BESTSELLERS

Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores.

*--* Fiction weeks on list 1. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead: 14 $25.95) Two Afghan women struggle to survive jihad, civil war and Taliban tyranny. 2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling 5 (Scholastic: $34.99) Harry’s final quest to rout the forces of evil arrayed against him. 3. Spook Country by William Gibson (Putnam: $25.95) A 2 writer’s pursuit of a story about celebrity death scenes takes a cyber-turn for the worse. 4. Sandworms of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson 2 (Tor Books: $27.95) Humankind makes a last stand against the machine empire of Omnius. 5. The Secret Servant by Daniel Silva (Putnam: $25.95) 4 Israeli intelligence agent Gabriel Allon seeks a young woman kidnapped by terrorists. 6. Loving Frank by Nancy Horan (Ballantine Books: $23.95) 1 Scandal and tragedy haunt the intellectually driven lover of Frank Lloyd Wright. 7. The Tin Roof Blowdown by James Lee Burke (Simon & 5 Schuster: $26) The line between survival and criminality is blurred in post-Katrina New Orleans. 8. The Burnt House by Faye Kellerman (William Morrow: 2 $25.95) When a commuter jet crashes into an apartment building, terrorism is suspected. 9. The Quickie by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge 7 (Little, Brown: $27.99) A detective with a cheating husband is caught in a web of revenge. 10. Play Dirty by Sandra Brown (Simon & Schuster: 1 $26.95) A disgraced pro quarterback is in over his head after he accepts an indecent proposal. *--*

*--* Nonfiction 1. The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn and Hal Iggulden 16 (HarperCollins: $24.95) How to tie knots, find true north, build treehouses and other vital skills. 2. God Is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens (Twelve: 17 $24.99) The acerbic commentator argues that the world would be a better place without religion. 3. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (Beyond Words: $23.95) 35 Life’s secrets distilled from oral tradition, literature, religion and philosophy. 4. Change Your Thoughts -- Change Your Life by Wayne W. 3 Dyer (Hay House: $26.95) Applying ancient Chinese wisdom to life in the modern world. 5. Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell (Little, Brown: 8 $24.99) A Navy SEAL’s account of a deadly raid to capture an Al Qaeda leader in Afghanistan. 6. The Book of General Ignorance by John Mitchinson and 2 John Lloyd (Harmony: $19.95) A new book for trivia buffs from the British TV writers. 7. The Diana Chronicles by Tina Brown (Doubleday: 11 $27.50) A dishy take on the late princess of Wales by the former editor of Tatler and Vanity Fair. 8. The House That George Built by Wilfrid Sheed (Random 4 House: $29.95) A look at the songs of George Gershwin and other Tin Pan Alley legends. 9. The World Without Us by Alan Weisman (Thomas Dunne: 3 $24.95) An eye-popping look at how our planet might fare if there were no people on it. 10. Legacy of Ashes by Tim Weiner (Doubleday: $27.95) A 4 searing look at the Central Intelligence Agency and, the author contends, its culture of incompetence. *--*