clm's booklist

"Almost French: Love and A New Life in Paris"

by Sarah Turnbull. 

Memoir of an Australian woman who meets a Frenchman on holiday in Europe and a short visit to Paris to see him turns into a new life and many years later, marriage. My dream story.

Catching Up -- 2009 Reads

2009 Reads.....

"We Might As Well Win: On the Road to Success with the Mastermind Behind 8 Tour de France Victories" 

by Johan Bruyneel. Fantastic book. Full of great information and motivation.

"Master Your Metabolism"

by Jillian Michaels.  Good solid advice--no processed food, eat real foods, watch and limit additives.

"A Dog in A Hat: An American Bike Racer's Story of Mud, Drugs, Blood, Betrayal and Beauty in Belgium"

by Joe Parkin. Good book about bike racing in the pro peleton, at least in the lower ranks, in Europe in the 1980s and 90s.

"Major: A Black Athlete, a White Era, and the Fight to Be the World's Fastest Human Being" 

by Todd Balf. Autobiography of Major Taylor which was a good read, but it bogged down in places. 

"NaNo for the New and the Insane: A NaNoWriMo's Survival Guide"

by Lazette Gifford. An online book, read in preparation for the November Writing Month. Good tips and motivation.

"Page After Page: Discover the Confidence and Passion You Need to Start Writing and Keep Writing"

by Heather Sellers. Really good book about writing with chapter after chapter of exercises. Why do you write? Write every day. Be focused. Stay simple. Don't overthink it and just write. 

"Listen To Me: Writing Life into Meaning"

by Lynn Lauber. Another good writing book.

"On Writing"

by Stephen King. Half memoir and half writing guide. Really interesting to see how King came to being the writer he is. Really, really liked this.

"You Don't Have to Be Famous: How To Write Your Life Story"

by Steve Zousmer. Pretty good read but the author seemed a bit condescending at times.

"Life Makeovers: 52 Practical and Inspiring Ways to Improve Your Life One Week at a Time"

by Cheryl Richardson. Weekly chapters to work through to clean up and organize your life. Some good ideas and thought-provoking questions. And it did get me to clean out a few boxes of papers in my room.

"Inside the Postal Bus__My Ride with Lance Armstrong and the U.S. Postal Cycling Team"

by Michael Barry

A quick, fun read about Michael Barry's 2004 season with U.S. Postal. No shocking insights but I was extremely interested since it covered 2004 and that's one of the years I went to the Tour de France. Recommended if you are a cycling fan.

"Breakthrough Triathlon Training"

by Brad Kearns

If you're looking for a "do this workout on this day" book, you'll be disappointed, but if you're looking for good info on the mental and motivational side of training and racing, it's a worthwhile read. Brad tells some good stories from the past and talks a lot about motivation and achieving a healthy, balanced approach to training.

Couple of quotes from the book:

"The greatest human freedom is the freedom to choose one's attitude."___Viktor Frankel

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."___Steve Prefontaine

"Hedge Hogging"

by Barton Biggs

A new book out by a guy who worked for many years for Morgan Stanley, and who started his own hedge fund in 2003. One of the partners at the law firm here received it from a client and he loaned it to me. Biggs recounts his experiences in the investment world, and the broad range of experiences of others, both successful and not so successful. He gives a glimpe into what really goes on behind the scenes. Some of the stories are laugh out loud funny, others make you shake your head. There is a little bit of technical finance talk, but the majority of the book is about his experiences. An enjoyable read.

"Ultra Marathon: Confessions of An All-Night Runner"

by Dean Karnazes

We went to see Dean last week at a tri club function and he is RIPPED! His book is a good, quick read (I read it in two days), and is pretty motivational. There are accounts of his first 50 miler, the first ever (only?) marathon run at the South Pole, his first Western States experience and running "The Relay" solo (Calistoga to Santa Cruz, a team competition). Really enjoyed the book, but even more enjoyed hearing him speak and got him to sign my book. He took the time to chat with everyone on line, not just signing and moving on.

"Chasing Lance: The 2005 Tour de France and Lance Armstrong's Ride of A Lifetime"

by Martin Dugard

Another great read! I also finished this one in a couple of days. It chronicles the Tour last year and how everyone is "chasing Lance", for many reasons, but for a large number of people, because he is a symbol of hope and perserverance. Really, really enjoyed this book, but a few times I thought Dugard was a bit mean-spirited. What was interesting were all the behind the scenes accounts of the Tour. Perfect read in the days just prior to this year's Tour.

Gold in the Water

The True Story of Ordinary Men and Their Extraordinary Dream of Olympic Glory

by P.H. Mullen

WOW! TOTALLY AWESOME BOOK! My nephew got me this book for Christmas and had to order it and we picked it up on the way to the airport. I was over half finished when I got back to SF and finished it in just three sittings. The book chronicles a group of elite swimmers in the 18 months prior to the 2000 Olympics who lived and trainedin the Bay Area at the Santa Clara Swim Center (and many were from Stanford University). There is suspense and high emotion and you really care about all of the people in the book.

Very, very highly recommended, even if you aren't a sports fan.

"What Should I Do With My Life?"

by Po Bronson

I loved this book! A collection of stories about regular people who have found their place in life, some knowing all along, others seemingly falling into it, still others who searched and searched before they found it. Very thought provoking. It doesn't give you the answers, but rather, says it's OK to ask the question.

The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, Revised Edition

by Joseph Murphy

My mother highly recommended this book, especially to read it before I went to Hawaii to race. The book is full of lots of common sense, stuff you tend to forget on a day to day basis. Things like whatever you think, there you go.  Or most people are about as happy as they let themselves be (paraphrasing Abe Lincoln). I now find myself catching most negative thoughts before they get too far, which is good. I highly recommend the book.