BESTSELLERS

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 Harry Potter and the 1 4 Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (Arthur A. Levine/ Scholastic: $29.99) A teenage Harry faces a new darkness in his latest adventures.

2 No Country for Old Men by 2 3 Cormac McCarthy (Knopf: $24.95) An aging Texas sheriff investigates murder, drug trafficking and the disappearance of a local hunter.

3 The Historian by Elizabeth 4 9 Kostova (Little, Brown: $25.95) A teenager discovers a medieval book and a stash of letters and sets out on a hunt for the real story of Dracula, a quest close to home.

4 The Da Vinci Code by Dan 9 125 Brown (Doubleday: $24.95) A Louvre curator’s killing leads to clues hidden in Leonardo’s paintings and a secret society with something to hide.

5 Until I Find You by John 3 5 Irving (Random House: $27.95) Actor Jack Burns retraces the journeys of his childhood and his tattoo-artist mother’s search for his runaway father.

6 Lifeguard by James 5 5 Patterson and Andrew Gross (Little, Brown: $26.95) An art heist gone bad vaults a part-time lifeguard onto the FBI’s most-wanted list.

7 Snow Flower and the Secret 6 6 Fan by Lisa See (Random House: $21.95) Two women in the cloistered society of 19th century China forge a close friendship that is threatened by misunderstanding.

8 The Starter Wife by Gigi 8 9 Levangie Grazer (Simon & Schuster: $24) The pampered wife of a studio executive finds her world turned upside down after her husband dumps her for a pop princess.

9 The Interruption of 13 3 Everything by Terry McMillan (Viking: $25.95) A woman dealing with a philandering husband, an ailing mother and grown but needy children searches for new frontiers.

10 The Mermaid Chair by Sue 11 19 Monk Kidd (Viking: $24.95) A woman who is called home to cope with her troubled mother finds herself drawn to a Benedictine monk on an island off South Carolina.

11 The Patriots Club by 10 2 Christopher Reich (Delacorte Press: $26) A financial whiz draws upon street smarts of another kind to survive a bizarre kidnapping by a secret society.

12 The Undomestic Goddess by 7 3 Sophie Kinsella (Dial Press: $23) A London lawyer veers from the fast track to work as a housekeeper in a country manor until her past catches up with her.

13 A Long Way Down by Nick 14 9 Hornby (Riverhead: $24.95) A quartet of people who meet on a London rooftop as they contemplate suicide form a mutual support group.

14 Necklace of Kisses by -- 1 Francesca Lia Block (HarperCollins: $21.95) The punk teen heroine Weetzie Bat has turned 40 and checks into the magical Pink Hotel in search of herself.

15 Passport Diaries by Tamara -- 1 T. Gregory (HarperCollins: $22.95) A Los Angeles homicide prosecutor on suspension finds adventure on a six-week European holiday.

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 1776 by David McCullough 1 10 (Simon & Schuster: $32) The historian looks at how the American forces took on the world’s greatest military power in the Revolution’s first battles.

2 Freakonomics by Steven D. 2 16 Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner (William Morrow: $25.95) An economist deconstructs statistics and uses numbers to help explain human behavior.

3 The World Is Flat by 3 17 Thomas L. Friedman (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $27.50) How technology and the forces of globalization are connecting -- and changing -- the world.

4 Blink by Malcolm Gladwell 4 30 (Little, Brown: $25.95) Gladwell explores why decisions are so often made in an instant and whether we can really trust those first instincts.

5 Natural Cures “They” Don’t 5 7 Want You to Know About by Kevin Trudeau (Alliance Publishing: $29.95) The infomercial mogul touts alternative therapies and supplements.

6 New Rules: Polite Musings 6 3 From a Timid Observer by Bill Maher (Rodale Books: $24.95) The political satirist brings his irreverent and acerbic humor to the written page.

7 On Bull... by Harry G. 14 17 Frankfurt (Princeton University Press: $9.95) A leading philosopher takes on society’s view of what sometimes seems to be the fine line between truth and lying.

8 100 People Who Are 7 5 Screwing Up America by Bernard Goldberg (HarperCollins: $25.95) The author of “Arrogance” indicts celebrity activists and liberal politicians.

9 The Perricone Promise by 12 7 Nicholas Perricone (Warner: $27.95) A physician advises how to look and feel younger in 28 days through diet, supplements and skin products.

10 You: The Owner’s Manual by 13 14 Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz (HarperCollins: $24.95) An anti-aging guru and a heart surgeon team to offer a wry and witty guide to staying healthy.

11 My Friend Leonard by James 9 6 Frey (Penguin: $24.95) The former cocaine addict’s sequel to “A Million Little Pieces” celebrates the mobster who helped him turn his life around.

12 The Secret Man by Bob -- 2 Woodward (Simon & Schuster: $23.95) The reporter tells how “Deep Throat” guided him in uncovering the Nixon White House’s involvement in the Watergate scandal.

13 The Essence of Style by -- 1 Joan DeJean (Free Press: $25) A historian explains how the French came to invent glamour, haute couture, fine cuisine and the idea of chic.

14 The FairTax Book by Neal -- 1 Boortz and John Linder (ReganBooks: $24.95) A talk-radio host and a Georgia congressman propose replacing the income tax with a sales tax.

15 Confessions of a Video 15 6 Vixen by Karrine Steffans (HarperCollins: $24.95) The troubled background behind the glamorous image of a celebrated music video dancer.

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