PAPERBACKS

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction 1 The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards (Penguin: $14) A father hides the birth of a twin from his wife.

2 The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai (Grove: $14) A retired judge is caught up in Nepal’s independence movement.

3 Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (Random House: $13.95) Two women in 19th century China.

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

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

6 S Is for Silence by Sue Grafton (Berkley: $7.99) Kinsey Millhone unravels the secret of a woman’s disappearance.

7 Case Histories by Kate Atkinson (Back Bay: $13.99) A private detective tackles three crime cases in and around London.

8 Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan (Ballantine: $14.95) Tourists in Burma make darkly humorous missteps.

9 The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult (Washington Square: $15) A Maine family unravels over allegations of rape.

10 The Best American Short Stories edited by Ann Patchett (Houghton Mifflin: $14) The best of 2006.

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*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction 1 The Iraq Study Group Report by James A. Baker III, Lee H. Hamilton et al. (Vintage: $10.95) On the situation in Iraq.

2 1,000 Places to See Before You Die by Patricia Schultz (Workman: $18.95) Trotting the globe.

3 The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (Scribner: $14) A memoir of breaking away from dysfunctional parents.

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

5 Bad President by R.D. Rosen et al. (Workman: $8.95) Jokes and photos about President Bush.

6 Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs (Picador: $14) A boy goes to live with his mother’s psychiatrist.

7 America (The Book) by Jon Stewart et al (Warner: $15.99) A comic look at U.S. politics and democracy.

8 Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris (Back Bay: $8.99) The humorist recalls Christmas holiday memories.

9 Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama (Three Rivers: $14.95) The senator traces his mixed-raced heritage.

10 The Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner (Amistad: $14.95) A homeless man’s struggle to be a successful stockbroker.

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Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores.