Recreation Books

A year after Bob and Phil's excellent adventure, I had the extreme pleasure of roadtripping from Charlottesville, Virginia (Where Waldo was holed-up putting the finishing touches on the book) to New Orleans to see Florida State University and The University of Florida play in the Sugar Bowl. It was by far one of the most memorable experiences of my life. (Notwithstanding Waldo's penchant for singing Bruce Springstien songs (badly I might add)at the top of his lungs.) Waldo showed me firsthand what it was like to be completely insane, and introduced me to the heaven on earth that goes by the name of "Dreamland." Has a better book on sports ever been written? Probably! Are there better ribs in the world than those at Dreamland in Tuscaloosa, Alabama? I don't think so. Has anyone ever put the two together in the same place in such a unique and creative way? Most definitely not! Bob and Phil, You really put it through the uprights with this one! (Waldo, I'll roadtrip with you anytime)

Buy a well-worn Cadillac, chuck your jobs, drive around the country to watch rivalry games in the meccas of college football. What a great plan and what a great book. This is among my candidates for best sports books ever, along with Loose Balls and Ball Four. Saturday Afternoon Madness captures the essence of college football from the point of view of fans of the game. They did drive all over the country attending the biggest games the sport has to offer, but college football is much more than just the actual game on the field. There's a great culture around all the best football programs and this book relates that better than any football book I've read.

The bulk of the book actually is more about the football culture at each location. The authors plunged into the world of that game, getting to know the fans, participating in the pre and post-game rituals for each school, sampling local cuisine and tailgates all over America. The book is neutral, written from the perspective of fans of the sport rather fans of particular schools and picked a first-rate list of rivalry games to attend. These guys lived what the late Adrian Karsten used to give glimpses of on ESPN, with each game and college having particular traditions and rhythms on gameday that make it so colorful and addictive. NASCAR is the only other sport in which the activities around the arena are as important to the fans as the actual event and this book gives the reader a good feel as to why.

Saturday Afternoon Madness is hilarious, thoughtful and respectful of what makes college football such a wonderful spectator sport. College football fans should definitely read it and if you're not really into college football yet but wonder what all the fuss is about, Saturday Afternoon Madness will tell you. Any football fan who also collects books should have this on their shelf.

The definitive book for the FUN-loving college football fan, this book details in a hysterical manner the great and wierdest and most FUN traditions in college football, at the best football schools in the country including my Alma Mater the U. of Alabama, where I got my autographed copy. The book details the best places to eat-(the most important thing of all) places like Dreamland Barbecue and the Pinecrest Lodge, the great players and coaches and games, and the bands, rituals, rivalries, crazy incidents, and fans that makes college football the TRUE American pastime and the greatest game in the Land. Bob and Phil are American originals and write some of the funniest stuff you'll ever read. If you love the game-you'll love this book.

From out of the blue, these two unknowns have written what is quite possibly the best sports book ever. The perfect combination of humor and in-depth reporting.

For a shoeless, candy eating, office leeching guy, Bob Waldstein is an am amazing author. I was absolutely amazed by how well these two authors both wrote an excellent depiction of their journeys across the country and made fun of themselves at the same time. I do not beleive anyone could have "hit the nail on the head" any better than these two have. I would like to meet these two great men at some point in my life. These men truly are college football gods. I can't wait to read the sequel. I would love to have a college basketball madness book in my library.

I read a few chapters each night.

One night I had tears on my pillow from laughter.

The next night I had tears on my pillow from the inspirational story.

It's likely that many of my friends will get this book for Christmas or their birthday. Just a great book!

I have read Rick Reilly on and off in SI for years. I am not a regular subscriber, so my readings of his work have not been consistent. I was getting ready to take a trip and wanted something that would be fun to read. I saw the 5 star reviews (on Amazon) of Rick's book but I was somewhat skeptical about getting it. As a University of Tennessee alumni and fan I had been upset when he had written an article slamming Pat Summit (legendary UT women's basketball coach) about "running up the score" on one of the Lady Vols opponents. Despite all this I decided to take a chance. I needed a good read on my vacation, and I knew he was a good writer, and I needed have a laugh or two while flying, or more often than not,sitting in the airport during another delay.
This book is far more than I expected. This book is very funny, but many of his articles are very touching, and he exposes the best and the worst in the people involved in sports. Sports are the venue, but it is his insight into the people that make the stories so compelling.
As a big fan of the late Jim Murray's writing, I never believed there would ever be another sports writer that good, but I think Rick is getting to that level. A great read, a must read, for any sports fan, period! Every bit a 5 star rating and more.

When my husband's Sports Illustrated comes, I open it up to the last page and read what Rick Reilly has to say. I really like his column and the fact that he went onto the Oprah Show to try to defend his gender...I know, I know, it is a losing battle if you saw the episode, you know what I mean. The column is usually is the only thing I read in the magazine. So when my husband mentioned Rick had this new book out I had to get it for him...if for nothing else to see him actually reading a book instead of Sporting News or Sports Illustrated.

I have both of Rick Reilly's books, and loved this one as much as the first. Very touching. mia rose

My husband gets sports illustrated every week, and every week I flip to the back and read the life of Reilly. What a great writer he is. I enjoyed this book very much.

My first copy was pretty worn, so I decided to buy this edition. Really interesting new stories, not only from the Pardeys expereinces in storms, but also from others. I liked the deductions made by folks from both ends of the experience spectrum, one a real novice, others all along the expereince wave, they all add to the information Lin and Larry share in a very understandable manner. I still think this book is really important. And this edition is definitely easier to navigate. I have the Storm tactics DVD and like it. The two work well together.

The authors give their opinion. It can be discussed but they support it by many examples. I was convinced by the interest of heaving to in bad weather or just to wait and rest at sea. Now, I am buying a parachute anchor...

In my humble opinion this is the Pardey's best book to date. The techniques they present are life savers have no doubt.
M. Bertsche

My wife and I spent four years living on our sailboat (55ft) voyaging from Calif. to the east coast and read every book I could find on heavy weather sailing. About half-way through I came across Pardey's book. I think it's far and away the best volume out there on the subject. Even if you pass on the parachute angle and just plan on heaving-to in a tough situation. Should be in every crusing boat's library, and read and implemented by the skipper.

After reading this book you will know a lot of theory about when and how to heave to. Diagrams and well-written explanations describe methods and techniques of survival during a storm at sea. Also consider "Heavy Weather Sailing" (revised edition) as an excellent source of information on storm tactics and heavy weather sailing. It describes the yacht's stability in more detail.

As a Sudoku enthusiast I have a hard time finding interesting Sudoku books. The square grids have become a bit boring so I went on to the variations (circles, snakes, mazes, etc). So when I saw the grids in this book I fully intended it to be one of "those" books that you pick up here and there to work on a puzzle. But no, I too was consumed. It was like reading a book where you couldn't put it down. The codes build and I wanted to know what the next phrase was going to be. I worked on it every morning to wake up my mind and only intended to solve one puzzle...... an hour later and I'm still going! It does get hard so I too would say it's for a more expert solver but it is not impossible. I managed to solve it and sent for my button hoping they would say how many have solved it. Oh well - ENJOY!!

Challenging fun. Just enough of a challenge but not so much that you can't do it. Fun. Thus saith husband, doer of sudoku

I bought this book for Christmas-2006. I wasn't much into Sudokus but the cover and cultural climate of the time caught my eye and thus I caught on very quickly.

Well, I just received my 'Solved The Code' pin today, along with a letter from Francis Heaney (co-author) who included a personal inscription in the note (Thank You!). I feel - well - accomplished, fulfilled. Whole.

Seriously, the last 6 months have been a blast. I now consider myself a Sudokruiser - one who can solve a grid in minutes. I recommend this book to obssesive/compulsives, like myself. But be prepared to say 'so-long' to your obligations and family as sudokus can be very addictive.

If you can't finish the book and need the final answer, here it is:
The final answer is...

***uh - what the???? **** ahhhhhhhhh!

[Sorry, the author of this message was just eaten by a great white shark - Amazon Editor-In-Chief Whitley Seymore.]

First let me say I have too much Sudoku. I love this particular logic puzzle, and have collected a dozen or so different books of them. A couple I purchased when I was in the hospital and didn't have access to my original book. A few more I purchased because of some interesting variations in the puzzles. The point is, I have no reason to buy more Sudoku books for a long time unless something special about it compells me to.

The I saw this book. Kind of a cheesy way to cash in on a popular book and movie currently out, and the puzzles at hand really relate in no way to The Da Vinci Code. But they did throw in a twist that caught my attention. Basically, working your way through the book, another puzzle is slowly decoded and revealed. I think it's a nice approach that keeps this from being just another Sudoku book. Definitely a nice book to have for any Sudoku enthusiast.

I've done Sudoku puzzles of all kinds and as much as I love them, they have become very easy for me. I can do them in pen. Once I purchased this book there's a challenge at every page, and with no answers in the back of the book the only way you know if it's right is to complete all 200 puzzles. I LOVE IT!!!!!!!

I must say that I really enjoy this book. It is well written and provides alot of very good information. It is a good resource book to keep in your RV. I am planning to go full time RVing in the next couple of months and this book helped me to make that important decision. Read and enjoy folks!

We found this book a very valuable resource for planning on our eventual fulltiming phase of life. It is a very easy read, but it also has the information you need. It's very well laid out! Thanks for a great book!

Support Your RV Lifestyle: An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road (Second Edition)
is a wonderful resource -- it's well-written, filled with great information, and is inspirational and encouraging, as well. Jaimie Hall is knowledgeable and enthusiastic about her topic. It's obvious that she's a seasoned traveler -- and has been both working on the road and talking to many other RVers who have worked while enjoying their travels.

The book summarizes over 350 jobs (in categories like work at rv parks and resorts, christmas tree farms, state parks and national forest areas, concessions, seasonal jobs, sales of rv related products, crafts, writing and consulting). Details like how to handle resumes, long-distance job interviews, contact information and communication while traveling, and the right questions to ask about jobs are also covered. In addition to the many options it lists, it points out possible problems and challenges one may encounter on the road while trying to find a job or while working.

If you (like us) are thinking about traveling in an RV, this is the book to have in the planning stage -- and I assume it will also be helpful when on the road.
Also check out the author's website and enewsletter.

My husband was intrigued by the idea of full-timing in an RV. This book gives you ideas of working while moving around in your RV. Maybe working a seasonal job in a theme park or with a tour group, on a guest ranch or in a national park appeals to you. Some jobs offer free campsites.
Ultimately I chickened out on the idea, but if you think the open road is for you and want to make some money along the way, be sure to read this book.
It includes a ton of info in the appendix: including contact information for state tourist bureaus, state parks, state revenue offices and state motor vehicle and licensing bureaus and more, plus an additional 32 pages of resources.

Many people who contemplate living the RV lifestyle probably equate it with a leisurely retirement. But what if you combine RVing with a lucrative work life? You may discover that you can hit the road at a younger age and reap more rewards.
Support Your RV Lifestyle spells out in great detail exactly how to live this dream life. Jaimie Hall speaks from her own experience and culls information from a wealth of other sources to create a comprehensive tool for planning to live and work on the road.
Just as you wouldn't set out on a trip without a road map, you would be miles ahead by consulting this guide before embarking on this life journey. There's a lot more to consider than where to park your vehicle each night. Don't assume you'll just "find a job" when you reach your destination. There are many considerations, from tying your marketable skills to a job on the road, to balancing work and fun, to tax implications. Because Ms. Hall is so thorough with her guidance, you will be well-equipped to make decisions about how to combine work with pleasure.
It is likely that some of her 100-plus pages of worksheets and resource lists would assist travelers in general, not only those traveling and working out of an RV. You'll recoup the price of this travel guide many times if you choose to follow its course for living and working on the road

This is a really super book. More that just of story of climbing Everest. It is a story of lives and it is very very good.

A very inspiring book that validated my desire to do what I love and will keep me optimistic about finding my way for a long time!

Battles with snow and ice, battles with cancer, and a charming romance. What else is needed for a great book in the outside genre? Good Writing.

Unfortunately, this book is short on good writing. It will sell as well as a book in this genre can sell but it will not become a classic nor even provide many memories for its readers. Ghost written, the heart and soul of this book was lost in the expedition of commercialism.

Is it worth reading? You bet. If you are a man with a taste for the outdoors whose significant other would rather go shopping, you will eat your heart out for not having the wisdom of Phil Ershler in carefully using bimbos until you found the woman who would follow you to the tops of the world. If you are a woman who wants some encouragement in following your man, this is the book for you. If you are a fan of high altitude climbing, you will enjoy reading this book.

It lacks tension, that force which makes you stay up late turning pages. But the elements of outdoor adventure are there and, after all, those of us who read this genre are used to mediocre writing and passionate about the subject. So, all in all, it is a worthy read

This book was suggested to us as not only a mountaineering story but a story of life's struggles. We weren't disappointed but very humbled. This dual autobiography (each taking turns telling their story) was a fast-paced read, taking us from childhood to mountain top, leaving out nothing. A very intimately detailed sharing of two full lives. Color photographs support the many stories and stages in the Ershler's lives.

Phil and Sue Ershler's story has everything I enjoy in a book - adventure, courage, inspiration, challenges faced and challenges overcome, and the kind of love that can, literally, overcome mountains. As a small-time climber myself (Rainier's the highest I've ever summited), I could relate to the love of the mountains the Ershlers feel, and the enjoyment that comes in testing oneself emotionally and physically in a mountain ascent. But this book is about more than just mountain-climbing - it's about facing life's unexpected curveballs with a positive attitude, it's about setting goals and working for them, and it's about appreciating all the good in life and living every day to the fullest.

Karen Molenaar Terrell

Gave this book to our Son so we will see if he enjoyed it after he has time to read it. Thanks for shipping it in a timely matter.

Its Christmas 2007 and I am a big Tony Stewart fan. I received this book from family and wasnt all that thrilled since it only goes up to 2002 and to be honest I know absolutely nothing about dirt racing, sprint cars, midget cars, USAC, IRL, or Kart racing.
Well I do now.
I started glancing through the book and got hooked. Its written by Tony (with another writer Mark Bourcier ) so its in his own words. Its Tonys thoughts and memories. It gave me a huge insight into a racer I thought I already knew a lot about. I really enjoyed reading it, from his start as a child up to his NASCAR career. It has a lot of comments from a lot of people he has met in his life as a racer and a regular guy. If you are a Tony fan or a racing fan, this is really a good read. I doubt if hes this open now but he is just as honest and he hasnt changed his feelings.He discusses his honesty and troubles and fans and lots and lots of racing. I knew he was good but after reading this I came away more impressed than ever. I plan on checking through Amazon for more. more. more.

I loved this book. It was very entertaining. It really held my attention. As a matter of fact it only took me a week to read it all. That is pretty good for me and always a sign of a good book. I highly recommend it. It had some pretty funny stuff in it.

this book is a great tool for those wanting to know just how someone as talented as Tony Stewart got where he is. Its a book on racing and stays out of being too personal.

Well, I would think it would be a great book, however, I have been waiting for more than two (2) months for Amazon to sent it to me. I hope those of you who order it have months to wait for it to be shipped to you. Good luck and happy racing!

This work is rather realistic. For anyone who grew up in similiar surroundings, it brings on waves of nostalgia. Growing up in the Ozark Mountains was quite similar to the setting of this story. These were simpler times, for good and bad, and it is good that we have something like this to pass on to our children. The illustrations in this book are soft and wonderful. The text is quite to the point and quite readable and understandable. The book leaves much room for open discussion, although it helps a lot if you actually grew up in these conditions, when discussing it with the young ones. I find that the simple fact there there was no electricity, no T.V., no radios, no running water, etc. quite difficult for children to understand and grasp. This book helps a lot. Recommend this one highly.

I read When I was young in the mountains, then took it to my father, who read it. Rylant is slightly older than me, but she grew up near where my dad was born and raised. My father said after reading that he'd pretty much grown up the same way. He left the poverty of Appalachia as a teenager via the poor man's college-- the service. I was born and raised in Utah. Books such as When I was young in the Mountains were a way for me to connect with a way of life I knew very little about, and I am very thankful for Rylant's work, especially since Dad died recently.

Growing up in West Virginia myself, I relate to to this book. Although I'm now 20 and currently attending college, I still love to read it. It is something I plan to read to my children.

A poignant reminiscence of a way of life that has largely disappeared.

This book showed us what is best about the mountains and the traditions of those living in those mountains. It has been so easy for our society to stereotype Appalachian mountain people as ignorant, backwards hillbillies that it is refreshing to see a depiction that shows mountain people in a different light. The old ways are disappearing. So are the mountains. The Appalachian mountains are one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world, containing one of the most diverse hardwood forests on earth. Mountain top coal removal, strip mining, and valley fills are destroying these mountains. Soon, the only way we will be able to show our children the beauty and wonder of these mountains will be through books and memories. "When I Was Young in the Mountains" will be a treasure in our house for generations. I encourage everyone to not only read this book, but also to support efforts to stop destructive, non-sustainable coal mining practices so we will be able to show our children and grandchildren more than just beautiful pictures of what once existed!

THIS IS ABOUT THE NIGHT WILT CHAMBERLAIN SCORED 100 POINTS IN AN NBA GAME. I FOUND MOST OF THIS BOOK TO BE GOOD BUT AT TIMES IT HAD ALOT OF THINGS THAT WERE JUST PLAIN BORING. THE AUTHOR TRIES VERY HARD TO GIVE US THE NOSTALGIA AND ATMOSPHERE OF 1962, BUT I FOUND THE DETAIL TO THE GAME TO BE LACKING. I REALLY DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT MUCH ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP OF GOTTLIEB AND ZINKOFF. SEEMS IT WAS USED TO FILL SOME PAGES. WHEN THE BOOK STICKS TO GAME ACTION AND DETAILS THE BOOK EXCELS. BUT THE ONLY REAL DETAIL OCCURS IN THE 4TH QUARTER. I ALSO LIKED THE INTERVIEWS WITH VARIOUS PLAYERS AND COACHES WHO PARTICIPATED IN THIS GAME. ALSO LIKED THE STORY OF THE STOLEN BASKETBALL AND THE LATER YEARS OF WILT'S LIFE. OVERALL THIS IS A GOOD READ AND I RECOMMEND FOR ALL NOSTALGIC BASKETBALL FANS. ALSO A BOX SCORE OF THE GAME WOULD HAVE BEEN A NICE TOUCH.

This is a fascinating read about one of the most charismatic personalities to play basketball on the professional level, Wilt Chamberlain. Although the book focuses on the night the record was made when Wilt scored 100 points the book reads like a sophisticated movie complete with flashbacks into Wilt's past. This allows the reader to see Wilt in very real terms in spite of the superhuman feats he performed, culminating with the 100 point game. There are many anecdotes that bring the story to life for a compelling portrait of the man and his times. This is a thoroughly good book that can be enjoyed by a variety of levels of reading ability. With slightly over 200 pages of interesting material this is a good book for the student of the game of basketball who may be attending high school. This book would be good for writting a book report on a sports biography.

As you have probably read by now: In a basketball game back in March of 1962, Wilt Chamberlain, scored one hundred points for Philadelphia in a game against the New York Knickerbockers, an amazing achieve-ment in any era. Back in 1962, the National Basketball Association was undeveloped and the players traveled on buses and trains. Along came Wilt Chamberlain a strong and coordinated seven-footer and changed the dynamics of the NBA. The author conducting more than 250 interviews to recreate in detail this amazing performance that had not been televised at the time.

In the early 1960s - light years before the era of 24 hour cable sports coverage - most pro basketball games might as well have been played on the Moon due to the lack of national media interest and with "home" games being played at neutral sites for bigger gates.

That was the case for the 1962 Philadelphia Warriors, a franchise on the brink of being sold, though it featured a hometown legend, Wilt Chamberlin, and had a history of legendary high-school and college teams.

On March 2 in Hershey, Pa., Wilt accomplished the impossible; scoring 100 points versus the New York Knickerbockers. The arena - with a capacity of 8,000 - was about half-full, the game was not televised and there were no New York sportswriters in attendance. Author Gary M. Pomerantz breaths life into the grainy photos from the event through interviews of referees, players, fans, reporters and team officials.

Though the book breaks the game down into four quarters, it is not simply a history of that night. The early 1960s was a bridge for many black athletes to articulate about the rampant racism in society and sports. Pomerantz aptly writes about Wilt the individual - who was very vocal about the racial quotas on NBA clubs - and businessman as much as Wilt the athlete.

And Pomerantz outlines the biggest controvery from the game; who got possession of the basketball.

It is a record that may never be broken, but there was more to that evening than the game on the court. Wilt, 1962, again shows how sports mirrors society and even the greatest feats on a field of play cannot escape the reflection in black & white.

One of the more interesting points of this book is that the day of 100 points kind of became forgotten. The authir attributes one of the reasons to Wilt himself who stopped talking about the game.

The authors opens up this book with Wilt's death in bed and the circumstances around it. he then takes us thru each quarter of the game with story of witls life between each quarter.

One of the most interestingparts of this book is the detail the author descibes how one young kid stole the game ball and years later put it on EBAY for sale. Great research for that part.

I too stumbled upon this book as a child and was completely enchanted by the story and characters. I hadn't read it for more than 30 years, but recently bought a copy to read to my children (girl 9, boy 7, girl 4) It hasn't lost any of its magic - I'm enjoying it as much as they are. It includes so many of their favorite things, magic, witches, mermaids, babies - and it blends real and imaginary worlds in the same way that they are blended in the minds of children.

One of my favorite childhood books. I bought this for my niece. I'm sure she will love it as much as I did. A perfect book for young girls with big imaginations!

Forty years before Harry Potter, there was Hannah.

Bookstore displays which feature "if you like Harry Potter you might like these" should place this book and LeGuin's "A Wizard of Earthsea" in prominent view.

What is most satisfying about this story is that it is simultaneously real and imaginary; the events take place, but are also somewhat directed and controlled by the imaginations of the two human girls at their drawing table in Washington, so that, in a way, they are witches too. This is the same premise as Pamela Dean's "Secret Country", and creates the same complications. But this book is easier for much younger children to read, making a good introduction to the concepts.

This was out of Estes' usual territory, and she handled it with both silly fun and knowledgeable grace. Ardizzone's done his homework as well; look at the posters on the walls at Hannah's school. I would give this to any child six years old and up.

This is my all time favorite childhood book. I originally bought the soft cover at the Salvation Army for a quarter. I read it so many times, that it's falling apart. I now purchased the hardcover and look forward to reading this book to my daughter (who, by the way, was almost named Hannah).

The Witch Family is about two girls who while drawing witches pretend to banish the head witch, also known as Old Witch, to a glass hill because she is very wicked. If you multiply the "Old" with one million, you get some idea of how old she was! The girls also let Old Witch do her abracadabra so that she can have a witch girl named Hannah and a witch baby. Old Witch gets to be wicked only on Halloween. At the end, the two girls take pity on Old Witch and turn the glass hill into a real hill with grass. After that, Old Witch is not wicked anymore except on Halloween. I think this is a good book to read on Halloween.