BESTSELLERS / PAPERBACKS

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction

*--*

*--* 1 The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead: $14) A writer returns to Kabul to rescue the son of a childhood friend.

2 The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (Penguin: $15) A quest for the truth about a Spanish novelist.

3 Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (Vintage: $12) An autistic teen seeks a killer.

4 The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (HarperSanFrancisco: $13) An Andalusian shepherd boy seeks treasure in Egypt.

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

6 The Narrows by Michael Connelly (Warner: $7.99) Harry Bosch struggles against man and nature to capture a serial killer.

7 The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant (Random House: $13.95) A love story amid the artistic ferment of 14th century Italy.

8 The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (Harvest: $14) A time traveler meets the child he later marries.

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

10 The Confessions of Max Tivoli by Andrew Sean Greer (Picador: $14) A man grows physically younger as he ages.

*--*

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction

*--*

*--* 1 The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (Vintage: $14.95) How a serial killer haunted the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.

2 Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi (Random House: $13.95) A professor keeps literature alive for her students.

3 The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (Back Bay: $14.95) How fads, trends and ideas behave like viruses in a society.

4 Don’t Think of an Elephant by George Lakoff (Chelsea Green: $10) A guide for political progressives.

5 1,000 Places to See Before You Die by Patricia Schultz (Workman: $18.95) Trotting the globe.

6 Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond (W.W. Norton: $16.95) A scientist’s take on Europe’s rise to dominance.

7 Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress by Susan Jane Gilman (Warner: $12.95) A ‘70s Manhattan childhood.

8 Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki and Sharon L. Lechter (TechPress/Warner: $15.95) Fiscal parenting.

9 The Hidden Messages in Water by Masaru Emoto (Beyond Worlds: $16.95) How emotion and words change water.

10 What You Wear Can Change Your Life by Trinny Woodall et al (Riverhead: $22) Redefining your look.

*--*

Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores.