BESTSELLERS / PAPERBACKS

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction

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*--* 1 The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead: $14) A writer returns to Kabul to rescue the son of a childhood friend.

2 Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke (Bloomsbury: $15.95) Two magicians try to steer history’s course.

3 The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (Penguin: $15) A quest for the truth about a Spanish novelist.

4 The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (HarperSanFrancisco: $13) An Andalusian shepherd boy searches for treasure in Egypt.

5 The Known World by Edward P. Jones (Amistad: $13.95) Love and betrayal on a black slave owner’s plantation.

6 Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer (Perennial: $13.95) A young man’s European journey.

7 The Hour Game by David Baldacci (Warner: $7.99) Private eyes try to catch a copycat killer.

8 The Virgin’s Lover by Philippa Gregory (Touchstone: $16) A young Queen Elizabeth I falls for a married man.

9 Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (Vintage: $12) An autistic teen seeks a killer.

10 Wicked by Gregory Maguire (ReganBooks: $15) The Wicked Witch of the West tells her side of the story.

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction

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*--* 1 Why Do Men Have Nipples? by Mark Leyner and Billy Goldberg (Three Rivers Press: $12.95) What’s up, doc?

2 The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (Back Bay: $14.95) How fads, trends and ideas behave like viruses in a society.

3 Sudoku: Easy to Hard by Will Shortz (St. Martin’s Griffin: $6.95) One hundred wordless crossword puzzles.

4 Chronicles, Vol. 1 by Bob Dylan (Simon & Schuster: $14) The songwriter reflects on his life and creativity.

5 The Book of Sudoku, No. 1 by Michael Mepham (Overlook: $9.95) An introduction to the number puzzle.

6 Su Doku for Dummies by Andrew Herson and Edmund James (Wiley: $9.99) Puzzle-solving hints and 240 puzzles.

7 Sudoku Easy by Will Shortz (St. Martin’s: $6.95) Volume 1 of the popular puzzle book.

8 Bad Dog by R.D. Rosen et al (Workman: $9.95) Photographs of 278 canines with attitude.

9 A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn (Harper: $18.95) From 1492 to the present.

10 The Big Book of Su Doku, No. 1 by Mark Huckvale (Newmarket: $8.95) Puzzles easy to hard, with tips and rules.

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Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores.