Racing Books

The book was very good. It gave me a very good time reading. It was so good I couldn't even put it down! I recommend it to everyone who engoys climbing stories!

This is a great compilation of climbing stories. Some are inspiring while others will make you think about whether this is really something you want to be doing. Also highly recommended for those addicted to mountaineering literature is the editor's book "Epic" for more of the same...

Willis has a genius for searching climbing literature and coming up with gripping passages to incorporate into his anthologies. Some readers will find that they already own most of the original books, making the anthology unnecessary. However, for those who only like the exciting bits, or who don't want to collect dozens of volumes, Willis' works are perfect. The latest installment continues to incorporate writings on many different climbing styles and historical periods, both fiction and nonfiction.

As you can see from the table of contents and the editorial reviews, this book contains writings by lots of great mountaineers and climbers. Many of the authors discuss experiences when they have had to deal with fear, loss, and the difficult question of risk; they also share some of the lessons that they have learned from years of being challenged by nature and other people. Willis' compilation includes a selection of both fictional and true stories that I found to be a balanced combination of very funny, poignant, sad, and--best of all--inspiring. Reading this book really made me want to get outside! One of the convenient things about this book is that the stories are rather short, so it's easy to pick it up for a brief escape from the hustle and bustle of the city...There is also a bibliography so one can read further about any of the stories, if one chooses.

This was a Christmas present from my wife and this was the best present I can remember receiving. Everything about F1 from Bugatti, Nuvolari & Fangio to Senna, Prost & McLaren. This book is for the dedicated F1 fan. It is well researched and written and follows the development and technical specs of F1 cars past & present. It contains numerous rare photographs as well as some cutaway drawings of cars and engines. A MUST!

An amazingly complete account, this book covers every season of European top-level racing from the Paris rally of 1894 through the 1996 Grand Prix season. Each year contains an account of technical developments, who the top drivers were and interesting (and fun) anecdotes about how the season progressed. It also includes performance and race statistics for all the major marques. In my opinion, this book is a must for fans of the history of motor racing.

This is a good book on F1 history, with plenty of detailed technical and apisodic information concerning teams, drivers and cars. The author shows a profound knowledge on the subject of F1 grand prix racing, and the book is a very good source of season by season information, from 1950 to 1996. It will please all fans of this most important category of car racing, although an updated edition is now needed.

This book truly surprised me. First off this book is very big and is absolutely filled with fascinating information! So many questions can be answered in this book and so much information to take in. Impress your friends with your vast Grand Prix and Formula One knowledge! I would buy this one today! Thank you for making it available....great stuff!

Hello everybody.I think this book is very good because it's pretty cool and the author did a good job writing this book.This book is about Nat and her bike.Nat and the gang were riding a trail and a tree fell over and Nat got hurt.It was pretty cool in the middle.You got to read the book to find out the whole story!

this was one of the best books in the 8 book seires i really liked it because it had a very hard mystery to try to solve and when they would describe when they where riding the trails was reall tight (i think that is one of the things that laban does best) but i think there are two better books in this series those are the first book deep powder deep trouble and the last book in the series total whiteout but this was one of my favorites.

Hello everybody.I think this book is very good because it's pretty cool and the author did a good job writing this book.This book is about Nat and her bike.Nat and the gang were riding a trail and a tree fell over and Nat got hurt.It was pretty cool in the middle.You got to read the book to find out the whole story!

this book was a action and adventure that was fun to read

Dale Earnhardt Jr. receives similar acclaim, with other race car drivers providing their personal insights and observations into his personality and career. An exceptional, colorful presentation.

I read this book and it was a great one. The interviews the author did on the other drivers and anouncers,that was a neat idea The pictures in the book were beautifully done. The information the book gave was perfect for what I wanted to know. I would recommend this book to anyone I knew! it was rally good. The author of "Driving Force Of A New Generation" did a wonderful job!

This Dale Earnhardt Jr. good is wonderful. It has the coolest pictures ever and is just great. Words cannot express how wonderful it was. You get to see what other drivers think about Dale Jr. and also learn new and exciting things about it. It is great. Any Dale Jr. fan should get it and add it to their Dale Jr. collection.

If you are a Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan, this book is for you! I have read this one and loved it. The pictures are wonderfully done. And believe me there are lots of them! The interviews and insights are great. You will love this book!

This was a wonderful accumulation of mostly pictures but also some very poignant text. The forward from Benny Parsons was an extra plus. I do wish that his father had written a piece for it. I think that it is something that his fans and family(especially his kids) will cherish forever.

David Carl Allison had everything going for him. In his rookie season on NASCAR's Winston Cup Series, he won two races, won a pole, and established himself as an immeasurably friendly personality.

All of that ended in July of 1993. Landing a heliocopter he had recently purchased at Talladega Superspeedway, Davey was killed when the helicraft looped over and smashed top first onto the ground. Suddenly, the personality that was carrying the sport into the 1990s was gone.

Davey's widow Liz grieved the loss of her husband, the father of her children Krista and Robert Grey, but in 1995 she purged that grief and let her heart flow by putting together this poignant photo look at her husband's career.

The photos run the gamut - there is the 1961 shot of nine month old Davey using a toy telephone, with a look of "What the blank is THIS thing?" on his face. There are childhood photos and photos of the beginning of his racing career. His first win at Birmin! gham (AL) International Raceway came in April of 1979, with proud papa Bobby Allison looking on.

There are some great shots of Davey posing with racecars in the middle 1980s. One shows Davey posing with the #1 Chevrolet with which he made his Winston Cup debut in 1985. There is a 1983 photo of Davey, with Darrell Waltrip, Dave Marcis, and Dick Brooks all grinning at what he is saying during a news conference.

There are many shots of Davey hanging out with his best buddy, Brett Bodine. The one on page 73 shows Davey, Liz, and Brett walking hand in hand down Talladega's pit road, almost like little kids.

Another favorite is the shot of Dale Earnhardt on a payphone, Davey, Bill Elliott, Bobby Hamilton, Geoff Bodine, and Ted Musgrave all waiting their turn.

Davey took up hunting and fishing as a hobby, and one great shot shows him with a 26 pound bass fish that almost looks bigger than him.

But the most gut-wrenching shot is at the very end, of Dale Earnhardt, hol! ding a #28 flag in victory lane at Pocono, his face almost ! ashen. More than any words, that shot rams home just how much Davey meant to racing, and how much we so desperately want to know how high he would have reached in his career.

There are some minor nits to pick; there's a photo on Page 60 at Martinsville that is erroneously listed as 1992. Not only are the cars pictured of 1993 specs (Kyle Petty's Pontiac sports a flush airdam not allowed until 1993) but the name above the door reads, "Ernie Irvan." The book has several superb shots of Davey Allison and 1992 champion Alan Kulwicki, killed in a plane crash just three months before Davey's death, but should also have made an attempt to find photos of Davey Allison and Tim Richmond, yet another superstar cut down before his full potential was reached.

Noentheless, it is well worth the investment to own this look back on NASCAR's most genuinely charming personality to come out of the decade of the 1980s.

Though it's been five years since his un-timely passing, it is still hard for me to look at this book. Especially when it gets into Husband and Father. Seeing those pictures just makes me tear up cause I know he'll never get to see his wife and kids again. This a must have item for any loyal Davey Allison fan.

As a long time Allison fan, it's hard to even see the book. But it's a great way to remember a NASCAR legend and loving family man. David Carl "Davey" Allison will be sorely missed.

#28 will always be Davey's car. As his father said he is now the guardian angel for the #28 car.

Fill the yearning you have for a new horse story. We've all worn our Margaret Henry's and Walter Farley's to a dog-eared, well loved, memorized place in our hearts and minds. DOLLARS IN THE STREETS adds new ideas, and fondly recounted hours of horsey dreams, and realities in a novel based on the life of an amazing young girl who came to a new country, alone, and with little to go on but her dreams, who made those dreams come true.

Beginning fifty something years ago, the author leads us through a straight from the horse eye view of the horse industry. From arriving at the stable at four AM, to the dark nights walking out a racehorse, long after the fans, and fanfare have died down, this is a great inside look at the care and love of horses from someone who experienced it daily for many decades.

A book filled with tears, laughter, miracles and satisfaction, this book, shows a young woman who gathers her dreams, stamina and like the horses we have loved "Phar lap, and Black Beauty" continues on through a life filled with ups and downs, wins and losses to fulfill her life.

A beautiful book for the race horse lover, and for young girls who need inspiration to make their dreams come true. After September 11, when so many woman are having to rebuild shattered lives, and so many young girls will be growing up with the terrible loss of parents to a horrifying situation, this book is a thoughtful way to show young girls you can make it. A girl who not only made it through a terrible war, but came to America alone, and not only made her own dreams come true, eventually made it possible for her whole family to come here and escape the poverty of a war torn country trying to recover from the ravages of that war. Laughs, and dreams, and miracles, and a toughness that gives us a clue that God, and our own endurability will get us through anything.

This is a story of a truly incredible woman, who never gave up her dreams. It was very inspiring. A long journey encompassing many aspects of a multi-faceted life, and centered around the backside of the racetrack, where a woman is STILL not greeted with much more than distain from "the good old boys". This lady tells a story of being a pioneer in that field. It was truly inspirational. This book showed both the hardships and joys of living one's dreams to the fullest. I feel that there a lot more stories than the one in this book. I hope that the author will be enouraged to elaborate and write another more detailed book in the future. A very good first effort!

I found it well written, enlightening and encouraging. Women of all ages will see an example of courage and success. Congrats.

Carlos Roldan

What a wondeful and cute little quick read. For I am a huge fan of movie novelizations and I really enjoyed this. Even though it was short in pages, it gave you clear thoughts and visulas about the book. I could really imagine the horse races and when the characters were talking to one another. This only took me only two hours to read, so it's pretty short. When I read this, I saw practically the whole movie. This has every scene in the movie, not wanting you to miss out on it. This is a well written novelization that when you finish reading it, you'll go straight to see the movie. Inside, are movie stills which you can get a clear idea of the movie. Read this one folks, if you're a big fan of horses and Dakota Fanning!

Hope you Enjoy! If you liked this, you may like;
1. The Perfect Man movie novelization
2. Just My Luck movie novelization
AND
3. Cars the junior movie novelization

Jordan
Overall grade* A-

Cale Crane lives on a farm with no horses. It is hard to believe it. Her dad is hte top ten thorough-bred trainer. Manolin and Balon are the Mexicans that work for Cale's dad. Ben, her dad, promised to take her to work. She ran right out of the house, and ran right in front of the truck. She jumped in. They got to the race. her dad is lika a horse whisperer, and he knew something was wrong. Tragically, Sonya the horse collapsed and hurt her leg. Cale made her dad not put the horse down. Sonya means "dreamer". Her dad signs the horse over to Cale. Her dad's old boss is trying to buy it from them. Cale nurses her to health. Do you think it can win the big race? Do you think she nursed her well?

(...)
Cale Crane is a girl that lives on a horse farm but has no horses in it. The Cranes family didn't really own horses for a long time. Cales father was a trainer of Thoroughbreds. One day during a race a horse named Sonya fell and broke her leg bone called cannon bone. The people in the race was about to put the horse to sleep until Cales dad says that they could nurse the horse back to health. Cale really likes the horse and wishes that she could race again. Sonya was on a wheelchair for a long time. Finally, when the wheelchair is of, Cales dad trains the horse. Something really unusual happens. Could the horse race again?

Ever since I saw the movie "Dreamer" I wanted to read the book by Kathy Hapka. This is a story about a girl my age and this book is based on a true story.
Cale Crane lives with her family on a horse farm with no horses. Her dad trains racehorses. One day one of the horses has an accident on the track. Everyone thinks that they should put the horse to sleep but Cale convinces her dad to nurse it back to health. The horse's name is Sonyador, which means Dreamer in Spanish.
It takes a while but Sonya's injuries heal. Cale and her dad start training Sonya to race again. Along with her dad's friends, Balon and Mandolin, they start training Sonya.
The book has a lot of exciting race stories, twists and much more. Cale thinks Sonya can win The Breeders' Cup. Sonya has enough experience as a racehorse to qualify for consideration by the judge's panel, but Cale has to convince them to let Sonya run in the race.
The rest you have to find out on your own. There is a lot more exciting events that I haven't told you about. So to read `'Dreamer"" to find out.
On a scale of one to ten I give this book a ten. Anybody who likes animals or horses would like this story. Also if you like to laugh you would enjoy this book.

This is not only full of good information, not fantasy, but explains the why it works in more than one way. It is not an elitist method but a proven one, one of common sense and good sense. This helps in not only training the horse but the rider. It does away with many misconceptions and gives the no frill basic method that really works. BRAVO

This is one of the best books I have read on Dressage and riding in general. It explains the basics in a way that is easily understood and the pictures illustrate the points brilliantly. I would reccomned this book for anyone who is starting in Dressage.

The pictures in this book are wonderful! They are taken from all the right angels, and show you not only how it looks when done right, but also faults, which is VERY heplful. All the training tips are so well organized, with aims for the correct movements, as well as practical problems and solutions that you can try.

This book Teaches you the essentials needed for dressage. It is a real help to those who want to learn more about dressage.

LuAnn McLane's Driven By Desire is a full throttle romance.

Alexia Spencer returns home after her marriage falls apart. She likes her quiet simple life but her former High School sweetheart has also returned home. Alexia never forget the pain of not being first in Jayden's life. Seeing him again has brought back all kinds of feelings and desires. When her sister Brianna asks her to write an article for the local paper on Motocross champion Jayden Michaels her world is thrown off kilter.

Jayden Michaels has always lived and breathed his sport. After a serious injury he returns home to recover and the lend a hand to fellow racer Colin McCord. Colin needs Jayden's help in setting up a youth track to teach responsible racing to the next generation of riders.

One of his first meetings with Alexia he literally lands at her feet. Jayden always remembered the searing passion and love that they had. But her marrying another man really turned his heart cold. Seeing her again relights a fire that never really went away.

Jayden is willing to put his heart and soul on the line to get Alexia back in his bed and his life. He has an uphill battle since Alexia is keeping a secret that would tear them apart.

Driven By Desire is LuAnn McLane's most sensual and erotic book to date. Jayden and Alexia have chemistry that just burns through every thought and action. Their past plays a pivotal part in their former and current dealings with each other. The writing of their past pain is deeply felt and brings you an emotional connection to the characters. The secondary romance of Brianna and Colin is equally as hot and satisfying. LuAnn McLane's books are always tops on my list of books to buy.

Driven by Desire is the latest story by LuAnn McLane. It is a story that is about second chances and a love that never died, just got sidetracked. It is a different kind of story than what the reader has come to expect from LuAnn, but a wonderful, heart tugging read that is well done and keeps you turning pages until the end.

Jayden Michaels is a Supercross Motorcycle racing star, who has returned home to Braxton to heal from a shoulder injury and join his best friend, Colin with a business venture. He never expected to cross paths with his first love and possibly get another chance at righting some mistakes he made ten years prior.

Alexia Parkwood aka Spencer has come home to Braxton putting her divorce behind her and get on with starting over a new. She works as a staff reporter for the Braxton Times, with her sister, Brianna who is the editor. When Jayden requests her to do the interview for a series on motocross, Alexia is forced to face the past.

The sparks between Jayden and Alexia burn hot and deep, but they have a lot to get past if they ever hope to have closure. The hurts run deep on both sides, and then there is the secret that Alexia has kept from everyone, that when Jayden finally finds out about is he able to give the support that she needs and can they work past it. The secondary romance between Colin and Brianna is a bonus for the reader as it unfolds as well. This is a heart rendering, roller coaster ride for the reader who is pulling for both Jayden and Alexia to finally have their happy ending. I truly loved this story, and would highly recommend it to anyone. It's about putting the past behind them, learning from their mistakes and taking a chance on what they really have. This book will not disappoint and is a true romance in every sense.

In DRIVEN BY DESIRE, LuAnn McLane gives readers the story of a couple with a painful past who discover after being reunited several years later, that the attraction between them continues to smolder. But old wounds are often the deepest and they're uncertain as to whether they can put past heartaches behind and allow themselves a future together.

When Jayden Michaels runs into Alexia Spencer, literally, while riding his dirt bike through the woods, it's impossible to say which of them is more surprised. Alexia was crushed ten years prior when Jayden chose Supercross motorcycle racing over his relationship with her. When she eventually married someone else, it was Jayden who felt the pain. Alexia eventually realized that she had made a big mistake, divorced her husband and returned home to find herself. She never expected that Jayden would once again be part of her life, and given the secret that she's been keeping for ten years, she fears that he won't understand her reason for secrecy. Alexia decides it's time to tell Jayden the truth, hoping that he cares enough for her and the future they could have together, to understand.
Jayden has come home to nurse a shoulder injury and to help a friend with a new business venture. Spending time with Alexia is an unexpected bonus. He never dreamed that a second chance with her would ever be in the cards for him. Jayden quickly discovers that a white-hot passion still exists between them and they aren't together long before old passions begin to burn. When he discovers the secret that Alexia has been hiding, past pains return and he pushes her away. He isn't certain he has the strength to get beyond his pain to help Alexia deal with her own suffering.
I adore LuAnn McLane and have enjoyed reading each and every one of her books. DRIVEN BY DESIRE is no exception, although it has a totally different flavor than any of her previous books. Her trademark humor has been toned down, the eroticism has been turned (way) up, and the emotions come from much deeper in the heart. Alexia's pain is excellently written, and as readers are taken into her relationship with Jayden a decade before, her dejection when he left, and the events that followed, it almost feels tangible. Jayden suffered as well, and Ms. McLane very clearly understands the workings of a guy's mind as his thoughts, feelings and actions are described with clarity. An equally passionate side romance between Alexia's sister and Jayden's best friend is definitely a reader bonus. The relationships between all of these characters are well-written and comfortable and it doesn't take imagination to bring them to life. I highly recommend DRIVEN BY DESIRE to all romance readers who enjoy stories with reunited lovers, passionately sensual romance, and the undeniable healing power of true love.
COURTESY LAURIE/ROMANCE JUNKIES

Jayden Michaels gave his girlfriend Alexia Spencer an ultimatum not so much in words but in action. He left their hometown of Braxton to join the motorcycle racing circuit. He hoped she would follow him. Instead disappointed in the man she loves, Alexia chose and married someone twenty years older than her.

A decade has past since both separately left Braxton. Both have come home for differing reasons. Jayden heals at home from a shoulder injury while helping to create a local youth motocross club. Reporter Alexia has come home after obtaining a divorce. Both want the other purged from their blood so he agrees to have Alexia interview him for the local paper. Instead they remain attracted and considering a second chance at love, but she has one secret that she must reveal to him although she expects their relationship to end because of it.

The insight into motocross racing is fascinating especially the juvenile locker room bantering between the drivers although not deep enough to satisfy the curious about the sport. Alexia is a wonderful but too trusting protagonist as her sister and her friend betray her with their mouths; while Jayden is caught between machismo at the track and love. Although lacking depth especially at the track, DRIVEN BY DESIRE is an interesting second chance at love sports romance.

Harriet Klausner

Jesse Alexander is probably one of the greatest motorsports photographers around. This book is a wonderful way to enjoy his work. In short, he his the Ansel Adams of motorsports photography. While the content is enough to getting any race fans blood going, the photography is spectacular. He's a photographer's photographer.

John Thawley - [...]

"Driven" by Jesse Alexander is an outstanding photo-journal of the author's journey through the world of Formula One racing in the fifties and sixties. The text, captions and photography are first-class. Highly recommended!

The opportunity to view a collection from such a vibrant time in motorsports history, by a noted and aclaimed photographer, should be seized. Any die-hard racing enthusiast is certain to appreciate the many vantage points of the photos in gaining a sense of what the period was truly like.

First, a disclaimer: my desk faces framed prints of Fangio at Monaco, 1956, and Fangio at Reims, 1958 by Jesse Alexander, and my copy of the sadly out-of-print LOOKING BACK is signed by the photographer and Juan Manuel Fangio. But even if names like Jean Behra and Wolfgang von Trips are unfamiliar, anyone with a love of sport and a sense of nostalgia for a less populated and more hopeful late '50's Europe will be enthralled by DRIVEN. Jesse Alexander's timing and composition are peerless, capturing not just the machines, but the souls of the men who risked their lives for sport in the optimistic days between the Second World War and Vietnam. The familiar images of Gurney, Moss, and Fangio brim with vigor and confidence. The images of the great Jimmy Clark verge on the iconic. Perhaps my favorite image is that of the Porsche team's garage at Le Mans in 1959: the French street urchins in the background are right out of the RED BALOON. I could go on, but perhaps the best review of the work in the book is the forward by Sir Stirling Moss, whose eloquent reminiscences and insights stand in stark contrast to the bone-headed comments we see from today's "Karting With Bernie" racing drivers. The layout and printing would be superb at four times the price--this book is a must-have, and the first edition is sure to sell out. If you love racing, buy it!