BESTSELLERS

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 Next by Michael Crichton 2 4 (HarperCollins: $27.95) A cancer survivor, his daughter and grandson are the targets of unscrupulous genetic researchers determined to harvest disease-fighting cells for profit.

2 For One More Day by Mitch 3 13 Albom (Hyperion: $21.95) An alcoholic tries suicide and encounters his mother’s ghost, who tells him about her life and sacrifices as a single parent.

3 Cross by James Patterson 10 6 (Little, Brown: $27.99) Alex Cross quits tracking down serial killers for the sake of his family life until given the chance to hunt for his late wife’s murderer.

4 Hannibal Rising by Thomas 5 3 Harris (Delacorte Press: $27.95) Hannibal Lecter is rescued from a Soviet orphanage by his uncle, but the boy is haunted by demons.

5 Hollywood Station by 1 5 Joseph Wambaugh (Little, Brown: $24.99) Cops stationed in a Hollywood of meth tweakers and hustlers try to solve a jewelry heist and a security guard’s murder.

6 Nature Girl by Carl -- 5 Hiaasen (Knopf: $25.95) Screwball characters romp through this tale of chases, hostage-taking and revenge, all so the world will be safe from telemarketers.

7 The Boleyn Inheritance by 6 3 Philippa Gregory (Touchstone: $25.95) Anne Boleyn’s scheming sister-in-law continues her intrigues as lady-in-waiting to two more of Henry VIII’s wives.

8 The Road by Cormac -- 8 McCarthy (Knopf: $24) A father’s fierce love for his son is his last link with humanity as they struggle to survive in a post-apocalyptic world of cannibalistic marauders.

9 The Shape Shifter by Tony 7 5 Hillerman (HarperCollins: $26.95) Joe Leaphorn is yanked from retirement to find a missing friend and revisit a long-ago murder tied to an ancient Navajo rug.

10 Brother Odd by Dean Koontz -- 3 (Bantam: $27) A savant who sees the spirits of the dead must find out who is terrorizing a monastery in the Sierra Nevada that is home to severely troubled children.

11 Ines of My Soul by Isabel -- 6 Allende (HarperCollins: $25.95) A young widow travels to colonial Peru, where she falls in love with a Spanish soldier, and together they battle to build a nation.

12 Dear John by Nicholas 14 6 Sparks (Warner: $24.99) A soldier on leave falls in love with a student, but their relationship is put on hold when he returns to duty after Sept. 11.

13 Wild Fire by Nelson -- 6 DeMille (Warner Books: $26.99) A husband-wife duo tries to foil a right-wing plot to bomb two American cities, which would trigger a U.S. nuclear strike on the Middle East.

14 What Is the What by Dave -- 4 Eggers (McSweeney’s: $26) A Sudanese refugee fights to survive and create a new life in America but finds safety and a sense of belonging elusive.

15 Against the Day by Thomas 8 5 Pynchon (Penguin: $35) Thirty years of the adventures of a crew of balloonists begins with a trip to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 I Feel Bad About My Neck 1 21 by Nora Ephron (Knopf: $19.95) The screenwriter ruminates on the effects of gravity and menopause, and reconciling herself to life among the post-bikini set.

2 The Audacity of Hope by 2 10 Barack Obama (Crown: $25) The U.S. senator from Illinois argues that his Democratic Party and the GOP must forgo partisanship to reclaim the American dream.

3 Palestine: Peace Not 3 5 Apartheid by Jimmy Carter (Simon & Schuster: $27) The former president writes that Palestinians must recognize Israel, and Israel must honor its peace commitments.

4 The Innocent Man by John 5 12 Grisham (Doubleday: $28.95) A true-crime tale about a former big league baseball player sent to death row for a murder he didn’t commit.

5 I Like You by Amy Sedaris 4 10 (Warner Books: $27.99) A guide to throwing the perfect party, with helpful hospitality hints and arch observations from the comic writer.

6 Culture Warrior by Bill 7 13 O’Reilly (Broadway: $26) The Fox News TV host rails against “secular progressives,” billionaire Democrat George Soros, the ACLU and critics he dubs “smear merchants.”

7 Marley & Me by John Grogan 8 48 (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.

8 The God Delusion by 8 11 Richard Dawkins (Houghton Mifflin: $27) The biologist criticizes religion for intolerance, rejecting scientific truth and threatening nonbelievers with eternal damnation.

9 Eat, Pray, Love by -- 23 Elizabeth Gilbert (Viking: $24.95) After deciding that marriage and motherhood aren’t for her, the author embarks on a journey of self-discovery in Italy, India and Indonesia.

10 Thunderstruck by Erik -- 8 Larson (Crown: $25.95) As Guglielmo Marconi and a rival spar over credit for wireless communication, the device leads to a killer’s capture.

11 The Secret by Rhonda Byrne -- 3 (Beyond Words: $23.95) The book promises the distillation of a life-transforming “secret” gathered from oral tradition, literature, religion and philosophy.

12 State of Denial: Bush at -- 11 War, Part III by Bob Woodward (Simon & Schuster: $30) The author tells how the White House dismisses bad news about the Iraq war, which is fueling terrorism.

13 A Photographer’s Life by 6 7 Annie Leibovitz (Random House: $75) A collection of 15 years’ worth of the celebrated photographer’s work, including intimate portraits of family and friends.

14 Jim Cramer’s Mad Money by -- 2 James J. Cramer with Cliff Mason (Simon & Schuster: $25) The basics of buying and selling stocks, assessing risk and creating a valuable portfolio.

15 Point to Point Navigation 15 8 by Gore Vidal (Doubleday: $26) In a second volume of memoirs, the writer recalls childhood, his literary career, politics past and present, and coping with his partner’s death.

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