Rankings for hard-cover books sold in Southern California, as reported by selected book stores:
___
Fiction
"Killing Commendatore," by Haruki Murakami (Knopf: $30) Paintings become magic portals for an artist escaping his marriage.
"The Witch Elm," by Tana French (Viking: $28) A skull discovered in the backyard of a family's ancestral home exposes their past.
"A Spark of Light," by Jodi Picoult (Ballantine: $28.99) A gunman holds patients and doctors hostage in a woman's health center in Mississippi.
"The Hate U Give," by Angie Thomas (Balzer + Bray: $17.99) A 16-year-old girl witnesses the police shooting of her childhood friend.
"The Next Person You Meet in Heaven," by Mitch Albom (Harper: $23.99) The sequel to "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" follows Annie on her heavenly journey.
People are also reading…
"There There," by Tommy Orange (Knopf: $25.95) A powerful story of contemporary Native American life.
"Time's Convert," by Deborah Harkness (Viking: $29) During his lover's journey to immortality, a vampire's past returns to haunt them both.
"An Absolutely Remarkable Thing," by Hank Green (Dutton: $26) A young woman deals with her overnight celebrity status after posting a viral video.
"French Exit," by Patrick DeWitt (Ecco: $25.99) In the wake of a scandal and financial ruin, a wealthy Upper East Side widow and her son flee to Paris.
"Transcription," by Kate Atkinson (Little, Brown: $28)A BBC radio producer's past as an M15 recruit in 1940 confronts her years later.
Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com

