BESTSELLERS

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 The Lincoln Lawyer by 1 2 Michael Connelly (Little, Brown: $26.95) An L.A. defense attorney hired to defend a rich woman’s son fears for his own safety after the murder of his private investigator.

2 On Beauty by Zadie Smith 4 5 (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.”

3 The March by E.L. Doctorow 2 4 (Random House: $25.95) On the trail as Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman makes his historic sweep to Atlanta, routs Confederate troops and destroys the countryside.

4 Son of a Witch by Gregory 3 2 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.

5 Everyone Worth Knowing by 9 2 Lauren Weisberger (Simon & Schuster: $23.95) A young woman leaves an investment bank job for the cutthroat, celebrity-driven public relations industry.

6 Knife of Dreams by Robert -- 1 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.

7 Consent to Kill by Vince -- 1 Flynn (Atria: $25.95) CIA agent Mitch Rapp learns that his White House correspondent wife is pregnant as he eludes assassins and battles a new intelligence director.

8 A Wedding in December by -- 1 Anita Shreve (Little, Brown: $25.95) The tragic death of a beloved classmate nearly three decades earlier casts a shadow over a reunion of prep school graduates.

9 Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman 7 4 (William Morrow: $26.95) A London agent discovers that his deceased father had been the human embodiment of Anansi, the African trickster god.

10 Eldest (Inheritance, Book 12 8 2) by Christopher Paolini (Alfred A. Knopf: $21) Eragon hones his battle skills as his cousin finds himself the target of evil forces.

11 Harry Potter and the 6 14 Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (Arthur A. Levine / Scholastic: $29.99) A teenage Harry faces a new darkness in his latest adventures.

12 Blue Smoke by Nora Roberts 11 2 (Putnam: $25.95) A sociopath targets Baltimore arson investigator Reena Hale, threatening to torch everyone and everything she loves.

13 Snow Flower and the Secret -- 13 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 Goodnight Nobody by -- 3 Jennifer Weiner (Atria: $26) The wife of a suburban Connecticut police chief uncovers secrets as she investigates a murder in the postcard-perfect town.

15 Lipstick Jungle by Candace 5 6 Bushnell (Hyperion: $24.95) Three high-powered New York women stop at nothing to make it big in business, even if it means leaving their men in the dust.

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 The City of Falling Angels 2 3 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.

2 The Year of Magical 1 3 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.

3 What Remains by Carole 3 4 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.

4 California: A History by -- 1 Kevin Starr (Modern Library: $24.95) The former state historian shows the Golden State’s evolution from pre-Columbian times to the present.

5 Freakonomics by Steven D. 6 26 Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner (William Morrow: $25.95) An economist deconstructs statistics and uses numbers to help explain human behavior.

6 It’s Called a Breakup 10 3 Because It’s Broken by Greg Behrendt and Amiira Ruotola-Behrendt (Broadway: $19.95) Survival tips from the co-author of “He’s Just Not That Into You.”

7 The World Is Flat by 5 27 Thomas L. Friedman (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $27.50) How technology and the forces of globalization are connecting -- and changing -- the world.

8 Natural Cures “They” Don’t 4 17 Want You to Know About by Kevin Trudeau (Alliance Publishing: $29.95) The infomercial mogul touts alternative therapies and supplements.

9 A Man Without a Country by -- 7 Kurt Vonnegut (Seven Stories Press: $23.95) A collection of recent articles focuses on personal foibles and skewers those in power.

10 Tab Hunter Confidential by -- 1 Tab Hunter with Eddie Muller (Algonquin: $24.95) The gay icon writes of being a movie star in 1950s Hollywood and then having to scramble for parts in the ‘60s.

11 My FBI by Louis J. Freeh -- 1 (St. Martin’s: $25.95) The former FBI director recounts his career fighting the Mafia, investigating President Clinton and battling terrorism.

12 A New Earth: Awakening to -- 1 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.

13 1776 by David McCullough 7 19 (Simon & Schuster: $32) The historian examines how Colonial forces took on the world’s greatest military power in the first battles of the American Revolution.

14 Symptoms of Withdrawal by 11 3 Christopher Kennedy Lawford (William Morrow: $25.95) President Kennedy’s nephew writes a tell-all full of famous names, debauchery and finding sobriety.

15 The Game by Neil Strauss 13 5 (ReganBooks: $29.95) A “regular guy” transforms himself into a highly trained pickup artist, entering a subculture where seduction and betrayal live in close discomfort.

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