writesdave's reviews
356 reviews

My Cubs: A Love Story by Scott Simon

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced

4.5

The 2016 Cubs book I wish I'd written. Maybe I should've written it as a Cubs fan who has never lived in Chicago (Thanks, WGN!). Oh well. Gotta strike while the iron's hot, which Simon did here.

Slim and None by Dan Jenkins

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Dan Jenkins' novels have a schtick—or maybe a pattern. Texas at the center, golf as a key diversion, politically incorrect renderings of history spiked with casual racism, insider's view of journalism and or sports, and a romance running its course while infidelity swirls around the edges—punch all that into the ChatGPT thing and see if it spits out something in the neighborhood.

I won't deny Jenkins' biting humor and his knowledge of journalism and sports, particularly golf and college football. His other novels do more for me than this one, so maybe I've evolved to where I can't accept the racist cracks any more. Strip away that bunch of humor and you still have a compelling story to tell. Boy plays golf for a living, unlucky in love and on the course, zero major championships and three ex-wives, and all that might change sooner rather than later. No need to bog it down with racial slurs and revisionist history.

Jenkins left us with an impressive body of work and you can't go wrong with any of them, honestly. His love of Texas and sports comes through in his writing, but I'd skip this one until you've read 'em all.

The Pelican Brief by John Grisham

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

New Orleans, journalism, law, murder, political intrigue. Other than the silly romance, what's not to love?

Simple Justice: The History of Brown V. Board of Education and Black America's Struggle for Equality by Richard Kluger

challenging emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

This book is massive. It's heavy, it's dense, it's a lot, it's thick, and it's essential for every American to read. 

To borrow from the Harvard Law Review's review, Klugman wrote three books in one—a cultural and social history of Black people in America (I imagine some readers learned about 1619 for the first time in this book), a story of how the Supreme Court deliberates and operates, and a story of the the actual suite of cases under the Brown v Board umbrella. In every aspect Klugman's deeply researched and reported tome exceeds expectations, even if it did take me more than three GD months to read; I picked it up for my Black History Month read. 

Again, it could serve as a textbook for a US History course for the three aspects of life described above, and I highly recommend every American jack up your reading challenge to take it on.

Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin

challenging mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

This is some of the most beautiful prose I've ever read, and some of the strangest plotting I've ever read. Maybe I'm not smart enough to figure it out but I can't deny the imagery and setting. Otherwise, I spent a month and a half on this badboy and I will warn you all in advance of its slow pace and odd, disparate plot lines.

A Sand County Almanac: With Essays on Conservation from Round River by Aldo Leopold

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.75

Required reading for anyone with a love for the outdoors, especially anyone in position to truly affect change from the standpoint of ecology and environmentalism. Considering the book first hit the press in 1949, it's infuriating how little we've learned and applied Leopold's suggestions, guidelines, rules, what have you. But it's encouraging to consider that the message of conservation remains valid and applicable.

Night Moves by Jessica Hopper

adventurous emotional lighthearted reflective fast-paced

4.0

Written alternately in sneering detachment spiced with irony and poetically vivid prose, "Night Moves" serves as a love letter to a time and place. Whether on two wheels or two feet, Hopper guides you through mid-oughts Chicago, taking the reader inside her life as a girl-about-town at all hours. The descriptions merit five stars, but too much of the prose about music and culture called to mind an eye-rolling hipster talking at you through a sigh, "If you have to ask you'll never know." Indeed, I had heard of very few of the namechecked musicians, which would have given Jessica and her friends a great deal of amusement at the hick who's never heard of ____.

Nonetheless, this is for people who love Chicago, music and the music of Chicago, which isn't always something you can play or compose. 

Holding Court: Reflections on the Game I Love by Dick Vitale, Dick Weiss

funny informative lighthearted reflective fast-paced

3.0

In what seems to be a theme of late, another older white guy with sports takes that haven't aged well grabs a pen and paper and starts writing. But I will concede a few points:

• If I approached my work with 1/10 the enthusiasm of Mr. Vitale, I'd probably say I had a good life.

• I was pleasantly surprised to see his advocacy for paying college athletes and easing the transfer rules.

• This book was written before the 95-96 season and I actually met the man at a signing at the Syracuse University book store around January 96 when he was in town to call a game. He correctly predicted not only Kentucky winning but Rick Pitino giving the NBA another try.

• The usual platitudes about "playing for the love of the game" and "divisiveness" of racial issues sink like stones in a full tub.

• The book needed one more edit and fact-check, from misplacing years of games to the misspelling of a superstar's name. Ugh.

The Well-Built Triathlete: A Performance-Minded Approach to Triathlon by Matt Dixon

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

I should have read this book years ago, when I was still serious about the sport. I should have read it during the pandemic when I felt like a rudderless ship sitting within sight of a milestone age that begged for an attempt at excellence. Alas.

This should be *the* definitive manual for the intense, passionate, drive, motivated and self-coached athlete because Dixon covers all the bases. Anyone with the mental bandwidth to take on triathlon seriously will gain a great deal from Dixon's insight, and not just because he has coached pros to glory with his methods.

Jim Murray : The Last of the Best by Jim Murray

challenging informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.0

 The sports takes of a white man of a certain age do not age well, but no one can deny Murray's gift with the language. You don't win a Pulitzer for commentary if you suck. A nice timepiece of sports commentary in an era.