BESTSELLERS

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 Harry Potter and the 1 2 Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic: $29.99) A teenage Harry faces a new darkness in his latest adventures.

2 Until I Find You by John 3 3 Irving (Random House: $27.95) Actor Jack Burns retraces the journeys of his childhood and his tattoo-artist mother’s search for his runaway father.

3 The Historian by Elizabeth 2 7 Kostova (Little, Brown: $25.95) A teenager discovers a medieval book and a stash of letters and sets out on a hunt for the real story of Dracula, a quest close to home.

4 No Country for Old Men by -- 1 Cormac McCarthy (Knopf: $24.95) An aging Texas sheriff investigates murder, drug trafficking and the disappearance of a local hunter.

5 Lifeguard by James 4 3 Patterson and Andrew Gross (Little, Brown: $26.95) An art heist gone bad vaults a part-time lifeguard onto the FBI’s most-wanted list.

6 A Long Way Down by Nick 5 7 Hornby (Riverhead: $24.95) A quartet of people who meet on a London rooftop as they contemplate suicide form a mutual support group.

7 The Interruption of -- 1 Everything by Terry McMillan (Viking: $25.95) A woman dealing with a philandering husband, an ailing mother and grown but needy children searches for new frontiers.

8 Snow Flower and the Secret 6 4 Fan by Lisa See (Random House: $21.95) Two women in the cloistered society of 19th century China forge a close friendship that is threatened by misunderstanding.

9 The Mermaid Chair by Sue 7 17 Monk Kidd (Viking: $24.95) A woman who is called home to cope with her troubled mother finds herself drawn to a Benedictine monk on an island off South Carolina.

10 The Starter Wife by Gigi 8 7 Levangie Grazer (Simon & Schuster: $24) The pampered wife of a studio executive finds her world turned upside down after her husband dumps her for a pop princess.

11 The Undomestic Goddess by -- 1 Sophie Kinsella (Dial Press: $23) A London lawyer veers from the fast track to work as a housekeeper in a country manor until her past catches up with her.

12 The Da Vinci Code by Dan 10 123 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.

13 Freddy and Fredericka by 9 2 Mark Helprin (Penguin Press: $27.95) An heir to the British throne lacks the charisma that his consort has in spades in this satiric take on royalty.

14 Miracle by Danielle Steel -- 2 (Delacorte Press: $20) A storm rips into a San Francisco neighborhood and brings together a widower, his neighbor and a handyman to repair their homes and lives.

15 Frankenstein: City of -- 1 Night by Dean Koontz and Ed Gorman (Bantam: $27) Engineered “humans” wreaking havoc on New Orleans are tracked by their creator.

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 Blink by Malcolm Gladwell 4 28 (Little, Brown: $25.95) Gladwell explores why decisions are so often made in an instant and whether we can really trust those first instincts.

2 1776 by David McCullough 2 8 (Simon & Schuster: $32) The historian looks at how the American forces took on the world’s greatest military power in the Revolution’s first battles.

3 The World Is Flat by 3 15 Thomas L. Friedman (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $27.50) How technology and the forces of globalization are connecting -- and changing -- the world.

4 Freakonomics by Steven D. 1 14 Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner (William Morrow: $25.95) An economist deconstructs statistics and uses numbers to help explain human behavior.

5 100 People Who Are 9 3 Screwing Up America by Bernard Goldberg (HarperCollins: $25.95) The author of “Arrogance” indicts celebrity activists, liberal politicians and deep-pocket donors.

6 Natural Cures “They” Don’t 5 5 Want You to Know About by Kevin Trudeau (Alliance Publishing: $29.95) The infomercial mogul touts alternative therapies and supplements.

7 Confessions of a Video 10 4 Vixen by Karrine Steffans (HarperCollins: $24.95) The troubled background behind the glamorous image of a celebrated music video dancer.

8 The Secret Man by Bob 8 3 Woodward (Simon & Schuster: $23) The reporter tells how “Deep Throat” guided him in uncovering the Nixon White House’s involvement in the Watergate scandal.

9 Your Best Life Now by Joel 13 28 Osteen (Warner Faith: $19.99) Seven steps to improving your life by using faith to develop self-esteem, let go of the past and fulfill your potential.

10 Collapse by Jared Diamond -- 18 (Viking: $29.95) A prize-winning author examines why societies such as the Anasazi and the Maya collapsed and what can be done to prevent future die-offs.

11 Lion of Hollywood by Scott -- 1 Eyman (Simon & Schuster: $35) The life of the legendary Louis B. Mayer and the empire the ruthless onetime scrap metal dealer built in Hollywood.

12 Lance Armstrong’s War by -- 1 Daniel Coyle (HarperCollins: $25.95) An in-depth portrait of the cyclist and his preparations for his sixth Tour de France race in 2004.

13 You: The Owner’s Manual by 7 12 Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz (HarperCollins: $24.95) An anti-aging guru and a heart surgeon team to offer a wry and witty guide to staying healthy.

14 New Rules: Polite Musings -- 1 From a Timid Observer by Bill Maher (Rodale Books: $24.95) The political satirist brings his irreverent humor to the written page. (Reviewed on Page 9.)

15 On Bull... by Harry G. -- 15 Frankfurt (Princeton University Press: $9.95) A leading philosopher takes on society’s view of what sometimes seems to be the fine line between truth and lying.

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