5 comments about Totch: A Life in the Everglades.

1. My first impression of Totch after only 10 pages wasn't very good. But I gave it a chance and I am glad I did. I have kayaked/camped at most of the places he lived and visited in the book. Reading about his experiences and how life was back when he was growing up and relating to my experiences was wonderful. His easy way of telling stories reminded me of some of the people I've met and camped with down in the Everglades - possibly one of those strangers was him...
   
   I totally related and understood most of his situations with nature, mosquitoes, and the weather. Yes, he did some illegal things but you would have to have been raised in the area or at least know the area and the people to really understand.
   
   Highly recommend for anyone who has explored the area and for those interested in the history and how life was in the area.



2. I received this book after a family member visited Totch country. As an avid historian I immediately dived in to this book and never looked back. It was an honest look at a "time forgotten" by a man who presented his life as it was, the good & the bad portions. Don't hesitate to buy this and take a journey with Touch. This is the real Florida & not the Disney version.
   I am making a special trip to Florida in January of 2008 just to visit this place with my two young boys!



3. This book is a wonderfully informative and touching story of a great and honorable man. Through Totch we learn of a nearly forgotten way of life and we see the Everglades as it used to be. I appreciate his honesty and plainspokeness and I'm thankful Totch made this book to preserve an important history. I also recommend the three movies made about him: Totch Brown's tales of the Everglades and 10,000 islands, The Everglades outlaw Totch Brown, and Yesterday's Everglades.



4. Any south Florida history buff will want to add "Totch' to their collection.



5. Don't be misled by Peter Matthiessen's forward, this one is not for the ecologically friendly faint-of-heart. Totch was a one man ecological disaster, constantly on the move wrecking havoc on the wildlife wherever he went. His life of slaughtering animals for personal profit was a willful life choice, hardly dictated by the times, as he claims in his self-serving attempts to justify his pogrom against nature. His self-indulgence was carried to the extreme by illegally poaching thousands of alligators in the protected Everglades National Park in defiance of the laws of man and nature. The purpose for his illegal acts was personal profit, to skin the animals, only using their hides. Their dead carcasses, several hundred in a period of a few days, were dumped into the water to rot. This was hardly an act of survival. He did this because he wanted to, not because he had to. There are several other books, more accurate, better written, and less self-centered, that better describe the early pioneers of Southwest Florida. Rather than augment Totch's bloody legacy by buying his book, I encourage readers interested in the Everglades to look elsewhere, and leave Totch's book describing his carnage against nature to rot, like one of his skinned alligator carcasses, on the ash pile of despicable acts by the self-indulgent.

5 comments about How Lance Does It.

1. I truly admire Lance and what he is done, but this book overdoes it a bit!



2. There were a couple of Lance stories I hadn't heard before, but, overall, it wasn't a good Lance book nor did it impress me as a motivational tool. Save your money: re-read It's Not About the Bike. It's better written, tells a better Lance story and is a darn sight more motivational.



3. "How Lance Does It" is a good and motivational "airplane read." Author Brad Kearns, a former high-level triathlete, explores how Lance Armstrong's approach to sport and life can function as an effective template for our own success and self development.
   
   Some may tire of the elevation of Lance Armstrong as the greatest cyclist, the greatest athlete, the greatest Dad, the greatest philanthropic fund-raiser, et cetera, et cetera. It is difficult to deny that Armstrong is an extraordinary person.
   
   The problem is, does his way work for us and for YOU? Can it? Should it? Should we find our own path?
   
   Yes, the book is motivational but for how long? Is it be motivational equivalent of Chinese food -- 30 minutes later, you're hungry again and the effect wears off?
   
   Nevertheless, there is more good than bad in this short book. Some may find it unseemly idolatry of Lance Armstrong. Others will draw inspiration from it and it is the latter group which is the target audience most likely of author Brad Kearns.



4. For normal "everyday guys" who wonder how guys like Lance Armstrong approach training and racing but will never "stand on a podium in Paris" themselves this book is a must....Ive read every book about Lance Armstrong that I know about and this is the first one to give me insight into how Lance got "through it". Its the first book about Lance that I can actually use in my own life as an average guy doing average workouts and racing in the middle of the pack at the average Triathlon or 10k race! On top of that Brad Kearns sense of witty humor and his entertaining style of writing keep you in "the game". A good book for a pro racer who really does have a shot at the podium in Paris.....But better for the average guy like me who can only dream.....



5. Brad Kearns book "How Lance Does It" is a very well written and tremendously helpful read for anyone interested in performing their best - in all areas of life. Kearns has a frank, strong and empowering way of writing. He does not back down or "soften the blow". If something needs to be said, he lay's it out there which is really refreshing!
   
   This is a great addition to the library of any person who is passionate about living well, growing or improving how they live life.

5 comments about When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It!: Inspiration and Wisdom from One of Baseball's Greatest Heroes.

1. When Yogi was 14 and was asked by his teachers, in a parent-teacher meeting called to decide his fate about whether to continue his schooling. In the presence of his parents, his teacher asked: "Don't you know anything?" Yogi's answer was: "I don't even suspect anything." And with that answer, he was allowed to quit school. And as they say, the rest is history.
   
   This book is irreverent "blue collar philosophy" at its level best. Although we all joke about the apparent illogic and skilful logical disconnects and double entendres in Yogi's homespun aphorisms and jokes, they are not all to be dismissed only on their surface meanings alone. Most have a distinct deeper meaning, which if missed, gives the joker (Yogi) the last laugh.
   
   Here, in their fullest glory are some of Yogi's best productions, interspersed between a brief biography of the high and low points of his life. That there were many more high points than low, itself makes one understand who Yogi was: Not just a ballplayer/philosopher, but a warm sunny deeply interesting human being.
   
   Read and enjoy. Five Stars



2. In his famous poem, "The Road Not Taken" when "two roads diverged in a wood," Robert Frost "took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." Yogi Berra, on the other hand, advises that "When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It" (the title of the book), and "you shouldn't look back." According to Mr. Berra, the "fork", is any decision.
   
   Drawing from his baseball experience, Mr. Berra tells 40 different "stories" all packed with memorable wisdom and insights. The stories range from commonly cited quotations such as "Slump? I ain't in no slump ... I just ain't hitting," and "It ain't over `til it's over" to less common sayings like "I'd rather be the Yankee catcher than the U.S. President," and "The future ain't what it used to be."
   
   For baseball fans, this little book is a necessary read. Each section (chapter) begins with a photo of defining moments in baseball. This book is inspirational. Read it for keeps.
   
   Amavilah, Author
   Modeling Determinants of Income in Embedded Economies
   ISBN: 1600210465



3. Yogi Berra is hilarious.
   
   Each chapter is built around a Yogi-ism, and are delightful to read. A lot of folksy wisdom from this man who fought at Omaha Beach on D-Day AND who played in more World Series than any other baseball player.
   
   The book emphasizes hard work, following your instincts, loyalty to friends, and the importance of laughter, family, and a lot of luck.
   
   Berra was raised on "The Hill" here in St. Louis. I used to play church-league softball at "Berra Park", located a block from his boyhood homesite. His values are good ol' Midwestern, Catholic, and conservative.
   
   Yogi is a national treasure, and he is as proud of American ways of doing things as he is of the Yankees baseball club.
   
   p.s. Do you know how Berra made quite a bit of the money he now has? Baseball? Nope. After baseball, he made some timely investments in bowling alleys and YooHoo chocolate drink!!! He cashed out at the peak of interest in both.



4. While the basis of this book is a collection of some of the Yogi-isms, which always contain a great deal of truth, the best part is that Yogi explains his thoughts on each one of them, While he was a great player for a series of great Yankee teams, Berra was always thought of as a bit of a simpleton. His most famous sayings, where he used internal contradictions to make a point, are funny and seem to indicate a lack of knowledge of English and how it is used. However, it is that internal contradiction that makes the point so well. For example, some of the -isms explained in this book are:
   
   *) It gets late early out there
   *) We have deep depth
   *) Always go to other peoples funerals, otherwise they won't go to yours
   *) You can observe a lot by watching
   
   After each of the -isms, Berra explains the context within which he made the statement and reveals a great deal of the history of his life, his thoughts about life in general and the directions that baseball is going. He comes across as a man who came from humble beginnings, yet has never lost contact with those roots and who was always in control of his actions. He harbors no jealousy regarding what modern ballplayers make, although he has some negative words concerning their off the field actions. He is also saddened by the decline in the popularity of young people playing baseball. It is a rare occasion when you see pickup games being played on the sandlots. He also laments the situation in organized youth baseball such as little league. Like all other youth sports, there is a fierce and counter-productive competitiveness that destroys the joy that children have the right to feel when they are playing engaged in sports.
   This is a book about and by a man that is close to being the most quoted person in the American society. His phrases are used in many facets of our lives, from sports to politics. Hardly a week goes by when I don't hear one of his phrases and I often use them myself. It was fun to read Yogi's explanations of them.



5. Yogi Berra has learned that when someone offers to publish your book, take it. Make the most of living, it can get late early out there. Better make your book forty chapters, the public may not be hungry for fifty.
   
   More of a look into the thoughts, values and beliefs of the baseball legend than a biography, Yogi keeps things pretty straight. Unapologetic and proud of his life, Yogi is not above owning up to a character flaw or two. If he seems to occasionally contradict himself, he comes across as all the more human. This is certainly preferable to the self-service approach others have taken in this type of book, making it a cut above the "self-help from athletes" genre. Every chapter is titled with a piece of philosophical advice, virtually all from Yogisms or in one case a Dimaggioism. Sometimes the content of a chapter is shoehorned to fit the title, but most of the time they mesh.
   
   The best part of the book are the photos that appear at the beginning of each chapter. Rarely seen family and career photos are incorporated with such gems as Yogi and Phil Rizzuto working during the off season at a men's clothing store. These photos tell more about the Yogi that you didn't know than the text does.
   
   If this review doesn't make you want to read this book, I'm not going to try and stop you. Then again, if these type of books get too popular, no one's going to want to read them anymore.

5 comments about Beckham: Both Feet on the Ground: An Autobiography.

1. For a used product it is in excellent condition and i got my purchase on time, i will definately be back.



2. This book is a great book if you are a soccer fan. If your not it will still change the way you look at sports stars forever!
   This book talks about David Beckham inside and out. It makes you realize how many people take the sport called soccer (football) so seriously and how that can affect a player. It makes you see David as a different person. You see past the reputation and greatness of this wonderful man. It makes you look at him as a person like you and me. He is very humble as he tells his story. You realize how much respect he has for other stars such has Michel Jordan, Ronaldo, Zidane and more.
   He talks about his life in soccer and his life outside of soccer. Sometimes I got a little confused because he would go back and forth a little bit but it makes sense if you keep reading. He talks about all the important games and all the games that meant something to him personally. It is amazing how much he remembers from his career at Man U and Real Madrid. He mentions at least 4 games a chapter if not more. I loved that because I love soccer and hearing about what happened.
   He talks about his childhood and how much he was committed to playing. The long nights with his dad in the park and then going to watch his dad play soccer with his friends and how he was so happy when he got to play with them, about how he always liked to play against the older kids for a challenge. How the Ridge Way Rovers, his childhood team and his dad and his coaches made him the player that he is today.
   He talks about all his time with Man U. He talks about his time with the child development team, how he struggled to get a starting position in the first team when his friends were already starting regularly. How he scored his amazing goal from half field to make people start realizing him. He talks about locker room and the attitude and faces of players and coaches before and after the game.
   He talks about his time at England, how he got a red card in France 98 and the reaction he got when he came home to England. He talks about what it means to captain his nation (England).
   He talks about his first season with Real Madrid and how that affected him as a player and how different the culture is from his.
   He talks about his family, about how much he loves them and how much they mean to him and about all the special moment he's had with them.
   Last but not least he talks about the press and paparazzi, how they helped him and how they killed him and his family.
   This amazing book will change the way you look at famous people and the way you look at yourself as a person.



3. A great read. David really talks in depth about his early roots in football.
   
   Short and sweet - if you want to know about the world best soccer players....read his autobiography!



4. The life of David Beckham is often splashed across the tabloids and may or may not be the truth. In this honest autobiography, Mr Beckham details beginning as a boy with a passion for soccer, meeting the girl of his dreams, his role as proud father, and his triumphs and defeats playing for Manchester United and now for Real Madrid. Readers not avid fans of soccer will also find this memoir inspiring.



5. Are you looking for a great book to read? Then the book for you is Beckham Both Feet on the Ground. This is a fantastic autobiography by one of the greatest living soccer players of all time. You're probably thinking yuck soccer. That's boring. Well you couldn't be any more wrong. This book not only talks about his incredible soccer career, but he also talks about his fantastic stories of his childhood and his wonderful wife and children. This book goes through his whole life story from when he was a little boy in London to his new home in Real Madrid. He is said to be the next big soccer prodigy the world has ever seen. Is it true? He tells many stories of his glories victories to his upsetting losses. This book is an emotional roller coaster. From getting a red card in the world cup to winning the FA Primer league with his beloved club team Manchester United. This book is the number one international best seller. It was easy to understand. It was a lengthy book but don't be intimidated. It was so intriguing that you wont want to put it down. There are also a variety of pictures to help better understand what he is saying. To read more about the wonderful life of David Beckham pick this book up were ever books are sold.

5 comments about The Hardcore Diaries.

1. WWE superstar and hardcore legend, Mick Foley is no stranger to writing. Aside from writing two #1 New York Times bestselling memoirs (Have a Nice Day and Foley is Good), Mick Foley has also wrote multiple children books and fiction novels. Hardcore Diaries is Foley's third volume of memoirs, which has a lot to live up to his two aforementioned autobiographies.
   
   Foley's last book finishes up shortly after he retired from wrestling in 2000. This one covers up until mid 2006 of Foley's life and career. Hardcore Diaries has a unique way of detailing those six years. Instead of starting straight from where Foley last left off, the whole book is wrapped around Foley's involvement in coming up with his One Night Stand 2006 match where he teamed with Edge against Terry Funk and Tommy Dreamer.
   
   Every few chapters Foley comes back to this angle on how the creative process runs behind the scenes in WWE and how his initial vision for the storyline went though many political compromises and unwelcome changes. In between the chapters of the creative plan for the ECW angle, a smaller than expected section is devoted to the angles and returns to the ring Foley was involved in the previous six years, and a larger than expected section is devoted to his family and many charity contributions.
   
   This all doesn't come together too nicely. Nothing against Foley's many charity contributions and his commitment to being a family man, but those chapters seemingly went on forever. They are still interesting to read about, but after awhile I forgot I was reading a wrestler's autobiography. They ended up interrupting the flow of the book, as throughout Hardcore Diaries it never felt like it was going in full gear.
   
   I'll give Foley credit for trying something new for this book, but it just didn't work out in the end. With that said Hardcore Diaries is a disappointment and easily ranks as the lowest of his three autobiographies, but it is still better than many other wrestler biographies out on the market right now. If you liked the first two Foley books, you will probably still enjoy this, but to a much lesser extent.
   
   The Hardcore Diaries



2. This book is poorly written and very boring. I cannot recommend it.
   The book on Shawn Michaels and Stone Cold's books were much more informative and entertaining.
   This one was a waste.



3. Not Mick's best work, but he is still by far, the best author to come out of the WWE. The book itself is well written and gives you insight to how things work in wrestling. The one thing you can always count on is Mick's terrific sense of humor. After reading this, you will see Mick Foley is a big man with an even bigger heart. He truly lets you see his human side.



4. I have read 2 of Mick Foleys 3 Autobiographies (Hardcore Diaries and Foley Is Good) and I loved them both. Mick Foley gives a wrestlers, all tell look at the WWE. He also tells many stories about his own life with the perfect amount of detail.
   
   Any Mick Foley fans, or wrestling fans in general...This is a must have



5. This was a major disappointment in every way imaginable. I wish I had a nickel for every time he plugged one of his own earlier works; I'd be a millionaire. How many freaking times does he have the use the phrase "#1 New York Times Bestselling Author". Yes Mick, we get it. You sold a lot of books. But why did you need to write another book just to brag about your earlier accomplishments?
   
   In terms of insider wrestling information which is what I was hoping the WHOLE book would be, it is again a diappointment. I actually had to skip over many sections of the book because the content was so incredibly boring.
   
   I would highly NOT recommend this book; if you are a true blue die hard Foley fan, read on his other 2 autobiographies, or rent this from the library.

5 comments about The Runner: A True Account of the Amazing Lies and Fantastical Adventures of the Ivy League Impostor James Hogue.

1. Samuels has taken an admirable stab at dissecting this enigmatic Gatsbyesque con man's psyche for motive, astutely tabulating the paltry gain from the years of petty crime. In a funny aside that Samuels to his credit puts in the book, Hogue responds to one of Samuels's elaborate and quirky questionnaires by closing with this jibe: "What's with the janitor garb? Are you trying to show your solidarity with the lumpen?"
   
   The book is an elaboration of a New Yorker article and probably should have stayed as such (much like Barry Werth's Scarlet Professor), as it feels stretched and padded. Although not a great writer, Samuels rightly senses that he holds compelling subject matter. One fault is that the chronology would have been much better as a simple linear progression; it confusingly yoyos between past and future. Also, instead of just letting the story tell itself, Samuels often intrudes with exaggerated veneration of the privilege of a Princeton (or his own Harvard) education, with admissions committees' self deluding liberal smugness, and with largely irrelevant autobiographical items.
   
   Hogue ultimately proves uncooperative and Samuels is left to speculate on his quarry, but perhaps there is no very profound mechanism at work here. Although I have to admit I'm looking forward to seeing the documentary Con Man. One wonders what a Truman Capote or a Norman Mailer might have done with this material.



2. Just finished reading Samuels The Runner, and literally could not put it down. Wow! What a crazy fascinating story. It's amazing that people like Hogue exist and that people like Samuels can tell their tale so well. I really felt like I was there, meeting Hogue in person. Not sure what the other reviewers problems are... I thought it was great, and so did every other members of my book group (expect Andy, but he hates everything!) Really, this is a five star winner!



3. Some writers can craft a sentence and story; some reporters unearth great detail. David Samuels is that rare talent who can do both, and the result is The Runner, a terrific literary page turner.



4. The Runner is a engaging read about a fascinating character. The original article was the tip of the iceberg and I appreciated the expanded treatment. David's writing is insightful and funny. The books leaves me wanting more but in a way that keeps the fascination alive. Like a movie with an open ending I am left to wonder about specific events and ponder what it really means to reinvent yourself in a world that is so clearly driven by unfair rules. No one likes to be lied to but sometimes lies can be inspiring.



5. This book seems particularly relevant right now, with the literary world increasingly falling victim -- practically once a month -- to frauds, plagiarists and con artists. It's the true life story of a particularly colorful specimen. In his late 20's, basically a drifter living in Colorado, James Hogue decided to recreate himself as a charismatic genius and sports hero -- and he used his new identity to hustle his way into Princeton University as an undergrad. He was a complete fake, but as Samuels shows, that doesn't make him any less accomplished. His insane story tells you as much about our times, and about our elite institutions, as it does about the peculiar twists and turns of one individual's particular psyche. In America, the land of self-invention, the con man is often king, and this small book -- just about the same length as The Great Gatsby, one of Hogue's inspirations -- is a wonderful and strangely moving portrait of a true American original. David Samuels is well-known as an award-winning magazine journalist, and this, his first book, shows him at the top of his form. I recommend it highly.

5 comments about My Losing Season.

1. This book is an autobiography of Pat Conroy. If yourexecting the Prince of Tides...look elsewhere for FICTION!... I must admit a bias since I went to college in the South and attended many games against the myriad of colleges Conroy excelled against, seven years later though. I also played basketball, and as most of my teammates would say i had more desire than skill...so I identify with Pat Conroy of his Citaldel days. If basketball bores you, move on and find your reading enjoyment elsewhere!



2. Pat Conroy hasn't written a basketball book in the style of the wonderful "A Season on the Brink". Here, the actual season takes a bleacher seat compared to the main theme of coming of age and dealing with a wide emotional range, from great pleasure to enduring abuse that can make a reader squirm.
   
   The basketball itself is interesting enough, with details pulled together after 30 years thanks to a concerted mining expedition with former teammates, a rather successful lot in middle age. As Conroy says, winners develop bonds with each other that last, with memories they want to keep. Losers, well, they move on and don't need any reminders.
   
   The Citadel team underachieved, losing several close games, with the finger-pointing going to themselves and their mediocre coach Mel Thompson. One might think of Bobby Knight or some other screamer as a coach, but at least Coach Knight knew what he was doing and could usually motivate his boys. On Coach Thompson, we hear plenty of how he brought out the worst or sapped their energy with an ill-timed remark or action. Plus, the average college player didn't have to survive the brutal hazing of freshman year and the other challenges of a military school.
   
   In Conroy's case, life intervenes even more in the presence of his father, well-known to people already aware of Conroy's work. A vision of Robert Duvall as the obnoxious Dad was impossible to avoid, with never a kind word and, in reality, degrading insults even when Pat was at his best. How he could (usually) shrug off the abuse is beyond me, other than it must have come from the same reservoir that make him a tough scrapper on the court.
   
   Other threads include some fine mentors on campus who helped Pat survive and develop his literary interests, a distressed pregnant girl he falls for, the honor system, and a nice summary of high school hoops while on the move. As with many survivor stories, a key individual often makes the difference at a critical time or over a sustained period, and Conroy had his benefactors. There is no doubt that he is a very loyal person who appreciates what others did on his behalf. He even had enough loyalty to Coach Thompson, for some reason, leading to some strange appreciative remarks at the end, and he even had some surprising partial reconciliation with Dear Old Abusive Dad. Conroy is one guy who is all over the map emotionally.



3. Pat Conroy, the brilliant novelist, brings his fantastic writing style to his own memoirs in My Losing Season. Pat describes his life from his early childhood through his college years at The Citadel. His father, a Marine, was both physically and verbally abusive throughout Pat's lifetime. When Conroy Senior wasn't beating Pat's mom, he was taking his aggressions out on any one of the seven Conroy children. They learned to avoid him whenever possible and do what they could to avoid raising his ire. Pat found solace in the game of basketball anywhere he could find it. In school he found structure and guidance, on the street courts he found art and guts. But no matter where Pat played he loved every aspect of the game and the various nuances that he could learn.
   
   Conroy chronicles the difficulties of his home life and then the hardship of being a plebe in a rigorous military college where athletes were practically loathed. In many ways, Conroy's situation did not improve when he escaped his father's daily wrath. But what Conroy explains is that these tribulations were the basis of his personal character building and moments that he now looks back on with feelings of gratitude and appreciation. He writes of his journey to becoming a writer and how he balanced his academic studies with the rigors of college athletics.
   
   Conroy has written a delightful book that reads like his novels but with the added touch of his reality. He does not hesitate to address his own shortcomings as a human, writer, and athlete. This lends credibility to his descriptions of his youth and how that youth shaped his adulthood. My Losing Season contains many references to Conroy's works of fiction and at times discusses the outcome or plots of his novels that may be considered spoilers by those that have not read the novels. However, mostly, it is a unique insight into the author's thought process that will likely lead to a more enjoyable reading of these fictional books. My Losing Season will be enjoyed by those already loyal to Conroy and those that are finding him for the first time.



4. My Losing Season is the story of The Citadel's '66-'67 season. Pat Conroy begins the book with a little background as to how he got into basketball and fell in love with the game, as a child in a military family moving from town to town every year. He takes the reader through his journey up until he arrives at The Citadel for college. While Conroy does give tremendous details about his experience at The Citadel, the majority of the book deals with the '66-'67 basketball season. Conroy takes the reader game for game through the ups and mostly downs of the season - their crazy coach Mel Thompson, the Green Weenies, the loss of confidence of the starting 5, and all the teams they play in the Southern conference.
   
   As a reader you'll get to know these guys - DeBrosse, Cauthen, Kennedy, Zinsky, Tee Hooper, etc - you truly feel for them especially because they're real people and these games really happened! It's a great lesson on what one can learn from losing. Are those lessons more important that having a winning season? My only complaint was that since every chapter was really a different basketball game it got tedious at times. You definitely have to be a sports enthusiast to enjoy this book!



5. I have a message for Pat Conroy: STOP YOUR WHINING. I read the book on a recommendation from a friend - however, I wish had not wasted my time on it. Mr Conroy did a masterful job of weaving the story of his life into his expereinces at the Citadel. But, personally, I could not take his whining attitude - the tough plebe system at the Citadel, his "Great Santini" father, his demeaning basketball coach, the reaction from Citadel alumnists over his bashing of their school. This book seemed to infer that he was suffering some inhumane, life-long injustice. Give me a break!! I regret that Mr Conroy's reputation as a great writer and the publisher's willingness to support this project allowed the book to be published in the first place. For anyone paying attention to the rest of the world, this book is a crock...one word of advice for Pat Conroy: suck it up!! Alas, I think it's too late for Mr Conroy. One other note: You would never, ever see wrestler write a book like this!!

3 comments about The Death of Marco Pantani: A Biography.

1. Rendell does a good job of chronicling the young Pantini and the promise he showed in his early races. He also details his family life and the seeds for his later emotional issues. Rendell works analytically and steps through the events related to Marco's medical evidence of doping, his mental and social issues, and his eventual death. I have read other reviews in which readers expressed disappointment that Pantani's pro racing victories are not highlighted more in the book. I think the title explains Rendell's focus and as long as the reader in interested in learning more about Pantani as a man in addition to a cycling champion, I think this is a very good read.



2. First off, this is a good book, but it depends what you want out of it. Maybe I just prefer the cycling writings of John Wilcockson. For me, I like something like "23 Days in July" about the ups and downs, real life of a bike racer so that I feel like I am living it. This is the 3rd of the 3 Pantani books I have read and what I can say about it is; if you want to dig very deep into whether or not the guy "doped" than this is for you. If you want a book that really celebrates the champion's accoplishments balanced with what brought him down, without a ton of science thrown in, then I would recommend "Marco Pantani: The Legend of a Tragic Champion" as the best of the 3 books out there. Rendell's book is tied for second with Ronchi's overall. Ronchi's book really sheds more light onto his personal life and is also worth the read.
   
   All good books, but I am on my second read of "tragic champion" and it probably won't be my last.
   
   Overall, I feel Rendell thought Pantini was guilty of cheating and he made a point of proving it, which he did. Problem is, it was proven in heavy detail and took up too much of the book.



3. I struggled through this chronicling of Pantani's storied career. The author detailed every one of Pantani's races while he was a teenager then barely mentioned his early Tours de France. If I could stand more Pantani trivia, I'd buy the other two biographies to compare them with this. A disappointment.

5 comments about One Good Run: The Legend of Burt Munro.

1. One Good Run: The Legend of Burt Munro
   Anyone who has seen the movie "World's Fastest Indian" must read this book. I couldn't put it down -- tremendous



2. I have seen The worlds fastest indian eleven times now and read both books.If you are really into bikes you must do both the film and the books.Burt was a genius and a real character and I wish I had met him.Watch the film and read the book.If you love bikes and a good laugh,you will enjoy both.



3. Tim Hanna, the author, has nailed the essence of both Burt Munro and late '60s hot rodding. This book is delightful in its exposition of what it's like to follow a dream, even into old age. It's a treatise on just being yourself, without pandering to society. It's about learning to talk to people to win them over. It's about doing with your own hands what "the experts" say can't be done.
   
   If ever there was an opposite to "chick lit" this is truly it.



4. An awesome insight into the life of this brilliant man, warts & all. The detail of machines, races & records as well as his personal nuances makes very easy reading. Anybody who had heard of Bert or the film based on his record run will find this book gives life to the details!



5. Covers his full life and details his relationships w/ the character in the film, as well defines his incredible determination and personality and lust of life

5 comments about Caught Inside: A Surfer's Year on the California Coast.

1. I haven't finished the book yet, but as far as I am concerned, this book deserves all the 5 stars I gave it!
   I live in a place surrounded by mountains, where people are very narrow-minded, and distant sooo many miles from my beloved USA; therefore, I am always looking for a book that keeps me company during the cold months of winter that separates me from my summer vacation in California.
   I need this to keep my mind occupied, and I definitely enjoy books that can describe the coast and the deep feelings and believings of surfers so thoroughly.
   What I particularly appreciate about this book is the way he describes the surfing and other facts (history, sharks and otters ways of living, etc.) related to the life of a surfer.
   I definitely recommend this book, you gotta give it a try!



2. What a total waste of time this book was. I read, or should I say endured, about 60-pages of it before wanting to throw it out a closed window. No story-line, just some incoherent ramblings. He would have been better to take the year off and do a creative writing course.



3. This book is ok - not excellent - if you give it 5 stars you really need to read some more books. It is somewhat interesting in describing the life of a surfer but its extremely repetitive, it drags on and its lacking in any action and that certain something that seperates the wheat from the chafe.
   
   You can almost feel the editor saying we need to spice this up - what about sharks - so there are forays into sharks and surfers. It gets ridiculous when he writes about being scared to pee in the water because a great white will smell it and come in and chomp you. Yes - that is really a huge concern I think 100 surfers were eaten by great whites last after they peed in the ocean.
   
   If you are going to read this book - read the first few chapters and then put it down because the book, you won't miss anything later on - except for silly shark myths.



4. Look, If you want to read a book about the important aspects of life, more important than making money and going to school (sure it seems impossible and even I have fallen into the monotonous doldrum of capitalist existance) read this memoir. It will teach you life. I've read it 3 times over the past year and each time my yearning for the coast grows. Unfortunately I'm stuck in Cleveland, Ohio and all I have are dreams and books.



5. Daniel Duane got it right in "Caught Inside". I know the neighborhood well and the town and coast that the author describes. I am a local. It is a time and place well observed and thoughtfully related. If you don't surf, don't be put off by the title. It is even better if you do surf, as you will recognize some of the characters in the book and the rich experiences in the water. With wry wit and enthusiasm, the tale unfolds of a year spent in the pure pursuit of living. By the way, it's freezing here, the surf sucks and the water is full of sharks.