‘Finding It’ (Books)

The latest from actress Valerie Bertinelli on her journey from fat to fit is a breezy, entertaining account of her effort to keep off the 40-plus pounds she famously lost as a Jenny Craig diet spokeswoman. Losing weight, Bertinelli found, was the easy part; staying thin while confronting life’s challenges proves more daunting but ultimately more rewarding.

Bertinelli’s pluck and girl-next-door charm have made her a fan favorite in the decades since her star turn as the teenage Barbara Cooper in the 1970s comedy hit “One Day at a Time.” And so it is with this book, a sequel to her best-selling 2008 memoir, “Losing It.”

In “Finding It,” Bertinelli shares her insecurities about parenting (she has a teenage son, Wolfie, from her first marriage to rocker Eddie Van Halen); her lack of formal education; and the fear that, as a 48-year-old woman in youth-obsessed Hollywood, she will never find work again.

In darker days, Bertinelli, a self-described binge eater, would have turned to the fridge for comfort and relief. But now, determined not to embarrass herself after her well-publicized Jenny Craig triumph, Bertinelli learns to confront her demons in healthier ways — hiking outdoors, becoming closer to her parents and boyfriend Tom Vitale, and exploring a new relationship with God.

“I was still hungry — as hungry as I had ever been,” Bertinelli writes. “It was a different kind of hunger, though: one that I couldn’t satisfy with food, and had no desire to.”

‘Uncharted 2’ (Games)

Harrison Ford is getting old. Bruce Willis looks tired. Arnold Schwarzenegger has a state to run. And Hollywood doesn’t make action heroes like it used to.

Shia LaBeouf? Please.

At least the video-game industry is trying to pick up the slack. And in Nathan Drake, the wisecracking, globe-trotting treasure hunter at the center of “Uncharted 2: Among Thieves,” Sony has created a hero to rival Indiana Jones.

Indeed, the plot of “Uncharted 2” (Sony, for the PlayStation 3, $59.99) sounds like a lost chapter from the Indiana Jones series. Drake is asked to track down an artifact connected to the explorer Marco Polo, which may lead to the discovery of the lost paradise Shambhala (aka Shangri-La). A murderous Russian warlord is in hot pursuit of the same secrets; you also have to contend with a seductive thief, a two-faced pretty boy and a relentless reporter.

“Uncharted 2” is one of the best-looking games on the PS3, but all its graphical splendor would be worthless without solid gameplay. Fortunately, the veteran designers at Sony’s Naughty Dog studio have blended in an impressive variety of challenges. One level may be an all-out firefight; the next, a massive, 3-D architectural maze. Some scenarios, like a race in which you have to keep jumping from jeep to jeep, are as rousing as anything in “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”

Backstreet Boys (CDs)

The newest CD from the Backstreet Boys features a number of uptempo, club-sounding songs — but the weak effort from this quartet won’t have you running to the dance floor.

“This Is Us,” the group’s seventh studio album, is full of boring, uneventful tracks — though hitmaking producers like RedOne, T-Pain, Jim Jonsin and Ryan Tedder help out.

What may be most disappointing is that Swedish producer Max Martin — who helmed classic grooves for the boy band like “I Want it That Way” and “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” — fails to present anything as addictive on “This Is Us.”

“Straight Through My Heart,” the lead single, is too average as is “She’s a Dream,” a poorly written love tale. The worst is “PDA,” where the boys claim they will be “kissing, touching with my hands all over your booty” at Starbucks, the club, restaurant, grocery store, movies and beach. Stop. Please. Thank you.

At times, the production of the songs proves to be too powerful — pushing the boys to the background, especially on the Britney Spears-sounding “Masquerade.”

Check this out: “Bye Bye Love” is the most refreshing song this CD offers.