Good Books & Magazines (Read 270 times)

I love reading about running.  I have about 30 or so running books on the shelf at home.  I just finished the Boston Marathon book.  I didn't read it straight through because it is basically 120 years of race reports.  I liked seeing the older runners from our area with their names in the results from when they were young and fast.

 

I was in a bookstore a few weeks ago (yes an actual brick-and-mortar store, with actual dead-tree books), and gravitated to the section on running books. I picked up a few and started leafing through them, but quickly realized I have zero interest in reading about running. Not sure if anyone else feels this way, but I decided I have a large enough percentage of my waking hours dedicated to running (including this place), and would rather read about almost anything else in my remaining spare time.

 

Used book stores aren't hard to find, and they have that sexy smell of old books.

 

(From a used book store), I am currently reading Robert McNamara's "In Retrospect".  Every page is essentially yet another eff up that was made in escalating the Vietnam War.  It's interesting to read the timeline of when they thought it was unwinnable (immediately), but why they progressed and the errors in their beliefs and actions.

 

Even taking into account what we know in hindsight, there is still some head slapping stupidity in here.  It's a good read.

Sounds fascinating/depressing. And sounds like recommended reading for those currently in charge of any military actions. If they read.

I know this is a book thread, but I'm really looking forward to the Ken Burns Vietnam War documentary airing this fall.

I love good writing. Running or otherwise. There are plenty of good running books. Kilian Jornet's book was a good read. That Buffalo one was good. I liked Murakami's book. Once A Runner. I think I'm done reading most training running books. Not all. It's interesting to me. Sometimes a book sucks but you get something out of it and it still sucks but at least there was something. Sometimes you gotta plow through a book to get to those shafts of light. I think those are my favorite. When suddenly connections are made and understanding enters whether on the scale of the characters themselves or attached more generally to life. Good books. I have read a book or two on the screen and listened to a few. They don't have the same texture and stickiness that a real book has. It floats in and then leaves where it came from and feels meaningless and I feel unattached. I loathe terrible writing. It makes me angry. Right now I am reading this book that has all the potential in the world to actually say something and it's really terrible. The Cheese Trap. Thankfully the other books I'm reading are worthwhile and I would totally recommend. Karl Ove Knausgard, My Struggle ... it's one of those that sits with you for a long time and takes a long time to read and works it's way into your thinking, molding it and changing it imperceptibly. The shafts of light and understanding. And a running-ish book by Steve Magness and Brad Stulberg, Peak Performance, which is not really about running but more about how to function well as a human being. Nuts and bolts type stuff. Reminds me of How to Live on 24 Hours a Day by Arnold Bennett which is also worth a read. Free on Project Gutenberg.

There's my ramble with a few book suggestions thrown in.

No Short Cuts To The Top was good, I read it a couple of years ago. Since you liked that book, see if you can  find Cold Wars, or Psycho Vertical by Andy Kirkpatrick. I have never seem either at a brick and mortar store, I have them on my kindle. Or perhaps the White Spider by Heinrich Harrer. In my opinion The White spider is frickin' awesome.

I just finished The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz and it's just great. It's written from multiple points of view, and from multiple time periods, and the prose has this beautiful and authentic poetic feel to it. I might read it again.

Anyone read, "The Road To Sparta"? I am not a reader but this book is enticing and may have to pick up. Any feedback?

https://www.amazon.com/Road-Sparta-Reliving-Inspired-Greatest/dp/1609614747

You Cannot Be Serious

 

Can I assume this means you would not recommend???

Dean Karnazes is all self promotion and no substance.  Read bhearn's blog for a real runner's Spartahlon report.

Thank you. Dean's book is actually not bad, if you can filter out the self-promotion. The story arc is him reconnecting with his Greek roots. The race report component itself is reasonably good, though a few things seem to have been reordered for purposes of storytelling. My one real criticism of the book is that he perpetuates the myth that Pheidippides ran from Marathon to Athens after the battle, and died. This story is almost certainly a modern invention, unlike his run from Athens to Sparta, which is well documented. This would have been the perfect place to set the story straight.

Dean's actually a great guy in person. There's just a big clash between the self-marketing required for his brand and the more humble, laid-back ethos of the broader ultrarunning community. And, it has to be said, he inspires a lot of people to start ultrarunning. Also he's shorter than you might think.

I walked into my LRS wearing last year's Spartathlon finisher shirt a few months ago (also my brand-new Spartathlon calf tattoo). The sales clerk saw the shirt (not the tattoo) and said "Oh wow, I just read Dean's book about that. He's such an amazing guy." Uh, OK. I beat him by 7 hours.

He told me he was going to go back this year, but he didn't sign up. He doesn't have a qualifier.