BESTSELLERS

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

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*--* 1 The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (Doubleday: $24.95) A 1 44 Louvre curator’s killing leads to clues hidden in Leonardo’s paintings and a secret society with something to hide.

2 Absolute Friends by John le Carre (Little, Brown: $26.95) 12 2 Two former Cold War spies are drawn into the rising political opposition to the United States’ invasion of Iraq.

3 The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom 2 17 (Hyperion: $19.95) An amusement park maintenance man faces his life, death and afterlife in this three-part parable.

4 The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler (Knopf: $24.95) A -- 1 mismatched couple struggle over the course of the years to make their marriage bearable. (Reviewed on p. 5.)

5 Pompeii by Robert Harris (Random House: $24.95) An 5 9 engineer repairing an aqueduct near Mt. Vesuvius in AD 79 notes ominous signs of its imminent eruption.

6 Mr. Paradise by Elmore Leonard (William Morrow: $25.95) A -- 1 lingerie model in downtown Detroit finds herself embroiled in the contract murder of her call-girl roommate and a client.

7 The Best Awful by Carrie Fisher (Simon & Schuster: $24) 10 3 Suzanne Vale battles drugs and bipolar disorder in this black-comic sequel to “Postcards From the Edge.”

8 The Big Bad Wolf by James Patterson (Little, Brown: 15 9 $27.95) Lawman Alex Cross investigates the disappearance of pretty women and uncovers a sex-slave ring run by a Russian mobster.

9 The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier (Dutton: 10 3 $23.95) A 15th-century artisan meets his patron’s daughter while designing the now-famous tapestries for the nobleman’s great hall.

10 The Murder Room by P.D. James (Knopf: $25.95) Adam -- 8 Dalgliesh investigates the murder of an unpopular museum trustee that echoes a famous homicide depicted in the museum’s Murder Room.

11 New Spring by Robert Jordan (Tor Fantasy: $22.95) In this 8 2 prequel to the “Wheel of Time” series, an infant is born who, it is prophesied, will change the beleaguered world.

12 Retreat, Hell by W.E.B. Griffin (Putnam: $26.95) A 11 2 fictional take on the travails of Gen. Douglas MacArthur and the embattled U.S. Marines during the Korean War.

13 The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri (Houghton Mifflin: $24) An -- 7 immigrant Bengali couple and their son, named for the writer Nikolai Gogol, experience cultural jolts in America.

14 The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger -- 5 (MacAdam/Cage: $25) A librarian, on one of his mysterious travels in time, falls in love with a teenage heiress.

15 Trojan Odyssey by Clive Cussler (Putnam: $27.95) Dirk 14 8 Pitt rushes to rescue his undersea exploring twins as a mega-hurricane bears down on the Caribbean and a luxury floating hotel.

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

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*--* 1 The Price of Loyalty by Ron Suskind (Simon & Schuster: 9 2 $26) A scathing portrayal of the George W. Bush White House by former Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill.

2 American Dynasty by Kevin Phillips (Viking: $25.95) An 2 2 account of the Bush family’s use of their Ivy League network, vast wealth and unsavory political maneuvering to obtain the White House.

3 Down and Dirty Pictures by Peter Biskind (Simon & 3 3 Schuster: $26.95) A look at the rise of indie films and the influence of the Sundance Film Festival and Harvey and Bob Weinstein’s Miramax.

4 The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach (Broadway Books: 13 2 $19.95) Common-sense financial planning that suggests “automating” your contributions to retirement and investment vehicles.

5 Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them by Al Franken 4 23 (Dutton: $24.95) A heaping dose of subversive wit aimed at political leaders and pundits on the right and left.

6 The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands by Laura 1 3 Schlessinger (HarperCollins: $24.95) Talk-show host tells how to manage the “very simple creature” that is man.

7 The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle (New World Library: 7 68 $21.95) How to improve one’s relationships and find contentment and even happiness by living in the now.

8 The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren (Zondervan: 6 14 $19.99) How the “God-ordained” principles of worship, community, discipleship, ministry and evangelism bring fulfillment.

9 Dude, Where’s My Country? by Michael Moore (Warner Books: 5 15 $24.95) Advice from the veteran gadfly on how to take back the country from the conservative forces currently running it.

10 Six Questions of Socrates by Christopher Phillips (W.W. -- 1 Norton: $23.95) Dialogues with people from different backgrounds and countries on six fundamental philosophical topics.

11 My Prison Without Bars by Pete Rose (Rodale Press: 10 2 $24.95) The erstwhile Cincinnati Reds slugger and infamous baseball exile contemplates the ups and downs of his career.

12 The World According to Mister Rogers by Fred Rogers -- 10 (Hyperion: $16.95) Some of the collected wisdom (and a few songs) from the late, beloved television personality.

13 The Sorrows of Empire by Chalmers Johnson (Metropolitan: 8 2 $25) A view of the United States as an imperialist and militaristic nation bent on global domination.

14 Natalie Wood by Gavin Lambert (Knopf: $25.95) An 11 2 examination of Wood’s turbulent life, detailing her struggles and triumphs as an actress, her romantic involvements and her tragic death.

15 The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp (Simon & Schuster: $25) -- 3 A personal exploration of the nature of creativity (with exercises) from the esteemed choreographer.

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