BESTSELLERS / PAPERBACKS

Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores.

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction 1 The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead: $14) A writer returns to Kabul to rescue the son of a childhood friend.

2 Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden (Vintage: $14.95) The life and loves of a teahouse entertainer.

3 The Broker by John Grisham (Dell: $7.99) A jailed lawyer helps the CIA protect satellite technology.

4 The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (Penguin: $15) A quest for the truth about a Spanish novelist.

5 State of Fear by Michael Crichton (Avon: $7.99) Nefarious environmentalists and manufactured threats of global warming.

6 Whiteout by Ken Follett (Signet: $7.99) A deadly virus sample goes missing in a Scottish medical lab.

7 The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (HarperCollins: $19.99) Lewis’ seven Narnia fantasies.

8 Wicked by Gregory Maguire (ReganBooks: $15) The Wicked Witch of the West tells her side of the story.

9 Night Fall by Nelson DeMille (Warner Vision: $7.99) Federal agents try to solve the mystery of TWA Flight 800.

10 Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Penguin: $10) Elizabeth Bennet discovers her prejudices and Mr. Darcy’s pride.

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction 1 A Million Little Pieces by James Frey (Anchor: $14.95) A memoir of addiction, rehabilitation and 12-step treatment.

2 In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (Vintage: $14) The masterful writer’s account of a Kansas family’s brutal murder.

3 Why Do Men Have Nipples? by Mark Leyner and Billy Goldberg (Three Rivers Press: $12.95) What’s up, doc?

4 Bad Cat by Jim Edgar (Workman: $9.95) Meet 244 cats and kittens with attitude, all in living color.

5 The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (Back Bay: $14.95) How fads, trends and ideas behave like viruses in a society.

6 Bad Dog by R.D. Rosen et al (Workman: $9.95) Photographs of 278 canines with attitude.

7 Sudoku Easy by Will Shortz (St. Martin’s Griffin: $9.95) Vol. 1 of the popular puzzle book.

8 Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (Vintage: $14.95) A serial killer haunts the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.

9 Su Doku for Dummies by Andrew Heron and Edmund James (Wiley: $9.99) Puzzle-solving hints and 240 puzzles.

10 Chronicles by Bob Dylan (Simon & Schuster: $14) The songwriter reflects on his life and creativity.

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