Sports Books

I am very happy with this book. It tells me about all the fishing lures made back when adam was a boy....

We are generally disappointed in sequels but this 2nd edition IS AN EXCEPTION. The hobby's rarest and unusual Lures are pictured in vivid color with a short history. Set this one on your coffee table and your guests are instantly "hooked". If you are a collector or simply enjoy angling history, this one is definitly a "MUST HAVE"...

This book is really gorgeous on the outside and even more so on the inside. It has in depth descriptions of the different types of lures and their parts and gives great incite on how to date such lures and parts. The print is is large and bold and the color pictures are stunningly printed on heavy bond glossy paper. There are pictures throughout the book of just about every lure imaginable. I promise you will not be disappointed.

This reference has been a great tool for us. We collect antique lures and have learned what to look for and what it's worth. We have found just about every lure in our collection in this book. Would reccomend to anyone with the hobby!

Well done! I use this book constantly. Well illustrated and good discriptions.

As a strength and conditioning professional and avid snowboarder I would give Rocky Snyder's "Fit to Snowboard and Ski" a solid "5 Star" rating. He has laid out functional progressions that will take a novice through expert rider/skier and develop the whole body for the demands of the sport.
The descriptions and pictures are easy to follow making this a very practical self-help guide. You can have lots of desire to improve but if you don't have the strength and stability behind it you will never reach your full potential.

I left New England in '98 because it was too cold and because I never learned to ski. In college, everyone came back from the slopes with broken parts and not just on their skis. After reading this book, I am glad to know that there are slopes on the West Coast because I'm giving this thing a shot. Snyder makes skiing and boarding sound not only fun and good for your health but necessary. His writing style is as free- flowing and easy as a trip down the bunny slopes. His encouragement is like having an instructor by your side cheering you on. I'm going to add his regimen to my fitness activities because he is so thorough, positive, and knowledgable. Thanks Mr. Snyder. Can't wait to see what's next in store for us!

Getting ready for this years ski season, I found this book to give me an excellent foundation in getting ready to hit the slopes. Mr. Snyder, made it simple to understand and follow, and I recommend this reading for all skiers/snowboarders.

As a practicing chiropractor for 25 years I have seen all of what can happen when you don't have a reference like Fit to Ski and Snowboard in your library. Rocky Snyder is a master at translating a no-nonsense training protocol into pure joy in skiing and snowboarding. Rocky's book will help prevent injury and inspire more charging and fun. What's not to like about a book like that?

Dr. Herby Bell
Capitola, CA

As an avid skier, I have personal experience with Rocky's books and his fitness/training regimine. What I have found most helpful about this book for ski/snowboard training is that it has a variety of exercises that will keep you busy throughout the off-season and keep you tuned during the season. If you get too familiar with an exercise you can easily find other exercises that will challenge you. Rocky's proven exercises really do work in keeping that edge to edge fitness and quickness required for skiing and snowboarding. The pictures and instruction make it easy to follow. The added bonus is that many of these exercises can be transfered to other sports. Every skier and snowboarder should have this book on his/her shelf. You'll use it often.

Tragedy separates two women destined to be together, only to bring them back around once again to each others' arms.

To want to marry your best friend at age 6. And the day you propose, your Dad has had too much to drink and drags you away from your friend's home kicking and screaming. Then moves you away from her.

Not knowing why they can't see each other growing up, Dana fulfills her promise to Keri's mom (Moms) to always take care of Keri.

An accident brings them together again in their early 20s...Keri is such a spoiled bitch and it angers Dana so much, but still she can't let go.

Finally, another bad time brings them together for the final time to take their stand with each other against the evils in their world.

I enjoyed this book and found my eyes tearing many times.

What an absolute joy it is to pick up a book from a first-time published author, especially when the book is a good as `Forever Found.' With many new authors, the writing can be immature and somewhat disjointed. However, Meyer delivers a quality of writing one would expect from a seasoned professional and I ever so excited by it.

Dana Ryan and Keri Flemons were close childhood friends who planned to get married when they turned 20. That is until the day Dana's father permanently separated the eight-year-old girls. As time passed, they led very different lives and became very different people.

Dana grew up with a mentally abusive father and pursued a career in professional soccer. However due to a debilitating car accident, Dana's soccer career was cut short and her father was killed. Almost a twist of fate, Keri was the driver of the other car. After a brief, yet anticlimactic meeting in the presence of attorneys, Dana moves on with her life and strikes out with a career as a sports photographer.

Keri grew up hating her mother and living with her wealthy father. Allowed to run amok, Keri had a well-earned reputation as a spoiled brat. When her father dies, Keri is wrought with grief. After several months, she begins to rejoin civilization and is a changed woman. Discovering her father's football team has been mismanaged, she decides to retake control. Being the only woman in a man's world, she devises a plan to gain an ally by hiring a photographer to chronicle her first year on the job. The problem is the photographer she wants is Dana Ryan. Dana reluctantly accepts the job and the two women ultimately discover their mutual attraction is one of the few things that haven't changed.

If she keeps it up, JLee Meyer could easily become one of my favorite authors. Dana and Keri are spectacular characters whose trials and tribulations tug on the reader's heartstrings from the first page to the last. What a ride... Cheers to JLee and here's hoping for more from this great new author!

Do you believe in soulmates? Two young children did.

Dana Ryan, once a professional soccer player til fate dealt her a bad hand, is now a sports photographer with a fledgling business. Professional football team owner Keri Flemons was once Dana's childhood friend. Tragedy forced them apart, tragedy brings them back together.

Convinced she should hire a photographer to "document" a year in the life of a woman owner, Keri is sent random photos from candidates seeking the job. Imagine her surprise when the owner of the selected pictures is the one person she didn't think would ever forgive her for what happened to derail their career...Dana Ryan.

Despite her misgivings, Dana decides to accept the job and sets off to "document" Keri's every move. Little do they know that trouble is headed their way. Trouble in the form of someone who thinks a woman has no place running a team...but not for the reason one might think.

Grudgingly setting aside their differences, a tentative friendship is formed. However, one soon finds that they would like to take it further and one's convinced that they don't. Once bound to each other as children, will a bond ever get the chance to be formed again? Will a troubled past be too much to overcome to even consider a future?

JLee Meyer's debut novel is a terrific story of tragic loss, recovery and renewed faith. Her second novel, First Instinct shows this author has certainly displayed a gift of the written word. There is a saying...Things Come In Threes...JLee's upcoming novel, Rising Storm, to be released August 2007, will certainly show that at least good things do.

... and leaves you with a tear in your eye (in happiness, sadness and finally delight) for the last 60 pages.

Dana suffers troubles that rival the biblical Job and yet remains true to herself and her dreams. She has my total admiration and you are pulling for her wishes to be realized the whole novel.

From the publisher's website -

When fate takes a wrong turn, even a romance written in the stars can be destroyed.

Soul mates from preschool, Dana Ryan and Keri Flemons are separated by tragedy when they are eight years old. Twenty years later, fate throws them together again. Dana is a retired pro-soccer player and a rookie sports photographer, and Keri has reluctantly assumed control of a professional football team after her father's untimely death. When Keri offers Dana a position as a photographer for a team project, an opportunity that would make her career, Dana is faced with the challenge of working with the woman whom she holds personally responsible for most of the heartbreak in her life. Despite their rocky history, as time passes their attraction grows until the past resurfaces to threaten the shape of their future.

What a great way to learn the rules of golf and etiuqette! I appreciated the golf etiquette tips and terminology that you may not find in other books or fellow golfers may be hesistant to tell you. A must read for all women golfers!

Reviewed by Susan Pettrone for Reader Views (7/07)

"From the Red Tees" is one of those books that every golfer needs. It is small, only 256 pages, but it is filled to capacity with common-sense knowledge, reminders and advice that even the most seasoned of golfers can take to heart and learn from. From the very beginning, "From the Red Tees" addresses the problems and important information female golfers need to know to play a round of golf and enjoy the experience as well. With lighthearted humor intermixed with information and tips for women golfers, this book proves from page one that it is a hit for women golfers of all ages.

Addressing preparedness is one of the chapter focus' within this book. From the first sentence of this chapter, it is made evident through storyline and easy-to-understand information that being prepared is essential to any golfer's game and something women in particular need to think about. Covering "what to wear," "sun protection" and much more, this is a chapter that even long-time golfers can benefit from, with its gentle reminders of essentials for the game. And on goes this fascinating book for women about the sport of golf.

Being somewhat of a novice myself in a family of avid golfers, I especially found chapter 4, "Fried Eggs and the Dance Floor," to be one of the best chapters in the book. With its explanations of the acronyms so often heard in golf, basic information on equipment and places, and of course, phrases heard on the golf course itself, this was a great way for me to study up on my terminology and jolt my memory with the terms used on the course without feeling as if I were playing `catch up' when I next visit the green. With its' somewhat confusing phrases for the new golfer such as "the beach," another way to say "sand trap," "choke down," a term used to describe moving ones hands further down on the club and "scramble," when everyone hits and you choose the next shot to be hit from the best shot in the group. I found this chapter to be exceptionally beneficial.

As this book goes along, the reader discovers a chapter entitled "How to succeed as a Mom and a golfer." I saw all too clearly the problems many women face when they have to choose between being a mother and a golfer. That is not to say that men don't have the same problems but let's be honest here; it is usually Mom who sacrifices her round of golf to play "mommy"" and rarely does Dad do the same. Being a mom and a golfer demands a certain amount of finesse, planning, and, of course, adaptability, in order to make the mix work. In this chapter, the reader can see a new way of looking at this problem and how to mix motherhood and sport, so that each works out fine.

I found "From the Red Tees" to be, not just informational, but entertaining as well, with its light-hearted humor inserted within the pages, and its basics of golf presented in a new way. This book would make an excellent choice for any and all the female golfers on your list. It seems to me that with all the high school golf teams in the country, this would also be a great gift for the younger female golfer in your life. She would benefit from the facts and from the perspective the author gives when discussing the game of golf and how it fits within a woman's life.

I have been an avid golfer for over 15 years now and for the first time, feel like I understand the dynamics at hand for womens golf. I have previously tried to bring my wife and sister along into the sport, but have failed miserably. This book would have been a perfect introduction for both me, and the women I was trying to teach.

This is a humorous and witty book for woman golfers. The authour shares stories we can all relate to and laugh at. The etiquette and terminology that is explained is helpful and can help beginner golfers feel confident on the course. It is also a great motivator for those of us who can't find the time to golf.

This is a fun & easy read! Palermo educates the novice golfer about proper course etiquette & terminology, and peppers her not-so-technical golf "manual" with humorous anecdotes. I highly reccomend Red Tees to any woman hesitant to brave the links - it will provide knowledge, confidence, and some laughs!

This book has been the best I bought about sailing so far. I was looking for a book that would give me some guidance on how to start sailing and get my family into it. This book is so nicely written that it's inspirational. Don't expect sailing lessons on how improve your sailing performance from this book. Instead, you will find a passionate author that will tell you how to enjoy a small sailboat with your family. Based on this book and others we bought a West Wight Potter 15 and we are enjoying it every minute. My wife also loved the book because it explains how to get the kids involved so that we all enjoy the adventure. If you like family adventures or if you had your adventures when you were a teen, then you would like the author's approach and he might get you into trying them again but this time with your family. Love it!

Love this book. He also published "Sailing on a Micro-Budget" which is basically the same book but available used at a fraction of the cost.
Larry also wrote "Sailing America" which is in the same vein and an excellent read.

That book is the best antidote against the well known cabin envy syndrome. Read it and start spending your money on your house where headroom is really needed. Learn to enjoy your small sailboat or get one and sail away.

THis is a wonderful book for anyone contemplating small or medium boat sailing. Filled with lots of info. and written in the right spirit- fun! Try to find it at your local library or sailing club though...cause spending $35+ on a used book IS NOT FRUGAL!

This book should really be called "Why small boats are more fun!" Brown sagely observes that (1) most sailboats are daysailed, which means most of the sailor's time is spent in the cockpit; (2) a trailerable boat costs a lot less over the years than a boat in a slip, and (3) the simpler a boat is to rig and miantain, the more time you spend actually sailing.

Any sailor is familiar with the typical marina scene: Big boats tied up at the dock, being used as a floating picnic table, as the owner doesn't have the motivation or the crew to actually take her out for a real sail. Or the boat that's motored out of the harbor, parked a mile off shore for use as a swimming and drinking patform, and then motored back in. Or the boat that can only bve sailed from one expensive blue water marina to another becuse of its deep draft.

Brown likes small, shallow-draft boats that can be hauled up on a beach, or at a minimum, anchored near enough for the crew to wade in. He likes gunkholing- lazily exploring little inlets and estuaries where the big boats can't go. And most of all he likes the West Wight Potter, a 14' mini-cruiser that he and his young family sailed for many years. Brown has probably done more for that boat than all the advertising the company has done over the years.

Now there are plenty of people who can buy a 31' boat and afford the slip fees without a second thought, and who don't mind paying someone else to do the maintenance. But there are a lot more people who'd like to sail, but who can't afford paying as much for a boat as they did for the last two family cars. If you're at all interested in sailing, but think you need a big boat with 4 berths, a head, and a galley to enjoy time on the water, read this book; it'll be a revelation.

this is an awesome book - would strongly recommend - especially but not necessarily for those with any appreciation of baseball at all - think this should be required reading for all high school students - very important and helpful life lessons - baseball is a great american tradition sure but more importantly the sport produces character - knew little of cal ripkin before reading this book - now i am a BIG fan

This book helped me and it helped me help my eleven-year-old son.

One of the parents from my son's baseball team actually said to me last night at our end-of-season party that several games ago it was like a completely different boy began showing up to play. He said he could see my son now has baseball in his head. That's about when I started reading parts of this book to my son. I started taking him to the batting cages. We began really working toward his goals on the field and talking about his goals in life.

This book resounds with the values I've always carried in my heart but have not been able to live due to circumstances beyond my control. Reading it allowed me to see these values do actually work somewhere out there in this world and these values are what I want for my child.

Cal Ripken offers many of his life lessons and experiences he has learned through playing the right way his whole career. I highly recommend this book to baseball fans of all ages and backgrounds.

Get in the Game is not only a book about Cal Ripken Jr., his consecutive games streak and his fine career. It's a recap of some simple but overlooked values.

Using his core strength in baseball to describe his thinking, the reader will not only appreciate some particular plays in his career, but also down-to-earth ways of approaching things in life.

This book provides extremely useful guidelines in dealing with situations we all eventually run into in our lives. While alluding to baseball related examples, it does not simply dwell solely on recounting Mr. Ripken's impressive baseball accomplishments or relate amusing/interesting anecdotes. Instead it gives thought-provoking insights into two all too fast-disappearing basic axioms in our country's psyche: "practice makes perfect," and "do unto others." I highly recommend this book for everyone, especially young people still in their formative years. In fact, it presents an excellent opportunity for parents to reconnect with their child(ren) by reading it aloud and together, with discussion centering on each of the eight elements as they are completed.

This well-written book took me back to Shelbyville IN in the 1950s, when every barber shop displayed a picture of the 1947 championship team and every patron knew all their names. No one would question the effect Bill Garrett had on his home town, but few could have predicted the impact he would have on collegiate sports for years to come.

The little town of Milan provided great sports drama for the movie "Hoosiers," but the life of Bill Garrett is more than a sports story. He did for NCAA athletics what Jackie Robinson did for Major League Baseball. Young people of today would be shocked to learn what he endured just a couple of generations ago.

Thanks to Tom and Rachel Graham Cody for this great read. As a Purdue grad, it pains me to praise a book that casts such a positive glow on Indiana University!

This is a good book and a good read. If you're from small-town Indiana (like me) and old enough to understand what single-class "Hoosier Hysteria" really meant, then you'll like this book.

However I respectfully offer that it's not a 5-star book. It may be a 5-star story in search of a 5-star telling.

I just finished the book yesterday, and I find myself wishing the authors had been less dispassionate. Or more passionate? Whatever.

So who was Bill Garrett? The book talks a lot about his life and times, and provides some ancedotes, but always left me wanting more about Bill. Sadly, Bill wasn't available to be interviewed, but his teammates, friends and wife were all sources for the book.

Here are some examples:

We learn a lot about how Bill came to enroll at IU, but we don't learn about the man himself. Bill left Tennessee State after enrolling, and took a bus to IU. No one was available to meet him there! How did he feel about this?

Bill was on the road and separated from his wife for several years while he knocked around the fringes of professional basketball. How was their relationship affected? We don't know.

Finally - the authors talk about the changes in college basketball in the 1950's (pp 169-175), Branch McCracken's sporadic recruitment of black players, yet fail to mention that IU WON the NCAA championship in 1953!

Sorry 5-star raters...it's a good book and a story worth telling, but could be a lot better. Probably a better movie than a book.

Seldom have I been so touched, entertained, and educated by a book as I was by Getting Open, which I read in two days. It is truly a masterpiece and something I will keep on my bookshelf for the rest of my life.

Although born and raised in Indiana, I didn't know much if anything about Bill Garrett before reading this book, but I was just blown away by his story. Not knowing the story, it was almost like reading a well-crafted novel and I hung on every new development the authors revealed. I also didn't know much about the racial intolerance of the times. My neighborhood and high school were all white, so I really had little if any contact with blacks before I went to Indiana University as a freshman in 1963. It hardly seems possible that such racial intolerance existed in the Midwest so recently before then.

This book exceeded all my expectations and I highly recommend it to anyone, whether you're a basketball fan or not. If you have any ties to the Hoosier State or to Indiana University, you will love it all the more.

At the pinnacle of his high school career - leading Shelbyville High to the Indiana state championship; a team that had three black starters - not one college scout in the arena attended the game to recruit Bill Garrett or his two teammates due to the color of their skin.

At the pinnacle of his collegiate career - leaving the court to a standing ovation that lasted several minutes - Bill Garrett was refused service in a restaurant days later; one that had on its marquee that it welcomed fans of Indiana Unniversity basketball.

And when Bill Garrett was ready to launch his pro career, the team in his home state did not draft him.

But Bill Garrett was stronger than those who attempted to keep those doors closed. And we are better because of him.

For author Tom Graham - with his co-author/daughter Rachel Graham Cody - the book took seven years of reseach, and certainly a lifetime of not denying the facts from the past and understanding the urgency in the present to set the record straight.

Getting Open is more than a biography on Garrett and how he integrated Big Ten basketball by playing and starring for IU. It is a history of institutionalized racial hatred in the State of Indiana - at one point in the 20th Century, the KKK essentially controlled all essential government offices - and the tireless work of person's from different sides of the tracks to fight the good fight.

Graham is a Shelbyville native who was old enough to vividly recall the times, which certainly helped as he meticulously did his research to cut through the fiction that builds from facts as the years tumble on.

It is a book from the heart that will make you realize how we must celebrate those who had the courage then by continuing to challenge those who want to forget - or rewrite - the past.

This book is an incredibly well written and well documented story that should be more widely read. It is an important history that many sports fans, and non-sports fans, will enjoy tremendously. It is an inspiration to us all, and offers many lessons and insights about overcoming racism. Thank you to the father-daughter authors for getting out this story!

I found this book extremely interesting it shows how a bond between friends can be held no matter what. foe example one of the 3 main charictors in this book (noelle) is a figure skater who has something wrong with her and even though she hides it from her friends the still stand by her even after she gets a guy (erin) had a thing for .. I think you can put yourself in any of these girls positions and thats what makes this book so good, the truth behind it.

I loved it. I couldn't help myself,and i practically read the whole thing in a day. I 've read other cherie bennett books, and i find a connection to Emma, Sam and Carrie in her sunset Island books, but i think GIrls In Love is way better. Its such a great book! there are so many different view points, so you're not really stuck in one perspective, as many books are, and well, it was a very well written book. if you like romance, and even if you don't, i think you'll like it. there are so many different things going on, and it is a book that is easily related to.

I loved the book! The characters were the best for me. The strange thing was they resembled my friends and I. Cherie Bennett gave them such realistic personalities, and used such perfect descriptive words, one can not help but feel sorry and happy for each, as though they were close friends or relatives. I espcially liked the cleanliness of the book. It had no impure thoughts or motives, contrary to popular love stories. I give this book a five star rating.

I loved this book. When I started reading it I couldn't put it down! I read it in two days. I wouldn't really reccommend this book to guys but it is a great romance novel for girls!!

I thougth it was the greatest book in the world it was the first love story or romance novel i ever read, though i wouldnt reccomend it for guys, it is like a mini- Dawsons Creek and Friends, I LOVED IT!!

The strongest features of this book are the extensiveness of the research on the numerous architects from the early part of the 20th century in the US, and the period photographs showing what many of the most famous courses looked like before others could alter them.

The Golden Age, as it is called, came just after people began to realize that golf courses needed to be something more than strait shots down alleys surrounded by bunkers. Men who had experienced golf in its native form in Scotland brought back their insights to the US and transformed the alleys into true adventures across the landscape. Sadly, many of them had been all but forgotten until a resurgence of interest in the art of golf design. American golf architecture again was stagnating, and new inspiration was needed.

Geoff Shackelford has stood by the pirnciples of many of the architects he discusses in this volume, and as such takes great care in his descriptions of thier lives, influences, and design philosophies.

Although not as intense a discussion of arcitecture itself that may be found in the writings of the individual architects, Shackelford's overviews combined with the numerous photographs of exemplary holes helps make clear what many of them intended with thier creations.

Of greatest interest is the attention he gives the "Philadelphia School", which includes Pine Valley creator George Crump. The details of how Pine Valley came to be, and how the group out of Philadelphia went on to inspire one another and spread the gospel of golf will be of interest to most.

A wonderful collection of photographs and biographies. All of these courses are classics that I can only dream of one day seeing, much less playing. The vintage photos of the courses provide a glimpse of the majesty of each course and Geoff Shckleford's musings and collection of quotes fill in the rest. Shackleford brought each of the great architects to life. What a great book. I'd love to see a follow up on courses in the West(including Hawaii).

This is a fine historical book that is a worthy addition to any golf library. Many of the photos are very rare and interesting to one who has "seen it all".

My only criticism is that there is a wealth of information on Thomas and other west coast designers whom Geoff has spent the majority of his time researching for his other books. There is an embarassingly small amount of information and absolutely nothing new about Donald Ross. Geoff could be accused of mailing in this section of the book.

More on MacDonald, Raynor and Banks would have been nice, but we have George Bahto's book to look forward to on that account.

The book is very much reflective of the work previously done for his other books and his personal experience, but it still deserves a solid five stars.

A must have for anybody interested in golf course architecture. As great as Pebble Beach is today, you'll wonder why it was ever changed after seeing the old photos of it following Chandler Egan's work in 1929! Buy this beautiful book and you won't be disappointed.

This book is just a perfect overview of the old architects and their design work. I disagree with the reviewer who said certain sections were mailed in. At least to me, each architect was well covered and it did not seem anyone received special attention unless they deserved it, and the Donald Ross chapter was one of my favorites. It includes an incredible picture of the great Seminole course. There is not a single picture in the book I did not want to study closely, and it seemed that every architect included was there for a reason -- their work was sensational golf course architecture that we just don't see these days.

Interesting way of selling a religious viewpoint with rewards for people who purchase 10 books or more to help spread the word. This is a missionaries christian guide not a golfing guide.

I have never written a book review and I have never read a better golf book than "Seven Days on the Links of Utopia." This book is wonderfully written and the message is one that can transform your golf game and your life. I believe that the author was truly inspired by God to have written such a wonderful story. Get it. Read it. Share it.

This book is not only about a golfers struggles with his game but also his focus in life. The book takes a professional golfer through his golf swing and the teacher helps in understand the golf swing rather than make him a mechanical golfer. This is important because the more a golfer can understand the golf swing the better he/she can adapt during the course of a round of golf. The last part of the book discusses the importance aspects of ones life which have nothing to do with golf. I plan to purchase this book for several friends that need to hear the message. The only issue I had was at the end I felt like I was being "sold" to by the author. Read this book and it will have a positive impact on your life.

Are you a golfer or do you just enjoy watching? Are you a fisherman? Are you a Christian or do you have an interest in spirituality? Would you like to talk to a friend about your beliefs but do not feel that you are qualified, or you just do not have the confidence to do so.

Give them this book but first read it yourself. A truly thought provoking and straight forward story that prompts you to close it up on occasion and say "I got it!".

Bet you can't buy just one!Golf's Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia

This is one of the best books I've ever read! The story is entertaining and provides tools for golf and life. I highly recommend this book. I usually don't read books more than once and I've found myself reading this book more than once and each time finding new lessons!