BESTSELLERS

PAPERBACKS

Fiction

*--* Fiction weeks on list 1. South of Broad by Pat Conroy (Nan A. Talese: $29.95) A 1 gossip columnist’s homage to a close-knit group of friends from Charleston. 2. The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson (Knopf: 4 $25.95) A hacker, implicated in two murders, must revisit her past to prove her innocence. 3. Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon (Penguin Press: $27.95) 3 Noir meets ‘60s Southern California groovy in a private eye’s psychedelic quest. 4. The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Putnam: $24.95) The lives 12 of a maid, a cook and a college graduate become intertwined while changing a Mississippi town. 5. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown: $19.99) Bella 58 must choose between her lover and a friend, between life and death. 6. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See (Random House: $25) Two 11 sisters from Shanghai encounter tragedy and heartbreak as they are sold into arranged marriages in 1930s Los Angeles. 7. The Magicians by Lev Grossman (Viking: $26.95) A group 1 of aspiring prestidigitators sets out to save the enchanted land of Fillory. 8. The White Queen by Philippa Gregory (Touchstone: $25.99) 1 The wars of the Plantagenets, who ruled England before the Tudors, entwined with the mystery of the missing princes in the Tower of London. 9. Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey (Random House: $24) A 1 detective in Ghana investigates the murder of a beautiful young woman in a remote village. 10. That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo (Knopf : $25.95) A 2 Cape Cod wedding spurs a middle-aged man to reflect on his past, marriage, family and what the future holds. *--*

*--* Nonfiction 1. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown: $27.99) 38 An exploration of the background of high achievers. 2. Culture of Corruption by Michelle Malkin (Regnery: 4 $27.95) An investigation into alleged corruption in the Obama administration. 3. Zeitoun by Dave Eggers (McSweeney’s: $24) The 4 disappearance of a Syrian American father and good Samaritan in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. 4. Crazy for the Storm by Norman Ollestad (Ecco: $25.99) 10 The son of a daredevil tells of his life on the edge and how he survived a deadly plane crash. 5. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man by Steve Harvey 29 (Amistad: $23.99) The talk-show host lets women inside the mind-set of a man. 6. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow 68 (Hyperion: $21.95) A professor’s terminal cancer inspires a call to seize life’s moments. 7. Excuses Begone by Wayne W. Dyer (Hay House: $24.95) 8 Advice on achieving success and happiness by changing self-defeating habits. 8. Golden Dreams by Kevin Starr (Oxford University 1 Press: $34.95) A look at the pivotal postwar period in Southern California from 1950 to 1963. 9. Liberty and Tyranny by Mark R. Levin (Threshold 21 Editions: $25) The talk-radio personality’s call to revitalize the conservative vision in America. 10. The Wilderness Warrior by Douglas Brinkley (Harper: 2 $34.99) Theodore Roosevelt’s crusade to protect America’s wild places and natural resources. *--*

1. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger ($14.95)

2. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson ($14.95)

3. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery ($15)

4. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout ($14)

5. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer ($10.99)

--

Nonfiction

1. Julie & Julia by Julie Powell ($14.99)

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

3. My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme ($15)

4. Glenn Beck’s Common Sense by Glenn Beck ($11.99)

5. The Family by Jeff Sharlet ($15.99)

Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores. --

latimes.com/books

Bigfoot’s back

The Siren’s Call: A legendary creature’s life and times. Dark Passages: Hunting for adventure yarns. Off the Shelf: Ella Taylor’s encounters with the English language. Jacket Copy: Salman Rushdie’s joyous rock novel.