Book Review #790 - The Times One Hundred Greatest Cricketers

Compile a book claiming to contain "the greatest" of anything and you are bound to run into problems. Do it with cricket and you are asking for trouble--everyone will disagree with at least one of your entries and chide you for perceived omissions. But John Woodcock, Times writer and cricket correspondent for more than 50 years, is among the best qualified to undertake such a task. And an admirable job he made of it in The Times One Hundred Greatest Cricketers. Opening the innings with a name few would argue with--W G Grace--Woodcock goes through many other of the greatest names the sport has ever seen--Don Bradman, Garfield Sobers, Len Hutton, Shane Warne, Viv Richards, Ian Botham--and includes cricketing greats past and the present. In addition to a one-page potted history of the player's career, each entry has a black- and-white picture to accompany it. A statistical index (accurate until March/April 1998) completes the information, giving the kind of figures cricket fans love--batting averages, highest scores, number of wickets etc. An introduction explains the thinking behind the choices and a foreword by former England captain Mike Brearley is a perfect starting place. A great book for cricket fanatics, this will also appeal to the more casual fan. Accessible, well-written and interesting, it will certainly provoke debate, whether you agree with the entries or not. Synopsis Based on the author's personal selection of all-time great cricketers, serialized in "The Times Magazine", during the summer of 1997. This book includes an epilogue featuring expanded statistics about the 100 cricketers, split into domestic and international sections.

My Rating: 3/5

I used to be a big fan of cricket but recently have not watched it for some years. I still have two whole bookshelves full of cricket related books though with this one obviously being one of them.

This book was published in 1998 and so even the 'modern' players from this book were before my time but cricket is a game that is constantly throwing stats at you and so I found that I had actually heard of almost every player mentioned.

The only cricketers I found I had not heard of were the ones who mostly played county cricket as being Australian I had no way of hearing of them before.

I read this book more as a historical look at players of the past rather than an accurate list of the greatest cricket players ever (because that is subjective and everyone would have their own list) which is probably why I enjoyed it more than some other reviews I have read of this book.

Book Review #765 - Derby: WA Footy Fans on the Game's Greatest Rivalry by David Whish-Wilson

'The State is divided. It's not life or death, it's more important.'So says a poster on Dennis Cometti's wall - and that's what David Whish-Wilson and Sean Gorman found when they interviewed 40 fans of the West Coast Eagles and the Fremantle Dockers.The book features James Baker, Julie Bishop, Fedele Camarda, Maria Camporeale, Kevin Croon, Jesse Dart, Ron Elliott, Les Everett, Alison Fan, Glenis Freemantle, Maria Giglia, Mark Greenwood, Gaby Haddow, Julie Hoffman, Adrian Hoffman, Greig Johnston, Justin Langer, Deanne Lewis, Dennis Lillee, Lesley the Voodoo Lady, Luc Longley, Alsy Macdonald, Carla Mackesey, Ross McLean, Shaun McManus, Clive Mercer, Ian MacRae, Kia Mippy, Peter Mudie, Jeff Newman, Gillian O'Shaughnessy, Melissa Parke, Parsi, Janet Peters, John Prior, Matt Quinn aka Mr Q, Kim Scott, Glen Stasiuk, Bill Sutherland, Bevan Taylor, David Wirrpanda.

My Rating: 3.5/5

Being a Western Australian football fan who has attended more than half the Western Derbies I know first hand what this rivalry means to our state. 

Overall there were 40 stories told from 20 supporters/players from each team.

Being a Fremantle supporter myself I obviously liked the stories told from my fellow purple army supporters a lot more than the others but some of the other stories were not as bad as I had thought they would be.

I think all Western Australian footy fans would enjoy reading this book and non-WA fans should read it if they want an insight into our unique rivalry.

Book Review #703 - Billy Slater Autobiography by Billy Slater

During a long and decorated career with the Melbourne Storm, Queensland and Australia, Billy Slater has forged a reputation as not merely one of rugby league’s great fullbacks, but as one of the best players in the game’s long history. Slater’s story is that of a young country recruit with superb natural talent who rose quickly to the top level, playing with the Storm after just one pre-season in Melbourne and starring for Queensland during just his second season in the NRL. But inside the player who has scored so many audacious tries on the game’s biggest stages is a fierce competitive drive and a relentless work ethic, one inherited from parents who worked tirelessly to provide for their two children.In his fourteen years in the NRL, Slater has been confronted by the Melbourne Storm salary cap scandal, career-threatening injuries, the disappointment of lost grand finals, his early axing from the Queensland team, a game-losing mistake with the Kangaroos and accusations about his allegedly rough style of play. Slater has emerged not merely as a great of the game, but as an even more resilient character, a respected spokesman for his sport, a devoted husband and father, and – in a moment of emotional vindication – a member of the Storm’s defiant 2012 premiership team. Billy’s story is told with contributions from Slater’s family, as well as other rugby league legends like Cooper Cronk, Craig Bellamy, Darren Lockyer and Cameron Smith.

My Rating: 6/10

First of all I absolutely love the cover of this book, especially as I am a fan of both the Melbourne Storm and Queensland Maroons (my mum grew up in QLD). 

Billy Slater is my favourite rugby league player. He is such an exciting player to watch and comes across as a very genuine, down to earth person. 

His story is a very honest one with a lot of interesting stories throughout from his childhood to when he first met Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk. 

The book ends after Billy's successful return from injury in the state of origin match. It feels rather unfinished as the rest of the year was obviously a very successful one for Billy with QLD winning game 3, the Storm being premiers and also it being a World Cup year. 

Book Review #650 - The Game of Their Lives by Nick Richardson

As the Great War raged in 1916, two teams of Australian soldiers played an Australian Rules football match in London. It was the first time the world had seen our national game. But this was more than an exhibition match. It symbolised sport's role in driving young athletes to enlist and fight.

The players came from every corner of the country - some of them stars in the VFL or champions in their city or state leagues. For all of them it was a chance to forget blood and battle and simply play, a final kick of the footy before the Western Front, from where some would never return.

Now, 100 years on, Nick Richardson rekindles an incredible moment in our history and pays tribute to the men who played The Game of Their Lives. 

I received this book for review from Pan Macmillan Australia. 

As I am a huge AFL fan and interested in history, particularly World War I, I had a real interest in reading this book. I also had a further interest from an ancestry perspective as I have a distant cousin who died in WWI that I recently discovered played and umpired football at WAFL level. 

The book mainly follows VFL footballers, but as a sandgroper I was more interested in the WA footballers, particularly the Scullins from Kalgoorlie as that is where my mum was born and I still have a lot of relatives living there. 

What amazed me most about this book was that even though Australia was only a mere 15 years old at the time, football was already being played with the spirit and passion seen today. 

I read this book on the back on watching a number of WWI documentaries, and so I knew what an antagonist Australian Prime Minister Billy Hughes was, but I found it really interesting to learn how desperately he wanted to bring Australian sport down. 

The book is written by a journalist and so the book is unsurprisingly very fact heavy. This made it quite slow to read. 

Book Review #639 - Matty's Comeback by Anita Heiss

My Rating: 4/5


Source: Scholastic Australia



Goodreads

Matty loves footy. 

He's South Sydney's #1 fan and the star scorer in his own local team. He knows he can help his team to the semi-finals and beyond. But things don't go to plan, and now it seems Matty won't be able to help his team to victory after all. But help can come from surprising places, and people.

This is the perfect book for reluctant readers. The ONLY books my brother has ever voluntarily read are the Specky Magee books (a series of books about Australian Football) and so it would seem this book is the next generation in that genre. 

Matty was a really relatable character for me. It helped that he was around the same age I was when my obsession with football really began.

I found it refreshing that the book was centered around indigenous characters as that is something I have never come across before - it added a whole cultural element to the story as well. 

This book uses football/rugby league to explore deeper issues such as family. Matty and his sister Nita do not get along at all, and the development of their relationship takes place throughout the book. 

Nita was a very intriguing character in her own right. She hates football, in a family obsessed with it. She is a vegetarian - sorry, a kangatarian (it's a real thing, google it). Nita had a very Lisa Simpson vibe about her. 

Overall, being about sport I was probably always going to enjoy this one, but I must admit it had a lot more depth to it than I had expected. 

Book Review #621 - Phillip Hughes: The Official Biography by Peter Lalor and Malcolm Knox

My Rating: N/A


Source: Bought


Buy: Dymocks 


Goodreads

Drawing on almost 100 interviews and featuring scores of images from the Hughes family's personal collection, this is a stirring biography about the life of Phillip Hughes: son, brother, friend, farmer, cricketer, inspiration.

Phillip Hughes gave his life to cricket.

And cricket gave Phillip Hughes his life.

When Hughes scored twin centuries in his second Test - the youngest man in cricket's 135-year history to achieve the feat - the world hailed the arrival of a brilliant new star. Here was a batting prodigy from a tiny country town with a twinkle in his eye and a wizardry with the willow to fill the dreams of a generation. But those dreams were lost in November 2014 when Hughes was felled, playing the game he loved.

Told through the voices of those who knew him best, Phillip Hughes:­ The Official Biography is the incredible story of the boy from Macksville who became Australian Test cricketer 408. It charts the folkloric rise of the banana grower's son with the axe-handle batting technique, reliving his adventures on and off the field and celebrating his many triumphs and travails.

And it pays tribute to the fighting spirit and gift for friendship that made this unique young man a hero to millions.

First of all, I have decided not to give ratings to non-fiction books any more as I find them too difficult to rate. 

For those who don't know who Phillip Hughes was, he was an Australian cricketer who died just days short of his 26th birthday after he was struck on the neck with a cricket ball during a game. 

This is definitely one of the better cricketing biographies that I have read - one of the best biographies in general really and it certainly took a lot of research. 

I loved the amount of people who were interviewed for this book - it gave a broad range of perspective and also showed how many people Phillip Hughes touched. 

The book contains A LOT of photographs and this was my favourite part of the book. 

Book Review #587 - The Draftees: How Five Boys Made it to the AFL Draft by Emma Quayle

My Rating: 4/5

Source: Penguin Australia

Buy: Booktopia

Goodreads

Meet Jake Lever, Peter Wright, Isaac Heeney, Tom Lamb and Clem Smith. In 2015, they played their first game. In years to come, they could become stars. But first they had to be drafted to a club.

Every year, hundreds of boys are put through their paces at AFL draft camps, training sessions, under-18 competitions and school footy matches. They all hope they will end the year signed to an AFL team. Meanwhile, clubs are making brutal calls on which young players will take them up the ladder. Too many bad recruiting decisions could set them back years. 

Emma Quayle, senior football writer for The Age and an expert on talent identification, tracks these five boys through 2014 – the year they nominate for the AFL's national draft. We meet their coaches and families. We ride the bumps and share the triumphs. With exclusive behind-the-scenes access to recruiters at St Kilda Football Club as they decide on their 2014 draft picks, Emma sheds light on what it takes to become an AFL footballer.

For Jake, Pete, Isaac, Tom and Clem, hearing their name called out on draft day is just the beginning of their football story. But it takes a lot to get to that start line.

Football (of the Australian variety) and reading are my two favourite things in the world (and in that order) so a book about football was ideal for me. 

The book alternates between the St Kilda Football Club's recruiters and the five young promising footballers who are preparing to hopefully be drafted to an AFL team. 

The book does pay the most attention to St Kilda but there is plenty there for fans of all clubs. Through the insight we get with the Saints we get a pretty good analysis of all the players nominating for the 2014 draft. 

I liked that the player stories were spread out through the book and were never that long as it prevented me from getting bored. 

As someone who watches the AFL draft each year (since it started being telecast anyway) I really enjoyed reading about the process of it all, especially from multiple perspectives. 

Although I thought the players chosen were all interesting, especially since they all had completely different journeys I really would have liked this guy to have been included: 

Book Review #538 - Opposing Sides by C.M Doporto

College senior, Lexi Thompson, finds herself in a relationship to be wed to the university’s star baseball pitcher, Collin Norris. Collin’s damn hot but it’s his lack of spark that has Lexi thinking twice before she says ‘I Do’. When she’s forced to tutor bad boy football quarterback, Raven Davenport, she soon discovers all the things she’s missing in her relationship with Collin. Will she succumb to the temptations enticing her or will Collin be able to convince his sweet, innocent fiancée that his love for her is genuine despite his lack of affection? 

My Rating: 3.5/5

I started reading this book on my iPad before I went to bed as I felt like reading but was too lazy to get up and turn on the light. 


I had expected to read a few chapters and then sleep, however found that after a few hours I had completed the book. 


The only other New Adult books I have read are Beautiful Disaster and Walking Disaster both by Jamie McGuire and it's definitely a genre I am keen to read more of. 


The protagonist, Lexi was rather whiny and angsty throughout the book but had a realness quality to her. 


Based on the cover, I had thought that sport was going to play a larger role in the story than what it did and it was a large reason why I even decided to read it, and for that reason I feel like this book had the potential to be a lot better than what it was. 


Raven was an interesting character and I am looking forward to learning more about him in the sequel that I am more than likely going to read at some point. 


Collin was such a boring character and I didn't feel sorry for him at all. I know that his parents made him that way but he just annoyed me endlessly. 


Parents are a huge theme in this book with all involved being controlling and manipulative, mostly to the extreme. Lexi's mother was the mother from hell and I was beyond happy when she finally stood up to her. 

Book Review #518 - January Window by Philip Kerr

Scott Manson is team coach for London City football club. He's also their all-round fixer - he gets the lads in to training, and out of trouble, keeps the wags at bay and the press in his pocket. The players love him, the bosses trust him.

But now London City manager Joao Zarco is dead, killed at his team's beloved stadium at Silvertown Docks. Even Scott Manson can't smooth over murder... but can he catch the killer before he strikes again?

My Rating: 4.5/5

I received this book for review from HarperCollins Australia. 

What initially drew me to this book was the cover but once I discovered it was a murder mystery surrounding the inner world of premier league football I was completely sold as I am a massive sports fan. 

The sporting aspect was obviously my favourite element of the story as I loved how it combined real players, clubs, managers etc with the obvious fictional ones. 

I think if this had not been sports related I would not have liked it as much as I did as the whole mystery solving aspect was a little slow and definitely took a back seat to the football stuff. 

Whenever I visit a different city I always visit all the sporting stadiums so I really loved that this book was largely set in a stadium. 

I really enjoyed the behind the scenes parts of London City especially the relationships between the players, managers, coaches and owners. 

Book Review #415 - Braveheart: Lessons Learnt from Life by Brett and Hayley S. Kirk

There have been times throughout my life that have challenged who I am and I have not always held my head high and said: this is me.

In September 2010 Brett Kirk walked off the MCG, having played his final game of AFL for his beloved Sydney Swans. Many know him as the courageous captain who helped his team win the holiest of grails on the AFL calendar. What many people don't know is how he came to be such a tireless captain, honest teammate, and admired role model in both life and sport.

His next challenge is to help YOU!

Brett, with the help of his wife, Hayley, opens himself up like never before, sharing personal stories to guide you through the challenges of working out who you truly are, what drives you, what you love and ultimately who you want to be.

My Rating: 2.5/5

I borrowed this book from my local library with expectations of it being an autobiography. I have read numerous other books written by AFL players and had expected this to be like them.

This book is more like a self-help book which is something that I do not usually read. Part of this was inspiring, but I didn't care much for the religious aspect of it.

I liked the inclusion of the photocopied pages from his journal and school reports. The layout of this book was my favourite aspect.

Book Review #287 - Jimmy: My Story by James Anderson

He's the good-looking lad from Burnley whose brilliance on the pitch and good looks have drawn comparisons with David Beckham and who has established himself as one of the most exciting cricketers in world. In his first book, James Anderson (or Jimmy, as everyone knows him) tells the story of his life in cricket. From promising beginnings at Burnley Cricket club where he discovered, seemingly overnight, that he could bowl faster than the rest, to his first-class debut with Lancashire and the England call up that followed, to playing under Darren Fletcher and the run of hat tricks that made him England's golden boy. Career-halting injury devastated Anderson but then came a recent glorious return to form making this is a tale of exuberance, determination and sheer force of character.

Jimmy Anderson has earned himself a place at the high table of English cricket and this book, much like the man himself, is sure to get people talking.

 

 

 

My Rating: 4/5

 

 

 

I would consider Jimmy Anderson as one of my favourite cricketers so I was always going to enjoy this book.

 

 

I read this book in less than a day. It was quite easy to read especially the first part. When the on-field part took over it slowed down a bit but was still interesting.

 

 

He gave very insightful information about his career and the Ashes parts were obviously the most fascinating.

 

 

There were a few parts that were particularly interesting like his altercation with Michael Clarke or Brad Haddin's on-field sledging tactics.

 

 

Book Review #352 - Out of His League by Pat Flynn

When Ozzie, an Australian exchange student, arrives in the West Texas town of Hope, life in America seems completely foreign. But his skills on the rugby pitch translate onto the football field as he becomes the star of a team in desperate need of a miracle to save their losing season.  As Ozzie settles in, America really does feel like the land of opportunity, and he soon finds himself torn between the lure of this new country and the ties that bind him to his home in Australia.

This co-mingling of cultures offers a fresh perspective of life in a Texas town where football is life, winning is everything, and the rest is just details.

My Rating: 2.5/5

Given that the only thing I love more than reading is sport, I had expected to enjoy it a lot more than what I did.

When I first started reading it, I really enjoyed it. It wasn't until Ozzie moved to the US that I started losing interest.

Ozzie was a character that I didn't like at all. He was under developed and I just wasn't able to connect with him at all. He also seemed too stereotyped.

This was a very smart concept for a book, but I just don't think it reached anywhere near its potential. I think this was largely to do with the writing style. It felt very choppy and had no continuity to it.

Book Review #314 - Shut Out by Kody Keplinger

Most high school sports teams have rivalries with other schools. At Hamilton High, it's a civil war: the football team versus the soccer team. And for her part,Lissa is sick of it. Her quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to go pick a fight with the soccer team or to prank their locker room. And on three separate occasions Randy's car has been egged while he and Lissa were inside, making out. She is done competing with a bunch of sweaty boys for her own boyfriend's attention.

 Lissa decides to end the rivalry once and for all: She and the other players' girlfriends go on a hookup strike. The boys won't get any action from them until the football and soccer teams make peace. What they don't count on is a new sort of rivalry: an impossible girls-against-boys showdown that hinges on who will cave to their libidos first. And Lissa never sees her own sexual tension with the leader of the boys, Cash Sterling, coming.

 

 

My Rating: 4/5

 

 

Ever since I read The DUFF almost a year ago Shut Out has been at the very top of my wishlist. I have no idea why it took me so long to read it though.

 

 

Whilst I did enjoy this book, I didn't think it was as good as The DUFF. The protagonist was the main reason for this. Lissa was very uptight and controlling. For the first part of the novel, this annoyed me but towards the end she reminded me of Monica from Friends.

 

 

My favourite character was probably Cash as he was just an all round good guy. I had a hard time distinguishing between all the other secondardy characters as I felt like they didn't have strong enough personalities to separate themselves.

 

 

I really like the author's writing style. It is honest and you can tell she relates to what she is writing about. I will definitely be reading any other books she writes.

Book Review #313 - Catching Jordan (Hundred Oaks #1) by Miranda Kenneally

What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though-she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university.

But everything she's ever worked for is threatened when Ty Green moves to her school. Not only is he an amazing QB, but he's also amazingly hot. And for the first time, Jordan's feeling vulnerable. Can she keep her head in the game while her heart's on the line?

 

 

 

My Rating: 4/5

 

 

Even though this is the first book in this series, I have read and reviewed the sequel Stealing Parker.

 

 

The only aspect of this book I didn't like as much as Stealing Parker was the sport. My knowledge of American Football comes solely from video games my brother forced me to play as a kid so that could be the reason.

 

 

Jordan was a better protagonist than Parker and being a tomboy myself, I connected strongly with her.

 

 

I really liked Jordan's family and how supportive they were, even though the dad's reaction was pretty predictable.

Book Review #300 - Stealing Parker (Hundred Oaks #2) by Miranda Kenneally

 

Parker Shelton pretty much has the perfect life. She’s on her way to becoming valedictorian at Hundred Oaks High, she’s made the all-star softball team, and she has plenty of friends. Then her mother’s scandal rocks their small town and suddenly no one will talk to her.

Now Parker wants a new life.

So she quits softball. Drops twenty pounds. And she figures why kiss one guy when she can kiss three? Or four. Why limit herself to high school boys when the majorly cute new baseball coach seems especially flirty?

But how far is too far before she loses herself completely?

 

 

My Rating: 4/5

 

 

I have not read the first book in this series Catching Jordan, although being only a companion novel, I could tell there were references to that book but I never felt confused. I will however, be reading Catching Jordan really soon.  

 

 

After reading the first 75% or so of this book I was ready to give it five stars. It was around the time that the plot twist with Drew was introduced that I became less interested, simply because I predicted it from the beginning.

 

 

I really liked the variety of male characters that existed in this novel, and the way that Parker interacts with each of them.

 

 

Being someone that has a general interest in all sports, it was good to read a book that incorporates sport heavily into the story.

Book Review #252 - Twists and Turns by Matthew Mitcham

People kept remarking on how they were surprised that a gold medal and fame hadn't changed me. I always responded, 'Why would I change? Being me is the easiest person to be.' I was lying. It wasn't. At the Beijing Olympic Games, he made history with an unforgettable dive, the first to ever score perfect tens from all four judges, and won gold for Australia. Grinning with pride from front pages around the world, there was no hint of the personal demons that had led this supremely talented young dynamo to quit diving less than two years before. Joyously out and proud, Matthew was a role model for his courage both in and out of the pool. Yet the crippling self-doubt and shadow of depression that had plagued him all his life forced him into premature retirement, at one point reduced to circus diving to earn money. Even after Beijing and being ranked No 1 in the world, those closest to Matthew could not guess that beneath that cheeky, fun-loving exterior he was painfully aware of how easily it could unravel. In the lead-up to the London Olympics, when injury threatened his hopes, he will have to find the strength again to balance his striving for perfectionism with the fear of his self-doubt taking hold again. Told with the honesty and courage he is admired for, Twists and Turns is an inspiring story of a true champion, in and out of the pool.

 

 

My Rating: 4/5

 

 

I wasn't expecting to like this book as much as I did, I only decided to pick this book up from the library as I have a general interest in diving.

 

 

I also wasn't expecting the amount of issues that he has encountered throughout his life. From his drug use to self-harm and depression this book had a lot more depth than I was expecting.

 

 

This book really showcased the pressure he was under to perform and more importantly the pressure he put on himself.

 

 

I found all the pictures really interesting especially the ones about the London Olympics.

 

 

 

 It was good to see that his sense of humour came through in his writing especially in the captions under the photos.

Book Review #200 - Mickey O: Determination. Hardwork. And a Little bit of Magic by Michael O'Loughlin

When Michael O'Loughlin was drafted by the Sydney Swans at just 17 years of age, he was the no. 40 selection and the last player picked. Back then he could not have imagined the extraordinary future that awaited him: the numerous awards and accolades, the respect and admiration of fellow players, a huge number of personal supporters, and a record-breaking 303 games in the red and white. This is the inspiring story of Michael's life from the childhood lessons of hard work and self-belief imparted to him by his mother, Muriel, to the discovery of the stunning sporting ability which would take him into the elite legions of AFL. By 2009, Michael had broken the Swans' games record. He had kicked more goals for the club than anyone except the legendary Bob Pratt. He played more finals for the Swans than any other, and became one of just three Indigenous players in the history of the sport to reach 300 games. MICKY O is the extraordinary story of a kid who combined his talent with sheer determination to become one of the greatest AFL players of all time.

 

 

 

My Rating: 2.5/5

 

 

This is the first autobiography I have read where I didn't have a personal interest in the subject. I read this book as part of the 2012 50 Books You Can't Put Down list.

 

 

What I did like about this book was that is was primarily about his football career. Although I'm not a Swans fan I found this interesting as I had watched most of the games he described.

 

 

The main problem I had with this book was the editing. I found that there were alot of times where the wrong grammatical tense was used.

 

 

Whilst reading, I felt like there were missing pieces and felt like it was too jumbled at times.

Book Review #181 - My Story by Tom Daley

Enter the enthralling world of Olympian Tom Daley.

Tom had hearts in mouths when he dived at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, where he won two gold medals. He is one of Britain's gleaming hopes for gold at the London 2012 Olympics. But there is also a heartbreaking and inspiring story of a young athlete coping with the death of his father whilst under the glare of the world's media spotlight.

In this, Tom's first official memoir, he offers unprecedented access to the pressures, challenges and fascinating experiences of a world-class Olympian. From his day-to-day schedule, to his hobbies and family life, to sharing his hopes and dreams in the build up to the London Olympics, this book offers a unique chance to get close to Tom. Featuring exclusive photography and published simultaneously as a hardback and enhanced e-book, this will be the ultimate book for the 2012 Olympics.

 

 

My Rating: 5/5

 

 

I read this book very quickly, in fact it only just arrived in the mail a few hours ago. It was very easy to read, and really fast paced. I never got bored which is rare with non-fiction.

 

 

The only thing I was unsure about with this book was the fact that it was the autobiography of a 18 year old. Yet, the writing was mature and I found that I could relate to it.

 

 

The quality of the book is really good as well, it has glossy pages and alot of pictures.

 

 

This book was really inspirational and the best autobiography I have read for a while.

Book Review #171 - Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby

Nick Hornby has been a soccer fan since the moment he was conceived. Fever Pitch is his tribute to a lifelong obsession. Part autobiography, part comedy, part incisive analysis of insanity, Hornby's award-winning memoir captures the fever pitch of fandom--its agony and ecstasy, its community, its defining role in thousands of young men's coming of age stories. Fever Pitch is one for the home team. But above all, it is one for everyone who knows what it really means to have a losing season.

My Rating: 5/5

I don't know why it took me so long to hear about this book, as this is a book that I can 100% relate to. Not only am I also an Arsenal fan but I also have a very unhealthy obsession with my favourite team (although not Arsenal).


This is the perfect book that I would recommend to people who don't understand how important sport can be to people and the different emotions it can create.


I really enjoyed reading about Arsenal in an era before I was born as the book starts in the year 1968 when he went to his first game.


What was refreshing at times was how much I could relate to his story. It was good to know I wasn't the only person who loves a sporting team a little too much.


The only thing that bothered me was when he said that he didn't go to games for a while because they were losing or that they lost a key player. It just contradicted everything he had previously stated throughout the book.


Although this book is mainly about the author's experiences with supporting Arsenal the book would not have been anywhere near as good as it was if it weren't for his writing.

Book Review #140 - Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board by Bethany Hamilton

The amazing story of the thirteen-year-old surfer girl who lost her arm in a shark attack but never lost her faith -- and of her triumphant return to competitive surfing.

They say Bethany Hamilton has saltwater in her veins. How else could one explain the tremendous passion that drives her to surf? How else could one explain that nothing -- not even the loss of her arm in a horrific shark attack -- could come between her and the waves?

That Halloween morning in Kauai, Hawaii -- a glorious part of the world, where it's hard to deny the divine -- Bethany responded to the shark's stealth attack with the calm of a girl with God on her side. Pushing pain and panic aside, she immediately began to paddle with one arm, focusing on a single thought: "Get to the beach...." Rushed to the hospital, where her father, Tom Hamilton, was about to undergo knee surgery, Bethany found herself taking his spot in the O.R. It's the kind of coincidence that isn't mere coincidence to the Hamilton family, a clan whose motto could easily be "the family that surfs and prays together stays together." To them it was a sign someone had a greater plan than the one they'd been working on themselves -- which had been to scrape together whatever resources they could to help Bethany rise to the top of her sport. When the first thing Bethany wanted to know after surgery was "When can I surf again?" it became clear that her unfaltering spirit and determination were part of a greater story -- a tale of courage and faith that this modest and soft-spoken girl would come to share with the world.

"Soul Surfer" is a moving account of Bethany's life as a young surfer, her recovery in the wake of the shark attack, the adjustments she's made to her unique surfing style, her unprecedented bid for a top showing in the World Surfing Championships, and, most fundamentally, her belief in God. It is a story of girl power and spiritual grit that shows that the body is no more essential to surfing -- perhaps even less so -- than the soul.

My Rating: 4/5

I was familiar with Bethany's story because she was featured in a Australian teenage magazine when the attack first happened 8 years ago and for some reason her story has always stuck with me.

I watched the movie Soul Surfer before I read the book. The book just adds a little more depth to her story. I also watched the movie again after reading the book and I enjoyed it more having read the book.

This book is very inspiring and even though it is probably geared towards younger readers there is a message it teaches that can be appreciated by all ages.

There is very little written about the actual attack because she didn't even see the shark coming instead it focuses on the strength she had to continue surfing.

I read alot of reviews saying that there was too much religious aspects involved. Whilst that is true, it isn't as in your face and as large an aspect that I was expecting based on those reviews.

Her mother also wrote a book which was published last year. The Goodreads link is here.

My review of the movie adaptation I hope will be posted soon on my movie review blog.