Running Books

As I read this book I could almost feel the track clicking below the engine, hear the chuffing of the engine as it labored to pull the cars, listen to the lonesome sound of the whistle as the engineer arrived at the crossing and feel the power as the fireman put the coal to the firebox and the engineer pulled the Johnson bar. All in all a great read and a book that anyone interested in the steam era would read with relish.

One of the most compelling railroad books I've read - the narrative is compelling because of Orr's consistent, insightful commitment to doing his job well and discovering the most efficient way to get his train over the road. Of course hardcore railfans will enjoy this book, but I think students of industrial history and those interested in the way people go about their jobs (a la Studs Terkel/working) will get something out of this book as well.

The detailed descriptions in "Set Up Running" will have you smelling coal smoke. Even though I have been a rail fan for all of my 65 years, was an NYC-PC employee, and I'm a native of Pennsylvania, I learned something new on nearly every page and thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Although "Set Up Running" deals almost exclusively with operations on a PRR branch line, ferroequinologists (students of the iron horse) everywhere will love this book. It has the unique quality of making you wish it would go on forever.

When I read a book or article about railroads it is easy to tell when the writer is over his head. Not here. This book is authentic.

The time covers a great period of growth of steam locomotive development. PRR classes from the old class R through the M1a are run and evaluated. Which one is the engineer's favorite? You might be surprised.

The book is a labor of love. It is human as well as technological. Here you find the enthusiasm of the young man, the confidence of the mature man, and the feelings of being squeezed out of the retiring man. As I finished the book I sat and thought about the family for a long time.

Set Up Running is simply the VERY BEST railroad related book which I have EVER read! If you don't have it GET IT! PERIOD! (PS: I have NO financial interest in this book or any organization/company which sells it). I'm doing YOU a favor by rating this book and advising YOU to get it!)

ceh

This log and calendar is functional. I liked how you can log in the workout and miles every day. This really is a good motivational tool to help keep you working out and track your progress. I highly recommend this for any level of runner or athletic person.

I've purchased every Fixx log since it started in 1979 & it's the ONLY one I use!

It gets the job done without a lot of clutter but there is some inspiration if you need it.

I have been using this log each year for the last 17 years. It seems just right.

I have been using the Complete Runner's Day-by-Day Log for over 20 years. It has everything you need in a log book and has interesting quotes and nice photos. I would recommend it.

I was hoping that this book would be an uplifting account of hope to encourage my husband who was recently diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease. It was NOT. Would not recommend it.

This is a book I find myselfing re-reading a couple times a year (and I don't tend to re-read books). Inspiring, truthful, I feel I could really relate and understand the author. Love this book! Truly beautiful. She left a precious gift to her readers. Highly recommend. Please read other reviews to learn about the content of this book.

This book is very easy & quick to read - good for those who don't like to spend a lot of time reading one book.

As I was reading this book, I could easily relate to Darcy's frustration. A few years ago, I had a neurological problem where my muscles were slowly becoming weak, and I could hardly walk or move. It was extremely exhausting just getting out of bed. Thankfully, my problem was resolved, but I remember at the time watching other people go about their normal business, like walking etc, and thinking "They are walking so easily, like they don't have to think about it", yet I had to think about everything I did, just like Darcy.

I felt genuine empathy for Darcy, and I am so happy that she lived her last year with so much happiness, despite her terminal illness.

This book reminds me of another I have read recently by Kim Dalton "The Real Fight". Recommended reading.

Years ago I took an essay writing class with Darcy Wakefield. She was an aspiring writer and a pleasant person. I'm sorry that her first success at publishing came under such tragic circumstances. Reading her memoir, I wish I had known her better. She is smart, funny, and real. I'm glad she found personal happiness, motherhood, and spirituality before she died.

I went to a reading by Darcy shortly before her death. Her sister read short passages, as Darcy with ALS by that time could not do so. Darcy, herself, answered audience questions. She was alight with life and her book, with its candor and humor is a beacon of hope and a challenge for us all!

Very helpful for the antiquing "debutante" in the overwhelming world of antiques, including tips for negotiating with dealers, what to look for on certain items, even ideas of what one might want to collect. Definitely worthwhile purchase.

Antique lover I am HOWEVER, knowledge is minus, MINUS! ANTIQUING FOR DUMMIES was given to me as a gift and MAGIC has been created. My brain is now functioning in the antique mode. How proud and delighted I am. I will be forever indebted to having the opportunity to own such as informative treasure. In fact this book will be on my future "gift purchasing" list for my "hard to please" friends. Again, THANK YOU, from Dallas, Texas.

Antiquing for Dummies is a cheerful primer for those of us who were antiques-challenged. Learn what to search for and what to avoid when confronted with the possible pitfalls of flea markets and antique malls. Find out how to differentiate trash from treasure. The text is very readable, filled with puns and mnemonics. A must-read for budding antiques enthusiasts!

I have collected, sold and even appraised antiques and artwork for 25 years. This book is well written, and has valuable insights and tips for the beginning or the intermediate collector. It has very good illustrations, good anecdotes and hints, and is all in all a delight to have and read! I learned a couple of things myself, and have bought copies for my antique collecting friends and colleagues as gifts. I would highly recommend this to anyone who wants to gather practical and easy to understand tips and facts from authors and experts who obviously have many years of study and work in the field of antiques, collectibles and fine art. For this price, it is worth more than many of my big fancy books on single topics within the field of antiques or antique collecting. This is easy to read, humerous and fun to read, and offers good basic information on many kinds of antiques and fine art which are being collected, inherited and sold. Bravo to the writers and to Dummies!

Whether you are someone who breaks for garage sales or the serious collector of rare antiques, Antiquing for Dummies offers information, tips, insight and inspiration. Zoglin and Shouse help de-mystify the world of antiques and collecting and leave you feeling like you, too, can confidently and successfully find treasures that fit your lifestyle and needs. The tips on negotiating are especially helpful and I have never seen them appear anywhere else. Zoglin has spent three decades in the antique business and knows what he is talking about. Whether you are interested in antiquing or not, this book provides an entertaining read, and you will likely not look at a teacup or Granny's old desk again without a deeper appreciation of its history.

Good things come in small packages! This volume may be slender, but it packs a helluva wallop. This book is pure "rock & roll" hororr!

This horror anthology consists of twelve short stories and an extract from a novel. The collection runs a wide range of the genre with lead characters including the undead, a serial killer, and a dying cowboy's final lament, etc. The book contains well written tales that grip the audience as Staci Layne Wilson provides surprising emotion (that is for the short story format) in several of the stories. The supernatural runs free throughout the tome, but mostly provides atmosphere or the impetus to move the plot forward. Though the title implies a god-fearing or anti-religious fervor, HORRORS OF THE HOLY is more of a secular generalist series of tales that grips the audience with suspense and a wonder what can happen next. Ms. Wilson is a talent worth following (SEE THE LIFE AND TIMES OF RAPUNZEL).

Harriet Klausner

This is a funny book, but it doesn't detract from the horror at all - it's plenty scary! I really enjoyed it, and I'm hoping she comes out with a horror novel soon. Even though there are 13 stories, they were too short. I wasn't ready for them to end!

An anthology of 13 stimulatingly scary short stories. Each story a different look into the darkness, zombies, vampires, monsters and more. Wilson has created a collection of very different intersting, spine-tingling stories. The stories are creative and not really predictable. She uses different perspectives and creative these highly-entertaining plots. Delightfully enough, she sprinkles humor powder into irony, artfully. Her au fait writing style makes this a page turner. Take a journey through the supernatural world. Quick.

The sacred and the profane are only separated by a thin veil, and when HORRORS OF THE HOLY peels back the veil, be prepared for the fearful and unexpected. Beneath the most respected and holy lies the macabre and the profane, often more closely linked than you've ever expected.

Ranging from vampires and the supernatural to priests and evangelists, and even the common such as jewelry and teeth, HORRORS OF THE HOLY will have you checking the mirrors and the bathroom repeatedly. Two of my favorites, "Always Amber" demonstrates that possession may come from the simplest of things, while " Anti-Christ Superstar" will have you thinking twice before checking out that cool new web site.

Perhaps some of the fun with HORRORS OF THE HOLY also comes from the play on literary tradition. "Always Amber" was on my mother's book shelf for years; all children of the sixties and seventies loved "Jesus Christ Superstar" and of course the allusion to the bible in "The Tooth Shall Set You Free." Wilson's clever alliteration of the title, of course, also delights this English major: HORRORS OF THE HOLY: 13 SINFUL, SACRILEGIOUS, SUPERNATURAL STORIES.

While some stories are vaguely familiar as ghost stories or urban legend, this fresh voice brings new meaning and vitality to the story telling. Each story is riveting, written with an intensity that will hook the reader right through the end. Each story lives with vibrancy that is very difficult to match with such a diverse short story collection. If you love horror stories, the HORRORS OF THE HOLY is a must read.

This was purchased for my daughter who happens to be a huge Lucy fan. She thoroughly enjoyed it as it is chock full of reproduced letters, articles and other memorabilia. It makes a wonderful gift.

What a wonderful gift Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. have given to the fans of their parents. This book will warm your heart, make you smile, and bring tears to your eyes. It will make you feel like you snuck into Lucy's closet and found her scrapbook sitting on the shelf. I got goosebumps when I saw the enevelope written by Desi that said 'To my darling'. I almost felt like an intruder when I pulled out the Valentine for Lucy that was inside. There are photos, letters, clippings, and side notes, all beautifully assembled. This is a must have have for anyone who has ever loved Lucy, Desi, Vivian, and William.

When I received this book in the post I did not put it down for a least an hour. It was so thoughtfully put together and showed all of Desi and Lucy's fans just how much they loved and cared for each other thoughtout their lives.
My most memorable areas are the little pieces written by the couple describing their thoughts and how they felt about each other. Lucy's words about Desi's death really struck me as although she had been married for 25 years she still felt his death hard.
My daughter who is only aged 15 years also could not put it down and was especially interested in the reproductions of the important letters and documents.
We both love it and it is certainly a must for the bookshelf of any Lucy and Desi fan.

If you are a Lucy Fan then you simply must buy this book! I just received mine and sat mesmorized by it, it is now my favorite Lucy item I have. I have an enormous collection of everything to do with Lucy or I LOVE LUCY you can imagine and this Scrapbook is so incredible.....it's honestly as if you are looking at the original scrapbook and you are even able to pull out inserts on several pages.....passport, letters, etc. I am not joking, if you are a collector of Lucy things and you do not have this Scrapbook then you are missing an incredible addition to your collection. The price is really great considering all you get. Words truly are not enough....I'll never ever get tired of looking at this!!!! Don't just think about buying it, buy it this minute!!!

The scrapebook was execellent. I enjoyed every little thing about it. It was great of all the document that were in there. This is a great book.

Joe Quirk dances away from all the problems with self-help books, embraces the good parts of science books, and blends in his own character. The result is a hilarious ride through science with lots of "give me pause" and "change my perspective" that self-help books try to deliver and science books never seem to bother with.
My favorite part was the "aquatic ape" theory.
The best line in the book, Pg 138 "...in order to orgasm, some women need to concentrate, and some men, to put off orgasm, need to think about something else. My method is to list each Yankee baseball player's batting average. The second a man thinks about what he's actually doing, it's over. So the only way a man can enjoy sex is to not think about what he's doing. Can you blame us if we extend this strategy to relationships?"

A fun and funny spin on evolutionary biology. Sex: a serious topic at its silliest. Good reading, full of clever lines and information perfect for sharing at cocktail parties.

It is not often that you find a book that informs as well as amuses. This is for everything they left out of sex-ed when you were a kid.

I teach a college-level seminar for science-phobes using popular science literature. Of all the books I have ever used, on any topic, this was the hands-down favorite. The seminar was titled Sex, Gender and Love: A Biological View, and this book covered the love part -- haha. I read it alternately being annoyed at the corny (but devilishly clever) jokes and laughing out loud in spite of myself. Most of all, though, I was impressed by the research that went into each of the chapters and the way Quirk made all our human sexual foibles explicable and hilarious -- nothing better than laughing at ourselves since we're stuck with us! Thanks!

The best book on sexual evolutionary biology. Why both men and women seem to be on different planets. Hm... is there a catchier title?
Perhaps, but not a better book.

Unfortunately, despite his extensive bibliography, Joe Quirk (What the blazes kind of name is that for a scientific researcher? ) does not have a Phd. Neither is he buddies with Oprah, so I doubt this will top the besteller list.

Never mind. I've suffered through many academese imbued evolutionary snoozefests texts. This one will keep you wide awake, I promise.

What Quirk has is brilliance, and (gasp!) an ability to write. He must have had some alpha ancestors during the pleistocene era that could spin some awesome tales by the campfire.

Among The Table of Contents we find such gems as:

Chapter 9: The Jerk Gene
Chapter 12: Why Women are Coy, Men Clueless
Chapter 26: Free Love Causes War

And, for a smaple paragraph:

" Men are attracted to nubility and health. Women are attracted to nobility and wealth. Both want intelligence, kindness, and opulence.
Both want a good sense of humor. They'll need it. "


As will the reader.
An easy 5 stars.

I really enjoyed the book, it was fun and made me laugh. But more so than making me laugh, it also taught me. It taught me about running and how strange we runners can be. It also reminded me not to take myself too seriously as a runner.

The chapters are short, making it an easy read! Whether you are a hard-core runner or a newbie (like me) you should enjoy it!

I was looking for a little humor to go along with training for my first marathon, and I found it in this book! Schwartz takes all the small quirks of a runner, things you may not even think twice about, and has you laughing all day. Nice, light, fun reading.

I may be one of the few runners who had not yet heard of Bob's wonderfully written book. Thankfully I came upon it at the bookstore and I could not put it down. It's filled with rip roaring laughter as Bob takes us on a hilarious romp through all things (and then some) near and dear to runners and provides some insight as well. I enjoyed all the many chapters but some stand out so well that just thinking of them makes me break out in laughter (from Introduction to Ingurgitation to Trick or Feet to Lifetime Taper for a Masterful Peak).

If you want to laugh, this is the book for you. Tremendous!

This is a fantastically funny book and although dealing with running, it provides a lot of laughs for non-runners as well. Bob presents a terrifically humorous look at runners and races and training and lots of other subjects associated with running. The book makes a great gift and the accompanying illustrations are a perfect compliment to each chapter.
It's rare to find a book presented so very well and Bob should be highly commended for this welcome addition to a runner's library. The chapters on stretching and cross training and his satirical look at rules to run by are simply hilarious!

Finally, a humorist who is a runner takes a wonderfully funny look at all runners. This book had me laughing out loud from the moment I opened it as each of the short, snappy chapters are filled with wonderful humor in a very well written, easy flowing and creative manner.
Bob is a skillful author and very funny and entertaining. I've read many of his articles on family life as well and would love to see a similar book on that subject.
I highly recommend I Run, Therefore I Am - Nuts! to all runners. The book is simply great! I've actually read it twice now and had the same amount of laugh out loud chuckles along the way.

I just finished running the San Francisco Marathon where I also had the great privilege of meeting Bart Yasso. He was kind enough to meet with me one-on-one in our hotel and just chat about life, and then autograph my copy of his book. I admire him most for his ability to talk about those obstacles he has overcome and his tremendous accomplishments without sounding vainglorious or boastful. This book is a great example of Bart's ability to inspire anyone who will read or listen simply by sharing a piece of the Man he is. Buy this as soon as you finish reading this review. Seriously. Do it now! Thanks, Bart!

Bart's book is absolutely hilarious and inspiring. His stories are witty and humorous. I was laughing out loud at the Taco Bell story, the cross country bike story, and the bare buns run! Great read, I couldn't put it down. Bart is a legend.

This book cracked me up. Bart is inspirational, funny, and crazy. All the making's of a runner:)!

Bart Yasso's stories are funny (he is a pun master) and entertaining,while inspiring the reader to get out and run a lot of miles! I read excerpts from this book in Runner's World, bought the book, and have given copies as gifts. Everyone I know who has read it really likes it.

I really enjoyed this book a lot. I just started running again to get back into shape and his stories inspired me challenge myself more. His stories are also very funny. The story about his experience running in the nudist run made me chuckle out loud. I definately recommend this book!

Review from Ryan Brenizer's Amazon Blog

America at Home
8:45 AM PDT, June 16, 2008, updated at 8:47 AM PDT, June 16, 2008
If millions of photographers around the world have a collective bias, it's this: The more interesting the better. Generally, that's a good thing -- the last thing the world needs are thousands of photo documentaries on "Things I Found in My Belly-Button." But if you're trying to document the way we live, it can be dangerously deceptive. Someone hundreds of years from now looking only at the professional photography of the era might assume we spent most of our time getting married and killing each other, but never went to the store or drove to work.

Photojournalist Rick Smolan tries to ameliorate this with "America at Home." Documenting as broad an idea as American domestic life is a daunting task, but Rick handles it adeptly, with a number of clever flourishes. His curating of the collection is very well-handled. It's unselfish, with his own work playing roles only where it fits best (and one of my favorite photos in the book, of a girl resting on the couch in the dramatic shadows of twilight, is his). With few exceptions, the photos that look best large are given the space to shine, and the photos that can convey messages in smaller sizes are paired up on a page, maximizing visual impact. The work itself tends to be both brilliant and familiar, trending toward subtle compositions that tell a story without being garish, appropriate for the topic.

Where it starts to get clever is in how the book is arranged. There are essays by writers such as Amy Tan and Terry Teachout breaking the book into chapters, but the photos are arranged around prominently displayed salient facts about American life, such as how much TV we watch a day or that the average American woman has one hour less free time per day than the average American man (I tried to hide that page from my wife).

It's a book that's supposed to teach us about us, and Rick wants readers to make it their own -- literally. The book has a companion Web site, MyAmericaAtHome.com, where you can order the book with your own photo as a customized cover. Since this is all about domestic life, I tried it out with a photo of my nephew at the ice cream shop instead of my professional work:

As you can see, the process is well-designed and easy to understand, showing how the final product will look with the headline and logo, as well as whether your photo will have enough resolution to make a good cover print. It's not only an easy process, but a bit addictive, so be careful lest you order 20 different copies of the same book.

This book represents an important topic well-handed, and a copy will be sure to grace my coffee table.
[...]

I have spent hours of enjoyment with this book....losing myself in faces and places unknown to me, yet at the same time hauntingly familiar. Rick Smolan has captured America at the very time when so many of us feel we are losing a connection to the vitality and promise of our country. But in every page and every essay, there are precious reminders of where our strength for the future lies...in America's people and in our homes an communities. Thank you, Rick Smolan.....

I have followed Rick Smolan's books for many years. This book touched me as few others have done. My Czech wife often seems to miss the diversity of the true America. I think all of us that have suffered these past 8 years where we might not have felt proud of our country can find something to feel proud of in this book. Here one can see so clearly and beautifully the diversity, the imagination, the love of family and friends that we who have grown up in America hold to be the true America. I shared this book with my wife who I think was quite surprised to see how many America's there are and to see what the true fabric of our society looks like beyond the slick magazines and endless TV glitz.

This is a book that you can give to someone who wants to see and better understand what America is truly about.

A beautiful and elegant celebration of american life at home.
The authors also offer a great way to personalize the outer cover of the book with your own pictures. Very cool!! Customizing the cover makes a great conversation piece for your home as well as a great gift for friends and family.

I love the warmth of this book. I travel the world and am disturbed by the misconceptions many foreigners have of us here at home. (I can't say I blame them with the present administration having devastated our reputation and the relentless negative news reports.)
I would love to share this book with everyone abroad. It paints honest, touching, personal, everyman images of true Americans in all sorts of everyday activities in their homes.
Whether as a gift to people abroad or enjoyed with friends and family, this beautiful book presents who we are as everyday people. Honest, simple, good, loving Americans.
Thanks to Rick and Jennifer.