Sports and Recreation Books

My title says it all. If you're looking to start a new hobby, get better at your current one, or want some leisurely California history reading, this book can't be beat. I can't wait to hit the piers...

Public Piers are great places for families and visitors to fish because they are the only places in California where anglers over 16 don't need a license. I've been fishing for 26 years now and build my own rods. I've traveled a lot and fished internationall and this book is unique in the focus it brings to fishing in my home state of California. Much thicker than the first edition and filled with tips and facts that have made my trips more productive. I have other books, like Tom Steinstra's well thumbed guide to California fishing spots, but, those are just a general guide without much depth. Ken Jones gives a detailed review of all the Public Piers in CA. I'd recommend it as required reading for those who are truly interested in catching fish off any California Pier. I've used the book and and found it invaluable as a deskside reference in looking up and planning fishing trips and answering questions authoratively on Ken's Pierfishing.COM website.

If you fish piers in California, you need to buy this book.

Lots of info and history,easy to read and use

The new edition is larger, but is chalked full of usefull info for any angler. It has great rigging techniques, and a huge amount of info on all of California's piers. Ken Jones knows his stuff, and the book shows it. I own both editions and they are perminant items on my coffee table at home. I'd highly reccomend this book to anyone interested in fishing...these books have it all!

I purchased this book due to a very poor showing last year (one of the first out) After reading the book and selecting what I thought to be the most critical components of a fast car, my son and I took third place in our pack and are headed off to district. The smile on his face was priceless and of course Amazon sells it cheaper than the scout store. Just make sure you know the rules so you do not get DQ'd.

David Meade's book is fantastic. I had no idea you could do so many things to a pinewood derby car. The instructions are easy to follow, with lots of photos. I am not someone who is comfortable building things, but this book makes me feel like I can help my son build a competitive car. Mr. Meade explains the physics involved with the techniques, making this project a very good teaching opportunity. Using this book was time well spent.

I feel just more than a little guilty after reading this book - like I took a family heirloom of secrets and read through them. Some of these secrets were way over the top, some of them are great tips - its a treasure trove of pinewood derby knowledge. Any one running a race needs to have this book to know what can be done to look out for some of the "extreme" tips that most troops should ban, and most dads need to have this book so their kid can be competitive. No one wants their kid to be that kid.

I had know idea the kind of things you could do to your car to make it go faster. Each tip is easily explained in detailed instructions well worth the price.

Pinewood Derby has been an American tradition for Cub Scouts since it was originated in 1953, a fun event for Scouts and their fathers. There are many books out there that tell you how to make Pinewood Derby cars, giving you helpful hints and serious suggestions on how to increase the speed of your car. Well, of all of the books that I have seen, I must say that I do think that this is the best of them all!

This excellent book covers all of the suggestions that I have seen in all of those other books, ALL of them. But, what really sets this book apart is that it is filled with many colorful pictures that show you exactly how to do each step in making the best Pinewood Derby car that you can. Yeah, this is a great book.

So, if you have an up-coming Pinewood Derby coming up, do yourself a favor, and buy this book. I give it my absolutely highest recommendations!

This book, even in the oldest version, covers all the basics for every player position as well as just about any situation you would confront during a game. No tricks, just solid information. I have purchased about two dozen of these for coaches and players who glanced through the book and simply had to have a copy of their own. I've bought other baseball coaching books, but they stay on the shelf. This book is especially good if you're coaching for the first time or have been away from the game for a few years.

and especially for coaches of younger players. This book reviews lots of fundamentals and is written in a pretty straight-forward, easy to read manner. It is not for the college level player, but anyone below that will find at least 1 pearl here worth remembering.

I HAVE READ A DOZEN INSTRUCTIONAL BOOKS ON THE GAME OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, AND THIS ONE ALONG WITH MR.CLUCK'S OTHER BOOKS, WAS A SURE PERFECT GAME. I AM A PROUD OWNER OF A BOOK HE WROTE ON BASERUNNING. I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO DISCOVER THIS ONE AND SUGGEST THAT IT SHOULD BE DISPLAYED ON YOUR BOOKSHELF NEXT TO YOUR COPY OF HOW TO HIT/HOW TO PITCH.

I saw this book mentioned in my favorite column in the l.a. times sports section. I thought i would check it out and it is awesome. I had heard about the San Diego School of Baseball, but i never had the chance to attend and now i feel i have a second chance. This book is excellent for anyone interested in playing, coaching or even just watching the game.

My nephew was having trouble keeping up with the league he was in. After a few weeks reading and working with this lifesaving book he is amuch better player, most of all his self esteem! Now he is such a HAPPY GUY! Now our whole league is using this as their Bible for the game Thank you

This is a fantastic book. I read a lot of technical books; actually, that's pretty much all I read. But all the books I read are usually on the topics of software / computer science -- as that is my trade. I recently bought my first boat, a 30 ft. cruiser. I am the kind of person that feels uncomfortable knowing very little about such a complicated beast.

I bought this book, among many others on various topics. The book exceeds on every level. First, the content is exactly what you expect. Sherman covers all the topics you need to know. Next, the editing is done well -- not too much detail, but just enough. Diagrams are great. Writing is fantastic. I really can appreciate Ed's style. He covers the underlying science without going too deep. I find this extremely important. I had all my physics/chemistry courses over 10 years ago. It is good to brush up on the basics. For example, he has a whole chapter dedicated to batteries. The first couple of pages describe the science of how a battery works, and the 3 main types of batteries you'll encounter. He then goes into the most pertinent issues with marine batteries: safety, diagnostics, maintenance, which type of battery to use, how batteries are wired toegether, etc. It is exactly what I was looking for.

The first thing he recommends in the book is trying to make an electrical diagram of your boat. He explains the standards and how to attack the problem, and shows example diagrams. I started this today, and in the couple hours I spent poking around behind distro panels and examining the batteries, I learned a lot, and it was precisely like he laid out in the book.

If you own a boat, I think it is the most responsible thing to do to make sure you understand it - at least from a safety standpoint; as an added bonus you'll probably save yourself a good deal of money.

He gives an example in the book where he saw a boat on fire, and tried to help the people. Their battery had no main on/off switch, and as a result it was just feeding the fire. This is invaluable knowledge to newbie boaters like myself. Educate thyself.

Great reference book for marine applications. Very understandable. If you own a boat you need this book.

Ed Sherman provides a great deal of useful information about the electrical systems on a boat. His troubleshooting guides to solve electrical problems are clear, understandable and easy to use. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to work on his or her boat.

This is a comprehensive guide that I feel is very helpful in all aspects of solving electical problems and maintaining the system on a boat .

Very useful, but recommend it only for those who want a very detailed description of 12vdc. While it is mainly for boats it is clearly a resource for all who are considering Solar or 12vdc systems. Detailed descriptions, photo's and diagrams. Well worth the money!

This is an excellent book for improving your skills and preventing the spills. The pictures and instructions are so well written that anybody can understand and apply the techniques. A huge variety of topics for both trail riders and motocross racers, this book has plenty to offer all riders at any experience level. The chapters and subjects are well organized and easy to read. You will not be disappointed..

My husband and I both ride... but he's the one who rides on the dirt as well as the road. He's been looking for a book like this for ages, and was elated when I presented it to him as a birthday gift. It's packed with information and pictures on off-road riding, which requires techinques that no-one seems to write about - but it's all here in this book. A must buy.

This proved to be a very useful book to me. The authors of this book broke down the various aspects that are required to ride a dirtbike efficiently and safely. After I read through this book, I could critique my riding technique and make corrections. I immediately noticed results the first weekend out in the woods. My speed was increase and my comfort levels went up. At the conclusion of that ride, I noticed that I was less tired than usual and could have went back out for more. I've become a better rider as result of reading this book. I would recommend it to anybody wanting to become a better rider.

This is just a gorgeous book, I had the old Gary Semics manual, it was black and white photocopy stuff, this new book has all the Gary Semics stuff with updates and many sections covering different terrains, bikes and setups. The pictures are outstanding, I showed it to my dirtbike buddies and everyone wanted to buy their own copy. They usually copy the stuff so that says a lot about the quality. The information is of the highest quality, Gary Semics is maybe the top motocross teacher in the world, and his "47 absolute techniques of motocross" WILL make you a better rider even if you just ride for fun with your friends. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

I'm having a hard time reading this book. I think the gems of information are in there, but I'm having work pretty hard to get them out. Why? Formatting: low contrast color choices. In some places, dark text on a dark background makes for difficult reading in low light. Clarity: the author(s) repeatedly fail to define terms precisely. I'm left to guess what they mean. A how-to book shouldn't leave the reader wondering. Ego: they seem to worship Jeremy McGrath. Call him infallible. It feels like a primary school clique to me. Bad science: For example, pg.41, tip #5: "Carry most of your weight on the footpegs to lower your center of gravity." Based on my understanding of basic physics, changing the position of where the rider's weight is supported has nothing to do with where the rider's center of gravity is. Sure it's good advice, carrying the rider's weight on the footpegs drastically improves the bike's handling, but the authors' explanation of the physics is complete nonsense. It leads me to question all other explanations. I imagine the authors know their stuff, but they've got a lot of room for improvement to communicate their ideas in print.

Only the hardcore mat fans will "get" this book. The regular marks like the babyfaces but the hardcore fans and wrestlers themselves love the heels. They make the sport and drive it. Skandar Akbar says the bussiness is about dragons and dragonslayers. Dragons rule.

I was really impressed with Oliver's other two books about the Tag Teams and Canadian wrestlers so I was pretty excited when I saw this title. And it did not disappoint. The bios are solid and I really liked the way that he split up the heel types and didn't try to mash it all into one big list. For any fan of wrestling, hardcore or casual, this is a must for the library.

When it comes to wrestling history and writing wrestling books Greg Oliver and Steve Johnson rank right at the top. This is the third book of theirs that I have bought and I must say, "they know their stuff". Entertaining, informative and very professionally done and researched. I give them every star you have and recommend their books to any wrestling fan.

this is one great read. being in the business for 30 years myself, and being trained by one of the legends in this book, i have great appreciation for the homework the writers had to do. hope they do one on the babyfaces at some point.

This book, and its companion pieces, are the best references on pro wrestling history out there. They are not self serving bios or sponsored by WWE. They are written by someone who researched the subjects meticiously and has a great love and respect for the sport. This book is a great read, covering the history and colorful characters, the heels, that made pro wrestling so entertaining. I have just two minor nits to pick. Despite what previous reviewers say, I felt this book wasn't as detailed and personal as the first two of the series. Secondly, I questioned listing Moose Cholak as an all time great heel. Nothing in the narrative suggests any nastiness and I've seen him in action and he was a face through and through. Ox Baker and/or Bruiser Brody would have been better choices.
P.S. I have a feeling the next book will cover the "Faces", but I hope the next book should cover the top 100 wrestlers of all time. There is currently a book out there with that title, but from what I seen in the reviews and knowing the author from his magazine editorials, (Metzner), this one would be far superior.

Paulsen types his thoughts to create a story to make the reader think about their life.Paulsen uses short and descriptive sentences to create his fantasy life over again.

Paulsen has written one of the funniest books we've ever read, about preparing for and racing in the Iditarod. Like all the best humorists, his humor comes from the heart. This book is much more serious but it still comes from the heart and succeeds for that reason.

Here he is writing about his dogs and in particular a dog named Cookie, a female who served as his lead dog in the Iditarod and also was mother to many of his other dogs. He starts with the birth of her last litter of pups and goes on from there. Some of the most striking anecdotes show just how intelligent and sensitive these animals are: one of the other dogs teaching the puppies how to get all of the meat out of the skull, and Cookie herself seemingly forcing a pack of dogs to go back and help her owner when he has to let all of them go in order to extricate himself from a predicament.

In the end, they both have to give up running, and of course humans live longer than dogs, so we know how it ends: sadly but poignantly, as the author says goodbye to someone he obviously considers a friend.

My eight year old son has a passion for the Iditarod, and is just starting to read chapter books. This book was perfect for him, and he finished it crying he was so attached to Cookie, the main dog. Paulsen writes beautifully about dogs, appealing to all ages. This is a wonderful book, beautifully illustrated, for all ages of dog lovers.

I read this to my nine year old last week. Before I knew it, my wife and twelve year old were rivited. It is beautiful and touching. Most books you put down and forget a day later. The images from this book stay with me and my family. We are going to run out and buy some more stories by this author. You do not have to love dogs or dogsledding to truly enjoy his writing. Suggestion: Read aloud by the fire.

This is a great book. It's about a man who owns a dog kennel. He loves the dogs more than life itself. But, he gets heart disese. He may have to give up the kennel. This is a drama that kept me interested. I don't usually read this type of book, so it had to be very good to interest me. I hope you like it.

Libby Riddles brings you on the Iditarod trail with her. You will feel her cold, her fatigue and the fur of her dogs whom she loves above all. This is the ultimate armchair adventure. It's incredible top believe that people actually put themselves through this. A bonus feature of this book is the informaive sidebars. I recommend it with five stars.

I loved this book, from beginning to end. It was engaging, exciting, informative and just a great read. Adventure stories are my favorite and I love animals so it was a great combination. Hooray for Ms. Riddles for her victory and a well written book.

After meeting Libby personally in Juneau May 2001, I had to read the book! She takes you "with her and her precious dogs" on this adventure with details about the event and how she feels,copes and thrives throughout the 1984 Iditarod.

The best part? She won as a team (with her dogs) and as a person of strength with the knowledge that she would also be a role model from both women and men.

I found the book inspiring!

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Libby Riddles personally on a cruise with Princess Cruise Line. Her talk was so enlightening that I bought the book. This is a must read for every Iditarod fan or interested person. The grueling schedule and trails will hold your interest until the end of the book. You'll find out what Libby cared on her sled, how she prepared for each checkpoint and what all the mushers have to endure to come out on top of the pack. You'll easily learn to respect the mushers and the love/dedication they have for the Iditarod.

Libby Riddles is the first woman to win the Iditarod, which is the Alaskan dog-sled race that covers over 1,000 miles.

As I'm not very familiar with Alaska, I had never heard of Libby Riddles, or the Iditarod for that matter. However, my boss, who is from Alaska, brought me an autographed copy of the book as a souvenir from one of her trips home. I immediately started reading the book and was quickly engrossed in Libby's adventure.

The book is written in journal style. I felt as if I were right there on the trail with Libby throughout her grueling race to the finish. Interspersed throughout the pages are interesting Iditarod facts that help the reader to better understand the life of a musher as well as the ins and outs of the race.

Libby, as well as all the mushers, show an amazing amount of courage and strength. From start to finish, many mushers don't get to shower and exist on an hour or so of sleep every 15-24 hours! Imagine that kind of schedule, coupled with the intense physical endurance they're also experiencing. It was simply mind boggling, but very admirable.

I found this a fascinating read; my only complaint is that I wish it were longer! I wanted the story to continue a little bit after Libby crossed the finish line in Nome!

My kids absolutely love Racer Buddies. What a great idea to write a kids book about auto racing, especially one that is interesting, entertaining, and beautifully illustrated.

The book is well-balanced in that the author has subtlely incorporated educational information about the auto racing sport without being heavy-handed and ruining the story.

The characters are so well crafted and the illustrations so compellingly drawn that my kids are not only interested while we're reading the story, but they can't stop talking about Ace, Snap, and Spark the rest of the day. We can't wait for the next Racer Buddies.

Although the book is a big hit with my 3-year old and 5-year old, I think it would be interesting for older kids as well, especially those already interesed in NASCAR racing.

As a guy interested in racing, I needed a counterbalance to the horse stories my wife was reading to our young son. I picked up a copy of racer buddies. Actually, I bought three to give away some gifts. My son likes it that much. After just the first read, he was caught up in the drama of Ace trying to defend his record at Daytona. And that he has some other buddies to race and learn with. He keeps telling me that "Ace has a broken wheel, but the man fixed it" since there is a great animation of Ace in the pits with the wheel off.

So I have 2 pieces of advice:
1) buy the book and enjoy it with your kids
2) keep an eye out for the next one. I think there is a real series in here, something that can keep kids occupied...and something with a little more crossover appeal than thomas the train or a horse story ;-)

Racer Buddies is a perfect book for NASCAR fans and their children. A great story, loaded with racing vocabulary (glossary included) and, best of all, fantastic illustrations. William Harper's drawings are full of action and personality. One can almost hear the roar of the engines and smell the cars' exhaust. I'll be ordering all the NASCAR books for my library. Here's a little secret for readers who are not familiar with Mr. Harper's creative art work - look for the chickens cleverly hidden in the drawings. There are at least seven!

I got this book for several friends to read to their kids...moms, dads, kids, they all loved it. Beautiful illustrations, great story. Hope there will be more to come.

My daughters love this book and my husband loves reading it to them. The characters are interesting, the pictures engaging, and the story keeps us turning the pages. We can't wait for the next one to come out.

Rash by Pete Hautman is a great futuristic adventure that is impossible to quit reading. In this book the United States government has legislated safety in every aspect of life.

There were so many laws concerning safety that you could not even run track without wearing all kinds of silly pads and liners to prevent scrapes and chafing. You were required to take medicine called Levoular to slow your reflexes and give you more time to think about your actions. Is this what our society will be like one day?

Bo Marsten comes from a family with the genes of a temper problem, and as you can imagine it would be very hard to live in an environment like this with this kind of problem. Because of various events involving him getting in trouble he is forced to work at a Mc Donald's Pizza factory in Canada (which has now been annexed by the country) instead of going to prison.

While at the factory he made the Goldshirts football team. Now it is illegal to play football. There is no way for him to back out of playing but why would he want to? There is no way to get caught, because the head of the factory started up the team. And players also get some extra privileges. This is a funny part about the book and a great reason to read it.

One of the really amusing parts of the story is when the factory head, also the coach, talks about "destroying" the Red shirt team at the rival Coca Cola plant nearby. He says this so many times that it reminds you how opposite from society this guy really is. Beside from being in a jail kind of environment this sounds like a very fun place to be, if you were a Goldshirt. Although Bo was a Goldshirt he still wanted to find a way back to his old life.

Read the book to find out what happens next. Why would anybody not want to read this book? It is full of entertainment, funny, not hard to read, and a taste of hopefully what our future will not be.

Dystopia. It's the opposite of Utopia. It's a futuristic world where best intentions bring horrific results. And our protagonist, Bo Marsten, is stuck in one in the year 2074 in a country called the United Safer States of America (USSA), where just about everything with a whiff of danger is illegal.

But don't be fooled, especially if you are a teenage boy who likes football better than reading. This is really a football book, plain and simple, because football is illegal in the USSA, and when Bo gets sent to prison in the Canadian tundra for his violent temper (punching high school classmates -- not to mention calling them names -- is illegal, you see), he winds up on the warden's special "gold shirts" football team.

Turns out, Bo Marsten likes football. He likes hitting and running like the wind to avoid GETTING hit. The wrinkle here is that the football field at his prison is fenced in so that the polar bears of the tundra don't get in, and if the ball goes over the fence, then you have to go get it -- before the bear gets you, that is.

RASH is a bit predictable, but this is a small matter considering its strength is its fast-paced plot tailor-made for reluctant reading boys who love sports (and especially football). The heart of the book is the middle section, at the tundra prison, where you will meet wonderful characters like the warden, Elwin Hammer, a beefy menace who calls his charges "nails" (to be hammered into place if they act up, you see). Then there's Bo's 300-pound roomie, Rhino. His special play is the "nose dozer," where you give Rhino the ball and let him slowly gain momentum while opposing players try to tackle him. Lastly, there are the Bears. And I don't mean the kind from Chicago.

The beginning high school scenes and the anti-climactic final section are not as thrilling as the heart of the book, but that won't deter young readers. Trust me when I say that there's less "rash" and more "dash" to this book -- as in, the dash of a fullback heading upfield for a touchdown while an opposing prison football team gives pursuit. If you're a boy who likes football, check this book out. If you're a parent or teacher of a boy who likes football (but not reading so much), check this book out FOR him. You (and he) won't be disappointed.

this was a great book it's funny to hear an idea of what the future will be like and what the people living in the future think of our lives right now. Great book by Pete hautman looking foward to reading more of his books

Hautman's Godless remains one of my favorite teen books, and this one is almost as good. Like many other great science fiction novels, this is social commentary in disguise: Hautman conjures up a sinister future world that has taken some of our current obsessions to extremes, yielding nightmarish results. While I usually think the age recommendations for fiction are too low, the recommendation for this one is too high: middle schoolers will enjoy this book too.

Bo Marsten is living in the tail end of this century in the "USSA", a place where beer and french fries are outlawed, a good percent of the population is on a Ritalin-like drug, sports can only be played with maximum protective clothing, and manual labor is performed by people arrested for "rage" crimes. Bo's speech and action will seem like a normal teen's to the reader, but he winds up incarcerated for fighting with a classmate over a girl (using his fists, not weapons). He is placed in a work camp run by McDonald's and set in the frigid wilds of Canada. Like "Holes," the wardens are corrupt, the other inmates aggressive, and the environment punishing. Bo manages to become part of an elite group of boys who play football, the old-fashioned kind that is outlawed in the rest of the country. Meanwhile, an A1 program that Bo created in school has mutated and acquired a "life" of its own. The creation, called a web ghost, may just be able to spring Bo from his sentence early.

The book is an original, thought-provoking read. Just a decade ago, kids didn't wear bicycle helmets; could mandatory law be possible in the future? The only flaw is that apart from Bo and the A1, there is minimal character development. In "Holes" the relationship between Stanley and Zero helped give Stanley's character more depth. I also wanted more backstory on Bo. Had he really always had a bad temper, or did it develop when he became a teenager? Did the government/school do other things besides prescribe meds for people who were potential discipline problems?
How did he deal with his father leaving the first time? But I guess those questions were outside the scope of the book.