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Fiction

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

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*--* 1 The Plot Against America by Philip Roth (Houghton 1 6 Mifflin: $26) Charles Lindbergh becomes president in 1940, setting the country on a course of isolationism and nationwide pogroms.

2 Hour Game by David Baldacci (Warner: $26.95) Private eyes -- 1 try to uncover the identity of an egotistical and mocking murderer whose crimes mimic infamous serial killers of the past.

3 The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (Doubleday: $24.95) A 2 85 Louvre curator’s killing leads to clues hidden in Leonardo’s paintings and a secret society with something to hide.

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4 The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom 4 58 (Hyperion: $19.95) An amusement park maintenance man faces his life, death and afterlife in this three-part parable.

5 The Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith 5 5 (Pantheon: $19.95) A woman investigates the case of a young man who falls to his death in an Edinburgh concert hall.

6 Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke 3 10 (Bloomsbury: $27.95) A reclusive magician teams with a risk-taking younger man to delve into England’s magical past.

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7 California Girl by T. Jefferson Parker (William Morrow: -- 5 $24.95) Three brothers search for a killer who left a young girl’s body behind an Orange County fruit-packing plant.

8 Light on Snow by Anita Shreve (Little, Brown: $24.95) A 8 3 motherless girl rescues an infant in the snow and tries to make sense of a world in which a woman could leave her baby to die.

9 The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst (Bloomsbury: -- 1 $24.95) An Oxford student is caught up in the go-go 1980s London of Margaret Thatcher, where opulence, class envy and ruthlessness reign.

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10 Echoes by Danielle Steele (Delacorte: $27) Three -- 1 generations of Wittgenstein women overcome suffering and loss against a backdrop of two world wars and Nazi terrors.

11 Double Homicide by Jonathan and Faye Kellerman (Warner: -- 2 $23.95) Detectives delve into the deaths of a Boston basketball star and a Santa Fe gallery owner in this pair of short novels.

12 Runaway by Alice Munro (Knopf: $25) Stories examining the -- 1 surprises, betrayals and limits of love among couples, friends, parents and children. (Reviewed on Page 6.)

13 The Complete Stories of Truman Capote (Random House: -- 1 $24.95) The author’s short fiction works, including “House of Flowers” and “Mojave,” are collected here for the first time

14 Double Shot by Diane Mott Davidson (William Morrow: -- 1 $24.95) Colorado caterer and part-time detective Goldy Schulz finds herself the prime suspect in the death of her ex-husband.

15 The Two Swords by R.A. Salvatore (Wizards of the Coast: 13 2 $27.95) In this final installment of Salvatore’s Tolkienesque trilogy, dark elf Drizzt battles evil orcs.

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Nonfiction

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

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*--* 1 The Last Season by Phil Jackson (Penguin: $24.95) The 3 2 Lakers’ former coach recounts last year’s turbulent season in which egos ruled the court and a star-studded team stumbled.

2 America (The Book): A Citizen’s Guide to Democracy 2 7 Inaction by Jon Stewart et al. (Warner: $24.95) Comedy writers poke fun at U.S. politics and our institutions of democracy.

3 He’s Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt and Liz 1 7 Tuccillo (Simon Spotlight Entertainment: $19.95) The no-excuses guide to help women understand guys and get on with their lives.

4 Chronicles, Volume One by Bob Dylan (Simon & Schuster: 4 5 $24) The songwriter reflects on the influences that helped shape him and his struggle to rediscover his creativity.

5 When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops? by George Carlin 5 3 (Hyperion: $23.95) The veteran comedian takes on Diane Sawyer, big oil and mass marketing in a stinging social commentary.

6 How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must) by Ann Coulter 7 4 (Crown Forum: $26.95) The contentious pundit explains why she thinks liberals have it all wrong.

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7 The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren (Zondervan: 15 87 $19.99) How the “God ordained” principles of worship, community, discipleship, ministry and evangelism bring fulfillment.

8 Who the Hell’s in It by Peter Bogdanovich (Knopf: $35) -- 1 The director and film historian recounts the Hollywood lives and careers he saw up close, from Jerry Lewis to Lauren Bacall.

9 A Paper Life by Tatum O’Neal (HarperEntertainment: 6 3 $24.95) The award-winning child actress details her battle with loneliness, abusive parents, drug addiction and damaging relationships.

10 The Power of the Actor by Ivana Chubbuck (Gotham: $27.50) -- 1 A 12-step guide to creating dynamic characters by the coach of such actors as Charlize Theron, Elisabeth Shue and Halle Berry.

11 Will in the World by Stephen Greenblatt (W.W. Norton: -- 3 $26.95) How an uneducated lad from the English countryside became William Shakespeare, poet, playwright and favorite of the queen.

12 His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis -- 1 (Knopf: $26.95) A portrait of the most imposing of all the Founding Fathers, who held the young nation together through its rocky beginnings.

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13 Cary Grant: A Biography by Marc Eliot (Harmony Books: -- 1 $25.95) How a plucky English boy named Archibald Leach went from stilt walker to film star, becoming the apotheosis of urbanity and wit.

14 Face the Nation by Bob Schieffer (Simon & Shuster: -- 1 $26.95) The host of CBS’ “Face the Nation” tells his favorite stories from the first 50 years of the award-winning current affairs interview program.

15 Floating Takes Faith by David J. Wolpe (Behrman House: -- 1 $18) A rabbi explores how ancient wisdom and faith can offer guidance and comfort in modern times.

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