5 comments about You're Out and You're Ugly Too!: Confessions of an Umpire With Attitude.

1. I expected a little more humor from this book judging from the title.However it was still quite interesting. It was nice to read how he worked so hard for those less fortunate. Seemed like he was a guy I would have liked to have had as a friend.



2. Somebody messed up badly. Being an amateur baseball umpire I am biased towards umpires in general and those in baseball in particular but Merrill does not do himself and his profession justice. The ghostwriter, assuming there was one, must have been drunk and illiterate and the publisher too lazy, or do we call that cost conscious, to proof read the manuscript. I ended up reading a book that should not have been published and does not do justice to a man who became an umpire in a different and much tougher era. The book does not do him justice, god rest his soul. Maybe the publisher could be so kind and honor him with and revised edition.



3. When I first bought this book, I wasn't quite sure what to think. I had heard a few negative things about it, and kind of had a prejudice against it. Boy, was that wrong! I found this to be a very funny, lighthearted read (for the most part). There's some really wonderful insights into what it takes to become a big league umpire - never quite realized all they went through in "Umpire boot camp" (my term). It's not all fun and games, there's a few stories about how an umpire friend of his was attacked and crippled on the streets of Dallas, and the latter part talks a lot about his charity works.

   A great book - funny, light, and to be honest, something that surprised me in a very good way. What was personally annoying was that after I read this (during the last month of the 99 season), I wanted to watch Durwood, and then he up and retires during the playoffs (and then died a short time later). Damn. Really wanted to see him after reading his book. Oh well. Check it out, a good light read.




4. Durwood Merrill just passed away today, after suffering a heart attack last Sunday. Godspeed, Durwood.



5. It's a light read, but Durwood is very colorful and sincere in his writing. I felt as if he was my Grandpa sitting next to me telling me these wonderfull stories. You'll enjoy it even if you're not a baseball fan.

   If you ARE a baseball fan. You'll hesitate the next time you "boo" an umpire at a game. (but only for a second or two)

   :)

No comments about A Positively Final Appearance: A Journal, 1996-1998.

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No comments about God a Biography Unabridged.

No comments about Damon Hill (Grand Prix Heroes).

5 comments about Unreliable Memoirs.

1. What can I possibly add to what has been said by the other reviewers? This book is short in length and long in content. *EVERYBODY* whom I know and who has read the book has claimed to have laughed out loud while reading it in a public place. That's 5 people, myself included. Years after reading it, I still recall with great amusement the stories about James' alter ego, the Flash of Lightning. And although this is a book about James, it also is a subtle homage to his mother, or at least it read that way to me. Such is James' command of language, he can turn his experiences into everyone's experiences, even if you haven't lived through similar situations. A wonderful read.



2. "Unreliable Memoirs" is Clive James' description of his upbringing in a Sydney suburb lasting up to the time of his university education. I was expecting it to be funny but wasn't quite prepared for the raw emotion and literary skill displayed on virtually every page.
   
   To me this is the most impressive of James' autobiographical writing. He has a gift for describing childhood and a kind of relentless honesty which is hilarious and provides something of a turbulent rollercoaster ride for the reader, as he describes the trauma of being a single child to a single parent in the aftermath of the Second World War.
   
   I felt a little left behind by many of the historical and literary references James makes but this is more than made up for by the relish with which he uses the English language. For example, he describes a friend's mother giving him buttered bread covered with hundreds and thousands as like "eating a slice of powdered rainbow".
   
   "Unreliable Memoirs" made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end - I wish I had read it years ago.



3. One of the funniest books you'll ever read. Especially recommended for anyone who has ever been a kid, Australian, in love, in lust, in trouble, at university or has had a head that sticks out at the back.



4. For those of you who have visited Australia in recent years , it may come as a shock to you that Clive James was the man who discoverd it . Jumping from captain Cooks ship ,when the hostile crew had threatened to eat him if he risked another witism . He discovered that the land was free from parking meters . " Well boil mi billy can , cobbers , this is the place for me " . So young clive tried his hand at acting, but was disillusioned ,when James coburn was cast as the aussie in the great escape . " He sounds more real than you Clive " . "Strewth i'll have a lash at journalism " . The rest is history . A raft back to blighty . A year as an assistant to clark kent , then unexpected fame as a latex puppet on spitting image . Its all here the unreliable memoirs, of the boy from Melbourne ,The land bought by Batman .



5. This would have to be the best offering from Clive James that I have read. His acerbic wit makes for great reading. I found this text on a bookshelf in a beach holiday house and was immediately captivated. I lost count of the amount of times that I not only laughed out loud, I snorted with appreciation and had to wipe tears from my eyes (much to the consternation of those around me) He captures the innocence of childhood with fleeting glimpses of maturity like no one has before, proving that he is not just a television presenter but a Rhodes Scholar to boot. If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would. It would be a shame to tell you more because this is a book that just has to be read to be believed!

5 comments about Marrying Off Mother and Other Stories (Jack Crossman Adventures) (Jack Crossman Adventures).

1. Another entertaining offering from Gerald Durrell although some of the stories are a bit on the more fanciful line as opposed to his normal wildlife related narrations. But an entertaining read regardless!



2. One of Durrell's best! Sadly he died in 1995 and he is missed by his many fans. Suggestion: Buy and read all of his books. There's an education to be had and many laughs to enjoy.



3. The only good stories in this book were "Marrying off Mother" and the story of Esmerelda the truffle pig. It tided me over until I found the sequel to "My Family and Other Animals" - "Birds, Beasts and Relatives".

   Glad I borrowed this one from the library...




4. I read this book hoping for another gem like "My Family and Other Animals". Unfortunately, I was disappointed.

   Although "Marrying Off Mother" has much of the same wonderful timing & wit that's in other Durrell books, it seems to be missing their soul. This is a cynical book, and the timing & wit (that in earlier books shows Durrell's innonence and passion) conveys smugness and superiority in "Marrying off Mother". This attitude wears thin pretty quickly.

   If you're interested in reading Durrell, I strongly recommend "My Family and Other Animals". But not this book.




5. I had high hopes of being impressed, but the 8 stories fell short of the expectaions created by that fine novel 'My Family and Other Animals'.

   Yes there are flashes of the Durell humour, but the quality of the writing is sometimes strained - especially apparant in 'Marrying Off Mother' where information about things and people ate given in terse little bites that do not have the charm of a more full-bodied development. Also some of the stories are too improbable for suspension of disbelief, ie. the story of the gambling nun. 'The Jury' is like something out of 'Tales of the Unexpected' or 'Tales from the Dark side', and bears some resemblence to Somerset Maugham's darker tales of Malaya. Also some of the world-weary author comes through in the stories, which means the wry and humourous 'voice' of ten year old Durell, created so beautifully in 'My Family and Other Animals' is merely imitated. The only place it fully succeeds is in Antoine's little speech in 'Marrying Off Mother' - which is worth reading the whole book for!

   Perhaps I am being grossly unfair in expecting something like 'My Family and Other Animals' - each book and story should stand on its own. It is worth reading just to get a taste of what other things interested Durell. Some of the stories do not actually have animals in them!

5 comments about An Affair to Remember.

1. If you like/love Tracy and Hepburn in movies, you'll love this book. It's a true account of their lives and how their affair came about, how it was hidden to the world (insiders in Hollywood knew all about it). In fact, it was so well hidden (Kate used to always slip in the back way at hotels), that Tracy's wife upon meeting Hepburn told her she was shocked, that she thought the affair was only a rumor. A very good read, you won't be disappointed.



2. I have always thought that Tracy and Hepburn were a Great couple in Movies, but they were amazing in real life too. The book was a very good history of each of their lives and how they became intertwined. I think it is one of the best books that I have ever read.



3. I have been looking for years for a Spencer Tracy biography and this is about as close as I could find. I have to say I was very pleasantly surpried by this book. First off, it is a quick and easy read and is especially well written for one of these Hollywood tomes. Secondly, rather than just telling the story of the Tracy/Hepburn love affair, it gives you so much background on both stars that I feel as though I have gotten my long sought after Tracy bio. Finally, the book helps the reader to understand that there really is no understanding a love like Tracy and Hepburn shared. Neither could put it into words and neither seemed interested in doing such. Rather than a lot of psycho babble that you usually get in these types of books, the author realizes that there is no accounting for taste and there is no explaining love.



4. These two screen giants met on the set of Woman of the Year in 1942 and were together until Spencer died of a heart attack, shortly after wrapping up Guess Whose Coming to Dinner in 1967. This book chronicles their remarkable, romantic pairing in an era where a movie star's private life could remain hidden from a prying public. Spencer was married to a devoted Catholic, Louise, and he refused to divorce her. He also felt a tremendous sense of guilty about his deaf son. So marriage was out of the question, but Kate didn't care, she just wanted she be with Spencer, and she was, following him all over the world to sit worshipfully at his feet.

   Andersen dutifully chronicles the nine classic Tracy-Hepburn films and gives some intriguing behind-the-scenes glimpses into each movie. There is also much information about Tracy's legendary bouts with the bottle, his brief fling with Gene Tierney in the early 50's and Kate's affair with Howard Hughes in the 1930's. All the bases are covered, but I wish Andersen would have interviewed more people close to the duo. Still, an engrossing read and essential for anyone enamored with either Spencer or Kate.




5. I found An Affair to Remember a truly remarkable portrait of Hepburn and Spencer's lives (before and after they met). The book was interesting and well written. A great pick for anyone interested in either actor.

5 comments about Pit Bull: Lessons from Wall Street's Champion Trader.

1. This book pretty much tells the story of a trader named Marty Schwartz. It describes how he got started trading and evolved into what Barron's called a master trader. There was a lot of "ego" to read about and I almost stopped reading but the story got better. Instead of spending the whole book telling me how smart he was, he started talking about some trades that didn't go so well too. I actually learned from him as he described his errors and how he recovered. It helped me reduce my "pig" factor when I day trade. There was some humor in the book too which kept it fun to read.
   
   So, this book isn't a how to book but it does indirectly give you some good advice to use in your trading. Its worth reading, I enjoyed it.



2. I was amazed at this guy. A lot of the practices he used then works now. Buzzy should be commended for putting his life story in such a vivid tale of success and almost death. I am thankful to have read this book. It has opened me up to another way of thinking and also validated a lot of the practices I do everyday. Buzzy, where is the sequel?



3. I happened upon this book in a used bookstore, and bought it on a whim. All the way thru the book (read practically in one sitting), I kept thinking of how I was reading the story of Tony Soprano in his life as a day trader! Humerous, silly, engaging, challenging, stressful, vain, self-aggrandizing, amd more. I couldn't put it down, and I doubt you will want to either!



4. As other reviewers have noted, this is not a technical "how-to" type of book. However, it gives unique insight into the psychology of someone who has succeeded in a game where in the end, psychology more than anything else divides the winners from the losers, and the losers from their money.



5. I had to give this book 5 stars. It is so entertaining at times I was laughing and other times introspective...just like the author.
   
   Buzzy Schwartz must be considered one of the greatest traders of our time and this book is more of an autobiography than a trading manual. He never divulges his trading methodology nor how he turned from being a mediocre break even trader to the star he became.
   
   He references various indicators he uses but with no explanations and curiously credits Terry Laundry's T theory for his turnaround because " it went back to who I was as a person ". The T Theory is then left to you to figure out (Which I can't).
   
   The best thing I can say about his methodology is that it is uniquely his. All of us need to find what best fits our trading style and apply it...there is no one size fits all in trading.
   
   Towards the end of the book it becomes very clear that Buzzy has become weary of the toll that trading has taken on his life ( he wound up in the hospital and almost died) yet still can't seem to get the trading bug out of his system ( he places a trade while in the doctors office).
   
   All in all one of my favorite books, not for its trading methods but for its entertainment value.

No comments about The Harlem Globetrotters: Clown Princes of Basketball (High Five Reading).