BESTSELLERS / PAPERBACKS

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction 1 The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (Anchor: $7.99) A Louvre curator’s killing leads to a secret society.

2 Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (Random House: $13.95) Two women in 19th century China.

3 The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd (Penguin: $14) A woman confronts her long-dormant desires.

4 Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (Vintage: $14) Reunited boarding-school graduates explore their shared past.

5 Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (Picador: $14) An ailing minister explains his life and beliefs to his young son.

6 The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (HarperSanFrancisco: $13) An Andalusian shepherd boy searches for treasure in Egypt.

7 The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead: $14) A writer returns to Kabul to rescue the son of a childhood friend.

8 Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff by Christopher Moore (Harper: $13.95) A coming-of-age satire.

9 The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom (Hyperion: $12) A repairman considers his life.

10 The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (Penguin: $15) A quest for the truth about a Spanish novelist.

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction 1 In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (Vintage: $14) The writer’s masterful account of a Kansas family’s brutal murder.

2 Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott (Riverhead: $14) A novelist examines her Christian faith.

3 A Million Little Pieces by James Frey (Anchor: $14.95) A memoir of addiction, rehabilitation and 12-step treatment.

4 Night by Elie Wiesel (Hill & Wang: $9) A teenager’s harrowing year spent in four concentration camps.

5 Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter (TechPress/Warner: $16.95) Fiscal parenting.

6 The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (Back Bay: $14.95) How fads, trends and ideas behave like viruses in a society.

7 Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl (Penguin: $15) A food critic recalls trying to dine incognito in New York.

8 Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins (Plume: $15) How the U.S. pressures poor countries.

9 Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond (W.W. Norton: $16.95) A scientist’s take on Europe’s rise to dominance.

10 The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls (Scribner: $14) A memoir of breaking away from dysfunctional parents.

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Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores.