Thursday, August 14, 2008

Booking Through Thursday--On Your Mark, Get Set....GO!


You, um, may have noticed that the Olympics are going on right now, so that’s the genesis of this week’s question, in two parts:

First:

  • Do you or have you ever read books about the Olympics? About sports in general?
  • Fictional ones? Or non-fiction? Or both?

And, Second:

  • Do you consider yourself a sports fan?
  • Because, of course, if you’re a rabid fan and read about sports constantly, there’s a logic there; if you hate sports and never read anything sports-related, that, too … but you don’t have to love sports to enjoy a good sports story.
  • (Or a good sports movie, for that matter. Feel free to expand this into a discussion about “Friday Night Lights” or “The Natural” or whatever…)
During my misspent youth, I loved to play volleyball and basketball. I also loved to watch horse racing and remember fondly the times I went to the Illinois State Fair and watched harness racing in the afternoon and the horse show in the evening. A man from my small farm town was one of the farriers for the Budweiser Clydesdales. (I know, not a sport, but it's horse-related!) I can still tell you where I was when Secretariat won the Belmont, and the Triple Crown, in 1973. When I got a bit older and blew out both knees playing basketball, I became more of an armchair sports fan. I still watched horse racing, but I added figure skating to the mix. When Torvill and Dean came to Phoenix, I had a front row seat. Until I moved away, I'd spend several Sunday afternoons laying on the grass and listening to Cubs games on the radio with my grandfather. When I got a computer, something had to give because there weren't enough hours in the day to do everything. I seldom watch sports anymore, except for Phoenix Suns basketball. As for the Olympics, I stopped watching them when they started allowing pros to participate. That really went against my grain.

As for reading about sports, I have to say that I've never read any books about the Olympics. They've just never interested me. The only sports books I do read are about horse racing, both fiction and non-fiction. Lauren Hillenbrand's Seabiscuit is a marvelous book, and for once I can say the movie is just as good. (That's a rare occurrence!) I also enjoy a good sports movie like Seabiscuit or Chariots of Fire, and there's one coming out soon called The Express that sounds good.

9 comments:

  1. Hi there! I see you like crime fiction! Have you read any Martina Cole? She's an English writer I just discovered recently and I'm loving her!

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  2. I keep seeing her name crop up when I'm looking at titles, but I haven't checked her out yet...partially due to the fact that no one else I know seems to have read any of her books. Your comment will give me the incentive to look much more closely. Thanks!

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  3. Great answer..very interesting ;0)

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  4. While I was growing up my grandfather was a fan of harness racing, I always thought any riding sports were amazing. It blows my mind to think of the skill and determination involved - success is not based solely on the human, but on how well they work with their horses. To me that is a true partnership.
    (that sounds rather sappy, now that I re-read it lol)

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  5. You are correct: pros should not be in the Olympics.

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  6. I forgot about Seabiscuit. I loved that movie.

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  7. I also played Volleyball in high school and hurt my right knee, which for the last few weeks has been annoying me with tight pain... I suppose that's arthur starting.

    I didn't know you were from Illinois! Wow. I'm in Indiana. Our state fair is a great state fair, don't miss it don't even be late is finishing this week. They moved it up in the month so families could attend without the kids missing school.

    BTW, if you liked the movie "Seabiscuit", you should try "Farlap". It's like an Australian Seabiscuit, and also a true story. My middle daughter is a huge horse lover, and knows all things equine. :-D

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  8. I wouldn't consider myself a sports fan. I do like my Mariners, even if they haven't done well the last few years, and I love to go to Mariners games. Sports on TV bores me but can be easily talked into going to just about any kind of sports game live.

    I have never read books about sports or the Olympics. I follow the Olympics but don't watch them. I guess it goes with the whole "I don't watch much TV" mindset.

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  9. I'm not much of a sports fan, but I do love me some summer olympics events. I always wanted to be a gymnast, but my mom told me I was too tall. So I became a couch potato instead.

    I don't read many books based on sports, but it doesn't bother me if the characters are athletic...I just might not "get it" like a more athletic reader might.

    Thanks for stopping by my blog! I love to meet new bloggers (well, new to me). :)

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