Bucket Nut by Liza Cody
I found this one on a list of unusual crime novels. It definitely fits the bill. I think this book is kind of tricksy. It’s billed as a crime novel, and it is. Eva, the protagonist, works for folks in the London underground and there is a crime at the center of the story. But really, this is a character study about a low class English woman who just wants to wrestle and live her life the best way she can. It’s as much about […]
SilverFin: The Graphic Novel by Charlie Higson
I must have read this in the novel format as this morning, when sitting down to write my review, everything seemed to feel familiar. It also could be that this is a very common mystery/adventure story of a young boy trying to find out why another boy went missing, making friends and figuring out what the plan of the villain is (who of course is the father of the bully the boy must deal with at school). SilverFin: The Graphic Novel is an interpretation of […]
Althea Gibson: The Story of Tennis’ Fleet-of-Foot Girl by Megan Reid
I knew of Althea Gibson but did not know much (if anything) about her. In Althea Gibson: The Story of Tennis’ Fleet-of-Foot Girl, Megan Reid uses highlights of Gibson’s life to tell her story. Gibson was not only a female pioneer but a black female pioneer as well. What you might know is that she had many firsts in tennis (winning Wimbledon as the first black, male or female, person; winning in doubles with a Jewish woman at Wimbledon) but also in golf as well. […]
The National Team: The Inside Story of the Women Who Changed Soccer by Caitlin Murray
As recently as 2018 Madeleine Albright said “You [women] are going to have to work twice as hard. It’s just a simple truth. . . there’s plenty of room for mediocre men, there is no room for mediocre women.” Fortunately the US National Women’s Soccer team has been full of extraordinary women since 1985, with each generation of players building on the hard work and success of their predecessors. Caitlin Murray recounts the history of women’s soccer in the US through many of the player’s […]
Football For Dummies, 6th Edition by Howie Long
When I was growing up I played baseball, basketball, soccer, volleyball, and lacrosse. I also ran triathlons and was a regular mountain biker and gymnast. For some reason, football never appealed to me. I didn’t even like watching it on tv until I was in college. So, I missed out on a lot of the fundamental of the game. While I obviously had a lot of interest in sports, the football lack of knowledge felt like a glaring deficit. Also, my friends almost always beat […]
Superfan by Sarina Bowen
My attraction to hockey players began in high school when my dad somehow obtained front row seats for my very first NHL game. After being dragged to my brothers’ hockey games throughout my childhood, I was not prepared for the speed and intensity of the professionals. Their power and skill were intoxicating, and my little teenage heart immediately fell for Peter Forsberg, the blue-eyed, Swedish star of the team. I’d like to think I’ve matured since then, and I have in many ways, but I […]
