Inside Jacket

When the weather turns warm, I’m drawn to my bike and my garden, which means my reading really suffers. Call it my springtime lull, and it’s happening again. Right now, I’m stuck in three — count’ em, three — books: "The Finkler Question" by Howard Jacobson, "The Jewish Messiah" by Arnon Grunberg and "Someone to Run With" by David Grossman.

That’s a lot of procrastination for someone who generally is a monogamous reader, picking up a new book only after the last one is finished. I suppose it might mean the none of the books has grabbed me. But I think it’s mainly a function of the weather. After being cooped up all winter, I just can’t resist the chance to get outside again to excerise. And when I look at the yard, I see a dozen projects — expanding a garden, reseeding the lawn, adding some shrubs. If I lived in San Diego or L.A., where the weather is always perfect, I’m afraid I might never read a book again.

If you have suggestions for a book that will reach out and grab me by the throat, let me know. It has to rain some time, doesn’t it?

Sorry to hear that Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver are breaking up after 25 years of marriage. It’s hardly news when a high-profile couple with Hollywood connections calls it quits. But they had quite a run together.

Shriver has been residing apart from the actor-turned-politician for the last few weeks, according to the Los Angeles Times. In a joint statement released Monday, they said, "At this time, we are living apart while we work on the future of our relationship. We are continuing to parent our four children together."

Schwarzenegger is best known for his movies (including my favorite, "True Lies") and his stint as California’s governor. As an author, he’s credited with "Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder," co-written with Douglas Kent Hall, and other body-building how-tos. Shriver, a former NBC anchor, has written a number of books designed to offer guidance to young people. Among them: "Ten Things I Wish I’d Known Before I Went Out into the Real World," "And One More Thing Before You Go…" and "Just Who Will You Be?"

With Catherine Zeta-Jones getting treatment for her bipolar disorder, you might want to read more about the ailment. Here are some memoirs that could help:

– "An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness" by Kay Redfield Jamison. Library Journal says: "This incredibly insightful work chronicles the life of a psychologist and professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University who suffers from manic depression. Jamison began experiencing mood swings during adolescence but, despite her education and training, did not seek help until she had completed her doctorate and began teaching at UCLA."

– "Brilliant Madness: Living with Manic Depressive Illness" by Patty Duke with Gloria Hochman. Kirkus says: "Duke tells the story of her manic-depressive illness and its successful treatment, while in alternating chapters medical-writer Hochman (Heart Bypass, 1982) explains the facts of the disease and the methods of treatment currently available"

– "Manic: A Memoir" by Terri Cheney. The Los Angeles Times called the memoir by the former entertainment lawyer, it a "gut-churning ride.”

Charlie Sheen a poet? Who knew?

The actor — who seems to get in trouble every time he opens his mouth these days – apparently self-published a book of poems some years ago. GQ has obtained a copy, and is putting some of the poems online. Here’s an exceprt from "A Thoughtless Soul":

As he pulled his head,/From the drool stained pillow,

His eyes blood red,/His oxygen shallow.

Feet on carpet,/That pain to fight,

These are the effects,/Of another night.

A night of drink,/A night of hate,

A night as dark,/As last nights date.

This week, you have a chance to win "Townie," a new memoir by Andre Dubus III, who also wrote the much-acclaimed "House of Sand and Fog."

If you liked any of his other works, you’ll be intrigued by his life story. He was the son of a writer, Andre Dubus, but his father left the family for a sedate life on a leafy Masschusetts campus. Young Andre and his three siblings grew up nearby, in a run-down mill town where street violence and bar brawls were common.

Young Andre was lost as a kid, getting into trouble wherever he found it. Tired of being picked on, he transformed himself from a weakling to a street tough who wouldn’t hesitate to leap into battle. But it’s a dangerous lifestyle, with long odds for a happy ending.

I just finished reading the book myself, and enjoyed young Andre’s journey, as he learned to channel his energies into writing rather than fighting. It’s introspective, but not overly so. And though descriptions of his youthful surroundings were drawn with plenty of poetic license, that didn’t bother me. His most touching writing involved his complicated relationship with his father, who was a fleeting, but lasting, influence.

As for last week’s Freebie Friday winner, congrats to Cody, who gets a copy of "33 Men," the story of the 2010 Chilean mine rescue.