BESTSELLERS

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Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores.

*--* Fiction weeks on list 1. The Host by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown: $25.99) A 4 woman refuses to give in to alien invaders who take over the minds, but not the bodies, of humans. 2. The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie (Random 1 House: $26) A European traveler arrives at the Mughal court with a beguiling tale to tell. 3. Bright Shiny Morning by James Frey (Harper: $26.95) Lives 3 intertwine across Los Angeles. 4. Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk (Doubleday: $24.95) An aging 2 porn star tries to cap her career with a movie of her having sex with 600 men in one day. 5. Careless in Red by Elizabeth George (Harper: $27.95) A 4 detective mourning his late wife stumbles upon the body of a young man. 6. Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri (Knopf: $25) Stories 9 of U.S.-born children and their Bengali-born parents straddling cultures. 7. Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger (Simon & 1 Schuster: $25.95) Girlfriends vow to radically updo their lives. 8. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein (Harper: 2 $23.95) A dog’s-eye view of love, loyalty and sacrifice. 9. The Shadow of Power by Steve Martini (William Morrow: 1 $26.95) A scholar uncovers lost language in the Constitution that threatens the nation. 10. Blood Noir by Laurell K. Hamilton (Berkley: $25.95) A 1 vampire hunter’s favor for her lover awakens an ancient power struggle. *--*

*--* Nonfiction 1. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow 8 (Hyperion: $21.95) A professor with terminal cancer urges us to seize life’s moments. 2. What Happened by Scott McClellan (PublicAffairs: 1 $27.95) The former press secretary claims the Bush administration deceived us on why we went to war. 3. Audition by Barbara Walters (Knopf: $29.95) The 4 pioneering newswoman recalls her life and career. 4. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (Beyond Words: $23.95) 75 Life’s secrets distilled. 5. When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris 1 (Little, Brown: $25.99) The quotidian meets the profound in this new batch of essays. 6. Just Who Will You Be? by Maria Shriver (Hyperion: 7 $14.95) Ask who, not what, you want to be. 7. The Post-American World by Fareed Zakaria (W.W. 4 Norton: $25.95) What the future holds with the United States fading as the world’s leading economy. 8. The Man Who Loved China by Simon Winchester (Harper: 2 $27.95) The story of scholar Joseph Needham, who explained China to the West. 9. Maps and Legends by Michael Chabon (McSweeney’s: $24) 4 The novelist defends his love of genre fiction, of comics, thrillers, horror and myth. 10. Quantum Wellness by Kathy Freston (Weinstein Books: 1 $23.95) How small changes can make a big difference in your life. *--*

PAPERBACKS

Fiction

1. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen ($13.95)

2. The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon ($15.95)

3. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho ($13.95)

4. Divisadero by Michael Ondaatje ($13.95)

5. Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones ($12)

Nonfiction

1. A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle ($14)

2. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

($15)

3. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert ($15)

4. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle ($14)

5. The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama ($14.95)