Thatcher, where opulence, class envy and ruthlessness reign.

10 Skeleton Man by Tony Hillerman (HarperCollins: $25.95) A -- 4 diamond pawned by a Hopi boy enmeshes retired detective Joe Leaphorn in the mystery of a 50-year-old plane crash.

11 Harold’s End by J.T. Leroy (Last Gasp: $19.95) An -- 1 emotional tale about Oliver, a heroin-addicted teen living on the streets of San Francisco, and his ragtag group of friends.

12 Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke 15 15 (Bloomsbury: $27.95) A reclusive magician teams with a risk-taking younger man to delve into England’s magical past.

13 Memoria de mis putas tristes by Gabriel Garcia Marquez -- 2 (Alfred A. Knopf: $17.95) A journalist celebrates his 90th birthday by visiting a virgin in a brothel in this Spanish-language tale.

14 Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz (Bantam: $27) A dying -- 3 grandfather’s prophecy comes true as a young man faces five dark days of horror and evil forces that threaten his survival.

15 London Bridges by James Patterson (Little, Brown: $27.95) 11 7 Alex Cross battles villains old and new as terrorists threaten to destroy the world’s largest cities.

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

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*--* 1 He’s Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt and Liz 3 16 Tuccillo (Simon Spotlight Entertainment: $19.95) The no-excuses guide to help women understand guys and get on with their lives.

2 Collapse by Jared Diamond (Viking: $29.95) Diamond looks -- 1 at the factors that caused great societies such as the Anasazi and the Maya to collapse and what we can do to prevent future demises.

3 America (The Book): A Citizen’s Guide to Democracy 1 16 Inaction by Jon Stewart et al. (Warner: $24.95) Comedy writers poke fun at U.S. politics and our institutions of democracy.

4 Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins -- 2 (Berrett-Koehler: $24.95) The onetime high-powered consultant says he pressured developing countries to take huge loans and spend the money with U.S. contractors.

5 Chronicles, Volume One by Bob Dylan (Simon & Schuster: 2 14 $24) The songwriter reflects on the influences that helped shape him and his struggle to rediscover his creativity.

6 The Perricone Promise by Nicholas Perricone (Warner: -- 5 $27.95) A physician advises how to look and feel younger in 28 days through diet, supplements and skin products.

7 Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss (Gotham: $17.50) 8 31 British novelist and journalist offers her zero-tolerance approach to bad punctuation, drawn from her pioneering BBC series.

8 Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen (Warner Faith: $19.99) 7 9 Seven steps to improving your life by using faith to develop self-esteem and help let go of the past.

9 The Last Season by Phil Jackson (Penguin: $24.95) The 5 11 former Laker coach recounts last year’s turbulent season, in which egos ruled the court and a star-studded team stumbled.

10 The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren (Zondervan: 11 93 $19.99) How the “God-ordained” principles of worship, community, discipleship, ministry and evangelism bring fulfillment.

11 His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis 4 10 (Knopf: $26.95) A portrait of the most imposing Founding Father, who held a young nation together through its rocky beginnings.

12 The Power of Intention by Wayne W. Dyer (Hay House: -- 21 $24.95) How to spark creativity and get the life you want by drawing on a field of energy that exists all around us.

13 The Complete Cartoons of the New Yorker (Black Dog & 10 7 Leventhal: $60) The best of the journal’s scribblings, plus a pair of CDs containing every cartoon it has ever published.

14 When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops? by George Carlin 6 11 (Hyperion: $23.95) The veteran comedian takes on Diane Sawyer, Big Oil and mass marketing in a stinging social commentary.

15 Will in the World by Stephen Greenblatt (W.W. Norton: -- 8 $26.95) How an uneducated lad from the English countryside became William Shakespeare, poet, playwright and a favorite of the queen.

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