Books, Movies, Music & Entertainment - Book Reports and Reccomendations?

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smoore
10-12-03, 04:43 PM
Has anyone read the new Lance book? As good as the first one?

Ysterday I picked up The Immortal Class by Travis Hugh Culley. It's a memoir about being a bike messenger in NYC. Also picked up a DVD copy of Breaking Away. Man, I love that movie...compared to American Flyers, which gets worse every time I see it. I can't even watch it all the way through. Sheesh

Other good books are:

Half Wheel Hell by Maynard Hershon
Short stories, many from the early pages of VeloNews

Tales from the Toolbox by Scott Parr
What it's like to me the lead mechanic for Team Motorola in Europe.

The Yellow Jersey
Great, great fiction. Was almost made into a movie with Dustin Hoffman and then Tom Cruise. Alas, it never made it into production.

Pushing the Limits by John Howard
John is one of my heros from the 60-70s. An autobiography of what it was like to race professionally in the U.S before Greg and Lance. John also won the Iron Man and at one time held the Bonneville speed record of around 156MPH!! This guy did it all when a big payday was a free bike and expenses. Book is out of print but can be found. I've also been told John still has copies to sell.

Any other reccomendations?

Steve

RegularGuy
10-12-03, 07:36 PM
I just read Breaking the Chain, Willy Voet's memoir concerning the 1997 Festina doping scandal. It was fascinating, but neither well-written nor well-translated. It was also, in the end, not terribly enlightening. It is frightening to learn what Voet participated in, and how little he actually learned from it.

Cully's book was a great read. It is highly politcal and polemical, but well-written and thought-provoking.

And I agree with you completely about the comparative merits of Breaking Away and American Flyers. I find the former completely absorbing every time I see it. The latter was entertaining once.

My question: Who has read The Riderby Tim Krabbe? It's getting great reviews. What did you think?
Richard D
10-13-03, 07:35 AM
I really enjoyed The Rider - I wouldn't class it as truly great literature but it's well written and a good fairly quick read.

I've just finished Anne Mustoe's book on her trip from London to Egypt following rivers - the title's something like "Cleopatra's Needle" - as with her other books highly recommended.

willic
10-13-03, 09:22 AM
I am preasantly reading "The Sun in my eyes" written by "Josie Diew"

Two wheeling East, A highly entertaining read about a 6month tour of Hong Kong and Japan. Very funny in parts, her struggle with the language and explanation of meaning has me roaring with laughter many times.

She is described in her cycling writings as a female "Bill Bryson" anyone familiar with his amusing books will know what to expect.....
chewa
10-13-03, 09:25 AM
I really enjoyed The Rider - I wouldn't class it as truly great literature but it's well written and a good fairly quick read.

I've just finished Anne Mustoe's book on her trip from London to Egypt following rivers - the title's something like "Cleopatra's Needle" - as with her other books highly recommended.

I've just recently finished both of these too!!

I don't like Mustoe as much as Josie Dew I must say.
Richard D
10-13-03, 11:03 AM
Have you read Josie Dew's new book based on the UK yet? I'm a great devourer of cycle tour books but haven't got round to her new one yet.
willic
10-14-03, 03:12 AM
No! Richard.... I have only read the book mentioned above, but I will certainly endevour to aquire it. Should be a fun read!

I see from her web site she has written 4 previous books, if they are of the standard of the Japan and hong Kong book then they will be of "aquired reading"
Richard D
10-14-03, 05:19 AM
No! Richard.... I have only read the book mentioned above, but I will certainly endevour to aquire it. Should be a fun read!

I see from her web site she has written 4 previous books, if they are of the standard of the Japan and hong Kong book then they will be of "aquired reading"

I've read her first two (Europe and the States respectively), and the second of her Japan books and I'd recommend all three, although I didn't enjoy the second - 'Travels in a Strange State' as much as the others.
chewa
10-14-03, 06:32 AM
I've read all bt the new one and my friend went to a CTC talk she gave. She's even smaller in real life.

She is the primary reason my wife chose to have a custom Roberts tourer built.