BESTSELLERS

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Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores.

*--* -- Fiction weeks on list 1. The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie 2 (Random House: $26) A traveler arrives at the court of the Mughal emperor with a beguiling tale to tell. 2. Nothing to Lose by Lee Child (Delacorte: $27) A 1 sect plans to hasten the end times in Colorado. 3. The Spies of Warsaw by Alan Furst (Random House: 1 $25) A French diplomat tries to discover Germany’s plans in 1937 Poland. 4. The Host by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown: 5 $25.99) Alien invaders take over the minds of humans. 5. Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri (Knopf: $25) 10 Stories of U.S.-born children and their Bengali-born parents straddling cultures. 6. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot 20 Diaz (Riverhead: $24.95) A sci-fi-loving nerd and his immigrant family are haunted by the past. 7. Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger (Simon 2 & Schuster: $25.95) Girlfriends make a vow to radically updo their lives. 8. Plague Ship by Clive Cussler with Jack du Brul 1 (Putnam: $26.95) A group espousing population control secretly plans to unleash a world plague. 9. The Garden of Last Days by Andre Dubus III (W.W. 1 Norton: $24.95) A stripper entertains a mysterious Muslim taking flying lessons (see review, Page 8). 10. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein 3 (Harper: $23.95) A dog’s-eye view of love, loyalty and sacrifice. *--*

*--* Nonfiction 1. When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris 2 (Little, Brown: $25.99) The quotidian meets the profound in this new batch of essays. 2. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow 9 (Hyperion: $21.95) A professor with terminal cancer urges us to seize life’s moments. 3. What Happened by Scott McClellan (PublicAffairs: 2 $27.95) The former Bush press secretary says the administration deceived the public about Iraq. 4. Audition by Barbara Walters (Knopf: $29.95) The 5 pioneering newswoman recalls her life and career. 5. The Downhill Lie by Carl Hiaasen (Knopf: $22) The 2 writer describes his return to the beguiling and exasperating game of golf after 32 years. 6. The Post-American World by Fareed Zakaria (W.W. 5 Norton: $25.95) What the future holds with the United States fading as the world’s leading economy. 7. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (Beyond Words: $23.95) 76 Life’s secrets. distilled from oral tradition, literature, religion and philosophy. 8. The Soloist by Steve Lopez (Putnam: $25.95) The Times 8 columnist befriends a mentally ill homeless musician. 9. Just Who Will You Be? by Maria Shriver (Hyperion: 8 $14.95) Ask who, not what, you want to be. 10. Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea by Chelsea 6 Handler (Simon Spotlight: $24.95) The talk-show host skewers dating, family and work. *--*

PAPERBACKS

Fiction

1. Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson ($14)

2. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen ($13.95)

3. The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon ($15.95)

4. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett ($20)

5. The Shack by William P. Young ($14.99)

Nonfiction

1. A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle ($14)

2. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin ($15)

3. Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama ($14.95)

4. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle ($14)

5. The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama ($14.95)