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Readers of this column sometimes ask me to explain the difference between "mass market" paperbacks and "trade" paperbacks.
"Mass market" paperbacks are the smaller, pocket sized books that usually sell for $7 to $8 each. "Trade" paperbacks are larger. They typically retail for $14 to $16.
Paperbacks are wonderfully convenient and inexpensive. I can't imagine going anywhere without a few. Here are some recent paperbacks that you might enjoy:
"Matala," by Craig Holden (Simon and Schuster, 180 pages, $14). This suspenseful novel opens as a seemingly innocent young American college student wanders off from her European tour group. She meets a couple of drifters, a young man and an older woman — con artists working scams on tourists. They all get involved in a smuggling ring. A surprising ending.
• "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden," by Joanne Greenberg (Holt, 304 pages, $15). Originally published in 1964, this semi-autobiographical novel has sold millions of copies. Greenberg's experiences as an adolescent in a mental institution inspired the story of Deborah, a 16-year-old mental patient who has been diagnosed as a schizophrenic. Greenberg has written a new "afterword" for this reissue.
"Osteoarthritis — Preventing and Healing Without Drugs," by Peter Bales M.D., MHSA (Prometheus Books, 284 pages, $18.98). Osteoarthritis is now epidemic with more than 20 million Americans affected. Peter Bales thinks many cases of osteoarthritis result from nutritional deficiencies. He suggests that dietary changes could provide more benefits than drugs.
"Our Daily Meds," by Melody Peterson (Picador, 432 pages, $16). Two out of every three Americans takes a prescription drug regularly. We spend billions of dollars on medications while our average life spans are shorter than the life spans in 40 other countries where they use far fewer drugs. Pharmaceutical companies have greatly expanded our drug exposure during the past 30 years.
"The Breaks of the Game," by David Halberstam (Hyperion, 400 pages, $15.99). David Halberstam was a triple threat: an extraordinary journalist, a gifted historian and a splendid sportswriter. "The Breaks of the Game" is Halberstam's account of spending the 1979-80 basketball season following the Portland Trailblazers. His portrayal of the massive talents and giant egos in the battle for NBA supremacy of 30 years ago foreshadow what the sport has become today. Halberstam died in a car accident two years ago. He was enroute to an interview with a 1950s football star for a book that he was working on.
"The Age of American Unreason," by Susan Jacoby (Vintage, 357 pages, $15.95). In an interview, Susan Jacoby described an experience that took place right after 9/11. She told me that she went into a tavern in New York City and overheard some businessmen chatting. She was astonished by their apparent ignorance of basic American history. She decided to write a book about what she describes as " a powerful mutant strain of intertwined ignorance, anti-rationalism and anti-intellectualism" in America today.
Book reviewer Vick Mickunas blogs daily about books at www.DaytonDailyNews.com/booknook. Contact him at vick@vickmickunas.com.
Posted by Vick Mickunas on 2/22/09; 4:09:46 PM
from the dept.
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