To transform the diverse expert opinions into a coherent book, two meetings among the contributors were organized: a planning meeting, which was held at Stanford University in 2001, and a conference, which was held at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., in 2002. In addition to these efforts to harmonize the experts' opinions, the editors have provided six of the book's seven chapters with accompanying detailed comments (which are sometimes as long as the chapters they complement). These have been written by other experts — in most cases, former discussants and opponents at the earlier meetings — which makes for particularly interesting and useful reading because of the diversity of opinions.

Sounds wonkish, but that doesn't mean it isn't interesting.

For those of us worried more about keeping pace with the present, there's Reversing Osteopenia : The Definitive Guide to Recognizing and Treating Early Bone Loss in Women of All Ages. Although it isn't at all clear that taking drugs for bone density values that are on the thin side of normal is of any value, the book has some common sense suggestions for exercise and diet that certainly can't harm.

You've heard of PMS, and IBS, but have you ever heard of IMS? That's Irritable Male Syndrome, and there's a book on managing it: The Irritable Male Syndrome : Managing the Four Key Causes of Depression and Aggression. Apparently, it's causes run deeper than nagging wives and backseat drivers.

Planning to treat yourself to a complete physical for the New Year? You might want to peruse Medical Tests That Can Save Your Life : 21 Tests Your Doctor Won't Order. . . Unless You Know to Ask. Most of the tests are not recommended for routine health screening, but the authors do make an attempt to help the reader decide if they are at higher than normal risk for the conditions in question. The most useful section of the book, however, may be the "how to approach the doctor" part.

In the non-medical department , there's FBI Girl : How I Learned to Crack My Father's Code, a memoir of growing up in a Catholic FBI family. Then there's the fictional The Distance Between Us, a novel of love and intrigue in the Middle East, and Tearjerker, the tale of love and frustration in the publishing industry.