BESTSELLERS

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

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*--* 1 I Am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe (Farrar, Straus & 1 3 Giroux: $28.95) A North Carolina ingenue tries to fit in with the beautiful-people-in-training at an elite university.

2 The Godfather Returns by Mark Winegardner (Random House: -- 1 $26.95) The “missing years” of the Corleone clan, filling the gap between Mario Puzo’s novel and the films.

3 Runaway by Alice Munro (Knopf: $25) A collection of 13 4 stories examining the surprises, betrayals and limits of love among couples, friends, parents and children.

4 The Plot Against America by Philip Roth (Houghton 2 9 Mifflin: $26) Charles Lindbergh becomes president in 1940, setting the country on a course of isolationism and nationwide pogroms.

5 The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom 8 61 (Hyperion: $19.95) An amusement park maintenance man faces his life, death and afterlife in this three-part parable.

6 The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (Doubleday: $24.95) A 4 88 Louvre curator’s killing leads to clues hidden in Leonardo’s paintings and a secret society with something to hide.

7 London Bridges by James Patterson (Little, Brown: $27.95) 3 3 Alex Cross battles villains old and new as terrorists threaten to destroy the world’s largest cities.

8 The Da Vinci Code Special Illustrated Edition by Dan 6 3 Brown (Doubleday: $35) The blockbuster thriller, complete with images of all the artwork, symbols and locales mentioned in the text.

9 Hour Game by David Baldacci (Warner: $26.95) Private eyes 5 4 try to uncover the identity of an egotistical and mocking murderer whose crimes mimic infamous serial killers of the past.

10 The Final Solution by Michael Chabon (Fourth Estate: -- 1 $16.95) An elderly man befriends a young mute refugee from the Nazis and his parrot, which spews mysterious strings of numbers.

11 How We Are Hungry by Dave Eggers (McSweeney’s: $22) -- 2 Stories, some comic and some haunting, on mortality and the troubled times in which we live.

12 The Virgin’s Lover by Philippa Gregory (Touchstone: -- 1 $24.95) An English noblewoman faces competition for the affections of her husband from none other than newly crowned Elizabeth I.

13 Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke -- 12 (Bloomsbury: $27.95) A reclusive magician teams with a risk-taking younger man to delve into England’s magical past.

14 The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore (William Morrow: 15 2 $14.95) A 7-year-old who believes he’s witnessed Santa’s murder prays for a miracle to save Christmas in Sleepy Pine Cove, Calif.

15 Wolves Eat Dogs by Martin Cruz Smith (Simon & Schuster: -- 1 $25.95) Police investigator Arkady Renko investigates death in Russia’s new billionaire capitalist class.

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

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*--* 1 America (The Book): A Citizen’s Guide to Democracy 3 10 Inaction by Jon Stewart et al. (Warner: $24.95) Comedy writers poke fun at U.S. politics and our institutions of democracy.

2 When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops? by George Carlin 9 6 (Hyperion: $23.95) The veteran comedian takes on Diane Sawyer, big oil and mass marketing in a stinging social commentary.

3 He’s Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt and Liz 2 10 Tuccillo (Simon Spotlight Entertainment: $19.95) The no-excuses guide to help women understand guys and get on with their lives.

4 The Last Season by Phil Jackson (Penguin: $24.95) The 1 5 former Lakers coach recounts last year’s turbulent season in which egos ruled the court and a star-studded team stumbled.

5 Chronicles, Volume One by Bob Dylan (Simon & Schuster: 5 8 $24) The songwriter reflects on the influences that helped shape him and his struggle to rediscover his creativity.

6 The Perricone Promise by Nicholas Perricone (Warner: 4 2 $27.95) A physician advises how to look and feel younger in 28 days through diet, supplements and skin products.

7 His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis 6 4 (Knopf: $26.95) A portrait of the most imposing Founding Father, who held a young nation together through its rocky beginnings.

8 Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen (Warner Faith: $19.99) 7 3 Seven steps to improving your life by using faith to develop self-esteem and help let go of the past.

9 How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must) by Ann Coulter 10 7 (Crown Forum: $26.95) The conservative pundit explains why she thinks liberals have it all wrong.

10 Will in the World by Stephen Greenblatt (W.W. Norton: -- 4 $26.95) How an uneducated lad from the English countryside became William Shakespeare, poet, playwright and a favorite of the queen.

11 Guinness World Records 2005 (Guinness: $27.95) The latest -- 1 in achievements from the world of human possibilities, from “extreme” body sizes and stunts to sports and music.

12 Magical Thinking by Augusten Burroughs (St. Martin’s -- 5 Press: $23.95) Telemarketing revenge and the precision killing of a rodent populate these essays from the peculiar recesses of Burroughs’ mind.

13 The Complete Cartoons of the New Yorker (Black Dog & -- 1 Leventhal: $60) The best of the journal’s scribblings, plus a pair of CDs containing every cartoon it has ever published.

14 The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren (Zondervan: -- 89 $19.99) How the “God ordained” principles of worship, community, discipleship, ministry and evangelism bring fulfillment.

15 Hallelujah! The Welcome Table by Maya Angelou (Random -- 3 House: $29.95) Angelou’s most memorable meals and those she shared them with, along with favorite recipes.

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