BESTSELLERS

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction

*--*

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

10 The Human Stain by Philip Roth (Vintage: $14.95) Sex and scandal surround an aging faculty dean.

*--*

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction

*--*

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

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

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

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

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

6 A Child Called “It” by Dave Pelzer (Health Communications: $9.95) A memoir of horrific child abuse.

7 Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller (Random House: $13.95) An African childhood.

8 Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom (Broadway: $12.95) Learning life’s lessons from a dying former teacher.

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

10 Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser (HarperCollins: $13.95) The unappetizing practices of the junk-food industry.

*--*