BESTSELLERS

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction

*--*

*--* 1 Life of Pi by Yann Martel (Harvest Books: $14) An Indian boy shares a lifeboat with a tiger on a harrowing trip

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

3 Atonement by Ian McEwan (Anchor: $14) A haunting novel of guilt and redemption in World War II England

4 The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (Anchor: $11.95) Botswana’s female private eye

5 Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (Harcourt: $18) A vivid picture of a single day in a woman’s life

6 Three Junes by Julia Glass (Anchor: $14) A Scottish family comes together over three summers

7 The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus (Griffin: $13.95) The travails of an overworked caregiver

8 Beach House by James Patterson and Peter de Jonge (Warner: $7.99) A man seeks justice in his brother’s death

9 Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (HarperPaperbacks: $13.95) Opera mingles with mayhem in South America

10 In This Mountain by Jan Karon (Penguin: $13.95) Father Tim returns to Mitford for an unsettling retirement

*--*

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction

*--*

*--* 1 Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand (Ballantine: $15) How a thoroughbred horse went from also-ran to sports icon

2 Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution by Robert C. Atkins (Quill: $13.95) How a low-carb diet helps shed pounds

3 The No Spin Zone by Bill O’Reilly (Broadway: $14) Insights from the outspoken Fox cable interviewer

4 Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter (Techpress: $15.95) Fiscal parenting

5 A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers (Vintage: $14) A 22-year-old raises his kid brother

6 Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser (HarperCollins: $13.95) The unappetizing practices of the junk-food industry

7 Trading Spaces: Behind the Scenes edited by Brian Kramer (Meredith Books: $19.95) Quick room makeovers

8 What to Expect When You’re Expecting by Heidi E. Murkoff et al. (Workman: $13.95) Pregnancy explained

9 What Went Wrong? by Bernard Lewis (HarperPerennial: $12.95) The rise and fall of Islamic culture

10 War Talk by Arundhati Roy (South End Press: $12) Essays critical of the U.S., arguing that war pits rich against poor

*--*