{"id":31925,"date":"2012-01-19T14:43:18","date_gmt":"2012-01-19T18:43:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/totfc.net\/?p=31925"},"modified":"2020-06-29T14:43:29","modified_gmt":"2020-06-29T18:43:29","slug":"the-2011-book-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/totfc.net\/?p=31925","title":{"rendered":"The 2011 Book List"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amazingly, with the amount of things I\u2019ve been doing on a routinely basis, I still found time to read a few books this past year. Gone are the days where I\u2019d pound out 30+ books, but at least I can say that I read more in 2011 than I did in 2010 (18 vs. 17). As is kind of the norm for anyone who reads a lot, we tend to get pickier, and more selective of the things we read, and when in doubt, there are authors or subjects that we fall back onto. Such is quite prevalent in my 2011 list of books, but for the most part, I can\u2019t say that I didn\u2019t find some degree of enjoyment in the things I read in the last year.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"The Book of Basketball<\/span><\/h4>\n

By Bill Simmons<\/span><\/p>\n

A gigantic thick book that encompassed way more about basketball than my existence was aware of, but Simmons\u2019 writing style and personality is one that appeals to me a lot, because it reminds me of me somewhat. But what I really liked the most about the book was the countdown of the top NBA players of all time, and that Simmons is as high on Tim Duncan as I am, and ranked him within the top-10 all time, which I can agree with. No-decision.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"The Silent Man<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

By Alex Berenson<\/span><\/p>\n

Gradually, I\u2019ve been making my way through the John Wells series as I\u2019ve obviously become a fan of Alex Berenson\u2019s writing. So far, out of all of the stories, I would have to say that The Silent Man probably had the most abrupt and sudden climax out of them. It\u2019s like you\u2019re reading through the book, and you\u2019re cognitive of the fact that you\u2019re running out of pages, and the main conflict is not yet resolved yet. And then suddenly, a lot of hints and clues come together immediately, and then just like that, conflict resolved. But it was not that predictable, which is something I could appreciate. Win.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span>Flesh and Bone<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

By Jefferson Bass<\/span><\/p>\n

I kind of tried this book out on a whim, and I learned that it was part of a pretty extensive series. Regardless of the references made to prior stories, it actually didn\u2019t do too bad of a job of keeping me the reader up to speed on certain characters and particular relationships between them. Overall, it was an entertaining read, and I could possibly see myself eventually going back in time to catch up on some of the other Body Farm stories that already exist out there. Win.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span>Scorecasting<\/span><\/h4>\n

By Tobias J. Moskowitz & L. Jon Wertheim<\/span><\/p>\n

If there\u2019s any particular influence sports on the internet and the Moneyball fad has taught me, it was appreciation of looking at baseball and other sports from different angles. Solely watching sports on television early in my life led me to watch conventional, traditional means, but through literature and novella I learned that there legitimately were other ways to look at sports. Scorecasting is a great, sort of intellectual read that does help change the way you look at various sports, and understand that there are traditional values that are kind of silly. Win.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"The Garden of Last Days<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

By Andre Dubus III<\/span><\/p>\n

I picked this up on a whim at Borders, since it was on the discount rack. I have to say this is probably the best wayward discount book I\u2019ve picked up all year. From driven, intelligent strippers to the creepy inner conflicts of 9\/11 terrorists, it\u2019s a carefully paced, entertaining read, that made me a fan and pursue out more Dubus work later on in the year. Win.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span>The Extra 2%<\/span><\/h4>\n

By Jonah Keri<\/span><\/p>\n

Almost on the lines of Moneyball, in the idea that outside-the-box, unconventional to baseball, but conventional to business, lines of thinking are what transformed the Tampa Bay Rays into the powerhouse they are today. I know it\u2019s all about the Rays and all, but I\u2019ll be the first to admit that it feels a little too fellating to the organization. It\u2019s great what they did and all, but there\u2019s a tone of Rays-worship that is a little too prevalent throughout the book. Spoiler alert \u2013 the Rays still don\u2019t win a World Series. Regardless, it\u2019s a great read, and I recommend it to anyone who liked Moneyball. Win.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span>Undisputed<\/span><\/h4>\n

By Chris Jericho<\/span><\/p>\n

I really do like Chris Jericho, but the longer he tries to stay relevant, the more I think he\u2019s hurting himself. I respect his cunning intellect, and I like him as a performer, but I can\u2019t really say I liked this book. It\u2019s too self-aware, way too snarky, and there\u2019s a tone throughout it all that is kind of high on itself. I like lots of wrestling books, but there\u2019s a lot of bitterness, excessive jabs between the lines thrown out there, and a forced feeling of trying to be funny and witty. And looking back at the timeline from this book, to the current, Jericho\u2019s gone on hiatus at least three times since, and I hope there won\u2019t be books about each and every one of those. The whole \u201cburned-out then return in a year\u201d thing is getting old. Loss.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span>Bottom of the 33rd<\/sup><\/span><\/h4>\n

By Dan Barry<\/span><\/p>\n

Absolutely loved this book. There\u2019s a point when watching any baseball game, where you dread extra innings. Especially if the extra innings were a result of a heart-breaking blown save. But during many extra-inning games, there comes a point where the feeling changes, and you kind of wish for the extra innings to go on forever, because you think you\u2019re witnessing something magic, and beautiful about two teams completely unrelenting to one another for just one run. But nothing in history would probably ever compete with what happened on the Easter of 1981, when the Rochester Red Wings and the Pawtucket Red Sox played to 32 deadlocked innings that spanned over eight hours, and required to be completed several months later. The longest game in baseball history, a part of me kind of wonders that I would\u2019ve liked to have been at such a milestone night if I were alive. Win.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span>Survivor<\/span><\/h4>\n

By Chuck Palahniuk<\/span><\/p>\n

I read this book long ago, before I had an appreciation for Palahniuk\u2019s work. Upon finding it for a dollar at a thrift store, and not owning it previously, it only made sense that I give it another whirl. It was obviously one of his earliest works, but I have to say it still captured the nihilistic style that seems sort of forced or absent in a lot of his current works, that seem more experimental and not quite what made me love his work in the first place. No-decision.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span>King of Plagues<\/span><\/h4>\n

By Jonathan Maberry<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve enjoyed the Joe Ledger series as a whole, and I have to say that King of Plagues was enjoyable as well, but I have to point out that there was one gigantic flaw, that I\u2019m actually curious to know if it\u2019s a flaw, deliberate, or simply an error. I kind of wish I sought out the author during the last Dragon-Con so I could\u2019ve asked him personally, but I neglected to do so in probably my drunken stupor. But a key antagonist\u2019s identity is literally revealed by name midway through the book; it\u2019s not mentioned again until the rest of the antagonist\u2019s allies are all revealed as well, which makes me wonder if it was deliberate or not. Win.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span>Those Guys Have All the Fun<\/span><\/h4>\n

By James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales<\/span><\/p>\n

As a sports fan, I thought it would be interesting to read about ESPN, from a journalistic\/tabloid sense. But really, I made a critical mistake in picking this book up, and I should\u2019ve at least read through the first three pages to have realized that I was probably going to hate the entire book\u2019s format before actually purchasing it. Long story short \u2013 this would be a great documentary, but as a book, and actually having to read the testimonials instead of watching and listening to them; not very fun. A gigantic book that seemed to go on forever, I pushed through however, and kind of wish I had my time back. Loss.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span>House of Sand and Fog<\/span><\/h4>\n

By Andre Dubus III<\/span><\/p>\n

Apparently the book that made Dubus famous, and actually spawned a movie as well. It was an enjoyable read, and captured the emotion and despair of desperate characters better than anyone else I\u2019ve read in quite some time. It\u2019s actually kind of frightening, the way that desperate parties can escalate into such horrific circumstances, but it was an entertaining story throughout regardless. And as should be predicted, the book was better than the movie, although it was one of the rare instances where I thought Jennifer Connolly actually was attractive. Desperation and attainability probably had something to do with that, but whatever. Win.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span>When the Game Was Ours<\/span><\/h4>\n

By Jackie MacMullin<\/span><\/p>\n

As much as I favor baseball over basketball, I have to admit that I think basketball leads to better stories than baseball does. Especially basketball stories that encompass players that I grew up watching and were familiar with in my youth. Reading about the stories of the rivalry between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird was enjoyable and easy to read, and I found myself blowing through this book with ease. It\u2019s a reminder of what a shame it was that Magic\u2019s career was cut short by the HIV, and brought light to essentially Larry Bird\u2019s own undoing, when the root of his career-ending back problems more or less started when he staunchly built his own basketball court instead of contracting that work out. Win.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span>Bullpen Diaries<\/span><\/h4>\n

By Charley Rosen<\/span><\/p>\n

This was the last book I ever bought from a Borders bookstore, before they all started going out of business. I figured it was poignant, because it was a baseball book, and a book specifically about the guys who close out ballgames, the closers. But not just any closer, but the best of all time, in Mariano Rivera. Unfortunately, the book kind of sucked. It was more or less a printed out blog of a biased Yankee superfan, who gave subjective ratings and opinions about Yankee relievers. Too much biased Joba Chamberlain agenda, and old school grudge bearing against inconsistent relievers. Loss.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span>My Life Outside the Ring<\/span><\/h4>\n

By Hulk Hogan<\/span><\/p>\n

I purchased this book off the discount rack at Barnes and Noble. Ultimately, every wrestler\u2019s book ends up on the discount rack, and this was no exception. It\u2019s kind of a trainwreck of a book, and possibly one with an agenda. And having grown up with the internet, there\u2019s lots of outlets to read of conflicting opinions about the Hulkster, so there\u2019s a little bit of jaded mindset going into the book. Naturally, the Hulkster essentially tries to put himself in the most positive of lights, but I think there are a lot of matters addressed in the book that makes me lean towards thinking its more earnest than people may think. There are a lot of intimate details disclosed that I\u2019m surprised he put in writing, but naturally there are always two sides to every story, and in regards to his ex-wife, it kind of paints her to be the anti-Christ, to the point where she predictable wrote her own rebuttal book. Overall, it wasn\u2019t bad. No-decision.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span>The Midnight House<\/span><\/h4>\n

By Alex Berenson<\/span><\/p>\n

Continuing on the John Wells saga, I made it through to the fourth installment of the series. I don\u2019t want to give too much away, but I think we\u2019ve gotten to the point where a little bit of agenda is injected in the midst of the story, in order to get a message across, or to gripe a little bit. Regardless of my suspicions, the book was still entertaining as the three prior installments. Maybe a little less exciting than its predecessor, kind of like a Dexter season 3 sort of way, but it wasn\u2019t bad overall. The fact that I can\u2019t really find as many words kind of says it all, I suppose. No-decision.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span>Girls for Breakfast<\/span><\/h4>\n

By David Yoo<\/span><\/p>\n

I know I said I was skeptical about Korean authors, but the synopsis for this book, and the fact that I paid maybe $3 for this made it worth a shot. The pros are that it was easily one of the more entertaining reads by a Korean author I\u2019ve ever read, because to some degree I think I can relate with the author\u2019s thoughts as the story is being told. But the cons are that the protagonist of the story, I kind of didn\u2019t like. But it\u2019s a feeling nonetheless, and it\u2019s better than having none at all. But the main character is an emotionally whiny kind of asshole at times, and although it\u2019s kind of hypocritical of me to say, I don\u2019t like the shame he seems to harbor for his ethnicity, but I\u2019d be lying if I said I didn\u2019t have some of the same hangups. Win.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span>Double Dexter<\/span><\/h4>\n

By Jeff Lindsay<\/span><\/p>\n

Although I liked the book as a whole, I have to say that I think that the Dexter book series can\u2019t go on much longer, much like the television series. For starters, the fact that the first-edition cover alone is now the same logo as the television show makes me feel that the books are slightly leaning on television-established appearances and personas, rather than the other way around. Character development is kind of turning Dexter weaker and weaker with each progressive book, and it\u2019s beginning to lose that mystique of the calculated killer who was ready for everything. But the story as a whole, was a little too predictable as a whole, and I found myself being able to figure most everything out fairly quickly. Win.<\/span><\/p>\n

Overall, on the 2011 year, my record of books is a respectable 11-3 with four no-decisions. That\u2019s about as good as a hotshot rookie pitcher emerging in June, and earning his keep throughout an abbreviated Major League season.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Amazingly, with the amount of things I\u2019ve been doing on a routinely basis, I still found time to read a few books this past year. Gone are the days where I\u2019d pound out 30+ books, but at least I can say that I read more in 2011 than I did in 2010 (18 vs. 17). … Continue reading The 2011 Book List<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[74,15],"class_list":["post-31925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-brog","tag-books","tag-og"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/totfc.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/totfc.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/totfc.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/totfc.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/totfc.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=31925"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/totfc.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31925\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31944,"href":"http:\/\/totfc.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31925\/revisions\/31944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/totfc.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=31925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/totfc.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=31925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/totfc.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=31925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}