BESTSELLERS

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 Suite Francaise by Irene 6 11 Nemirovsky (Knopf: $25) A posthumously published novel on the Jewish exodus from Paris to a German-occupied village, penned by a celebrated writer killed at Auschwitz.

2 Terrorist by John Updike 2 4 (Alfred A. Knopf: $24.95) An Irish Egyptian American teen in a dying New Jersey town becomes enthralled with a radical cleric who preaches from a storefront mosque.

3 Literacy and Longing in 3 7 L.A. by Jennifer Kaufman and Karen Mack (Delacorte: $22) A book-obsessed divorcee stalks her movie-mogul ex-husband until she meets a literature major.

4 Danse Macabre by Laurell 7 2 K. Hamilton (Berkley: $25.95) Federal marshal and vampire hunter Anita Blake deals with possible pregnancy, paternity and bringing up baby in her line of work.

5 Water for Elephants by 11 5 Sara Gruen (Algonquin: $23.95) A nursing-home patient recalls his life and loves as a penniless college student who dropped out to join the circus in the 1930s.

6 Beach Road by James 12 10 Patterson and Peter de Jonge (Little, Brown: $27.95) Three young men are shot to death on a billionaire’s basketball court, and suspicion falls on a star high school player.

7 The Husband by Dean Koontz 8 6 (Bantam: $27) A gardener has 60 hours to raise $2 million to free his wife and in the process finds himself dealing with killers and a child pornographer.

8 The Devil and Miss Prym by -- 1 Paulo Coelho (HarperCollins: $24.95) A former arms dealer comes to a village with a proposal: wealth for all if one of its residents is murdered within the week.

9 Twelve Sharp by Janet 1 3 Evanovich (St. Martin’s: $26.95) Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum tries to find a crazed killer with the help of a mysterious man accused of kidnapping his own child.

10 Can’t Wait to Get to -- 1 Heaven by Fannie Flagg (Random House: $25.95) When adversity hits Elmwood Springs, Mo., townsfolk discover happiness and renewed faith in helping each other.

11 Coming Out by Danielle 13 2 Steel (Delacorte Press: $20) A woman must confront the issues of elitism and racism when her twin teenage daughters are invited to a debutante ball.

12 Black Order by James 10 2 Rollins (William Morrow: $24.95) Members of the U.S. military’s super-secret Sigma Force battle a plot that threatens to disrupt evolutionary theory.

13 Talk Talk by T.C. Boyle -- 1 (Viking: $25.95) A deaf woman is accused of numerous felonies; her boyfriend tries to find the real criminal, who has stolen her identity.

14 Blue Screen by Robert B. -- 3 Parker (Putnam: $24.95) Boston P.I. Sunny Randall teams with pal Jesse Stone, police chief of Paradise, Mass., to investigate the killing of an action movie star’s sister.

15 The Book of the Dead by 14 2 Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Warner: $25.95) A psychotic killer grinds a museum’s gem exhibit to dust, then interferes with an Egyptian tomb restoration.

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 The One Percent Doctrine 1 3 by Ron Suskind (Simon & Schuster: $27) How the analyses of U.S. counter-terrorism experts were exaggerated or dismissed to justify going to war with Iraq.

2 Marley & Me by John Grogan 3 34 (William Morrow: $21.95) A columnist recalls how Marley, an incorrigible Labrador retriever, flunked obedience school, terrorized a pet sitter and won over his family.

3 Mayflower by Nathaniel 7 9 Philbrick (Viking: $29.95) The story of devout English Christians landing in the New World and the natives they meet as they found Plymouth Colony.

4 The World Is Flat by 8 63 Thomas L. Friedman (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $30) How technology and globalization are changing the world and the training that is needed to compete.

5 Eat, Pray, Love by 13 12 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.

6 Cesar’s Way by Cesar 9 14 Millan with Melissa Jo Peltier (Harmony: $24.95) The “Dog Whisperer” of TV gives tips on understanding and correcting common canine behavior problems.

7 Heat by Bill Buford 5 6 (Knopf: $25.95) The journalist chronicles his time as a “kitchen slave” to TV chef Mario Batali and reveals the secrets of a three-star restaurant and Italian cooking.

8 Freakonomics by Steven D. 10 55 Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner (William Morrow: $25.95) An economist deconstructs statistics and uses numbers to help explain human behavior.

9 Godless by Ann Coulter 4 5 (Crown Forum: $27.95) The conservative commentator contends that liberalism has many of the attributes of a religion and argues against the certainty of evolution.

10 Buddha or Bust by Perry -- 1 Garfinkel (Harmony: $24.95) A global journey in search of the roots of Buddhism and its many 21st century branches, including its resurgence in China.

11 Dispatches From the Edge 2 7 by Anderson Cooper (HarperCollins: $24.95) The telegenic scion recounts personal tragedies as well as the wars and disasters he’s covered for CNN.

12 Hotel California by Barney 15 3 Hoskyns (Wiley: $25.95) How music in the early ‘70s came to be dominated by mellow rock, drug use and hyper-managers eager to find the next big act.

13 Floor Sample by Julia -- 1 Cameron (Tarcher: $24.95) The author of “The Artist’s Way” reflects on a life of creativity, addiction, illness, loss and survival through sobriety and spirituality.

14 Laurel Canyon by Michael 6 7 Walker (Faber & Faber: $25) A look at the ‘60s rock bands and artists whose creativity flowered in Laurel Canyon, then a sylvan enclave above Sunset Boulevard.

15 Armed Madhouse by Greg -- 1 Palast (Dutton: $25.95) The BBC television reporter and Web blogger takes on the war on terror, the Bush administration and the West’s designs on Mideast oil.

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