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 5 Giroux: $28.95) A North Carolina ingenue tries to fit in with the beautiful- people-in-training at an elite university.

2 The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom 4 63 (Hyperion: $19.95) An amusement park maintenance man faces his life, death and afterlife in this three-part parable.

3 Night Fall by Nelson DeMille (Warner Books: $26.95) Two 2 2 federal agents try to find a videotape to prove that the crash of a jet off Long Island was not caused by mechanical failure.

4 Black Wind by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler (Putnam: -- 1 $27.95) Dirk Pitt and his progeny seek to stop a deadly seaborne virus headed toward Los Angeles.

5 The Plot Against America by Philip Roth (Houghton 3 11 Mifflin: $26) Charles Lindbergh becomes president in 1940, setting the country on a course of isolationism and nationwide pogroms.

6 The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (Doubleday: $24.95) A 8 90 Louvre curator’s killing leads to clues hidden in Leonardo’s paintings and a secret society with something to hide.

7 The Da Vinci Code Special Illustrated Edition by Dan 11 5 Brown (Doubleday: $35) The blockbuster thriller, complete with images of all the artwork, symbols and locales mentioned in the text.

8 Skeleton Man by Tony Hillerman (HarperCollins: $25.95) A 6 2 diamond pawned by a Hopi boy enmeshes retired detective Joe Leaphorn in the mystery of a 50-year-old plane crash.

9 A Salty Piece of Land by Jimmy Buffett (Little, Brown: -- 1 $27.95) A colorful cast of characters populates this tale of lighthearted mayhem set in the Caribbean.

10 Whiteout by Ken Follett (Dutton: $26.95) A Scottish 12 2 medical lab’s security director tries to find a missing canister of a deadly virus during a Christmas Eve blizzard.

11 Runaway by Alice Munro (Knopf: $25) A collection of 5 6 stories examining the surprises, betrayals and limits of love among couples, friends, parents and children.

12 The Virgin’s Lover by Philippa Gregory (Touchstone: -- 2 $24.95) An English noblewoman faces competition for the affections of her husband from none other than newly crowned Elizabeth I.

13 Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders by John Mortimer 13 2 (Viking: $24.95) The barrister recounts his first case, defending a man accused of killing his bomber-pilot father.

14 The Final Solution by Michael Chabon (Fourth Estate: 9 3 $16.95) An elderly man befriends a young mute refugee from the Nazis and his parrot, which spews mysterious strings of numbers.

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

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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 1 12 Inaction by Jon Stewart et al. (Warner: $24.95) Comedy writers poke fun at U.S. politics and our institutions of democracy.

2 Chronicles, Volume One by Bob Dylan (Simon & Schuster: 4 10 $24) The songwriter reflects on the influences that helped shape him and his struggle to rediscover his creativity.

3 His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis 8 6 (Knopf: $26.95) A portrait of the most imposing Founding Father, who held a young nation together through its rocky beginnings.

4 He’s Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt and Liz 2 12 Tuccillo (Simon Spotlight Entertainment: $19.95) The no-excuses guide to help women understand guys and get on with their lives.

5 The Last Season by Phil Jackson (Penguin: $24.95) The 3 7 former Laker coach recounts last year’s turbulent season, in which egos ruled the court and a star-studded team stumbled.

6 When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops? by George Carlin 5 7 (Hyperion: $23.95) The veteran comedian takes on Diane Sawyer, big oil and mass marketing in a stinging social commentary.

7 Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen (Warner Faith: $19.99) 9 5 Seven steps to improving your life by using faith to develop self-esteem and help let go of the past.

8 A Tale of Love and Darkness by Amos Oz (Harcourt: $26) -- 1 Oz writes of his life growing up in war-torn Jerusalem, losing his mother to suicide and finding new meaning in life on a kibbutz.

9 Will in the World by Stephen Greenblatt (W.W. Norton: -- 5 $26.95) How an uneducated lad from the English countryside became William Shakespeare, poet, playwright and a favorite of the queen.

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

11 The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren (Zondervan: -- 90 $19.99) How the “God-ordained” principles of worship, community, discipleship, ministry and evangelism bring fulfillment.

12 Will They Ever Trust Us Again? by Michael Moore (Simon & -- 2 Schuster: $22) Iraq war veterans and their families express concerns about the mission and disagree with the president’s policies.

13 Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom (Doubleday: $19.95) -- 184 An acclaimed sports columnist describes the moving life lessons he learned from a dying former teacher.

14 The Complete Cartoons of the New Yorker (Black Dog & 7 3 Leventhal: $60) The best of the journal’s scribblings, plus a pair of CDs containing every cartoon it has ever published.

15 My Life by Bill Clinton (Knopf: $35) The former -- 14 president’s memoirs, from his Arkansas childhood through the highs and lows of his two terms in the White House.

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