Sports Books

I purchased this book to learn more about the game of football and it has met my expectations not to mention Howie Long is one of my favorite players.

I became interested in football for the first time this year with an exciting college football season. I've tried to watch NFL football with my husband but all it looked like to me was, as my daughter says, "A bunch of dudes piling on top of each other." I really wanted to begin to learn football, so I bought this book. I love it! I've got sticky notes in it, underlines, highlights and margin notes. I give it 4 1/2 stars because some of the descriptions still assume I know or understand just a little more than I do. Plus, the index is not comprehensive enough. I've watched games after using the book and understood more of what I saw on the field, and after watching a game I understood more of what I read in the book...so it worked both ways. I still have a long way to go but am now looking forward to next fall and the beginning of football season. I am even entertaining the idea of buying season tickets to watch my favorite team.

Purchased for my wife. (At her request!) This book gave her a better idea of what the sport was and a little more appreciation for the complexity. A little words at times, but the highlighted areas of text are well placed and concise.

Do not buy this book. It is full of out dated and inaccurate information. Nothing on the spread offense at all, for example.

I used to think I knew almost everything there is to know about football. I was wrong. This book provided many interesting tidbits and insights into a game I love. What is there not to like? Football for Dummies is written by Howie Long, a much-respected NFL great, who takes the time to explain all of the nuances of the greatest sport in American history. It is a "dummies" book, but that is what makes it so great. You can skip the chapters you know already or do not care to read. This book is for everyone, from the significant other who wants to understand why they are a football widow, to the novice learning to play, to someone who thinks they know everything about the game (but really does not).

Even it you know everything this book will teach you something. From the stance of an Offensive Lineman to why they call it a "dime package" to how to play fantasy football; this book explains it all. I highly recommend this book into your football library.

Sam Hendricks, author of Fantasy Football Guidebook: Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football

Walter Dean Myers is at his best when he's writing about basketball. His writing comes alive and seems to jump off of the page and pull you into the story, holding you captive until the final period. "Game" is no exception. This book follows in the tradition of "Hoops" and my personal favorite "Slam" which tap into the dreams and desires of urban youths. These stories tell the good, the bad and the ugly of the struggle for the socioeconomic liberation and upward mobility that basketball and other sports represent.

What is most incredible about Myers' writing is the play by play that puts you right on the sidelines. It's hard to contain yourself as the games grow intensify and there are times when I found myself ready to jump out of my seat. Cleary, Mr. Myers has the same love for the game that he infuses into his protagonists. In this book, however, Myers uses the "game" as an allegory. As the story unfolds, we realize that the "Game" the title refers too is life, not just basketball, and Drew, our hero, learns that being able to strategize, maneuver and score off the court is even more valuable than what he's able to do on the court.

"Game" is another example of Walter Dean Myers' commitment to empowering and enlightening our you. It also demonstrates Myers' ability to remain current and relevant. If you know of a boy with hoop dreams, or any dreams at all, introduce him to Walter Dean Myers. They'll forge a literary bond with everlasting benefits.

This is an interesting look at the struggle of a young high schooler (Drew Lawson)growing up in Harlem. His dream is to get out of that area and go to a Division 1 college. Midway through his senior year his coach brings in two white players from Europe who start to get a lot of playing time. Drew fills that his chances are slipping away and struggles with what he should do. Will Drews dream come true, read and find out. I gave it 4 stars because some of the words used seemed kind of hokie for the boys growing up on the streets, they sounded like something from a cheesy movie. Overall a good book though would highly recomend.

Drew Lawson lives and breathes basketball. He plans to use basketball as his ticket out of Harlem, and everyone knows it. The problems start when Coach "House" Hauser changes the game plan.

The Lawson family is a bit unusual for their neighborhood. Drew is lucky to have both a mom and dad living under the same roof, and although money is a struggle, both parents work. He and his sister have been raised to value life and set high goals. News from their neighborhood only makes the paper when it is bad news. Shootings, stabbings, and robberies are the usual stories, and Drew's mother frets when those stories involve young people.

The Chargers basketball team could offer Drew a chance at a better life. He is a decent player and has his sights set on playing Division I college ball in hopes of being a future NBA player. As a star Chargers' player, it just might be possible. Unfortunately, it seems that Coach House has other plans.

It is mid-season and suddenly Coach House has brought in two new players - a couple of white players. That doesn't bother Drew and his team too much until it becomes evident that Coach plans to start these new players in positions that clearly threaten Drew's game. What is Coach trying to do? Is there a method to his madness or is Drew's future at stake?

GAME is set in Walter Dean Myers' home territory in Harlem, and is filled with his trademark characters and plenty of action. Readers hear Drew's story in between bouts of realistic play-by-play basketball scenes. Myers fans as well as basketball lovers will find this a satisfying read.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

I am currently training for my 8th marathon. Tom Holland's book was able to fit my training needs. If this had been my first marathon, it would still have met my needs. Great book. I recommend it for others.

I borrowed this book from my cousin when I watched him run the Boston Marathon last month. I read the book needing some advice for a marathon I plan to run in October. It made me want to go running as I was reading it. Rather than make copies of lots of pages, I just decided to buy another book for my cousin so I can keep the old one.

Great strategies and tips for training and nutrition. Although I have yet to put the book's method to the true test (by actaully completing a marathon), the training is going very well and I feel confident about my race this spring.

I started running consistantly about 1 1/2 yrs ago (37yrs old). I set a goal of running a 15k race which I did in about 1:20. I wanted to improve my time as well as attempt some longer runs so I read a few other books / magazines before buying this one. Most of the others I read seemed to be more geared to the "elite" runners which I am definetly not. I appreciate Tom's knowledge and his ability to help the novice as well as the experienced runner. I also like Tom's approach to overall fitness, recovery and avoiding injuries. I have had the book for a couple of months and I have improved my time slightly but the greatest benefit for me has been helping me run further (I ran my first 14miler averaging 9min miles - which I am happy with) This is a great book for someone wanting to go to the next level.

I originally got turned onto Tom Holland at his Nantucket Beach Boot Camp. I really liked his style. During the hour long session he gives great advice in an easy going manner. His workouts are tough, but they are full of variety and full of fun.
I sat down with this book, expecting it to be like a text book- tons of information to be learned and studied. I had my highlighter in hand and paper on the desk to take notes. MARATHON METHOD is so much more than that! Tom shares his knowlege of exercise combined with nutrition in a very clever manner. His expertise of the sport paired with a great sense of humor made this a pleasure to read. I stayed up late to finish it because it was that good!
I have a good base to start training for the Paris Marathon!

Very good book. Has a plethora of useful tips for veteran and beginner runners alike. Highly recommended.

I so wish I had this book when I just started running! It should have helped me prevent so many painful experiences as well as bills from physiotherapy... This book covers everything from choosing the correct shoes and injury preventing techniques to diagnosing and treating foot and leg injuries. The writer seemed very knowledgeable and he certainly helped me. With his simple advices I can run long distances again without pain and I couldn't do it in almost a year! I had no idea there are so many things that need attention when running safely. Think all runners need this knowledge.

This book was recommended to me by a co-worker and it got me through my first half marathon. I still use it as a reference. I've since gifted it to several friends who also run.

This is a useful for book for anyone who runs. One of the authors is a podiatrist who treats runners and he is fairly pro-active with regard to self-help. I found it extremely helpful in treating a recent bout of plantar fasciitis. It might be helpful to update this book and see if there is any recent developments in sports medicine with regard to these injuries.

An easy read, short, and has all the information runner's will need about running injuries and preventions. I found information about pretty much everything I went through when I started running recently [ Knee pains, shin splints, arch pains, .....].
Written in a user friendly format, it has all the background information you'll need about injuries. You can skim these over if you're not interested, and go right down to the prevention/excercise section.

Any traveler to North Carolina will be able to use this helpful guide to the state. It's full of information on numerous trails, including educational ones perfect for the family.

This is an excellent resource and planning guide. I have nothing to add to the earlier reviews, most of which are 5 stars.

The lack of GPS coordinates of the trailheads is the one glaring deficiency and the reliance on another map resource is no substitute. The copy edit staff should have done their homework and inserted this information, since it could be done from their desks. It appears instead that they put their efforts into misleading advertising -

"Detailed trail descriptions, and GPS-compatible trail maps"

Nevertheless, I have since purchased extra copies for gifts.

Mr. Johnson's "Hiking North Carolina" is a guide for hikers by a lifelong hiker in the North Carolina High Country. North Carolina has hundreds of miles of hiking trail, and Randy has hiked most of them himself. The one risk of writing a guide about something you love so much, is to ruin the sense of adventure by including too much information. On the other hand, I have been hiking long enough to remember guides that would allow you to barely find the trailhead, much less give you good information about the trail and what you will encounter. There is a fine balance between a guide that tells too much, like the Appalachian Trail guides, and a guide that says too little, like some I see in popular magazines. I believe that Mr. Johnson's guide strikes a good balance between the two; telling you what you need to know while preserving the sense of adventure in the experience. It's the adventure that draws us into the woods after all. I recommend this guide for anyone who is interested in hiking in the state. His maps are quite detailed and well drawn, and his trail descriptions are enough to get you where you want to go without spoiling the fun of discovery. It is an excellent work and well worth including in your outdoor library.

Robert Branch
Burnsville, NC

This was a good book for a general description of several trails in North Carolina, but didn't give many details. I think I was looking for something that would give me enough information to pick one trail out of them all to visit, but the brief descriptions didn't give me enough to go on. If you already know which trail you want to trek and it is one of the trails covered in the book, you're pretty well set. You will, however, need another map to know exactly how to get to that particular trail...the book has a map with a general location but no specific driving information.

I am the editor of a newspaper in North Carolina and I write a monthly travel column. I picked up a handful of North Carolina travel guides to review, and this one happened to be in my stack.

I have to say -- I had high expectations for this book. A quote from CNN.com is printed on the back. Falcon Guides are, "written by top experts and enthusiasts." It's an official American Hiking Society book.

I expected a lot -- and that's what I got.

This book, in short, is amazing. The introduction is lengthy and goes over things you may need, safety information and more. Each trail begins with a one-sentence overview so you can quickly tell if it's not for you, then continues to have easy-to-find points about its general location, detailed information about finding the trailhead, distance, difficulty, best maps, elevation gain or loss, water availability (!!!), and a phone number and Web site link (finally, a guidebook that has realized we entered the 21st century seven years ago and, 9 times out of 10, we want a way to get valuable information without actually speaking to someone).

Following this, each trail features GPS compatible maps and an extremely detailed 1-4 page description of the hike you can take, in addition to pointing out things you might miss along the way (Spanish moss, anyone?) For example: "If you linger over lunch [at the Linville gorge trail] and scan the rock-hewn amphitheater, the start of Linville Gorge, you can imagine the hemmed-in feeling William Linville and his son must have felt near here in 1766 when confronted by Native Americans -- who then scalped them." Wow.

The only con of this book is its title. While I tend to despise the recent trend in the book industry of making titles as long as the books themselves with all sorts of never-before-seen punctuation, it really might be necessary here. People with an interest in walking, trail running, picnicking with their families, educating their children or moving around in any fashion should also pick up this book. The fact that the guide book appears to only encompass hiking may cause many people to skip over it. But take for example the Flat Rock Self-Guiding Loop trail (page 129) near Linville, an educational trail with plant identification signs, inspiring messages and areas to picnic -- perfect for a day out with children.

At $19.95, it's a little steep -- but it's worth it if you want to spend any part of your vacation outdoors.

This book really delivers on it's promise. Not only does it go over a lot of questions that cyclist have it actually gives detailed answers on how to address those questions. I can see myself using this book for a long while.

This is a most amazing book on many levels. It is a reference book, a book of interviews with the great names in the bicycling world, a book packed with fitness tips for all ages, interviews with people who have biked for years and years and still bike. Here's just on piece of advice I got from an interview: "Don't sit down for an hour after dinner" and "find a gear you like to ride in and just stay in it" and so much more. You really don't even have to be a bike rider to get alot out of this book.

Alternates between being inspirational and educational. Plan to get it for my biking friends when they hit 40 or 50. Lots of useful information and a good read.

This book got me fired up about cycling. Having fought a lifetime battle with weight and health demons, I have recently lost 80 lbs by swimming, cycling and running. However, I need constant inspiration to maintain my current level of fitness.

Through their own awe-inspiring cycling achievements, along with other amazing cycling personalities, the authors have written a book that entertains, educates and inspires. I have placed it on my "top shelf" where it is accessible for future reference along with all of my favorite books.

This book explains why it is necessary for older riders to stretch before riding and to avoid simple sugars. I am not sure knowing those things will make me do them, but reading the book does move me in the direction of better habits.

I really liked the interviews. I learned something useful in each one of them. They are also the sort of thing that inspires you to ride. Reading descriptions of how to do various exercises was not easy. Perhaps drawings or photos would have helped. Still, I would rather be riding than doing exercises, no matter how advisable it is to do the exercises.

This book will have an effect on my training and riding style. One of the most helpful sections was about using one's glutes more for added power in pedaling. I may not revise everything I do immediately, but I will read my underlinings again and again. In time I will be doing more of what this book suggests.

Several times I thought I would not be at all interested in a new chapter's topic. But, when I got into the chapter it was even more interesting than the previous chapter. Some of the topics were also vital, like watching out for osteoporosis.

The immediately most helpful thing I learned by reading this book was how to utilize and strengthen my 'glutes' for more power and more endurance. I can ride longer and faster with less soreness afterward now. That information alone was worth the cost of the book.

There is some good information on preserving and building relationships, but most of the people cited for their life stories were better examples of broken relationships. Cycling can be addictive and a non-cycling spounse is not always content to sit at home and wait for the cyclist to return home.

It is generally very enjoyable to read.

This is a great tool for coaches looking to add variety to their practices. This book has helpful illustrations to facilitate each drill. Also the nice thing about this book is the detailed explanation of what each drill is looking to achieve, and gives variations of most drills to make them more challenging.

I coach HS Freshman baseball and use many of these drills to teach the foundation of the high school game. I would recommend this book to coaches of all levels.

Very prompt and seamless transaction. Fast mail delivery. Would recommend this seller to anyone

Kids are playing baseball at a much higher skill level these days, and are playing less sandlot baseball like I did when I was a kid. As a result, Little League practices need to be more than just BP and infield practice for the players to develop to their full potential.

This book has drills that range from fundamentals, to more complex workouts for the entire team. There are some drills appropriate for kids as young as T-Ball (and I have used them with players as young as 5) - but all of the drills are good for players as old as High School/Big League age.

This book would be particularly useful for Coaches returing to the game. The developments in the study of body mechanics have changed the way that a lot of basic skills are taught now, and this book includes up-to-date drills to reflect these changes.

For example, batters are taught a much more compact and quick swing than I learned when I was a kid.

This book is a good investment for the beginning OR experienced coach, or the parent who wants to see their kids excel in baseball - America's National Passtime.

I bought this hoping for practice and drill ideas for my 7-year-old baseball nut son. While I'm sure it will be great in future years (high school), it has very little of use for younger players such as Little Leaguers. That's not a flaw with the book exactly, just a shortcoming of the marketing info at the time of sale.

Having read many books on soapmaking and having made some soap, I find my returning to this book to check methods, and ideas. The book is well written easy to read, understand and full of good information for all types of soap making. A must have for the begining soapmaker.

This is an ultra-complete soap making book. It's my bible. It even touches upon the HP technique that other books leave out.

The BEST part is that the recipes come in batch sizes. And there are no shortages of recipes.

Color photos would have been preferred. 5 star book regardless.

Now in a newly updated and expanded second edition, "The Everything Soapmaking Book" offers the non-specialist general reader with a complete and easy-to-follow guide for making and creating all manner of soaps ranging from simple bath soaps to lovely and aromatic gift soaps. Thoroughly 'user friendly', "The Everything Soapmaking Book" takes the aspiring soap maker through every step of the process of making soap, including buying the right kind of soap making equipment, securing the proper ingredients, developing unique soap recipes, packaging soaps for holidays and special occasions, adding scents and colors, and the artistic techniques to make soaps in unique shapes and sizes. "The Everything Soapmaking Book" is enthusiastically recommended for anyone of any age wanting to try their hand at making soaps for themselves, their family, or their friends!

As someone who is a beginner at soapmaking I found this book provides a great overview of the subject. Really covers a lot of ground, pretty much any question you can think of is answered here. Lots of useful recipes as well so as you proceed there are many more advanced recipes you can try. Definitely very useful for anyone learning this craft.

I've been an artisian soaper for over seven years. I found this book wonderful! Very well written with up-to-date 21st century information. The essential oil section is especially useful for knowing which essential oils that "come through" in cold process or hot process soap. I had to learn most of this the hard way through trial and error, and spending alot of money on research.

There is so much information in this book that was very well researched and a great benefit to the soap maker at any level. There are several techniques that are simplified from other books and information on the internet such as liquid soapmaking in a slow cooker.

There are discussions of soap casting, making geodes, swirling, gemstones, hand milling, and so much more to make this a VERY complete discussion of soap making.

Once you have mastered soap making and want to start selling, Alicia has added a very well written section on selling. Where to sell how to sell and useful information on what to expect when selling.

The only drawback is that the publisher did not use color photographs and add more of them to the book. This really would have enhanced the overall quality of the book if they had used all of Alicia's photos and in color.