BESTSELLERS

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction

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*--* 1 Atonement by Ian McEwan (Anchor: $14) A haunting novel of guilt and redemption in World War II England

2 Life of Pi by Yann Martel (Harvest Books: $14) An Indian boy shares a lifeboat with a tiger on a harrowing trip

3 The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (Penguin: $14) A teenage girl is haunted by her mother’s death

4 The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus (Griffin: $13.95) The travails of an overworked caregiver

5 Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer (Harperperennial: $13.95) A young man’s European journey

6 Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (Harvest Books: $12) A day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway and her London coterie

7 McSweeney’s Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales edited by Michael Chabon (Vintage: $13.95)

8 Peace Like a River by Leif Enger (Grove, $13) A family travels the Great Plains in search of its outlaw son

9 Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (HarperPaperbacks: $13.95) Opera mingles with mayhem in South America

10 The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (Anchor: $11.95) Botswana’s female private eye

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction

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*--* 1 Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand (Ballantine: $15) How a thoroughbred horse went from also-ran to sports icon

2 Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution by Robert C. Atkins (Quill: $13.95) How a low-carb diet helps shed pounds

3 Dreaming War by Gore Vidal (Thunder’s Mouth: $11.95) Arguing that greed underlies President Bush’s focus on Iraq

4 What Went Wrong? by Bernard Lewis (Harperperennial: $12.95) The rise and fall of Islamic culture

5 The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz (Amber-Allen: $12.95) A code of conduct based on Toltec wisdom

6 Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller (Random House: $12.95) A girl’s African childhood

7 The No Spin Zone by Bill O’Reilly (Broadway: $14) Insights from the outspoken Fox cable interviewer

8 Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter (Techpress: $15.95) Fiscal parenting

9 Small Wonder by Barbara Kingsolver (Harperperennial: $12.95) Essays on nature, writing and post-Sept. 11 life

10 War Talk by Arundhati Roy (South End Press: $12) Essays critical of the U.S., arguing that war pits rich against poor

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