BESTSELLERS

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction

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

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

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

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

5 The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (Anchor: $11.95) Botswana’s female private eye

6 Red Rabbit by Tom Clancy (Berkley: $7.99) Jack Ryan uncovers a KGB plot to kill the pope and create global chaos

7 The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber (Harvest: $15) A tale of a London prostitute, her lover and his wife

8 In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner (Washington Square Press: $14) Two sisters sort through childhood baggage

9 Mysterious by Nora Roberts (Harlequin: $14.95) Three classic mysteries from this suspense romance writer

10 Partner in Crime by J.A. Jance (Avon: $7.99) A Seattle detective and an Arizona sheriff investigate a murder

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction

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*--* 1 Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand (Ballantine: $15.95) How an also-ran thoroughbred became America’s favorite racehorse

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

3 It’s Not About the Bike by Lance Armstrong (Berkley: $13) The struggle to return to competiton

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

5 Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs (Picador: $14) A boy goes to live with his mother’s psychiatrist

6 Before the Change by Ann Louise Gittleman (Harper San Francisco: $14) Dealing with perimenopause

7 Weapons of Mass Deception by Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber (J.P. Tarcher: $11.95) Promoting the Iraq war

8 Self Matters by Phillip C. McGraw (Free Press: $14) How to “create your life from the inside out.”

9 Excuse Me, Your Life Is Waiting by Lynn Grabhorn (Hampton Roads: $14.95) Being positive gets results

10 Lucky by Alice Sebold (Back Bay: $11.95) A memoir of the author’s rape in college and the damage done

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