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Fiction

*--* Fiction weeks on list 1. The Appeal by John Grisham (Doubleday: $27.95) A 3 billionaire enlists political help to kill a $41-million jury award over toxic waste dumping. 2. L.A. Outlaws by T. Jefferson Parker (Dutton: $25.95) A 3 teacher doubles as a thief on L.A.’s mean streets. 3. Stranger in Paradise by Robert B. Parker (Putnam: 2 $25.95) An old foe of a small-town police chief now seeks his help in a murder-for-hire scheme. 4. 7th Heaven by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Little, 2 Brown: $27.99) Inspector Lindsay Boxer is on the trail of a murderous arsonist and a missing teen. 5. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks (Viking: $25.95) 7 A rare-books expert traces the history of a priceless Jewish tome to 15th century Spain. 6. The Ghost War by Alex Berenson (Putnam: $24.95) CIA 1 agent John Wells searches for the mole who leaked the identity of a North Korean informant. 7. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead: 40 $25.95) Two Afghan women struggle to survive jihad, civil war and Taliban tyranny. 8. Beautiful Children by Charles Bock (Random House: $25) A 3 comic book illustrator and his stripper wife search Las Vegas for their 12-year-old son. 9. Duma Key by Stephen King (Scribner: $28) A man takes up 4 painting as therapy, only to discover his canvases have an uncontrollable power over him. 10. Life Class by Pat Barker (Doubleday: $23.95) Three 3 art-school friends face World War I. *--*

*--* Nonfiction 1. In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan (Penguin Press: 7 $21.95) A look at dietary sacred cows. 2. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (Beyond Words: $23.95) 60 Life’s secrets distilled from oral tradition, literature, religion and philosophy. 3. Send Yourself Roses by Kathleen Turner with Gloria 1 Feldt (Springboard Press: $24.99) The actress recounts her life and career. 4. Women & Money by Suze Orman (Spiegel & Grau: 8 $24.95) How to harness your finances, fix your credit and save for retirement. 5. The Age of American Unreason by Susan Jacoby 1 (Pantheon: $26) A history of American society’s descent into anti-intellectual junk culture. 6. Sit, Ubu, Sit by Gary David Goldberg (Harmony: 1 $23.95) A memoir from the writer and producer of such TV hits as “Family Ties” and “Spin City.” 7. Become a Better You by Joel Osteen (Free Press: $25) 13 Change through prayer and good habits. 8. Manic by Terri Cheney (Publisher: $24.95) A onetime 2 high-powered entertainment lawyer relates the fractured life that bipolar disorder has given her. 9. The Nine by Jeffrey Toobin (Doubleday: $27.95) The 13 inner workings of the U.S. Supreme Court. 10. Reconciliation by Benazir Bhutto (Harper: $27.95) The 1 assassinated Pakistani leader’s thoughts on bridging Islamic and Western cultures. *--*

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

2. The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho ($13.95)

3. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett ($24.95)

4. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho ($13.95)

5. The Watchman by Robert Crais ($7.99)

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Nonfiction

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

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

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

($15)

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

5. The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan ($16)

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Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores.