Recommended New Paperbacks
Brain Candy: Science, Paradoxes, Puzzles, Local, and Illogic to Nourish Your Neurons by Garth Sundem (Three Rivers Press, $14)
A word of caution about this devious little book: Don’t put it on your bedside table because if you do, it is a cinch that you will lose a great deal of sleep. Garth Sundem, a self-professed uber-geek, serves up a guided tour through the miscellany of the mind that includes challenging puzzles and paradoxes to eye-opening perception tests and quizzes. Perhaps you’d like to know what your e-mail address reveals about your personality, or why we laugh, or if we’re likely to cheat on our mates. Dunsem offers insights to these questions and hundreds of others as he takes readers through cutting-edge brain science studies and research. “Brain Candy” is guaranteed to entertain.

From Those Wonderful Folks Who Gave Your Pearl Harbor: Front-Line Dispatches from the Advertising War by Jerry Della Femina, edited by Charles Spokin (Simon & Schuster, $14)
This 1970 cult classic was the main inspiration for the TV hit “Mad Men.” Jerry Della Femina, an advertising icon who began work at the age of sixteen as a delivery boy for a stuffy, old-line agency, Ruthrauff & Ryan, revisits his early days as an advertising exec. He recalls that everyone smoked and adds that he had a four-pack-a-day habit. Everyone also drank martinis, and as he delicately puts it, screwed around. Far from dispelling the outrageous portrait that Mad Men paints, Femina exposes the true nature of an industry that thrived on excess – including booze, drugs, high living, and intra-office sex. Whether selling beer or scotch, Cadillacs or feminine hygiene spray, the mad men — and women — of this golden age of advertising lived lives that television can only hint at. As Laura Miller wrote recently in Salon, “From Those Wonderful Folks Who Gave You Pearl Harbor” reads “like the transcript of a tape made at a bar or cocktail party with the recorder propped up next to the raconteur ay the center of the crowd.” Put another way, this book is more fun than a three-martini lunch.
What Would Susie Say: Bullsh*t Wisdom About Love, Life, and Comedy by Susie Essman (Simon & Schuster, $15)
Sh*t seems to be one of the most popular word in the title of new books this summer. Every third or fourth book that crosses my desk uses it. With that said, sh*t is one of the more milder profanities spewed by actress Susie Essman through her character on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. In her new book, Susie hilariously riffs in a variety of topics including celebrities, stepparenthood, teenagers, men with dogs, marriage and, my personal favorite, the beauty of menopause. According to the author, it was through her work in nightclubs that she perfected her salty tongue and irreverent point of view. Reading “What Would Susie Say” is like being aboard a runaway freight train. My advice is to hold on tight because Susie’s withering sarcasm and uninhibited insults leave permanent marks on the brain.

100 Essential American Poems edited by Leslie M. Pockell (Thomas Dunne Books, $14.99)
The way we view our nation – its history, its traditions, even our distinctly American voice — is largely determined by our literature. Leslie M. Pockell, a veteran editor at a major publishing house in New York, has gathered a collection of some of the most cherished American poems ever written. From “Casey at the Bat” to Carl Sandburg’s “Chicago,” these poems are a vivid, perennial reminder of the richness and variety of the poetry of America and its people. The illuminating headnotes provides context. This is a marvelous book that thrills and inspires.

Lost Boy: The True Story of One Man’s Exile from a Polygamist Cult and His Brave Journey to Reclaim His Life by Brent W. Jeffs with Maia Szalavitz (Broadway Books, $14.99)
The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints routinely expels young men and teenage boys from its compounds in order to give higher-ranking older men their pick of the teenage — and sometimes pre-teen — girls. These so-called “lost boys” are expelled for such infractions as watching a movie or talking to a girl. Since they generally have no place to go, many find themselves living in a confusing modern world for which they are unprepared. Brent W. Jeffs, nephew of polygamous prophet Warren Jeffs, filed sexual abuse charges against his uncle and followed that with a searing memoir that recalls his harrowing childhood, the tramatic exile that cost his brothers’ lives, and his daunting, victorious road to justice. “Lost Boy” is not easy to read but with Warren Jeffs back in the national news, this disturbing book couldn’t be more pertinent or timely.

Raising Confident Readers: How to Teach Your Child to Read and Write – from Baby to Age Seven by J. Richard Gentry, PhD (Da Capo, $14.95)
Dr. Gentry, a nationally acclaimed expert on childhood literacy and a Florida-based educational consultant, is convinced that most poor reading skills with adults are triggered by a lack of word exposure during their formative years. In his book, Dr. Gentry offers a user-friendly plan so that parents can help their children form a solid foundation for developing reading and writing skills. Chapters are divided into the four phases of reading development which allows parents the ability to assess where their child is on the development scale, where they should be, and how best to get them there. Because each child is unique, Genry encourages parents to pick and choose the lessons that will work best for each individual situation. By making reading as an enjoyable experience for children, it can enrich their lives as adults.

The Tablehopper’s Guide to Dining and Drinking in San Francisco: Find the Right Spot for Every Occasion by Marcia Gagliardi (Ten Speed Press, $16)
If you are planning a trip to the Bay Area, don’t leave home without this book. Marcia Gagliardi, a freelance food writer and self-professed tablehopper, has compiled hot tips about obscure locations, can’t-miss dishes, and the best deats in the house that onlu a savvy food writer, obsessive restaurant insider and San Francisco resident of 15 years would know. Thios is the ultimate restaurant matchmaker, guiding readers to the best fried chicken, the most incredible Ramos Gin Fizz, or the ultimate romantic venue the city has to offer. This book is sassy, informative, and entertaining.

The Longevity Diet: The Only Proven Way to Slow the Aging Process and Maintain Peak Vitality – Through Calorie Restriction by Brian Delaney and Lisa Walford (Da Capo, $14.95)
In this expanded and updated edition, experts and practitioners Brian M. Delaney and Lisa Wolford provide realistic guidance to people who want to restrict calorie intake. The findings of a University of Wisconsin study has linked diet and well-living in primates trhat suggest that, in humans, maintaining a Calorie Restriction (CR)can ward off many health problems, delay aging, and dramatically extend life expectancy to as much as 120-140 years. Sound impossible? By adapting a CR lifestyle to meet personal nutrition goals, a small change in diet can increase weight loss and prevent such conditions as type 2 diabetes, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and high blood pressure. “The Longevity Diet” offers meal-planning and exercise advice, updates on recent findings, and a discussion of the benefits of integrating yoga into a healthy CR lifestyle. The recipes for such dishes as Veggies Primavera, Spaghetti Squash with Garlic Sauce, and Sweet Potato Fries are almost worth the price of the book.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 29th, 2010 at 9:03 am and is filed under Uncategorized. Tags for this post: NonFiction for Summer Reading. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.