BESTSELLERS

Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores.

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 The Watchman by Robert 1 3 Crais (Simon & Schuster: $25.95) A party-girl heiress in need of protection after seeing something she shouldn’t have comes under the watchful private eye of Joe Pike.

2 Nineteen Minutes by Jodi -- 1 Picoult (Atria: $26.95) A small New England town copes with the aftermath of a rampage in which a troubled teen kills 10 at the local high school.

3 Storm Runners by T. 3 2 Jefferson Parker (William Morrow: $25.95) Matt Stromsoe is hired to protect a TV personality from a stalker, but the trail leads back to a man who murdered his family.

4 What Is the What by Dave 5 11 Eggers (McSweeney’s: $26) A Sudanese refugee fights to survive and create a new life in America but finds safety and a sense of belonging elusive.

5 Whitethorn Woods by Maeve -- 1 Binchy (Knopf: $25.95) A town in the Irish countryside is caught up in a fracas over whether to build a new highway to help manage the crowds who come to visit a local shrine.

6 Ten Days in the Hills by 2 4 Jane Smiley (Knopf: $26) Hollywood denizens spend 10 days together talking about movies, making love and arguing about the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

7 Shopaholic & Baby by 4 2 Sophie Kinsella (Dial: $24) Shopaholic Becky, now pregnant, learns that her obstetrician is her dashing husband’s former flame, a woman who still carries a torch for him.

8 Christine Falls by -- 1 Benjamin Black (Henry Holt: $25) John Banville, writing under a nom de plume, takes on the thriller in this tale of death and conspiracy in 1950s Dublin.

9 Heyday by Kurt Andersen -- 1 (Random House: $26.95) A 19th century Englishman makes his way to America, where he meets up with a trio of misfits and embarks on a cross-country odyssey.

10 Scavenger by David Morrell -- 1 (Vanguard Press: $24.95) An ex-policeman goes on a high-tech scavenger hunt to uncover the secrets held in a century-old time capsule.

11 Step on a Crack by James 7 5 Patterson and Michael Ledwidge (Little, Brown: $27.99) Ruthless men storm St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City during the funeral of a former first lady.

12 House of Meetings by 13 7 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.

13 Water for Elephants by -- 17 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.

14 The Beautiful Things That -- 1 Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu (Riverhead: $22.95) An Ethiopian immigrant finds life in Washington, D.C., isolating until he befriends a white woman and her biracial daughter.

15 Sisters by Danielle Steel 12 4 (Delacorte Press: $27) Connecticut sisters with divergent careers pull together when a car accident kills their mother and blinds their artist sibling.

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 The Secret by Rhonda Byrne 1 13 (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 7 33 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 In an Instant by Lee and 4 2 Bob Woodruff (Random House: $25.95) ABC News co-anchor Bob Woodruff and his wife tell of his recovery from a roadside bomb that tore off part of his skull in Iraq.

4 Women & Money by Suze 8 2 Orman (Spiegel & Grau: $24.95) A five-month plan to help women take control of their finances, fix their credit rating and save for retirement.

5 A Long Way Gone by Ishmael 12 3 Beah (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $22) A boy soldier from Sierra Leone tells of civil war, participating in mass slaughter and starting over at a refugee camp.

6 The Audacity of Hope by 2 21 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.

7 Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali -- 2 (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.

8 The Intellectual 5 9 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 Bambi vs. Godzilla by 3 5 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.

10 Bigger Than Life by Dinah -- 1 Lenney (University of Nebraska: $24.95) The death of her father in a botched kidnapping and robbery leads Lenney to meditate on love, family and grief.

11 Just Call Me Mike by Mike -- 1 Farrell (RDV Books: $21.95) Farrell recounts his life as a Marine recruit, young actor, star on “MASH” and antiwar and environmental activist.

12 Supreme Conflict by Jan -- 5 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.

13 Grayson by Lynne Cox -- 4 (Knopf: $16.95) The long-distance swimmer recalls how at 17 she discovered a baby gray whale following her and kept it at sea until its mother arrived.

14 I Like You by Amy Sedaris -- 16 (Warner: $27.99) A guide to throwing the perfect party, with helpful cooking and hospitality hints and arch observations from the comic writer.

15 The Hardcore Diaries by -- 1 Mick Foley (World Wrestling Entertainment: $24) A behind-the-scenes look at the world of professional wrestling from the perspective of one of its stars.

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