Okay -- just read a review at the L.A. Times that describes A. J. Jacobs as "king of the gimmick books." I guess they have a point -- his books do seem to center around stunts. This is the first I've read, but I didn't find the stunt-i-ness of it too off-putting. I was interested in all the aspects of health he delved into. And I appreciated that he actually met with doctors, research scientists, exercise gurus and other "experts" in trying to find out what a person in the modern world should be doing (and avoiding) to be as healthy as possible.

But interspersed with the running, skin care regimens, weird diets, strange exercises and research summaries, are moments of personal reflection involving his family that I found rather moving at times. I don't know if I'll set out to read all of his books, but I did enjoy this one.