"Warrior Girl" by Matt Lazar and Amanda Thomas

Warrior Girl by Matt Lazar and Amanda Thomas is about a young girl from Korea who goes to Oxford to better herself. I enjoyed reading about the people who she met and the plot is pretty good too. I got into it right away and it goes quick! It's very well written.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)


(We received a review copy of this book which did not influence our opinion in any way and received no compensation for this review.)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"The Outsider--a Memoir" by Jimmy Connors

I always enjoyed watching Jimmy Connors play tennis, so it was a no brainer that I would read his memoir called The Outsider. I especially liked reading about his young teen years and found his comments on his fellow players interesting. The part with his on-again, off-again relationship with Chris Evert was very good also.
(Gerard's review, 4 1/2 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Game Over" by Dave Zirin

Game Over by Dave Zirin gives an eye opening account of things that happen in sports off the playing field.  For example, Oregon University is struggling to pay their teachers, but that has no bearing on a brand new sports complex costing $41.7 million for their athletes to train in.  At Texas, undergraduate tuition increased 4%, but their football coach got a raise of $2 million.  This book has stuff like that which you don't always read in the sports pages.  I enjoyed most of it and give it 4 stars.  This is NOT a page-turner, more like a plow through.  I almost gave up on it at the beginning.
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Wake" by Amanda Hocking--Fun Fantasy

Want to be a Mermaid?

Wake by Amanda Hocking is fun fantasy read that I enjoyed. This teen romance is the first book in the Watersong series. Gemma and her sister, Harper, live in a tourist town near the ocean. Gemma loves swimming so much that she not only is practicing every day for the Olympics but also goes on midnight swims in the bay which drives her older protective sister nuts. Gemma starts falling in love with the geeky boy next door but three creepy girls who come through town choose Gemma to become like them because of her beauty, courage and love of the water.

This would be a good book to choose for a beach read—light, humorous but with adventure and some suspense. I think swimmers would especially find it interesting. I look forward to the next book in this series called Lullaby coming out winter of 2013.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Boy 21" by Matthew Quick (Updated)

Boy 21 by Matthew Quick is a great fast teen read.  It's about a young boy and his girlfriend who are both very good at basketball.  It's their ticket out of their small town.  Another boy comes along and the two boys become unexpected friends.  When life throws these young people a curve ball, they have to come together or the dream dies.  I enjoyed this book a lot!  The writing is good and the ending is really, really good!  This is not just a basketball book and not just for teens.  Read and enjoy!
(Gerard's review)

Boy 21 by Matthew Quick is a teen romance involving friendship, basketball, poverty and the Irish mob.  It delves into deep issues like dealing with grief, love of family and love.  I was surprised at how good this story was, the ending brought tears to my eyes.  It’s a very moving story and shows how life can be so unpredictable.  It was heartbreaking when Finley turned his back on basketball to be with his girlfriend at the hospital who was in a hit-and–run accident only to be told she didn’t want to see him.  In an unexpected turn, the boy Finley was asked to help wound up being a good friend to Finley.  I enjoyed this quick, touching read about friendship and love. 
(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"One Shot at Forever" by Chris Ballard

 WOW! One Shot at Forever--A Small Town, An Unlikely Coach, and a Magical Baseball Season by Chris Ballard is a really, really good people book!  It is also a good baseball book.  It is the true story of a small High School and a bunch of farm boys with a very cool coach.  Against all odds, they have a chance to win the state championship.  I loved the team--what a great bunch of boys!  The games are very exciting to say the least.  The best part of the book is years later when the coach talks to all the guys and they look back on the year they had.  I got into this book right away.  It's all good--you will be glad you read this one!
(Gerard's review)

Karen's review:
One Shot at Forever by Chris Ballad is an enjoyable true story about a small rural town high school baseball team that no one wanted to coach until Sweet, the new hippie English teacher reluctantly volunteered.  With his laid back attitude, unconventional methods and philosophy of keeping it fun he proved that his coaching style could produce a winning team.  This is a baseball book that takes you inside the inner workings of a ball team and lets you know how the coach thinks and also the players.  This was a coach that was there for his players and it wasn't about his ego.  

My favorite player was John Heneberry, the pitcher who couldn't throw a fast ball.  I thought the coach was a funny guy and really admired how he motivated his players and brought out the best in them.  The accounts of the tournament games were well done and tugged at my heart.  I couldn't help but feel the Macon Hawks was my team.  It's a heartwarming story about the cohesiveness of a ball team and how the town rallied around them.  I loved after Sweet retired, he made his land into a wildlife preserve!  I recommend this book to anyone who likes baseball. 

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to THE WARRIOR PROJECT which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts. We encourage you to check it out and perhaps make a donation of your own!

"Don't Put Me In, Coach" by Mark Titus

Mark was a walk-on player who played the whole four years at Ohio State.  He only got to play at the end of games if at all for those four years.  What he is though, is a very funny guy!  He gives the reader insights on behind the scene stuff that fans don't get to see.  I enjoyed this book a lot because it made me laugh!  Go Bucks!
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during March to the American Cancer Society.

"Through My Eyes" by Tim Tebow with Nathan Whitaker

A book for Football Lovers

I enjoyed the first half of Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow about his background. I learned that he was homeschooled and didn't know that homeschoolers could still play on school teams, but he did. I liked reading about his training and his work ethic. He has two older brothers and lived on a farm. About halfway through the book though, he goes into specific games and gives a play-by-play narrative which I found boring after awhile and quit reading it to move to something more interesting. I suppose if you are really into the nuts and bolts of football, you would enjoy it. I expected to read more about his off the field experiences, but there was only a little about that.
(Karen's review 2/8/12)

I knew about Tim Tebow, the football player. Now after reading Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow, I feel I know about the person. I enjoyed this book some; really liked the parts when he told about growing up and sharing his faith in God, which he is very strong about doing. I enjoyed his family stories and his thoughts on football and game situations. The only drawback was the game-to-game stuff in his college career was kind of boring, but overall, a pretty good read.
(Gerard's review 7/10/11)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs to Caroline's Kids Pet Rescue to help homeless cats this month.

"The Off Season" by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

The Off Season by Catherine Gilbert Murdock is the second book in the Dairy Queen series about a family who owns a small Dairy farm in Wisconsin.  The story is told through the eyes of D.J., a 16-yr.-old girl who leaves the farm to be with her older brother, Win, who gets a spinal cord injury playing college football.  The story involves being friends with people no matter what others think and not letting the opinions of others stop you from living.

My favorite part of the book is when D.J. gets through to Win to make him care about getting better by letting him coach her in basketball at the gym and the rehab center.  I look forward to reading the last book of this trilogy, Front and Center.  
(Karen's review:  My rating 3 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents to KIVA this month to help the poor change their lives for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs.

"The Inside Story of the 2011 Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins"

I love this book!

Full 60 to History--The Inside Story of the 2011 Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins is just awesome!! It details the 2010-2011 season in which "my" Bruins won the Stanley Cup. It is filled with lots of incredible photographs, including lots of action shots. I felt as though I was practically on the ice myself as I read this. The words by the management and the players are priceless! If you are a Bruins fan, you have to get this one! GO BRUINS!

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents to KIVA this month to help the poor change their lives for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs.

"Sweetness--Life of Walter Payton" by Jeff Pearlman

I enjoyed Sweetness--The Enigmatic Life Of Walter Payton a lot!  It tells the story of the life of Walter Payton aka Sweetness, a football player.  I especially liked hearing from all the players he played with and against as well as the details of his life off the field were fantastic and enjoyable.  It must have taken a lot of research to write such a book.  It seemed he left nothing out!  If you are a football fan, I think you will love this book!
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Leading With The Heart" by Mike Krzyzewski

I read Leading With The Heart--Coach K's Successful Strategies for Basketball, Business, and Life by Mike Krzyzewski last year but with him being breaking coach Bobby Knight's record of winning the most College basketball games this week, I thought it would be appropriate to repost this.

This is a helpful book about coaching but many of the principles and tips he shares could also apply to business and teaching.  Every coach should read this one because there are so many practical tips that Mike shares and solid principles to follow.  After each chapter is a summary of the main points.  Mike shares from his experiences to illustrate his points in a very interesting way. 

Some key points on coaching that stood out to me from Leading With The Heart--Coach K's Successful Strategies for Basketball, Business, and Life by Mike Krzyzewski (Duke's head basketball coach):

1.  Recruit players with character who respect their parents, willing to be part of the team and are coachable.

2.   Do not have a bunch of rules that limit you, it's better to just have one rule:  "Don't do anything detrimental to yourself."

3.    Use plural pronoun's such as "our," "we," "us" so it's the player's team and not just the coach's. 

4.    Always look your players in the eye and tell the truth.

5.    Share the goals with the players.

6.    Lead with confidence, show your players what they need to see.

7.    Imagine the loose ball you're chasing has your name on it.  It belongs to you.

8.     Stress honor in all things.

9.      Set goals that revolve around playing together as a team, never the number of wins.  Define your own success.

10.    Five fundamental qualities that make a team great:  communication, trust, collective responsibility, caring and pride.

11.    Win or lose together--don't play the blame game.

12.    Address the little things you may encounter in a real situation.

13.    Be positive about all things that happen to the team.  Look at nothing in the past as failure.  Learn from every game.

14.    Plan but be flexible.

15.    Believe you can win, but don't assume you can.

16.    Always respect your competition.

17.    Set up some team traditions.

18.    Maintain a good sense of humor--having fun reduces pressure.

19.    Show strength, hide weakness.

20.    The only way you lose is if you don't try your best.

21.    When people achieve something that they've really worked hard for, it makes them feel great, superb, wonderful.

22.    You have to work at staying in contact with your friends so that the relationships will continue and live on.

23.    If something isn't working, try something new and different.  Never give up, find a way to win.

24.    Spend time with your players outside of practices and games to get to know them and become friends.

25.    At the end of each season, thank the team for their hard work.

I really got a lot out of this book--it was great!
(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Staying Fat For Sarah Byrnes" by Chris Crutcher

WOW!  What a great Book this is!  Loved it!  This book is about a very special friendship between a boy and a girl who are "misfits" at a high school but much more than that.  It deals with freedom of speech, suicide and abortion too.  I got into Staying Fat For Sarah Byrnes right away and really cared about the characters.  This is a good YA novel but all ages would get something out of it.  I give it a double wow!
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Bottom of the 33rd" by Dan Barry

WOW! Bottom of the 33rd by Dan Barry is so good! It is the true story of a minor league baseball game that went 33 innings, starting on a Saturday and finishing on Easter Sunday morning. It lasted 8 hours and 25 minutes. I enjoyed how the author went into detail on some of the players' lives and careers. It even got into the radio announcers, a bat boy and the few fans who stayed the whole game! To say I enjoyed this would be an understatement—I LOVED IT!

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Scoreboard Baby" by Ken Armstrong and Nick Perry

Wow! Oh wow! I decided to read Scoreboard Baby Scoreboard Baby by Ken Armstrong and Nick Perry because of what is going on at Ohio State and the trouble they are in. This book is about the year 2000 football season at the University of Washington.

I didn't think it was going to be this good, but it is!! The stuff these guys got away with because they were football players made the Ohio State stuff look like kid's play. Rape, shooting, drugs, DUI all looked at the other way not only by the school, but the law as well--UNBELIEVABLE! Sad but true. The reporters did an outstanding job of investigating.

This was a real eye opener for me--loved it! If you want to find out the story beyond Saturday college game days, this book is for you.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"56--Joe DiMaggio And The Last Magic Number In Sports" by Kostya Kennedy

As a rule, I do not read a lot of sports books because I find most of them to be boring. However, Joe DiMaggio by Kostya Kennedy covers the 56-game hitting streak of Joe DiMaggio but it's more than just a game-by-game recap. The author really sets the scene of life in 1941. I enjoyed this book a lot! It took me just two days to read it. Even though I hate the Yankees, I loved 56—Joe DiMaggio And The Last Magic Number In Sports. If you are a baseball fan, I think you will love this one too!
(Gerard's review)
Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

"Throwing Like A Girl" by Weezie Kerr Mackey

I liked Throwing Like A Girl by Weezie Kerr Mackey because I like softball and enjoyed the emphasis on how being on the team helped 15-year-old Ella make friends and become more confident. Ella, moved to Dallas from Chicago late in the school year and made friends by joining the softball team in spite of not having played before. This is a wholesome book that deals with Ella's adjusting to a new school in a new town. It's a story about a nice teenager and how she deals with friendship, parents, learning a sport and romance. A great read for young readers that challenges them to put themselves "out there" and to see what happens. I recommend this to pre-teens, teens and anyone who enjoys reading about high school sports.
(Karen's review 2/27/09)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?
Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Strength Training For Seniors" by Michael Fekete, CSCS, ACE

I liked Strength Training For Seniors by Michael Fekete because it gave some really good information about exercising in general, about how the muscles, tendons and ligaments all work in addition to some good exercises and instructions for developing a personal exercise program.  Blank worksheets are included to help the reader set specific goals, manage stress, and record progress in workouts.  This is a short book but packed with helpful and interesting information on strength training specifically for people over 50.  It also includes several different scenarios from real clients he worked with who had different problems so the reader can see how to tailor a personal workout program. 

To answer the excuse of having no time, Michael Fekete says on pg. 122:

Put your priorities in order.  Eliminate the useless, the unproductive, and the nonsensical.  You will be surprised at the amount of time freed up for training.  The time you allot to exercise is your best investment.  If you think that you cannot make time for exercise now, then be sure to make plenty of time for illnesses and hospitals later.

I highly recommend Strength Training For Seniors by Michael Fekete!
(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help Canine Lifeline (a dog rescue organization that saved our dog, Abby) by leaving a comment on any of our blogs in March. We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month.

"Play Their Hearts Out" by George Dohrmann

If you are a parent of a young boy or girl who is really good at basketball, you should read Play Their Hearts Out by George Dohrmann.  I think the boy or girl would like this too!  "Play Their Hearts Out gives the reader an inside look at AAU basketball--the traveling All-Star teams.  The focus is on Joe Keller, the coach and Demetrius Walker, the star player, but there is much more than just the games and the scores.  I really enjoyed this book a lot more than I expected I would.  It was eight years in the making, and it shows.  A truly great read!  Take a bow, Mr. Dohrmann, you deserve it!

This is a must read for anyone into youth basketball!  I highly recommend it.

(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"The First Fall Classic" by Mike Vaccaro

A MUST READ FOR BASEBALL FANS!  (100 stars)
The First Fall Classic by Mike Vaccaro has three things that I really look for in a book:  (1) non-fiction, (2) a topic that interests me, (3) a topic I know little or nothing about. 

I really enjoyed reading this book because it felt like I was right there.  The writing is superb.  It is about the 1912 World Series between the Giants and the Red Sox--what a series it was!  The ending has to be read to be believed.  If you are a baseball fan or just a sports fan in general, you owe it to yourself to read this book!  Thank you, Mr. Vaccaro, for writing this very enjoyable book!
(Gerard's Review 11/28/09)


Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?