Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic (Reggie, Rollie, Catfish and Charlie Finley’s Swingin’ A’s’); by Jason Turbow; 2017; 386 pages; Haughton, Mifflin, Harcourt Publishing Co. “When Roy Eisenhardt showed up at the Coliseum toward the end of the year to familiarize himself with the front office he was stunned by the organizational wasteland before him.” So begins a … Continue reading Book review: ‘Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic
Book shelf
The return of recreational reading; or, stuff to do this summer
I stopped reading for fun a couple of years ago. It happened gradually. I didn't really notice for several months. And then one day I realized I hadn't cracked a book in a long time, forget fiction novels. It just wasn't happening. It worried me a little. Reading was my primary hobby dating to childhood. … Continue reading The return of recreational reading; or, stuff to do this summer
Book review: ‘The Undoing Project’
'The Undoing Project'; By Michael Lewis; W.W. Norton and Co.; 2017; 362 pages. Imagine the thought process of Michael Lewis, bestselling nonfiction author of several of the more analytical and interesting books of the past two decades, a body of work that includes "Moneyball," "The Blind Side," and "The Big Short." All three turned conventional … Continue reading Book review: ‘The Undoing Project’
Book Review: Kids These Days
Here's another book review from the recent past that I thought was lost in online vapor due to corporate changeovers. It was written by Drew Perry, an Elon professor and was his second novel.I enjoyed both. I have yet to meet Perry in person. I hope to one of these days on campus. Here goes … Continue reading Book Review: Kids These Days
Book Review: ‘Intangiball’
Of more recent vintage but I still have many others to track down. --- “Intangiball: The Subtle Things that win Baseball Games”; by Lonnie Wheeler; Simon and Schuster, 2015; 271 pages. In 2003 the book “Moneyball” by Michael Lewis altered the way people inside and outside of baseball thought about the game. In a narrative … Continue reading Book Review: ‘Intangiball’
Book review: ‘The Big Short’
I wrote this one in 2010 when the book by Michael Lewis was released about the economic collapse of 2008 — later the book was made into a movie I have yet to see. I can’t imagine it’s better than the book, which I still highly recommend. — The standard advice for an investigative journalist … Continue reading Book review: ‘The Big Short’
Book review: ‘And the Mountains Echoed’
From a little further back ... --- “And the Mountains Echoed”; By Khaled Hosseini, 402 pages; Riverhead Books (Penguin Group); 2013 The challenge for Khaled Hosseini these days is enormous. Much like a mountain climber preparing to attack Mount Everest from an isolated base camp, reaching the next level must appear … next to impossible. … Continue reading Book review: ‘And the Mountains Echoed’
Book review: ‘The Summer of Beer and Whiskey’
This is from a few years back by one of my favorite chroniclers of baseball history and a damn good newspaper writer. --- “The Summer of Beer and Whiskey: How Brewers, Barkeeps, Rowdies, immigrants and a Wild Pennant Fight made Baseball America’s Game;” By Edward Achorn; Public Affairs; 263 pages. Recording history is one thing. … Continue reading Book review: ‘The Summer of Beer and Whiskey’
Book review: ‘The Night Train’
From a few years back but one of my favorites when I reread it today. A North Carolina author. --- ‘The Night Train’; by Clyde Edgerton; Little Brown; 211 pages; $23.99. Think of the literary work of author Clyde as a pone of cornbread. Each book he’s written represents a small slice of the North … Continue reading Book review: ‘The Night Train’
Book review: ‘The Last Days of Video’
Also from 2015, a book by a regional author. --- The dilemma for Waring Wax is familiar. He owns a business wasting away at a glacial pace. It fact, the patient is deteriorating at such an excruciatingly slow speed that it only becomes obvious to those working there when shutting down is imminent and unavoidable. … Continue reading Book review: ‘The Last Days of Video’
Madison's Avenue 