BESTSELLERS

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 In the Company of the 1 2 Courtesan by Sarah Dunant (Random House: $23.95) A cunning dwarf and a celebrated courtesan remake themselves in Venice after fleeing conflict in Rome in 1527.

2 The Two Minute Rule by -- 1 Robert Crais (Simon & Schuster: $24.95) A paroled bank robber tries to find out who killed his police officer-son and why.

3 The 5th Horseman by James 2 2 Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Little, Brown: $27.95) A cop investigates the mysterious death of a young mother in a San Francisco emergency room.

4 The Good Life by Jay 15 2 McInerney (Knopf: $25) Two wealthy New York couples reexamine their lives, relationships and values in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

5 The Da Vinci Code by Dan 9 146 Brown (Doubleday: $24.95) A Louvre curator’s killing leads to clues hidden in Leonardo’s paintings and a secret society with something to hide.

6 Sea Change by Robert B. 6 3 Parker (Putnam: $24.95) The murder of a woman aboard a sailboat leads a Massachusetts police chief into a universe of drugs, pornography and rape.

7 Cell by Stephen King 3 6 (Scribner: $26.95) Low-tech people fight for survival against zombies who’ve been stripped of all but the most destructive urges by a pulse sent from their cellular phones.

8 The Fallen by T. Jefferson -- 1 Parker (William Morrow: $24.95) San Diego homicide Det. Robbie Brownlaw tries to find a killer and uncover a corruption scandal.

9 The Old Wine Shades by -- 1 Martha Grimes (Viking: $25.95) Scotland Yard Det. Richard Jury investigates the disappearance of a mother and her autistic son.

10 The Last Templar by 5 5 Raymond Khoury (Dutton: $24.95) Four horsemen dressed like the Knights Templar crash a Vatican artifacts exhibit at a New York Museum and steal a code cracker.

11 Lipshitz Six, or Two Angry -- 1 Blondes by T. Cooper (Dutton: $24.95) The stories of a Russian woman who loses her son at Ellis Island and her rapper-wannabe descendant.

12 A Time to Run by Barbara -- 2 Boxer with Mary-Rose Hayes (Chronicle Books: $24.95) A liberal senator has dirt on a conservative nominee to the Supreme Court, but can she trust her source?

13 Lovers & Players by Jackie 7 3 Collins (St. Martin’s Press: $24.95) An aging billionaire brings his three sons to Las Vegas to announce stunning news about their inheritance.

14 Memories of My Melancholy 12 16 Whores by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Knopf: $20) A nonagenarian journalist who falls for a 14-year-old virgin prostitute reflects on his life and loves.

15 Never Let Me Go by Kazuo -- 13 Ishiguro (Knopf: $24) Inside the walls of a seemingly charming English country school is a place where destiny is anything but idyllic.

*--*

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 Marley & Me by John Grogan 2 15 (William Morrow: $21.95) A columnist recalls how Marley, an incorrigible Labrador retriever, flunked obedience school, terrorized a pet sitter and won over his family.

2 The Year of Magical 1 22 Thinking by Joan Didion (Knopf: $23.95) The author explores the nature of grief and survival in the months after her writer-husband’s sudden death.

3 Manhunt by James L. 9 3 Swanson (William Morrow: $26.95) The search for President Lincoln’s killer, actor John Wilkes Booth, and how he eluded capture for 12 days.

4 The World Is Flat by 3 46 Thomas L. Friedman (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $27.50) How technology and the forces of globalization are connecting -- and changing -- the world.

5 Bad Childhood, Good Life 5 8 by Laura Schlessinger (HarperCollins: $24.95) How to move past an unhappy childhood, change negative behaviors and thrive.

6 You’re Wearing That? by 4 3 Deborah Tannen (Random House: $24.95) A linguist studies the conversations between mothers and daughters, the direct and indirect messages, intended or not.

7 Freakonomics by Steven D. 6 40 Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner (William Morrow: $25.95) An economist deconstructs statistics and uses numbers to help explain human behavior.

8 The Left Hand of God by -- 1 Michael Lerner (HarperSanFrancisco: $24.95) The editor of Tikkun magazine calls on Americans to rededicate themselves to a faith of love and kindness.

9 Our Endangered Values by -- 11 Jimmy Carter (Simon & Schuster: $25) The former president writes of his concern about the rise in Christian fundamentalism and its influence in politics.

10 Jim Cramer’s Real Money: 10 4 Sane Investing in an Insane World by James J. Cramer (Simon & Schuster: $26) The TV host and co-founder of TheStreet.com explains the basics.

11 PostSecret by Frank Warren -- 3 (ReganBooks: $24.95) A collection of extraordinary and deeply affecting confessions written on postcards by ordinary people from all walks of life.

12 A Man Without a Country by -- 15 Kurt Vonnegut (Seven Stories Press: $23.95) The writer’s collection of recent essays skewering the powerful and noting his personal foibles.

13 Love Smart by Phil McGraw 8 7 (Free Press: $26) How to take control of your love life, whether it’s finding a mate or holding on to the one you already have.

14 Condor by John Nielsen -- 1 (HarperCollins: $25.95) The story of the ups and downs of wildlife officials’ breeding program to keep California’s giant condor from going extinct.

15 The Elements of Style -- 14 Illustrated by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White (Penguin Press: $24.95) The classic manual of good writing, updated with fanciful illustrations by Maira Kalman.

*--*