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Fiction

*--* Fiction weeks on list 1. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See (Random House: $25) Two 8 sisters from Shanghai encounter tragedy and heartbreak as they are sold into arranged marriages in 1930s Los Angeles. 2. The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Putnam: $24.95) The lives 8 of a maid, a cook and a college graduate become intertwined while changing a Mississippi town. 3. Swimsuit by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Little, 4 Brown: $27.99) A supermodel disappears from a photo shoot in Hawaii. 4. Rain Gods by James Lee Burke (Simon & Schuster: 1 $25.99) The sheriff of a Texas town investigates the mass murder of illegal immigrants on the Mexican border. 5. The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (Doubleday: 5 $26.95) A novelist in 1920s Barcelona takes a dangerous writing assignment. 6. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown: $19.99) Bella 54 must choose between her lover and a friend, between life and death. 7. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown: $22.99) 51 The final book in the “Twilight” saga finds Bella choosing immortality. 8. Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner (Atria: $26.99) 1 Two childhood friends on the outs since high school reconnect when one is in trouble. 9. The Defector by Daniel Silva (Putnam: $26.95) When a 1 Russian defector disappears, Gabriel Allon is forced to track down a deadly arms dealer. 10. Finger Lickin’ Fifteen by Janet Evanovich (St. Martin’s: 5 $27.95) A witness enters a barbecue competition to uncover the killer of a contestant. *--*

*--* Nonfiction 1. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown: $27.99) 34 An exploration of the background of high achievers. 2. A Bright and Guilty Place by Richard Rayner 3 (Doubleday: $25) The sagas of an ambitious young lawyer, a prime suspect in a mob murder, and a police photographer paint a picture of early 20th century L.A. 3. Liberty and Tyranny by Mark R. Levin (Threshold 17 Editions: $25) The talk-radio personality’s call to revitalize the conservative vision in America. 4. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man by Steve Harvey 25 (Amistad: $23.99) The talk-show host lets women inside the mind-set of a man. 5. Unmasked by Ian Halperin (Simon Spotlight 2 Entertainment: $25) A look into the final years and days of Michael Jackson. 6. Catastrophe by Dick Morris and Eileen McGann (Harper: 5 $26.99) A call to prevent President Obama from transforming America into a socialist state. 7. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow 64 (Hyperion: $21.95) A professor’s terminal cancer inspires a call to seize life’s moments. 8. Crazy for the Storm by Norman Ollestad (Ecco: $25.99) 6 The son of a daredevil tells of his life on the edge and how he survived a deadly plane crash. 9. The Waxman Report by Henry Waxman with Joshua Green 3 (Twelve: $24.99) The congressman from L.A. gives insight on his 35 years in the House. 10. The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich 1 (Doubleday: $25) The story and phenomenon behind the founding of Facebook. *--*

1. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson ($14.95)

2. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows ($14)

3. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout ($14)

4. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith ($12.95)

5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling ($14.99)

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Nonfiction

1. Julie & Julia by Julie Powell ($14.99)

2. Glenn Beck’s Common Sense by Glenn Beck ($11.99)

3. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin ($15)

4. When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris ($15.99)

5. Blink by Malcolm Gladwell ($15.99)

Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores.

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latimes.com/books

Where few dare to go

Dark Passages: Queasy violence in works by Karin Slaughter and other female crime writers. Off the Shelf: Roy Hoffman on the nuances of inscribed books. Jacket Copy: The book “UCLA Slang” is off the hezzie.