BESTSELLERS

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST

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*--* 1 The Closers by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown: $26.95) 1 4 Detective Harry Bosch reunites with partner Kizmin Rider to solve a 17-year-old case after DNA evidence is found on the murder weapon.

2 The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd (Viking: $24.95) A 2 10 woman called home to cope with her troubled mother finds herself drawn to a Benedictine monk on an island off South Carolina.

3 The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (Doubleday: $24.95) A 9 116 Louvre curator’s killing leads to clues hidden in Leonardo’s paintings and a secret society with something to hide.

4 Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk (Doubleday: $24.95) Several 3 5 writers eager for fame lock themselves in an abandoned theater for their own grotesque version of “Survivor.”

5 Velocity by Dean Koontz (Bantam: $27) Laid-back Napa 11 2 County bartender Billy Wiles is drawn into a terrifying game by a killer who asks Wiles to choose the next victim.

6 The Starter Wife by Gigi Levangie Grazer (Simon & -- 1 Schuster: $24) The pampered wife of a studio executive finds her world turned upside down after her husband dumps her for a pop princess.

7 Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: 12 19 $23) An aging minister facing death explains his life and religious beliefs in a letter to his young son.

8 4th of July by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro 4 5 (Little, Brown: $27.95) Facing a police brutality lawsuit, Lt. Lindsay Boxer retreats to Half Moon Bay, where she stumbles upon a killing spree.

9 Zorro by Isabel Allende (HarperCollins: $25.95) The back 5 5 story of how Diego de la Vega transforms himself into the dashing and legendary figure of colonial California.

10 Saturday by Ian McEwan (Nan A. Talese / Doubleday: $26) 6 12 A day in the life of a neurosurgeon brings both quotidian and earth-shattering struggles in post-Sept. 11 London.

11 Rage by Jonathan Kellerman (Ballantine: $26.95) 10 2 Psychologist Alex Delaware and a Los Angeles police detective seek the killer of a recently released parolee.

12 The History of Love by Nicole Krauss (W.W. Norton: -- 3 $23.95) A writer escapes the Nazis but loses his life’s love and will to create, and a teenager attempts to heal her widowed mother’s broken heart.

13 The Hot Kid by Elmore Leonard (William Morrow: $25.95) 7 4 In 1930s Oklahoma, a deputy marshal tracks bank robbers and investigates a son’s blackmail scheme against his oilman father.

14 Broken Prey by John Sandford (Putnam: $26.95) Minnesota 8 4 investigator Lucas Davenport sorts through false leads to find a psychopathic serial killer who taunts authorities.

15 How We Are Hungry by Dave Eggers (McSweeney’s: $22) -- 6 Stories, some comic and some haunting, on mortality and the troubled times in which we live.

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST

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*--* 1 1776 by David McCullough (Simon & Schuster: $32) The -- 1 historian looks at how the American forces took on the world’s greatest military power in the Revolution’s first battles.

2 Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner 2 7 (William Morrow: $25.95) An economist deconstructs statistics and uses numbers to help explain human behavior.

3 You: The Owner’s Manual by Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet 1 5 C. Oz (HarperResource: $24.95) A wry and witty guide to the inner workings of the human body.

4 The World Is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman (Farrar, Straus 3 8 & Giroux: $27.50) How technology and the forces of globalization are connecting -- and changing -- the world.

5 Blink by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown: $25.95) 4 21 Gladwell explores why decisions are so often made in an instant and whether we can really trust those first instincts.

6 On Bull... by Harry G. Frankfurt (Princeton University 5 12 Press: $9.95) A leading philosopher takes on society’s view of what sometimes seems to be the fine line between truth and lying.

7 French Women Don’t Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano (Knopf: 6 22 $22) The chief executive of the French wine conglomerate Clicquot Inc. reveals the French secret of eating for pleasure without the bulge.

8 Winning by Jack Welch with Suzy Welch (HarperBusiness: 9 8 $27.95) How to succeed in business (and life) by staying optimistic, making no excuses and getting things done.

9 And One More Thing Before You Go ... by Maria Shriver 8 9 (Free Press: $13.95) Ten rules for teenagers and adults alike on how to find abundance and love by knowing what is important in life.

10 Oh the Glory of It All by Sean Wilsey (Penguin: $25.95) 12 3 A memoir of a young man who rebels against his privileged upbringing and self-absorbed parents.

11 Sinatra: The Life by Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan -- 2 (Alfred A. Knopf: $26.95) A comprehensive look at the iconic entertainer’s life onstage and off.

12 He’s Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt and Liz -- 33 Tuccillo (Simon Spotlight Entertainment: $21.95) A no-excuses guide to help women understand guys and get on with their lives.

13 The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren (Zondervan: -- 113 $19.99) How the “God-ordained” principles of worship, community, discipleship, ministry and evangelism bring fulfillment.

14 Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen (Warner Faith: $19.99) -- 25 Seven steps to improving your life by using faith to develop self-esteem, let go of the past and fulfill your potential.

15 Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl (Penguin: $24.95) 10 6 The former L.A. Times food editor writes about her years trying to dine unrecognized as the New York Times’ restaurant critic.

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