Book Review | The Incredible Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League by Anika Orrock

The Incredible Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League is a nonfiction book by Anika Orrock.

This book chronicles the history of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League and the stories of the first women to play professional baseball in a league of their own.

"In 1941, the world was at war, and with American men fighting overseas, the much needed pastime of professional baseball was in danger of extinction—until women stepped up to the plate."

In this heartwarming illustrated history, the League's story is told by the ones who know it best: the players. Author Anika Orrock collects a variety of funny, charming, wince-worthy, and powerful vignettes told by the players themselves about their time playing the American pastime.

I miss baseball so hard right now, and this book filled some of that void for me.

The Incredible Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was different than I expected. It's mostly a book of quotes from the players, the coaches, and the press.

I loved the quotes from the players! It began with little snippets that every girl can relate to! Boys not wanting a girl on their team until - of course - they started losing (Lois Youngen) or being told girls don't need baseball gloves (Norma “Hitch” Whitney).

Then it moved on to the memories of these incredible women playing baseball. At first these memories were absolutely precious, but the insights regarding their uniforms and femininity and the makeup requirements were hard to hear! I think the quotes did a good job of showing what things were really like for these women.

I loved getting insights into how tough and amazing these women were! I just wish I could have gotten more information about each of them. There were a few profiles of the baseball players, but the narrative was mostly about the league as a whole. I would have loved some background on the women and some specific stories about the women to give more substance to the quotes in the book.

Overall, though, this was a wonderful book to curl up with for an evening. I love this sport, and it's amazing to think of all of the things these women accomplished both on the field and after.

⭐⭐⭐★★

Review copy provided by publisher

Book Review | Run to the Finish by Amanda Brooks

Run to the Finish: The Everyday Runner's Guide to Avoiding Injury, Ignoring the Clock, and Loving the Run by Amanda Brooks is a nonfiction book about running. I'm telling you guys - books about running have the longest titles ever.

Inspiration and practical tips for runners who prioritize enjoyment over pace and embrace their place as an "average" runner

In her first book, popular runner blogger Amanda Brooks lays out the path to finding greater fulfillment in running for those who consider themselves "middle of the pack runners" -- they're not trying to win Boston (or even qualify for Boston); they just want to get strong and stay injury-free so they can continue to enjoy running.

Run to the Finish is not your typical running book. While it is filled with useful strategic training advice throughout, at its core, it is about embracing your place in the middle of the pack with humor and learning to love the run you've got without comparing yourself to other runners. Mixing practical advice like understanding the discomfort vs. pain, the mental side of running, and movements to treat the most common injuries with more playful elements such as "Favorite hilarious marathon signs" and "Weird Thoughts We all Have at the Start Line," Brooks is the down-to-earth, inspiring guide for everyone who wants to be happier with their run.

Last month I dnf'ed a judgmental running book within the first few pages, and I'm so happy to have picked up Run to the Finish instead. If you run, you are a runner. Full stop. In Run to the Finish, Amanda Brooks acknowledges that on the bell curve of running capabilities, most of us are going to fall somewhere in the middle.

What I absolutely love about this book is it shows the mindset of a runner. Runners are such great people, and I think she nails the passion and the lack of judgment that you will find with the majority of runners.

It took me a while to figure out who this book was intended for. At first I thought it was for someone who was considering becoming a runner. I felt like the first 10% was spent convincing me to become a runner even though I already was one. But then the next 20% made running sound so painful I felt like the people she convinced to run in the first chapter would already be ready to quit!

Thankfully she mentioned running isn't actually supposed to hurt before she dove into injuries and prevention.

In the second half of the book, she took a look at training plans and gave advice on nutrition, clothing, etiquette, and more for race day.

I love that the author is passionate about running and is sharing her experience and knowledge with anyone interested in being a runner. I think the best audience for this book is probably the beginning runner who is looking for insight into what it means and what it takes to be a runner or the runner who would like some insight into entering road races.

⭐⭐⭐★★

Review copy provided by publisher

Book Review | Inside a Marathon: An All-Access Pass to a Top-10 Finish at NYC by Scott Fauble and Ben Rosario

Inside a Marathon: An All-Access Pass to a Top-10 Finish at NYC is a nonfiction book by Scott Fauble and Ben Rosario.

Inside a Marathon gives readers an all-access pass into the mind of a coach and an athlete as they work together to prepare for one of the world's most prestigious races, the New York City Marathon. Follow along from two different perspectives as Scott Fauble and Ben Rosario share all of the highs and lows over the course of the 18 weeks leading into NYC. Fauble and Rosario take an unprecedented dive into what exactly goes into professional marathon training, and they tell a compelling story along the way.

I know this feels like a pretty random review for my blog, but I have two reasons for wanting to post it. 1) I'm trying to get in a habit of reviewing every book that I read. 2) I really loved it so I want to put some thoughts out into the world.

I think the best way to explain what this book is about is to pull this paragraph from the chapter 1:

"That brings us to what this book is—in the simplest terms, this book is a training log. It’s a record of the training that is going to happen between this moment, as I sit in a coffee shop after absolutely inhaling a burrito, to November 4, when I cross the finish line of the New York City Marathon. While “training log” may be an accurate description of this book, my hope is that it is not sufficient to describe what follows. My hope is that the word, “journal,” better describes the contents of the following pages. So with the goal of sharing the most complete record of this season possible, I have decided to partner with my coach/friend/designer of the semi-regular suffering that informs my life, Ben Rosario. We’re going to be sharing this journey with you as authentically, completely, and accurately as possible."

Each chapter of the book is broken in half with one half being a journal from coach Ben Rosario and the other half being a journal from runner Scott Fauble. I have to admit to completely geeking out over both the idea of this book and the execution. I imagine this book was a ton of work (at over 450 pages), but I would kill for them to do it again through the Olympic Trials this year (and dare we say Olympic Games).

I'm not sure how wide of an audience this book is meant for, but if you are interested or geeking out in any way, I highly recommend it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5/5 stars

And since I have a strong habit of not reviewing any of the nonfiction books that I have read, some other running books I have loved include:

• Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall
• 50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days -- And How You Too Can Achieve Super Endurance! by Dean Karnazes with Matt Fitzgerald
• Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness by Scott Jurek with Steve Friedman

One thing I know for sure: running books have long titles!

Book Review/Christmas Gift Recommendation: Marvelocity: The Marvel Comics Art of Alex Ross

Marvelocity is a nonfiction, full color book related to the art of Alex Ross.

Here is the beloved Marvel Universe of comics characters, brought to thrilling life as only Alex Ross can. They're all here: Spider-Man, Captain America, Iron Man, the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Black Panther, and many more--all seeming to leap, blast, and launch off the page.

For almost thirty years, Ross has been working nonstop to create some of the most astonishing images in comics, and while Marvelocity collects the very best of that oeuvre, it's much more than that. Inside are hundreds of drawings, paintings, and photographs that have never been published before, including an original ten-page story featuring Spider-Man versus the Sinister Six, redesign proposals for the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, and a re-creation of an epic battle between the Sub-Mariner and Iron Man.

But this isn't just the story of the Marvel characters--it's also the incredibly inspiring true tale of a little boy who only ever wanted to draw and paint super heroes. And with enough determination, talent, and very hard work, that's precisely what he did. Marvelocity is the result, and is sure to entrance and delight fans of all ages.

Christmas gift idea alert! This book is jaw dropping. Last year I was blown away by Grady Hendrix's Paperbacks from Hell. This year it's Marvelocity: The Marvel Comics Art of Alex Ross.

There is so much to see and experience in this book. Not only is it a large coffee table sized book (weighing in at 312 pages), it's full color and jam packed on every page with beautiful images and information.

You will learn about Alex Ross and his artwork,

his influences,

unexpected art mediums,

as well as art influenced by his work, and so much more.

If you are a Marvel/comic fan, I highly, highly recommend Marvelocity, but this would also make an amazing Christmas gift for the comic fan in your life.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Review copy provided by publisher

Book Review | Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix (with Will Errickson)

Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction is a nonfiction book from Grady Hendrix and Will Errickson.

Take a tour through the horror paperback novels of the 1970s and ’80s . . . if you dare. Page through dozens and dozens of amazing book covers featuring well-dressed skeletons, evil dolls, and knife-wielding killer crabs! Read shocking plot summaries that invoke devil worship, satanic children, and haunted real estate! Horror author and vintage paperback book collector Grady Hendrix offers killer commentary and witty insight on these trashy thrillers that tried so hard to be the next Exorcist or Rosemary’s Baby. It’s an affectionate, nostalgic, and unflinchingly funny celebration of the horror fiction boom of two iconic decades, complete with story summaries and artist and author profiles. You’ll find familiar authors, like V. C. Andrews and R. L. Stine, and many more who’ve faded into obscurity. Plus recommendations for which of these forgotten treasures are well worth your reading time and which should stay buried.

This book is astonishing.

First of all, Paperbacks from Hell is a gorgeous book. All of the pages are in full color, and every aspect of this book is high quality. You could call it a coffee table book, but there's a lot more to Paperbacks from Hell than just the stunning paperback images.

Paperbacks from Hell is divided up into the major categories of horror fiction that were prevalent in the 70's and 80's. Topics like 'Hail, Satan', 'Creepy Kids', 'When Animals Attack', and 'Real Estate Nightmares' walk the reader through the history of the horror genre. The written content in Paperbacks from Hell is just as extraordinary as the visual content. There's a lot of information about publishers, authors, and cover artists, as well as insight into what the readers were wanting and how the market shifted throughout the horror boom. The commentary is filled with a lot of humor and a lot of love.

I felt so much nostalgia reading Paperbacks from Hell. Whether I was remembering the books I saw growing up or remembering books I've read and loved, I had a great time revisiting the horror paperbacks of the past. There were also quite a few books that were completely new to me.

After making my way through Paperbacks from Hell, I can't help but have paperback envy and regrets over the books I've purged over the years. Paperbacks from Hell has sparked a love in my heart for even the worst of books.

I can't say enough about Paperbacks from Hell. It's a must read for anyone interested in the history of horror fiction, and I highly, highly recommend it.

10/10: Awesome Read

Review copy provided by publisher