BESTSELLERS / PAPERBACKS

Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores.

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

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

3 The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason (Dell: $7.99) College roommates look for a buried Roman treasure.

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

5 The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (Penguin: $14) A teenage girl is haunted by her mother’s death.

6 The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory (Touchstone: $16) Two sisters vie for the love of Henry VIII.

7 Trace by Patricia Cornwell (Berkley: $7.99) Medical examiner Kay Scarpetta investigates the death of a 14-year-old girl.

8 The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (HarperSanFrancisco: $13) An Andalusian shepherd boy seeks treasure in Egypt.

9 Angels & Demons by Dan Brown (Pocket Books: $7.99) A scholar uncovers a vendetta against the Roman Catholic Church.

10 Wicked by Gregory Maguire (ReganBooks: $16) The Wicked Witch of the West tells her side of the story.

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction 1 The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (Back Bay: $14.95) How fads, trends and ideas behave like viruses in a society.

2 Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond (W.W. Norton: $16.95) A scientist’s take on Europe’s rise to dominance.

3 Reading Lolita in Teheran by Afar Nafisi (Random House: $13.95) A professor keeps literature alive for her students.

4 The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (Vintage: $14.95) A serial killer haunts the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.

5 Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter (TechPress/Warner: $16.95) Fiscal parenting.

6 Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris (Back Bay: $14.95) The humorist on his family.

7 1,000 Places to See Before You Die by Patricia Schultz (Workman: $18.95) Trotting the globe.

8 Truth & Beauty: A Friendship by Ann Patchett (Perennial: $13.95) Reflections on friendship and devotion.

9 Pledged by Alexandra Robbins (Hyperion: $13.95) A look at the not-always-sunny life in a sorority.

10 Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom (Broadway: $12.95) A columnist learns life lessons from a dying teacher.

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