BESTSELLERS - PAPERBACKS

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction

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*--* 1 Life of Pi by Yann Martel (Harvest Books: $14) A boy shares a lifeboat with a tiger on a harrowing trip.

2 Mystic River by Dennis Lehane (HarperTorch: $7.99) A girl’s murder causes three friends to confront their pasts.

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

4 Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (Picador: $15) A Greek family embraces the American dream.

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

6 Q Is for Quarry by Sue Grafton (Berkley: $7.99) Kinsey Millhone reopens an unsolved 18-year-old murder case.

7 Three Junes by Julia Glass (Anchor: $14) A Scottish family comes together over three summers.

8 Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee (Penguin: $13) An outcast professor seeks refuge on a South African farm.

9 The Janson Directive by Robert Ludlum (St. Martin’s Press: $7.99) A spy rescues a billionaire kidnapped by a terrorist.

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

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction

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*--* 1 Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes (Broadway: $15) Restoring a cozy home in glorious Italy.

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

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

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

5 My Losing Season by Pat Conroy (Bantam: $14.95) Writer recalls a bullying father and his college basketball years.

6 Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand (Ballantine: $15.95) How an also-ran became America’s favorite racehorse.

7 Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich (Free Press: $14) A blackjack team from MIT bests the casinos in Las Vegas.

8 The Assertive Woman by Stanlee Phelps (Impact: $15.95) How to express yourself with friends, family -- and bosses.

9 The Best American Essays 2003 edited by Anne Fadiman (Mariner Books: $13).

10 Dead and Buried by Corey Mitchell (Pinnacle: $6.50) A shocking account of rape, torture and murder on California’s coast.

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