BESTSELLERS

Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores.

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 Hollywood Station by 2 8 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.

2 The Hunters by W.E.B. 6 2 Griffin (Putnam: $26.95) Presidential agent Charley Castillo investigates the killing of a U.S. diplomat in Uruguay and stumbles onto a food-for-oil conspiracy in Iraq.

3 Plum Lovin’ by Janet -- 1 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.

4 Exile by Richard North -- 1 Patterson (Henry Holt: $26) An attorney about to run for Congress defends a former lover, a Palestinian accused of conspiring to assassinate an Israeli leader.

5 Web of Evil by J.A. Jance -- 1 (Touchstone: $25.95) A former television news anchor suspected in the brutal killing of her estranged husband enlists help to find his killer.

6 For One More Day by Mitch 3 16 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.

7 The Boleyn Inheritance by 7 6 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.

8 Water for Elephants by 13 14 Sara Gruen (Algonquin: $23.95) A nursing-home patient recalls his life and loves as a penniless student who dropped out of college to join the circus in the 1930s.

9 Next by Michael Crichton 1 6 (HarperCollins: $27.95) A cancer survivor, his daughter and grandson are the targets of unscrupulous genetic researchers determined to harvest disease-fighting cells for profit.

10 Hannibal Rising by Thomas 9 6 Harris (Delacorte Press: $27.95) Hannibal Lecter is rescued from a Soviet orphanage by his uncle, but the boy is haunted by demons.

11 Not Enough Indians by -- 1 Harry Shearer (Justin, Charles & Co.: $19.95) Residents of a failing New York town petition for recognition as a Native American tribe so they can build a casino.

12 The Collected Stories of -- 1 Amy Hempel by Amy Hempel (Scribner: $27.50) The highly acclaimed short-story writer’s first three collections are gathered into one volume.

13 Cross by James Patterson 8 9 (Little, Brown: $27.99) Alex Cross quits tracking down serial killers for the sake of his family life until given the chance to hunt for his late wife’s murderer.

14 Find Me by Carol O’Connell -- 1 (Putnam: $24.95) A New York City detective trails a serial child killer through America’s heartland and along Route 66, butting heads with local authorities.

15 Skylight Confessions by -- 1 Alice Hoffman (Little, Brown: $24.99) A teenager who has buried her father falls in love with the first man she meets, setting a course for heartache and betrayal.

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 I Feel Bad About My Neck 1 24 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.

2 The Audacity of Hope by 3 13 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.

3 Palestine: Peace Not 4 8 Apartheid by Jimmy Carter (Simon & Schuster: $27) The former president writes that Palestinians must recognize Israel, and Israel must honor its peace commitments.

4 The God Delusion by 5 14 Richard Dawkins (Houghton Mifflin: $27) The biologist criticizes religion for intolerance, rejecting scientific truth and threatening nonbelievers with eternal damnation.

5 The Proper Care and 2 2 Feeding of Marriage by Laura Schlessinger (HarperCollins: $25.95) How women should fulfill their role as homemaker, helpmate and sex partner.

6 Catching the Big Fish by 8 2 David Lynch (Tarcher: $19.95) The filmmaker details how Transcendental Meditation has allowed him to dive within, “catch” ideas and develop his creativity.

7 Prime Green by Robert -- 1 Stone (Ecco: $25.95) The author of “Dog Soldiers” recalls his life in the ‘60s with psychedelic guru Ken Kesey and his pals, hallucinogens and the culture wars.

8 The Intellectual 12 2 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.

9 A Perfect Mess by Eric -- 1 Abrahamson and David H. Freedman (Little, Brown: $25.99) How the increasing emphasis on organization and order can stifle creativity and intellectual breakthroughs.

10 The Gospel of Food by 10 2 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.

11 Justice for All by Jim -- 5 Newton (Riverhead: $32) The life of Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren and his court’s landmark decisions on segregation, privacy and school prayer.

12 The Secret by Rhonda Byrne -- 5 (Beyond Words: $23.95) The book promises the distillation of a life-transforming “secret” gathered from oral tradition, literature, religion and philosophy.

13 Jim Cramer’s Mad Money by 6 5 James J. Cramer with Cliff Mason (Simon & Schuster: $25) The basics of buying and selling stocks, assessing risk and creating a valuable portfolio.

14 About Alice by Calvin -- 1 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 Culture Warrior by Bill -- 15 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.”

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