BESTSELLERS

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST

*--*

*--* 1 State of Fear by Michael Crichton (HarperCollins: $27.95) -- 1 A globe-trotting thriller involving nefarious environmentalists and manufactured threats of global warming.

2 I Am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe (Farrar, Straus & 1 6 Giroux: $28.95) A North Carolina ingenue tries to fit in with the beautiful-people-in-training at an elite university.

3 The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom 2 64 (Hyperion: $19.95) An amusement park maintenance man faces his life, death and afterlife in this three-part parable.

4 The Plot Against America by Philip Roth (Houghton 5 12 Mifflin: $26) Charles Lindbergh becomes president in 1940, setting the country on a course of isolationism and nationwide pogroms.

5 The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (Doubleday: $24.95) A 6 91 Louvre curator’s killing leads to clues hidden in Leonardo’s paintings and a secret society with something to hide.

6 Night Fall by Nelson DeMille (Warner Books: $26.95) Two 3 3 federal agents try to find a videotape to prove that the crash of a jet off Long Island was not caused by mechanical failure.

7 A Salty Piece of Land by Jimmy Buffett (Little, Brown: 9 2 $27.95) A colorful cast of characters populates this tale of lighthearted mayhem set in the Caribbean.

8 Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz (Bantam: $27) A dying -- 1 grandfather’s prophecy comes true as a young man faces five dark days of horror and evil forces that threaten his survival.

9 The Da Vinci Code Special Illustrated Edition by Dan 7 6 Brown (Doubleday: $35) The blockbuster thriller, complete with images of all the artwork, symbols and locales mentioned in the text.

10 Skeleton Man by Tony Hillerman (HarperCollins: $25.95) A 8 3 diamond pawned by a Hopi boy enmeshes retired detective Joe Leaphorn in the mystery of a 50-year-old plane crash.

11 The Final Solution by Michael Chabon (Fourth Estate: 14 4 $16.95) An elderly man befriends a young mute refugee from the Nazis and his parrot, which spews mysterious strings of numbers.

12 The Godfather Returns by Mark Winegardner (Random House: -- 3 $26.95) The “missing years” of the Corleone clan, filling the gap between Mario Puzo’s novel and the films.

13 False Profits by Patricia Smiley (Mysterious Press: -- 1 $23.95) A financial advisor uncovers an investment scheme, finds a dead body and meets a handsome police detective.

14 Black Wind by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler (Putnam: 4 2 $27.95) Dirk Pitt and his progeny seek to stop a deadly seaborne virus headed toward Los Angeles.

15 Runaway by Alice Munro (Knopf: $25) A collection of 11 7 stories examining the surprises, betrayals and limits of love among couples, friends, parents and children.

*--*

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST

*--*

*--* 1 America (The Book): A Citizen’s Guide to Democracy 1 13 Inaction by Jon Stewart et al. (Warner: $24.95) Comedy writers poke fun at U.S. politics and our institutions of democracy.

2 Chronicles, Volume One by Bob Dylan (Simon & Schuster: 2 11 $24) The songwriter reflects on the influences that helped shape him and his struggle to rediscover his creativity.

3 He’s Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt and Liz 4 13 Tuccillo (Simon Spotlight Entertainment: $19.95) The no-excuses guide to help women understand guys and get on with their lives.

4 The Last Season by Phil Jackson (Penguin: $24.95) The 5 8 former Laker coach recounts last year’s turbulent season, in which egos ruled the court and a star-studded team stumbled.

5 His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis 3 7 (Knopf: $26.95) A portrait of the most imposing Founding Father, who held a young nation together through its rocky beginnings.

6 When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops? by George Carlin 6 8 (Hyperion: $23.95) The veteran comedian takes on Diane Sawyer, big oil and mass marketing in a stinging social commentary.

7 The Complete Cartoons of the New Yorker (Black Dog & 14 4 Leventhal: $60) The best of the journal’s scribblings, plus a pair of CDs containing every cartoon it has ever published.

8 Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss (Gotham: $17.50) -- 28 British novelist and journalist offers her zero-tolerance approach to bad punctuation, drawn from her pioneering BBC series.

9 What’s the Matter With Kansas? by Thomas Frank -- 2 (Metropolitan Books: $24) How the populist Midwest came to be aligned with conservatives and the Republican Party.

10 Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen (Warner Faith: $19.99) 7 6 Seven steps to improving your life by using faith to develop self-esteem and help let go of the past.

11 In the Moment by Ben Gazzara (Carroll & Graf: $26) An -- 1 intimate memoir by the Actor’s Studio veteran who created a memorable body of work with Peter Falk and John Cassavetes.

12 A Tale of Love and Darkness by Amos Oz (Harcourt: $26) Oz 8 2 writes of his life growing up in war-torn Jerusalem, losing his mother to suicide and finding new meaning in life on a kibbutz.

13 Will in the World by Stephen Greenblatt (W.W. Norton: 9 6 $26.95) How an uneducated lad from the English countryside became William Shakespeare, poet, playwright and a favorite of the queen.

14 Coast of Dreams by Kevin Starr (Knopf: $35) Riots, -- 4 recession, political upheaval and a trial of the century tarnish the golden promise of California from 1990 to 2003.

15 The Complete Peanuts, 1950-1954 by Charles M. Schulz -- 1 (Fantagraphics Books: $49.95) A boxed set of the seminal years of the beloved comic strip and its characters.

*--*