Recreation Books

This book was as informative as I have seen. I understood the descriptions and details even though they were written in technical terms and found all the answers I needed when I needed them.

This book will grace any horsepersons bookshelf for many years to come. Jam packed with information. It will be used over and over, year in, year out. Value packed.

This book is easy to understand, and describes lameness in easy to understand language. Lots of photos and exrays that explain what they are talking about. I highly recommend this book!

Excellent book with heaps and heaps of info on lameness and how to treat the problems. Has charts in it as well for you to score your own horses lameness. Has other health complications listed that can cause lameness and syptoms of lameness. I refer to it often. Layed out in section eg: hoof, lower leg, upper leg etc etc so you can go straight to the chapter you wish to look at. Well set out and easy to read. I highly recommend it!

The book "Lameness: Recognizing and Treating the Horse's Most Common Ailment", is a well-written and informative book. The knowledge presented is accessible to the average horse person, and very extensive, covering just about every possible cause of equine lameness in the legs, hooves, and other parts of a horse's anatomy.


The book also covers methods of identifying different types of lameness, recognizing gait abnormalities, managing diseases, treating wounds, hoof care, shoeing, and available therapies, medications, and veterinary care. Veterinary therapies and surgical procedures are discussed, such as joint lavage, arthroscopic surgery, and the application of casts.


submitted by J.R. Wise
author of
Give a Horse a Second Chance: Adopting and Caring for Rescue Horses

The Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers merged in June 1943 in an effort to keep the Steelers (who only had seven players under contract) alive during World War II.

The team was sometimes referred to as The Steagles. That name, however, was never official. The NFL referred to them as the Phil-Pitt entry.

Author Matt Algeo describes the Steagles as "thrown together by necessity and chance, they were a motley bunch, the unwanted remnants of two mediocre teams, with a host of ailments: ulcers, perforated ear drums and trick knees."

Fifteen of the 24 players who appeared in five or more games for the Steagles were military rejects. Chicago Bears quarterback Sid Luckman said, "The game slid backwards 10 years in 1943."

Algeo does an excellent job of chronicling the team's challenges (co-coaches that didn't get along, every player being required to work a full-time job in the defense industry and a number of injuries) as well as what the times were like. He also offers an interesting look at the early days of professional football.

Surprisingly, the Steagles had a decent season, and an outside chance to win the Eastern Division late in the season.

Any football fan should find this book worth their time.

After hearing a review of this book on a morning talk show, I ran to Amazon and was amazed to find it. My children in Pittsburgh and Steeler fans and us in Philadelphia and Eagle fans, this book made for a fun holiday gift. I never knew the story before. It was a hit!

The players and the coaches of this era are your next door neighbors. They hold "real" jobs. Go to work on the bus. Balance their lives with their game. And with a grace and humility greatly missing in today's professional athlete, makes one yearn for a different time. Throw in the early history of the NFL and life on the home front during the Second World War, combines to make this a very enjoyable read.

Great book if you're a football fan or history buff. I originally bought this book because I am a fan of the Eagles and Steelers, however I think I would have liked it even if i wasn't! It taught me a lot about the early days of football and especially how the season unfolded during the troubling time of War.

The year is 1943 and the NFL is at a crossroads. With WWII raging, teams are losing players, coaches and owners to the various military branches. One of the 10 teams had suspended operations and there are questions if the league should follow that lead.

The remaining league members elect to conduct a 10-game season with a twist, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles will merge for the year.

That is where Matthew Algeo picks up the story with the world at war and the attempt to maintain athletic entertainment on the homefront. The "Steagles" had a roster of players who washed-out of the military, former stars who had little to nothing left for the gridiron and those waiting for their call-ups.

And unlike some players on other clubs who had pro football listed as their main occupation - which granted them an exemption of working in a war-related industry during the season - every Steagle worked full-time during the day and practiced at night.

Algeo artfully utilizes the history of the time, comments from players & coaches and game stats for the season that nearly found the hybrid club with two homes on top of the league standings. A forgotten piece of early NFL lore, it took 60 years for the story to be grandly presented to fans, as a ceremony honoring the team was held in the Steelers' Heinz Field.

It is a must read for football fans or those interested in the homefront during WW II.

At the time of this review, I am 31 years old and preparing for my first season of adult hockey. I had almost zero skating experience (aside from maybe three public skating sessions when I was 12 or so years old) when I decided I wanted to play hockey. Before I started taking skating seriously, I would just go out an mess around on the ice for a half hour at a time. All that did was breed bad habits and frustration. Then, I purchased this book: I can't stress to you just how much the descriptions in this book helped form good skating habits while avoiding/undoing the bad ones. Remember, I am a self-taught skater and by no means perfect, but this book solidifed the fundamentals and spelled out the execution necessary to maximize my power. In just three months of practice patterned after the excercises in this book, I feel like a totally different individual than the unbalanced, directionless clown I was when I started out. Consider this book a must-read if you're looking to get into hockey.

You must buy it if you found Laura's DVD is the best skating instructional DVD.

great book but more for beginners. great drills to help build edge control

This book has helped me out tremendously! I have an instructor, when he shows me something, and i still don't understand it, i flip this book open, it gives you step by step what you should do and it usually works..

Even on things my instructor does not go over because it's for more advanced than i am currently, this book helps you understand how to at least attempt to do it, and usually it works if you do what the book says..

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is just start to play ice hockey.. it has helped me out a lot!

I was searching for a book or video that would teach me all I needed to know about skating so I could get into inline hockey. This book delivered beyond my expectations! Not only has it allowed me to get all of the basics quickly, it taught me the all important lesson of what to focus on when I'm practicing these skills. I will be using this book for many years to help me continually refine my technique. Although there are some differences between ice and inline skating, all of the techniques covered in this book relate directly.

This book is priceless!!!!!

I purchased this for my own reference. A friend already has it and I wanted one for myself.

Great detailed information and great pictures. Learned a lot about the old breed. Thanks.

THIS IS THE FIRST OF THE LEGENDS SERIES THAT I PURCHASED.
IT IS EXCELLENT! I HAVE COLLECTED ALL OF THE LEGEND BOOKS AVAILABLE AND LOOK FORWARD TO NEW ONES. ALL VERY USEFUL INFORMATION AND MAKES FOR SOME GREAT CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHERS WHO HAVE BEEN AROUND THE QUARTER HORSE SINCE THE BEGINNING OF AQHA.

IT WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF IT HAS INFORMATION OF HORSE MR CONCLUSION IN THIS BOOK

This book provided the ancestry of the horses that started the American Quarterhorse breed. It was fun to take my horses' lineage and be able to trace it all the way back to the original King Ranch horses. I found out why my horse has such hard feet, why she likes to run so much, and found that she is the spitting image of one of her ancestors. I could hear the stories of her great grandsires and great granddams, the lives that they led, the places they lived, their temperaments, their quirks of behavior. I feel that I know my own horse better after seeing where she came from. I highly recommend this and the other volumnes of this series.

For some of us, playing cards is a form of recreation; but after reading this book, I see it is a life changing passion for others! I also know why 20 years ago, I could never beat John at pinochle! If you want to learn to play poker, buy Poker for Dummies, but if you want to read a book full of quick wit, interesting turns of events, and learn 14 Life Lessons along the way, (my favorite is #12), buy this book! Have you ever watched a movie where you tell the main character not to go there, don't do that? Well, I wanted to tell the main character in this book those same things!

I have never been a poker player, but I've always been curious what the whole attraction was behind the recent explosion in interest in Texas Hold'em and other poker games. I figured I would slog my way through this book and perhaps gain an appreciation for the game. But what I found in the pages of this book was so much more than a book about poker. This was a unique insight into the mind and heart of an every-day man facing his own demons in the backdrop of the worlds greatest poker event. This is one of those books that offers more than just a compelling story. You come away actually feeling that you've been a part of the story; that you've experienced a piece of the life of the main character. Along the way, I even managed to learn a bit about poker. I read a lot of books but I rarely find one that I know I will read again. This book is one of those rare exceptions.

Wow. For the average-Joe poker player (or below average, in my case) who has ever dreamed of the excitement and winnings possible in high stakes poker, this is a must read. Circle the drain without putting your own family life at risk, in a story that seems all too real. And learn a bit about the game in the process. This book might keep you from ditching your day job, or suggest a possible dark side if you pursue poker beyond recreation. Either way, it's wonderfully escapist.

Unlike some recent autobiographies that were painfully revealed to be fiction, Life on Tilt is a fast thinking piece of fiction that reads as achingly autobiographical. The first person narration pulls you inescapably along, a voyeur, challenging you to keep up but leaving you with the feeling of watching a train wreck unfold with no ability to stop it. This is a book about compulsion in many forms and how the struggle between individual identity and social expectations can take extraordinary turns when mixed with pocket aces. Whether you are a poker dad, a poker widow, a poker wannabee or just curious about those who play poker, Life on Tilt will give you thoughtful new insights - to poker and, maybe, to yourself. Read 'em and weep, as they might say.

I don't play poker. I have never played a hand. Even my husband doesn't play poker, but that was not a prerequisite for thoroughly enjoying this book. This book was a page-turner for me because it spoke of the challenges and demons we face in any relationship. John Blowers paints a wonderful tapestry that directly speaks to the reader about the obligations of balancing a life, career, marriage and family with the temptations of an interest that could potentially jeopardize that idyllic American dream. If you aren't a poker player and have passed on this book, take a second look. Do not deprive yourself of this great read. It is the book you have been craving. It is the one where you regret to see the end of the book near because it means that the end is coming. One where you miss the characters as soon as it is over and keep thinking of the story long after it is finished. My advice is to read it with a friend so you can extend the experience by conversations afterward.

I enjoyed Jim Brosnan's The Long Season. I didn't think that the book was quite as good as its reputation, however.

It is easy to see why The Long Season made such a strong impression when it was published in 1960. Brosnan's account of the 1959 baseball season was one of the first books that didn't "sugarcoat" the professional athlete's life. Brosnan is very opinionated about baseball and the characters in the baseball world.

I don't think that the book has aged that well, however. It doesn't have the irreverence or gossipy tone of books that followed, such as Ball Four. I found, therefore, that the book could be slow going in places. You do get an excellent view of the 1959-era baseball world, however.

In summary, The Long Season is a good read for those who want to know more about baseball 50 years ago. If you aren't a hardcore fan, however, you probably will want to look elsewhere.

wonderful baseball expose of the era. fascinating, riveting and, best of all - true! not some Bernard Malamud fictional account, this author was a major league pitcher for 9 season. Not a great pitcher, but an average one. Fortunately, he's a great author.

This is flat out the best baseball book I have ever read.

I also enjoyed Ball Four. Ball Four

This labor of love takes you inside major-league baseball clubhouses and dugouts. Jim Brosnan was a competent major-league pitcher and is an even better writer. You'll see how baseball players really feel about their teammates, managers, contracts, winning, losing, being traded, strategy, et cetera. (Some of this is known by now but was a revelation when the book was first published.) Brosnan's literate, well-written book captures the flavor of the dugout without using vulgarity or crudity (a problem I had with Jim Bouton's Ball Four, though I know not all will agree). If you're solely interested in the modern era, this book may not be for you. But if you want to know what it feels like to be a major-league baseball player and enjoy good writing for its own sake, The Long Season is a must. (P.S.: Brosnan's sequel, Pennant Race, is almost as good.)

"Twist, belly-button, block." A major league relief pitcher taught me how to hit a baseball. An excellent book during an excellent time in Baseball.

While Brosnan ruffled some feathers with this book, it isn't anywhere near as controversial or raunchy as Jim Bouton's "Ball Four." Brosnan does mention his difficult contract negotiation, but it's not as bitter as Bouton discussing contracts. Brosnan has an elephant-like memory for conversations and the batting history of every hitter he faces. You get to see every aspect of a game, from the pitchers discussing how to pitch to a batter to who's got the best pitch to the manager's pep talks before the game. Brosnan has an excellent grasp of the language and even perplexes some of his not as scholarly teammates with some of his words. Overall, a great read from a talented pitcher and author. I look forward to reading "Pennant Race."

In the beginning of Pier Pressure, there are five best friends, Luna, Kanani, Cricket, Rae, and Isobel that live in Cresent Cove. Luna's parents run a surfing camp and Luna and her friends help them. The first day of the surfing camp Luna sees a guy and they indroduce themselves.
Next, Luna and the guy named David sort of become friends. However, David sort of has an attitude and couldn't surf at all, but was in the intermediant class.
Finally, David let Luna teach him how to surf. Thats not all Luna was thinking about. She remembered that The Western Championship surf competition was coming up and her mom is a pro surfer. Luna thought that she had to live up to her moms reputation. Now only with three weeks left until the surf competitionand until David has to go back to his dads, she has to try to train and stay away from David for awhile. Which of course Luna doesn't want to do. Finally, she starts training while also making a little time for David. It finally comes to the competition and she surfs with her heart and ends up, well you'll have to read the rest to find out if Luna and David ever become serious or say good bye and sort of stay in touch.

Genre: Fiction
Three sentence summary: Luna is a camp councelor at a surf camp. While there she meets a boy. They begin dating but many things go wrong.
What I liked most about the book: What I liked most about the book was how it has real life problems that you, the reader can relate to.
What I didn't like and why: I didn't like how it skipped around from person to person. It confused me.
My favorite character and why: My favorite character is Luna because she is so down to earth and knows wrong from right.
The scene, line, or passage that meant something to me and why: David and her are in the ocean playing when he grabs her hand. It's just so sweet and really grabs your attention and makes you wanting to keep reading to see where it leads.
What I would say about this book to someone else: I would say if you like romantic and adventurous books then read this because it's all about two surfers who fall in love.
One question I have after reading this book: One question I have is how old was David. They never said in the book but he semmed younger than Luna.
My strongest reason for recommending this book: I recommend this book because it catches your attention and really puts a good meaning on life.

The main chacters in Luna Bay are Luna, Rae, Kanani, Cricket, and Isobel. The setting is at North Beach in Crescent Cove. Luna's parents have a surf camp. Luna saw a boy at the surf camp that she thought looked good. But the boy really doesn't like surfing. His grandparents sent him there so he would not be board while he was at their house. The conflict is that David does not like surfing and Luna does. The lesson to be learned is that you don't have to like the samething as someone else to be there friend. The ending was really. I would not change the ending at all. I would recommend this book to pre-teen girls. I would recommend it to all my friends. I really enjoyed the book. I encourage all girls to read this book. The best part of the book was its ending. The first two chapters were really good too. I hope that all the people that read this book will enjoy it; the title of the book is LUNA BAY.

I read the book ýLuna Bay.ý I thought it was a outstanding book. I would recommend this book to people who surf, and that live in California. I would recommend this book to people that surf and live in California because itýs all about surfing and a little bit of horse riding. It would be a fun book for surfer girls to read.

I really liked it because I like surfing even though, I donýt surf. I watch surfing competitions on television and it looks like fun. Iýve always wanted to know how to surf and I think that I would be good at it because, I snowboard and there both almost alike. I also like it because it takes place by the ocean, and I love the ocean. When I think about the ocean it makes me feel cheerful and cool.

ýLuna Bayý is about five best friends, Rae, Luna, Cricket, Kanani, and Isobel. They all love surfing together. They are all counselors of Lunaýs parents, Tuck and Cateýs, surfing camp. At surf camp Luna meets a kid David she falls in love with, and they start dating, but her parents donýt want her hanging out with him because it will interfere with her training for the contest, but Luna still hangs out with him. At night when she goes out to train she doesnýt, she goes to meet David, and teaches him how to surf. On the nights she does go training she lifts weights and jogs. David doesnýt know how to surf because he lives in Florida and his dad sends him to see his grandparents for a month, and his dad signs him up to learn how to surf. Luna is so happy because she just found out that she qualified for the ASA ( Amateur Surfing Association Western Championship) at Cresent Cove right down the street from her. Her mom was the three-time champion in th world, and she wants Luna to win. Luna is very pressured about winning, so she can make her mom proud of her daughter. If Luna wins the contest the SG Magazine will have her in the magazine, but she doesnýt think sheýll win because some of the best surfers are coming to town to be in the contest.

Overall, I think this book was really good. Read the book and find out if Luna wins or if she loses the championship.

I am probably waaaaaaaaaaaay too old to even pick up this book, but since my adage is "you're never too old to read" I picked it up anyway. And even though the writing is a bit slow (but then again I'm not exactly the target-group of this book) it's pretty interesting and, parents, it is safe. No full frontal snogging here...
The parts where the author describes the surfing itself are on the other hand so interesting that I would really like to go out there and start surfing myself!!!
I can also fully underscribe the sideline-message: treat your planet with respect!
So all in all: I'd say 4 stars!! (that and I'll probably buy the next Luna bay novels)

I first decided to watch A&E's Horatio Hornblower because I had caught a glimpse of Ioan Gruffudd, and thought he was very handsome. But, as I watched, I got caught up in the movie, and thoroughly enjoyed the whole series. Then, when I learned there was a behind-the-scenes book availiable, I knew I had to have it. I tried all the local bookstores (and some not so local, too) with no luck. Then I tried Amazon, and I finally got my book. It is a great book, with loads of candid pictures and still frames from the filming of the series. I enjoyed learning how all the battle scenes were filmed, about the use of scale models, and all the hard work put into the filming of Horatio Hornblower. I would definately reccommend this book to anyone who liked the series. It is a wonderful, informative, and captivating look at the behind-the-scenes action of the best miniseries I have ever seen, Horatio Hornblower.

To all,

Mr. Gruffudd's performance in this movie was absolutely spectacular. I don't think that it is possible to give an amount of stars on this movie. All the actors were great, including stand out acting by Robert Lidnsey and Jamie Bamber. I think this is defintely a book everyone should read, and a movie for all to enjoy.

I'm Out,

Val

Whoever found Ioan Gruffudd for the role of Hornblower should be rewarded 10 times over and then some. This book is chock full of fantatic pictures and great insite into the making of this exciting series. I laugh out loud at some of the humor laced throughout this book. The pictures are worth owning this book for on their own, is a must own for any fan of Hornblowaaahhhhh!

If you are a Hornblower fan you must have this book! First, the photographs are amazing including captures from the hit A & M mini series to back stage candids, technical details and beautiful portraits of the stars. Second, the written commentary if fantastic. The writer goes into details of the complexities of filming in a foreign place, supplying food, costumes, transportation and everything else. It also talks about the Grand Turk, the ship they filmed the mini series on. It was interesting to read about how the crew from the film had to work with the crew that actually operated the ship, the movie sailing cast and the makeup and wardrobe people, all on what seems to be a pretty small ship. This book is very well done, and really should be owned by any true Horatio Hornblower fan.

I love this book. Aside from the tons of great pictures of the cast, it gives a lot of background on all the characters - including the boat that they used to for filming.

There are brief synopsis' on all the movies as well as a brief rundown of the characters we meet in each movie.

Wonderful interviews, beautiful pictures, and indepth characterization from the actor's perspective.

This is a great book for any Hornblower fan!

I have already another excellent book (Ultimate fitness) and some DVD's of Master Sang H. Kim. He is a great teacher and likes to share his martial arts wisdom.
This book covers almost every single aspect about running a martial arts business, from teaching to marketing.
A serious book to serious martial arts teachers.
I strongly advice you to get one.

I'd recommend this without reservation to any martial arts instructor, part-time or full time. Or any instructor. It provides excellent simple advice for dealing with simple difficult issues such as ADD kids or other attention problems in class. It provides straightforward and concise guides for organizing a class or a business. I've had it only a few weeks, and expect to be mining its depths for years. I doubt if I'll ever sit down to read it straight through, but I've found that every time I've gone to it for any specific issue, or just to open and browse for ten or fifteen minutes, I've learned something.

This book has a wealth of information about running a dojang (dojo). From dealing with the difficult student to organizing a class with specific drills, this book covers everything a good instructor needs to at least think through. I particularly liked the aspects of running a business; when to advertise, how to run a radio spot, what to do when enrollment drops, when to expand and when not to. If your business is teaching martial arts, you must have this book.

Martial arts desk reference is a wonderful guide that no instructor should be without. Good ideas,for high ranking , as well as student instructors. great book

I found this book to be a great reference in running my school. I have made it required reading for all my instructors and staff members. I highly recommend this title to all those running a martial arts school.

Martial Mechanics is a great book for those practicing or who are thinking about practicing martial arts. While the book focuses on striking techniques, I think the message of proper posture and use of the entire entire body ( esp. abdomen ) transcends into all martial disciplines. I found the chapter on breathing techniques ( which is rarely taught properly ) really useful.

This is a very good book for anyone thats into the martial arts. I read the other book by this same artist (author) & it was very good also. This one was probable better written than the first.

Martial Mechanics is an innocuous title for an immensley powerful book! I am a student of the martial arts for 23 years and fortunately a practitioner of YiLi Chuan in the 1980's. Even though I am no longer officially affiliated, I was a student of a wonderful instructor of YiliChuan, a senior student of Master Phillip Starr. What Sifu Starr has done is to deliver a timeless, authentic, and ultimately practical skill set, and useful guides to put your martial art, whatever system that may be, as fundamentals are universal to any good art worth it's salt, in alignment with the soundest of martial principles. This stuff is GOLD! If you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced practitioner, this book is literally a treasure, a workbook, and a glimpse into what real martial arts look like, and when putting the principles into practice, what they feel like on the giving and receiving ends. These fundamentals I was privy to when I was just getting my "martial feet" wet so-to-speak, and those that have these skills intact, in my expereince are few and far between in West Texas certainly, and in many other locales too. I highly and exuberantly recommend this tome of martial transformation, as I am recommending this book to both students and friends alike. "When one goes to the well of knowledge, drink deeply or drink not at all." Drink Deeply my brethren! Drink deeply and get this book. I await the advanced volume with an expectant heart. Thank You Sifu Starr.

Sifu Starr has done it againg! Martial Mechanics is a stand alone work, that lives in any genre; thus making it a classic for the ages! Anyone exspousing to "work smarter, not harder" would grow by leaps and bounds. Martial Mechanics is suitable and highly recommended for all combat arts. I personally study Japanese bujutsu and have studied the Brazillian brand. I highly recommend this book to grapplers/submission wrestlers! If think I am bullshidoing you, go read chapters 8,10 and 11! As matter of fact be a blessing to someone and provide a copy of Martial Mechanics for them. I can promise you, they would be the better for it! Peace!

Martial Mechanics is a good introduction to martial arts basics, a good reminder of what's important for those who have trained awhile, and is good material to supplement the syllabus of teachers of the MAs. Sprinkled liberally with anecdotes and humor, the book is easy to read and contains many excellent photographs to illustrate the points being made. While written from an internal martial artist's slant, I found it easy enough to substitute my external training/practice and keep going (for example, when the idea of reverse breathing is mentioned). The material on posture and alignment equaling power, relaxation adding to speed, and how force is generated, are especially bright spots in the book. I would recommend this book to all practicing or aspiring martial artists.