Review: God and Starbucks: An NBA Superstar's Journey Through Addiction and Recovery

God and Starbucks: An NBA Superstar's Journey Through Addiction and Recovery by Vin Baker
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The story of addiction, mostly to alcohol but also to the NBA star lifestyle. Starbucks wasn't the savior here, just a small step on the path between Baker's playing (and drinking) career and his role in an NBA team's player development. Baker also had a stint as a preacher that was probably longer and more interesting than his Starbucks experience, but perhaps it wasn't novel enough to put in the title of his book. The most interesting thing about this story is that Baker had a drinking problem when most of the addiction stories you hear about now are for drugs. An old school addiction for an NBA star is different. Also, his inside view of the NBA star lifestyle was everything you'd expect.

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Review: American Born Chinese

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A set of three very different stories that come together in the end in a very nifty way. I've thought about this quite a bit since I originally read it six months ago. It wasn't the story that stayed with me, it was the feeling and the ah-ha understanding you got at the end. Nicely done.

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Review: Birthday Stories: Selected and Introduced by Haruki Murakami

Birthday Stories: Selected and Introduced by Haruki Murakami by Haruki Murakami
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A collection of short stories having a connection to "Birthdays". I recall the stories being hit or miss, but overall enjoyable. I write this about a half year after reading, and the only part I recall clearly is the introduction. So I guess I really appreciated Murakami explaining himself.

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Review: Pitch by Pitch: My View of One Unforgettable Game

Pitch by Pitch: My View of One Unforgettable Game by Bob Gibson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

One of the best baseball books I have read. A lot of my enjoyment has to do with Gibson's personality, during the game in the 60s that he dissects here, and his changed personality as the reflective, older writer. Gibson the pitcher was a mean fellow back in the day. Gibson the writer is willing to tell you why -- how he used his meanness to his advantage on the mound and in life. And you get the impression he has mellowed with age. Not completely, but enough to learn from. Great read.

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Review: Horse

Horse by Geraldine Brooks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this to follow a college alumni book club, but I must admit I didn't really keep up with the conversations. I'm very glad I read it though. I hadn't heard of the historically great horse that the book is written about, but I've run across this story in other books since I read this. I enjoyed the feel of the times, from the parts of the story that took place in the Civil War era. And I enjoyed the mystery of how all the introduced people would fit together. The art dealers arc and the final arc about the student were not quite as interesting, but it provided the right amount of closure and completeness to the story. I liked it and would read more by Brooks.

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Review: Win Shares

Win Shares by Bill James


Another Bill James classic. In this one, Bill rethinks the numbers to assess a team / standings / stadium / era free measure of the good a player has done for his team, offensively and defensively. The beginning of the book rolls out the statistic and its creation, and it is quite complex and has a number of stand-alone rules to make it all work. It's understandable why he had the complexity given the task, and he compares his method to other methods in existence that tend to be less complex or rigorous. The second part of the book is taking the numbers he generated and writing those analysis papers that you expect from James, and he adds some good ones now, given he believes he has a better handle on the numbers to answer questions like who was the best second baseman by season. The final half or so of the book are the generated winshares for players and teams over time. I found it another enjoyable romp into the says who type of arguments you get into about baseball, and provides a well thought out, and often pithy answer.

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Review: Backstage Passes & Backstabbing Bastards: Memoirs of a Rock 'N' Roll Survivor

Backstage Passes & Backstabbing Bastards: Memoirs of a Rock 'N' Roll Survivor by Al Kooper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dear Lord, how had I never heard of this guy? I guess I wasn't paying attention. Kooper shows up at key places in rock and roll history, Zelig-like. From writing "This Diamond Ring" to hanging around a recording studio and lucking into playing organ on Dylan's "Like a Rollin' Stone" to producing and playing on Lynyrd Skynyrd albums and the Tubes albums to starting Blood, Sweat and Tears, Kooper has been behind many of the songs I have loved throughout my lifetime. His story seems unbelievable, which is the one thing that made it a little uncomfortable reading -- were you being fed a line of bull, or is it possible a guy got this much exposure to the rock world for twenty years (with a name that didn't ring a bell). I guess I believe. Very fun read, lots of rock and roll anecdotes. Kooper is a big name dropper, he mentions many in the rock and roll, folk, jazz, and blues worlds. And he shares pictures with many of these other stars. Again, very Zelig-like. A fun read.

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