just finished 'bike for life' by wallack and katovsky. aimed at middle-aged on up riders. lots of good info, some of perhaps a little dated, coming from 8 to 10 years ago, but still quite informative. i'm not totally taken with the goal of riding a century when i'm 100, but 75 or 80 seems possible. i've also put on my laptop and have been using 'cycling anatomy' from human kinetics publishing. this is a book of exercises for cyclists, many of them performed on the exercise ball (which i like to use very much). i think i'm like many others who neglect strengthening the core despite putting in a lot of miles. trying to change.

any other good reads out there you have found helpful?

I am spending the summer reading "Word '07" (I am taking an on-line class). I find it interesting, though I'd hardly call it a good summer read.

I spend a fair amount of time maintaining flexability and strengthening the core which is what holds everything together.

I enjoy travel or books about different parts of the world. Two paired books I've enjoyed are "The White Nile" and "The Blue Nile" written by Alan Moorehead, an Australian corespondent. These books are about the search for the source of those two branches of the Nile during the exploration of Africa. They are beautifully written and read like a great adventure, which the exploration of Africa was. They were written over 50 years ago so may no longer be in print but should be at a library.

fjs.....give me more info on the "Cycling Anatomy" book. Where did you find it? Thanks

Hmm... I'm reading the "History of the World" and "The Instant Economist" at the moment.
I find them helpful, but, well... never mind.

I liked "Bike To Work." Have you tried that one?

Stuck in a history rut, especially about the Civil War. Living where some of the most important incidents of the CW happened, it's fascinating to read about them, and then ride to, through, or around them on my bike. Last week I went through Antietam, and Gathland Park, site of an 1871 "War Correspondents Memorial."

I have "The Rider" on my Kindle, but haven't gotten around to it yet.

a got 'cycling anatomy' from amazon. here's the link https://www.amazon.com/Cycling-Anatom...0993097&sr=8-1

anyone tried any of the other books in the series? how about 'cycling after 50'?

Just discovered that the local library has a book discussion group at an hour so I can actually attend! So I stopped in the middle of reading "Gilead" by Marilynne Robinson to read "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. Both are well written approaches to the same theme, told by narrators at opposite ends of adulthood.

Can anyone recommend a good basic bike repair manual? That's the summer read I really need to find as I continue to fine tune my amazing garage sale bike.

I just finished "The Rider", by Tim Krabbe', translated from Dutch. Good book about his entry into racing after having been a chess player, centered around one of his road races. Very compelling, and descriptive of what racers go through.

Does anyone here remember a TV program called "On The Road" with Charles Keralt. For a number of years Keralt traveled all over the country in a camper showing what ever and interviewing who ever was of interest. For instance, he spoke to a 90 y.o. woman who had driven across the country in 1905 in a Maxwell; a doctor in a small mid-west town operating a store front clinic who charged his clients a minimal fee that was frequently paid with a dozen eggs or a chicken. I loved that program, which was pure Americana, and the book, based on the TV program, has many stories, sometimes offbeat and frequently heart warming. Each story is just a few pages - perfect for summer reading.

I remember Mr. Kuralts program. Now, its Larry the Cable Guy and "Only in America."

Another good one for light summer reading is by the ever popular Bill Bryson. It is "The Mother Tongue" subtitled "English And How It Got That Way". As always, Bryson is good for some laughs and some good history about the whys and wherefores of the English language.

I guarantee that you will not be able to put this book down once started. Best read I have had in years:

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand https://www.amazon.com/Unbroken-World...1376230&sr=1-1

Another book in the same vein that you might like is Blue Highways by William Least Heat Moon.
Also, for that matter, Steinbeck's Travels with Charley.

I read "Travels With Charley". There is nothing like the words of a great story teller. I may have to re-read that one.

This book has inspired me to plan a "blue highways" trip, when retirement or layoff eventually allows.

I've been reading "Armaggedon in Retrospect," which is a collection of unpublished short stories by Kurt Vonnegut. Kurt Vonnegut is really brilliant. Here is my favorite line so far: "If any of you find yourself [about to get a lethal injection], these should be your last words: 'This will really teach me a lesson.'"

Reading "The Lost Cyclist". By David V. Herliry. About a world cyclist (actually several world cyclists) in the 1890s when the safety bike was just becoming a sensation. Good read. Cyclist lost in Turkey and efforts to find him. Also about first races with "ordinaries" and safety bikes.

A book I enjoyed years ago and inspired me to explore those blue highways on my motorcycles.

Steinbeck was a master at saying the most about people, with the fewest words. I always loved Cannery Row.

I'm reading "The Help" on my iPhone Kindle app right now. Great book, and looking forward to the release of the movie on 8/10. I may even go to opening night.

Dated does not mean wrong. There have been tremendous cyclists for a long time. In order to get that way, they had to be right about most of the things they were doing.

Cannery Row is a jewel. I loved the quirky people in it. I will say that when I'm in the right frame of mind, quirky people know something the rest of the world doesn't and it's the world that is askew.

Lord of the Rings, Unfinished Tales and The Silmarillion. Again ...and not just the second time, either. Hardly.

What can I say? Like a good movie, Tolkien can be read over and over. LOTS of details that make it virtually new each time.

I had started a JavaScript book, but with no real application for what I learn, retaining the knowledge I gain (in a vacuum, as it were) becomes problemmatic.

AWOL on the Appalachian Trail and Catherine Crier's book about the Scott Peterson investigation. I also want to read The Help but haven't yet.