local bestsellers BASED ON SALES AT SELECT AREA BOOKSTORES FICTION

1. Out Stealing Horses, by Per Petterson. ($22, Graywolf).

A Norwegian man's self-imposed exile is disrupted by a neighbor.

2. The Appeal, by John Grisham ($26.95, Doubleday). A jury returns a verdict against a chemical company.

3. Duma Key, by Stephen King ($28, Scribner). A man recovers from an accident in which he loses an arm.

4. People of the Book, by Geraldine Brooks ($25.95, Viking). A rare-book expert is offered the job of a lifetime.

5. 7th Heaven, by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. ($27.99, Little, Brown and Co.). A fire in a wealthy community leaves a couple dead and detective Lindsay Boxer searching for clues.

NONFICTION

1. In Defense of Food, by Michael Pollan ($21.95, Penguin). How to eat for good health.

2. The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne (Beyond Words, $23.95). The law of attraction is the key to getting what you want.

3. Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois ($27.95, Harper). A guide on preparing fresh breads.

4. Fair Game, by Valerie Plame Wilson ($26, Simon & Schuster).

A memoir by the former CIA operative.

5. The Dog Says How, by Kevin Kling ($22.95, Borealis). A collection of autobiographical stories.