BESTSELLERS / PAPERBACKS

Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores.

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction 1 The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards (Penguin: $14) A father hides the birth of a twin from his wife.

2 The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai (Grove: $14) A retired judge is caught up in Nepal’s independence movement.

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

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

5 Snow by Orhan Pamuk (Vintage: $14.95) A Turkish poet returns from exile to find ideological strife.

6 The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead: $14) A writer returns to Kabul to rescue the son of a childhood friend.

7 The History of Love by Nicole Krauss (W.W. Norton: $13.95) A writer escapes the Nazis but loses his beloved.

8 Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan (Ballantine: $14.95) Burma Road tourists make darkly humorous missteps.

9 The Brooklyn Follies by Paul Auster (Picador: $14) A disillusioned man finds much to live for.

10 Case Histories by Kate Atkinson (Back Bay: $13.99) A private detective tackles three crime cases in and around London.

*--*

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

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

4 The Freedom Writers Diary with Erin Gruwell (Broadway: $13.95) Long Beach teens write about their lives.

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

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

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

8 Life: Picture Puzzle (Life: $7.99) Altered side-by-side photos, based on the magazine’s popular feature.

9 The Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner (Amistad: $14.95) A homeless man’s struggle to be a successful stockbroker.

10 The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav (Free Press: $14) A New Age guide to finding one’s immortal soul.

*--*