SUPER FRANK

This is some book. As a lifelong fan of Douglas Thompson, the Jimmy Greaves of pulp fiction, I am not surprised he brought to life one of football's famously reclusive personalities.

King of the King's Road - no suggestion here of the nasty rumours sweeping the net about Frank's leanings! - and a vital player in England's bid for victory at the 2006 World Cup, Frankie Lampard is a footballer of genuine, dynamic majesty, limited only as Douglas says by his penchant for stodgey food. The East End boy who's become a West End star, he's hailed by fans, women, critics, players and managers worldwide as a player of great value.

So does this book tell us anything new? Yes and no. Yes, we learn that Franky is a rich chap and no we don't know what makes him tick. Even so it's a great beach read. Personally I think Douglas should stick to novels which is where his strength is. Why waste such talent on a footballer of such limited brain power? Douglas was built for bigger things than this.

LAURA : AMERICA'S FIRST LADY,FIRST MOTHER

This book will delight every Laura Bush fan who has followed her journey from the woman who first appeared as a shy, self-conscious shadow behind George W. Bush to her new image as a role model for all American women everywhere. Now we can learn more about Laura without having to resort to reading the tabloids. Antonia Felix has written a fascinating, informative book filled with insider tidbits from Laura's friends and family, showing us a more fully drawn woman than the one we are used to seeing on TV for quick glimpses.

The author takes us on a journey from Laura's birth and childhood to the woman she is today. Her commitment to her marriage and her family is so important to American families today, with all the stresses and bad influences around them. Her mother's recollections of Laura are very revealing and probably the best thing about this book, written with obvious care to detail by Ms.Felix.

IF you're looking for a harsh expose, you'll be disappointed. The author is as respectful of her subject as the First Lady is those around her,starting with her own family. It's about time someone wrote a nice book about a very nice woman who happens to be our First Lady, and is certainly our First Mother.

WALK ON WATER

A real fan of Ruhlman's previous books, I knew that this would make for good reading. Squeemish at times for those of us not use to inside O.R. environments with all the procedures and organs being talked about, this rivets one to pediatric heart surgery.

Fashioned around a premier surgeon at a leading hospital, the reader is taken on a whirlwind of living on the edge of technology and skill and emotions as heart defects are diagnosed during pregnancy while others found at birth and thereafter are the daily routine of this top notch surgical team which Ruhlman lived with and writes about.

One is touched by the intensity of the whole enterprise, the stark reality of it all, day after day, year after year. The enormity of it all. Patching this, switching that, shunting here, stiching this together---all to keep young precious life.

The history of the discipline and current happenings are reviewed, with its emphasis on comparative mortality stats for various surgical procedures. Scary to think one's future might well be determined by where one lives and where taken when heart defects occur.

The precision and dedication of those who live in this arena is beyond most of our scopes to even begin to fathom, but this book seems to take one there in spirit and interest. The compassionate care looms ever large.

Thoughtful, provocative and reflective view of speciality surgery at the leading edge and all the while on edge.

THE UMPIRE STRIKE BACK (RON LUCIANO)

Ron Luciano was born in New York 1937. He join Syracuse in 1957 and was a very good football defensive player. He played in Pro College All Star game. He was drafted by Colt then traded to Detroit Lions only to retire early due to injury.

He was approached by Lions owner to enter Florida State league baseball as an umpire. Moved gradually from minors to major league. His big size was imposing when striking out player. He likes Reggie Jackson and Nolan Ryan. He even admit Nolan’s fastball was difficult to monitor,
Has big problem with Earl Weaver. He later join broadcasting with NBC. Elected president for MLB umpires for 2 terms.

AUDIBLES (JOE MONTANA)

Joe Montana was born in Pennsylvania to an Italian immigrant family. First played football in Ringgold High School before joining Notre Dame. Played descent football and was selected 3rd round (82nd pick) by 49ers. When he joined Steve de Berg was the no1 QB and OJ Simpson was in his last season.

Won his first Superbowl in 1982 beating Bengals 26-21. He respect Bill Walsh as a good coach although never been appreciated by BW (he once said Montana was no Einstein !!!). The best moment was in Superbowl 1984 Montana vs Dan Marino (Miami Dolphins) and 49ers won 38-10. Joe Montana was criticized for parking his Ferrari in handicapped zone and he was not supporting the player strike in 1982.

THE HP WAY (DAVID PACKARD)

Dave Packard and Bill Hewlett both Stanford graduates decided to form a company called HP. One of the first product is Audio Oscillator sold to Disney Studios (their first customer). Their first calculator Model 35 in 1972.

Dave Packard was selected as US Sec of Defense in 1969. Seeing potential in computing industry they decided to build their own and 2116 Minicomputer was the first by HP. They venture in printing business by partnering with Canon. The first printer was fridge size HP 2680.

In 1963 they team with Yokogawa to start business in Japan. Now it's known as HP Japan. HP was the first company in US to use flexi working hours. They pilot test it at their plant in Germany and then exercise it to the whole corporations. They also believe in MBWA (the 2 of them practice it during their GE days)

HP (with Dave Packard as Sec of Defence) contributes in the development of F16 and F18 fighter jets.

THE CENTRAL PARK JOGGER

In April of 1989, a young woman was brutally assaulted and raped while jogging in New York's Central Park. The attack captured headlines around the world as the anonymous "Central Park Jogger" fought to recover from massive injuries that left her near death. Fourteen years later, in a first person account, Trisha Meili broke her silence in the best-seller I am the Central Park Jogger: A Story of Hope and Possibility.

In the book, Trisha Meili discusses the incident in her own words and reveals who she was before the attack and who she became as a result of it. She tells the story of a competitive and driven young executive at a finance firm whose life was destroyed, and how she ultimately rebuilt it.

GUT FEELING (CARNIE WILSON)

When Wilson's gastric bypass surgery was broadcast over the Internet in 2001, it made news not simply because of Wilson's role as singer/songwriter with the pop group Wilson Phillips, nor because she is the daughter of The Beach Boys's Brian Wilson, but also because she had been (and remains) an advocate for self-acceptance, regardless of size. Despite years of dieting, Wilson suffered with morbid obesity, which threatened her health with skyrocketing cholesterol levels, hypertension, sleep apnea, sciatica, breathlessness, and joint pain. Gut Feelings is a wonderfully candid revelation of Wilson's life from childhood to maturity.

Her weight problems were family rooted with nature and nurture both contributing and she frankly discusses her feelings about herself, her family, and her friends. After undergoing the bypass surgery, she lost over 150 pounds and had to relearn how to eat and, equally important, how to adjust emotionally to the new Carnie. Beyond the personal story, this book offers appendixes in which a bariatric surgeon, nutritionist, endocrinologist, and psychologist answer questions about open and laparoscopic gastric surgery. These appendixes are invaluable for anyone interested in weight-control surgery, but readers will get at least as much insight into it through the author's tale.

THE LAST VICTIM (JASON MOSS)

Moss was an 18-year-old college student at UNLV. While studying for his honors thesis, he established relationships with John Wayne Gacy, Richard Ramirez, Henry Lee Lucas, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Charles Manson. He obtained samples of correspondence from and interviews with these men. Jason researched what would interest his subject the most and then cast himself in the role of disciple, admirer, surrogate, or potential victim.

In his book he mentioned that he was interested in a career with the FBI; he reasoned that gaining the trust of a serial killer, possibly learning more about their stated crimes or unsolved murders, was a way to distinguish himself as a job candidate.

It was with 33-time killer John Wayne Gacy, the "Killer Clown", that Jason forged the strongest relationship. Letters led to regular Sunday morning phone calls, during which Gacy trumpeted his innocence even as he gave Jason a guided tour of his world. In the book, Moss tells the story of his correspondence and eventual live meeting with Gacy shortly before Gacy was executed. According to the viewpoint informing the title of this book, Moss became Gacy's "last victim" after a face to face meeting in prison, in essence being overpowered by the mind of the serial killer. Moss felt that this misadventure allowed him to understand how a killer's mind works in not only controlling the vulnerable but also in terms of how to break them.

SHEER BOTTLED BLISS (IAN PARAMENTER)

Australia′s best-loved TV chef, Ian Parmenter, shares his experiences, starting with culture shock as the London journalist arrives in Perth in 1971, then moving on to the discovery of his beloved weekender by the Margaret River, and gradually transforming it into a winery producing 3000 bottles of chardonnay a year.

Enjoy his adventures and misadventures - which include the Home-made Cheese Disaster, battles with farm machinery, the annual gravel party - and the joys and triumphs of the first grape harvest. It′s a hilarious tale of country life and the ′sea change′ that we all dream about, with the added touch of classic recipes and fun variations on such dishes as Roast Lamb and the World′s Best Gravy, and Flaming Fruits with Meringue.

CALIFORNIA DREAMING (LAWRENCE DONEGON)

California Dreaming is the tale of Lawrence Donegan, an ex bass player turned journalist, living out a grim life in Glasgow. He’s always dreamed of going to live in America but it’s only when an old friend turns up and hugs him in the street (hug? In Glasgow?) that he gets his chance – his friend now runs a silicon chip company in Los Angeles and offers Lawrence a job.

Lawrence heads out with his girlfriend and soon discovers that he has no idea at all of what a silicon chip is or what on earth he might be doing in an office full of people who listen to Kenny G. More than that he can’t understand how everyone talks about how much money they make and how much they spent on their cars, homes and hair cuts. He finds himself wondering if he’s the only sane person in a neighbourhood of “..27 Mexican landscape gardeners, one black guy who worked in the café on the main street and ten thousand rich white folks with nice tans and big white teeth.”

He soon discovers that his American dream is to become a used car salesman. This comes about primarily with the ease that he’s talked into buying a car and the profit that the salesman makes. After wading through weeks of bureaucracy to get a salesman licence (?) he’s given a job after 30 seconds at the first place he walks into and is told to get out there and start selling with no training at all.

I rate this book 7/10 ( a very good example of a person that wanted to try something new)

ONE HIT WONDERLAND (TONY HAWK)

In the life and career of Tony Hawks, a couple of periods stand out as being highlights. In recent times, after a career as a comedian, he accepted a couple of stupid bets, firstly to hitchhike around Ireland with a fridge and later to play the entire Moldovan football team at tennis. It is not so much these events that were to be the highlights, but that he was able to write a book based on each of them. And very funny and well written books they were, too.

However, well before this, there was Morris Minor and the Majors, who had a Top 5 hit with a song called “Stutter Rap”. Drawing on Hawks’ first loves of music and comedy, he had for fifteen years been little but a “One Hit Wonder” – an artist who has one hit record and is never heard from again. Tony Hawks, however, isn’t happy with being a “One Hit Wonder”, as he feels he has the talent, if not as a singer, then as a songwriter, to hit the charts again. So he takes on another bet – to have a hit record, either as a writer or a performer, within 2 years.

As with his previous books, we follow Tony as he aims to win his bet. This takes him to the heart of country in Nashville, to the Sudan, and all over Europe. We also get to meet all the people Tony meets along the way, from Sir Tim Rice to Simon Cowell, who was just an A+R man at that point, and not the evil “Pop Idol” judge he became famous for being.The story is told in Hawks’ usual style, with what feels like complete honesty and in a chatty style that’s easy to read.

However, this is slightly less so than in his previous works, as he’s relying on a lot more people to assist him in winning his bet than before. This means that a lot more of the time is spent setting up meetings and discussing how to win the bet, rather than going out to win it and so a lot more of the telling is conversations with other people rather than Tony’s recounting of what happened.

I rate this book 7/10 (love the element of humor)