BESTSELLERS

*

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 The Lighthouse by P.D. 15 2 James (Knopf: $25.95) Det. Adam Dalgliesh is called to the Cornish coast to solve the murder of an acclaimed novelist who had upset his very prominent neighbors.

2 Mary, Mary by James 1 2 Patterson (Little, Brown: $27.95) FBI detective Alex Cross seeks the killer of an A-list actress, her chauffeur and a female movie producer as fear sweeps through Hollywood.

3 Memories of My Melancholy 3 5 Whores by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Alfred A. Knopf: $20) A nonagenarian journalist who falls for a 14-year-old virgin prostitute reflects on his life and loves.

4 The Sea by John Banville 2 4 (Alfred A. Knopf: $23) A widower struggles to rid himself of the yoke of memory by visiting the coastal town where he spent time as a boy.

5 The Camel Club by David 5 5 Baldacci (Warner Books: $26.95) Conspiracy theorists who witness the murder of a Secret Service agent are plunged into a real conspiracy.

6 Christ the Lord by Anne 4 4 Rice (Alfred A. Knopf: $25.95) A 7-year-old Jesus returns to Nazareth after the death of King Herod and gradually discovers his power to heal and raise the dead.

7 On Beauty by Zadie Smith -- 10 (Penguin: $25.95) Identity crises, adultery, racial conflict and religious zealotry afflict two families whose lives are a 21st century parallel to E.M. Forster’s “Howards End.”

8 A Feast for Crows by 9 3 George R.R. Martin (Spectra: $28) The latest installment in the “Song of Ice and Fire” series has a kingdom weary from war facing new destruction.

9 Harry Potter and the -- 17 Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic: $29.99) A teenage Harry faces a new darkness in his latest adventures.

10 Light From Heaven by Jan 13 3 Karon (Viking: $26.95) Father Tim, asked by his bishop to revive a long-closed mountain church, finds an angel to help him in this final installment in the Mitford series.

11 Son of a Witch by Gregory -- 6 Maguire (ReganBooks: $26.95) An orphan armed with the wicked witch’s magic broom and black cape searches the Emerald City for a girl who may be his half-sister.

12 At First Sight by Nicholas -- 3 Sparks (Warner: $24.95) A journalist has concerns about his upcoming marriage to a small-town librarian, especially after some mysterious e-mails come his way.

13 Eldest (Inheritance, Book -- 12 2) by Christopher Paolini (Alfred A. Knopf: $21) Eragon hones his battle skills as his cousin finds himself the target of evil forces.

14 Veronica by Mary Gaitskill -- 1 (Pantheon: $23) A former fashion model confronts the ugly realities of life and recalls a friendship with an older woman on the eve of the AIDS epidemic.

15 The Lincoln Lawyer by 11 8 Michael Connelly (Little, Brown: $26.95) An L.A. attorney hired to defend a rich woman’s son fears for his own safety after the murder of his private investigator.

*--*

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 The Year of Magical 1 9 Thinking by Joan Didion (Alfred A. Knopf: $23.95) The author explores the nature of grief and survival in the months after her writer-husband’s sudden death.

2 Teacher Man by Frank 3 2 McCourt (Scribner: $26) In the last of a trilogy beginning with “Angela’s Ashes,” the Irish immigrant plumbs his 30 years of teaching high school English in New York City.

3 Team of Rivals by Doris 2 5 Kearns Goodwin (Simon & Schuster: $35) How country lawyer and one-term congressman Abraham Lincoln used his savvy to bring political rivals into his Cabinet.

4 Our Endangered Values by 6 4 Jimmy Carter (Simon & Schuster: $25) The former president writes of his concern about the rise in Christian fundamentalism and its influence in politics.

5 700 Sundays by Billy 5 4 Crystal (Warner: $21.95) The actor and comedian tells the story of life with his father, a well-known jazz promoter, who died when Billy was a teen.

6 Are Men Necessary? by 12 3 Maureen Dowd (Putnam: $25.95) The columnist ponders relations between the sexes, the value of trapping a man and career women as artful minxes.

7 Healthy Aging by Andrew -- 5 Weil (Alfred A. Knopf: $27.95) A physician’s guide to welcoming the process of getting older through proper nutrition, exercise and meditation.

8 The World Is Flat by 4 33 Thomas L. Friedman (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $27.50) How technology and the forces of globalization are connecting -- and changing -- the world.

9 The Elements of Style 15 4 Illustrated by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White (The Penguin Press: $24.95) The classic manual of good writing, updated with fanciful illustrations by Maira Kalman.

10 The Truth (With Jokes) by 7 6 Al Franken (Dutton: $25.95) The comedian rebuts claims and points out flip-flops made by the Bush administration and conservative pundits.

11 The Lost Painting by -- 1 Jonathan Harr (Random House: $24.95) The story behind the 1992 discovery of a missing Caravaggio masterpiece, found covered with grime in a Jesuit residence.

12 Blink by Malcolm Gladwell -- 43 (Little, Brown: $25.95) An exploration of the workings of the human mind and perceptions and whether we can really trust our first instincts.

13 Marley & Me by John Grogan 13 2 (William Morrow: $21.95) A columnist recalls how Marley, an incorrigible Labrador retriever, flunked obedience school, terrorized a pet sitter and won over his family.

14 The City of Falling Angels 14 8 by John Berendt (Penguin: $25.95) The author of “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” uses a fire that guts a Venice opera house to find the heart of the Italian city.

15 You: The Owner’s Manual by -- 21 Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz (HarperCollins: $24.95) An anti-aging guru and a heart surgeon offer a wry and witty guide to staying healthy.

*--*

Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores.