For Sports I read Red
Rising by Ted Starkey. It’s a book about the Washington Capitals, my favorite
sports team as evidenced by about a dozen tees, two jerseys, two hoodies, one
jacket, several car magnets, and my dogs' names. I wish I’d liked the book as much as the team.
It’s hard to write a
book on such a dynamic topic. Starkey talks about the impact of the last
lockout but this book went to press before the most recent one, the
consequences of which are still playing out. Factor in the third coaching
system in as many years and the large roster change and the book felt a little
dated. I think the book would have done well to wait at least another season
before going to print because there were hints that big changes were still to
come.
Hockey is a very
visual sport; it’s blink-and-you-miss-it stuff. Reading about it in a book is
not nearly as interesting as seeing it live or in clips. The other problem is
that Starkey is a sports journalist and it shows in his writing style. What
works for a 250 word article doesn’t work for a 250 page book. Despite my love
of the subject matter, it often felt tedious and grating.
I enjoyed the chapter
about the impact the Caps have had on the DC metro area. Starkey talked about
the increase in rinks, youth hockey programs, and the media presence of various
players. How many people remember those Capital One ads with Ovi? Those parts
helped what was otherwise a very dry and technical feel. There were no personal
details about the players. Ward had to deal with major racist backlash after
beating Boston in Game 7 and we don’t hear one word about it.
I tried reading it
while the season was still happening but it was too much dissonance. There was
a lot going on with the Caps between the shortened season and the latest
coaching system. It was better finishing it in the summer but it just felt like
work in the end. They’re my team so I wanted to finish the book but I shouldn’t
be giving myself pep talks to read unless I wanted to go to grad school.
1)
Fiction – A Once Crowded Sky by Tom King
2) Nonfiction – The
Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett
3) Sci-Fi – Redshirts
by John Scalzi
4) Fantasy
5) Mystery – Book
of Lies by Brad Meltzer
6) Horror
7)
Memoir/Biography – Data, A Love Story by Amy Webb
8) Chick Lit – Me
and Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter
9) Feminist – Commencement
by J. Courtney Sullivan
10) Teen – What
Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen
11) Holiday
12) Essays – What
Was I Thinking? ed. by Barbara Davilman & Liz Dubelman
13) Short
Stories
14) Library
15) Animal
16) Book about
Books – Judging a Book By Its Lover by Lauren Leto
17) New – Pitch
Perfect by Mickey Rapkin
18) Old – Dark
and Stormy Knights edited by P. N. Elrod
19) Pop
Science – Why Men Fake It by Abraham Morgentaler, MD
20) Near
21) Far
22) Graphic Novel –
Love and Capes: Do You Want to Know a Secret? by Thomas F. Zahler
23) Reread – Ready
Player One by Ernest Cline
24) Wild Card
25) Otherworldly
Creature
26) Free – Point
Your Face at This by Demetri Martin
27) Noteworthy
28) Bestseller –
How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran
29) Themed
Anthology – Red edited by Kris Goldsmith
30) Steampunk – The Immersion Book of
Steampunk edited by Gareth Jones and Carmelo Rafala
31) Movie-Book
32) Media – Doctor
Who: Touched By an Angel by Jonathan Morris
33) Travel
34) Food
35) Classic
36) Humor – Sleep
Talkin’ Man by Karen Slavick-Lennard
37) Poetry
38) Past – Stasiland
by Anna Funder
39) Future
40)
Dystopia/Post-Apocalyptic
41) Zombie
42) Sports – Red
Rising by Ted Starkey
