LOS ANGELES TIMES LIST FOR MARCH 26, 2006

Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores.

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction 1 Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (Random House: $13.95) Friendship in 19th century China.

2 Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (Picador: $14) An ailing minister explains his life and beliefs to his young son.

3 The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd (Penguin: $14) A woman confronts her long-dormant desires.

4 The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead: $14) A writer returns to Kabul to rescue the son of a childhood friend.

5 The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (HarperSanFrancisco: $13) An Andalusian shepherd boy searches for treasure in Egypt.

6 Rage by Jonathan Kellerman (Ballantine: $7.99) Alex Delaware seeks the killer of a recently released parolee.

7 Micah by Laurell K. Hamilton (Jove: $7.99) Vampire hunter Anita Blake must bring a deceased witness back to life.

8 Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx (Scribner: $9.95) Two cowboys in love face a harsh world.

9 Cold Service by Robert B. Parker (Berkley: $7.99) Spenser takes on a Ukrainian gang of thugs.

10 With No One as Witness by Elizabeth George (Harper Torch: $7.99) A white victim prompts police interest in a killer.

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction 1 In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (Vintage: $14) The late writer’s masterful account of a Kansas family’s brutal murder.

2 Night by Elie Wiesel (Hill & Wang: $9) A teenager’s harrowing year spent in four concentration camps.

3 The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (Back Bay: $14.95) How fads, trends and ideas behave like viruses in a society.

4 Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins (Plume: $15) How the U.S. pressures poor countries.

5 A Million Little Pieces by James Frey (Anchor: $14.95) A tarnished memoir of addiction and 12-step treatment.

6 Collapse by Jared Diamond (Penguin: $17) Why the Maya, the Anasazi and other societies died out.

7 Su Doku for Dummies by Andrew Heron and Edmund James (Wiley: $9.99) Puzzle-solving hints and 240 puzzles.

8 Fat Girl by Judith Moore (Plume: $13) A frank memoir of a horrific childhood framed by obesity.

9 Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter (TechPress/Warner: $16.95) Fiscal parenting.

10 The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (Scribner: $14) A memoir of breaking away from dysfunctional parents.

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