BESTSELLERS

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 The Historian by Elizabeth 2 12 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 Lunar Park by Bret Easton 3 3 Ellis (Alfred A. Knopf: $24.95) The author-turned-protagonist tries to dry out and remake his life in a suburbia possessed by strange spirits.

3 Eldest (Inheritance, Book -- 1 2) by Christopher Paolini (Alfred A. Knopf: $21) Eragon hones his battle skills as his cousin finds himself the target of evil forces.

4 Harry Potter and the 1 7 Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (Arthur A. Levine/ Scholastic: $29.99) A teenage Harry faces a new darkness in his latest adventures.

5 The Da Vinci Code by Dan 7 128 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 No Country for Old Men by 4 6 Cormac McCarthy (Knopf: $24.95) An aging Texas sheriff investigates murder, drug trafficking and the disappearance of a local hunter.

7 The Undomestic Goddess by 14 6 Sophie Kinsella (Dial Press: $23) A London lawyer veers from the fast track to work as a housekeeper in a country manor until her past catches up with her.

8 Snow Flower and the Secret 10 9 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.

9 Lifeguard by James 5 8 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.

10 Until I Find You by John 6 7 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.

11 Without Mercy by Jack -- 1 Higgins (Putnam: $25.95) American and British intelligence operatives are bent on vengeance after one of their own is killed after a shootout with Russian operatives.

12 The Zahir by Paulo Coelho -- 1 (HarperCollins: $24.95) A celebrated novelist living in Paris questions everything when his war correspondent wife disappears.

13 Tyrannosaur Canyon by -- 1 Douglas Preston (Forge Books: $24.95) A man is caught in the cross hairs after a dying stranger asks for help in passing along a notebook to his daughter.

14 The Starter Wife by Gigi 11 12 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.

15 Point Blank by Catherine -- 1 Coulter (Putnam: $25.95) A pair of married FBI agents are taunted by a mysterious and dangerous cellphone caller who proves highly elusive.

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 Freakonomics by Steven D. 2 19 Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner (William Morrow: $25.95) An economist deconstructs statistics and uses numbers to help explain human behavior.

2 1776 by David McCullough 3 13 (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.

3 Blink by Malcolm Gladwell 1 33 (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 6 20 Thomas L. Friedman (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $27.50) How technology and the forces of globalization are connecting -- and changing -- the world.

5 Natural Cures “They” Don’t 4 10 Want You to Know About by Kevin Trudeau (Alliance Publishing: $29.95) The infomercial mogul touts alternative therapies and supplements.

6 New Rules: Polite Musings 5 6 From a Timid Observer by Bill Maher (Rodale Books: $24.95) The political satirist and TV host brings his acerbic humor to the written page.

7 You: The Owner’s Manual by -- 16 Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz (HarperCollins: $24.95) An anti-aging guru and a heart surgeon team to offer a wry and witty guide to staying healthy.

8 On Bull... by Harry G. 9 20 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.

9 100 People Who Are 7 8 Screwing Up America by Bernard Goldberg (HarperCollins: $25.95) The author of “Arrogance” indicts celebrity activists and liberal politicians.

10 He’s Just Not That Into -- 36 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.

11 Crystal Cove Cottages by 14 3 Karen E. Steen et al. (Chronicle Books: $35) A look at a group of historic beach cottages along the Orange County coastline that mixes bohemia and Americana.

12 Confessions of a Video 8 9 Vixen by Karrine Steffans (HarperCollins: $24.95) The troubled background behind the glamorous image of a celebrated music video dancer.

13 Guinness World Records -- 1 2006 (Guinness: $27.95) The latest from the world of human possibilities, from “extreme” body sizes and sports to music and feats of the Digital Age.

14 A Man Without a Country by -- 1 Kurt Vonnegut (Seven Stories Press: $23.95) A collection of recent articles focuses on personal foibles and skewers those in power.

15 My Friend Leonard by James -- 8 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.

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