Book News: February 17, 2009

As always, there are lots of books that are out on the shelves. Let’s get right to it.

First up, we have The Second Opinion by Michael Palmer. Description from Borders: In “The Second Opinion,” Palmer has created a cat-and-mouse game where one woman must confront a conspiracy of doctors to uncover an evil practice that touches every single person who has ever had a medical test.

Gladiator: A True Story of ‘Roids, Rage, and Redemption by Dan Clark. Description: Aggressive, explosive, and boasting awesome athletic ability, Dan Clark rose to tremendous fame as Nitro on American Gladiators.He quickly emerged as the most popular cast member and became a reality television superstar. But a twenty-year affair with steroids led to a life of pissing blood, smuggling drugs, destroying hotel rooms, getting arrested, growing breasts, and lying bloodied in the street after a vicious fight with his best friend.This is Clark’s riveting, fiercely candid account of his life, career, and steroid addiction. From an upbringing defined by tragedy and a difficult search for identity to tales of performing center stage at Madison Square Garden and bedding Playboy Bunnies and porn stars, Clark explores the price of fame, the pressure of stardom, and how the whole steroid-fueled fantasy finally imploded.What began in high school as a way to speed up recovery from injury rapidly turned into an all-consuming addiction. With self-deprecating humor and a trove of incredible stories, Clark provides an eye-opening report on the dangers of steroids both obvious and hidden — and offers his thoughts on why steroid use remains a persistent problem today. More than just a pulpy exposé, Gladiator is a triumphant story of self-discovery and redemption.

She Always Knew How: Mae West A Personal Biography by Charlotte Chandler. Description: The acclaimed biographer of Bette Davis, Ingrid Bergman, and Joan Crawford once again draws on personal interviews to examine of of Hollywood’s most colorful–and frequently off-color–icons.

And of course, what news post would be complete without the New York Times Bestelling Fiction List?

1. THE ASSOCIATE, by John Grisham. An idealistic law-school graduate is forced to take a job at a large, brutalizing law firm.
2. RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. A detective raising 10 children alone must stop a killer who has targeted New York’s rich and powerful.
3. BONE CROSSED, by Patricia Briggs. A shapeshifter who works as an auto mechanic in Washington State is menaced by a vampire.
4. THE HOST, by Stephenie Meyer. Aliens have taken control of the minds and bodies of most human beings, but one woman won’t surrender.
5. TRUE COLORS, by Kristin Hannah. Rivalries, betrayal and forgiveness among three sisters.
6. THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE, by David Wroblewski. A young mute who can communicate with the dogs his family raises takes refuge with three of them in the Wisconsin woods after his father’s death.
7. PLUM SPOOKY, by Janet Evanovich. The bounty hunter Stephanie Plum hunts an evil genius and his sidekick, who are hiding in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens.
8. THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. A journalist travels to the island of Guernsey to meet residents who resisted the Nazi occupation.
9. VERY VALENTINE, by Adriana Trigiani. An Italian-American shoemaker and her grandmother return to Italy to learn techniques to save their Greenwich Village company; the first book in a trilogy.
10. AGINCOURT, by Bernard Cornwell. An English archer with a complicated past joins Henry V at the famous battle against the French in 1415.

And to top it all off, here is the New York Times Bestselling Non-Fiction List

1. THE YANKEE YEARS, by Joe Torre and Tom Verducci. The former Yankee manager (1996-2007) on his years with the team.
2. OUTLIERS, by Malcolm Gladwell. Why some people succeed.
3. DEWEY, by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter. The kitten left freezing in the returned-book slot of an Iowa public library and his rise to fame.
4. A SLOBBERING LOVE AFFAIR, by Bernard Goldberg. The mainstream media’s partisan support for Obama, from a Fox News media analyst.
5. MULTIPLE BLESSINGS, by Jon Gosselin, Kate Gosselin and Beth Carson. A couple has sextuplets.
6. GUILTY, by Ann Coulter. The columnist argues that liberals victimize everyone else by pretending to be victims themselves.
7. THE NEXT 100 YEARS, by George Friedman. A forecast of future wars and changes in nations’ economic and political power.
8. A BOLD FRESH PIECE OF HUMANITY, by Bill O’Reilly. The Fox News commentator on his upbringing and career.
9. AMERICAN LION, by Jon Meacham. Andrew Jackson, the seventh president, in the White House.
10. THE BIG RICH, by Bryan Burrough. The four wealthiest Texas oil families across several generations.

Want to join our online book club? Email momsinabookclub@gmail.com for more information!

• Book News for the Week of July 19
• The Aloha Quilt: A Book Review
• Viral Loop: A Book Review
• Where The Heck Have I Been?
• Steven Kenworthy Poetry: A Review