BESTSELLERS / PAPERBACKS

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction

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

2 R Is for Ricochet by Sue Grafton (Berkley: $7.99) A rich man hires Kinsey Millhone to keep his parolee daughter clean.

3 Angels & Demons by Dan Brown (Pocket Books: $7.99) A scholar uncovers a vendetta against the Roman Catholic Church.

4 Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (Vintage: $12) An autistic teen seeks a killer.

5 The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (HarperSanFrancisco: $13) An Andalusian shepherd boy seeks treasure in Egypt.

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

7 Therapy by Jonathan Kellerman (Ballantine: $7.99) Alex Delaware suspects a celebrity psychologist in a double homicide.

8 The Confessions of Max Tivoli by Andrew Sean Greer (Picador: $14) A man grows physically younger as he ages.

9 Little Scarlet by Walter Mosley (Warner Vision: $7.50) Easy Rawlins helps cops find a killer after the Watts riots.

10 Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell (Random House: $14.95) Six linked novellas ponder civilization through the ages.

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction

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

2 The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (Vintage: $14.95) A serial killer haunts the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.

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

4 Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi (Random House: $13.95) A professor keeps literature alive for her students.

5 The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle (New World Library: $14) How to attain enlightenment by living in the now.

6 Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki and Sharon L. Lechter (TechPress/Warner: $15.95) Fiscal parenting.

7 Bad Cat by Jim Edgar (Workman: $9.95) Meet 244 cats and kittens with attitude, all in living color.

8 A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers (Vintage: $14.95) A 22-year-old raises his brother.

9 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson (Vintage: $12) A gonzo journalist storms Las Vegas.

10 Don’t Think of an Elephant by George Lakoff (Chelsea Green: $10) A guide for political progressives.

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Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores.