clm's Book List

"I Wish There Were Someone Waiting for Me Somewhere"

2004-05-08T05:55:00.000-07:00

by Anna Gavalda

A collection of short stories, told from both from the female and male perspective, by a young acclaimed French writer. Some ring true to life (at least my life), others end with a sharp left-turn that is unexpected, a few will have you shaking your head. An excellent book! I stumbled across it on my last trip to New York and had left work early and stopped in a bookstore. Glad I did.

"Falling Hard...A Rookie's Year in Boxing"

2004-03-31T19:23:00.000-08:00

by Chris Jones

Memoir by an Englishman living in Toronto who becomes a sportswriter and ends up with boxing as his beat. He covered it for a year during the "Mike Tyson Bites An Ear and Later Sucker Punches His Opponent" period and the two Lennox Lewis/Evander Holyfield bouts. Great stories and insight into the boxing world. He covered the title fights, but also some smaller fights and wrote about the lives of some boxers who were not out there in the limelight, making the big money. He gives you the good and the bad. Very engaging. I really liked this book.

"Waking Up in Strange Places...Where Do New Zealanders Belong?"

2004-02-24T07:29:00.000-08:00

by John Bluck

This is another book I picked up the last time I was in New Zealand and well, I really liked this book! Bluck takes us on a journey of places he has lived and spent time which have come to make him who his is today. He has wonderful descriptions of both the physical, emotional and culture scenery and encounters with people, places and events thoughout the years.

Bluck was raised in Nuhaka, went to boarding school in Napier, both on the North Island, then off to university in Christchurch on the South Island. He then worked and traveled in the US where he met his Kiwi wife to be. After returning to New Zeland for a short time, he and his family went off to Geneva where he also traveled to Eastern Europe (before the fall of the Iron Curtain) and Africa for his work. After a number of years there, it was then back to New Zealand, to Dunedin, at the bottom of the South Island. He currently lives in Christchuch with time also spent in Blackball, a small village on the West Coast of the South Island on the way to the glaciers.

As someone for whom travel is very important and also feels that the places I've visited have made me "me", I really loved this book. Highly recommended.

"The Artist's Way"

2004-02-21T11:03:00.000-08:00

by Julian Cameron

I'd started this book back in 1998, but didn't follow through. It's been recommended by my friends Gordo, Wy and Betty, and when Betty was here visiting at Thanksgiving and talking about working through the book and the writing, I decided to give it another go. The book covers 12 weeks of reading, writing and exercises to help reclaim your creativity. I actually found the writing to be quite enjoyable and was actually able to look back and see how I was obsessing about something that I had very little control over and now, wonder why I put forth so much energy to that. I very highly recommend this book. Thanks G, Wy and Boop!

"Running to the Top"

2004-02-19T08:33:00.000-08:00

by Arthur Lydiard

An overview of the techniques and training for middle and long distance running. Lydiard is one of the most successful coaches, coaching runners from all over the world, coached multiple gold medal winners, and is thought to have revolutionized middle and distance running in the 1960s. He's a Kiwi who cuts through the crap and tells it like it is. A good book for the basics, and the book also includes training programs from the 800 meters through the marathon. Definitely worth tracking it down and reading.

"Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

2004-02-14T11:54:00.000-08:00

I don't understand all the glowing reviews of this book--outstanding, best book I've ever read, made me weep, etc. I found it OK, a bit tedious in the middle, and the last part just a little too far-fetched. Maybe this is why I read mostly non-fiction?

If you haven't heard about the book, its the story is of a 16 year old Indian boy (Piscine Patel, aka Pi) whose family owns a zoo in India. He has a love for God and becomes a practicing Christian, Muslim and Hindu, much to his (non-religious) parents and the priest, imam and pandit's surprise and displeasure. In fact, this first part of the book is the part I liked best. Pi wonders why he can't embrace all three religions and the "wise men" tell him that it's impossible, but don't give him any real reason.

Pi's family decides to immigrate to Canada and they sail on a Japanese tanker with a number of the zoo animals. There is a storm and the tanker sinks, save for Pi, a tiger named Richard Parker, a zebra, hyena and orangutan, all in a lifeboat. Eventually it comes down to just Pi and Richard Parker and they are adrift in the Pacific Ocean for 227 days, before washing ashore in Mexico. Most of the book is about their time floating on the ocean. Maybe somewhere in all of it was the meaning of life, but it flew by me.

"The 2003 Tour de France--100th Anniversary Tour"

2004-01-11T07:14:00.000-08:00

by John Wilcockson

I believe Wilcockson has written one of these each of the last five years, generally covering the Tour stage by stage. They've all been really interesting and if you have every year of Lance's wins on tape, then the book is a nice companion.

Quiz:
1. Who owns the record for the most days in yellow? The number is 96.
2. Who owns the record for most stage wins? (34)
3. Who has 3 of the 5 fastest Tours (avg. speed)? Who are the other two riders in the top 5? One might surprise you.
4. Controversy at the Tour is nothing new. What year was the first controversy and what was it?
5. Who was the first non-French winner of the Tour, what was the year and where was he from?

The 2003 Tour book is a little different. It's divided into three parts. Part I is the history of the Tour. How and why it started, a paragraph on all 90 races (seven years lost to world wars), a chapter on strange happenings in five of the years, techniques and technology--how the bikes and equipment have changed, and a chapter covering the first four 5-time champions.

Part II is "Americans at the Tour". The first chapter is "North Americans at the Tour" and covers every Canadian, American and Mexican who have ever ridden in the Tour. There are also chapters on Greg Lemond, as the first American winner, and a chapter retelling Lance's comeback from cancer.

Part III is the actual Tour coverage, divided into the three weeks. There is an overview of that week, then detailed coverage of each stage. Also included are excerpts from Tyler Hamilton and Michael Rogers' online diaries that they wrote for VeloNews (of which Wilcockson is an editor). There is also the full roster of riders, lots of photos and some Tour records.

If you love the Tour, you'll like this book. Maybe not so much the last section if you aren't a Lance fan, but hey, wait until he wins #6 in 2004!

Quiz answers:
1. Eddy Merckx
2. Eddy Merckx
3. #1 (40.940 kph, 2003), #2 (40.273 kph, 1999) and #4 (39.572 kph, 2000) Lance; #3 Pantani (39.938 kph, 1998); #5 Indurain (39.504 kph, 1992)
4. The second Tour in 1904. Many riders cheated by hitching rides in cars or trains, having illicit feeds or switching race numbers with other riders. In some towns, mobs of fans (?) scattered carpet tacks on the roads or blocked the road. Fifteen riders were DQed for cheating. That was almost the last year of the Tour.
5. Francois Faber in 1909. He was from Luxembourg.

"The Sweet Potato Queens' Big-Ass Cookbook (and Financial Planner)

2003-12-29T07:29:00.000-08:00

by Jill Conner Browne

The third book about the Sweet Potato Queens. How to explain the SPQs? It's a girl thing, and very hysterical. I am definitely going to have to re-read the original book. And yes, this book does have some recipies--the SPQs four food groups are sugar, salt, fried and alcohol, so that gives you an idea of the recipies (lots of chocolate and bacon, though not together in the same dish).

A terrific quote in the book: "Well-behaved women rarely make history."__Laura Thatcher Ulrich AMEN!!

One recipie: New Allison's Mambo Margaritas, p. 256
"You pour in 1 big can of Limeade, then 1 bottle of Corona beer, 12 ounces of Seven-up (never Sprite), and 12 ounces of really good tequila. Do not attempt to mix this in a blender. You would think that this would be so obvious, wouldn't you, what with the beer and the Seven-up? But we have all done it. Blown the top off the blender and sprayed this sticky mess all over our respective kitchens. Trying to make 'em frozen, don't you know."

Two New Reads

2003-12-27T12:06:00.000-08:00

"The UnDutchables. An Observation of the Netherlands: Its Culture and Its Inhabitants" by Colin White and Laurie Boucke

A very amusing, tongue-in-cheek look at the Dutch and why they are the way they are. There are sections on public transport; driving; the Dutch home; money; national passions (discussion/debate, complaining); food; flowers; customs; Bikes and more. I had to laugh out loud a few times since there were some descriptions that fit a Dutchie that I know to a "T".

"25 Years of the Ironman Triathlon World Championships" by Bob Babbitt

Great photography and overview of the history of Ironman Hawaii. This book coupled with the book "Iron Will" by Mike Plant pretty much extensively covers Ironman from the beginning. If you are an Ironman fan, you should have both books.

"The Rider" by Tim Krabbe'

2003-12-21T07:45:00.000-08:00

Or, "De Renner", in Dutch. Translated from Dutch by Sam Garrett

This book was originally published in Holland back in the late 1970s and is a cult classic. It's the story of one day, one race and what happens during the race and what goes through the rider's mind during the race. The words rush by at breakneck pace when there is an attack, and then slow down and the rider remembers other days and other races at times when he is sitting in.

There are some great lines in this book and below are some of my favorites. I enjoyed this book a lot, especially as I am going to be doing some bike racing for the first time in January.

"The champions have better bikes, more expensive shoes, many more pairs of cycling shorts than we do, but they have the same roads."

"I ease up a little and shift back to the nineteen. Up on the pedals one more time, back in the saddle. 'OoOo!! OoOo!!' There's something struggling in my head, trying to punch my eyeballs out frmo the inside."

"In interviews with riders that I've read and in conversation I've had with them, the same thing always comes up: the best part was the suffering."

"I think [Charley] Gaul suffered the same way others did, but he enjoyed it more." "Gaul couldn't do without pain: pain was his motor."

Hagakure--The book of the Samurai

2003-12-07T21:24:00.000-08:00

by Yamamoto Tsunetomo, translated by William Scott Wilson

Written back in the late 1600s by a samurai. This translation is about 300 of the more 1,300 selections of the original Japanese text. Some of the things that struck me follow...

There is nothing so painful as regret.

Singlemindedness is all powerful.

"Negligence is an extreme thing."

"I do not know the way to defeat others, but the way to defeat myself." Throughout your life advance daily, becoming more skillful than yesterday, more skillful than today. This is never-ending.

By inconsistency and frivolity we stray from the Way and show ourselves to be beginners. In this we do much harm.

Confucius was not the only man to become unperplexed after reaching the age of forty. Upon reaching the age of forty, both wise and foolish have gone through an appropriate amount of experience and will no longer be perplexed.

What is called generosity is really compassion. In the Shin'ei it is written, "Seen from the eye of compassion, there is no one to be disliked."

There is surely nothing other than the single purpose of the present moment. A man's whole life is a succession of moment after moment. If one fully understands the present moment, there will be nothing else to do, and nothing else to pursue. Live being true to the single purpose of the moment.

Human life is a truly short affair. It is better to live doing the things that you like. It is foolish to live within this dream of a world seeing unpleasantness and doing only things that you do not like.

"A Rough Ride" by Paul Kimmage

2003-11-23T21:50:00.000-08:00

Published in 1990, Kimmage is an Irishman whose father raced bikes so Kimmage and his brother grew up racing and all he wanted to do was to become a professional cyclist. He grew up idolizing the stars of cycling, but when he got to France, first as an amatuer, then later as a professional, he found out that what you read about in the papers and see on television are very different from reality.

Kimmage rode for a number of teams, including a stint on Fagor with Stephen Roche, and rode the classics and also rode the Tour de France twice, the second time as his last race, dropping out before arriving in Paris. He went in very innocent (and racked with the Catholic guilt) and tried to turn a blind eye to all the doping. Eventually, he did "charge up" three times, amphetamines, but it caused him great mental distress. After his retirement from professional cycling, he became a journalist and then an author.

This is a really good read, especially all the behind the scenes stuff and descriptions of the daily life of a professional cyclist. Very highly recommended if you are a cycling fan.

"Going Long__Training for Ironman-Distance Triathlons" by Joe Friel and Gordo Byrn

2003-11-23T07:36:00.000-08:00

A definite must-have if you race long. For those of you who like to write out your own training program, this book coupled with "The Triathletes' Training Bible" by Friel, will get you there. Even if you are like me and would rather not write out your own training program, you will still find plenty of good information in "Going Long". And for those you who have no urge to go long, you will find plenty of great information too. All triathletes should check out the "Training the Mind" and "Nutrition--The Fourth Discipline" chapters.

Disclaimer: I've known Gordo for a long time. I'd still recommend this book even if I didn't know him.

"Dojo Wisdom...100 Simple Ways to Become a Stronger, Calmer, More Courageous Person" by Jennifer Lawler

2003-11-10T06:05:00.000-08:00

My friend Karen sent me this book for my birthday and it was a good, quick read. The author is a black belt in karate and takes 100 lessons from the dojo and applies them to real life. Some examples are:

* You cannot spar from five feet away. (You have to get in and be engaged in whatever you are doing.)

* Do not push when you meant to strike.

* Bring only what you can carry. (Both material wants and expectations.)

* Discipline is not punishment.

* Persist and you will find indomitable spirit.

* When you get fatigued, increase the pace.

* Act directly from will.

* Be a master of the moment.

* Accept hard training.

* Physical effort transforms the mind and spirit.

* No one fails who keeps trying.

"Every Second Counts" by Lance Armstrong with Sally Jenkins

2003-10-24T17:46:00.000-07:00

Lance's second book and maybe better than the first. This one covers post-cancer to now and I think, you see more of what makes Lance tick. There are behind the scene stories from the different Tours, some of what led to the separation with his wife and how he feels about his role (like it or not) as an inspiration to the cancer community. I really liked the book (and yes, I'm a Lance fan). My only complaint? No photos! There is one quote in the book I really like, by poet Mary Oliver: "What will you do with your wild and precious self?" Highly recommended.

The Past 18 Months......

2003-10-01T06:48:00.000-07:00

Here's my list of books I've read over the past 18 months or so, which I will update as I finish the next book.

Now reading: "Dojo Wisdom...100 Simple Ways to Become a Stronger, Calmer, More Courageous Person" by Jennifer Lawler.

"Long Pig" by William C. Miller.
Novel by one of my law firm's retired partners. From the cover--A fantasy concerning canibals, courts and other consumers. Funny and rather silly. I probably wouldn't have picked it out on my own, but it was a fun read.

"Breaking the Chain" by Willie Voet.
Book about the Festina 1998 Tour de France drug scandal written by the team's sounigueur (sp?). Read this on the bus in France. Really interesting and an eye opener.

"I met a guy up on that mountain who I grew to like, and do you know who that guy was? That's right, it was me."___Tim Moore, from the book "French Revolutions....Cycling the Tour de France".
GREAT BOOK!!! Laugh out loud funny, and very much in the style of Bill Bryson, if you've read any of his stuff. Moore was what I'd call a couch-potato and decides one day to ride the route of the Tour (2000). He didn't even own a working bike at the time, had never ridden a road bike, used clip-in pedals or owned a proper kit. (And, putting the bike together? No way.) In addition to the story of his ride, he includes some good history of the Tour and makes some of the places come alive. I am now even MORE psyched to go in a few weeks, if that's possible. I very highly recommend this book.

"A Writer's Reality" by Mario Vargas Llosa.
So-so. A series of essays by a Latin American writer. I thought it would go into much more about the actual craft of writing, but instead, it was more of an intellectual and artistic series of essays. I picked it up in a used book shop, so the value for the price is a wash.

"How to Stop Time: Heroin from A to Z" by Ann Marlowe.
Very interesting memoir by a NYC writer who was addicted to heroin for a number of years. She started out as a casual drug user and eventually became hooked. I think I found it interesting because it's worlds away from anything or anyone I know, but her upbringing was suburban middle class, which I totally relate to. Really enjoyed this one.

"Maestro___Greenspan's Fed and the American Boom" by Bob Woodward.
What possessed me to buy this, I don't remember, but it was a pretty good read. Not all economic-geeky like I'd expected. It delves into the inner workings of the Federal Reserve and Alan Greenspan (the ultimate economic geek). It covers the years 1987-2000 and it would be quite interesting to go back and add an epilogue covering the past couple of years.

"Can You Make A Living Doing That?" by Brad Kearns.
It's about BK's life as one of the early pro triathletes where there were no sponsors and you had to make up the rules as you went along. A quick read and highly entertaining as I remember all the names he talks about from the early days.

My brother gave me the "2002 Official Guide to the Tour de France", which I devoured in a day. Lots of beautiful pictures and a recap of the 2002 race.

"Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life" by Anne Lamott.
Another book on writing, this one more on the "how to", with some great ideas, examples and exercises on getting over the "what should I write about". The two books complement each other quite well.

"A Drinking Life" by Pete Hamill.
Memoir by a writer who grew up in Brooklyn in the 40s-50s with the stereotypical drunken Irish father. Hamill's life revolved around drinking and his conflicts with wanting to be "one of the guys from the neighborhood" and wanting to have/do more in life. Really good. (And who knew he dated Shirley MacLaine?)

"No Mean Feat" by Mark Inglis.
Impulse purchase in NZ. Great book! About a Kiwi who, with his climbing/work partner), was stranded on Mt. Cook for 13 nights. They were both mountain guides in the national park there and they were rescued, but both had to have both lower legs amputated. The book goes into the aftermath and rehabilitation, and then up to the present (just published this year). Inglis has become an excellent paraolympic athlete and wine maker, who in 2003 is off to a new adventure. Quite the inspirational book.

"Volcano--A Memoir of Hawai'i" by Garrett Hongo.
Memoir of a poet/writer, born in Volcano town on the big island (a tiny town that I've been to), but raised mostly in Honolulu and Los Angeles. It's a lot of how he found his place in the world and within his own skin, by returning to the place of his birth and finding out about his grandparents, whom he never really knew. I liked it a lot as I love the big island and all the history and lore.

"The Gloves: A Boxing Chronicle" by Robert Anasi.
A really good book about a guy who takes up amateur boxing when he was 26 (considered quite old) and eventually competes in two NYC Golden Gloves tournaments. He covers the physical, emotional and social aspect of training and the gym. A very entertaining read.

"On Fire" by Larry Brown.
Memoir by an ex-fireman from Oxford, Mississippi, turned writer. Very quick read (short chapters, almost journal-like). Highly entertaining. It's about the life of a fireman, but also about family, life in Mississippi and life.

"Making A Literary Life: Advice for Writers and Other Dreamers" by Carolyn See.
A writing guide but more. Blends the "how to" with figuring out the "why" and how it all fits in with you and your life.

"Teaching A Stone to Talk--Expeditions and Encounters", by Annie Dillard.
This was given to me by a triathlete friend when I was in Virginia, as he thought I would like it. He was right! It's an assembly of writings/essays about the material world ranging from her trip to South America, to watching a full eclipse in Washington state, to walks around the farm in the east. Beautiful writing and lots to think about. Very highly recommended.

"The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom" by Slavomir Rawicz.
Excellent book recommended by a guy I met in Kona at the Ironman. In fact, he mailed me his copy when he finished it. It's about a Polish Army guy who escapes with a group of prisoners in 1940-41 from a Russian prison/work camp in Siberia and then their trek thousands of miles to freedom. Totally engrossing.

"The Real McKay: My Wide World of Sports" by Jim McKay.
My dad had this one at home and I read it in two days. As someone who grew up watching ABC's Wide World of Sports, I found it really interesting, especially to read about the very early days of TV and about the Munich Olympics.

"Touching the Void--The Harrowing First-Person Account of One Man's Miraculous Survival" by Joe Simpson.
Yes, another climbing book. I find it just incredible that people would do this (climb really high mountains). This one is about two guys who climbed a 21,000 foot peak in the Andes. On the way down, there was an accident and Simpson fell and broke his leg. His friend then had to help him down, and during this time there was another accident and they slipped and his friend was forced to cut the rope on the side of the mountain in the dark and believed that Simpson had fallen into a crevasse and was dead. (Now, I am too selfish and if anyone ever cut the rope on me--I'd come back and haunt them to the day they died. You might say, I will NEVER be climbing any mountains.) Anyway, somehow Simpson made his way off an ice bridge where he had landed, down the rest of the mountain and back to camp just as his friend and their third person (who didn't climb) was preparing to strike camp and leave. Very interesting book and a quick read (only 170 pages).

"Semper Fi" (#1 of The Corps series) by W.E.B. Griffin.
Picked it up at the airport on the way to NZ and finished it during the trip. I'd not read anything by Griffin, but really liked this book. It's the first in a series about the Marine Corps and is set during WWII, this particular book mostly in China. I'll definitely pick up the next book in the series.

"What Becomes of the Broken Hearted" by Alan Duff.
Duff is a renowned Kiwi author and this is the sequel to "Once Were Warriors". Another very good book, though not as dark as OWW. I was actually glad to see some good things happening to the characters.

"To The Edge" by Kirk Johnson.
The book by the NY Time writer who takes up running after the suicide of his brother and eventually decides he has to run Badwater. Pretty interesting, especially the account of the race itself and the people who run it.

"Becoming An Ironman...First Encounter with the Ultimate Endurance Event" edited by Kara douglass Thom.
It was great book! There were stories of fast people, slow people, DNFs, some physically challenged folks, late-onset athletes, the early days. Very inspiring.

"Ultimate High--My Everest Odyssey" by Goran Kropp.
Kropp rode his bike 7,000 miles to/from Stockholm to Mt. Everest, attempted the summit and rode back and this is the story of that trip. If I remember correctly, Kropp was killed in the past year or so in a climbing accident.

"Once Were Warriors" by Alan Duff.
I bought it while I was in New Zealand (plus a lot of other books). Very good, but also very disturbing. It's the life of a New Zealand Maori family where alcohol, spousal abuse and living on the dole is an everyday (and accepted) occurrence.

"Seven Years in Tibet" by Heinrich Harrer.
I hear there was a movie made of this book which wasn't as bad as the reviews, though now after reading the book, I cannot picture Brad Pitt in the role. (BTW--I very rarely go to movies and even rarer, rent them or watch them on TV.) I really liked this book a lot. Harrer was an Austrian who was put into a POW camp in India during WWII by the British. He and a few others escaped and eventually he and a buddy escaped to Tibet where they lived for seven years. The story of the escape and trek from India into Tibet was just incredible--the physical hardships they had to endure and then all the thinking on their feet to outwit the government and be allowed to stay. He eventually became a tutor to the Dalai Lama, when the DL was 14 years old.

"Touching My Father's Soul: A Journey to the Top of Everest" by Jamling Tenzing Norgay.
I was up in the wine country last weekend and my friend Paul loaned me this book by the son of Tenzing Norgay, one of the two men who were first to the top of Mt. Everest. A really good book, both about climbing (he was a member of the team who filmed the IMAX movie "EVEREST"), but also about being the son of a very famous person, a raised Buddhist who went to college in the US and therefore lives in both worlds, and the search to find himself and the connection with his father. I found the parts about the Sherpa's spirituality and Buddhism very interesting.

"It's Not About the Bike" by Lance Armstrong.
I read it, dad read it, nephew is reading it and even mom wants to read it now. Mom is not a big reader so this is a major deal.

"In A Sunburned Country" by Bill Bryson.
Travelogue about Australia--I laughed out loud so many times that my dad asked to read the book afterwards; he loved it too.

"The Maltese Falcon" by Dashiell Hammett.
Book club book that I'd never read; great book! The scene descriptions are just amazing. You feel like you are in windy, foggy San Francisco.

"Have A Nice Day" by Mick Foley.
Memoir of a WWF wrestler--yes, we all have our vices, but this was highly entertaining.

"Dead Triathletes Speak" -- Compilation of advice and race reports by the TRI-DRS email list; fun, since I know most of the authors!

"The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz.
I'd put this under the self-help genre, sort of.

"The Boxer's Heart--How I Fell in Love with the Ring" by Kate Sekules.
Memoir of a woman boxer. Really liked it.

"To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee.
A re-read. Love this book.

"Angle of Repose" by Walter Stegner.
Really liked this one. Will have to read more Stegner.

"PrairyErth" by William Least Heat Moon.
I only bought it because it's about Kansas, specifically the area I'm from and some of my relatives and friends of our family are in it. When he was writing it, there was a mixed reaction--one one hand, it was good for the county, on the other hand were the "Don't put me in your damn book" people.