I used to do these bestseller posts quarterly, but, then again, I used to post a lot more on everything than I have lately. I had forgotten about these lists until I put out the call for ideas for blog posts. Many of you warmed my heart by requesting more info on the books I read and recommend. Made me remember these bestseller lists, and since I’m sitting in an airport caught up in winter weather delays, I decided to go to my Amazon affiliate site and look to see what you, the readers, bought in 2012.
In the future, I’ll continue to post on books I feel have value, but this list is of the books all of you were moved to buy in 2012.
A few of these books came from recommendations I made in one of the 12 posts I put up in 2012. (Twelve posts in an entire year! Pitiful.) I’ll note those books as well as those reviews posted pre-2012 and include a link to the review.
One of the books I reviewed in 2012 – Fast Tract Digestion Heartburn: Clinically Proven Diet Solution to Treat and Prevent Acid Reflux and GERD without Drugs – was a free book, and although hundreds were downloaded for free, they don’t show up on my affiliates page. Here is the review in case you’re interested. Unfortunateley, the book is no longer free.
As has always been my custom on this list, I don’t include any books that MD and I wrote. This list is all books written by others and represents what readers of this blog read in 2012.
#1. The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living: An Expert Guide to Making the Life-Saving Benefits of Carbohydrate Restriction Sustainable and Enjoyable by Jeff Volek and Stephen Phinney. Reviewed here.
#2. The Cholesterol Delusion by Ernest N. Curtis. Reviewed here and here. Dr. Curtis appeared with me on the infamous Catalyst show about saturated fat and cholesterol.
#3. Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health by William Davis, M.D. Reviewed here but not in 2012
#4. Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It by Gary Taubes. Reviewed here but not in 2012
#5. New Atkins for a New You: The Ultimate Diet for Shedding Weight and Feeling Great by Eric Westman, Jeff Volek and Stephen Phinney.
#6. Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life by Nick Lane Reviewed (sort of) here. It surprises me greatly to find this book on the list, since it is fairly technical for general readers. Makes me feel good about my own readers to think they ordered it given my caveat.
#7. Practical Paleo: A Customized Approach to Health and a Whole-Foods Lifestyle by Diana Sanfilippo. Reviewed by MD here.
#8. Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health by Gary Taubes. Reviewed here but not in 2012.
The next two books on the list sold exactly the same number of copies, so I’m putting them up in alphabetical order.
#9. The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance by Stephen Phinney and Jeff Volek. I didn’t review this book, but if you are looking for information on athletic performance on low-carb diets, this little book is the best there is on the subject. It’s a great read even if you’re not into athletic performance and just want to learn more about a ketogenic diet.
#10. Napoleon’s Glands and Other Ventures in Biohistory by Arno Karlen. Reviewed here. This one is a real surprise because even though I mentioned it in a popular post, I didn’t really recommend it. In fact, I told people to not bother buying it. It’s out of print, and other than the one chapter, didn’t particularly ring my chimes. I guess its being on this list shows just how powerful my negative recommendation is.
There you go. The 2012 Top 10 Bestsellers according to readers of this blog.
As most of you know, I read a lot. And I’m always on the prowl for new books. If you’ve read a book lately that you love, put it up in the comments for everyone to see. I’ve found many good books thanks to those who comment.
The official website of Drs. Michael and Mary Dan Eades, low carb pioneers and authors of Protein Power.
I’m sure you’ve probably read it but I’ve just finished Dr Malcolm Kendrick’ s The Great Cholesterol Con. A great book.
I reviewed Dr. Kendrick’s book long ago.
Early nomination for 2014 – http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Quit-Sugar-sugars-important-ebook/dp/B00EVOZIFI
Ha.
Ha, indeed! I tweeted about this when I first saw it a month or so ago. Yeesh.
Why Everyone Else is a Hypocrite by Robert Kurzban is a very good read.
I’m about two thirds of the way through it right now. It is a very good book.
I reckon anyone into ancestral health will LOVE this. It is full of great quotes, wise thinking, sound scientific reasoning, and biochem links that will be new to most.
The relevance of these animal stories to Paleo opens whole new avenues of thought about human diet and behaviour.
Don’t let the author’s website put you off, her book is excellent.
http://www.wildhealth.co.uk/author/
Thanks for the tip. I had not seen this.
I can recommend ‘Hippocrates’ Shadow’ by David Newman. He’s also started a nice website http://www.thennt.com looking at evidence based medicine. Obviously, he’s not very keen on the mass prescription of statins 🙂
Thanks. I didn’t know he had a book out. And it’s been out since 2008. I read his blog all the time.
I am looking forward to your review of Grain Brain by David Perlmutter.
I recommend The Story of The Human Body by Daniel Lieberman
I’m about halfway through that one. Had to travel this week so just brought my iPad with the Kindle app, so didn’t bring the Lieberman, which I have in hardcover. Great book.
That was a fun read – I’ve read most of the books, but rereading your reviews was great.
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed the reviews.
If you like to read non-fiction I wrote a little book about the year I spent in rural Colombia as a physician in the early 70s. It’s a pretty good read about things most people don’t know, and a change from nutrition and science. If you give me an idea as to where to send it, I’ll be glad to send you a copy.
Would love to read it. Can you tell us the title in case others want to find it?
You can send it to me at our distribution center. They’ll track me down wherever I happen to be and get it to me ASAP.
Michael Eades
2275 West Midway Blvd., Unit B
Broomfield, CO 80020
Thanks in advance.
I hope you will review another current book on the NYT’s best seller list. It is called Grain Brain by a noted neurologist, Dr. David Perlmutter. It makes the case that our heavily carbohydrate diets are killing us and causing such disorders as ADHD, anxiety, depression, diabetes, Alzheimers, mood disorders, etc.
As I mentioned in an earlier reply, I have the book, I just haven’t started reading it yet. I’ve got to finish a few of the 7 or 8 I have going right now first.
Put the Grain Brain on the top of the pile!
The most significant book I have ever read, he pulls it all together in a way that makes the reader realise what to do and why you should change your diet completely. He advocates a lot more of the same fats you do, 60-70%.
Thankyou for all of the information you send, I am on a farm in Western Australia and through the internet we are able to be far more up to date than our own doctors could ever be. They still think Statin drugs are fantastic……….The producers of the ABC TV show Catalyst recently tried to tell every one and the cardiologists in Australia have tried to discredit the sound advice they were passing on.
I read everything you recommend and love them all. It’s just a pity you can’t recommend a book every week.
My recommendation to you is ‘Animals in Translation’ by Temple Grandin, a fascinating study of autism in both animals and humans.
Read that one a long time ago. Temple Grandin is a favorite of mine.
I’ve read both of Dr. Datis Kharrazian’s thyroid/brain/gut books (Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? and Why Isn’t My Brain Working?), and highly recommend them. I appreciated the clarity and depth with which he writes. He is passionate about the subject matter and clearly makes the connection between the food we eat and how well we function.
Gut and Psychology Syndrome, by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride
Yoga of Eating, by Charles Eisenstein
I’d like to offer my best read of 2012 for your readers ..
“Lights Out – Sleep, Sugar and Survival” I’ve now read it three times – and not because I’m challenged, but because it’s so full of meat. Recommended.
“Blood Sugar Solution” by Dr. Mark Hyman was life-changing for me, even though I feel like Eve in the Garden of Eden after she ate the forbidden fruit. Ignorance was bliss.
Hallo Dr Eades, I enjoyed most of the books you recommended and in fact bought as kindle books five of them. My husband and I have devoured them!
One of my best reads is an oldie I have had for many years and love it for the sound wisdom in it – “None Of These Diseases: The Bible’s Health Secrets For The 21st Century” by S.I. McMillen. MD. and David Stearn MD. I see it is available at Amazon and even in a kindle edition. It is well worth a read.
Sharon
I’m finding Bad Pharma: How Medicine is Broken, And How We Can Fix It by Ben Goldacre a good read.
I’ve read GCBC by Gary Taubes several times and it never fails to surprise on a re-read.
I am new to your website. Thank you in advance for your time and effort. My primary care physician recommended Primal Body, Primal Mind by Nora T. Gedgaudas, CNS, CNT to me a year or so ago. An eyeopener to say the least.
Anxious to hear your take on the excellent book “Grain Brain” by David Perlmutter. Also recommend “Gut and Psychology Syndrome” by Natasha Campbell-McBride.
Thank you for referencing the paper version of PP. I recently bought a new copy, as I have misplaced my hardback edition. I wondered if I was imagining things when I thought the chapter about the mummies had been placed differently.
Are there any other marked changes? Did you advocate leaner beef in the original version? Should I become more mindful of my beef choices?
Also, is it okay to alternate a week of PP with a week of Thin So Fast (preparing the shakes exactly as prescriped)?
No other changes going from hardback to paperback other than the chapter on the mummies being put in the back. I fought tooth and nail to keep it in the book because our dolt of an editor wanted to remove it entirely. Putting it in the back as an epilogue was our compromise.
I don’t think we advocated leaner beef in the paperback. If we did, ignore it.
It’s fine to alternate the meals with the shakes.
“Hoosh: Roast Penguin, Scurvy Day, and Other Stories of Antarctic Cuisine (At Table)” by Jason C. Anthony. It is reviewed here by Marion Nestle: http://www.foodpolitics.com/2013/11/thanksgiving-weekend-reading-hoosh-hint-antarctic-cuisine/
I have not read it yet, but the reviews to this one look good. It’s on my x-mas wish list. It is surprisingly pricey for a paperback — $20 at Amazon.com.
Great list, I’m just working on building my library up now.
Are there any plans for Protein Power to be released for Kindle?
Protein Power is available on Kindle now.
Thanks for the reply. I had found that Amazon page before, but it shows up as “not currently available for purchase”, is there a reason for this and do you know when it will be come available?
I’m loving the low carb reading I’ve done so far, all of which I’ve discovered through this site so I’m really keen to get into Protein Power as well, but have recently transitioned all my reading to Kindle.
It says it’s available on Amazon when I look. Are you trying to purchase from somewhere other than the US?
Indeed I am, Australia and the book isn’t available on Kindle on the Australian version of the site. I have been able to buy other Kindle books straight from Amazon.com but it doesn’t seem to want me to buy Protein Power.
Got to love the globalisation effect (and our ridiculous so called Free Trade Agreement), good for everyone (business) but not the end consumer.
I figured you must live somewhere else. I feel your pain. I find books all the time on Amazon.co.uk that I would love to buy for Kindle, but I can’t do so. I spend a fair amount of time in the UK because that’s where our European sous vide warehouse is, so I even tried to use the warehouse address to get stuff via Kindle, but, alas, to no avail.
Books are da bomb, but articles by Dr. Stephanie Seneff, MIT, are spectacular too- and shorter and to the point. Anything authored by her, Open access!, “Entropy”. But I recommend starting here from the EJIM, 2010, “Nutrition and Alzheimer’s Disease: The detrimental role of a high carbohydrate diet”
http://people.csail.mit.edu/seneff/EJIM_PUBLISHED.pdf
“Drugs For Life: How Pharmaceutical Companies Define Our Health” by Joseph Dumit. A fascinating and frightening look into how Big Pharma has shaped medicine though extraordinary marketing and manipulation.
Well, I’ve read six out of ten from your list 🙂
Recently read, The Smarter Science of Slim by Jonathan Bailor
Currently reading, Dr. Bernstein’s Diabetes Solution (which you reviewed a few years ago).
Just purchased the kindle versions of…
Grain Brain by David Perlmutter (thanks to the above recommendation)
Pure, White, and Deadly by John Yudkin
After watching the two, Heart of the Matter videos I thought it would be interesting to read what Yudkin tried to warn us about way back then. I can only imagine where we would be today if his theories had taken hold rather than Ancel Keys.
Yudkin’s Pure, White and Deadly is an evergreen. Unlike Keys’ work, still good lo these many years later.
“Reclaiming History” by Vincent Bugliosi, about assassination of JFK. This is oddly totally relevant to the current messed-up state of human nutrition research and dietary and medication recommendations. And ,although 1400 pages (not including references because those are on an appendix CD), a fascinating read.