Recreation Books

Seabiscuit is a great story, book, and movie. If you have not read it, buy it today and start reading. You will not be disappointed.

This book is a true American legend at its best. "Seabiscuit" was written by Laura Hillenbrand based on a true story of one horse and jockey's incredible life. This biography is set in the 1930's and 1940's and takes you on a journey with someone and something that no one believed in until they were given a chance to prove themselves. The perseverance of these two characters is admirable; they never give up, no matter what. The jockey, John Pollard, was struggling in life until given the shot to show he was more than just an average jockey. Seabiscuit, on the other hand, is my favorite character; he never accepts the possibility of losing. Pollard and Seabiscuit's relationship started when trainer Tom Smith paired them together out on the racetrack. I love that they were given a chance to prove everyone wrong by winning race after race with odds stacked against them; both had been injured numerous times. Read about how they smashed people's disbelief and made history, performing one of the greatest comebacks in all of sports. The theme of "never giving up no matter what" would most likely interest people who enjoy sports novels. "Seabiscuit" is truly the greatest sports story of all time.

This narrative leaps out of the first paragraph in the same way Seabiscuit learns to bolt from the starting gate. From the start, Laura Hillenbrand draws the reader into the story with colorful, taut writing. There are no meaningless side stories in this book - each detail weaves itself back into the tale of a horse who beat the odds to become one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century.
This story is gripping even if you have no interest in horseracing.

I loved this book !! It made me feel as though I was there watching the drama unfold as the unknown underestimated horse rose to champion status. The characters are real and the story is built piece by piece. If you like rooting for the underdog and enjoy the thrill of competition, this book is for you. The large print of this edition was easy on the eyes as well.

This book follows the life of Seabiscuit, an incredible racehorse in the 1930's, and the three men who were entwined in his life: live-wire owner Charles Howard, taciturn trainer Tom Smith, and reckless jockey Red Pollard. WOW. This is an amazing book. I read it because I had watched the movie and loved it, but I wasn't thinking I would actually enjoy the book. I felt obligated to read it. Well, it's probably my favorite book to read this year. The author sets up each character carefully, going back to the man's birth, or further back, and the reader really gets a sense of what drives each person. The character development for "the Biscuit" is truly great, as well. His personality really shines, and I wish I could have met him! Her insertion of anecdotes is masterful, as well. The era (the Depression), the nation's mindset, the men who loved Seabiscuit, the means jockeys undertook to maintain racing weight are all described and explained wonderfully, without the author ever becoming pedantic or talking down to us folks who don't know racing. One doesn't have to be a "race person" or a "horse person" to enjoy this beautifully crafted book. The rave reviews are well-deserved. It's the story of underdogs achieving great things. It was an exhilarating and enthralling read; better than any fiction I read this year. After reading this, I would read anything this author put out.

I just ordered this book of Amazon and already received it. This is definatly the best Strength Training book published. It shows 100s of workouts for all parts of your body including your arms, legs, buttocks, back, chest, abdomen, and shoulders. Now, I am 13 years old and I am currently lifting weights, so since Im younger than most guys, I like to make sure I know what Im doing so I dont hurt myself, and this book gives me it all. It tells me how to do workouts, different ways of doing them, what muscles it mainly works, and it even informs you on possible injuries.

I recommend this to anyone intrested in getting a Strength Training book

Very good for those who wants to know deeper what is going on with the muscles, tendons and bones, when you do weight exercises. Which muscles works with which exercises (and its variations), and secondary muscles too.

Excellent illustrations, excellent explanations (including how the exercise is done), and how to prevent injuries.

Very interesting and useful. Several exercises included for all parts of the body!
It really worths!

Good book gives a great overview of what workouts target specific body parts and how to do them.

Very nice book, with a lot of excersises that are availible in most fitnessrooms and group excersise classes. For all this excersises it is shown which muscles are used and how to do it correctly. Also some variations are shown if these are possible.

This is the workout bible! I've been working out for fifteen years and this is the most complete and amazingly illustrated weight lifting book I have ever come across. A variety of specific exercises for each muscle group is demonstrated with easy to follow instructions and detailed pictures. The primary muscle groups in each exercise are highlighted red and all muscle groups used in the exercise are labeled. The book is well organized and grouped by category as follows:
* Arms
* Shoulders
* Chest
* Back
* Legs
* Buttocks
* Abdomen
THE BEST WORKOUT BOOK EVER!

I decided to run a marathon, but did not think I could do it. I am an avid amazon dreamer. My wish list is too long to mention! While searching for help I came across this book. I am so glad I did. This book gives you all the tools you need to complete a marathon and helps you built your self-esteem to let you know you can!
Go for it!

This is the ultimate marathon training book!!! And it's the 3rd one I've ordered. My friend swore by this book when she was training for the Tokyo Marathon such as I did when I trained for the Marine Corps Marathon. Amazon got the book here quick too!!

My sister-in-law and I are training to run a half marathon. This book is like our bible. We are following the training advice to a tee and really enjoying the workouts. I am highly recommending this book to anyone who isn't a runner and is training for a marathon. We both love this book and know that we will be successful when it comes time to run the marathon thanks to this book!

I just completed my first marathon (Rome 3-16-08).
This book gave me all I needed to train and
complete this marathon. I started from not being
able to run for 30 minutes straight to running
a marathon within 6 months. If you follow this
book you will be able to train for and run a marathon!

The writers are very motivational. There is a 16 week
program that guides you through your training
week by week. I cannot recommend this book enough
for anyone who has ever wanted to run a marathon!

I bought this book accidentally... and I gave it to my husband. He said he likes the book so much. It gives him a lot of idea on how to run in a marathon! ;)

I read this book a few years ago, and it practically had me rolling on the floor laughing at times. Finally got it for myself to own, and it's still every bit as good. Gary Paulsen has a wonderful way with words, and is an excellent storyteller. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone.

One of the most entertaining books I have ever read. After reading one of the other reviews where the criticism was the authors lack of writing skills, for-gedda-bout-it. This book wasn't meant for your English Lit class. It's about one crazy dude's journey. It's funny, it's gritty, it's real, and if you're a dog lover, it's both happy and sad. I give it 10 thumbs up (ok, so I'm "all thumbs").

Very disappointing book. Boring, lots of padding. Poor and repetative story line. Not well written. Couldn't even read it to the end which I'm sad about as I love books and don't give up easily.

This book is outstanding.

Some of it is written in the manner of a tall tale, so I had moments when I doubted the narrator's credibility. But then I thought about it. Who cares! It's funny, heartbreaking, and uplifting. "Fine madness" is the point, after all.

Some people may think this is a stretch, but I see this book as a healthy mixture of Hemingway's prose, Faulkner's yarns, and an enthusiasm for animals

This book is going to stay with me for a long time, and for that reason, I recommend it to a broad range of readers.

You will enjoy this book.

Very interesting account of Gary Paulsen's experience preparing for and running the Iditarod. Although it identifies some of the colder sides of nature, it is a warm wonderful book with an excellent sense of humor...one that makes you laugh out loud as you read. This hard to put down book will leave you looking at life in a different way.

Presidential biographer David Maraniss ("First in His Class") turned his attentions away from Washington, D.C., and towards Lambeau Field in this remarkable book. His subject was Coach Vince Lombardi, who took over a losing program and turned Green Bay, Wisconsin, the smallest market in professional sports, into "Title Town, U.S.A."

Immediately prior to Lombardi's acceptance of the head coaching position, the Packers managed to win only a single game in an entire season. In short order, Lombardi made Green Bay synonymous with victory. The trophy given to the team that wins the Super Bowl is now named for Lombardi. The Packers won the inaugural Super Bowl and repeated the following year under their celebrated head coach.

Lombardi was a star player for Fordham when that university still had a football program. He developed and refined his coaching abilities at the high school level and he was promoted to assistant coaching positions at the United States Military Academy (West Point) and with the New York Giants of the NFL.

As Maraniss demonstrates, Lombardi enjoyed influence throughout the country during the Sixties: he became a much sought after business conference speaker and Richard M. Nixon even contemplated offering him a place on the political ticket of the Republican Party for a brief time.

This is a superior biography and a document of a time that now has gone.

This is the best sports biography that I've ever read, and is the gold standard by which I rate every other sports bio. I originally read the book when it was published in 1999 and decided to read it again. I didn't realize that I had forgotten so many details. Many of the games discussed I remember like it was yesterday. If you were a Packer's or NFL fan from the 60s this is a must read book.

I'm very skeptical of Amazon's public reviews as I find 80% +++ of the reviewers are too easily impressed (especially business/investment books). Most grossly overrate books. With such skepticism, I did scan through a page or two of the now 138 reviews to see why anybody would give this book < 5. Two compliants said it had too much minutia and wrote too much about Vince's early life. I find that most if not all biographies talk too much about the person's early life and the person's lineage. I usually scan the early chapters of a biography until I get into the person's adult years. On my second reading of this book I picked it up around Vince's time at West Point.

One last point about the author. I've also read First in His Class & his book about Roberto Clemente. Both were excellent books. However, Maraniss did co-author a book with a younger woman, who's title I forget. It was obvious from the reading that the woman had written most of the book and Maraniss wrote little of the book. His name may have been listed as a co-author to sell books.

I couldn't help feeling that I was right there in frozen Green Bay, in the 1960s, at one of the Lombardis' Sunday post-game cocktail parties, and everywhere else Vince Lombardi went in his life, while reading this great book.
It's a great read, very vivid, about a great coach and (as Maraniss illustrates) not the greatest father in the world. In other words, a portrait of a human being who did great things with his work, but who had foibles like everybody else.

This biography of Vince Lombardi will move you to tears and inspire you to find the best in others. Lombardi was truly a great teacher, coach, and man.

I picked up this book after hearing a strong recommendation. I knew next to nothing about Vince Lombardi, other than that he was an excellent football coach. Very glad I bought the book as this was a particularly engrossing biography.

The author was very thorough in his research and traces Lombardi's life in detail for his full nearly 60 years. He provides a lot of detail on Lombardi's strengths and weaknesses. At times I wanted to slug him and tell him to quit being so intense about football and pay more attention to his family. Other times, I found myself admiring the daylights out of him. It is astonishing to think he could take the most losing team in football and turn them into major winners in just one season.

There's a lot of food for thought in this biography. Is winning really so important that you should sacrifice your family and your health? Is success really success if you never enjoy it? As a recovering perfectionist, I saw many powerful examples from Lombardi's life about why I DON'T want to be a perfectionist! Nothing is ever good enough, and you never, ever get to be happy. That is one lesson in Lombardi's life that really comes blasting out of every story.

If you like biographies, you will really enjoy this one. Glad I decided to pick it up.

Jan Dahlin Geiger, author of "Get Your Assets in Gear! Smart Money Strategies" Get Your Assets in Gear! Smart Money Strategies

Merle's Door is the best book on a dog (or dogs) that I have ever read. Rather than becoming lengthy and told from a professional point-of-view that attempts to make sense of every behavior within accepted standards of dog behavior, Kerasote relates Merle's biography - and all the lessons it contains on both dog and human behavior and relationships - in a way that acknowledges and explains professional viewpoints and then provides insight into what dog owners actually go through with their dogs. This merges both views - the professional doctrine and the human experience with dogs - into a synthesis that is both moving and understandable. In fact, Kerasote's observations are the same kind that I have had with my border collie, Emmy. Both are dogs, but exhibit levels of higher thinking, emotion, and reason that profoundly exhibit traits that are human. I agree with every point Kerasote makes in his observations, and find Merle's tale to be an example for how all dogs should be able to live (within the capabilities of their humans, of course). If you have not read it, read it (with a box of tissues during the last few chapters). And I hope it brings you as much happiness, and an understanding of dogs as more than simply dogs, as it brought me.

Ted Kerasote has written an outstanding book which is a well balanced story of a wonderful dog--Merle--- and some science showing us how Merle's life is a true reflection of his ancestor's development. I found the book to be very entertaining and instructive.

All I could say when I finished was - WOW! This was a fantastic book especially for someone like me who is both a biologist and a "dog" person.

One of the best books ever written. It is about living life fully, allowing love to fill your soul, the spirit and mind connection of human and canine in general, and the deep spiritual connection between this particular dog and this particular man. Ted Kerasote is an accomplished outdoorsman, a careful observer, a writer with rare talent. His respect, admiration and love for Merle are so alive on the page that the reader is drawn directly in. Merle will become your dog as well. You will hold him in your arms, look into his eyes, run your fingers through his ruff - and suffer wails of grief when his body lives no longer. But, Merle is immortalized here. And that is a joyful thing.

A fellow dog lover gave me Merle's Door for my birthday. I hesitated at first knowing that eventually Merle would be joining my past dogs waiting for me in Heaven. But, I dove in mostly because of the fetching photo of Merle on the front jacket.

Ted Kerasote is a supremely engaging writer. His powers of observation and ability to get it on the page is an absolute pleasure to read. Ted's love of the canine, and all the natural world is embracing, immense really. How the relationship begins is astounding, as Ted makes it abundantly clear that was the dog who chose the man, not the other way around. Poetic and simply beautiful, Kerasote takes us on their journey of life together.

When I got to the part when inevitably, Merle's health is on the wane, I had to put the book down for a few weeks. I sent an email to Kerasote and expressed my feelings for the book and how many recommendations I had made to all my dog loving friends. Ted wrote back a few days later, thanked me, and I gathered my strength to complete the book, which was difficult I admit.

Merle's life with Ted has stayed with me as if I was physically present for all those years. So, assuming I get to Heaven, I hope to see Merle along with my beloved pooches - Bert, Spike and Pepsi.

This book takes you on a journey that inspires you to live everyday to the fullest and appreciate what you have.
It's a incredible book and hard to put down once you start reading. I am in awe at the pain and suffering they experienced and how they overcame all the obstacles that were in their way including death. I had listened to the audio book first and then bought the book and read it too, love everything about it.
It is worth your time.

I loved this book so much I lent it to family and friends. Now I can't wait to get it back, so I can read it again. A truly empowering book. Written with such compassion that readers could never be "grossed out" by some of the extremes of survival that are revealed in this book.

Incredibly inspirational story. This book captures the emotion of the Andes experience through the eyes of Nando Parrado. He seems to leave nothing unrevealed. For anyone who "enjoyed" the movie Alive, yet wants a truer account, a fuller account...this book is wonderful! The highlight is listening to Parrado talk us through his mental and physical journey as he and Canessa risked everything to escape the mountains and save themselves. These events were mostly glossed over in the film Alive. Yet, the trek out of the mountains is arguably the most inspirational, miraculous part of the entire ordeal. A potentially life-changing book. It's up to you really...

This is an excellent book. It describes an unfortunate event/airplane crash of the Uruguayan Rugby team on October 13, 1972 high in the Andes, and their astonishing survival, the hardships they had to endure and their long, excruciating trek out of their ordeal, written superbly using lots of adjectives and action verbs. As you read through the pages, you can actually picture what was happening, down to the last detail. I've only started to read the book and I'm already totally captivated. Don't hesitate buying this book or giving it as a gift. It's a great choice. I also bought the video, but won't watch it until I have read the book.

I loved this book. I recommend it to anyone who stands still long enough for me to shout, "go get this book!" I'm not a fan of self-help books, and this isn't one, but heck, it should be because if this doesn't make you take stock of your life, stop whining, and start living, than nothing will.

One of my favorite things about it was seeing how much a person's personality dicates how they'll handle adversity - this book has take-charge-bossy types, as well as curl-up-and-give-up types, and oddly enough, the one who adapts best is the take-life-as-it-comes type. I went camping with 14 friends a week after reading this, and saw all personality types and secretly rated them all on how they'd have done in the Andes. ;-)

Read it, and you'll never complain about your life again.

Jackie Chan has had a very eventful life. When he was a child he lived in on an ambassadors mansion in Hong Kong. Soon he was sent to a Cantonese Opera school, which was a boarding school where he was trained, day and night for over 10 years of his young life, in the ways of Chinese Opera. Chinese Opera is not the same Opera you and I may think of it as, but instead is a very acrobatic physically demanding show. He then went into the stuntman business, which was a very difficult road for him. For many years he struggled with finding work but he soon became a much wanted stuntman. Eventually he went into small acting parts, which led to bigger acting parts. Soon enough he was a huge success in Hong Kong, and eventually got married to a famous Chinese actress. Jackie still travels a lot and his wife is a stay at home wife who raises his son.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading. It is full of constant action and keeps your attention. I Am Jackie Chan is an easy read and fast paced I was unable to put it down, except of course when class was over.

I Am Jackie Chan My Life in Action 1998 5/5
Written by :Jackie Chan & Jeff Yang

Easily one of the best books I have ever read. This books contains 398 pages of pure joy. Seriously I read this book In one sitting . I was already a fan of Jackie Chan now I have so much respect for him. The copy I own includes a extra chapter, I would say it's worth buying again to read that extra chapter. Jackie Chan had a very interesting upbringing filled with beating and let downs. I mean he was abandoned by his parents who essentially sold him to the Peking Opera. Where they had the power to punish him up till death.

In here Jackie talks about the makings his earlier films. I really enjoyed this book as much as I enjoy his movies. Jeff Yang has said in interviews that there is works to release a second volume. Lets hope for that!

my wife's english is not good. but she found that it is very easy to understand this book as Jackie's movie. She has fun with it and use it to prove her english.

Dood tottally I'm not kidding, Jackie Chan is like a god amongst men, a god who makes flawed movies in his old age (flawed is polite considering the horrible movies he's currently putting out). Man Jackie Chan is so great it makes my balls sweat whenever I think about it, in this book he talks about how he and his crew broke into an amusement park to steal... not money but bread crumbs!!! Becuase Master wanted his students to work hard, this is not a book for weaklings, they will fret and feel weak as they learn of the heroic and disciplined exploits of my man JACKIE FING CHAN! Man in this book he talks about how some dudes wanted to fight, but he didn't cuase Master taught him only to fight for show and not fight for violence. Man the world would be a better place if we all had to read this book. Mandatory reading for High Schools this should be.

A fascinating insight into the mind and career of the world's biggest movie star. With exhaustive (and exhausting!) descriptions of Jackie's brutal Peking opera training and early days as a stuntman and actor, almost everything you want to know about Jackie is here.

Not that there aren't omissions - his illegitimate son Jaycee, now trying to make a name for himself as an actor, is never mentioned. Jackie is also quick to take credit (he claims 'Half a Loaf of Kung Fu' and 'Snake in the Eagle's Shadow' were the first kung fu comedies, which they weren't) and slow to give it out (he describes his opera brothers' film 'The Prodigal Son,' arguably the best kung fu movie ever made, as "solid"). But Jackie's charisma and determination shine through on every page, and you can't help but admire the guy. A must read for Jackie fans and aficionados of Hong Kong cinema.

I got this book for my baby when she was about 3-4 months old. She ADORES it and it is still her favorite to this day (she's 10 months old now!). She loves all her books but this one gets squeals of delight and lots of smiles at just the sight of it, and whimpers when it's over!

Great book for infants up to about one and a half!!! Simple text, bright photos!! Fun to read!!! A good first or early book to use with your child.

As soon as I opened this little board book my 7mo daughter laughed. She loved the colors/shapes and, of course, the "peeking." It's (thankfully) one of the few books I don't mind reading to her over and over!
At first I thought the book was ridiculously small, but now I realize how easy it is to throw in the diaper bag.
Would make a great shower/birthday gift.

This has to be my sons favorite book right now. (He is one) He loves each of the surprises on each page, and likes to have it read to him over and over. The end of the book has a mirror with the words "Peek-a YOU!" And he loves Peek-a Boo! It's a fun book, the perfect amount of words and repetition to hold a little ones attention, along with cut-outs on each page that assist the little one in turning the pages, and grabbing their attention for the surprise on the next page. A big favorite at our house!

We found this book at the library and it was my daughters favorite book! We had to buy our own copy to let other people check it out! She was about 10 months old at the time. She is almost a year and a half and she reads the book by herself now! It is really simple and cute. The last page is a mirror and she loves to look at herself:)

Absolutely stunning book. Rippetoe discusses big excercises in great detail, shows fine points of technique and explains why they are important.

I learned more about weight training from this book in a short time than I learned from years of practice. Invaluable whether starting or experienced

Get this book. It is that simple. This book includes all of the information you need to know about CORRECT, SAFE form on the squat, deadlift, power clean, overhead press and bench press. It also delves into nutrition, assistance exercises, and Rippetoe's 3x5 novice program. Don't want to hear about technique on theses "hard" lifts? This book is not for you. These are the lifts that Rippetoe says should be the central focus of any training program, and failing to perform them is hurting potential progress. If you are looking for technique on exercises like shoulder raises, or tricep extensions you are not going to like this book. Isolation exercises are very highly discoruaged by Rippetoe, and for good reason. If you follow his advice and begin the novice program, you will see that he is right.

This book will change your outlook on training.

Think you're squatting, deadlifting, benching, and overhead pressing in good form and the most efficient way? I did. But this book has taught me so much more than I thought I knew. Granted, the bulk of it covers just 5 exercises, but it is easily the best investment I've ever made in a weight training book. In fact, you'll be tempted to skim the lengthly chapters on each of the exercises, but don't: you will undoubtedtly learn something important from each one, whether you're a novice, intermediate, or advanced lifter.
Yes, the book is geared toward novice trainees and their coaches, but the whole thing comes across as such an eye-opener for all levels of trainees. The pages are large, the pictures and diagrams plentiful, and the writing is easy to follow, backed by sound, thoughtful reasoning for the methods advocated.
It's just an amazing book. Can't believe I waited so long to get it.

I've been lifting weights and going to the gym off and on since I was 14 (I'm 24 now), starting from basic machine work and cardio to more advanced dumbbell exercises and free weights to finally barbell exercises a few years ago. I was amazed with the difference of going from machines to dumbbells and finally from dumbbells to complex muscle exercises like the deadlift and the squat.

After going through 2-3 years of deadlifts and squats, without injury, I'm shocked to note that I was doing them wrong. Not wrong by a huge degree, but I was not using all the muscles I could and was not making my body hit all the right positions. I read many resources online, and asked for advice from experienced bodybuilders, but no one could have pointed out all the different things I needed learned about a squat. Mark Rippetoe's book taught me more about a squat in 15 minutes than I've tried hours to learn by watching videos and reading websites online.

Starting Strength only goes over 5 basic exercises -- Squat, Bench, Deadlift, Press, and Power Clean. I was a bit disappointed to not read more on other dumbbell exercises I still do (bicep curls, tricep extensions, lateral raises) but the degree he breaks each individual motion down is impressive, and would no way lower my rating from 5 stars to 4. He writes for two people -- the trainee and the trainer, but giving both perspectives allow the reader to fully understand the mechanisms behind each movement.

As far as my squat, Starting Strength broke down why I needed to make sure my hips went below my knees, explained why my heels (and not toes) should be shoulder width and 30 degrees off axis, and explained proper hand positioning (on top of the bar, not gripping the bar). He goes over similar pointers in each of the 5 exercises, and I'm already incorporating them into my routine, finally understanding WHY each movement needs to be done (not just how).

As an intermediate gym monkey, I haven't actually done any Power Cleans, but Rippetoe's book and pointers serve as a great starting point for this hard exercise I thought I'd never learn. Rippetoe also explains training programs (warmups, lifting for strength vs. endurance, reptitions per week) very well, and that's also guided my workout.

I wish I could end by saying I've gained a huge amount of muscle since picking up Rippetoe's book, but I only started reading it 3 days ago so I've only been through 2 workouts since. The 2 workouts I did do, though, were refreshingly solid and the exercises felt like I was doing 20-30 pounds less than I actually was, because of my improved form.

Overall, a great read for the advanced and intermediate bodybuilder and athlete, and good advice for those looking to give barbells a try. This isn't really a book written for people with no knowledge at all of lifting weights, or people looking to lose 100 pounds, but it would be a good read nonetheless. There aren't any better beginning exercises out there than the exercises detailed in this book, and if you follow a strict lifting routine, a good diet, and cardio, you'll be well on your way to a sculpted body.