BESTSELLERS

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction

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*--* 1 Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (HarperPaperbacks: $13.95) Opera mingles with mayhem in South America

2 The Summons by John Grisham (Dell: $7.99) A dead judge leaves an old house to his sons that contains a $3-million secret

3 The Hours by Michael Cunningham (Picador: $13) Three women linked across time by Virginia Woolf’s “Mrs. Dalloway.”

4 Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie (Anchor Books: $10) Literary light in a communist village

5 The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon (Picador: $15) Cousins in the comics biz

6 The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen (Picador: $15) A Midwestern family unravels at the 20th century’s end

7 Peace Like a River by Leif Enger (Grove, $13) A family travels the Great Plains in search of its outlaw son

8 The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien (Ballantine: $7.99) Their friends gone, Frodo and Sam must destroy the ring of power

9 Jackdaws by Ken Follett (Signet: $7.99) A World War II thriller about Allied agents blocking Nazi awareness of D-day

10 Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage by Alice Munro (Vintage: $14) Women’s lives

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction

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*--* 1 Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand (Ballantine: $15) How a thoroughbred horse went from also-ran to sports icon

2 John Adams by David McCullough (Touchstone: $18.95) The greatness of America’s second president

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

4 Worst-Case Scenario Handbook: Holidays by Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht (Chronicle: $14.95)

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

6 Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris (Little, Brown: $8.95) Elf love, Santa’s diaries and more about the season’s dark side

7 World Almanac and Book of Facts 2003 (World Almanac Books: $11.95) Just the facts, ma’am

8 Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution by Robert C. Atkins (Quill: $13.95) How a low-carb diet helps shed pounds

9 Frida by Hayden Herrera (HarperPerennial: $24.95) The tragic and triumphant life of Frida Kahlo

10 The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean (Ballantine: $14) Centuries of theft, hatred and greed over a delicate flower

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