BESTSELLERS

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 In the Company of the 3 5 Courtesan by Sarah Dunant (Random House: $23.95) A cunning dwarf and a celebrated courtesan remake themselves in Venice after fleeing conflict in Rome in 1527.

2 The Da Vinci Code by Dan 2 149 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.

3 The Fallen by T. Jefferson 6 4 Parker (William Morrow: $24.95) San Diego homicide Det. Robbie Brownlaw tries to find a killer and uncover a corruption scandal.

4 The Two Minute Rule by 1 4 Robert Crais (Simon & Schuster: $24.95) A paroled bank robber tries to find out who killed his police officer son and why.

5 Nightlife by Thomas Perry 4 2 (Random House: $24.95) A female serial killer with a penchant for changing identities plays cat-and-mouse with those on her trail.

6 The Templar Legacy by 7 3 Steve Berry (Ballantine: $24.95) Intrigue swirls around a medieval monastic order and its long-lost archive that purports to disprove central Christian dogma.

7 The Tenth Circle by Jodi 5 2 Picoult (Atria: $26) The seemingly bucolic life of a Maine family unravels as the past and present converge with haunting consequences.

8 Dirty Blonde by Lisa -- 1 Scottoline (HarperCollins: $22.95) A newly appointed federal judge is enmeshed in a deadly battle between a former prosecutor and a Hollywood producer.

9 Labyrinth by Kate Mosse -- 1 (Putnam: $25.95) The tale of two women, a teenager in 1209 and an archeologist in 2005, on a quest for the Holy Grail in southwestern France.

10 Lipshitz Six, or Two Angry -- 2 Blondes by T. Cooper (Dutton: $24.95) The stories of a Russian woman who loses her son at Ellis Island and that of her rapper-wannabe descendant.

11 Memories of My Melancholy -- 18 Whores by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Knopf: $20) A nonagenarian journalist who falls for a 14-year-old virgin prostitute reflects on his life and loves.

12 The 5th Horseman by James 8 5 Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Little, Brown: $27.95) A cop investigates the mysterious death of a young mother in a San Francisco emergency room.

13 False Impression by 9 2 Jeffrey Archer (St. Martin’s: $27.95) A young art expert investigates the forces behind the murder of an English aristocrat and the theft of her Van Gogh.

14 Intuition by Allegra -- 1 Goodman (Dial Press: $25) Researchers at a Boston cancer center doubt the findings of a fellow scientist in a hurry to publish his claim of reducing tumors in lab mice.

15 Junior by Macaulay Culkin -- 1 (Miramax-Weinstein: $22.95) The child star writes a novel about a rich kid who muses about rejection in love and his troubles with his father.

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 Cobra II by Michael R. -- 1 Gordon and Bernard E. Trainor (Pantheon: $27.95) A military expert and the New York Times’ Pentagon reporter chronicle America’s invasion and occupation of Iraq.

2 Marley & Me by John Grogan 1 18 (William Morrow: $21.95) A columnist recalls how Marley, an incorrigible Labrador retriever, flunked obedience school, terrorized a pet sitter and won over his family.

3 The Year of Magical 2 25 Thinking by Joan Didion (Knopf: $23.95) The author explores the nature of grief and survival in the months after her writer-husband’s sudden death.

4 The World Is Flat by 7 49 Thomas L. Friedman (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $27.50) How technology and the forces of globalization are connecting -- and changing -- the world.

5 Inspiration by Wayne W. 3 3 Dyer (Hay House: $24.95) The therapist and self-help guru argues for finding inspiration from within rather than seeking it from others.

6 Wilshire Boulevard by -- 6 Kevin Roderick (Angel City Press: $40) An illustrated history of the storied thoroughfare that runs from downtown Los Angeles to the ocean.

7 A Year in the World by -- 1 Frances Mayes (Broadway Books: $26) The woman famed for restoring a villa indulges her wanderlust in travels to Morocco, Turkey and out-of-the-way places in Europe.

8 Freakonomics by Steven D. 4 43 Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner (William Morrow: $25.95) An economist deconstructs statistics and uses numbers to help explain human behavior.

9 Team of Rivals by Doris 13 16 Kearns Goodwin (Simon & Schuster: $35) How country lawyer and one-term Congressman Abraham Lincoln used his savvy to bring political rivals into his Cabinet.

10 PostSecret by Frank Warren 11 6 (ReganBooks: $24.95) A collection of extraordinary confessions written on postcards by ordinary people from all walks of life.

11 Andy Warhol: Giant Size -- 1 edited by Steven Bluttal and Dave Hickey (Phaidon Press: $125) A 15-pound collection showing the broad range of the Pop artist’s work.

12 Mommy Wars edited by -- 1 Leslie Morgan Steiner (Random House: $24.95) Stay-at-home moms face off with their career-minded peers on their lives, their families and their choices.

13 The Automatic Millionaire 9 2 Homeowner by David Bach (Broadway: $19.95) How to save up enough to buy a first home or investment property and build wealth through real estate.

14 Burlesque and the Art of -- 1 the Teese by Dita Von Teese (ReganBooks: $34.95) A former Playboy model and burlesque stripper known for her elaborate costumes expounds on the art of the tease.

15 Jim Cramer’s Real Money: 12 7 Sane Investing in an Insane World by James J. Cramer (Simon & Schuster: $26) The TV host and co-founder of TheStreet.com explains the basics.

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