Vandy pole vaulter sets sights on national record
April 3, 2008
Dorothy Champagne Voisin
April 7, 2008“YOU: Staying YoungThe Owner’s Manual for Extending Your Warranty”
By Michael F. Roizen, M.C., and Mehmet C. Oz, M.D.
Free Press, $26
Oprah’s two favorite doctors’ latest book should, judging by the title, surpass sales of their previous two bestsellers: “YOU: The Owner’s Manual” and “YOU: On A Diet.” I mean, who doesn’t want to stay young?
You begin by characterizing your present health compared to others your age: Five categories ranging from “excellent” to “bad.” If you choose either of the last two – “fair” or “bad” – you’re 30 times more likely to die in the next two years, according to the good doctors. WOW! Does that get your attention? They think so and, therefore, tell you how to reprogram your system to work the way it did when you were younger.
Using their ubiquitous Rube Goldberg-like drawings, Roizen and Oz explain the 14 biological processes that control your rate of gain. As always, there are quizzes to determine your current health as well as advice on the food and exercises you need to improve your longevity.
“Eat This, Not That”
By David Zinczenko with Matt Goulding
Rodale, $19.95
If you want to cut calories without counting them, grab a copy of this slick, colorful guide to food swapping.
The first section, devoted to eating at your favorite restaurants, presents options like these: At Outback Steakhouse, eat this: their Prime Minister’s Prime Rib; not this: their Ayers Rock Strip Steak and you’ll cut 720 calories. At McDonald’s, eat this: a Quarter Pounder at 410 calories; not this: Premium Grilled Chicken Club at 570 calories. With that change, you’ll cut 160 calories.
At Applebee’s, eat the Grilled Cajun Lime Tilapia at 310 calories, not their Fiesta Lime Chicken, which is 1,285 calories. You do the math.
Other sections are devoted to supermarket items – including beer and yogurt. The book is small enough to tuck away in a lady’s purse but guys will have to consult it before heading out or carry it proudly in hand.
“Waiting to Surface”
By Emily Listfield
Atria Books $24.95
This suspenseful thriller, while fictional, is based on the author’s own experience following her husband’s mysterious disappearance.
In the novel, Sarah, a New York magazine editor, cares for her six-year-old daughter alone since she and her husband, Todd, separated three months earlier. Last she knew, he was visiting an old friend in Florida. Then Sarah learns from a detective that Todd has disappeared after going swimming one night.
The fact that he left behind his wallet, cell phone and return airline ticket convince police he either drowned or committed suicide. But Sarah is not convinced and fears he may have been kidnapped or embarked on a new life.
Because the novel parallels the author’s own experience, every detail – her fear, grief and regret – ring true.
Although there were many writers and publishers who wanted to tell this story, Listfield, a successful novelist, determined to write it herself and succeeded very well.
“Long Time Leaving Dispatches From Up South”
By Roy Blount Jr.
Knopf, $25
Now, I ask y’all: Why would a grown up man from the South move up North and write books about the South? I’ll tell y’all why: ’cause you can take the man out of the South, but you can’t … (aw, shucks, you know the rest.)
Anyhow, that’s what good ol’ boy Roy has gone and done and I sure am glad because this is one very funny book.
Notwithstanding the healthier reviews above, his description of mealtimes growing up in Georgia sound about right … “we ate till we got tired. Then we went ‘Whoo!’… and regretted we had no strength to eat more.”
On opera he opines, “The Met will charge $200 a ticket … for ‘Madame Butterfly,’ but with a 10-foot pole it won’t touch Hank Williams’ “Your Cheating Heart.'”
You’ve gotta love him, don’t you?
“The Rules of Survival”
By Nancy Werlin
Listening Library Audio Book, $30
In the form of a letter to his young half-sister, Emmy, 17-year-old Matt relates the details of their childhood fears of their beautiful, but psychotic mother, Nikki.
Evidently bi-polar, Nikki’s moods range from overwhelming love to outright rage; at one point putting a knife to Matt’s throat and drawing blood to teach him not to sneak a cookie.
When Murdoch, a boyfriend of Nikki’s, sides with the kids, she turns her destructive behavior against him with disastrous results.
This poignant yet frightening novel is wonderfully interpreted by stage, screen and TV star, Daniel Passer.
