BESTSELLERS

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST

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*--* 1 The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (Doubleday: $24.95) A 1 45 Louvre curator’s killing leads to clues hidden in Leonardo’s paintings and a secret society with something to hide.

2 Absolute Friends by John le Carre (Little, Brown: $26.95) 3 4 Two former spies are drawn into the rising political opposition to the U.S. invasion of Iraq. (Reviewed by Eugen Weber, p. 16.)

3 The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom 2 19 (Hyperion: $19.95) An amusement park maintenance man faces his life, death and afterlife in this three-part parable.

4 The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler (Knopf: $24.95) A 4 4 mismatched couple struggles over the course of 30 years to make their marriage bearable.

5 The Best Awful by Carrie Fisher (Simon & Schuster: $24) 7 4 Suzanne Vale battles drugs and bipolar disorder in this black-comic sequel to “Postcards From the Edge.”

6 The Second Chair by John Lescroart (Dutton: $25.95) A top -- 1 lawyer has to undo a legal blunder by one of his associates as they defend a teenager accused of double murder.

7 The Cat Who Talked Turkey by Lilian Jackson Braun -- 1 (Putnam: $23.95) A journalist and his two Siamese cats investigate the murder of a man found in the woods.

8 Divided in Death by J.D. Robb (Putnam: $21.95) Police -- 1 Det. Eve Dallas is on the trail of techno-terrorists out to sabotage a government computer program aimed at thwarting them.

9 The Last Juror by John Grisham (Doubleday: $27.95) A -- 1 convicted killer on parole for a brutal rape and murder is bent on retribution as he returns to his small town.

10 The Zero Game by Brad Meltzer (Warner Books: $25.95) 8 2 Bored congressional aides gamble in a clandestine game for fun, but things turn deadly in a hurry.

11 Angels & Demons by Dan Brown (Atria: $17.95) A Harvard 11 6 scholar uncovers a vendetta against the Catholic Church by a secret society known as the Illuminati.

12 The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters -- 1 by Elisabeth Robinson (Little, Brown: $23.95) A Hollywood producer gets a dose of reality.

13 Empress Orchid by Anchee Min (Houghton Mifflin: $24) A -- 1 provincial girl enters China’s Forbidden City to bear an heir to the throne and becomes the country’s last empress.

14 Mr. Paradise by Elmore Leonard (William Morrow: $25.95) A 6 3 lingerie model finds herself embroiled in the murder of her call-girl roommate and a client. (Reviewed by Eugen Weber, p. 16)

15 Old School by Tobias Wolff (Knopf: $22) A New England 10 11 prep school scholarship student with literary ambitions tries to win an audience with Ernest Hemingway.

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST

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*--* 1 The Price of Loyalty by Ron Suskind (Simon & Schuster: 2 4 $26) A scathing portrayal of the George W. Bush White House by former Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill.

2 The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands by Laura 4 5 Schlessinger (HarperCollins: $24.95) Talk-show host tells how to manage the “very simple creature” that is man.

3 Down and Dirty Pictures by Peter Biskind (Simon & 3 5 Schuster: $26.95) A look at the rise of indie films and the influence of the Sundance Film Festival and Harvey and Bob Weinstein’s Miramax.

4 Hollywood Animal by Joe Eszterhas (Alfred A. Knopf: -- 1 $26.95) The noted screenwriter takes on the beast that is the movie industry in telling the tale of his life’s journey.

5 American Dynasty by Kevin Phillips (Viking: $25.95) An 1 4 account of the Bush family’s use of their Ivy League network, vast wealth and unsavory political maneuvering to obtain the White House.

6 Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them by Al Franken 7 24 (Dutton: $24.95) A heaping dose of subversive wit aimed at politicos and pundits on the right, including Bill O’Reilly, Ann Coulter and others.

7 The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach (Broadway Books: 6 4 $19.95) Common-sense financial planning that suggests “automating” your contributions to retirement and investment vehicles.

8 The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle (New World Library: 8 69 $21.95) How to improve one’s relationships and find contentment and even happiness by living in the now.

9 The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren (Zondervan: 5 47 $19.99) How the “God-ordained” principles of worship, community, discipleship, ministry and evangelism bring fulfillment.

10 The Sorrows of Empire by Chalmers Johnson (Metropolitan: -- 3 $25) A view of the United States as an imperialist and militaristic nation bent on global domination.

11 Give Me a Break by John Stossel (HarperCollins: $24.95) -- 1 The television news personality takes on regulators and environmentalists as he extols the power of the free market.

12 Tour of Duty by Douglas Brinkley (William Morrow: $25.95) -- 1 Sen. John F. Kerry’s journey from a decorated combat officer in Vietnam to fervent antiwar activist upon his return.

13 Audrey Hepburn, Elegant Spirit by Sean Hepburn Ferrer -- 6 (Simon & Schuster: $29.95) A son tells his actress mother’s story, from her youth in war-torn Holland to the heights of Hollywood.

14 The Present by Spencer Johnson (Doubleday: $19.95) Advice -- 3 on attaining happiness and success by learning from the past, living in the here-and-now and planning for the future.

15 Good to Great by Jim Collins (HarperCollins: $27.50) How -- 52 a great product, a healthy corporate culture and a disciplined workforce can propel a company to success.

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