BESTSELLERS

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 Everyman by Philip Roth 1 4 (Houghton Mifflin: $24) A New Jersey ad man with a lifelong obsession about his imminent death reflects on what he’s missed.

2 Digging to America by Anne 5 2 Tyler (Knopf: $24.95) A friendship sparked when two couples adopting Korean daughters meet at the Baltimore airport becomes an exploration of culture and family.

3 Blue Shoes and Happiness 4 4 by Alexander McCall Smith (Pantheon: $21.95) At the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, Precious Ramotswe tries to slim down while solving dilemmas for her clients.

4 Beach Road by James 3 2 Patterson and Peter de Jonge (Little, Brown: $27.95) An attorney and former pro basketball player tries to clear a high school star in the murder of three youths.

5 Suite Francaise by Irene 6 4 Nemirovsky (Knopf: $25) A posthumous novel by a celebrated writer killed at Auschwitz about the Jewish exodus from Paris to a German-occupied village.

6 Promise Me by Harlan Coben 2 3 (Dutton: $26.95) A sports agent becomes a suspect in the disappearance of a teenage girl whom he had promised to help.

7 Two Little Girls in Blue 7 6 by Mary Higgins Clark (Simon & Schuster: $25.95) Parents return from an evening out to discover their 3-year-old twins missing and an $8-million ransom demand.

8 Elements of Style by Wendy -- 2 Wasserstein (Alfred A. Knopf: $23.95) The late playwright’s first novel skewers Manhattan’s hoity-toities and those who want in.

9 Absurdistan by Gary 9 2 Shteyngart (Random House: $24.95) A melancholy Russian raised in America tries to get back into the country after attending his father’s funeral in St. Petersburg.

10 The Debutante Divorcee by 8 4 Plum Sykes (Miramax: $23.95) Having succeeded at finding husbands, several New York City women busily try to get divorces to be swinging singles again.

11 The Da Vinci Code by Dan 13 143 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.

12 Malinche by Laura Esquivel -- 1 (Atria: $22.95) The story of conquistador Hernan Cortes’ interpreter and lover, long seen by many in Mexico as a traitor to her people.

13 Nightlife by Thomas Perry -- 3 (Random House: $24.95) A female serial killer with a penchant for changing identities plays cat-and-mouse with those on her trail.

14 Prisoner of Memory by -- 3 Denise Hamilton (Scribner: $24) An L.A. newspaper reporter stumbles on a body and is drawn into a mystery involving the Russian mob.

15 Black Swan Green by David -- 3 Mitchell (Random House: $23.95) The coming-of-age struggles of a 13-year-old boy in a Midlands village in Margaret Thatcher’s Britain.

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 Marley & Me by John Grogan 2 26 (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.

2 Mother: A Cradle to Hold 3 2 Me by Maya Angelou (Random House: $9.95) The renowned poet and essayist celebrates mothers and the remarkable experience that is motherhood.

3 The Year of Magical 1 32 Thinking by Joan Didion (Knopf: $23.95) The author explores the nature of grief and survival in the months after her writer-husband’s sudden death.

4 Burnt Toast by Teri 5 2 Hatcher (Hyperion: $24.95) On the heels of her latest hit TV show “Desperate Housewives,” the actress and single mom reveals her struggles in life and work.

5 Mayflower by Nathaniel -- 1 Philbrick (Viking: $29.95) The story of a small band of devout English Christians landing in the New World and the natives they meet, stripped of its myth.

6 My Life in France by Julia 7 6 Child with Alex Prud’homme (Knopf: $25.95) The late chef’s memoir of her formative years in France, studies at the Cordon Bleu and the best Parisian restaurants.

7 Cesar’s Way by Cesar 4 6 Millan with Melissa Jo Peltier (Harmony: $24.95) The popular TV show host gives tips on understanding and correcting common canine behavior problems.

8 The World Is Flat by 8 56 Thomas L. Friedman (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $30) How technology and the forces of globalization are connecting and changing the world, with updates from the author.

9 Lies at the Altar by Robin -- 1 L. Smith (Hyperion: $24.95) How to make sure that the unspoken expectations behind wedding vows don’t derail the strengths of the marriage.

10 The Mighty and the -- 1 Almighty by Madeleine Albright (HarperCollins: $25.95) The former secretary of State considers what the role of religion should be in the formation of foreign policy.

11 Crime Beat by Michael -- 1 Connelly (Little, Brown: $25.95) Before he was a mystery author, Connelly was a crime reporter. Here he presents a collection of his articles, many written for The Times.

12 Possible Side Effects by 6 2 Augusten Burroughs (St. Martin’s Press: $23.95) The author of “Running With Scissors” offers his take on modern life in another collection of memoir-essays.

13 Desperate Networks by Bill 9 2 Carter (Doubleday: $26.95) The New York Times reporter describes the topsy-turvy world of the major TV networks in the age of cable and the Internet.

14 Eat, Pray, Love by -- 5 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.

15 You: The Owner’s Manual by 12 23 Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz (HarperCollins: $24.95) An anti-aging guru and a heart surgeon offer a wry and witty guide to staying healthy.

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Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores.