Sports Books

Our Life On the Run is the triumph of the American Family. Marlin Keesler ran marathons in all 50 states. He ran through extreme fatigue and excruciating pain. Keesler admits that he doesn't even like running. What kept him going? Teaching his special needs children to never give up, no matter what your challenges are. This book is not about marathons. It's about connecting deeply with your family and leaving a legacy.

You have to read this book. I have to admit, when "a little bird" recommended that I read it, I was not at all interested in the subject matter. Marathons? People actually write books about running? But I gave this book a try, and I have to say this....I was hooked from the first sentence. This book was about so much more then running, and I would find myself laughing out loud at times, and with tears streaming down my cheeks a few minutes later. This book, in one word, is about commitment. Commitment to meeting the goals you set, but even more importantly, commitment to your family. That is the aspect of the book that truly tugged at my heartstrings.

This book deals with so many issues we are faced with: being raised in a dysfunctional family, employment issues, the loss of loved ones, and the struggles of raising children. What touched me the most though, about this book, is how much the author truly loves his wife. Several times throughout the book he refers to her as "his best friend", and
that is what really spoke to me in volumes. Here is a man not afraid to say how he feels about his wife and family. Now, although there were times he would not admit he was wrong about something (thank goodness for AAA), you never doubted his commitment to his wife and children. This book is a quick read about the importance of family, and it will leave you with that "warm fuzzy feel good" kinda feeling. Definitely worth reading!

Marlin Keesler has written a compelling story of endurance and family togetherness. See, Keesler is The Running Man, running 50 marathons, one in each of the fifty states. Sustaining him is not only a great cardiovascular system and stamina but a devoted family. The accomplishment was a family affair.

Keesler's story reminds us that the journey is the reward. He will win no gold medals perhaps in the marathon, break no world records, but show that determination, will, grit and a family's support can raise us above our limitations.

An excellent read!!

Here's a great story of a guy that had his share of adversity while growing up and as a family man. But he does not give in into fatalism, like most of us would do in similar circumstances.
Read this book and you will find out why.
Meet marlin and his family you won't regret it.

I once ran 14 miles with this guy as a teenager, and he told me on the run he planned on completing a marathon someday. I never doubted him, but I also never knew he'd run one in every single state! Mix that physical challenge with his tale of love for his family and you have a great motivational story that would make a great gift.

There is a lot of good information in this book, but most of it can be found toward the beginning. The tips on predicting the weather alone could be worth the price of the book. However, the maps of the various waterways were absolutely terrible. I would recommend this book for a general overview and lots of tips and tricks for paddlers, and the two "Canoeing and Kayaking the Streams of Florida" guides for detailed information on specific waterways.

Well, I've typed this twice, I think. Anyway, the writer has a good sense of humor, and I'd like to paddle with her sometime. Each chapter has a story to go with it, from Indian history to digging fossils to fishing to how NOT to cook on a week long canoe camping trip.

I'll use this book often.

I found the book "Paddler's Guide" easy to find ones way around in through a well organized index. The locations that I looked up i.e. Chassahowitzka and Weeki Wachie rivers had all the info that one could possible need to set off on a paddle.
Very important though is to read first the initial chapters on Tips for Paddling. Their is a wealth of information in this book. Congratulations.

After much looking around, this is the first book I actually bought. Its got very detailed, practical information on most of the waterways, but doesn't even mention some beautiful rivers that I've paddled in the central area of the state. While the text was excellent, I found the maps to be confusing and lacking in detail about ramps and access roads, compared to my personal knowledge of the roads and waterways of some areas. Its one of the most recently written books on this subject, so the information is probably the most current. It is not just a dry info book, but includes humorous stories about paddling and camping, altho the author writes as if she would enjoy the outdoors much more without all that pesky wildlife! Still, I highly recommend this book for planning your next outing.

The lady who wrote this book must be a lot of fun to paddle with. Her dry humor shows up in every chapter. I'd like to meet her in person.
Besides a great deal of advice about problems specific to Florida, she gives a number of safety tips. I almost felt like I was being mothered.
Obviously an experienced writer, Sandy Huff has a story to tell about each destination, ranging from history to botany to birding to how NOT to cook while camping. I also intend to put a stick of hot glue and a book of matches in my emergency kit from now on.
Very enjoyable reading, and probably the most comprehensive where-to book ever pubished for canoers and kayakers about Florida waters. I'll go back to this book often

This book both saved my life and changed my life. It's interesting that I've been reading it, off and on, since 1990 and in all these years different phrases, paragraphs and chapters keep "jumping out at me," sentences that I bypassed so many years ago, because I did not begin to understand those concepts. Now I am beginning to, as I see and understand more and more of what this book & the author is saying. I guess that means "progress!"

This is the book which told me that "the spiritual world is the world of EMOTIONS." I had never had it presented to in this way, especially growing up where "emotions" - all except anger - were completely "verboten." Finally, I can begin to understand just what this means. Peace, patience, tranquility = "heaven," anger and resentment = "hell."

I actually allow myself to write in the margins and date my observations and questions, so it's like a diary of sorts, and I am able to see the changes over the last - gasp! - 18 years. Every time I think I don't need this book anymore, and might as well give it away, poof... here comes something else, and I pull it down from my "reference" shelf. Now I'm going to order the rest of the books by Eva Pierrakos, who gets 5 star reviews every time.

One of the most important messages and insights I got from this book was the connection between "states of being."

The "spiritual world" IS our "emotional world. That is the difference between "Heaven" and "Hell." It is all in the way we FEEL.

I have heard that "our state of mind" created heaven or hell, but it isn't my mind that does me in, it is my EMOTIONS. It's not my attitude, it's not my thoughts; my mind is sharp as a tack and very well disciplined; it's my emotions that knock me for a loop every time. They control my thoughts and come first in the arena I live in. They are wild horses that take me for a ride, I am not a master in that area.

When I read the correlation between "emotions" and "spiritual world" something clicked! One door flew open while another one shut, and I have never been the same since. Not to say that I've made all the "changes" necessary as yet, but at least I am on the right path. I have tons of books that I read all the time, but this one stays on my shelf.

As people used to say, and I still mean it: "Thanks for sharing!" You have made my day!

I find that this book and mainly the "Lectures" that I purchased additionally (listed in the back of the book) helped to transform my life to what is true freedom and our purpose for existence. The material is truly profound and rich with guidance and insight that will last for life and cannot be replaced. This is my favorite spiritual literature and is such a gift left by a very courageous and talented woman. The book and the Lectures are channeled material by a "Guide" who comes through Eva. The Lectures begin around the 1950s with material that will always be timely. If you discover this book with the Lectures you are blessed and if you can manage to stay with the Lectures this Pathwork is for you.

I bought this book 20 years ago and even now when I read it I come to new realizations about myself. The material present in the lectures goes so deep that you can read the lectures again and again and continue to get insight from them. It is the best guidebook for life and for understanding our shadow selves that I have ever seen. If you want a true change of self and freedom from your compulsions this is the best place to start. Mind you, it is a slow process but the book is just the thing to turn to when you feel stuck and hopeless. It has the keys that will lead you to just the understanding you need to free your mind.

This book totally answered almost all of my questions about life. It CHANGED my life. I introduced it to my roommate, and we kept stealing it back and forth from each other. It is the single most important book I've ever read. It seriously changed my life- how I saw things, how I lived. It's background may make people a little skeptical, but I swear, if you read it, you will know... I don't care what the circumstances were for it's being written, it combed my soul and lifted me PERMANENTLY from the depression that was always lurking somewhere in my life.

This is a profound book that delves into the essence of what it means to be a human being. Everything is covered - from advice on efforts to face our own inner gremlins, letting them go, to advice on how to start relaxing and creating with one's consciousness.

"Creating is pure fascination" (p. 218)

This is also a book that talks about dissolving structures, entering the chaos consciously, and formulating a will to happiness so strong, so unyielding, so determined that the intent becomes creating power itself. And that is where we truly start living. A great book.

This book was a favorite of my two daughters, and now my 18 month old son loves it as well. The rhythm of the text, and the realistic illustrations, are very appealing to toddlers. Although my son can't say the words yet, he tries to "sing" along. This is one of those books that a child will consistently bring back to you again and again!

My 7 month old LOVES this book. The pictures are beautiful and the words are lyrical. They really keep him captivated!

This is a favorite of my daughter's! When we sit to read, it is one she reaches for again & again! The rhyme makes the book a joy to read & my daughter gets into the "beat"! Now that her vocabularly is expanding (2 yrs old) she loves to "read" the book herself, exclaiming in excited tones the "boom, boom, bang" clatter of pans! A "must-have for a toddlers library, you won't be sorry about this purchase!

This book can be read very quickly for the impatient baby, or savored for the older toddler. The pictures are cute, and the main adult in the story is the father. My toddler liked the presence of the dog and cat. She enjoyed the book since she was 8 months old. It is not one of her favorites now at 2 1/2 but we still read it occasionally since it only takes about 2 minutes to get through. The rhythm and rhyme flow well.

This would make a great baby gift!

Jennifer Clauson

We just received this book as a gift a few days ago and my 2-year old son has asked Mommy to read it no fewer than twenty times already! The sing-song rhyme pattern is lots of fun, somewhat similar to Boynton in Barnyard Dance, another of our favorites. We get loud and crazy when we read this one! The illustrations are lovely and provide lots of scope for discussion and I Spy games. This is a terrific book and I would be surprised if your child didn't enjoy it tremendously!

Very easy to read and well laid out. A brilliant book for beginners like me, keen to learn not just the right techniques, but also the theory behind them.

I think this book shows you the art and science of fly fishing. this one was best among the books I read for flyfishing. It changed what I see at the stream. After this book, the streams were not the same as I had seen before..

A great guide to approaching the river in a strategic way with methods that can be adapted to whatever conditions you face on the water. I think it's the most useful book on the subject, and is great for anglers of any level of skill.

Once you've figured out what rod, reel, line, leader, tippett, etc, to buy and you've learned to cast half way decently then this is THE book to buy. After you've finished reading it, go back and STUDY it. Excellent advice in a very readable straight forward manner.

If you want to learn to catch trout in almost any situation you will encounter then this is the book for you. Written in Tom's low-key style. Solid information. I have been trout fishing, and reading trout fishing books for forty years. I learned more from this book than anything else I ever read. Another must have is Rosenbauer's "Reading Trout Streams.

Great book , but it has some bad language in it . I recomend it for people sixteen to thirty , not much of a kids book . I haven't finished it yet , on chapter 12 . Great for someone into extreme sports , like skateboarding , snowboarding , surfing , or BMX .

Wow, what else needs to be said about Mat Hoffman? He's the godfather of pretty much everything bmx freestyle. Whether it be street, ramp, vert, big ramp whatever. Mat was busting out all the biggest and gnarliest tricks and creating this big book of tricks almost the size of your typical yellow pages book. Alot of the stuff Mat did back in the 80s and early 90s-- well it would be rare not to see any rider from today not pulling the same tricks. And he invented most of those tricks. Hell, I do alot of the tricks Mat invented haha. Let's not forget he was also the first person in the world to ever pull a 900 on a vert ramp. Even rollerbladers and skaters weren't doing 900s and their rotations are easier since they don't have the weight of a 30 lb bike between their legs.

Mat did pretty much everything on his bike. He's one of the few vert riders in the world who can probably say there's nothing left to do on his bike anymore, but that's not gonna stop him from riding.

In this book you'll read about his life on and off his bike. I don't want to get into detail here since it covers alot, but even if you don't ride bmx and are looking for something to read about somebody who pushed the limits of gravity and inspired many riders today, then add Mat Hoffman's autobiography to your list.

Let's not forget he was also the first person to pull off the flair and will probably be the only person on the entire planet to pull a no handed 900 on vert... and I'm serious about that. And I'm pretty sure no one else is gonna huck themselves 50 feet in the air being pulled from a motorcycle.

One word to describe the sky flying superman of BMX.....DARING! This man has broken enough bones to have the hospitals on speed dial! Hes amazing in every way a rider living his dreams just like the others. Mat is not just a rider though hes an artist in the sky. His bike is the brush and the ramp is his canvas. He is the creater and godfather of biking today. He is like tupac, always remebered. Mat you have taught me more of how to have fun and get out their. Now i know to never get knocked down without a fight!

ok this book is awsome the only book i have ever enjoyed reading i have read this book 3 times and still doesent get old its cool to see how someone so great go to were he is todaybuy this book as soon as possible i recommend it

My brother, an avid BMX'er, loved this book! He's not much of a reader but I think he liked the short tidbids about Mat Hoffman. A great gift idea for the cyclist in your life.

Whoa, if you can't learn something from this book you must be the greatest bass fisherman alive.

Not only is Roland Martin an incomparable bassing legend--he gives his advice and tells his story without the sanctimonious edge (sugary religious and family anecdotes) that other tournament pros feel compelled to include in their books these days.

If you want to buy only one book on bass fishing, this is the one. More then 25 years later, this book is still up-to-date. The lures described are still around and catch good bass. Whether you like fishing with heavy tackle, ultra-light or even fly fishing, this book covers it.

I picked up little, but it was entertaining and potentially a great resource for an emerging bass fisherman.

Roland Martin has always been my favorite bass pro. He exudes a love of the sport and has an unquenchable thirst for fishing knowledge. And he shares it all in this book.

It is packed with the bass patterns that Roland has learned throughout his career. He explains which lure works best under a given situation and why. He covers shallow, heavy cover situations to deep structure, live bait to lures to fly fishing. If you love fishing for bass, buy this book!

I got a hold of this book when I was still wet behind the ears as far as bass fishing goes. I'm not a huge reader, but I couldn't put this book down. Roland talks about how to be observant and pick a pattern apart, including everything from lure color to presentation speeds. He really reveals it all when he's talking about these patterns. He gives the time of year, water temp, clarity, etc.

I gained a tremendous amount of confidence from reading this, as these are some of the patterns that earned him 9 B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year titles.

I've only been seriously fishing for about a year and there's no telling how many of these patterns I've used. I did skip over the parts on trolling and live bait, as they are not allowed in tournaments.

But an excellent book, as I refer to it over and over.

Roller Coaster is colorful and informative history of roller coasters by Robert Coker covers early models in an introductory chapter than focuses on the heart of the topic: innovations in roller coaster models and modern coaster innovations. The colorful coverage provides a solid, appealing leisure read which should attract a wide audience of those young at heart.

This book is basically another in a long line of coaster thrill books designed to prolong the excitement of riding these amusement park behemoths. This latest book is tastefully done and includes the requisite history with lots of familiar and some rediscovered photos and prints of old timers. A few of the newer beasts are included with enticing views of riders being turned in spine tingling directions. Coker's text is well written. This book has enough new stuff to warrant it's inclusion in your coaster book library.

This book is great.It tells really well about the rollercoaster itself and great pictures.(TWO THUMBS UP)

When was the last time you had so much fun screaming? Probably last time you were on a roller coaster, your hair tingling, your eyeballs popping, and your stomach churning. Robert Coker, a talented journalist, has been everywhere you've been and more, and he describes the different rides he's been on, whether wooden or steel, coaster or twister, with a different appropriate writing style that will make you feel you're in the same box, hurtling hundreds of feet downwards after a longslow climb.

Maybe the best part is Coker's sneak preview of coming attractions, rides they're building out there that we may not get to stand on line for just yet. But, a boy can dream, can't he?

This is a great book for anyone who is interested in roller coasters. It includes history of roller coasters, wooden roller coasters, steel roller coasters, and extreme machienes. It also has great pictures. Take my advice, this book is great!

Cache Lake Country stands up to the test of time. Out of print now, it is still as relevant and beautiful a testament to the outdoor experience of Rowlands, Kane, and Chief Tibeash as it was in the 50's. If you love nature and the solitary experiences of the wilderness then you'll love this book.

Rowlands is a marvelous writer, for sure, but I was totally smitten with the outstanding black-and-white illustrations of the highly talented illustrator, Henry B. Kane, who brought, humor, fine draughtsmanship, art, and passion together for this book. It's reminiscent in some ways of Joseph Wood Krutch's "The Voice of the Desert" and Abby's "Desert Solitaire" but it takes place in the North Woods (some say Quebec, others say Ontario). I liked this book even better than the two aforementioned because of the great teamwork of Rowlands and Kane.

I reviewed this book several years ago, and after accidently stumbling upon my review, the same images, smells, and excitement still come to mind. I just purchased an old copy at many times the original price, and I can't wait to read it again after more than thirty years. It still amazes me to thnk that a simple diary of life in a bygone distant frontier could elicit such a Technicolor panorama in the mind of the reader. Everyone should read this book. It's good for the soul.

Don't we all wish we knew someone like J.J. Rowlands. What a life! He should have been a father; what a wealth of information he might have imparted... ...and what delivery! Couldn't put it down. Thank goodness he left us his book.

Back in the prehistoric days of the 1970's, I found this small book in my school library. Despite it's small size, it became, and has always been a bible of life in the northwoods. No politics, no social agenda, just a detailed blueprint of the pleasures and perils of living far from the city. The book covers the basics of shelter and winter warmth. It instructs the reader in a variety of skills ( from keeping oatmeal warm until breakfast, to making snowshoes to get along in mid-winter). All in all, I recall it as the first docu-drama that I ever had the pleasure to read. Though it can be labeled as non fiction (of the instructive kind), it has the ability to build endles dreams of pioneer life in the mind of most any reader.

I can only echo the other reviewers to date: this is simply the finest and most memorable book from my youth. The painstaking black and white line drawings embellish a story of life in the Canadian backwoods. The author was well aware that his was a disappearing way of life, when he spent time as a timber overseer on a remote Canadian lake, and his obvious care in crafting his recollections shows his love for that life. I was fortunate enough in my youth to have a chance to canoe 200 miles of Canada not all that far from Cache Lake country - and can only say that Rowland's account rings true. I have made some of the recipies, perched on rock shores above sparkling Canadian waters. I can only add that in a world of quick fixes and patent falsehoods, Cache Lake Country is a collection of truths. If books can truly be friends, this is a best friend.

Samurai Shortstop is a wonderful, but underappreciated tale about a boy and his love for baseball. Toyo, a 14 year-old boy is faced to grow up faster than he ever wanted to when his uncle committed seppuku, legal suicide in Japan. Everything has changed since the French Revolution, and now there are no more samurais, but now there is baseball, Toyo's favorite sport.
He has just now started the most prestigious school in Tokyo, which means new friends, bullies, and many more problems. He tries out for baseball and starts learning the way of samurai from his father. Toyo and his father never really understood each other, and now that his uncle has died, Toyo only has his friends to help him.

Toyo is a very smart person, and becomes a very good leader. Throughout the book everything that happens helps him, although it doesn't look like it all the time. Toyo starts to put his skill in the art of bushido, samurai fighting style, into baseball. My favorite part of the book is when he fights the older kid instead of letting them beat him up. I would recommend this book to students from 7th grade and up.
--Malik McKenzie

This is a story of a boy named Toyo Shimada. The time is set in Tokyo, 1890. Toyo is sent to a boarding school of a very high caliber, but after he arrives he sees how the upperclassmen treat the first years. To fit in, he joins the baseball team, a sport he loves. He wants to be shortstop, but until he becomes a "man" to the upperclassmen he is stuck in the outfield. He is enraged, but nevertheless he pushes through the tormenting and refuses to quit the baseball team. The only problem is his father, who is still using the ways of the samurai, or worrier. Toyo's father does not want him to play, unless Toyo can convince him otherwise. Other than that, his father has decided to teach him the ways of the warrior, or bushido. At first Toyo does not understand any of his bushido lessons, or why he has to do them, but over the course of the book he learns to use his bushido skills.
This book reminds me of a book called Dairy Queen. The story was about a girl, and football, not baseball, but in the end she overcomes many obstacles just like Toyo. In both books, the main focus is overcoming anything that comes your way. They are both also about standing up to important figures in there lives. It happens to be that in both books that person is their dad. Alan Gratz has written an enthralling tale.
I enjoyed the book, although it does have some pretty gruesome scenes. I liked reading it because you always want to see what Toyo will do next, what the other characters are going to say, or do. It also tells you a lot about what school was like back then, in Japan. It is a lot different from Americans school, and the year it takes place in really makes a difference. Overall, this is a great book and you should pick it up sometimes if you are looking for a great read.

Let me start off by saying this is the best book I have read. It is a very exciting book that keeps your attention throughout. It starts off by the Emperer allowing Toyo's Uncle to commit seppuku (suicide) instead of being killed by the government. Samurai Shortstop has a great mix of baseball and culture. You get to read a baseball story but at the sametime learn about their culture and beliefs. Toyo attends Ichiko which is a very big school that consists of only boys.

Ichiko's baseball team is run by the players themselves and when Toyo and a couple other first years want to join the team the have to prove that they are worthy. Toyo's friend Futoshi makes the team as the right fielder but Toyo has a little trouble making the team because Ichiko already has a shortstop. But when their shortstop gets thrown off the team Toyo found himself starting at shortstop. Toyo's father teaches trys to teach him bushido which is code by which Samurai lived but Toyo has trouble understanding it. Not until the end of the book when he has to help with his father's seppuku does he fully understand bushido. This is a wonderful book because it keeps you off balance and never knowing what is going to happen!

Kyle Walmer
Mrs. Bains 3rd block

It's 1890 and you're in Tokyo, Japan. Between classes in the most prestigious high school in town and baseball practice, you learn the old ways--the ways of the samurai. That's Toyo Shimada's life and we get the pleasure of going along for the ride thanks to Alan Gratz's brilliant story telling.


Toyo suffers from familiar teen angst: a parent who doesn't understand him and friends who try to understand him, but often fail. It's the core of most teen stories, but Toyo's world is changing. Old Japan is dying and a new Japan is rising.


His father represents the old Japan. When the emperor reforms their ancient military system and requires all samurai to hang up their swords, Toyo's family is caught in the middle. The opening scene, where Toyo and his father assist Toyo's uncle in seppuku, ritual suicide, is so intense that you'll wonder if Toyo's just having a bad dream.


Even though Toyo's father isn't samurai in the traditional sense, he too decides he can't live in the new Japan. He expects Toyo to assist him in seppuku, when the time comes. First, he must teach Toyo the ways of bushido, the warrior's code.


Between lessons and baseball practice, Toyo learns to meditate and use a sword--and worries about his father. When the time comes, will he have the courage to do what has to be done? Baseball is his passion, and as applies bushido to baseball, he comes to terms with the changing world around him and begins his journey into manhood.


Samurai Shortstop is the story of Toyo's search for his own path in a time of social change and family turmoil. Toyo's personal struggle is one all teens can appreciate. He struggles with peer pressure, studies, and parental control and expectations. Nineteenth century Japan comes alive and provides the color and unexpected tension that every good story needs.

Samurai Shortstop is about a 16-year old Japanese boy, Toyo. Right from the first sentence of the book it really grabs your attention. Toyo's uncle is preparing to commit sepukku. This is considered an honorable way to kill yourself in Japan. The story draws you into the life of Toyo and helps you to understand his relationship with his father and learning the art of bushido. He goes off to a private boarding school where he learns how to stand up for himself and fight off the seniors who are out to torture the first years. I liked this book because it combines the sport of baseball along with Toyo's high school experience in Japan. If you want to read a book that is hard to put down and will keep you intrigued until the very last page, then this is the book for you.