BESTSELLERS / PAPERBACKS

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction

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*--* 1 Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (Picador: $15) A Greek family embraces the American dream.

2 Angels & Demons by Dan Brown (Pocket Books: $7.99) A scholar uncovers a vendetta against the Catholic church.

3 Life of Pi by Yann Martel (Harvest Books: $14) A boy shares a lifeboat with a tiger on a harrowing trip.

4 The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (Penguin: $14) A teenage girl is haunted by her mother’s death.

5 Prey by Michael Crichton (Avon: $7.99) Self-replicating nanobots escape the laboratory and threaten their creators’ lives.

6 Master and Commander by Patrick O’Brian (W.W. Norton: $13) Adventure on the high seas in the Napoleonic Wars.

7 Key of Knowledge by Nora Roberts (Jove: $7.99) Three women friends try to free the souls of ancient demigoddesses.

8 Deception Point by Dan Brown (Pocket Books: $7.99) A president’s reelection rests on an object buried in the Arctic.

9 The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander M. Smith (Anchor: $11.95) Botswana’s favorite private eye.

10 Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier (Plume: $14) The girl who inspired a Vermeer painting.

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction

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*--* 1 Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom (Broadway: $12.95) Learning life’s lessons from a dying former teacher.

2 Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki & Sharon Lechter (Techpress: $15.95) Fiscal parenting.

3 Pretty Good Joke Book by Garrison Keillor (Penguin: $9.95) Jokes from “A Prairie Home Companion.”

4 Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz (Amber-Allen: $12.95) A code of conduct based on Toltec wisdom.

5 Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution by Robert C. Atkins (Quill: $13.95) Shed pounds with a low-carb diet.

6 Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich (Free Press: $14) A blackjack team from MIT bests Las Vegas casinos.

7 Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris (Little, Brown: $8.95) Remembrances of the author’s holidays past.

8 100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know by American Heritage (Houghton Mifflin: $4.95)

9 1,000 Places to See Before You Die by Patricia Schultz (Workman: $18.95) For real and armchair travelers.

10 Common Nonsense by Andy Rooney (PublicAffairs: $15) Reflections of the “60 Minutes” commentator.

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