RECOMMENDED PAPERBACKS
by Tucson Citizen on Mar. 06, 2008, under Calendar‘The Diet Detective’s Calorie Bargain Bible’
By Charles Stuart Platkin (Fireside, $13)
Public health advocate Platkin has written the ultimate dieter’s reference guide. It’s dieting made easy, with the information that readers crave, can have fun with and can put into practice immediately. According to Platkin, most people believe that they have to give up their life to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle. He explodes this myth by examining and identifying the best “calorie bargains” at home, in supermarkets and even at the local bakery.
For example, craving chocolate ice cream? Try a Skinny Cow mini fudge pop at 50 calories each. Dying for pizza? Switch from stuffed-crust to thin crust, forget the extra cheese, and save 200 calories.
‘The History of Swimming: A Memoir’
By Kim Powers (Carroll & Graf, $15.95)
Tim and Kim were twins. They grew up together, had names that rhymed and were best friends. One became a suicidal drunk, the other an Emmy- and Peabody-winning writer at both ABC’s “Good Morning America” and “Primetime.” This gripping memoir tracks the death of their mother, a nervous breakdown, first loves, coming out and Kim’s frantic search for his brother following three days of a lost weekend.
‘Legends of the Chelsea Hotel: Living with the Artists and Outlaws of New York’s Rebel Mecca’
By Ed Hamilton (Da Capo, $16.95)
The Chelsea Hotel is one of the most famous landmark buildings in the world. The hotel has been frequented by such artistic, eccentric and insane inhabitants as Arthur Miller, Madonna, Bob Dylan, Dee Dee Ramone, Andy Warhol and Ethan Hawke. Hamilton, who has lived at the Chelsea for more than a decade, reveals many of the startling stories behind the hotel’s closed doors, including the one to room 100, where punk rocker Sid Vicious’ girlfriend Nancy Spungen died.
“A Commonwealth of Thieves: The Improbable Birth of Australia’
By Thomas Keneally (Anchor Books, $15.95)
In this spirited telling of the remarkable first four years of the settlement of Australia by convicts, historian Keneally offers readers an intimate glimpse into this fascinating piece of history. The author serves up captivating portrayals of Aborigines, convict settlers and even the colony’s governor, as reflected in personal journals, official papers and documents. This colorful book is crisply written and seems more like the product of a gifted novelist rather than the work of a renowned historian.
‘Wickenburg Adventures’
By Christine Maxa with the photographs of David A. James (JAMAX, $16.95)
With the season in full swing in Wickenburg, nothing could be more timely than this excellent guide that features more than 30 biking and hiking routes within a 50-mile radius of Wickenburg, along with detailed maps, GPS coordinates for important junctions, elevation profiles and narratives for each adventure. James’ photographs are stunning and contribute a great deal to the beauty of this impressive guide.
‘Ambition is Not a Dirty Word: A Woman’s Guide to Earning Her Worth and Achieving Her Dreams’
By Debra Condren, Ph.D (Broadway Books, $14)
This book offers women a revolutionary perspective and practical road map to reclaim ambition in its most gloriously positive sense. Drawing on her interviews with 500 happily ambitious women, as well as her own professional and personal experiences, Condren makes it clear that rewards can be reaped only by rejecting our culture’s drill on the importance of putting ambitious goals at the bottom of a woman’s priority pile. As the title implies, ambition for women is a virtue, not a dirty word.
