BESTSELLERS

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 The Historian by Elizabeth 2 3 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.

2 A Long Way Down by Nick 1 3 Hornby (Riverhead: $24.95) A quartet of people who met on a London rooftop as they contemplated suicide form a support group for one another.

3 The Mermaid Chair by Sue 3 13 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.

4 Specimen Days by Michael 4 3 Cunningham (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $25) Three characters evoke Walt Whitman as they traverse time in this triptych of New York stories.

5 Eleven on Top by Janet -- 1 Evanovich (St. Martin’s: $26.95) Stephanie Plum tries her hand at factory work, a dry cleaners and fast-food service but soon is drawn back to bounty hunting.

6 The Da Vinci Code by Dan 8 119 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.

7 The Starter Wife by Gigi 7 4 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.

8 The Closers by Michael 6 7 Connelly (Little, Brown: $26.95) Detective Harry Bosch reunites with partner Kizmin Rider to solve a 17-year-old case after DNA evidence is found on the murder weapon.

9 Saturday by Ian McEwan 13 15 (Nan A. Talese / Doubleday: $26) A day in the life of a neurosurgeon brings both quotidian and Earth-shattering struggles in post-Sept. 11 London.

10 Gilead by Marilynne 10 21 Robinson (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $23) An aging minister facing death explains his life and religious beliefs in a letter to his young son.

11 The Mysterious Flame of -- 1 Queen Loana by Umberto Eco (Harcourt: $22) A rare-book dealer with amnesia tries to learn about his past from the books and papers in his childhood home.

12 Velocity by Dean Koontz 14 5 (Bantam: $27) Laid-back Napa County bartender Billy Wiles is drawn into a terrifying game by a killer who asks Wiles to choose the next victim.

13 Dance of Death by Douglas 12 2 Preston and Lincoln Child (Warner: $25.95) An FBI agent is under suspicion when his friends turn up dead, but he knows his wayward brother is up to no good.

14 One Shot by Lee Child 9 2 (Delacorte Press: $25) Ex-military policeman Jack Reacher finds himself drawn to the case of a gunman who opens fire in a small Midwestern town.

15 The Black Angel by John -- 1 Connolly (Atria: $25) Det. Charlie Parker’s search for a missing New York City prostitute leads him to a Czech church and a statue known as the Black Angel.

*--*

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 1776 by David McCullough 1 4 (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. 3 10 Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner (William Morrow: $25.95) An economist deconstructs statistics and uses numbers to help explain human behavior.

3 Blink by Malcolm Gladwell 4 24 (Little, Brown: $25.95) Gladwell explores why decisions are so often made in an instant and whether we can really trust those first instincts.

4 The World Is Flat by 2 11 Thomas L. Friedman (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $27.50) How technology and the forces of globalization are connecting -- and changing -- the world.

5 The Truth About Hillary by -- 1 Edward Klein (Penguin: $24.95) A compilation of tales about New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, her years in the White House and the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

6 On Bull... by Harry G. 5 15 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.

7 You: The Owner’s Manual by 6 8 Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz (HarperResource: $24.95) A wry and witty guide to the inner workings of the human body.

8 Natural Cures “They” Don’t -- 1 Want You to Know About by Kevin Trudeau (Alliance Publishing: $29.95) The infomercial mogul touts alternative therapies and supplements.

9 Winning by Jack Welch with 7 11 Suzy Welch (HarperBusiness: $27.95) How to succeed in business (and life) by staying optimistic, making no excuses and getting things done.

10 French Women Don’t Get Fat 10 25 by Mireille Guiliano (Knopf: $22) The chief executive of the French wine conglomerate Clicquot Inc. reveals the French secret of eating for pleasure without the bulge.

11 My Friend Leonard by James -- 1 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 Oh the Glory of It All by 13 6 Sean Wilsey (Penguin: $25.95) A memoir of a young man who rebels against his privileged upbringing and self-absorbed parents.

13 Searching for the Sound by -- 1 Phil Lesh (Little, Brown: $25.95) The former Grateful Dead bass player tells the story of his life, the band and the late Jerry Garcia.

14 He’s Just Not That Into -- 34 You by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo (Simon Spotlight Entertainment: $21.95) A no-excuses guide to help women understand guys and get on with their lives.

15 The Purpose-Driven Life by 11 115 Rick Warren (Zondervan: $19.99) How the “God-ordained” principles of worship, community, discipleship, ministry and evangelism bring fulfillment.

*--*