Los Angeles Times Bestsellers
| Fiction | weeks on list | |
| 1. | Chasing Darkness by Robert Crais (Simon & Schuster: $25.95) When a man cleared of a murder charge is found dead, Elvis Cole is called to account. | 1 |
| 2. | The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski (Ecco: $25.95) A mute dog breeder is banished by his uncle in this twist on “Hamlet.” | 1 |
| 3. | The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz (Riverhead: $24.95) A sci-fi-loving nerd and his immigrant family are haunted by the past. | 24 |
| 4. | The Dawn Patrol by Don Winslow (Knopf: $23.95) A surfing private eye trying to unravel an insurance scam tangles with thugs in San Diego’s Pacific Beach. | 5 |
| 5. | The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein (Harper: $23.95) A dog’s-eye view of love, loyalty and sacrifice. | 7 |
| 6. | Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich (St. Martin’s Press: $27.95) Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum faces a stalker, a kidnapper and an old robbery. | 3 |
| 7. | The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie (Random House: $26) A traveler arrives at the Mughal emperor’s court with a beguiling tale. | 6 |
| 8. | The Host by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown: $25.99) Alien invaders take over the minds of humans. | 9 |
| 9. | Netherland by Joseph O’Neill (Pantheon: $23.95) An equities analyst’s life is upended after Sept. 11, when his wife and son flee New York for London. | 3 |
| 10. | The Last Oracle by James Rollins (William Morrow: $26.95) The Sigma Force battles scientists who may have bioengineered the end of humanity. | 2 |
| 11. | The Spies of Warsaw by Alan Furst (Random House: $25) A French diplomat tries to uncover Germany’s plans in 1937 Poland. | 5 |
| 12. | Love the One You’re With by Emily Giffin (St. Martin’s: $24.95) A newlywed finds that she still has feelings for an ex-lover who dumped her. | 5 |
| 13. | America America by Ethan Canin (Random House: $27) A powerful upstate New York family wields power and ambition in the Nixon era. | 1 |
| 14. | Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri (Knopf: $25) Stories of U.S.-born children and their Bengal-born parents straddling cultures. | 14 |
| 15. | The Last Patriot by Brad Thor (Atria: $26) A covert Homeland Security agent searches for an ancient secret to defeat militant Islamists. | 1 |
| Nonfiction | ||
| 1. | When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris (Little, Brown: $25.99) Musings on life and smoking. | 6 |
| 2. | The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion: $21.95) A professor with terminal cancer urges us to seize life’s moments. | 13 |
| 3. | What Happened by Scott McClellan (PublicAffairs: $27.95) The former Bush press secretary says the administration deceived the public about Iraq. | 6 |
| 4. | Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler (Simon Spotlight: $24.95) The talk-show host skewers dating, family and work. | 10 |
| 5. | The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (Beyond Words: $23.95) Life’s secrets, distilled from oral tradition, literature, religion and philosophy. | 80 |
| 6. | Fleeced by Dick Morris and Eileen McGann (Harper: $26.95) How the average American is being sold out by interests foreign and domestic. | 2 |
| 7. | The Soloist by Steve Lopez (Putnam: $25.95) The Times columnist befriends a homeless musician. | 11 |
| 8. | The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston with Mario Spezi (Grand Central: $25.99) On the trail of a killer who preyed on lovers in the Italian countryside. | 4 |
| 9. | Audition by Barbara Walters (Knopf: $29.95) The pioneering newswoman recalls her life and career. | 9 |
| 10. | My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor (Viking: $24.95) A brain scientist describes her massive stroke and the steps she took to a full recovery. | 4 |
| 11. | The Downhill Lie by Carl Hiaasen (Knopf: $22) The writer describes his return to the exasperating game of golf after 32 years. | 5 |
| 12. | Everyday Drinking by Kingsley Amis (Bloomsbury: $19.99) A collection of the late author’s wry, humorous essays on liquor and the art of imbibing. | 2 |
| 13. | i before e (except after c) by Judy Parkinson (Michael O’Mara Books: $14.95) All those rhymes and mnemonics that help us remember things. | 1 |
| 14. | Maps and Legends by Michael Chabon (McSweeney’s: $24) The novelist defends his love of genre fiction, of comics, thrillers, horror and myth. | 8 |
| 15. | The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss (Crown: $19.95) How to reduce your workload, outsource the routine, train your boss and other tips. | 7 |
Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores.
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