Bestsellers

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

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

5 Key of Valor by Nora Roberts (Jove: $7.99) A mortal woman tries to free the souls of ancient Celtic demigoddesses.

6 The King of Torts by John Grisham (Dell: $7.99) A street killing is linked to a conspiracy involving a pharmaceutical giant.

7 Deception Point by Dan Brown (Pocket Books: $7.99) A president's reelection rests on an object buried in the Arctic.

8 Digital Fortress by Dan Brown (Griffin: $14.95) A new technology threatens the balance of international power.

9 Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier (Vintage: $14.95) A disillusioned Confederate soldier makes his way home.

10 House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III (Vintage: $14) Two families clash over an auctioned house.

*--*

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Nonfiction

*--*

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

2 Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki & Sharon Lechter (Techpress: $15.95) Fiscal parenting.

3 100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know by American Heritage (Houghton Mifflin: $4.95)

4 The Book of Bunny Suicides by Andy Riley (Plume: $10) Cartoon rabbits find outlandish ways to do themselves in.

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

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

7 Stitch 'n Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook by Debbie Stoller (Workman: $13.95) A sassy guide for today's knitters.

8 Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris (Little, Brown: $14.95) Quirky reflections on life in Paris and elsewhere.

9 How to Be Alone by Jonathan Franzen (Picador: $14) Essays on prison, the sex-advice industry and Alzheimer's.

10 Longitudes and Attitudes by Thomas L. Friedman (Anchor: $14.95) Viewing Sept. 11 from outside the United States.

*--*