BESTSELLERS

Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores.

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 Echo Park by Michael 1 5 Connelly (Little, Brown: $26.99) LAPD Det. Harry Bosch wrestles with the idea that his oversight in an old murder case allowed a serial killer to continue his spree.

2 For One More Day by Mitch 2 6 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.

3 Hundred-Dollar Baby by 5 2 Robert B. Parker (Putnam: $24.95) Spenser steps in to help an old friend with a seedy past but discovers she’s not as innocent as she seems.

4 The Lay of the Land by 10 2 Richard Ford (Knopf: $26.95) A suburban real estate agent faces his mortality as well as marital and familial woes in the new millennium.

5 Thirteen Moons by Charles 9 5 Frazier (Random House: $26.95) A man recalls being adopted by a Cherokee elder, becoming a chief, fighting for the Confederacy and frittering away a fortune.

6 The Collectors by David 8 3 Baldacci (Warner: $26.99) Four eccentric crime-solvers train their sights on a renegade CIA assassin implicated in the murder of a rare-books expert and in selling U.S. secrets.

7 Suite Francaise by Irene 11 29 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.

8 Farewell Summer by Ray 13 2 Bradbury (William Morrow: $24.95) The sequel to “Dandelion Wine” continues the escapades of a teen in a small Midwestern town.

9 The Road by Cormac 3 6 McCarthy (Knopf: $24) A father’s fierce love for his son is his last link with humanity as they struggle to survive in a post- apocalyptic world of cannibalistic marauders.

10 Dear John by Nicholas -- 1 Sparks (Warner: $24.99) A soldier on leave falls in love with a coed, but their relationship is put on hold when he returns to duty after Sept. 11.

11 The End by Lemony Snicket 7 4 (HarperCollins: $12.99) The Baudelaire orphans and evil Count Olaf are swept onto a strange island in Book 13, the last in “A Series of Unfortunate Events.”

12 Paint It Black by Janet 4 8 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.

13 The Emperor’s Children by -- 8 Claire Messud (Knopf: $25) Three college friends stumble on their paths to becoming shining lights in the East Coast constellation of cultural elites.

14 What Came Before He Shot 6 3 Her by Elizabeth George (HarperCollins: $26.95) How three brothers from a tough part of London crossed paths with Inspector Lynley’s late wife.

15 Lisey’s Story by Stephen 12 3 King (Scribner: $28) Clues left among her writer-husband’s papers set widow Lisey Landon on a trail to uncover his childhood secrets in rural Maine.

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 The Audacity of Hope by 1 3 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 3 14 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 State of Denial: Bush at 2 6 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.

4 The Innocent Man by John 4 5 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.

5 Culture Warrior by Bill 10 6 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.”

6 A Photographer’s Life by -- 1 Annie Leibovitz (Random House: $75) A collection of 15 years of the celebrated photographer’s work, including intimate portraits of family and friends.

7 Thunderstruck by Erik 5 3 Larson (Crown: $25.95) As Guglielmo Marconi and a rival spar over credit for wireless communication, the device leads to a killer’s capture.

8 Point to Point Navigation -- 1 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.

9 Eat, Pray, Love by -- 19 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.

10 Home Ground edited by -- 1 Barry Lopez (Trinity University Press: $29.95) Poets and writers define arroyo, bayou, flatiron and other words that describe the varied American landscape.

11 Life After Death by Deepak 14 3 Chopra (Harmony: $24) The New Age author explores the possibility of life beyond bodily existence through a classic Vedanta Hindu tale.

12 The Greatest Story Ever -- 7 Sold by Frank Rich (Penguin: $25.95) The New York Times writer dissects the Bush administration’s “truthiness” on Iraq, its response to Katrina and the Sept. 11 attacks.

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

14 Justice for All by Jim -- 3 Newton (Riverhead: $32) The life of Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren and his court’s landmark decisions on segregation, privacy and school prayer.

15 Why We Want You to Be Rich 12 4 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.

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