BESTSELLERS
Fiction
*--* SO. CAL. LAST WEEKS RATING WEEK ON LIST
*--*
*--* 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.
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.
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.
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.
*--*
Nonfiction
*--* SO. CAL. LAST WEEKS RATING WEEK ON LIST
*--*
*--* 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.
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.
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.
*--*
More to Read
Sign up for our Book Club newsletter
Get the latest news, events and more from the Los Angeles Times Book Club, and help us get L.A. reading and talking.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.