Picked this book up at the same time as volume III (see previous post). Three bucks also. Not worth full price which I'm assuming would be $16~$18. Worth a few days reading on the bus but, once again, too many near misses / honourable mentions instead of actual Darwin Awards. Bit of light-hearted reading.
Showing posts with label Save The Children Giant Book Sale. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Save The Children Giant Book Sale. Show all posts
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Book Review - Pelé - The Autobiography
Last book review for 2011. I promise.
Can't say that I saw Pelé in action but I know of him as the most famous soccer (football) player in history. And he's remained in the spotlight long after his career on the pitch came to a close. Just had to grab his autobiography for the $4 it was listed for at the Save The Children Fund Book Fair.
What a fabulous read. Pelé certainly led a charmed life. He could have fallen out of a train window when a youngster but his dad pulled him back in. He almost drowned and had to be saved from a river by a stranger. It's heartening to hear of all the struggles that he endured as a child playing soccer in the street with the local boys with newspaper wrapped in a sock for a ball, trouble to organise a team with kit enough for all players and the financial difficulties for the family.
I guess the story was always going to be heartwarming as we well know that he turned out to be a superstar and would always have a great story to tell. But the way his life story is told is compelling. I read this book in a period of two days whilst on holiday and even didn't turn the computer on when I returned so that I could finish it.
For a man that achieved so much he doesn't come across as conceited but I did get the impression that it was perhaps a little sugarcoated. He mentions almost nothing of his two legitimate daughters and finally makes mention of one daughter born to a woman who was not his girlfriend (later his first wife) and then another daughter that was born whilst he was married. His first son, from his first marriage, finally became a professional footballer, as goalkeeper, but got involved with the wrong crowd and spent time in jail. At the time of writing he was still incarcerated. You can feel a father's pain but it also seems to be written as though Pelé is trying to maintain his image.
But, what a life he has led. Even if you've never seen footage of him playing the beautiful game, joga bonito, a phrase which Pelé coined apparently [not, according to Wikipedia], but you are a fan of the game you should read this book. It is a marvellous story of one human being who is truly hard to define.
Quotes
- Fear of life is fear of the worst kind (a reference to not being able to provide food for the family).
- Happy is the child who can play out in the street.
- Some people have suggested that I was able to see more than other players because my eyes are further apart than normal. That's not true but I did end up doing tests and I do have very good peripheral vision.
- Determination brings success.
- There are few true friends in the world without any self-interest.
- People who are idolised mustn't disappoint their public - we wouldn't be half of what we are without them.
Can't say that I saw Pelé in action but I know of him as the most famous soccer (football) player in history. And he's remained in the spotlight long after his career on the pitch came to a close. Just had to grab his autobiography for the $4 it was listed for at the Save The Children Fund Book Fair.
What a fabulous read. Pelé certainly led a charmed life. He could have fallen out of a train window when a youngster but his dad pulled him back in. He almost drowned and had to be saved from a river by a stranger. It's heartening to hear of all the struggles that he endured as a child playing soccer in the street with the local boys with newspaper wrapped in a sock for a ball, trouble to organise a team with kit enough for all players and the financial difficulties for the family.
I guess the story was always going to be heartwarming as we well know that he turned out to be a superstar and would always have a great story to tell. But the way his life story is told is compelling. I read this book in a period of two days whilst on holiday and even didn't turn the computer on when I returned so that I could finish it.
For a man that achieved so much he doesn't come across as conceited but I did get the impression that it was perhaps a little sugarcoated. He mentions almost nothing of his two legitimate daughters and finally makes mention of one daughter born to a woman who was not his girlfriend (later his first wife) and then another daughter that was born whilst he was married. His first son, from his first marriage, finally became a professional footballer, as goalkeeper, but got involved with the wrong crowd and spent time in jail. At the time of writing he was still incarcerated. You can feel a father's pain but it also seems to be written as though Pelé is trying to maintain his image.
But, what a life he has led. Even if you've never seen footage of him playing the beautiful game, joga bonito, a phrase which Pelé coined apparently [not, according to Wikipedia], but you are a fan of the game you should read this book. It is a marvellous story of one human being who is truly hard to define.
Quotes
- Fear of life is fear of the worst kind (a reference to not being able to provide food for the family).
- Happy is the child who can play out in the street.
- Some people have suggested that I was able to see more than other players because my eyes are further apart than normal. That's not true but I did end up doing tests and I do have very good peripheral vision.
- Determination brings success.
- There are few true friends in the world without any self-interest.
- People who are idolised mustn't disappoint their public - we wouldn't be half of what we are without them.
Sunday, December 04, 2011
Book Review - Cricket's Hall of Shame by Dave Warner
I love statistics and cricket is a sport that oozes them. The author, Dave Warner, is not the Australian who made his test debut against New Zealand in Brisbane over the weekend.
I got the book at the Save the Children Giant Book Sale for $3. There is a huge amount of stories of ineptitude and failure amongst test cricketers referenced in this work. It covers the worst bowlers, wicketkeepers, fielders and batsmen. There are the lowest team scores, the slowest scorers and heaps more. I was slightly disappointed in some of the content but maybe my expectations for the material were a little bit much. Having said that, if you are interested in cricket it would be worth borrowing from the library to read.
I got the book at the Save the Children Giant Book Sale for $3. There is a huge amount of stories of ineptitude and failure amongst test cricketers referenced in this work. It covers the worst bowlers, wicketkeepers, fielders and batsmen. There are the lowest team scores, the slowest scorers and heaps more. I was slightly disappointed in some of the content but maybe my expectations for the material were a little bit much. Having said that, if you are interested in cricket it would be worth borrowing from the library to read.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Book Review - Everest from sea to summit by Tim Macartney-Snape
At the last Save The Children Book Fair at UWA I purchased Everest from sea to summit by Tim Macartney-Snape. Turns out that it is an autographed copy, although with my name not being Margaret its' probably not worth quite as much as it could be, and not a bad buy for $6.
As soon as I saw the title I knew what the book was about. It's the personal account by New Zealand-born Australian Tim Macartney-Snape's trek from sea level in India to the summit of the world's highest peak. Without oxygen. On foot. Wow!
I like his style of writing and found it to be quite engaging. Not that I'd say as though I felt that I was a part of the journey but he has a lovely way of describing his experience and you find yourself wanting to be there to share the experience. India was a bureaucratic nightmare, maintaining a team of personnel to help was eventful and the wait around base camp prior to his summitting the mountain was painstaking. Even the journey to the summit had me hanging on during his struggle. And I knew that he'd made it beforehand!
It's a great read and Tim Macartney-Snape is a bit of a philosopher who wanted to examine the human condition. What more reason do you need to scale Everest with the start point being 1000kms away?
I picked out a number of quotes from the book that I'd like to share:
p11 - Heroes provide role models and encourage lesser people to strive harder - Richard Cashman.
p45 - To a certain extent the probability of an accident is determined by the caution and judgment you exercise.
p52 - I believe the path to a greater spirituality is through self-knowledge and understanding, not resignation to mysticism; through mastering consciousness, not blocking it out.
p94 - The danger faced is mostly the result of one's own mistakes.
p105 - ...on any journey the only way forward can sometimes be backward..
p129 - We can only look forward to the time when the cause of human upset has been eradicated by an understanding of our condition.
p130 - By making the object of the journey the destination rather than the journey itself, we rob ourselves of an important element of living.
p155 - There is pleasure in hard physical work, a celebration of the remarkable and perfect teamwork of the body's individual parts.
p167 - ...even our greatest mountains are but the tiniest crinkles on the Earth's surface and it is only because we are so small that we perceive them as grand.
p169 - Comfort should not be gained from an airy promise of some mystical afterlife but from the certainty that we are inextricably part of the continuum of life.
pp169-170 - Caring for the environment is a question of education and common sense. The more we are alienated from nature, the more that sense is hidden.
p172 - "to rought it you've got to smooth it".
p212 - Impatience is an easy attitude to cultivate, and it tends to be blind to future possibilities.
p220 - Nothing has ever seemed as lonely and desolate as leaving that wreck of a camp at 3.30 in the morning to head up an icy slope that seemed never to end.
pp224-225 - Criticising others is a natural thing for us to do; it offers us relief from our constant, subconcious self-criticism.
p229 - Even the most insignificant act can help realign the mind in a positive direction.
p245 - One should not go to a famous place if one seeks solitude, even the top of Everest.
As soon as I saw the title I knew what the book was about. It's the personal account by New Zealand-born Australian Tim Macartney-Snape's trek from sea level in India to the summit of the world's highest peak. Without oxygen. On foot. Wow!
I like his style of writing and found it to be quite engaging. Not that I'd say as though I felt that I was a part of the journey but he has a lovely way of describing his experience and you find yourself wanting to be there to share the experience. India was a bureaucratic nightmare, maintaining a team of personnel to help was eventful and the wait around base camp prior to his summitting the mountain was painstaking. Even the journey to the summit had me hanging on during his struggle. And I knew that he'd made it beforehand!
It's a great read and Tim Macartney-Snape is a bit of a philosopher who wanted to examine the human condition. What more reason do you need to scale Everest with the start point being 1000kms away?
I picked out a number of quotes from the book that I'd like to share:
p11 - Heroes provide role models and encourage lesser people to strive harder - Richard Cashman.
p45 - To a certain extent the probability of an accident is determined by the caution and judgment you exercise.
p52 - I believe the path to a greater spirituality is through self-knowledge and understanding, not resignation to mysticism; through mastering consciousness, not blocking it out.
p94 - The danger faced is mostly the result of one's own mistakes.
p105 - ...on any journey the only way forward can sometimes be backward..
p129 - We can only look forward to the time when the cause of human upset has been eradicated by an understanding of our condition.
p130 - By making the object of the journey the destination rather than the journey itself, we rob ourselves of an important element of living.
p155 - There is pleasure in hard physical work, a celebration of the remarkable and perfect teamwork of the body's individual parts.
p167 - ...even our greatest mountains are but the tiniest crinkles on the Earth's surface and it is only because we are so small that we perceive them as grand.
p169 - Comfort should not be gained from an airy promise of some mystical afterlife but from the certainty that we are inextricably part of the continuum of life.
pp169-170 - Caring for the environment is a question of education and common sense. The more we are alienated from nature, the more that sense is hidden.
p172 - "to rought it you've got to smooth it".
p212 - Impatience is an easy attitude to cultivate, and it tends to be blind to future possibilities.
p220 - Nothing has ever seemed as lonely and desolate as leaving that wreck of a camp at 3.30 in the morning to head up an icy slope that seemed never to end.
pp224-225 - Criticising others is a natural thing for us to do; it offers us relief from our constant, subconcious self-criticism.
p229 - Even the most insignificant act can help realign the mind in a positive direction.
p245 - One should not go to a famous place if one seeks solitude, even the top of Everest.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Save The Children Giant Book Sale
The annual Save The Children Giant Book Sale is on this weekend in Perth. It's being held at Winthrop Hall at UWA and finishes on Wednesday. Get in, grab lots of bargains, help out this worthy charity and get reading! I have.
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