BESTSELLERS

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

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*--* 1 The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd (Viking: $24.95) A 1 7 woman called home to cope with her troubled mother finds herself drawn to a Benedictine monk on an island off South Carolina.

2 Saturday by Ian McEwan (Nan A. Talese/Doubleday: $26) A 3 9 day in the life of a neurosurgeon brings both quotidian and earth-shattering struggles in post-Sept. 11 London.

3 Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk (Doubleday: $24.95) Several 10 2 writers eager for fame lock themselves in an abandoned theater for their own grotesque version of “Survivor.�

4 Broken Prey by John Sandford (Putnam: $26.95) Minnesota -- 1 investigator Lucas Davenport sorts through false leads to find a psychopathic serial killer who taunts authorities.

5 The Hot Kid by Elmore Leonard (William Morrow: $25.95) -- 1 In 1930s Oklahoma, a deputy marshal tracks bank robbers and investigates a son’s blackmail scheme against his oilman father.

6 Zorro by Isabel Allende (HarperCollins: $25.95) The back 5 2 story of how Diego de la Vega transforms himself into the dashing and legendary figure of colonial California.

7 4th of July by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro 2 2 (Little, Brown: $27.95) Facing a police brutality lawsuit, Lt. Lindsay Boxer retreats to Half Moon Bay, where she stumbles upon a killing spree.

8 Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: 12 17 $23) An aging minister facing death explains his life and religious beliefs in a letter to his young son.

9 In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall 6 4 Smith (Pantheon: $19.95) The newly married proprietor of Botswana’s No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency has a new crop of colorful cases.

10 The Closers by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown: $26.95) -- 1 Det. Harry Bosch reunites with partner Kizmin Rider to solve 17-year-old case after DNA evidence is found on the murder weapon.

11 The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (Doubleday: $24.95) A 4 113 Louvre curator’s killing leads to clues hidden in Leonardo’s paintings and a secret society with something to hide.

12 Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Woodring 13 7 Stover (Del Rey: $25.95) Yoda and fellow masters try to protect the Jedi Council amid civil war and the arrival of a dark new Sith lord.

13 Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran -- 9 Foer (Houghton Mifflin: $24.95) A 9-year-old wunderkind seeks the lock that fits a key belonging to his dead father.

14 The Innocent by Harlan Coben (Dutton: $26.95) A New 11 3 Jersey naif with a criminal record is on the run from cops as he tries to clear himself and prove that his wife isn’t cheating on him.

15 Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (Alfred A. Knopf: $24) 8 10 Inside the walls of a seemingly charming school in the English countryside is a place where destiny is anything but idyllic.

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

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*--* 1 The World Is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman (Farrar, Straus 2 5 & Giroux: $27.50) How technology and the forces of globalization are connecting -- and changing -- the world.

2 You: The Owner’s Manual by Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet 7 2 C. Oz (HarperResource: $24.95) A wry and witty guide to the inner workings of the human body.

3 Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner 6 4 (William Morrow: $25.95) An economist deconstructs statistics and uses numbers to help explain human behavior.

4 Blink by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown: $25.95) 3 18 Gladwell explores why decisions are so often made in an instant and whether we can really trust those first instincts.

5 And One More Thing Before You Go ... by Maria Shriver 4 6 (Free Press: $13.95) Ten rules for teenagers and adults alike on how to find abundance and love by knowing what is important in life.

6 My Life So Far by Jane Fonda (Random House: $26.95) The 1 6 actress, antiwar activist, fitness guru and feminist icon tells the story of her life, with a heavy emphasis on the men along the way.

7 He’s Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt and Liz 13 31 Tuccillo (Simon Spotlight Entertainment: $21.95) A no-excuses guide to help women understand guys and get on with their lives.

8 A Lotus Grows in the Mud by Goldie Hawn and Wendy Holden 12 2 (Putnam: $25.95) The actress looks back at her journey from suburban “ugly duckling� to Hollywood stardom.

9 French Women Don’t Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano (Knopf: 14 19 $22) The chief executive of the French wine conglomerate Clicquot Inc. reveals the French secret of eating for pleasure without the bulge.

10 Winning by Jack Welch with Suzy Welch (HarperBusiness: 5 6 $27.95) How to succeed in business (and life) by staying optimistic, making no excuses and getting things done.

11 On Bull... by Harry G. Frankfurt (Princeton University 11 9 Press: $9.95) A leading philosopher takes on society’s view of what sometimes seems to be the fine line between truth and lying.

12 The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren (Zondervan: 9 111 $19.99) How the “God-ordained� principles of worship, community, discipleship, ministry and evangelism bring fulfillment.

13 Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl (Penguin: $24.95) 15 4 The former L.A. Times food editor writes about her years trying to dine unrecognized as the New York Times’ restaurant critic.

14 Down Came the Rain by Brooke Shields (Hyperion: $23.95) 8 2 The actress describes her journey through a severe bout of postpartum depression after the birth of her daughter.

15 Them by Francine du Plessix Gray (Penguin: $29.95) The -- 1 journalist and novelist writes a memoir about her trend-setting Russian refugee parents, Tatiana and Alexander Liberman,

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