Bestsellers

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction

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*--* 1 Life of Pi by Yann Martel (Harvest Books: $14) A boy shares a lifeboat with a tiger on a harrowing trip.

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

3 Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (Picador: $15) A Greek family embraces the American dream.

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

5 Master and Commander by Patrick O’Brian (W.W. Norton: $13) Adventure on the high seas in the Napoleonic Wars.

6 Prey by Michael Crichton (Avon: $7.99) Self-replicating nanobots escape the laboratory and threaten their creators’ lives.

7 Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee (Penguin: $13) An outcast professor seeks refuge on a South African farm.

8 Deception Point by Dan Brown (Pocket Books: $7.99) A president’s reelection rests on an object buried in the Arctic.

9 The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander M. Smith (Anchor: $11.95) Botswana’s favorite private eye.

10 Three Junes by Julia Glass (Anchor: $14) A Scottish family comes together over three summers.

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction

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*--* 1 Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz (Amber-Allen: $12.95) A code of conduct based on Toltec wisdom.

2 Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution by Robert C. Atkins (Quill: $13.95) Shed pounds with a low-carb diet.

3 Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter (Techpress: $15.95) Fiscal parenting.

4 Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom (Broadway: $12.95) Learning life’s lessons from a dying former teacher.

5 Still More George W. Bushisms by Jacob Weisberg (Fireside: $9.95) Presidential phrases gathered by Slate’s editor.

6 Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser (HarperCollins: $13.95) Unappetizing practices of the junk food industry.

7 Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes (Broadway: $15) Restoring a cozy home in glorious Italy.

8 Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris (Little, Brown & Co.: $8.95) Remembrances of the author’s holidays past.

9 Notes From My Travels by Angelina Jolie (Pocket Books: $14) The actress on her work as a goodwill ambassador.

10 Portrait of a Killer by Patricia Cornwell (Berkley: $7.99) The author enlists forensic technology to hunt Jack the Ripper.

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