BESTSELLERS

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 Predator by Patricia -- 1 Cornwell (Putnam: $26.95) Kay Scarpetta is called to investigate the torture and murder of a woman in Boston and the disappearance of a Florida family.

2 The Lincoln Lawyer by 1 4 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.

3 Saving Fish From Drowning 2 2 by Amy Tan (Putnam: $26.95) A group of women embarks on an ill-fated art tour to Burma, a story told by a friend who has just been murdered.

4 The Camel Club by David -- 1 Baldacci (Warner Books: $26.95) Conspiracy theorists who witness the murder of a Secret Service agent are plunged into a real conspiracy.

5 The March by E.L. Doctorow 4 6 (Random House: $25.95) On the trail as Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman makes his historic sweep of Georgia, routs Confederate troops and destroys the countryside.

6 Memories of My Melancholy -- 1 Whore by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Knopf: $20) A nonagenarian journalist who falls for a 14-year-old virgin prostitute reflects on his life and loves.

7 On Beauty by Zadie Smith 3 7 (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 At First Sight by Nicholas 9 2 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.

9 Son of a Witch by Gregory 7 4 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.

10 The History of Love by -- 7 Nicole Krauss (W.W. Norton: $23.95) A writer escapes the Nazis but loses his life’s love and the will to create, and a teenager tries to heal her widowed mother’s broken heart.

11 Knife of Dreams by Robert 5 3 Jordan (Tor: $29.95) In Book 11 of the “Wheel of Time” series, war spreads to Tarmon Gai’don and an epic battle ensues between the Dragon Reborn and the Dark One.

12 Promise of the Witch-King -- 1 by R.A. Salvatore (Wizards of the Coast: $27.95) An elfish duo is sent by a pair of dragon sisters to search for a witch-king’s magic treasure.

13 Snow Flower and the Secret 12 15 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.

14 Eldest (Inheritance, Book 10 10 2) by Christopher Paolini (Alfred A. Knopf: $21) Eragon hones his battle skills as his cousin finds himself the target of evil forces.

15 Harry Potter and the 14 16 Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (Arthur A. Levine / Scholastic: $29.99) A teenage Harry faces a new darkness in his latest adventures.

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 The Year of Magical 1 5 Thinking by Joan Didion (Knopf: $23.95) The acclaimed author and essayist explores the nature of grief and survival in the months after her writer-husband’s sudden death.

2 Team of Rivals by Doris -- 1 Kearns Goodwin (Simon & Schuster: $35) How Abraham Lincoln, a one-term congressman, used his natural political savvy to bring powerful rivals into his Cabinet.

3 Healthy Aging by Andrew 3 2 Weil (Alfred A. Knopf: $27.95) A physician’s guide to welcoming the process of getting older through proper nutrition, exercise and meditation.

4 The City of Falling Angels 2 5 by John Berendt (Penguin: $25.95) A fire that guts an opera house is the mystery the author of “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” uses to explore Venice, Italy.

5 The Truth (With Jokes) by 11 2 Al Franken (Dutton: $25.95) The comedian rebuts claims and points out flip-flops made by the Bush administration and conservative pundits.

6 The World Is Flat by 6 29 Thomas L. Friedman (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $27.50) How technology and the forces of globalization are connecting -- and changing -- the world.

7 Natural Cures “They” Don’t 7 19 Want You to Know About by Kevin Trudeau (Alliance Publishing: $29.95) The infomercial mogul touts alternative therapies and supplements.

8 A Crack in the Edge of the -- 1 World by Simon Winchester (HarperCollins: $27.95) The Oxford-trained geologist details the massive 1906 quake that nearly destroyed San Francisco.

9 Driven From Within by -- 1 Michael Jordan with Mark Vancil (Atria: $35) The peerless basketball champion talks about his work ethic, personal philosophy and natural competitiveness.

10 A New Earth: Awakening to 9 3 Your Life’s Purpose by Eckhart Tolle (Dutton: $24.95) The author of “The Power of Now” argues that our ego-driven society must become more loving.

11 Between Two Worlds by -- 1 Zainab Salbi and Laurie Becklund (Gotham: $26) The daughter of Saddam Hussein’s personal pilot recalls life under tyranny as a member of the Baghdad elite.

12 Freakonomics by Steven D. 4 28 Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner (William Morrow: $25.95) An economist deconstructs statistics and uses numbers to help explain human behavior.

13 What Remains by Carole 8 6 Radziwill (Scribner: $25.95) A TV reporter’s story of love and death after marrying into the extended Kennedy clan and losing her husband to cancer.

14 A Man Without a Country by -- 8 Kurt Vonnegut (Seven Stories Press: $23.95) A collection of recent articles focuses on personal foibles and skewers those in power.

15 California: A History by 5 3 Kevin Starr (Modern Library: $24.95) The former state librarian shows the Golden State’s evolution from pre-Columbian times to the present.

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