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writesdave's reviews
360 reviews
No Shortcuts to the Top: Climbing the World's 14 Highest Peaks by Ed Viesturs, David Roberts
4.0
"Memoir of a mountain climber" seems overly simplistic but Viesturs is humble enough to be embarrassed by being called anything more than a mountain climber. It's a psychological study, too, offering insight into what prompts people (especially a guy who grew up in a shithole like Rockford, Ill.) to head for the mountains — and beyond.
Excruciatingly detailed, which is a blessing and a curse; for example, the discussion of probability of death up there flew past me like a Nolan Ryan fastball. On the other hand, I appreciated the detail that went into each climb, from the preparation and selection of gear to making it back to base camp ("Getting to the summit is optional. Getting down is mandatory," he says repeatedly).
Overall, this is a great read for anyone who's ever looked up at the snow-capped peaks and wondered, "What's it like..."
Excruciatingly detailed, which is a blessing and a curse; for example, the discussion of probability of death up there flew past me like a Nolan Ryan fastball. On the other hand, I appreciated the detail that went into each climb, from the preparation and selection of gear to making it back to base camp ("Getting to the summit is optional. Getting down is mandatory," he says repeatedly).
Overall, this is a great read for anyone who's ever looked up at the snow-capped peaks and wondered, "What's it like..."
Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture by Douglas Coupland
5.0
Wow. Looks like someone might have written about my life, from the realization that I won't have it as good financially as my parents to spending some years in the desert (Northern Nevada for me, not Palm Springs) to taking on a McJob because there was no chance for advancement in my dying industry. It didn't feel dated at all to me, though the book's title hasn't been a part of pop culture in quite some time. The comparison to "Catcher in the Rye" is very apt. A modern classic.
Fair Ball: A Fan's Case for Baseball by Bob Costas
3.0
Costas takes on the problem of how to bring fans back to America's game. He made some decent points, especially about playing some playoff games during the day to lure the next generation, but for the most part his words are dated. As it was written in 2000, nowhere does the word "steriods" appear, and in the years since he wrote that has been the thing most purists find most offensive about the game. Costas' heart is in the right place but at this point there's little the game can do to save itself.
Once a Runner by John L. Parker Jr.
4.0
Awesome. With all these reviews everything worthwhile has been said. Any high school or college runner can relate to just about everything in the book, and if I were a coach at that level, this and Prefontaine's biography would be mandatory reading. Sometimes the prose gets a bit thick, and overall Parker's style is lacking, but it's a hell of a story regardless.
A non-runner who truly wants to understand why we do what we do could gain a lot from this but that person must have an open mind. Otherwise, no runner's literary life is complete without reading this one.
A non-runner who truly wants to understand why we do what we do could gain a lot from this but that person must have an open mind. Otherwise, no runner's literary life is complete without reading this one.
Charles Kuralt's America by Charles Kuralt
4.0
I learned that I should have hustled my way from mid-sized rags out in the sticks to the big city based on my observational qualities and yen for a nomadic life. Then I read this. Charles Kuralt sets the gold standard for purposeful nomads, and this could be considered his "best-of." Instead of his best writing, though, he chronicles his best places at the best times of year. New Orleans before Mardi Gras, Key West before spring break, his native North Carolina in early spring, and so forth. This book deserves mention with (but does not exceed) "Blue Highways" and "Travels With Charley."
Frankly, learning about his secret family and the bigamy was like learning the truth about the tooth fairy, I hold the man in such high regard. Nothing, though, can take away from his talents and his powers of observation, sharp as ever in his favorite places.
Frankly, learning about his secret family and the bigamy was like learning the truth about the tooth fairy, I hold the man in such high regard. Nothing, though, can take away from his talents and his powers of observation, sharp as ever in his favorite places.
Who's Your City? How the Creative Economy Is Making Where to Live the Most Important Decision of Your Life by Richard Florida
4.0
Odd that I would give my endorsement to a book I didn't finish. It was awful thick -- obviously I'm not an academic -- but terribly interesting. I already think too much about where I'm going and where I'd rather be other than where I am now, and Dr. Florida justifies my obsession with a mountain of stats.
Over the summer I wasn't really in a place where I could do a whole lot of this kind of reading so I have every intention of picking it up again.
If you don't think where you live matters, Florida will make you think about it.
Over the summer I wasn't really in a place where I could do a whole lot of this kind of reading so I have every intention of picking it up again.
If you don't think where you live matters, Florida will make you think about it.
The Game by Ken Dryden
4.0
Everything you ever wanted to know about hockey, from the inside of the goalie mask, arguably the best spot on the ice. His rich descriptions of a period of action, the first intermission and the teammates and coaches who have made his time in the sport so fulfilling are amazing, and I will not dispute that this is the best book ever written about hockey.
Sometimes it comes off as stream-of-consciousness rambling, but Ken Dryden is well-spoken/written enough that it's worth reading, and everything has a point or lesson. Also, the end becomes a rant about the state of hockey circa 1983 (overly violent, grounded in physical might rather than the skill of its players, etc.) but overall it's a heck of a life lesson delivered through the sport of hockey.
Sometimes it comes off as stream-of-consciousness rambling, but Ken Dryden is well-spoken/written enough that it's worth reading, and everything has a point or lesson. Also, the end becomes a rant about the state of hockey circa 1983 (overly violent, grounded in physical might rather than the skill of its players, etc.) but overall it's a heck of a life lesson delivered through the sport of hockey.
Living on the Black by John Feinstein
3.0
Vintage Feinstein, getting two of the best pitchers of the past 20 years to bring him into their worlds. While it was a lot of information to process (pitch-by-pitch accounts of games are a bit much, even for a sports nut like me), it was very insightful and I learned a lot about pitching that I didn't know before. Not that it would help my glass arm.
Roadkill by Kinky Friedman
3.0
Mysteries really aren't my cup of tea but Kinky Friedman's tale of trying to head off Willie Nelson's killer is funny, if nothing else.