Hardcover Fiction Bestseller List for September 2, 2004 from sales the week ending August 29, 2004 For the Book Sense store nearest you, call 1-888-BOOKSENSE or visit www.booksense.com   HARDCOVER FICTION Last Week/ Weeks on List 1. The Da Vinci Code Dan Brown, 0385504209, Doubleday, $24.95 A bestselling phenomenon and Book Sense Book of the Year winner. No conspiracies here! 1/75 2. Skinny Dip Carl Hiaasen, 0375411089, Knopf, $24.95 More Hiaasen hijinks off the Florida coast with schemes galore. 2/7 3. The Rule of Four Ian Caldwell, Dustin Thomason, 0385337116, Dial, $24 Suspense and intrigue for four smart Princetonians unraveling the secrets of an ancient manuscript. 3/16 4. The Five People You Meet in Heaven Mitch Albom, 0786868716, Hyperion, $19.95 The author of the hugely popular Tuesdays With Morrie fictionalizes the next step in that conversation -- life after death. 4/49 5. The Winds of Change - Debut Martha Grimes, 0670033278, Viking, $25.95 Scotland Yard's Richard Jury is on the case! /1 6. The Jane Austen Book Club Karen Joy Fowler, 0399151613, Putnam, $23.95 For Austen fans and newbies alike, in or out of book clubs. A smart, new Book Sense Pick. 5/18 7. Snow Orhan Pamuk, 0375406972, Knopf, $26 The author of My Name Is Red returns with a timely political novel set in Turkey. 8/2 8. R Is for Ricochet Sue Grafton, 0399152288, Putnam, $26.95 Grafton treats us to a really racy, robust read this time. 7/7 9. Dark Voyage Alan Furst, 1400060184, Random House, $24.95 Exotic, cinematic, thrilling European espionage on the eve of WWII. 6/4 10. Sam's Letters to Jennifer James Patterson, 0316710571, Little Brown, $24.95 Patterson changes gears with an affecting love story. Not for thriller seekers! 9/9 11. The Battle of Corrin Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, 0765301598, Tor, $27.95 The conclusion to the prequel of the wildly popular Dune series. 11/2 12. The Full Cupboard of Life Alexander McCall Smith, 0375422188, Pantheon, $19.95 The lady detective of Botswana is at it again in this fifth installment of the folksy series. 12/18 13. Birds Without Wings - Debut Louis de Bernieres, 1400043417, Knopf, $25.95 The long-awaited novel from the author of the fabulous Corelli's Mandolin. /1 14. Lost City Clive Cussler, with Paul Kemprecos, 039915177X, Putnam, $26.95 A Kurt Austin adventure -- take the Dramamine, you're in for a stormy, wild ride! 10/5 15. Assassin - Debut Ted Bell, 0743466713, Atria, $25 This fast-paced summer thriller is eerily reflective of the world today. /1   ON THE RISE   20. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell Susanna Clarke, 1582344167, Bloomsbury, $27.95 A wondrous Book Sense Pick for September. How magicians helped defeat Napoleon in 1806.     The Book Sense Bestseller List is copyrighted and cannot be reprinted without permission from the American Booksellers Association. For information on obtaining permission, contact Meg Smith , Associate Director, Book Sense Marketing, ABA, 828 South Broadway, Tarrytown, NY 10591, call (914) 591-2665, ext. 1239.   Reprint Guidelines.