BESTSELLERS

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 Harry Potter and the 1 3 Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (Arthur A. Levine/ Scholastic: $29.99) A teenage Harry faces a new darkness in his latest adventures.

2 No Country for Old Men by 4 2 Cormac McCarthy (Knopf: $24.95) An aging Texas sheriff investigates murder, drug trafficking and the disappearance of a local hunter.

3 Until I Find You by John 2 4 Irving (Random House: $27.95) Actor Jack Burns retraces the journeys of his childhood and his tattoo-artist mother’s search for his runaway father.

4 The Historian by Elizabeth 3 8 Kostova (Little, Brown: $25.95) A teenager discovers a medieval book and a stash of letters and sets out on a hunt for the real story of Dracula, a quest close to home.

5 Lifeguard by James 5 4 Patterson and Andrew Gross (Little, Brown: $26.95) An art heist gone bad vaults a part-time lifeguard onto the FBI’s most-wanted list.

6 Snow Flower and the Secret 8 5 Fan by Lisa See (Random House: $21.95) Two women in the cloistered society of 19th century China forge a close friendship that is threatened by misunderstanding.

7 The Undomestic Goddess by 11 2 Sophie Kinsella (Dial Press: $23) A London lawyer veers from the fast track to work as a housekeeper in a country manor until her past catches up with her.

8 The Starter Wife by Gigi 10 8 Levangie Grazer (Simon & Schuster: $24) The pampered wife of a studio executive finds her world turned upside down after her husband dumps her for a pop princess.

9 The Da Vinci Code by Dan 12 124 Brown (Doubleday: $24.95) A Louvre curator’s killing leads to clues hidden in Leonardo’s paintings and a secret society with something to hide.

10 The Patriots Club by -- 1 Christopher Reich (Delacorte Press: $26) A financial whiz draws upon street smarts of another kind to survive a bizarre kidnapping by a secret society.

11 The Mermaid Chair by Sue 9 18 Monk Kidd (Viking: $24.95) A woman who is called home to cope with her troubled mother finds herself drawn to a Benedictine monk on an island off South Carolina.

12 Gilead by Marilynne -- 22 Robinson (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $23) An aging minister facing death explains his life and religious beliefs in a letter to his young son.

13 The Interruption of 7 2 Everything by Terry McMillan (Viking: $25.95) A woman dealing with a philandering husband, an ailing mother and grown but needy children searches for new frontiers.

14 A Long Way Down by Nick 6 8 Hornby (Riverhead: $24.95) A quartet of people who meet on a London rooftop as they contemplate suicide form a mutual support group.

15 Eleven on Top by Janet -- 5 Evanovich (St. Martin’s: $26.95) Stephanie Plum tries her hand at factory work, a dry cleaners and fast-food service but soon is drawn back to bounty hunting.

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 1776 by David McCullough 2 9 (Simon & Schuster: $32) The 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. 4 15 Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner (William Morrow: $25.95) An economist deconstructs statistics and uses numbers to help explain human behavior.

3 The World Is Flat by 3 16 Thomas L. Friedman (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $27.50) How technology and the forces of globalization are connecting -- and changing -- the world.

4 Blink by Malcolm Gladwell 1 29 (Little, Brown: $25.95) Gladwell explores why decisions are so often made in an instant and whether we can really trust those first instincts.

5 Natural Cures “They” Don’t 6 6 Want You to Know About by Kevin Trudeau (Alliance Publishing: $29.95) The infomercial mogul touts alternative therapies and supplements.

6 New Rules: Polite Musings 14 2 From a Timid Observer by Bill Maher (Rodale Books: $24.95) The political satirist brings his irreverent and acerbic humor to the written page.

7 100 People Who Are 5 4 Screwing Up America by Bernard Goldberg (HarperCollins: $25.95) The author of “Arrogance” indicts celebrity activists and liberal politicians.

8 Encyclopedia Prehistorica: -- 1 Dinosaurs by Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart (Candlewick: $26) An intricate pop-up book on those all-time favorite prehistoric critters.

9 My Friend Leonard by James -- 5 Frey (Penguin: $24.95) The former cocaine addict’s sequel to “A Million Little Pieces” celebrates the mobster who helped him turn his life around.

10 The Purpose-Driven Life by -- 116 Rick Warren (Zondervan: $19.99) How the “God-ordained” principles of worship, community, discipleship, ministry and evangelism bring fulfillment.

11 The Biology of Belief by -- 1 Bruce H. Lipton (Mountain of Love: $25) A research scientist contends that genes do not control our biology, but rather that DNA can be controlled by our thoughts.

12 The Perricone Promise by -- 6 Nicholas Perricone (Warner: $27.95) A physician advises how to look and feel younger in 28 days through diet, supplements and skin products.

13 You: The Owner’s Manual by 13 13 Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz (HarperCollins: $24.95) An anti-aging guru and a heart surgeon team to offer a wry and witty guide to staying healthy.

14 On Bull... by Harry G. 15 16 Frankfurt (Princeton University Press: $9.95) A leading philosopher takes on society’s view of what sometimes seems to be the fine line between truth and lying.

15 Confessions of a Video 7 5 Vixen by Karrine Steffans (HarperCollins: $24.95) The troubled background behind the glamorous image of a celebrated music video dancer.

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