BESTSELLERS

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 The Shape Shifter by Tony -- 1 Hillerman (HarperCollins: $26.95) Joe Leaphorn is yanked from retirement to find a missing friend and revisit a long ago murder tied to an ancient Navajo rug.

2 Wild Fire by Nelson 1 3 DeMille (Warner Books: $26.99) A husband-wife duo try to foil a right-wing plot to bomb two American cities in an effort to provoke a U.S. nuclear strike in the Middle East.

3 Nature Girl by Carl 2 2 Hiaasen (Knopf: $25.95) Screwball characters romp through this tale of chases, hostage-taking and revenge, all so the world will be safe from telemarketers.

4 Against the Day by Thomas -- 1 Pynchon (Penguin: $35) Thirty years of the adventures of a crew of balloonists begins with a trip to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

5 Cross by James Patterson 3 2 (Little, Brown: $27.99) Alex Cross quits tracking down serial killers for the sake of his family life until given the chance to hunt for his late wife’s killer.

6 For One More Day by Mitch 5 9 Albom (Hyperion: $21.95) An alcoholic tries suicide and encounters his mother’s ghost, who tells him about her life and sacrifices as a single parent.

7 Echo Park by Michael 4 8 Connelly (Little, Brown: $26.99) LAPD Det. Harry Bosch wrestles with the haunting thought that his oversight in an old murder case allowed a serial killer to continue his spree.

8 What Is the What by Dave 15 3 Eggers (McSweeney’s: $26) A Sudanese refugee fights to survive and create a new life in America but finds safety and a sense of belonging elusive.

9 Ines of My Soul by Isabel 9 3 Allende (HarperCollins: $25.95) A young widow travels to colonial Peru, where she falls in love with a Spanish soldier and together they battle to build a nation.

10 Paint It Black by Janet -- 9 Fitch (Little, Brown: $24.99) An art model in the punk scene tries to make sense of her boyfriend’s death and his relationship with his narcissistic mother.

11 Dear John by Nicholas 8 4 Sparks (Warner: $24.99) A soldier on leave falls in love with a student, but their relationship is put on hold when he returns to duty after Sept. 11.

12 Lisey’s Story by Stephen -- 4 King (Scribner: $28) Clues left among her writer-husband’s papers set widow Lisey Landon on a trail to uncover his childhood secret in rural Maine.

13 Suite Francaise by Irene 7 32 Nemirovsky (Knopf: $25) Two novellas by a writer killed at Auschwitz about the exodus from Paris ahead of the Germans’ arrival and on life in a farming village under occupation.

14 Hollywood Station by -- 1 Joseph Wambaugh (Little, Brown: $24.99) Cops stationed in a Hollywood of meth tweakers and hustlers try to solve a jewelry heist and a security guard’s murder.

15 The Ladies of Grace Adieu -- 2 by Susanna Clarke (Bloomsbury: $23.95) Eight short stories of faeries, wizards, kings and queens set in a magical England of old.

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 The Audacity of Hope by 1 6 Barack Obama (Crown: $25) The U.S. senator from Illinois argues that his Democratic Party and the GOP must forgo partisanship to reclaim the American dream.

2 I Feel Bad About My Neck 2 17 by Nora Ephron (Knopf: $19.95) The screenwriter ruminates on the effects of gravity and menopause, and reconciling herself to life among the post-bikini set.

3 Point to Point Navigation 6 4 by Gore Vidal (Doubleday: $26) In a second volume of memoirs, the writer recalls childhood, his literary career, politics past and present and coping with his partner’s death.

4 I Like You by Amy Sedaris 5 6 (Warner Books: $27.99) A guide to throwing the perfect party, with helpful hospitality hints and arch observations from the comic writer.

5 The Innocent Man by John 3 8 Grisham (Doubleday: $28.95) A true-crime tale about a former big league baseball player sent to death row for a murder he didn’t commit.

6 Palestine: Peace Not -- 1 Apartheid by Jimmy Carter (Simon & Schuster: $27) The former president writes that Palestinians must recognize Israel and Israel must honor its peace commitments.

7 State of Denial: Bush at 11 9 War, Part III by Bob Woodward (Simon & Schuster: $30) The inside story of a White House that dismisses bad news about the war in Iraq and how it is fueling terrorism.

8 Thunderstruck by Erik 13 6 Larson (Crown: $25.95) As Guglielmo Marconi and a rival spar over credit for wireless communication, the device leads to a killer’s capture.

9 A Photographer’s Life by 8 3 Annie Leibovitz (Random House: $75) A collection of 15 years of the celebrated photographer’s work, including intimate portraits of family and friends.

10 Culture Warrior by Bill 7 9 O’Reilly (Broadway: $26) The Fox News TV host rails against “secular progressives,” billionaire Democrat George Soros, the ACLU and critics he dubs “smear merchants.”

11 Eat, Pray, Love by -- 20 Elizabeth Gilbert (Viking: $24.95) After deciding that marriage and motherhood aren’t for her, the author embarks on a journey of self-discovery in Italy, India and Indonesia.

12 The God Delusion by 4 7 Richard Dawkins (Houghton Mifflin: $27) The biologist criticizes religion for intolerance, rejecting scientific truth and threatening nonbelievers with eternal damnation.

13 Why We Want You to Be Rich 10 7 by Donald J. Trump, Robert T. Kiyosaki et al. (Rich Press: $24.95) The real estate magnate and the financial guru explain why some people get rich and others don’t.

14 Ageless by Suzanne Somers 15 6 (Crown: $25) An actress touts anti-aging and plant hormone therapies to detoxify the body, boost the immune system, treat menopause and stay healthy.

15 The Doors by The Doors -- 1 with Ben Fong-Torres (Hyperion: $45) The seminal L.A. rock band’s story told in photos and interviews with surviving members and the late Jim Morrison’s friends and relatives.

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