BESTSELLERS

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

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*--* 1 State of Fear by Michael Crichton (HarperCollins: $27.95) 1 3 A globe-trotting thriller involving nefarious environmentalists and manufactured threats of global warming.

2 The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom 2 66 (Hyperion: $19.95) An amusement park maintenance man faces his life, death and afterlife in this three-part parable.

3 The Plot Against America by Philip Roth (Houghton 3 14 Mifflin: $26) Charles Lindbergh becomes president in 1940, setting the country on a course of isolationism and nationwide pogroms.

4 I Am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe (Farrar, Straus & 6 8 Giroux: $28.95) A North Carolina ingenue tries to fit in with the beautiful-people-in-training at an elite university.

5 The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (Doubleday: $24.95) A 4 93 Louvre curator’s killing leads to clues hidden in Leonardo’s paintings and a secret society with something to hide.

6 The Da Vinci Code Special Illustrated Edition by Dan 5 8 Brown (Doubleday: $35) The blockbuster thriller, complete with images of all the artwork, symbols and locales mentioned in the text.

7 Night Fall by Nelson DeMille (Warner Books: $26.95) Two 10 5 federal agents try to find a videotape to prove that the crash of a jet off Long Island was not caused by mechanical failure.

8 Black Wind by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler (Putnam: 7 4 $27.95) Dirk Pitt and his progeny seek to stop a deadly seaborne virus headed toward Los Angeles.

9 A Salty Piece of Land by Jimmy Buffett (Little, Brown: 12 4 $27.95) A colorful cast of characters populates this tale of lighthearted mayhem set in the Caribbean.

10 The Final Solution by Michael Chabon (Fourth Estate: -- 5 $16.95) An elderly man befriends a young mute refugee from the Nazis and his parrot, which spews mysterious strings of numbers.

11 London Bridges by James Patterson (Little, Brown: $27.95) 13 6 Alex Cross battles villains old and new as terrorists threaten to destroy the world’s largest cities.

12 How We Are Hungry by Dave Eggers (McSweeney’s: $22) -- 4 Stories, some comic and some haunting, on mortality and the troubled times in which we live.

13 The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst (Bloomsbury: -- 5 $24.95) An Oxford student is caught up in the go-go 1980s London of Margaret Thatcher, where opulence, class envy and ruthlessness reign.

14 Runaway by Alice Munro (Knopf: $25) A collection of 11 9 stories examining the surprises, betrayals and limits of love among couples, friends, parents and children.

15 Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke -- 14 (Bloomsbury: $27.95) A reclusive magician teams with a risk-taking younger man to delve into England’s magical past.

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

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*--* 1 America (The Book): A Citizen’s Guide to Democracy 1 15 Inaction by Jon Stewart et al. (Warner: $24.95) Comedy writers poke fun at U.S. politics and our institutions of democracy.

2 Chronicles, Volume One by Bob Dylan (Simon & Schuster: 2 13 $24) The songwriter reflects on the influences that helped shape him and his struggle to rediscover his creativity.

3 He’s Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt and Liz 3 15 Tuccillo (Simon Spotlight Entertainment: $19.95) The no-excuses guide to help women understand guys and get on with their lives.

4 His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis 5 9 (Knopf: $26.95) A portrait of the most imposing Founding Father, who held a young nation together through its rocky beginnings.

5 The Last Season by Phil Jackson (Penguin: $24.95) The 4 10 former Laker coach recounts last year’s turbulent season, in which egos ruled the court and a star-studded team stumbled.

6 When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops? by George Carlin 6 10 (Hyperion: $23.95) The veteran comedian takes on Diane Sawyer, big oil and mass marketing in a stinging social commentary.

7 Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen (Warner Faith: $19.99) 8 8 Seven steps to improving your life by using faith to develop self-esteem and help let go of the past.

8 Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss (Gotham: $17.50) 7 30 British novelist and journalist offers her zero-tolerance approach to bad punctuation, drawn from her pioneering BBC series.

9 Faithful by Stewart O’Nan and Stephen King (Scribner: 12 2 $26) A diary of the 2004 championship Red Sox season, written by two novelists who are die-hard fans.

10 The Complete Cartoons of the New Yorker (Black Dog & 9 6 Leventhal: $60) The best of the journal’s scribblings, plus a pair of CDs containing every cartoon it has ever published.

11 The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren (Zondervan: 11 92 $19.99) How the “God-ordained” principles of worship, community, discipleship, ministry and evangelism bring fulfillment.

12 How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must) by Ann Coulter 15 10 (Crown Forum: $26.95) The conservative pundit explains why she thinks liberals have it all wrong.

13 Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris -- 19 (Little, Brown: $24.95) Popular humorist recounts childhood experiences with his delightfully dysfunctional family.

14 De Kooning: An American Master by Mark Stevens and -- 1 Annalyn Swan (Knopf: $35) The life and work of Abstract Expressionist painter Willem De Kooning.

15 What’s the Matter With Kansas? by Thomas Frank -- 3 (Metropolitan Books: $24) How the populist Midwest came to be aligned with conservatives and the Republican Party.

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