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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST
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*--* 1 The Plot Against America by Philip Roth (Houghton 1 5 Mifflin: $26) Charles Lindbergh becomes president in 1940, setting the country on a course of isolationism and nationwide pogroms.
2 The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (Doubleday: $24.95) A 2 84 Louvre curator’s killing leads to clues hidden in Leonardo’s paintings and a secret society with something to hide.
3 Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke 13 9 (Bloomsbury: $27.95) A reclusive magician teams with a risk-taking younger man to delve into England’s magical past.
4 The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom 6 57 (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 3 4 (Pantheon: $19.95) A woman investigates the case of a young man who falls to his death in an Edinburgh concert hall.
6 The Prince of Beverly Hills by Stuart Woods (Putnam: -- 1 $25.95) A demoted police detective shuffled off to the studio beat stumbles upon a murder coverup.
7 Shopaholic & Sister by Sophie Kinsella (Dial: $23) A 4 4 London newlywed depressed over a lack of closet space for her new trinkets discovers she has a sibling who hates to shop.
8 Light on Snow by Anita Shreve (Little, Brown: $24.95) A 11 2 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 Dark Tower VII by Stephen King (Donald M. Grant: $35) 9 5 Roland and his ka-tet near their goal, the Dark Tower, but the gunslingers face mutants, vampires and the fearsome Crimson King.
10 Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy (Dutton: $25.95) 7 4 Tragedy strikes a small village on a Greek island, forever changing the world of the travelers and local residents who call it home.
11 Northern Lights by Nora Roberts (Putnam: $25.95) An urban 5 2 cop who fled divorce and the death of his partner to become police chief in an Alaskan town finds new love and a murder to solve.
12 The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (Penguin: -- 11 $24.95) In postwar Barcelona, the son of a bookstore owner tries to unearth the story of a long-dead novelist.
13 The Two Swords by R.A. Salvatore (Wizards of the Coast: -- 1 $27.95) In this final installment of Salvatore’s Tolkienesque trilogy, dark elf Drizzt battles evil orcs.
14 Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner (Atria: $26) Forget -- 1 the mothers-in-law and the high-pressure jobs -- a group of women finds that motherhood could be the toughest challenge yet.
15 Are You Afraid of the Dark? by Sidney Sheldon (William 14 6 Morrow: $25.95) Two widows try to find out who killed their husbands and wants them dead too.
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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST
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*--* 1 He’s Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt and Liz 3 6 Tuccillo (Simon Spotlight Entertainment: $19.95) The no-excuses guide to help women understand guys and get on with their lives.
2 America (The Book): A Citizen’s Guide to Democracy 2 6 Inaction by Jon Stewart et al. (Warner: $24.95) Comedy writers poke fun at U.S. politics and our institutions of democracy.
3 The Last Season by Phil Jackson (Penguin: $24.95) The -- 1 Lakers’ former coach recounts last year’s turbulent season in which egos ruled the court and a star-studded team stumbled.
4 Chronicles, Volume One by Bob Dylan (Simon & Schuster: 1 4 $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 6 2 (Hyperion: $23.95) The veteran comedian takes on Diane Sawyer, big oil and mass marketing in a stinging social commentary.
6 A Paper Life by Tatum O’Neal (HarperEntertainment: 4 2 $24.95) The award-winning child actress details her battle with loneliness, abusive parents, drug addiction and damaging relationships.
7 How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must) by Ann Coulter 5 3 (Crown Forum: $26.95) The contentious pundit explains why she thinks liberals have it all wrong.
8 Magical Thinking by Augusten Burroughs (St. Martin’s 8 3 Press: $23.95) Telemarketing revenge and the precision killing of a rodent populate these essays from the peculiar recesses of Burroughs’ mind.
9 Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis with Larry Sloman -- 2 (Hyperion: $24.95) A boy whose dealer father introduced him to drugs meets stardom as the lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
10 Hallelujah! The Welcome Table by Maya Angelou (Random -- 1 House: $29.95) A memoir recounting Angelou’s most memorable meals and those she shared them with, along with her favorite recipes.
11 Family First by Phil McGraw (Free Press: $26) A 12 6 day-by-day guide to raising cooperative, caring and competent children through effective parenting and putting family first.
12 Soul Surfer by Bethany Hamilton (MTV: $18) A 13-year-old -- 1 girl who lost her arm in a shark attack says it is spirituality that has allowed her to return to competitive surfing.
13 Things I Want My Daughters to Know by Alexandra Stoddard -- 1 (HarperResource: $19.95) Wisdom to help nurture the soul and enable joyful living.
14 Trump: Think Like a Billionaire by Donald J. Trump with -- 1 Meredith McIver (Random House; $21.95) How to buy real estate and live the life of luxury, even if you are still working on your first billion.
15 The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren (Zondervan: 7 86 $19.99) How the “God ordained” principles of worship, community, discipleship, ministry and evangelism bring fulfillment.
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