Bestsellers - Los Angeles Times

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST *--* *--* 1 The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (Doubleday: $24.95) A 1 30 Louvre curator’s killing leads to clues hidden in Leonardo’s

paintings and a secret society with something to hide. 2 The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom 2 3 (Hyperion: $19.95) An amusement park maintenance man faces his life, death and

afterlife in this three-part parable. 3 Split Second by David Baldacci (Warner Books: $26.95) A 3 2 pair of disgraced Secret Service agents join forces to solve two campaign trail crimes. 4

The Pleasure of My Company by Steve Martin (Hyperion: 5 2 $19.95) A man suffering from agoraphobia and obsessive-compulsive disorder copes with the vicissitudes of life. 5 The Fortress of

Solitude by Jonathan Lethem (Doubleday: 10 4 $26) The tale of a white boy in a black and Puerto Rican neighborhood in 1970s Brooklyn. 6 Bleachers by John Grisham (Doubleday: $19.95) A former

4 6 NFL player returns home to join a vigil for his dying high school football coach and meets a woman he abandoned years before. 7 The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri (Houghton Mifflin: $24) A

10 4 Bengali couple and their son, named for the Russian writer Gogol, experience cultural jolts after leaving Calcutta for America. 8 Havana by Stephen Hunter (Simon & Schuster: $24.95)

Earl -- 1 Swagger runs into trouble in Batista’s Cuba, including a plot to assassinate Fidel Castro. 9 Train by Pete Dexter (Doubleday: $24.95) A black caddy -- 1 and a police detective

form an unlikely alliance in this dark tale set in the Los Angeles of the 1950s. 10 Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson (William Morrow: $27.95) A 14 3 small-town antiques dealer is targeted by a

ruthless killer for a share of a 60-year-old multimillion-dollar diamond heist. 11 The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks (Warner Books: $23.95) His 15 5 daughter’s wedding offers a workaholic

lawyer a golden opportunity to revive his own marriage. 12 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark 12 12 Haddon (Doubleday: $22.95) Falsely accused, an autistic teen looks

for the real murderer of a neighbor’s poodle. 13 Mystic River by Dennis Lehane (William Morrow: $25) A -- 10 young girl’s murder in a Massachusetts neighborhood causes three friends to

confront their pasts. 14 Blacklist by Sara Paretsky (Penguin: $24.95) Private eye 11 2 V.I. Warshawski investigates a murder with links to the anti-Communist hysteria of the 1950s. 15 Blow

Fly by Patricia Cornwell (Putnam: $26.95) Forensic -- 1 pathologist Kay Scarpetta is drawn into a series of gruesome murders in Louisiana bayou country. *--* *--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction

LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST *--* *--* 1 Dude, Where’s My Country? by Michael Moore (Warner Books: -- 1 $24.95) Advice from the veteran gadfly on how to take back the country from the

conservative forces currently running it. 2 Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them by Al Franken 1 9 (Dutton: $24.95) A heaping dose of subversive wit aimed at political leaders and pundits

on the right and left. 3 Who’s Looking Out for You? by Bill O’Reilly (Broadway 2 3 Books: $24.95) Talk show host mixes outrage at corrupt people and institutions with practical advice. 4

Every Second Counts by Lance Armstrong (Broadway Books: -- 1 $24.95) The Tour de France champion recalls the triumphs along with the travails of his personal and professional life. 5 Where I

Was From by Joan Didion (Knopf: $23) A California 4 3 native daughter recasts the once promising Golden State as a place of wasteful extravagance and greed, built on federal funding. 6 The

Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren (Zondervan: 9 32 $19.99) How the “God-ordained” principles of worship, community, discipleship, ministry and evangelism bring fulfillment. 7 Flyboys by

James Bradley (Little Brown: $25.95) A history 15 2 of combat in the Pacific during World War II, centered on a group of U.S. Navy and Marine aviators. 8 Heart Full of Lies by Ann Rule (Free

Press: $26) The -- 1 true-crime writer details the case of a woman who murders her husband on an Oregon camping trip in order to collect on his insurance. 9 Bushwhacked by Molly Ivins

(Random House: $24.95) The -- 2 syndicated columnist and critic of George W. Bush dissects his presidency and finds that he has pursued “crony capitalism” to extremes. 10 The Great

Unraveling by Paul Krugman (W.W. Norton: 14 4 $25.95) The Princeton economist and New York Times op-ed columnist attacks the fiscal policies of the Bush administration. 11 The Bounty by

Caroline Alexander (Viking: $27.95) A -- 1 well-researched, fresh look at the mutiny and the roles of the mutineer Fletcher Christian and the besieged Lt. William Bligh. 12 The Creative

Habit, by Twyla Tharp (Simon & Schuster: -- 1 $25) A personal exploration of the nature of creativity (with exercises) from the esteemed choreographer. 13 The Power of Now by Eckhart

Tolle (New World Library: 5 57 $21.95) How to improve all of one’s relationships, encourage happiness and find contentment by living in the now. 14 The World According to Mister Rogers by

Fred Rogers -- 1 (Hyperion: $16.95) Some of the collected wisdom (and a few songs) from the late, beloved television personality. 15 Ask Me Again Tomorrow by Olympia Dukakis (HarperCollins:

-- 2 $25.95) The renowned Greek American actress recalls her long career on stage and screen. *--* MORE TO READ