No comments about Michael Ballack: The Biography.

No comments about David and Victoria : An Invitation to the Wedding.

5 comments about My Favourite Year: A Collection of New Football Writing.

1. Being a football supporter myself I understand the stories put into this book. If you are a football fan read it because it is about us. There is alot of emotional, joyfull and sad scenes in this book and somehow they all revolve around football. Cracking book alex ross



2. The subtitle (A Collection of New Football Writing) might lead some to thing this is a book of short stories like" A Book of Two Halves", but it isn't. What Hornby has assembled is a collection of 13 essays by writers (including himself) about their favorite season following a soccer team. Unfortunately, many of the essays are boring as hell to this American reader, with names of unknown players streaming by meaninglessly by and all manner of pop culture-specific references drifting past. Roddy Doyle's (The Woman Who Walked Into Doors) essay on Ireland's 1990 World Cup run is nice, as are Don Watson's piece on Leeds United '74/'75 and Giles Smith's piece on Chelsea '73/'74, both of which feature the authors as children. And of course Horbny's own piece on the futility of following Cambridge United in '83/'84 is entertaining as one might expect.



3. Books about sports tend to be "subliterature". "My favourite year" would definitely be an exception to this rule - if it was a book about sports, or, more specifically, about football. But this collection of short stories is much more than that, utilizing events and facts related to football to describe human passion in its rawest and most exacerbated form. No matter the country, team or period, the stories reflect the kind of love (passionate, unilateral, unjustifiable, absurd, unconditional, etc.) that football fans all around the world know very well. Even with two or three less inspired stories, it is a highly enjoyable read throughout.Among many smiles and memories, it can even at moments bring tears to the eyes of the more emotional fans like myself.



4. The greatest strength of this collection of essays/reminiscences is its diversity. In wonderfully varied pieces, "My Favourite Year" captures a broad band of moods and shows just how multi-faceted our reactions to soccer--and, at a deeper level, our approaches to remembering--are.

   For someone not acquainted with the world of (mostly) English football (there are inclusions here as well of Scottish, Welsh, and Irish teams), some of these essays may be a tough go. I'd be tempted to say that the best pieces here are the most widely accessible ones--that is, the ones that cater to a more general public--but that wouldn't be true. The elation of Roddy Doyle's opening salvo could capture anyone's attention, since it seems less about soccer than about infectiously good memories. But some of the most interesting and powerful glimpses here will be impenetrable to those with little knowledge of the inner workings of club politics in England; Ed Horton's amazing probing of the woeful and criminal mismanagement of Oxford United is both engaging and important, but I confess that some of its finer points were lost on this American reader, despite the fact that I know a fair amount about the background.

   So, unlike Hornby's "Fever Pitch," which manages to make itself about life-in-general masquerading as life-in-soccer, this collection might be a little harder to penetrate for the casual observer of the beautiful game. If you're a bigger fan of the sport, I highly recommend it, especially during the upcoming World Cup year 2002. "My Favourite Year" is a great hors-d'oeuvre for a month-long World Cup meal of soccer at its best.




5. Unfortunately this is a mixed bag.

   As usual, most anthologies or collection of essays from a range of authors tend to have the `good', the `bad' and the `ugly'. It is no different with this collection.

   Ultimately, determining the good and the bad is dependent on personal choice. I found the majority of the essays to be rather dull, and uninspiring. Hornby's piece was probably typical.

   However there were three essays that made the experience pleasurable, as they described the highs and lows of the season, the love and hate of following a club and being a ardent club supporter, and the drama that overlays it all.

   The central premise of putting together a collection of authors to write about a season in the history of their club, and from the fans perspective, is to be applauded. But somehow, the expectation and the output never quite meet.

No comments about Baby Faced Assassin: The Biography of Mancester United's Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

No comments about Gray Matters: Andy Gray--The Autobiography.

1 comments about Clough: The Autobiography.

1. A good read from old "big mouth". He comes across as the arrogant, self confident, single minded man that made him a great manager and great entertainment.

   One of the best football autobiographies I've read.

No comments about Soccer: From Beckham to Zidane.

3 comments about Only a Game?: The Diary of a Professional Footballer.

1. One of the most controversial figures in contemporary journalism in Ireland, this is Dunphy's account of his years as a professional footballer in the 2nd division of the English league. His depiction of what it is actually like to be a professional sportsman is insightful, witty and original.

   Definitely one of the best books about football that I've read.




2. An excellent book - a unique look into the mind of a footballer playing in the English professional leagues in the mid-70s. An honest, witty and insightful diary account of the day-to-day life of a footballer, with all its ups, downs, pressures, frustrations, joys and comical relief. I recommend it strongly for anyone interested in soccer played at, or at least near, the highest levels. (Soccer America chose this book as one of their "must" soccer reads of all time.)



3. Dunphy provides a great look at life in the Football Associations 2nd division way before there was ever the idea of a Premier League. The time is the early 70's and footballers like Dunphy play for the love of the game. It's a demanding life, one filled with training, travel and tough games. Millwall have just come off a good season and as the team embarks on a new season hopes are high that they will make the 1st Division. Dunphy documents the trials and tribulations of the quest for glory, and how elusive it can be. A really great read.

2 comments about Being Gazza.

1. Being Gazza is an honest look back at his life by Gascoigne. Before this book I was just familiar with the media image of him as, basically, a clown who threw away his talent by too much partying. Now I understand the medical problems underlying his behavior. The book reveals just how much suffering he has gone through and demonstrates how celebrity helps worsen serious medical problems. Takes a lot of courage to be this frank and the book is an easy read for anyone interested in the person rather than just his football career.



2. I don't know anything about soccer players, but wanted to read about bipolar disorder. I love his conversational writing style and all his English-isms throughout the book. I was saddened at how much Paul Gascoigne had to deal with...besides bipolar disorder, as if that's not enough. Yet, it's really heart-warming to see how much he accomplished and continues to accomplish...a great deal more than many who don't have his afflictions.
   I don't think anyone would be disappointed reading this book.

5 comments about Beyond Suspicion.

1. so you may be wondering if this book is worth your time.
   
   'Beyond Suspicion' is a quick-moving book and is a sequel to Grippando's first published novel 'The Pardon'. I read 'The Pardon' many years ago, but reading the first book is not a necessary requirement - Grippando sets the stage very well in this book so it can be a 'stand alone' novel.
   
   I shot through this book very quickly - the plot drags you in pretty well and Grippando's writing style keeps the book moving along at a quick pace. The main character is fairly average and his world is suddenly turned upside down by one case and its connections to the underworld. Murder, mayhem and one family crisis after another keep it interesting. Grippando fills this novel with a multitude on interesting characters, any one of which would be strong enough to be the main character in a book.
   
   A good solid read - a great summertime novel.



2. Started out great, but fizzled into a typical 3rd rate suspense yarn. I think this book has put me over the edge. I'm giving up reading books of this kind and will do more research on who is writing better stories that don't let me down at the end.



3. Albeit the theme's book is kind of new, the viatical story with the Russian mob, the book loses itself in overly Miami descriptions. It also makes the love story of the first book "The Pardon" a phony one because in this book you'll know that Jessie was distraught since she were nine. So many of the situations in both books were because of Jessie, not because of Jack.
   
   If you read this book first than the other one you may like it because of the brisk pacing of the story. But that won't happen if you first read "The Pardon"



4. After reading some of the reviews I was a little worried. Don't be worried. I really enjoyed Mr. Grippando's second installment of Jack's life. I'm not going to write a plot summary since Amazon and several reviewers do that quite well. I liked how fast paced this novel was and I did like the concept/ideas presented. I did agree with some of the other reviewers about how it wrapped up. Just felt it wrapped up way too quickly with some plot holes. I enjoy his books so maybe I'm a little bias. I do recommend this book in the series so you can understand the future books but The Pardon has been the best one so far that I've read.



5. This is my second Grippando novel (I previously read Under Cover of Darkness) and I am starting to become a fan of this author. This book takes a big turn from the other book and has a great deal more action and suspense. Jack Swieteck defends a former girlfriend who ends up dead in his own bathtub. To complicate matters she apparently was murdered because of a medical scam against a group of investors who had bet their funds that she would die of Lou Gehrig's Disease. At first Jack is the primary suspect but then the blame seems to shift to his friend Theo (a former death row inmate).
   
   
   
   The book has the usual "unstoppable" assassin (Yuri) running around that likes to determine how his victim will die by whether or not they left their porchlight on. He gets involved in some really graphically described scenes of pure torture that could make the most insensitized individual cringe.
   
   
   
   Meanwhile there is an avenger named Katrina (she is really Cuban but Katrina is her adopted Czech name) who you are never really sure what side of the playing field she is on.
   
   
   
   The book is full of plot twists and turns and never gets boring.