BESTSELLERS

Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores.

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 Suite Francaise by Irene 15 39 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.

2 House of Meetings by 7 4 Martin Amis (Knopf: $23) A former inmate of Stalin’s gulag recounts his horrific experiences and the love triangle that bloomed with the wife of his brother, a fellow prisoner.

3 High Profile by Robert B. -- 1 Parker (Putnam: $24.95) A conservative radio commentator is murdered and his pregnant mistress is later found dead in sleepy Paradise, Mass.

4 Lost City Radio by Daniel -- 1 Alarcon (HarperCollins: $24.95) A South American radio show host who reconnects callers with missing loved ones is given hope that her husband is alive.

5 Hollywood Station by 11 12 Joseph Wambaugh (Little, Brown: $24.99) Cops stationed in a Hollywood of meth tweakers and hustlers try to solve a jewelry heist and a security guard’s murder.

6 The Terror by Dan Simmons 8 3 (Little, Brown: $25.99) The saga of the doomed 19th century Franklin expedition through the Canadian Arctic retold with a kick of fantastical horror.

7 Step on a Crack by James -- 1 Patterson and Michael Ledwidge (Little, Brown: $27.99) Ruthless men storm St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York during the funeral of a former first lady.

8 The Castle in the Forest 1 3 by Norman Mailer (Random House: $27.95) Imagining Adolf Hitler as a boy, a power-hungry child born of incest who is guided by a devil to relish evil and mass slaughter.

9 For One More Day by Mitch 4 20 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.

10 Dust by Martha Grimes 2 4 (Viking: $25.95) Scotland Yard’s Richard Jury discovers that a wealthy bachelor’s murder in a seedy London hotel has its roots amid Britain’s World War II code breakers.

11 You Suck: A Love Story by 3 4 Christopher Moore (William Morrow: $21.95) A couple of San Francisco vampires enjoy the nightlife as they evade a wacky crowd of pursuers.

12 Plum Lovin’ by Janet 9 5 Evanovich (St. Martin’s: $16.95) A New Jersey bail bond agent hooks up with a former heartthrob as she chases a relationship coach wanted for robbery.

13 The Boleyn Inheritance by -- 9 Philippa Gregory (Touchstone: $25.95) Anne Boleyn’s scheming sister-in-law continues her intrigues as lady-in-waiting to two more of Henry VIII’s wives.

14 Sacred Games by Vikram 6 3 Chandra (HarperCollins: $27.95) A Sikh Mumbai policeman confronts India’s most sought-after gangster in this sweeping tale.

15 The Emperor’s Children by -- 14 Claire Messud (Knopf: $25) Three college friends stumble on their paths to becoming shining lights in the East Coast constellation of cultural elites.

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 The Secret by Rhonda Byrne 2 9 (Beyond Words: $23.95) The book promises the distillation of a life-transforming “secret” gathered from oral tradition, literature, religion and philosophy.

2 I Feel Bad About My Neck 3 29 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 The Audacity of Hope by 1 17 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.

4 Palestine: Peace Not 5 12 Apartheid by Jimmy Carter (Simon & Schuster: $27) The former president writes that Palestinians must recognize Israel, and Israel must honor its peace commitments.

5 Catching the Big Fish by 8 6 David Lynch (Tarcher: $19.95) The filmmaker details how Transcendental Meditation has allowed him to dive within, “catch” ideas and develop his creativity.

6 Bambi vs. Godzilla by -- 1 David Mamet (Pantheon: $22) The director-screenwriter explains how the film and television industry should work and details how greed and stupidity get in the way.

7 The Proper Care and 4 6 Feeding of Marriage by Laura Schlessinger (HarperCollins: $25.95) How women should fulfill their role as homemaker, helpmate and sex partner.

8 Nemesis by Chalmers -- 1 Johnson (Metropolitan: $26) The scholar surveys U.S. actions at home and abroad, comparing the nation to the corrupt and dying Roman Empire of old.

9 Supreme Conflict by Jan 6 3 Crawford Greenburg (Penguin: $27.95) The ABC News reporter details the inner workings of the U.S. Supreme Court since Antonin Scalia’s arrival in 1986.

10 The Intellectual 13 5 Devotional by David Kidder and Noah Oppenheim (Rodale: $22.50) How to complete your education and roam confidently through the cultured classes in 365 short lessons.

11 The Gospel of Food by -- 3 Barry Glassner (Ecco: $25.95) The “Culture of Fear” author debunks conventional wisdom about food, diets, nutrition and obesity but finds that the rich really are thinner.

12 The Innocent Man by John -- 15 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.

13 Laurel Canyon by Michael -- 22 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.

14 About Alice by Calvin 7 5 Trillin (Random House: $14.95) The writer expands his New Yorker magazine essay about his late wife to paint a revealing portrait of marriage, family and coping with loss.

15 Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali -- 1 (Free Press: $26) The Somali-born former member of the Dutch Parliament tells of her life and the death threats she received for criticizing how her Muslim faith treats women.

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