BESTSELLERS

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction

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*--* 1 Angels & Demons by Dan Brown (Pocket Books: $7.99) A Harvard scholar uncovers a vendetta against the Catholic Church.

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

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

6 Lost Light by Michael Connelly (Warner: $7.99) Det. Harry Bosch tries to find a film employee’s killer and $2 million.

7 Digital Fortress by Dan Brown (Griffin: $14.95) A new technology threatens the balance of international power.

8 The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl (Random House: $13.95) A killer in 1865 Boston takes his cues from Dante.

9 The King of Torts by John Grisham (Dell: $7.99) A street killing is linked to a conspiracy involving a pharmaceutical giant.

10 The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks (Warner: $7.50) A young woman mourning her late husband is stalked by a rejected suitor.

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction

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*--* 1 The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (Vintage: $14.95) How a serial killer haunted the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.

2 Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi (Random House: $13.95) A professor keeps literature alive for her students.

3 1,000 Places to See Before You Die by Patricia Schultz (Workman: $18.95) Trotting the globe.

4 Sex and the City by Amy Sohn (Pocket: $20) All you want to know about the the popular HBO series, its cast and story lines.

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

6 Positively Fifth Street by James McManus (Picador: $15) An insider’s view of the World Series of Poker.

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

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

9 Touching the Void by Joe Simpson (Perennial: $12.95) Near-death mountain climbing in the Andes.

10 Pills, Thrills, Chills, and Heartache edited by Clint Catalyst (Alyson: $15.95) Writers tell first-person tales.

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