1 comments about Life Is More Than 9 Innings: Memories of a Boston Red Sox Pitcher.

1. Very good book and very, very funny. The stories are short and concise making the book easy to pick up and read a few stories at one's leisure. A slight warning however, the stories are so entertaining that it's hard to put the thing down. A great book for everyone, but especially for those of us that remember those wonderful baseball years.
   
   Warren Bowen
   Glendora, California

5 comments about Mostly True: A Memoir of Family, Food, and Baseball.

1. This book was received in a very timely fashion,much faster than I expected.For a used book,it was in excellent condition.I also enjoyed this book very much.It was a heart warming story of a wonderful and some what eccentric family.



2. What a wonderful book of the American Family. Written from the perspective of the oldest sibling, who is also the only girl, it is just plain fun. Growing up without a lot of money doesn't mean life has to be boring or painful. Parents don't have to be perfect and neither do the kids.



3. For anyone who grew up around Columbus, OH in the 60s and 70s, this is a must. But, incredibly, O'Neill makes the book fascinating as well for her look at NY and its restaurant scene in the 80s and 90s. And the glue to the whole narrative is her and her family,including her famous little brother, Paul. Well done Molly.



4. Molly O'Neill has a very engaging writing style that pulls you into her world. It's a world peopled with the wildly obsessed, but go along as the ride is enjoyable. Molly O'Neill writes about a life that straddled midwest big city longings with utopian politics and food plays a big role at all stops. My only quibble is that the book has less to do about being Paul O'Neill's sister than the book jacket may lead you to believe.



5. After reading this book I ordered several copies as gifts. That probably says it all, but I can't just leave it there. Molly O'Neill and her family grew up in the neighborhood where I live and I was taken by her memories of family life where she was the only girl with five male siblings and a father whose main focus was baseball. The exploits of the boys had me laughing out loud while also being thankful I didn't live next door to them.
   I enjoyed reading how Molly's cooking expertise evolved and even included her brothers in this endeavor. Her writing, as always, was a delight.

5 comments about Hollywood Hulk Hogan.

1. Hulk Hogan, the modern icon of pro wrestling, admits right away the supposed "sport" is rigged, the outcomes of matches predetermined. For that he should be commended. Otherwise, this book isn't that great, it's Hulk Hogan's autobiography telling people he wanted to see how much money they could make off this. Hogan was making like a million dollars a show and when WCW peaked it was a hundred million dollar a year industry. Vince Russo ruined wrestling for good, making Hogan job to people like Billy Kidman, which ended up in Vince McMahon buying WCW for a mere 3 million dollars. His only halfway believable angle with was Zeus in 1989. Brutus Beefcake was blown way out of proportion; he doesn't even mention the near fatal face accident and current blindness. It's marketed at families with no sense of humor. He comes clean on his steroids abuse, which we've all known for years. Hulk Hogan strikes me as someone who took his real life persona too seriously, as a redneck body builder. He admits finally although he's really part French, he is otherwise of descent from a third world country- the blonde Irishman wasn't believable. They should've made Roddy Piper the main guy, inflation wouldn't be so high. Commend Hogan for picking up the ball that was dropped by: Bob Backland, Ultimate Warrior, Lex Luger, Sting, The Giant, Batista...



2. I could go into long detail on his "rationalization" of controversial fixes Hogan was caught up in like steroids, Vince and holding back younger wrestlers through his backstage politics.
   However, this one important timepiece Hogan makes pretty much no mention of whatsoever was Starcade 1997 and Sting. He never once admits to having too big of an ego to cleanly lose to Sting/Steve Borden at all in this book. Skirting a well known wrestling feud where his ego was put ahead of "what was best for business" in WCW at the time with Sting automatically negates this book as a TRUE AND HONEST AUTOBIOGRAPHY.



3. Despite the two Star Rating that I gave to this book, This book did have it's good points. I liked how Hogan told the story of how he was a fat little kid who would eventually become the person that put Wrestling on the map. According to Hogan, he was a fat kid. Also his rise through the Wrestling ranks, and how he had to pay his dues before he became the Hulk Hogan we all know today. He seriously thought about giving up Wrestling altogether. Thank god he didnt, otherwise we wouldnt of had such Wrestling Master Pieces like Starcade 1997.
   
   
   I'm a huge fan of Hulk Hogan, but this book left a lot to be desired.
   I know others touched on this, but he says the word "brother" an awful lot, it was like he was cutting a 400 page promo.
   
   I have two main critcisms with this book. The first one is, this isnt a biography really, its more like Hogan trying to protect his massive ego.
   Like how he said Warrior wasnt worthy of being the new champion and he was right, He also defended his plan to Win the belt at Wrestlemania 9, 10 seconds after Bret Hart already lost to Yokozuna. Bret Hart couldnt beat Yokozuna in a 15 minute match, but Hogan beat Yoko in like 10 seconds. I dont know how you can defend that but Hogan managed to do it.
   
   
   My other criticism of this book is, he touched on things nobody cared about. Like his role in Rocky 3, he wrote a lot about that. *yawn*
   or his matches with Dennis Rodman as his tag team partner, against Karl Malone and DDP *yawn*
   
   I wanted to hear more about his last years in the WWF/E the creation of NWO and his take on it. And more about the bad blood between him and Savage. But all that is skipped over. All the interesting points in his career are glossed over real quick, or barely mentioned at all.
   
   If you're a fan of Hogan, I reccomend reading it, but if you're not a fan of his Massive Titanic sized Ego, dont read it.



4. HULK HOGAN ABOY BORN IN VENICE BEACH CALIFORNIA HE STARTED PLAYING BASEBALL IN FLORIDA THEN AFTER A FEW YEARS LATERS HE MET MUTSADA AND BECAME A REALLY GREAT WRESTLER AND HE BECAME THE FIRST THREE TIME CHAMPION THIS BOOK REALLY ENSPIRED ME TO GO FOR MY GOALS AND NEVER QUIT.



5. There is no denying Hulk Hogan's place in pop culture; the charismatic character, along with Vince McMahon then being on top of his game in marketing, made pro wrestling a major entertainment vehicle.
   
   I saw it in the Cleveland, OH, which once had weekly TV tapings and shows, but fell apart literally overnight when popular wrestler Johnny Powers fled the city in the midnight hour, leaving behind unpaid bills and unpaid employees from a series of closed health clubs.
   
   Periodic shows were being run by a number of companies - including the WWF - at the Cleveland Convention Center. But the area caught fire with the WWF's second show at the Richfield Coliseum with the first appearance of Hogan, defending the world title against Jesse Ventura. The show sold out, which became common during Hogan's peak years as the champion face who would pin the bad guy or avenge the "loss" - those Dusty finishes - at the next show.
   
   Like all the books in the WWE catalog, it follows a standard script of bringing the character to real life. I found particularly interesting his dealings with Mr. T and how he got the part in Rocky III (and why Hollywood contracts need to be read and re-read and read some more before signing).
   
   The book may not change the minds of critics who have ravaged him over the years for a lack of technical wrestling ability and for the oftentimes embarrassingly bad movies. But his story is as important as any pro wrestler's from the 1980s to today.

1 comments about Driving Home: My Unforgettable Super Bowl Run with DVD.

1. This was a christmas gift for our grandson, who is a steelers fan.
   He was real excited to receive this as a gift.

5 comments about My Journey in Karate: The Sabaki Way.

1. My Journey In Karate: The Sabaki Way is a in depth book about Kancho Ninomiya's Journey though Karate. It describes how he won the All Japan Tournment and started the Enshin Karate Style. I am a Student of Enshin and Recommend the book to anyone who wants to read a great book about Karate. Two Thumbs up!



2. Anyone who has been a serious martial artist will throughly enjoy reading the inspiring story of Grand Master of Enshin Karate Joko Ninomiya. Anyone who has been serious about the martial arts for a significant amount of time can relate to Ninomiya's life story.

   Before beginning his study of kyokushin karate at the age of 15, Ninomiya practiced judo. After making the transition to karate, Ninomiya never turned back and had the dream of becoming a karate champion. The book explains how he would go to different karate schools in Japan and challenge the top students to improve his skills. He challenged different schools in a dignified way, he never used bully tactics. After hearing about the all-Japan karate tournement, Ninomiya practiced diligently for years until he was able to win first place. In the book, he talks about his training and preparation, his fights and the people who helped him become better as a martial artist and as a person.

   I like the way Ninomiya emphasizes that karate is not about winning tournaments and beating people up, it's about confronting yourself and pushing beyond what you are today. Master Ninomiya admits that he did not realize the true meaning of karate until after he had accomplished one of his goals. Sometimes that's what it takes because after we win something or accomplish something big, we often ask ourselves "now what?" and become complacent. We should fight against this complacency because it will only make things harder in the long run.

   Towards the end of the book, Ninomiya gives his opinion of "no holds barred" fighting contests. I agree with Ninomiya that "no holds barred" contests appeal to a morbid curiosity. People often watch these types of contests and are happy to see someone lying flat on their back at the end of a match or seriously hurt in some way. Ninomiya founded The Sabaki Challenge which is a real karate tournament, but he has a point system that emphasizes technique to minimize injuries.




3. Rarely in the martial arts world are biographies rich with insight about both the individual and the training. Normally, -except a couple bio accounts of Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris' auto-bio account- the books are very dry and not very telling. Sometimes it is the writing and often it is because the reader is never really let under the skin of the martial artist. In this book - that has changed.
   
   Ninomiya graciously allows the reader to travel in his mind and spirit as he grows from an unfocused (though hardworking)martial artist and somewhat immature teen into a higly skilled and mature warrior.
   
   The reader travels and sees when Ninomiya, through several events and a couple of key mentors, understands himself and his journey through karate. Unlike most auto-biographical accounts, I never felt Ninomiya was boasting about his success. Instead, he shows where his failures and determined manner leads to success beyond winning a "trophy."
   
   An excellent book. I learned much from this extra-ordinary man.



4. Kancho Ninomiya is not only a world class champion, he writes with a certain gift; one that captures the essence of a lesson one could only get from training with him... and make no mistake, this may make for an inspiring read but reading it without training in any martial art is as hollow as reading Shakespeare and never seeing it performed... I began studying karate very seriously as an adult under Sensei Kishi, one of Kancho Ninomiya's teachers and best friends, as well as a collaborator on this book... this text captures the true spirit of martial arts training, something that is very difficult by nature of the difference between the written word and the life of martial arts training. Osu.



5. I have been a martial artist for most of my life, and so have always been attracted to stories that outline other martial artists journeys. Joko Ninomiya has written a "must read" for anyone whose chosen path is the Way of the Warrior. He has done an outstanding job of outlining the highs and lows of a life dedicated to the "eight Fold Path". I was also moved by his love and respect for his Sensei and for his father. This book was much more than I expected and a wonderful addition to everyone's library.

5 comments about A Test of Will: One Man's Extraordinary Story of Survival.

1. Survival stories are a 'guilty pleasure' of mine and over the years I've gobbled up quite a few. Although I have yet to find a story that gets even close to Krakauer's 'Into Thin Air' this is definitely one of the better books of the genre.
   
   As opposed to plenty of other author's of survival books Warren Macdonald stays refreshingly human in his outlook and he quite openly describes also his not so positive and politically correct feelings. I was very impressed particularly by the second half of the book describing how he works to get his life back on track in a self-determined manner. His attitude could certainly serve as an example for a lot of people out there.
   
   As for the contributions of his travel companion, I could have very well done without them.
   
   Certainly a good read!



2. Very inspiring. I did see Warren MacDonald in an interview and he had so much Charisma that I wanted to read the book. An amazing story how a person can evolve through crisis, this goes for the victim as well as for the savior. Warren shows that the sky can be the limit and it is possible to put mind over matter. It is a very intense story and the way it is written, it feels like being part of it. It's remarkable how candid he describes his feelings and conclusions regarding the amputation. It gave me very important insights as I never knew anyone dealing with amputation, but it completely changed my view.



3. I approached this book with some trepidation. Having just read two similar accounts of persons severely injured in the wilderness, I was in no mood to endure yet another awfully written book.
   
   Apparently, Warren MacDonald has some writing experience or perhaps a very good editor. In either case, readers are treated to an exceptionally interesting book chronically the course of Warren's maverick life.
   
   As expected, Warren first immerses his readers in the gripping tale of his entrapment beneath a one-ton rock as fellow hiker Geert van Keulen frantically goes for help. An added feature of the book are the Geert van Keulen written sections covering his side of the experience.
   
   In interspersed chapters, reader's learn of Warren's introduction to the wilderness, his doomed efforts to save a portion of it, and his eventual and emotional efforts with friends and family to overcome the loss of his legs. Showing his maturity, Warren is wise enough to thank all those folks responsible for his rescue and long recovery.
   
   This is truly a well written and inspiring take on the age old ideal of never giving up.



4. For Warren, things went from bad to worse, to worst. Wow! I knew how it ended and I still couldn't put it down. It's a great message in an even better book.



5. After you read this book, everything in your life will be measured by the BEFORE Warren, or the AFTER Warren Macdonald experience. Because one thing is certain, you will NEVER see the world in the same way, AFTER
   reading Warren's book. There are some books that change your life, your heart, your mind and your perspective forever.... and then there is Warren's book, that is far greater than that! Warren will change how you value life itself. Warren will change how you feel inside your own skin! Warren will transform your
   relationship with the Earth; and he will do it with an honesty, a directness and a sincerity that you will never forget.
   
   There are some stories that forever change who YOU are by reading them. There are some people whose courage and strength, redefine what it means to be alive and successful. I am a better person for having read
   Warren's book; how many authors can say that about their literary contributions?
   
   Vaishali

No comments about Haskins: The Bear Facts.

4 comments about The Villain: A Portrait of Don Whillans.

1. A magnificent book, this biography of Britain's most controversial post-war climber. Jim Perrin's rendering of Whillans' life is truly "symphonic": as it unfolds there is a feeling of progression, of widening vistas, of deepening insight into the subterranean drives of this wilful personality. All of this emerges organically from a number of key themes - Whillans' working-class background, the fraught relationship with his key climbing partners (Joe Brown and Chris Bonnington) and his wife Audrey, the fractious dynamics in the English climbing community, the enduring attraction of Cheshire gritstone, Chamonix granite and the snow and ice of the great Himalayan peaks. These themes are refracted in myriads of amazing, often wildly funny stories and anecdotes. As a result of Perrin's great and humane skill in weaving these various strands together, the story assumes a significance that goes beyond this particular constellation of character, space and time. After having read this book, Don Whillans' personality stands for something bigger, something more fundamental and iconic. At a certain point, Perrin very aptly likens Whillans to Achilles - enormously gifted and driven but unable to quell his egotism and agression, unable to let his gift flower into a more balanced, endearing persona. There are lessons here for all of humanity. On the other hand, and despite the deeper significance that speaks from Perrin's narrative, this is a climbers' book in such a fundamental and exemplary way. With immense sympathy and wisdom it speaks particularly to those who have experienced what it means to have space below your feet, to trust your life to your own and your partner's skill and the mood of the mountain, to precariously feel your way through vast wilderness spaces. I enjoyed this book immensely. Don Whillans is here to stay.



2. most biographies of climbers have a limited audience in mind - other climbers. while that is clearly the intended readership for Mr. Perrin's opus, it is so well written, and the psychology and sociology of the subject is of broad enough interest, that this book deserves to be picked up by more general-interest readers who are "into" biography. it is, by turns, poignant, frustrating, impressive, heart-warming, side-splittingly funny, and sad - thus optimally reflecting the character of Mr. Whillans.
   a delight - recommend it to a non-climber!
   cheers.



3. This is a quite wonderful book. Jim Perrin is a rare man: a mountaineer from working class roots who's also a very gifted writer, in my opinion the finest of all the mountaineering writers of late. He's an averagely competent climber - no extreme gymnast or Everest-conquering hero - but has been in the "scene" for decades and knew Whillans personally, who, besides being a fabulously gifted climber armed with a devastating wit, was also famously bellicose. (Perrin's first encounter with Whillans was when Whillans invited him to 'step outslde' after he'd bumped him in a Welsh pub; people who didn't know Whillans often got into trouble with because he was so small - only five foot three. "But it's raining!" exclaimed Perrin, to his immediate embarrassment. "Aye, yer wet enough already", retorted Whillans, and walked away chuckling. They later became friends.)
   
   The book is sublimely assembled and the acute poignancy of his subject - the "hardest man" in British climbing, who while broadly loved, revered and admired by the climbing community at large, was shunned in his later years by a sizeable minority of his peers - actually reduced me to tears in several places: each time, surprised by the sudden lump in my throat, I had to stop reading for a few minutes. This was a clearly a terribly difficult project (it took nearly twenty years to complete); in his preface he says the book was really written by the entire British climbing community, such was the quality and quantity of the material provided from every quarter. As I read on, quite unable to put the book down, I found myself increasingly admiring of Perrin's writing on what is a very challenging and unstraightforward subject - a respected friend, brilliant in many ways yet full of flaws and complexity, revered by the climbing community yet brim-full of contradictions. Some of the most moving parts of the book for me were the brilliant glimpses Perrin provided into the undoubted soft, sensitive, yet almost totally hidden core of this toughest and bravest of men: when he relished bouncing a balloon with a friend's small child (he thought no-one was watching); the great care he gave to those in difficulty in perilous and serious mountain situations (when he always came into his own; many described Whillans as the very finest mountaineer ever to share a tight corner with); the desperate hurt and betrayal he felt - and never got over - when Joe Brown, his old-time climbing partner and (some may say) nemesis, was invited to Kanchenjunga in 1953 but Whillans was overlooked; the times when as a small child he was a famous 'scrapper' but would always do the decent thing and own up when a friend was unjustly punished for one of Whillans' misdemeanours. For me, Whillans - in most, but not all, of his actions and behavior; the only exceptions occurred when he was drunk and a different, more violent and angry persona sometimes emerged - epitomizes the very definition of 'integrity": when one's words, actions and beliefs are all in alignment, like it or not. The only aspect of the man that rarely broke surface was his own undoubtedly emotional core, which drove him in every way, and gave the lie to his sometimes apparently unkind, selfish or insensitive presentation of himself to his mountaineering brethren.
   
   Here is one of a large number of impeccably crafted paragraphs:
   
   "This vignette [the great Tom Patey's article for that year's Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal entitled "a Short Walk with Whillans'] by the finest comic essayist in climbing literature played a considerable role in establishing the persona of Whillans as doom-laded quipster and drollster, and in a mellow but perceptive way also brought out the character traits that were ultimately to contribute to the widespread disaffection with him among the companions on his later expeditions: the strategic indolence, the racism, the incessant scrounging, and the propensity for dogmatic utterance that would brook no contradiction. It also, in a brief and masterful final paragraph, captured beautifully the sense that here was a man who, for all his unique abilities and exceptional achievements, had hanging around him something of the atmosphere of failure, something of the sense of one unloved by those gods who bestow good fortune and easy chance on humankind; and perhaps also the sense of one who was growing 'tired of knocking at preferment's door': 'We got back to the Alpiglen in time for late lunch. The telescope stood forlorn and deserted in the rain. The Eiger had retired into misty oblivion, as Don Whillans retired to his favourite corner seat by the window.'"
   
   If you appreciated this delicious little snippet, I suspect you'll greatly value the book: the finest and most masterful climbing biography I've yet had the pleasure to read. Jim Perrin deserves honors for his unswerving dedication to honesty, fairness, and some truly sublime descriptive writing in among it all.



4. Penned by a mountaineer with a balanced perspective on the 'sport' and its politics, Jim Perrin's eloquent expose of Don Whillans chronicles Whillan's predecessors, his contemporaries and subsequent generation of climbers. The text is sprinkled with colloquialisms that delight. And, rich with colorful antedotes recorded by Whillan's friends and cohorts, makes this book greater than the sum of its parts.
   
   A wonderful, and brillantly crafted story of one of Britain's greatest climbers, his ropemates, the mountaineering events that forged his preeminence, sustained the popularity of his lectures, and the pubbing that rounded his stature and shortened his life.

2 comments about Afternoons with Mr. Hogan.

1. This isn't a golf book in the traditional sense but about someone who plays golf...really well. You won't learn any "secrets" in that you'll want to run to the course and try them. Instead you'll learn a little more about Hogan the person and not Hogan the golfer. To me Hogan comes across a somewhat shy in his personal life and as someone who doesn't know how to relate to people because of his fame. He doesn't see himself as anyone special, just someone who worked hard to be the best at something he loved. The book kind of takes Hogan off his perch when you learn he's like any other man and I think I would enjoy meeting this Hogan more than the one I previously had a mental picture of.
   
   The book is fairly short and broken down into short easy to read stories that you can read it in one sitting or a little over 2-3 days.



2. Readers of "Afternoons with Mr. Hogan" will not come away with great revelations about the game of golf, but they will find out a little more about the mysterious and very private golf legend, Ben Hogan. Written by Hogan's former "ball shagger", Jody Vasquez, "Afternoons..." is a short little book that is a one-afternoon read. Vasquez relates many stories about his days retreiving Hogan's practice shots at Shady Oaks Country Club. The reader will get a few snippets about Hogan's philosophy regarding the golf swing (including the famous Hogan "Swing Secret"), but will come away with a lot more information about Hogan the person.
   
   Well worth your time if you're a fan of the game or of Ben Hogan, "Afternoons with Mr. Hogan" is a innocuous look back at a young boy's chance encounter with one of the legends of the game and the positive impact that Hogan had on his life.

1 comments about McLaren Memories: A Biography of Bruce McLaren.

1. A thoroughly entertaining biography of Bruce McLaren, who comes through as an all round nice bloke. Such a pity he was taken from us so early in his life.