Sports Books

I liked this book because soccer is my favorite sport after basketball. Also the character in this story is Whisper and theres a girl in my grade with that name. Whisper plays socbowl in the story. I think thats a funny name. This was a very good book!

Wandering through the library, searching to find an interesting book, one caught my eye. It was the, The Million Dollar Kick. The book starts out in Oklahoma City. Whisper is an ordinary kid who is haunted by a mental picture of a soccer game. One afternoon Whisper took her little sister, who is an athlete, to the mall. Where her sister enters her in a contest. Where if you win you get the chance to win a million dollars by kicking a soccer ball past a famous soccer goalie. She wins, but now she has to learn how to kick a soccer ball. She thought she was toast until Ellie decided to coach her. I thought it was a great book full of action, surprise, and pure interest.

wisper nelson who lives in oklahoma she goes to the donut shop with her little siter and they see a thing that says Come Up With A Good Slogen and if they win then that person gets 1 shot to kick a soccer ball in to the goal if they mis they get a year supply of donuts if they get it in they win a million dollars but it ant that easy you need to kick it past carmen applegate the pro goal keeper. wisper wins and she doesnt want to do it but she still does it, she gets help bye this nice 11th grade soccer player when she got enough help she was going to do the kick in a day then for some rreason carmen applegate got hert so she couldnt play so wisper teacher was the goalie but wisper kicked it in she was really really really happy

The Million Dollar Kick is a great book. It is so suspenseful. You never know what she is going to do. The main character hates being the star but her sister loves it. My mom, my six year old sister and I all liked it. It is such a good book.

Genre: Fiction
Three sentence summary: In this book Whisper Nelson is chosen to kick a ball past a professional soccer player and if she makes it, she is awarded $1,000,000. There's just a little problem: she is not athletic. She has not played a sport since she was eight.

What I liked most about the book: The thing I like about this book is that Whisper has a chance to win $1,000,000.

What I didn't like and why: The only thing that I didnt like about the book was that it was about soccer and I do not like soccer very much.

My favorite character and why: Whisper Nelson because she wasn't very athletic but she still tried. (why wouldn't you if you made the goal you can win $1,000,000.)

The scene, line, or passage that meant something to me and why (page#): Well it was probably when she was getting ready to kick the goal. It's exciting to kick a ball and if you score you win $1,000,000 dollars.

What I would say about this book to someone else: That it's nice that the characters are realistic and the author Dan Gutman discribed the setting very well.

One question i have after reading this book: I wonder if the soccer player became good friends with Whisper Nelson.

My strongest reason for recommending this book: Well if you like sports you would be very interested.

Boy, does this book bring back memories of all the happily miserable hours spent hunting. Now we need books about fishing, birding, gardening and similar miserable outdoor activities that bring back such happy memories.

Great photos which capture the extemes waterfowl hunters live to persue their sport. I felt the cold, the dampness and excitement of the duck blind in Buckleys photographs. Great book!

This book is a must have for any duck hunter! This book reassured my friends and I that we are not the only ones these things happen to!

My husband and a few of my guy friends are avid waterfowlers. These books (Misery Loves Company: Waterfowling and the Relentless Pursuit of Self-Abuse & Don't Shoot the Decoys: Original Stories of Waterfowling Obsession) were purchased as gifts, and so suited the purpose. Huge amounts of relaying aloud of their content was overheard by any and all in vicinity. An obvious indication to the entertaining aspect these books provided. Many a moment was there a reminiscent feel to the reading - of what is actually experienced in the field. Kudos to the authors!

Written and illustrated by waterfowler and photographer Bill Buckley, Misery Loves Company: Waterfowling And The Relentless Pursuit Of Self-Abuse is an adventurous and photographic celebration of the successes, trials, and battles against the elements that determined and dedicated waterfowl hunters endure in pursuit of their sport. Full color photographs illustrate of every stage of the hunt, and are enhanced with an informal and descriptive text of what it is like to be out in the wet and the cold in search of airborne game, making Misery Loves Company an enjoyable and mildly humorous giftbook.

Of all the American Girls, Molly's our favorite and Molly Saves the Day our favorite Molly book. My six year old recognized that Molly, Linda and Susan, while away together at sleep-away camp, each had fears that they were forced to try to overcome. Molly is a very well-rounded character, and the fact that she is somewhat overly competitive (this shows up clearly during the camp color-wars) only makes her more realistic. She is nonetheless very likeable. Beyond Molly's character, however, my daughter simply found the book very exciting.

this book was relly good. it was about a girl in this coler war she and her friend are on the blueteam and there other friend was on the red team and how ever got the other teams flag and the blue team wins

i read Molly saves the day when i was 9 now im 10 and i really injoyed it! I`ve allways whanted to go to summer camp! But im not allowed `till im a teen ager so reading molly saves the day sort-of prepaired me for what it might be like! I`ve allways wanted to be brave reading Molly saves the day Kind of got me to face my fears a bit more! Thanks!

Mia

I read Molly Saves the Day for the first time when I was 9 years old. I'm now 18, and can never seem to tire of this book. Molly McIntire and her friends Linda and Susan seem more like real people and less like fictional characters in the book. Molly has her fear of swimming underwater, Susan hates canoeing, and Linda cnfides that she's afraid of bugs. Molly shows fear at first in the book, but when her whole team manages to get captured during the color war, she and Susan manage to save the day. I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of The American Girls Collection--this one is an EXCELLENT read!

Candace

Molly returns in "Molly Saves The Day" as an enthusiastic ten-year-old headed off to summer camp for the first time ever. Along with her best friends Linda and Susan, Molly enjoys meeting the challenges of camp. Well, almost all of them- Molly is afraid of swimming underwater after she fell off the dock during a swimming lesson. In the final days of camp, the counsellors organize a game of Capture the Flag, which pits Molly and Susan against Linda in an all-out battle. Molly's team's plan backfires and leaves Molly and Susan to save their team from losing the game. But to win, will Molly and Susan have to betray their best friend?

I liked this book because it was fast-paced with a good dose of adventure while retaining realistic content. Molly is, as always, lively and lovable and I really enjoyed this installment of her series. I highly recommend this book to any fans of WWII historical fiction or the Molly series.

I thoroughly enjoyed Pete Vordenberg's story and can hardly wait for the snow to fly this winter. While I can say I'm especially motivated to get on the XC trails now, I can't say I'll be draggng a log behind me as part of my experience! What an incredibe story and entertaining read. I'm hoping to see a follow up book (non-fiction or fiction) from this talented writer.

Just kidding, everything in this book is absolutely true. Read it here first. Thanks Pete for writing a great book, but more importantly thanks for telling the world about the time I wiped with poison oak! ouch.

Admittedly I felt a little like Sancho Panza, because I didn't really anticipate reading "Momentum." Odds were that it prove to be just another insipid, quixotic memoir in the vast wasteland of sports literature. I was in for a surprise. In that ego-fueled and littered expanse "Momentum" shines like a rare and precious gem.

The body of the work is solid, and there are several scenes which are more than adequately--shall we say--"fleshed out." For example: the Halloween night revenge of the NMU xc ski team against a less than candid comedian-evangelist. Some guys are probably going to spend some time in purgatory for that caper, and I don't mean skiing in Colorado!

It is a very well written work. This book is autobiographical--Pete Vordenberg as he bled, sweat, toiled, cried and laughed trying to acquire Olympic fulfillment in a practically anonymous nordic odyssey. Nevertheless, if measured together with a Sasquatch or two, Pete's life would balance the scales of 10,000 ordinary men.

I dove into this story in the first few sentences, "Game on." in the back seat of a small car stuffed with skis, food, and loved ones. This writing is a total rush of heart and soul, as twisty, full of speed, and "unrelenting" as the courses Pete challenged himself on. There is no comparison to other athletes' books; each person's journey is unique. What sets this one apart is that the author is the athlete himself, and he reflects his physical grace and power as a champion nordic athlete in his intellectual grace and power as a writer and story teller. I loved his unique way of telling his story, like a meandering trail in all seasons, evolving and alive, and still living and breathing in glorious color. I felt a sense that the past is always alive as a part of here-and-now. Thank you for sharing your adventure with us, Pete, and hope it keeps on growing for you and others you continue to inspire.
Thanks to Jeff Potter for his vision and creativity, and a very meaningful gift of heart.

Momentum: Chasing The Olympic Dream is the 191-page autobiography of two-time Olympian, National Champion, and current US Ski Team Coach Pete Vordenberg. A frequent and popular contributor to ski magazines, Vordenberg ably narrates his life in skiing from his youthful efforts to his adult accomplishments around the world. More than a simple chronicle of obstacles and accomplishments, Momentum: Chasing The Olympic Dream is an engaging read that covers Vordenberg's attitudes, aspirations, and motivations. Adeptly written with personal candor and a flair for narration, this engaging personal memoir is informative, entertaining, and occasionally inspiring. If you've ever strapped on a pair skis and dreamed of Olympic Gold, then you will want to read Pete Vordenberg's Momentum: Chasing The Olympic Dream!

I'll admit that I'm biased, just like an earlier reviewer, because I've ridden with and consider Timm a friend. However, I've got to take issue with a reviewer who lightly criticized this book as being lacking for a "newbie flatlander."

In his Introduction, Timm makes no bones about the fact that "This book is about singletrack: twisty hardpack, slaloming through trees and roots and rocks, rising through heartbreaking climbs, and descending in sometimes frightening fashion."

I applaud the newbie flatlander for taking a mountain biking vacation. Really, I do. I think it's the coolest thing, and I hope he takes more of them. But most people who take mountain biking vacations ARE people who are looking for trails like the ones in this book. And we can't change the landscape here in western NC...the fact of the matter is we have a lot of up and down, a lot of rocks and roots, and we usually get a lot of rain. If we want easier riding, we either stick to the fire roads or we travel somewhere in the eastern half of the state.

This book has what so many guidebooks lack: personality. The reason it's a great book is because Timm makes the trails seem, on paper, almost as much fun as they are on your bike. I've owned this book for a few years, and it never fails to snap me out of my doldrums when I can't decide where to ride. Just open a page, read the description, and I'm ready to go! I may even go ride Kitsuma today...

I bought this book to assist with planning for a trip to the Mt. Pisgah region.

POSITIVES: The writing was in a fairly entertaining style, and the trail descriptions and maps had lots of details.

NEGATIVES: There was no flow in the Mt. Pisgah section--the trails weren't arranged in sequence, neither by location nor by difficulty. Also, there were precious little recommendations for newbie flatlanders such as my son and I. The author seemed more interested in reporting his own experiences than in considering the needs of all his potential readers.

The book's OK, but I would only recommend it as an adjunct to the excellent "Western NC: Pisgah" book by Jim Parham.

Although it is dated, and trails have changed since 2003 this book remains a must for NC bikers for its range of trails, readability, elevations. Sets a high standard for mountain biking books. Trails range from easy to hard. If I were to buy one book for NC trails this would be the one hands down.

I found this book to be a real comfort to my coming vacation.

The trail discriptions are right on, along with the Elevations made my selections easy. I can't wait to spend a week in the mountians of Northern Carolina..

If you're going to mountain bike N.C. you need to own this book. It's easily the best one I own. The maps, directions, and charts are great and easy to follow. The rides are varied with all skill levels included. And this guy Muth has a great writing style, loaded with pesonality. My only suggestion is that he includes Dupont when he revises. Thanks Timm!

This book does a great job of taking you into the lives of people who live their passion for the great outdoors on a daily basis. The photos are outstanding...by renowned adventure photographer Corey Rich.

Buy it for all of your friends and family.

Corey's show about making this book rocked, I just loved the diversity of the athletes profiled, in particular Jeff Lowe, who shared at a book signing that his photo shoot for the book may have been his last ice climb. The book shows so many cool places to explore throughout the US. Jason and Corey pay great homage to each athlete's passion for being outside in nature, often instilling the same values in their children. Outdoor sports are a tremendous highlight of life for so many people and this is explored very well. Definitely made me reflect & feel good about my choices. I wish the book included even more stories. Great project!

Between the storytelling of Jason Paur and the beautiful photography of Corey Rich this book delivers on many levels. It is a staple on my coffee table, and I never tire of flipping through it.

The idea of the this book is so great i am surprised i haven't seen it done yet: find the best adventure athletes and interview and photograph them at their favorite places to play. The photography is awesome and the profiles do a great job of getting into the lives of the athletes. some of my favorite stories are of "the making of the book adventures" that show just how involved in the action the writer and photographer got. The stories of Corey getting airsick paragliding and getting talked into Base jumping by Shane McConkey and his girlfriend Kim are laugh-out-loud funny.

I became aware of this book on an Alaska Airlines flight where a few pages of it were featured in Alaska Air Magazine. I was so intrigued I had to run out and purchase a copy. The adventurous people the book focuses on are all very inspiring and interesting. As a "coffee table book", people will pick this up and not want to put it down. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in outdoor activities.

The New York Yankees are the most popular and successful franchise in major league baseball history. They have boasted such legendary performers as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, and Reggie Jackson. Those great players and teams can all be found in The New York Yankee Encyclopedia, the most complete record of Yankee baseball ever published.

An in-depth volume that include statistics on every Yankee player and manager, more than 250 classic photos, chapters on different Yankee eras, rivalries, ball parks, and much more

The New York Yankees are the most popular and successful franchise in major league baseball history. They have boasted such legendary performers as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, and Reggie Jackson. Those great players and teams can all be found in The New York Yankee Encyclopedia, the most complete record of Yankee baseball ever published. From their humble beginnings in 1903 as the Highlanders through nine decades of unforgettable players, teams, and classic games, noted baseball author and historian Harvey Frommer has compiled everything about the history and lore of this fabled club in the one book no true Yankee fan can afford to be without.

Here is the ultimate reference for baseball's most storied team.The "Bronx Bombers" have won 35 American League pennants and 24 World Series championships, and have boasted such legendary performers as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, and Reggie Jackson. 250 photos.

I bask in the loveliness of being the fan of the baseball team of the millenium! The Yankees have won for three consecutive years and there is no stopping them! I have Yankee fever. I like a book that describes the history of this amazing team and its past accomplishments. I marvel at the fact that so many great players have been part of this team. I also enjoyed reading the stats of past players and the rookies. This is a book that every Yankees' fan should own. Go Yankees!

This book kept me up for several nights straight. It is not a long book by any means and the average reader can go cover-to-cover in a few hours. However, one WILL find one or two things they missed upon every subsequent reading of the book.

This book is not written by a "Hard-Core" fisherman. Rather, it is the story of a "Hard-Core" fisherman. Mr. Cinquemani, a former NYC English teacher employs his grasp of the English language and writes in a way that is not only understandable, but entertaining to his readers. While the book is about fishing, it is not a "How-to" book and Mr. Cinquemani's choice to not focus on the technical aspect of fishing (i.e. equipment, knots, strategy), combined with his writing skills, does not leave one feeling empty upon the first completion of the book, or all subsequent completions for that matter.

Night Tides is about Billy "The Greek" Legakis, a legend in the striped bass fishing world. It is the story of this man's ongoing pursuit for the "Largest" striped bass. Stories of this man's introduction to this fish, his obsession with this fish, and his unparalleled pursuit of this fish grace the pages of this book. Several pictures are also included in the book, adding to the whole experience.

Having read the book several times, I am not only astonished by the sometimes unbelievable accomplishments of this particular fisherman, but grateful that the paths of these two gentlemen crossed when it did. While the stories of "The Greek" are truly amazing, without Mr. Cinquemani's abilities, these stories may very well have been untold. My utmost gratitude to Mr. Cinquemani and Mr. Legakis for choosing to share their stories with the rest of the world.

The book is a very easy read. BTG is a unique man with a true obsession with the straiped bass and the sea. A great book if you are not a fisherman and an even better one if you are. I let a buddy borrow it and he is not a fisherman. He is three quarters finished on the second day of his read. Go for it!

A quick read for anyone who enjoys catching a few "Strippahs" from their local haunts. Billy has certainly mastered the art of catching the big ones, but it also comes at a price - Fishing is 1st - everything else, I mean everything else comes after. Catching 2,500 fish with a rod during a slow season was mind boggling to me, I had to do the math twice and was sure there was an extra zero in the numbers, but low and behold this guy is a true master of the species.

It was an inspiration to read and even got me up in the middle of the nite to go for the cows under a full moon and a high tide - I got skunked and humbled.

A great gift with some terrific photos.

If you are a striped bass fisherman, this book will not let you down. I read it in 2 days. Eccentrics like Billy make life interesting. On a sad note, I can't imagine what it must have been like to fish back in the 60's and 70's before we wiped out the majority of these monster bass.

Michael Cinquemani's bio of striper fishing legend Billy "The Greek" Legakis is an engrossing story. Whether they are committed fisherman or not, readers are bound to recognize in BTG the rare combination of wits, will, and sheer tenacity that marks any person at the top of his or her field. Any die hard fishing fanatic will plow through Night Tides in a single sitting. Casual observers of the sport will love it too. Cinquemani's writing mixes humor and awe to create a realistic portrait of a unique character. The fishing community is lucky to have such a literate, and readable, storyteller!

I enjoyed this book as much as Dairy Queen. I really like the fact that D.J. is such a down to earth girl. You can't help but like her. She really makes you think about what is really important in life...like family and having a good character. I think Dairy Queen and The Off Season would be great books for every teenage girl to read.

I have to hand it to Catherine Murdock for yet again crafting an excellent piece of literature. The character's voice in this story is incredibly strong! I listened to this book on c.d and whoever they hired to "be" D.J was made for the part.
This is a book I would give to a little sister or even best friend. It's inspiring and heartwarming and totally relatable (trust me girl playing football on a farm was not what I would've picked up first). Very Clean but also very honest. Perfect for your own personal library (I'm an adult teacher and I'm buying one for my home as well as my school). DJ is a positive a strong role model for young women. Loved the characters in this story. They were well crafted and complex, nobody was black and white which of course is what makes it so incredibly realistic. I can't wait for the 3rd and final book in this series!

In Dairy Queen by Catherine Murdock, readers met a girl named D.J. who had to pick up the slack on her family's farm when her father's hip injury prevented him from doing the bulk of the work. She also had to help train Brian, the quarterback for the rival school's team. Her two older brothers were big hometown football stars - and now, unexpectedly, she might become one as well.

In the solid sequel, The Off-Season, D.J. continues to juggle her school life, her home life, and her sports life. Homework and farmwork just keep coming. Then she gets injured, which obviously and completely changes her athletic schedule. Further complicating matters are D.J.'s mixed feelings about Brian and her strained relationship with her best friend. When two other family members become hurt in debilitating ways, the Schwenks have to come together in a big way - and have to make even more sacrifices.

Give Dairy Queen and its sequel The Off-Season to girls you know who refuse to back down when coaches tell them girls shouldn't or can't play certain sports - and tell them that YES, THEY CAN!

Sometimes, after a successful first novel, its sequel may fall flat. This certainly is not true in the case of Catherine Gilbert Murdock's sequel to Dairy Queen. In The Off Season, we find D.J. Schwenk coping with even more challenges than ever, many of which could topple someone twice her age. While we know that D.J. has real style and substance, this time we find her to be more of a hero than ever. Once again, she rises to the occasion, providing the stability for her injured brother to move on with his life. A loyal friend, she stands behind her friend, Amber; and, because she believes in honesty, she refuses to look at her boyfriend through rose-colored glasses, realizing that he might not have the character she thought he had. Through it all, D.J. handles herself with the candor and composure her readers have come to love. Written with the same skill and intelligence as her first novel, this is another Murdock winner that you won't want to put down until the very last page.

When we last left D.J. Schwenk in Dairy Queen, she was trying to cope with her family's problems, the inclusion of Brian into her life, and surviving being on the Red Bend football team. You know, when most people thought girls shouldn't be on the team.

At first it seemed like she had found solutions to all of those problems. But all good things must come to an end, whether D.J. likes it or not.

With Brian being her sort of boyfriend, D.J. is pretty ecstatic, since not only is he hot and athletic, he is her first real boyfriend. But it sort of creates a problem since D.J. isn't so sure where there relationship is heading or if it is going at all. Brian isn't too sure, either, since it seems like D.J. would rather spend time with her family then hang out with him.

Her friend, Amber, is starting to get noticed, for all the wrong reasons, though. Now known as the girl with a girlfriend, Amber is beginning to change, once again, right in front of D.J.'s eyes, all because people in their town don't approve of that kind of relationship.

D.J.'s family is beginning to resolve their relationship problems. But when they think all is well, their financial problems come into play. Not only that, but D.J. herself and her brother, Win, suffer injuries that just might put an end to what they love the most.

While trying to control all of her problems, D.J. must be able to find her strength, the one that got her through her summer and the one that helped her get on the football team.

Once again, D.J. shines as a heroine who shows that everyone has the ability to get over any obstacle thrown their way.

Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen

This is a wonderful book! The photographs are beautiful and the text is honest and touching. Each vignette makes you feel as if you are at the farm with the author that day. This is a must have for every horse lover. I recommend a full box of tissues every time you read this book. It is not a sad book but very moving and full of love an drespect for the wonderful horses represented here. As many of us horse savvy folks know...these are the lucky ones. I Just love it!

Barbara D. Livingston, Old Friends: Visits with My Favorite Thorougbreds (Eclipse Press, 2002)

Reviewing books of photography often makes me feel guilty. As brilliant as someone like Romain Slocombe or Joel-Peter Witkin (for example) is, and as good as his books are, it seems kind of cheating to put a big photography book on one's list of books read for a given year. After all, how long does it really take to get through a book of photography?

Not so with Old Friends. While it is, in fact, packed with the gorgeous photographs of horses for which Barbara Livingston is so deservedly well-known, every horse in here also has a small essay from Ms. Livingston, making this more a trip down memory lane than a photography book. Some of the horses in here are some of the best-known horses on the continent (Spectacular Bid, for example), some are well-known in their region of the States (Zuppardo's Prince, the leading stallion in Louisiana most years), and some even the most hardcore horseplayer has long forgotten, or never heard of in the first place. Livingston treats them all with equal dignity, and by the end of the book, we feel like we know these horses, too.

A number of the horses here, since (and in a few cases before) the book was published, have died, and any of the rest of them are going to succumb to the ravages of old age within the next few years. But while some of their names will live in the lore of horse racing forever, Livingston has here ensured that many of the others will also not be forgotten.

A fantastic book, and well worth having. **** ½

Old Friends sits right next to Hillebrand's Seabiscuit in my equine library. It is a modern day classic.

These noble horses get loving and magnificent treatment from Livingston's prose and photographic talent.

Old Friends is a joy; a treasure. No racing enthusiast should be without this incredible book.

I bought this book after hearing about the death of the great Ferdinand.
This book shows many of the great ones that have come along, many that are still breeding and many that are living out the rest of their days in quiet comfort. Livingston is a fan of all of these horses, writing as if each one is her own. I read this book in one sitting, crying and laughing all at the same time.

I can't help but think of all the horses that didn't make it, the horse that met the same end as Ferdinand. The one's that were bred for speed but couldn't quite turn it on at the right time. The horses in this book were and are all very, very lucky indeed.

I had the pleasure of meeting the author at Gulfstream Park . She was doing a book-signing at the Florida Derby and I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. She is a kind and gracious lady. She took her time with everyone who approached her. I was already planning to purchase book and was so happy to get an autographed copy! The pictures are incredible and the grace and dignity she conveys with them is perfect for such beautiful animals as thoroughbred horses. I recommend this book to anyone who loves horses or horse racing. As Ms Livingston signed in my book : Track fever is a good thing!"