BESTSELLERS

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 The Historian by Elizabeth 1 5 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 2 5 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 Snow Flower and the Secret 10 2 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.

4 The Mermaid Chair by Sue 3 15 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.

5 The Da Vinci Code by Dan 6 121 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.

6 The Da Vinci Code Special 8 19 illustrated Edition by Dan Brown (Doubleday: $35) The blockbuster thriller, complete with images of the artwork, symbols and sites in the text.

7 Eleven on Top by Janet 4 3 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.

8 Lifeguard by James -- 1 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.

9 Until I Find You by John -- 1 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.

10 Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk 11 9 (Doubleday: $24.95) Several writers eager for fame lock themselves in an abandoned theater for their own grotesque version of “Survivor.”

11 Killer Swell by Jeff -- 1 Shelby (Penguin: $23.95) A surfing San Diego private investigator is tapped to find his missing high school sweetheart by the mother who caused their breakup.

12 Saturday by Michael -- 15 Connelly (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.

13 The Closers by Michael 12 9 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.

14 Miracle by Danielle Steel -- 1 (Dell Publishing: $20) A storm rips into a San Francisco neighborhood and brings together a widower, his neighbor and a handyman to repair their homes and lives.

15 Specimen Days by Michael 9 5 Cunningham (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $25) Three characters evoke Walt Whitman as they traverse time in this triptych of New York stories.

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 1776 by David McCullough 1 6 (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 12 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 26 (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 On Bull... by Harry G. 6 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.

5 The World Is Flat by 3 13 Thomas L. Friedman (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $27.50) How technology and the forces of globalization are connecting -- and changing -- the world.

6 My Friend Leonard by James 10 3 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.

7 The Secret Man by Bob -- 1 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.

8 Natural Cures “They” Don’t 11 3 Want You to Know About by Kevin Trudeau (Alliance Publishing: $29.95) The infomercial mogul touts alternative therapies and supplements.

9 You: The Owner’s Manual by 5 10 Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz (HarperResource: $24.95) A wry and witty guide to the inner workings of the human body.

10 100 People Who Are -- 1 Screwing Up America by Bernard Goldberg (HarperCollins: $25.95) The author of “Arrogance” indicts celebrity activists, liberal politicians and deep-pocket donors.

11 Confessions of a Video 12 2 Vixen by Karrine Steffans (HarperCollins: $24.95) The troubled background behind the glamorous image of a celebrated music video dancer.

12 Your Best Life Now by Joel -- 26 Osteen (Warner Faith: $19.99) Seven steps to improving your life by using faith to develop self-esteem, let go of the past and fulfill your potential.

13 Oh the Glory of It All by -- 7 Sean Wilsey (Penguin: $25.95) A memoir of a young man who rebels against his privileged upbringing and self-absorbed parents.

14 Wooden on Leadership by -- 1 John Wooden and Steve Jamison (McGraw-Hill: $22.95) The celebrated basketball coach and author explains how to create a winning organization.

15 He’s Just Not That Into -- 35 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.

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