Los Angeles Times Bestsellers

*--* Southern California Rating FICTION

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*--* 1 BEL CANTO by Ann Patchett (HarperPaperbacks: $13.95) A terrorist standoff in a South American town mirrors opera 2 EMPIRE FALLS by Richard Russo (Vintage: $14.95) A warmhearted novel about working-class lives in Maine 3 HOW TO BE GOOD by Nick Hornby (Riverhead: $13) Hornby’s trademark wit is on display as a couple copes with infidelity 4 THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER AND CLAY by Michael Chabon (Picador: $15) Cousins in the comics biz 5 BLOOD WORK by Michael Connelly (Warner: $7.99) A retired FBI agent finds himself on the trail of a coldblooded killer 6 SUMMER PLEASURES by Nora Roberts (Silhouette: $7.50) A pair of tales has journalists finding love in strange places 7 A BEND IN THE ROAD by Nicholas Sparks (Warner: $7.99) His wife’s death looms over a sheriff’s romance with a teacher 8 GOOD IN BED by Jennifer Weiner (Washington Square Press: $13) A tell-all column helps a woman change her life 9 THE BACHELOR by Carly Phillips (Warner: $5.99) Three brothers toss a coin to determine who will marry first 10 ENVY by Sandra Brown (Warner: $7.99) A reclusive writer sets out to destroy a double-dealing publisher at all costs

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*--* Southern California Rating NONFICTION

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*--* 1 DR. ATKINS’ NEW DIET REVOLUTION by Robert C. Atkins (Avon: $7.99) How a low-carb diet helps shed pounds 2 FAST FOOD NATION by Eric Schlosser (HarperCollins: $13.95) The unappetizing practices of the junk-food industry 3 NICKEL & DIMED by Barbara Ehrenreich (Henry Holt: $13) A writer works in low-wage America to see how the poor live 4 SEABISCUIT by Laura Hillenbrand (Ballantine: $15) How a thoroughbred horse went from also-ran to sports icon 5 THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE by Robert Evans (New Millennium: $17.95) A producer’s rise, fall and rise again 6 9-11 by Noam Chomsky (Seven Stories Press: $8.95) An alternative view of the U.S.-led war on terrorism 7 THE BOTANY OF DESIRE by Michael Pollan (Random House: $13.95) How four plants have influenced human destiny 8 FOUNDING BROTHERS by Joseph Ellis (Vintage: $14) The genius, cunning and flaws of the nation’s architects 9 PERPETUAL WAR FOR PERPETUAL PEACE by Gore Vidal (Thunder’s Mouth: $10) The U.S.’ perilous situation 10 THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE by Stephen R. Covey (Simon & Schuster: $14) The paths to success

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