BESTSELLERS

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 The Road by Cormac 1 2 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.

2 Paint It Black by Janet 2 4 Fitch (Little, Brown: $24.99) An art model in L.A.’s ‘80s punk scene tries to make sense of her boyfriend’s death and his relationship with his narcissistic mother.

3 Thirteen Moons by Charles -- 1 Frazier (Random House: $26.95) An orphan finds prosperity and a home in the Cherokee Nation, and later fights for the Confederacy -- always on the lookout for his lost love.

4 Under Orders by Dick 4 2 Francis (Putnam: $25.95) Against a backdrop of Internet gambling, ex-jockey Sid Halley is hired to find out why a horse collapsed upon winning and its jockey was killed.

5 The Mission Song by John 6 3 le Carre (Little, Brown: $26.99) An interpreter becomes enmeshed with scheming warlords and international financiers in the civil war-ravaged Congo.

6 For One More Day by Mitch 3 2 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 mother.

7 Echo Park by Michael -- 1 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.

8 The Thirteenth Tale by -- 3 Diane Setterfield (Atria: $26) A bookseller’s daughter travels to Yorkshire to interview a dying author who tells a tale of a governess, a ghost and an abandoned baby.

9 Only Revolutions by Mark 14 3 Z. Danielewski (Pantheon: $26) Two rebellious, besotted teens each narrate their road odyssey in this postmodern novel by the “House of Leaves” author.

10 The Emperor’s Children by 7 6 Claire Messud (Knopf: $25) Three college friends stumble on their paths to becoming shining lights in the East Coast constellation of cultural elites.

11 Rise and Shine by Anna 13 6 Quindlen (Random House: $24.95) A morning-TV host finds her life turned upside down after her husband announces he’s leaving her and she makes a faux pas on camera.

12 Suite Francaise by Irene 11 25 Nemirovsky (Knopf: $25) Two novellas from a writer killed at Auschwitz, on the exodus from Paris ahead of the Germans’ arrival and on life in a farming village under occupation.

13 Motor Mouth by Janet -- 1 Evanovich (HarperCollins: $26.95) NASCAR racing, down-home cheating and offbeat manners of corpse disposal drive Evanovich’s latest.

14 Kidnapped by Jan Burke -- 1 (Simon & Schuster: $24) A clan of 21 adopted siblings strangely spend nearly all their time together, until one of them turns up dead and another is implicated in the crime.

15 Water for Elephants by -- 11 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.

*--*

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 State of Denial: Bush at 1 2 War, Part III by Bob Woodward (Simon & Schuster: $30) The inside story of a White House that dismisses bad news about the war on Iraq and how it is fueling terrorism.

2 I Feel Bad About My Neck: 2 11 And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman by Nora Ephron (Knopf: $19.95) The screenwriter considers the effects of gravity and aging.

3 Letter to a Christian 4 3 Nation by Sam Harris (Knopf: $16.95) “The End of Faith” author chides religious dogmatists who rationalize violence and help foster human suffering.

4 The Greatest Story Ever 3 4 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.

5 Culture Warrior by Bill 5 2 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 The Innocent Man by John -- 1 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.

7 The God Delusion by -- 1 Richard Dawkins (Houghton Mifflin: $27) The Oxford biologist criticizes religion for intolerance, rejection of scientific truth and threat of eternal damnation.

8 I Shouldn’t Even Be Doing 11 3 This! by Bob Newhart (Hyperion: $23.95) The comic recounts his showbiz career, his personal life and foibles and how he came up with his best sketches.

9 Saving Graces by Elizabeth 15 2 Edwards (Broadway: $24.95) The wife of former Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards recounts her post-election struggle with breast cancer.

10 The United States of -- 1 Arugula by David Kamp (Broadway: $26) How a meatloaf nation went through a food revolution thanks to larger-than-life cookbook writers and TV personalities.

11 Freakonomics by Steven D. -- 66 Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner (William Morrow: $25.95) An economist deconstructs statistics and uses numbers to help explain human behavior.

12 U2 by U2 with Neil 9 2 McCormick (HarperEntertainment: $39.95) The improbable tale of four Dublin teens who didn’t know how to make music yet went on to put their stamp on rock ‘n’ roll.

13 Justice for All by Jim -- 1 Newton (Riverhead: $32) The life of Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren, who presided over landmark decisions in segregation, right to privacy and school prayer.

14 This I Believe edited by -- 1 Jay Allison and Dan Gediman (Henry Holt: $23) A compendium of personal declarations of belief from the ‘50s radio program and the current NPR series.

15 Inside My Heart by Robin 14 4 McGraw (Nelson Books: $24.99) Dr. Phil’s wife tells women how to choose the life you want and live it with passion, purpose and faith.

*--*