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Fiction

*--* Fiction weeks on list 1. The Appeal by John Grisham (Doubleday: $27.95) A 2 billionaire enlists political help to kill a $41-million jury award over toxic waste dumping. 2. L.A. Outlaws by T. Jefferson Parker (Dutton: $25.95) A 2 schoolteacher lives a double life as a thief on L.A.’s mean streets. 3. 7th Heaven by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Little, 1 Brown: $27.99) As fires rage and a politico’s son goes missing, Lindsay Boxer tries to quench the flames. 4. Beautiful Children by Charles Bock (Random House: $25) A 2 comic book illustrator and his stripper wife search Las Vegas for their 12-year-old son. 5. Stranger in Paradise by Robert B. Parker (Putnam: 1 $25.95) A police chief’s old foe seeks his help in foiling a murder-for-hire scheme. 6. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks (Viking: $25.95) 6 A rare-books expert traces the history of a priceless Jewish tome to 15th century Spain. 7. Duma Key by Stephen King (Scribner: $28) A man takes up 3 painting as therapy, only to discover his canvases have an uncontrollable power over him. 8. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead: 39 $25.95) Two Afghan women struggle to survive jihad, civil war and Taliban tyranny. 9. The Senator’s Wife by Sue Miller (Knopf: $24.95) A bride 5 learns from a politician’s long-suffering spouse. 10. World Without End by Ken Follett (Dutton: $35) Children 15 jockey for power in 14th century England. *--*

*--* Nonfiction 1. In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan (Penguin Press: 6 $21.95) A look at dietary sacred cows. 2. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (Beyond Words: $23.95) 59 Life’s secrets distilled from oral tradition, literature, religion and philosophy. 3. The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn and Hal Iggulden 38 (HarperCollins: $24.95) Learn how to tie knots, find true north and master other skills. 4. The Nine by Jeffrey Toobin (Doubleday: $27.95) The 12 inner workings of the U.S. Supreme Court. 5. Swimming in a Sea of Death by David Rieff (Simon 1 & Schuster: $21) Susan Sontag’s son writes of her determination to fight a cancer that will kill her. 6. Become a Better You by Joel Osteen (Free Press: $25) 12 Change through prayer and good habits. 7. Heart Stones by Josie Iselin (Abrams: $9.95) A 1 photographer gathers images of stones symbolizing feelings of passion and wonder. 8. You: Staying Young by Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. 13 Oz (Free Press: $26) Doctors explain how the body ages and how to counter those effects. 9. Born Standing Up by Steve Martin (Scribner: $25) The 12 comedian reflects on the evolution of his art. 10. Charlatan by Pope Brock (Crown: $24.95) A prestigious 1 physician takes on a wildly popular medical huckster in the 1920s. *--*

1. Atonement by Ian McEwan ($14.95)

2. The Gathering by Anne Enright ($14)

3. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett ($24.95)

4. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen ($13.95)

5. Oil! by Upton Sinclair ($15)

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Nonfiction

1. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert ($15)

2. A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle ($14)

3. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin ($15)

4. The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama ($14.95)

5. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle ($14)

Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores.