Recreation Books

Extraordinary Putting is a masterpiece of instruction and life lessons combined. Every time I'm on the green I think of the lessons learned. I've dropped strokes in this critical area of the golf game. At the same time, I've been inspired by Fred Shoemaker's wisdom and ideas on how golf mirrors life in so many ways. Excellent read!

Explore your mind and become truly aware of yourself with these golf tips to help you open up your game. There are also great exercises to help you relax.

This is likely the best book I have read about the sport of Golf so far.
A great book, that is well worth the money (and time reading it more than once). The excercises in the book are great and easy to follow with amazing effects.

Although I see several different philosophies woven into the authors work, what you call it doesn't matter. Reading this book is an essential for any golfer. You will learn things about yourself you didn't know, why you play golf....and, it will be an aid to improving your game. I have not practiced all the exercises, but just by reading the book, my swing and thought process has changed. My swing is more free, my thoughts are more free, and I am free from worrying about the result. I can't wait to read "Extraordinary Golf" next.

Awareness. It is something I never really experienced before playing golf. Being in the now and enjoying the sensations of the game will definitely be my goals for the upcoming season. Reading this book is like having a hypnotic session. You can start to see inside and outside of yourself and become amazed at how you work. I only wish that I was taught these things 20 years ago when I first started playing.

I have several of Charlie Morris' books and find that this one every bit as good as the others. Charlie does his homework when researching the subject matter. I recommend all of his books including "Total Performers, Ford Drag Racing in the Sixties".

R.L. "Pete" Garramone

Excellent reference for the factory lightweight drag cars. Contains several historical pictures that are awesome to review.

Just when I thought I knew most of the answers about those wonderful days when drag racing really was about buying on monday what we saw racing on the weekend, here comes a book that brings back all of those cars I loved to watch, that later inspired me to race both my '69 Mustang as well as my '71 Ranchero. To top it all off there was info new to me too. Great book.

The "characters" almost seem to be talking right to you from the pages of
this book. It's as if Mr. Morris was right there at each and every track,
office, factory, etc. He must have been a fly on the walls at some of the
meetings. Also, the humor mixed with facts kept me from putting this book
down very often. I can't wait for the next book from Mr. Morris.

A must buy for anyone's automotive library. I greatly enjoyed the book. By the author interviewing many of the people that where there and in the know made the book that much more interesting. The author made the book as close as he could to what really happened behind the scenes. You found out that unless you where close to the factory or had a friend that worked in key departments including the fabrication shop, etc. you wouldn't know about many of the one off parts done for "freinds". This gave some racers a little more advantage then the other guy with the same brand car. One point of correction is that the '62 and '63 Pontiac SD cars did NOT come delivered on used tires as one West Coast expert claimed. Several of the factories would deliver cars in what they called "IN WHITE" for the racers that got their order in by April. These were the pilot cars that where built to test the production line and not meant for public consumption.

While baseball is an integral part of the plot of this story, it is more a tale about life and how hard it can be. The Fielder family, the true origin of the title, lives in the small town of Smackover in Arkansas. There are three brothers, whose names from the eldest to youngest are Jugs, Jax and Jude. The story is narrated by Jax and is the story of his life from high school through the years immediately after World War II. Jugs is an incurable practical joker and the catcher for the high school baseball team. Jax is a pitcher and good enough to play briefly in the major leagues. However, when he balks in the winning run and costs the St. Louis Browns the 1941 pennant, he is labeled as a choker.
By that time, Jugs has become a naval aviator, stationed on the aircraft carrier Enterprise. Shortly after the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor, Jax enlists in the hope of also becoming a pilot. He attends flight school and does fairly well, but when Jugs is lost and presumed dead, he loses something. However, he manages to become a member of the crew of a Superfortress bombing the Japanese mainland.
His plane is attacked during a bombing mission and he is inadvertently ejected from the plane. He parachutes to "safety" but is immediately captured and placed in a POW camp. Life there is harsh and he is eventually put in solitary confinement in a piece of pipe. After being freed from that ordeal, he is recognized by a Japanese Admiral as a former baseball player. Jax is then made a gardener at the Admiral's estate and begins to teach the Admiral's son how to pitch. When the war is over and Jax comes back to the states, he tries to resume his baseball career. Many things go wrong and he is falsely accused of treason.
While the circumstances of this story are extreme, many men who patriotically went off to win the Second World War experienced similar circumstances. They came back changed men only to learn that their points of origin had changed even more. Despite their sacrifice and victories in battle, many of them came back to situations where they had to struggle to make a life. While occasionally funny and certainly touching, this is a sad story about a good and decent man who truly deserved better than the hand he was dealt. Although as the title implies, Jax accepts the consequences of the choices he has made.

Norman's first novel shows his deftness with balancing both the humorous and serious sides of life. It is difficult to call this book a comedy, yet equally difficult to call it a drama, a trait that makes this book truly special. My 11th grade students loved it, and so did their teacher, proving it to be an enjoyable read for young and old alike.

I read Fielder's Choice for the first time not long after it was published. Since then, I've reread it a dozen times, I think.

This novel is written in first person, in the voice of Gooseball Fielder, whose promising major league career with the St. Louis Browns stumbles to a halt almost as soon as it gets started. Weeks later, the news of Pearl Harbor fills the US airwaves, and Fielder signs up, finding the anonymity afforded by an army uniform a welcome relief.

Fielder tells his story to a US Army major in early 1946 after having been accused of aiding and abetting the enemy while being held as a prisoner of war in Japan. From these snippets, you might expect a dark novel, even brooding. Fielder's Choice is anything but.

The name of Fielder's hometown in Arkansas--Smackover--is a clue in itself that this is a novel that will make you laugh. Fielder's narrative voice is reminiscent of Henry Wiggen's in Mark Harris's first novel, The Southpaw; it seems obvious to me that Rick Norman is well acquainted with Harris's work. But Fielder is more naïve than Wiggen, less worldly, and the story he relates bears this out.

The humor in Fielder's Choice is nicely balanced by the hardships Fielder endures, both at home and in the prison camp. But the darkness the novel touches on is never overwrought, partly due to Norman's wisdom in using Fielder's own voice to tell the story. Fielder finds redemption long before the ending of the novel, though the Merkle-esque welcome he receives a quarter century after his fall from grace is a welcome touch at the end.

Norman's first novel, Fielder's Choice deserves a place as one of the great works of baseball fiction.

I`ve read a book called Fielders Coice and it is the
best book i`ve read so far.It is an interesting book
to read for the ones you like sports.You will enjoy it about midway through the book where he lost a game and quit to go to the war.

I purchased Fielder's Choice for my son and to reach the minimum dollar amount on my [Amazon.com] order to get free shipping. Just by chance, I picked it up for a quick browse and to my surprise, didn't put the book down until I finished reading it. This is basiclly a story about about a boy coming of age,growing into manhood, told through the background of baseball and war. Fielder's Choice is a warm hearted story full of both laughs and tears. The main character, Gooseball Fielder is the persona of Forrest Gump in baseball flannels discovering that life throws the hardest curves .

Rick Norman is a great story teller. He constructed the book in such a fashion, that after finishing it, I needed to check baseball references to see if the story of Gooseball Fielder was true.

My 5 year old would read this book every time we went to the doctor's office. A must have for little firemen!

First of all the pictures are well painted. Our son who is not yet 3 can finish the sentences from memory for each letter as we read together. This one was well worth the purchase.

This book is a great ABC teaching tool for children fascinated by the big red fire engines racing past. Learn some of the key terms and aspects of what firefighters do to save lives.

Young children will enjoy learning about the very exciting and dangerous aspects of being a firefighter. With the imagery and vivid colors, children will certainly get the message that fires are serious and dangerous business that should be left to professionals (and trained volunteers). It is a great book to approach the topic of fire safety with young children.

This is a really nice book to learn about firefighters. The pictures are bright. The fire is really vivid and a couple of the pages might scare really young children. It would be a good tool for teacher's to use during Fire Prevention Week.

My almost three-year-old son Devon loves fire engines. He gets so excited whenever we're out and one goes roaring by, siren screaming. He loves books too and he already knows his ABCs, both upper and lower case and this book shares the credit with a few others and his loving and attentive parents for giving him this gift of the Alphabet as such an early age. He'll be reading by Kindergarten.

In addition to being a very good ABC book, this book tells the story of firefighters fighting a fire, something guaranteed to hold the interest of any little boy (and a lot of little girls too). All of the letter pages have beautiful, action filled illustrations that seem to draw Devon right into the book. No wonder he can sing that ABC song so well.

Jack Priest, Dad in Training

Although the best way to learn any knot is to be shown, this is a good way to remember and practice them. It's small, light, sturdy and waterproof. There's not much more you can expect from a product like this. This is one of those ideas I wish I had come up with.

This is an excellent product I purchased the Saltwater edition for 1 tackle box and the Freshwater edition for my other, it's an excellent reference. The plastic coating makes it waterproof,cleanable and durable.
Thank You

This is a great starter to intermediate knot tying manual. 'Ultimate' might be stretching it but it's close. Definitely adequate! You would 'the man' if you mastered every knot in this manual! The envy of every other deckhand for sure! ciao, Scott

Buy it, use it, love it; enough said.

I have used the tool and find it very helpful. Good price. Fast shipping.

I lived in France for three years, have a French partner, and have read countless fiction and nonfiction books about France, American expatriates in France, etc. This one is hands-down my favorite. Very, very funny and reflective of how France is. It is a real mystery to me why this book has not had the same commercial success as the many inferior France-themed books out there.

This book is actually not Jane Smith's first work of fiction. In 1980, she wrote a wonderful novel titled Jacoby's First Case, and in 1984, she published Nightcap, both under the pseudonym J.C.S. Smith (now that's DEEP cover!)

So if you're looking for more enjoyable novels from this author, there's no need to wait -- they've already been written!

This is the funniest book I've read in ages. It made me laugh out loud so often, I had to stop reading it on the subway for fear of embarrassing myself in public. Jane S. Smith brilliantly lampoons the pseudo-academic and -artistic Americans who flock to Provence in search of career-making inspiration, and the natives who prey on them. But she also has a deep affection for her characters (well, most of them, anyway) that makes this book a thoroughly satisfying novel, not just a chilly satire. She skillfully interweaves the actions of a large cast of characters, and brings them all together at the end in a conclusion worthy of a Victorian novelist. Even the title is clever, in retrospect. It's hard to believe this is a first novel. Please, Ms. Smith -- may we have some more?

I would have put it in the academic satire category but strictly speaking it doesn't belong there because the only character to hold a college teaching job gets fired on the first page (two characters go back to graduate school on the last page). Then she goes off to the South of France with her family to write a book. Her children discover a pre-Roman Celtic treasure. Her daughter gets abducted by a child molester. Her husband enters a bicycle race.
It is brilliantly witty about such subjects as eco-feminism and intellectual francophilia but alo carried along by a strong intriguing plot. Wonderful light but intelligent enertainment.

I wish I had written this book. Fool's Gold is one of the best contemporary novels that I have read. It describes the extremely realistic (or were they) adventures of a NYC family who attempt to rediscover themselves in the South of France by renting a villa that turns out to be right next to a major highway. The chain of events that are described in this witty, funny novel seem totally plausible but tend to point out that our fantasies are never really as exciting as our realities. Don't forget to ponder the last sentence in the book. It will keep you smiling for days. A perfect read.

Once again Gierach knocks another one off. An amusing look at life and the pursuits of ones passion. I highly recommend Fool's Paradise.

The only fault I could find is it's too short. Classic Gearach book, True stories funny, warm, and..... well Gierach!

This is a well written book, but I have enjoyed some of his other books more than this one.

Gierach keeps pumping out the kind of material that takes you to the stream with him, but also challenges the reader to feel as deeply about the experience as he does. For any flyfisher who has a "...home river" or enjoys the challenge of new water, making new friends, or watching nature unfurl its majesty before your mind's eye, "Fool's Paradise" is a book you'll thoroughly enjoy.

Gierach is like your favorite flyrod-you know what you are getting-Excellent story telling and putting into words the feelings and actions of anglers/flyfishers. The chapter on cane rods is great and the book is like taking a fishing trip while staying home..

Having played only American football and Rugby Union, I have found this book invaluable in learning about the "why's" of soccer/football. This book has given me invaluable insight into the mindset of ref'ing and perspectives on dealing with very dynamics situations on and off the pitch. The stories are wonderful and illuminating.

If you are a ref...this book teaches you how to really BE one and be a PART of the game..not the obstruction to it. YOU NEED this book it is the best referee book ever written.

I just finished reading Bob & Ed's book a fourth time in preparation to teach an Entry (Associate) Level Referee Instructor course in Northern California next weekend, and every time I read it, I find not only things to help me (State Referee) in my game, but also to pass on to new Referee Instructors (State Instructor) in the development of referees.

P.S. I read it a fourth time not only for my up-comming instructor course, but also had State Cup U19 matches last weekend, and it helped!

I agree with my friend Steve Piercy (another reviewer) that this is a great book for all referees, but for referees that are serious about advancing as a referee, instructor, assessor, or even an assignor, it is a must read. Also agree with the other reviewers...if you're interested to improve your game in whatever role you play, do it with this book!

As a licensed but former coach and mediocre player, a great read to see it from the other side too.

For the Good of the Game.

As a Grade 7 referee upgrading to a Grade 6 - State Referee I have read everything I can about Soccer Refereeing. I wish I would have found this book first instead of last. The authors bring wonderful insight to the "sport" of Soccer Refereeing. They have given me so many new and wonderful ideas that I can't wait to try them this season.

Whether you are a new referee or an experienced referee I would highly suggest this book. It covers topics that were never ever discussed in my training sessions. So much so that I actually have a new outlook on how I referee this wonderful game of soccer.

The other books are good and are worth your time but read this book first, then go to the others.

Michael Metz - USSF Grade 7 Referee - AYSO Area Referee

This is, without a doubt, the most comprehensive book about officiating now in print; with apologies to Izaak Walton, it's "The Compleat Referee."

If you're just beginning as a referee, study and learn the Laws of the Game. Develop a relationship with a mentor whom you trust. And read this book. More than once. Despite the authors' significant credentials as FIFA and FA referees, the newest official will find their style enlightening and eminently readable. The book covers the entire gamut of refereeing from pre-match preparation to effectively dealing with every imaginable - and unimaginable! - situation on the pitch. Personal anecdotes from the authors' considerable experience appear throughout each chapter and help clearly illustrate each point.

For more experienced referees, this book delves repeatedly into the very personal subject of player management - the mind game. The authors will repeatedly challenge you to evaluate each match on its own and ensure you're employing the right skills to effectively 'orchestrate' it.

I had the pleasure of attending a day-long presentation by Mr. Evans and Mr. Bellion and can tell you that these gents are every bit as entertaining and informative in their book as they are in person. Their good humor and passion for the game comes through loud and clear. You won't be disappointed!

This is a great book, it is about two friends who were like brothers. This story is told by Bo Kimble. Hank Gathers had a good friend, like a brother named Bo Kimble. He tells how him and Hank grow up and what they had to go though. Bo tells alot about when him and Hank was in the NCAA. Hank was a good player. Bo loved Hank very munch, but Hank died of heart failure on the count. Bo tells that he misses Hank very munch and he will always have a place in his heart. Hank's #44 was retire, so if you don't got this book get it because it is sad because the things Bo tells you about Hank. Bo went to the NBA, but did not do what he wanted to do. Hank Gathers a Legend.

I picked this book up a few years ago and read it prior to the annual NCAA Mens' Basketball Tournament. It was a fascinating read, and takes the reader along with Hank and Bo as if all were teammates. My memories of this book made seeing the retiring of the Gathers and Kimble Jerseys at LMU last season an extra special event.

I have read this book and I would recommend it to anyone for future reading. It illustrates the true meaning of friendship and brotherly love. While reading this book, I felt the heartache of the lost of Hank. I have had the privilege of meeting these young men, while playing round ball at Taft College and this book gives an accurate account of their friendship. This is a must read book to anyone who has lost a special individual in their life.

This is a great book, it is about two friends who were like brothers. This story is told by Bo Kimble. Hank Gathers had a good friend, like a brother named Bo Kimble. He tells how him and Hank grow up and what they had to go though. Bo tells alot about when him and Hank was in the NCAA. Hank was a good player. Bo loved Hank very munch, but Hank died of heart failure on the count. Bo tells that he misses Hank very munch and he will always have a place in his heart. Hank's #44 was retire, so if you don't got this book get it because it is sad because the things Bo tells you about Hank. Bo went to the NBA, but did not do what he wanted to do. Hank Gathers a Legend.

Bo Kimble shows all facets of Hank Gathers' personality. He does not try to make him better than he was, much less dis him. Bo knows... This booka lso shows the love of the game both Hank and Bo had.

THIS IS A GREAT RESOURCE IF YOUR DESPERATE AT THE FREE THROW LINE.MOST PLAYERS THINK YOUR CRAZY WHEN YOU TEACH THIS METHOD.

My basketball coach gave me this book in 7th grade to read because I was struggling from the freethrow line! Not only could I easily understand it but it also drastically improved my shot at the line! After practicing the steps I was able to sink my freethrows consistantly within a couple weeks!! I am now a high school senior and am still using the basic steps I read so many years ago!! This book is a must read whether you are struggling from the freethrow line or not!!!

I read the book with great pleasure. Following the guidelines in the book builds up an automatic sequence in your throwing style that definitely improve your results under game pressure!

Dr. Tom is the best at shooting a free throw. He makes it simple for anyone to improve.

I love this book. The methods and thinking demonstrated in the book can be used in other things (other than just basketball.)
It's a short read. You can finish it in less than a day. Go back and review it from time to time.
I buy a lot of books. Most get given away or sold. Some get a permanent place on my bookshelf. This is a keeper.