besides ST you mean? :-)

I love fiction but I can never put a book down. So during training cycles it's non fiction only to preserve sleep. Mostly history..b/c I already know the ending.

Right now I'm reading Gale Bernhardt's Training Plans for MultiSport Athletes. I like Gale's style.

Fabulous question! I LOVE to read and am always looking for new books to add to my queue!

What I'm reading now ...

1. Five Families (Selwyn Raab) -- about the 5 Mafia families of NY. Good book -- I'm only 1/2-way through, and it's already into the mid-80s, early 90s.

2. The Last of the Savages (Jay McInerney) -- read this years ago and am rereading it now

3. The Awakening (Kate Chopin) -- another reread. I read it in high school and have been terrified to read it again. What if I don't like it as much? It's kind of like when Holden Caulfield visits the Museum of Natural History and says something about how it's different every time, if only because YOU'RE different.

4 Stephen King books -- still ANOTHER set of rereads. I picked up a couple of his early books after seeing The Shining (again) a few weeks ago. He's really a very good writer. I didn't appreciate that when I was in 7th grade!

I love reading too! I always have a huge stack next to my bed.

Right now there are several magazines including Running Times, Marathon & Beyond, usual Triathlon magazines.

Current Books:

Thunderstruck - By Erik Larson. About Marconi and the first wireless transmissions. Super interesting. He's written other book that I've enjoyed including The Devil in the White City.

In Defense of Food - By Michael Pollan. Same author of The Omnivore's Dilemma. I love books about food!

Love in the Time of Cholara - By Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I just finished this one. Great book.

Scientific Training for Triathletes - By Dr. Philip Friere Skiba, STer. So far a good read. Not too far in but I like the writing style.

The Secret - Eh, not super impressed. I'm always a skeptic of self help books.

Begging to be started:

Running and Philosophy: A Marathon for the Mind

C.C. Pyle's Amazing Foot Race: The True Story of the 1928 Coast-to-Coast Run Across America

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

I recently finished Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortensen, a climber who then went on to build several schools for girls in N. Pakistan, pre and post 9/11.

Currently reading The Fig Eater by Jody Shields. A mystery set in 1910 Vienna. It's very well written with interesting characters.

Starting soon: The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

I really want to read Pollan's In Defense of Food, but I'm in two book clubs right now and it's a struggle to fit anything else in.

Erin, what do you think of Three Cups of Tea? That's been on my reading wish list forever.

Just finishing up Second Thyme Round by Katie Fforde.

Looking forward to starting Eat Pray Love on my vacation in a week ... that and the new book in the Shopaholics series as well as a Janet Evanoch book ....

I love chic lit - I'm just not that deep in my real life as my job (lawyer) requires a tonne of thinking and in my free time I like to relax my brain <g> !

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Tri Hard !

I read the Pam Reed book but thought it was poorly written.

I recently finished "Jarhead A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles" by Anthony Swofford. Good, but disturbing.

QRgrl sent me "A Year Without 'Made in China' One Family's True Life Adventure in the Global Economy" by Sara Bongiorni, which I am really enjoying.

What I've read in the past few years is here, along with a mini review:

http://ironclm.typepad.com/clms_booklist/

clm

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

I really liked Three Cups of Tea. Greg Mortenson is an amazing person, who seemingly had no idea what he was getting into, yet has accomplished so much. It's timely as well with the ousting of Mushareff (sp?) in Paktistan a few weeks ago.

I read the Pam Reed book but thought it was poorly written.

I actually gave up on the Pam Reed book after the 10th time she made a disparaging remark about her husband. It was very poorly written and it is a shame because she is one tough chick. I've crewed Badwater and am planning on crewing again this year. The people who do that race are an incredible breed and she is right up there at the top. I really respect what she's accomplished. She just needed a good ghost writer or editor.

I felt the same way about the Dean Karnazes book. I managed to finish that but like so many of them, this was just a big ego trip. The Ed Viesturs is yet another example. Big ego trip. Lance's book, same thing.

If anyone find a good sports biography or autobiography let me know. I find athletes fascinating but none of them can write.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

Three Cup of Tea was a great read. I flew through the book. What I really enjoyed was that an experience in sport (endurance hiking/climbing) brought him to his work/life passion (building schools in the middle east), something alot of us hope to achieve. It is an amazing story of someone make a HUGE impact in people's lives. He, Greg Mortenson, gave a lecture a few weeks back here in San Diego. What he is doing in the middle east is truly making a difference on terror, opposed to dropping bombs and destroying villages.

I've just begun Swimming To Antartica by Lynne Cox. I really dig it thus far.

Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain is great for anyone who has ever worked in the food industry

The Devil In The White City by Erik Larson is another good one, especially for anyone from Chicago.

I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell by Tucker Max is a total frat boy book, but I found parts of it humorous.

Eat Prey Love by Elizabeth Gilbet is a book every woman should read

Nikee
http://nikeep.blogspot.com/

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http://nikeep.blogspot.com/

I would love to see Badwater. A gal I met at Ultraman last year will be doing BW this year.

Karno's book was OK. I know it got a number of people excited about working out, so that's good. And, he's a nice guy (and looks good running when I've seen him out running here in SF).

I liked Lance's book. Did I read Viesturs book? If I did, well, you can see the effect it had.

Have you read "To the Edge" by Kirk Johnson? That got me interested in Badwater.

And "Gold in the Water" and "Running With the Buffaloes" are extremely motivating books for me.

clm

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

Dean has some smokin' hot legs in shorts. I saw him last year at BW, not to talk to, just to drool over.

Read the Kirk Johnson book about BW and that is what got me excited about it. Excellent book on endurance training and racing. The documentary, Running on the Sun, is really good too. I recommend both as great training inspiration. Hop on the tmail or trainer and pop that movie in. You'll feel like you aren't working hard enough.

The Lynn Cox book is great. She is fascinating. Talk about tough! Crap, I'd never do any of that.

Other athletic books I've read that are good:

Again to Carthage by John L. Parker Jr. - Fiction novel about a former olympic athlete. Well written.

The Perfect Mile: Three Athletes, One Goal, and Less Than Four Minutes to Achieve It by Neal Bascomb is really good about Bannister and his contemporaries and the fight to run the sub 4 minute mile.

I went through a phase of reading about mountaineering only to come to the conclusion that I have no desire to do any high altitude climbing. Probably because all the books I read were about disasters. They are some great books though:

The Boys of Everest: Chris Bonington and the Tragedy of Climbing's Greatest Generation by Clint Willis

Savage Summit: The Life and Death of the First Women of K2 by Jennifer Jordan

Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer - Of course


I have a ton more books that I can write up if people are interested. I was a writing major in college, oh so many years ago, and have always read, every day. During peak training season my husband will come upstairs to bed and I'll be asleep, still holding my book open, light on. I can't fall asleep without reading for a few minutes at least.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

Are we twins???

Perfect mile--loved it.
Loved running on the sun
Same comment about the mt-eering books and desire to climb mts.

And, I'm also adopted (from other thread).

clm

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

My all time favorite author and someone I can read over and over: John Irving. If you say he is yours too then I'll know we share the same genes.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

You have good taste! A Widow for One Year is my favorite book of all-time, and a close runner-up is A Prayer for Owen Meany. I didn't like the one about the tattoos, though. I finished it, but I couldn't tell you what it was about.

Aside from the writing style, is the info in Scientific Training for Triathletes any different from all the other training books out there? I can't get my hands on a copy without buying it at this point, so wondering if it is worth a read.

Thanks!

I'm still reading the "Scientific..." book and will let you know more about when I get a little further in.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

I'm an avid reader, one of my regrets with full-on training is that it cuts into my reading time. I don't generally read a lot of sports books, except for my high altitude climbing spree (Touching the Void, Into Thin Air, etc.).

I'm currently 3/4 of the way through The Brothers Karamazov. I started it when I was sick over Christmas, it's a great book if you have lots of time on your hands but now that I'm back in training mode it's really hard to get back into. I want to finish it though, I was beaten by Crime and Punishment and I'm not going to let Dostoevsky to get the better of me again!

I'm partway through Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl. Absolutely fantastic book if you're into slightly quirky fiction. Reminds me a lot of The Last Samurai by Helen De Witt (nb: the book has nothing to do the Tom Cruise movie).

In the fall I went on a spree of really depressing books:
The Road - Cormac McCarthy. I've read a lot of sci-fi but this takes the cake for post-apocolyptic future doom and gloom.
The Riders - Tim Winton
The Bone People - Keri Hulme
Machete Season - Jean Hatzfeld. The most depressing book about the Rawandan genocide I've read (including Shake Hands With The Devil and A Problem From Hell). It disturbed me so much I could barely read a chapter in one sitting without having to put the book down walk away from it.

After reading the above back to back I tried to read Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein and had to give up a couple chapters in and read some fluff books.

I'm about 3/4 through The Bone People. I put it down about a year ago and haven't re-started again, but I want to find out how it ends! Talk about depressing subject matter.

I've also read Swimming to Antartica and it's REALLY good. Very inspiring.

The Bone People falls apart a bit at the end (tends to happen with first novels) but it's definitely worth finishing.

That's several votes for Swimming to Antartica, I'll have to track down a copy.

Dang! I guess women athletes have some of the same faves. A Widow For One Year is Irving's best book. Outstanding. Into Thin Air, The Climb, Touching the Void, Swimming to Antarctica, The Perfect Mile: Mesmerizing, all of them.

I am going to commit ST suicide by declaring: "Once a Runner" SUCKS. Just a poorly written book about a self-centered young guy and the ditsy girls in his life. What's with all the love for that book? Or is it just the guys who like it?

Food books, yes, love Michael Pollan. My favorite book, though is a little known, and oddly titled one called "Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats." I say it's oddly titled because it is way more than a cookbook. In fact I don't even use the cookbook part. It is a very well researched book that dives deeply into nutrition issues such as fats, cholesterol, the importance of eating fermented foods, etc. etc. The introductory chapters, and the running commentary that runs down the sides of the pages with the recipes on them - This stuff is profound, and you will never eat the same. You will not touch granola after reading this book.

Another great read is The Journey Home by Edward Abbey. His fiction is more famous; this book is (mostly) nonfiction, and I think it's way more funny and interesting. If you love books about the American West, or about nature, you might really get a lot out of this without having to dive into, say, "Cadillac Desert."

How do you like Special Topics? I started it last year, got about 150 pages in. At first, I thought it was fabulous, then I thought it was clever, then I thought it was too clever, and then I thought it was annoying. I need to try it again, though. (I'm a sucker for books I can't finish. I still haven't finished A Book of Memories, which I bought in 1997 because The New Republic said that your life will change when you read the book. It's good, but it's kind of like Thomas Hardy's books, where you look back over 50 pages and you can't believe how much has happened! As someone who is regularly juggling 3-5 books at a time, this can be a problem!)

Currently reading:

* The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal by Jared Diamond which motivates me to finish up Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies also by Jared Diamond

* I Am America (And So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert


Fred.

I hated It's Not About the Bike by Lance Armstrong, I'm sure that's equally suicidal on this forum. I don't deny his comeback from cancer was amazing and I think the awareness and money he's raised for prostate cancer is awesome, I just couldn't get past what an arrogant ass he was. The book read like your typical Tom Cruise movie - arrogant young fighter pilot/hustler/race car driver/cyclist has the world as his oyster then almost loses everything due to tragic accident/terrible loss/cancer and becomes a better, stronger and more humble person due to it, except that I didn't really believe the transformation at the end. I did read it shortly after a friend passed away from breast cancer so that have skewed my perspective a bit.

I love it. I think the cleverness is Blue's way of dealing with things because she's super smart and has a ton of knowledge but very little experience in the world so she hides that by quoting movies, books, stats, etc. At least that's my two cents worth.

I got better at giving up on books (DNF'ing?) after reading a quote from Nancy Pearl, it was something along the lines of there being so many great books in the world that you shouldn't waste your time reading a bad one or even one you don't like - if she isn't hooked after fifty pages she quits and reads something else. As she inspired the Library Action Figure I feel okay taking on this idea. It helped that I was trying to read Ulysses when I came across this quote and I was thrilled to be "allowed" to quit.

re: cleverness ... That's a good way of looking at it. I guess coming from reading Douglas Coupland's books (Microserfs is another one of my favorite books), where he weaves in cultural references almost seamlessly, Blue's references get annoying after a while. Clunky might be a better word. Though if you remember that a college freshman is "writing" the story, it may be tolerable. I'll have to try it again with that mindset.

Edit to restate/clarify the above ...

I guess the difference between Coupland's books and Special Topics is that the cultural references in Coupland's books ARE the story -- there's no "weaving" about it. Pop culture is so intertwined in the characters' lives that it not having it in the story would leave a huge void. References to Melrose Place v. 90210 make his books what they are. Special Topics isn't like that. The story doesn't depend on the cultural references, and Pessl/Blue seems to be kitchen-sinking all the refs she can think of. But like you said, that may be a mask for Blue's relative inexperience. Certainly adds a dimension to the book that I keep forgetting about!

And with that, my solo conversation re: Coupland v. Pessl stops!

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And I know what you mean about DNF'ing books. I do it, but only when the books are throw-across-the-room bad, or if they're boring. But there are books that I can't finish because there's too much detail, and I have too much going on to give them the attention they deserve. Then there are books that have been glorious reads, and I dread getting to the end. I read Memoir of a Geisha all the way through only once. Haven't made that mistake again. I stop before the last chapter now! Harlot's Ghost, which I mentioned to Tigerchik at some point, is another one of those books. I'm within 20 pages of finishing it, but I can't see how it can possibly end satisfactorily -- there's still too much going on -- so either it will be resolved too patly, or it won't be resolved at all. I'm pretty sure I won't be pleased with either, so I just won't finish the book!

While it came out back in 1993, I finally just read The Alchemist. It is an amazingly simple story about a shephard boy who goes on a journey to Eqypt to find treasure and with the help of three pepole along the way finds what he was looking for in a very unexpected place (don't want to spoil the end).
It touches on themes about life in general, such as why we are here, what is our purpose, fate etc.

Right now my read is The Sweet Spot in Time: The Search for Athletic Perfection, by John Jerome ~~ "a lively inquiry into what makes athletes capable of moments of pure physical brilliance." Biophysical dynamics, biodynamic physics, biophysiodynamism, something like that. Pretty intense, often sloggish, but throughout are moments of pure beauty in the writing.

Just finished Heft on Wheels: A Field Guide to Doing a 180, by Mike Magnuson ~~ guy lost a ton of weight, now a competitive cyclist, teaches journalism, an OK introspective read, but it's all-macho-kinda-grunting-stuff. Oy.

Always at hand: The Triathlete's Guide to Mental Training, Jim Taylor, PhD & Terri Schneider ~~ trying to incorporate a new thread into my life every so often. Practical how-to.

Giving up on ever achieving it: Chi Running, by Danny Dreyer ~~ I'm too maladroit (mal-au-pieds?) to keep from tripping over my feet when I try to be a ballerina on the road. Sigh.

>>Always at hand: The Triathlete's Guide to Mental Training, Jim Taylor, PhD & Terri Schneider ~~ trying to incorporate a new thread into my life every so often. Practical how-to.<<

How is Jim's book? He's in Katy's and my tri club (and met his wife on a bike ride with the club). And Terri is a total inspiration and kick butt gal. Jim spoke at our club meeting last night but I was stuck at work and missed it.

clm

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

Never read the Chronicles of Narnia (CS Lewis) books as a kid - so better late than never. I'm helping my 7 year old through book 2, Prince Caspian (movie is coming out soon, by the way) and we are thoroughly enjoying it! Language may seem a little old fashioned to the youngsters, but sometimes older books help us understand the way English was spoken before the age of television and advertisement :)

well, the publisher is velopress, which speaks volumes about its merit. i'm not sure of the role taylor and schneider each carried in bringing the book to life. it looks to have been co-authored. they manage to identify a fair number of rather elusive psychological concepts and organize them into a pretty workable, practical paradigm. for example, they create a "prime triathlon pyramid" along maslowesque lines (motivation, confidence, intensity, focus, emotions, pain) and discusse the application of each to one's triathlon goals. it's the kind of book you read with a highlighter. i particularly enjoyed the chapters on ironman preparation and racing, the psychology of injury, and the discussion of the "dark side" of the sport. there are lots of pithy quotes from the notables of the sport ... dave scott, siri lindley, mark allen, heather fuhr ... all in all, a good return-to manual when your head gets outta whack and needs realignment.

I'll definitely have to pick it up. Especially to see what he has to say about IM racing since I remember that he wasn't so thrilled with his IM experience.

clm

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

Great post. I read religiously for an hour every night before bed....but only fiction, or fluff fiction to lull me to sleep. Save the more topical stuff for when my brain cells are more active.

I've been on a Tudor England kick with Philippa Gregory: The Constant Princess, The Other Boleyn Girl and The Boleyn Inheritance. Today's politics ain't got nothin' on ole Henry the VIIIth's England.

The Other Boleyn Girl was a real page turner, but I fear seeing the recently released movie, don't want to spoil my imagination.

Saw an interview with Philippa Gregory and her research into the history is phenomenal. So while it's "historical fiction" much of the backdrop is accurate, while the details are left to literary license.

More topical stuff I'm awaiting from the library: Toobin's The Nine and Dawkins The God Delusion.

and of course there's all the tri related material I peruse daily!!

I was beaten by Crime and Punishment and I'm not going to let Dostoevsky to get the better of me again!

OMG, that made me laff out loud because I started Crime and Punishment and was foiled, feeling guilty for giving up but deciding life is too short :)

Let us know if Brother Karamazov is any better .....

A Widow for One Year is also my favorite book and John Irving is my favorite author. :)
I am only re-reading right now. All triathlon related. Going Long, The Paleo Diet for Athletes, The Athlete's Way, Training and Racing With Power.

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Jessica

Recently my staff read The Other Boleyn Girl and then went to see the movie. Although I've read the book I didn't join them as I try not to see movies of books I've read. They were very disappointed with the movie.

Right now I'm reading The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. Before that it was Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen and 1000 Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (author of the Kite Runner). I enjoyed both books and at present I'm enjoying The Glass Castle too.

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"There's good all around you, you just have to be able to see it".

Right now it's 'A Walk in the Woods' by Bill Bryson. Lovin it! sitting on the subway it takes me to another happier place, its laugh out loud funny at parts, and intersperses the story of two guys hiking on the trail with interesting history about the Appalachian Trail.

Also read Pam Reed, it was just 'ok'. Agree, she needed a better editor or ghost writer. DKs book also just 'ok', but he is super nice. I met him before a race once and yes he is hot but much smaller in real life!

I loved The Lovely Bones (Sewold) but really did not like her latest The Almost Moon.

I have the Omnivores Dilemma next after done Walk in the Woods. I am reading that one almost too quickly its one to savour.

To the Edge about Badwater also very good.

To the other ultra runners out there or anyone else, I cant remember the name but there is a really great book with various people's ultra experience. I will post name when I get home. Its like 'Becoming an Ironman'...there is a chapter I love...one of the guys in The Cult runs 100s and how he trains while on the road is hysterical.

a walk in the woods by bill bryson - HILARIOUS account of two out of shape guys trying to hike the appalachain trail, a must read :)

the glass castle by janette walls - more serious. best book written from the perspective of a child (in a poor family) i've read yet.

ultramarathon man (i am blanking on his name) - great if you need some running inspiration. the dude runs A LOT.

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"What am I on? I'm on my bike busting my ass for six hours a day. What are YOU on?" - Lance Armstrong

I enjoy reading and have recently taken to spending the hour after my long run sprawled out on the couch with a book; especially since we've been buried under snow for what seems like forever (I'm in Toronto, Canada). Keeping your legs elevated helps in recovery right? Right now I've got 2 books on the go.

1) Contents Under Pressure: 30 Years of Rush at Home & Away - I'm a HUGE Rush fan so this is pure entertainment for me.

2) I've re-discovered the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S Lewis (The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe was the most popular of the books). I've read the first 2 (Out of 7) and I'm on the 3rd (A Horse and His Boy). I remember reading them as a kid and enjoying them immensely and I still find them to be very enjoyable and meaningful. I've picked up on all sorts of things I would never have picked up on as a child.

3) Next on my list is the Kite Runner. I've heard so many good things about this book that I'm really looking forward to reading it.

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Pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever.

http://www.teamrunningfree.com
http://ironmanredux.blogspot.com/

Another vote for Swimming to Antartica. I thought it was excellent!

Recent reads were Eat, Pray, Love (two thumbs up) and Steve Martin's autobiography- Born Standing Up. I enjoyed both of those too.

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Pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever.

http://www.teamrunningfree.com
http://ironmanredux.blogspot.com/

I just finished Escape by Caroline Jessop. Like a lot of people out there, I have a bizarre infactuation with the FLDS and plural marriage. This was a great story. Before that, I finished Divisidero by Michael Ondaatje. I don't think that I "got" it, although the fact that I got to the end of the story says something. I have trouble finishing fiction unless it's a really great story.

I was going to return The Perfect Mile to the library, but I'll give it a go based on some of the comments on this thread.

lots of good ideas on this thread... i'm making a list for my next trip to the library.

i've just finished middlesex by jeffrey eugenides - it came out awhile back and i just got around to reading it. it's a totally engrossing book.

a few months ago i also just caught wind of his dark materials trilogy by philip pullman - the golden compass movie is based on the first book. while i was disappointed with the movie, i absolutely loved the books. i'm a sucker for good fantasy/science fiction and this series was absolutely incredible.

i think i'd like to do some non-fiction next - michael pollan here i come!

thanks everyone for writing. got lots of good ideas.

Change of Heart - Jodi Picoult - love her books. This one's new.

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

I loved Middlesex, I couldnt put it down. I lent it to my Mum and she's getting her book club to read it, I'm wondering what the retirees will think of it!

He also wrote The Virgin Suicides, I haven't read the book but saw the movie, which is great.

oh man! i hope it's a pretty liberal group of retirees... :)

i guess i hadn't realized he wrote the virgin suicides too - i'll have to check it out, thanks!

Hey, if you like "young adult fantasy", which is sort of where Phillip Pullman's books lie, you might like "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula LeGuin. It's a lot darker and a slower pace but the writing is phenomenal, it's a lovely book if you appreciate well-crafted prose.

I enjoyed Steve Martin's autobiography and i loved his two other books. I just finished Andrew Carnegie's biography (kind of long and tedious but I have to finish a book one I start it) and after that it was Bowerman and the Men of Oregon which I thought was a great read (I just got back from Europe so lots of time on the plane to read)..

Other LOL books are anything by Carl Hiaasen:

Sick Puppy
Nature Girl
Skinny Dip

They are well written and funny as all get out. I tend to read some serious stuff and his books are a nice break without being complete trash.

I started/got stuck in Anna Karenina a few times, then I got the translation by Larissa Volokhonsky and Richard Pevear and absolutely loved it. The writing is beautiful, and allegedly the translation conveys Tolstoy's original style in a way most editions don't. I'm hoping to start War and Peace soon (translated by the same team).

I'm late to this thread, because I had to run out and get "Swimming to Antartica" after seeing the recommendations. Great book! For another book by a determined female athlete, I can recommend "One Gear, No Breaks" by Canadian cyclist Lori-Ann Muenzer.

I read "A Triathlete's Guide to Mental Training" regularly. And I like the "The Four Rules" in a new Collins Triathlon book by English coach Joe Beer:

1. Do No Harm (respect your body and do not deliberately harm it)
2. Balance the Books (recognize those who help you)
3. Lead by Example (be a good role model for the sport)
4. Give Something Back (volunteer, organize, sponsor)

A nice change from the usual "build slowly, eat nutriously, taper' etc. rules you generally see in tri books, IMO.

I LOVE Hiaasen! HIlarious! I forget which book it was but when he chased down that guy for littering I was howling.

I just started Three Cups of Tea based on the recommendations here and it is very compelling. I'm having a hard time putting it down.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

I read their translations of Crime & Punishment and Brothers Karamazov and really loved both. I need some more free time before I tackle Tolstoy.

I really love this thread, there are so many good books on it and I've got some items for my list when I go to the bookstore next...

M

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The beatings will continue until morale improves

I forced myself to finish pam reed's book. I came dangerously close to a dnf!!! The book made me want to puke. In fact, I left to in a hotel room for the next sucker. I thought I wanted to do the Tucson race until I read her book. What's the name of the book about badwater? thanks

"To The Edge" by Kirk Johnson is the Badwater book.

Some other s/b/r books from my reading list over the past few years (and short reviews). All the books are here, including a bunch of memoirs I read and some fiction and non-fiction:
http://ironclm.typepad.com/...oklist/archives.html


"I met a guy up on that mountain who I grew to like, and do you know who that guy was? That's right, it was me."___Tim Moore, from the book "French Revolutions....Cycling the Tour de France".

GREAT BOOK!!! Laugh out loud funny, and very much in the style of Bill Bryson, if you've read any of his stuff. Moore was what I'd call a couch-potato and decides one day to ride the route of the Tour (2000). He didn't even own a working bike at the time, had never ridden a road bike, used clip-in pedals or owned a proper kit. (And, putting the bike together? No way.) In addition to the story of his ride, he includes some good history of the Tour and makes some of the places come alive. I am now even MORE psyched to go in a few weeks, if that's possible. I very highly recommend this book.


"No Mean Feat" by Mark Inglis.

Impulse purchase in NZ. Great book! About a Kiwi who, with his climbing/work partner), was stranded on Mt. Cook for 13 nights. They were both mountain guides in the national park there and they were rescued, but both had to have both lower legs amputated. The book goes into the aftermath and rehabilitation, and then up to the present (just published this year). Inglis has become an excellent paraolympic athlete and wine maker, who in 2003 is off to a new adventure. Quite the inspirational book.


"The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom" by Slavomir Rawicz.
Excellent book recommended by a guy I met in Kona at the Ironman. In fact, he mailed me his copy when he finished it. It's about a Polish Army guy who escapes with a group of prisoners in 1940-41 from a Russian prison/work camp in Siberia and then their trek thousands of miles to freedom. Totally engrossing.


"Ultimate High--My Everest Odyssey" by Goran Kropp.
Kropp rode his bike 7,000 miles to/from Stockholm to Mt. Everest, attempted the summit and rode back and this is the story of that trip. If I remember correctly, Kropp was killed in the past year or so in a climbing accident.

"The Rider" by Tim Krabbe'
Or, "De Renner", in Dutch. Translated from Dutch by Sam Garrett

This book was originally published in Holland back in the late 1970s and is a cult classic. It's the story of one day, one race and what happens during the race and what goes through the rider's mind during the race. The words rush by at breakneck pace when there is an attack, and then slow down and the rider remembers other days and other races at times when he is sitting in.

There are some great lines in this book and below are some of my favorites. I enjoyed this book a lot, especially as I am going to be doing some bike racing for the first time in January.

"The champions have better bikes, more expensive shoes, many more pairs of cycling shorts than we do, but they have the same roads."

"I ease up a little and shift back to the nineteen. Up on the pedals one more time, back in the saddle. 'OoOo!! OoOo!!' There's something struggling in my head, trying to punch my eyeballs out frmo the inside."

"In interviews with riders that I've read and in conversation I've had with them, the same thing always comes up: the best part was the suffering."

"I think [Charley] Gaul suffered the same way others did, but he enjoyed it more." "Gaul couldn't do without pain: pain was his motor."

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

I'm really surprised to hear all the love for Swimming to Antarctica. It was suggested to me and I picked it as my book club choice when it was my turn because I'm in a group with several ladies and we're all training for CdA, so I thought it would a motivational read.

None of us liked it. We were all in agreement that the book was very self aggrandizing. As many have pointed out, most of the memoirs written by endurance athletes seem to be egotistical, but Cox comes across as an exaggerator. We googled the 60 Minutes II interview she refers to and really got a good laugh. 1) She's a total freak. 2) During the Antarctica swim, she talks about entering the water and accidentally submerging her head. In the 60 minutes footage, she does a damn belly flop into the water!!!

Finally, I just thought it was poorly written.

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Reach for what you cannot.

-Percy Cerruty

I'd wondered about his book. He's written for Bicycling magazine and I liked his stuff there. I'll have to check this one out.


clm

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

I picked up the book Skinny Bitch last night during an extended fit of insomnia. A friend gave it to me for Chrismas, which didn't go over very well with me but that's another story.

Has anyone read it? It annoyed me with the raunchy language. I think the author's general premise is OK, but they were trying too hard to be campy and funny. I also thought they used some scare tactics, but maybe that's just because the thought of giving up dairy, caffine, alcohol, sugar and meat is well, unthinkable. I mean, duh, if one were to give all that stuff up, of course we'd be skinny.

I also read a bit of Anne Lamott's Plan B; Further Thoughts on Faith. Good stuff. I was raised Catholic but do not consider myself a religious person. Her perspective on faith, life and god are very refreshing, real and FUNNY!

Last year, I read those, and I also enjoyed The Virgin's Lover and Queen's Fool (also by Philippa Gregory).

Last week, I finished The Commoner and read Princess Masako : Prisoner of the Chrysanthemum Throne. The first clearly identified itself as a fictional account based loosely on facts, and the second was the only non-fiction account I could find in the library.

I'm also in the process of reading through the Bible. I just finished Genesis.

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"Real winners aren't content with yesterday's victories"

I've seen that book in the bookstore twice and both times picked it up and put it back down. I don't know why, but it just put me off, so I'm glad to hear confirmation. I really like Anne Lamott's writing - her fiction is really good as well, I loved Crooked Little Heart & Rosie.

M

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The beatings will continue until morale improves

I finally finished Brothers Karamazov last week on Wednesday - yay!!! Only took me four months. It's a great book, but not good for reading when I'm full on into training.

I read Queen's Fool by Phillipa Gregory this week, the historical stuff was interesting but it was too romancy for me. Not as bad as Dianna Gabledon but up there.

I'm feeling the need to switch genres and find a good sci fi book, I'm looking for new authors but sadly ones with creative/innovative ideas and good writing skills are few and far between.

If you want to put that Brothers Karamazov experience to good use, read David Duncan "Brothers K" - it's an American adaptation and it really interesting how he adapts the story to our country/culture. I really enjoy when contemporary authors re-work classics in new and interesting ways. Two other favorites of mine that do this are: The Hours by Michael Cunningham (Mrs. Dalloway) and A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley (King Lear)

M

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The beatings will continue until morale improves

Great recommendation - I will definitely look that up. Please tell me that Duncan doesn't have ten page long paragraphs!!

I too love a good adaptation. If you're a King Lear fan have you seen Ran by Akira Kurosawa? King Lear in the Samurai era in Japan - absolutely stunning and, in my opinion, quite possibly the best cinematic version of any Shakespeare work hands down.

Now I have to read Mrs. Dalloway so I can read The Hours (I love having goals!).

He definitely does not, thank god! Between that and the Russian names, I've never worked so hard on a book in my life! :-)

I've seen excerpts from Ran in college (theatre major) but need to sit down and watch the whole thing. I think the samurai period works really well for Lear and if I were ever to direct it, that was always going to be my angle. But I digress...

A word of warning, I completely hated Mrs. Dalloway, (I know 'stream of consciousness' style was a huge leap for literature, but as a modern reader, I'm over it!) but The Hours more than made up for it. I really loved that book and thought it was wonderful. Let me know what you think...

M

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The beatings will continue until morale improves

I'll try to remember to bring it to Xantusia. You can seriously read it in about 20 minutes.

Awesome. Can I read particularly obnoxious passages aloud in amusing voices? :-)

M

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The beatings will continue until morale improves

A Thousand Splendid Suns - best book I've read in a long time

Absolutely.

I just barely started Kitchen Confidetial by Anthony Bourdain. My friend who is a chef has a big crush on him so she gave me his book for my b-day. I'm looking forward to reading it!

The Awakening is one of my all time favorites:)

I am currently reading Peel My Love Like an Onion by Ana Castillo. I teach high school, so I also read a lot of YA fiction. I highly recommend the vampire series by Stephanie Meyer. The first one is Twilight--a very good read.

Anne Tyler is another favorite author as well as John Irving. A Prayer for Owen Meany is also an all time favorite.

In reply to:Thunderstruck - By Erik Larson. About Marconi and the first wireless transmissions. Super interesting. He's written other book that I've enjoyed including The Devil in the White City.

I loved Devil in the White City and Isaac's Storm. However, I was disappointed in this book. It started out interesting then kind of dragged along.

One you might like is called, "The Mapmaker's Wife."

Well, maybe I'll save BK for the winter :) I'm gonna take a break from Philippa Gregory and hit some of the other recommended books here.

I have to say I'm so glad this thread started as I just sat here perusing it again and putting a bunch of books on hold at the library.

I mean, really, I can only read about triathlon & nutrition so much :) !!! I need some good take my mind off everything stuff.

Thanks everyone for some good suggestions!!!

While I'm training for a big race, I like to read (and re-read) the book by Tracey Richardson called "Going the Distance". She was an obese woman with 4 children, 2 of whom have a terminal illness. She decides to do an Ironman and the book is her journey. It is a very inspiring story! The book is available from her website www.breath4cf.co.nz/ (this is where I purchased it)

I also love "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" by Richard Carlson. It forces me to put things in perspective!

ok, wasn't going to respond to this, since I'm a little late to the party, but here it goes.

One book that everyone should have in their training arsenal is Fixing your feet by John Vonhoff. Lots of great info. Also he answers the question that seems to be asked frequently in the main forum and that is why our hands/feet swell at times while running.

Lets see, skimmed through Chris Carmicheals Food for Fitness. Not too bad. Gives nutritional breakdowns for what you should be eating on heavy to lite training days.

Trying to read A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle. Can only digest little bits at a time. Very Freudian without the sex. I think I watch too much Oprah. ;-)

Just finished 19 Minutes by Jodi Picoult . Very well written. I like most of her books to tell you the truth.