BESTSELLERS / PAPERBACKS

Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores.

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction 1 The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai (Grove: $14) A retired judge is caught up in Nepal’s independence movement.

2 The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards (Penguin: $14) A father hides the birth of a twin from his wife.

3 The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri (Mariner: $14) A Bengali couple and their son try to find their way in America.

4 The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (HarperSanFrancisco: $13) An Andalusian shepherd boy searches for treasure in Egypt.

5 Lipshitz Six, or Two Angry Blondes by T Cooper (Plume: $14) The tale of a Russian immigrant and her heirs.

6 Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith (Anchor: $12.95) Precious Ramotswe tries to slim down.

7 The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Scribner: $12.95) A portrait of Jazz Age decadence and excess.

8 The Old Wine Shades by Martha Grimes (Signet: $9.99) Richard Jury searches for a mother and her autistic son.

9 Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (Random House: $13.95) Two women in 19th century China.

10 The Distant Land of My Father by Bo Caldwell (Harvest: $14) A woman recalls her smuggler father.

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction 1 Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin: $15) A journey of self-discovery in Italy, India and Indonesia.

2 The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion (Vintage: $13.95) A meditation on grief and survival.

3 The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (Scribner: $14) A memoir of breaking away from dysfunctional parents.

4 The Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier (HarperSanFrancisco: $14.95) The actor on his values.

5 Night by Elie Wiesel (Hill & Wang: $9) A teenager’s harrowing year spent in four concentration camps.

6 The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz (Amber-Allen: $12.95) A code of conduct based on Toltec wisdom.

7 Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter (TechPress/Warner: $16.95) Fiscal parenting.

8 Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama (Three Rivers: $14.95) The senator traces his mixed-race heritage.

9 Law of Attraction by Michael J. Losier (Michael J. Losier: $14.95) How positive energy helps your life.

10 The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (Back Bay: $14.95) How fads, trends and ideas behave like viruses in a society.

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