BOOKS THREAD

I'm just getting into Sinclair Lewis' It Can't Happen Here (yes, it's exactly what it sounds like), one of this administration's most treasured playbooks.

I'll give a complete report . . . and the end . . . of the story.

 

Object-Oriented ActionScript 3.0, nice bit of bed time reading guaranteed to send you to sleep

 

Just finished Mark Bowden's "The Best Game Ever," on the 1958 Colts-Giants championship game that was excerpted in SI a few weeks ago.

As the SI excerpt showed, the in-depth profiles of Raymond Berry dominated this book. Not knowing much background about the guy, I thought that part of it was outstanding. And while there's a whole chapter dedicated to Sam Huff and the evolution of Tom Landry's Giants defense, the book is definitely focused more on the winning team. So if you're an old Baltimore Colts fan, you'll probably love it.

The TV broadcast of the game didn't survive, but NBC has the radio play-by-play intact and Bowden liberally sprinkles in the transcript during the course of the game.

Lot of great material from Berry, Artie Donovan (of course), Gino Marchetti, etc. I breezed through this thing in a couple of nights.

And of interest here: Bowden dedicated the book to David Halberstam, who apparently was researching the same topic for his own book when he died last year. Bowden explains that story in the epilogue.

Well recommended, and not just for football fans.

 

Just started Tony Horwitz's A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World and I think it might be on par with Confederates in the Attic. Fascinating stuff.

 

Catching up on my Books Thread ... that is a remarkable paragraph. I'm still trying to figure out what it means. But I like it.

 

Another slam dunk for Tony.

The guy is the king of the genre.

One of the very best.

 

Do NOT judge Burroughs' books by that movie.

I love Burroughs. I have no shame in it. I just like his writing style, I think his stories are written well, and I read them all. I even read Sellevision, a novel. I guess I just am low class.

 

It's tiring to read a guy who abuses a medium as the enema of choice for his private heartache. He has the means to hire a talented therapist, he needs to do it.

 

I just started the Phil Esposito's autobiography, co-written by Peter Golenbock.

It is the JRC of books.

Once I'm done with it, I will go to the box for many minutes and feel shame.

 

Finally read Sunday Money. Was looking up some stuff on MacGregor and found an interview with Deadspin from 2005 (there weren't commenters on Deadspin then; a strange world). He said he had a book that would come out in spring of 08. Looked on Amazon and there's nothing listed and they usually have ones that will be coming out in the next six months or so. Anyone know if he does have one due?

Anyone picked up the collection of Halberstam's best sportswriting? Definitely want to get that as soon as possible.