Book picks similar to
Cocky Batter: A Cocky Athlete Story by Drake Rockford
got-it
low-angst
mm-have-bk
sports
Sweating Blood: My Life in Squash: The Official Autobiography of Nick Matthew
Nick Matthew - 2013
That’s not physically possible, but if you could Nick Matthew would have done it by the bucket-load. Throughout his 15-year career, Matthew has fought his way to the top of the PSA World Rankings in his gladiatorial sport, winning 25 World Tour titles, including being crowned world champion on two occasions and British Open champion three times. Nick holds the record of five British National titles in addition to being crowned Men’s Singles and Men’s Doubles Gold Medalist at the 2010 Commonwealth Games making him England’s most successful player. Sweating Blood: My Life In Squash is much more than the tale of a squash player. In this brutally honest story: Nick psychoanalyses his own obsessive-compulsive personality and explains how it helps him win; He remembers how, as a late developer, he was constantly told he lacked the talent to succeed yet went on to become the most successful English player of all time; He gives an amazing behind-the-scenes access to the sport: the prize money, the anti-doping, the gruesome training, the post-match celebrations, the crazy players on the PSA World Tour and the far-flung corners of the globe where he competes; He remembers the career-threatening shoulder operation that eventually put him on the road to World Championship and Commonwealth Games glory; He tries to understand how his relationship with another top British player went so horribly wrong; He digs back into his Yorkshire upbringing and remembers the colourful characters who turned him into the champion he is today; And he pinpoints the most crucial moments in his career – the moments when he really felt like he was sweating blood.
Too Far
Mike Lupica - 2004
Not even the death of the team's manager can dampen the enthusiasm for long, but then a kid on the high school paper begins to hear things-stories of brutalities at a team retreat, of hazing that went over the line . . . of murder. But no one wants to know, and at every step, the ranks close against him-the school, the parents, the police, the town fathers. Soon the threats begin, then the physical intimidation, and even after he recruits a fallen-from-grace city newsman named Ben Mitchell to help him, the incidents get uglier-and more dangerous. "You always kill for a big story," Mitchell tells him. "You don't get killed for one." But it may already be too late. Things may have gone too far. For years, such top thriller writers as Harlan Coben, Elmore Leonard, and Carl Hiaasen have praised Lupica for his tightly wound plots, rich characters, and dialogue "that is alone worth the price" (Leonard). Now Lupica joins their ranks. Too Far is a major novel of suspense-and a book that makes us all look in our own backyards.
Ask a Pro: Deep Thoughts and Unreliable Advice from America's Foremost Cycling Sage
Gaimon Phil - 2017
Gaimon gathers the best of his popular Q&A column—and pokes fun at his younger self.Despite the howling protests from his peers, no one’s ever been more willing to spill the beans on what it’s really like inside the pro cycling peloton than the sarcastic scribe Phil Gaimon. Building on the outrageous success of his hilarious 2014 debut, Pro Cycling on $10 a Day: From Fat Kid to Euro Pro, Gaimon gathers the absolute gems from his monthly Q&A feature column in VeloNews magazine into his new book, Ask a Pro: Deep Thoughts and Unreliable Advice from America’s Foremost Cycling Sage, adding a dose of fresh commentary and even more acerbic and sharp-eyed insights. With six years of material to work with—including his incredible rise into the pro ranks, the devastating loss of his contract for 2015, and his bold return to the Big League—Gaimon covers every possible topic from the team dinner table to the toilet with plenty of stops along the way. Gaimon offers wise-ass (and sometimes earnest) answers to fan questions like: · How much chamois cream should I use?· I’ve started shaving my legs. How can I be accepted by my friends?· What do you do to protect yourself when you know you’re about to crash?· How many bikes does my husband really need?· What’s the best victory celebration? Do you practice yours?· In women’s cycling, what is the proper definition of a pro?· What do you say to someone if they honk or almost hit you?· Do you name your bikes?· What do pros think when they see a recreational cyclist in a full pro kit or riding a pro-level bike?· Can you take your bike apart and put it back together?· How bad does the weather have to be to call off a training ride?· How do you know when it’s time to change a tire?· When you’re in a breakaway all day, do riders form a future friendship?· Riders keep complaining about "unsafe" weather at races. When did pro cyclists turn into such wussies?· How do the pros define a "crash"?Gaimon wields his outsider’s wit to cast a cock-eyed gaze at the peculiar manners, mores, and traditions that make the medieval sport of cycling so irresistible to watch. Ask a Pro includes new resources from Gaimon, too, including his Cookie Map of America, dubious advice on winning the race buffet, a cautionary guide for host housing, Phil’s pre-race warm-up routine, and a celebrity baker’s recipe for The Phil Cookie.
Cross-Checking
Evie Graham - 2020
One of the hardest choices was ten years ago, when I left Coraline Campbell and Lilac Harbor in the rearview mirror to play hockey and provide for my father.Now, I’m back. Back in the small town I grew up in, breathing in the same air of the last person who made me feel whole. Chasing that feeling. Coraline has made her own choices. She’s not the same girl I fell in love with, and she has her own secrets to hide. When her final choice brings me to my knees, I have my own decision to make.Will I let the anger and betrayal consume me, or will I fight for the only thing in my life that makes sense? Can we have a second chance?
Getting Sacked
Van Cole - 2021
The College Quarterback And The Bad Boy United Against Their WillsMy senior year takes an unexpected turn with my mom’s remarriage.A new stepbrother who hates my guts and a new stepdad who becomes our new coach.To make things worse he hires my stepbrother Dean as his assistant.I’m playing on unfamiliar territory.Dean has a tatted and toned figure, with a dark, intimidating gaze.I can’t tell if I want to prove myself to him or if I want...something more.I feel a connection between us I can’t ignore.I think he’s starting to feel it too.A big part of me wants to find out, and another part is too scared.I’ll be laying it all out there if I want the answer and there will be consequences.Getting Sacked is a standalone Gay First Time Football Romance with a HEA and NO cheating!
Rescue My Heart
Avery Ford - 2017
In his final year as an undergraduate, he’s been working himself ragged keeping up with the demands of work and school and the serious business of What Comes After Graduation. Dmitri O’Hannahan has never really had anyone to depend on. Up until a few months ago, he’s been the primary caretaker for his family, allowing his mother to spend her final months of life in comfort. Dmitri isn’t sure how to relate to humans - the Malinois dogs he raises are much easier to understand and relate to. He’s got trust issues a mile wide, and it doesn’t help that some young, starry eyed kid has decided to make him persona non grata at his only real social outlet - the Locust Hill Shelter. When Arthur comes into enough money to allow him to take a step back from his busy schedule, he decides to fill the void by volunteering at his local animal shelter. But finding out that the brooding, if deliciously handsome, Dmitri breeds and sells dogs rather than just adopting them leaves Arthur with a bad taste in his mouth that not even Dmitri’s illicit kisses can transform. Rescue My Heart is a a steamy, standalone gay romance novel, with a happily ever after ending and no cliffhangers.
Take My Breath Away
Malia Ulmus - 2017
There's really no other choice for someone who was the son of a shepherd, from a village of shepherds, hidden in a remote mountain valley. School was nothing but a distant memory, nobody in his village went there for more than a few years. Skills like reading the weather, sensing when a sheep was about to give birth, knowing how to make the most of the milk and cheese, those were what they needed to get by. And maybe also the ability to survive in solitude. Because growing up a shepherd meant you’d spend the summer months mostly depending on your own, sheep and dogs your sole companions. More importantly it was a life free from the ravages of war that were inflicting other parts of his country. Most of the villagers and shepherds had become wary of both soldiers and the resistance fighters. He'd heard stories of soldiers torturing innocent villagers just because a resistance fighter had spent the night in one of their stables or of so-called resistance troops looting villages for food. His village's seclusion is the shield that protects them and his small family... until the day he stumbles over a severely injured freedom fighter, one whose beauty and charm turn Raul's world upside down. The two men spend the summer of their lives together. But autumn and with it Raul's return to his village, his wife and his child, is approaching mercilessly. After a spending such a summer together, how can they possibly face a future apart?
The Wolf King Needs an Heir
Max Rose - 2021
A prophecy he doesn't entirely believe has forced his hand. Either he marries a werewolf from the Silvius bloodline and produces an heir, or his kingdom is finished. Edric rules the most powerful wolf kingdom in the U.S., and he's not about to watch everything he's built fall to pieces. But he faces big problems. First, the Silvius royal family was completely wiped out in his grandfather's era. Second, he's gay. That complicates things when it comes to the nitty-gritty of making an heir. Fortunately, an eccentric old wolf seer has found a solution: a male omega wolf named Julian Wilson—the offspring of a werewolf and a human—who can have a child. The omega is illegitimate, born on the wrong side of the sheets, and grew up around humans, but he has Silvius blood in his veins. Edric knows his duty. He must mate this omega and produce his heir to stop the prophecy…and then he'll decide whether to keep the omega or exile him back to the human world. But Julian is like no wolf he's ever met—not only hauntingly beautiful but unassuming, genuine…and kind. The omega is dangerous, but he's only a threat to Edric's rigid way of seeing the world...and to his heart.Julian Wilson feels like a nobody. He works the drive-thru window at a fast-food joint, struggling to pay for night classes at the community college. So when a limo rolls up and he's offered money to meet with a king, he's sure it's a scam or a joke. Then he loses his job. Desperate, he agrees to meet King Edric...and immediately regrets it. The alpha wolf is so handsome and sexy that Julian has to stop himself from drooling over a man who could star in his fantasies. When the king asks for Julian's hand in marriage to avoid a ruinous prophecy, he nearly falls over. Julian doesn't believe in prophecy, and this might turn out to be a loveless arranged marriage, but he's at the end of his rope. At least sex with Edric will be hot, Julian will live in a palace, and he can do more good in the world as mate to a king than he ever could alone. Julian knows his duty. He must give this king his heir, doing his best to protect the child he carries inside. Soon Julian is pregnant and discovers far more depth and passion to his mate than he first realized, even if the alpha doesn't like humans. Edric would be an easy man to fall in love with... But there are wolves within the royal court seeking to end the union of a king and a tainted-blood omega and will stop at nothing to rip their love apart.Reader note: contains M/M Mpreg, wolf shifters, hot romance elements, and male male love
Suarez (Classic Football Heroes) - Collect Them All! (Ultimate Football Heroes)
Matt Oldfield - 2017
Luis was too quick. Before they could move, he had pounced on the ball and fired a shot into the top corner.'
Suarez follows the Uruguayan's winding path from love-struck youngster to Liverpool hero to Barcelona star. Grabbing goals and headlines along the way, this is the inspiring story of how the world's deadliest striker made his mark.Ultimate Football Heroes is a series of biographies telling the life-stories of the biggest and best footballers in the world and their incredible journeys from childhood fan to super-star professional player. Written in fast-paced, action-packed style these books are perfect for all the family to collect and share.
Reindeer Games: An Impromptu Seduction Holiday Edition
Stephanie Nicole Norris - 2021
I encourage you to read that book first before reading Reindeer Games.
Ruck Me: (I’ve written another book)
James Haskell - 2021
His glittering international rugby career that took him from England to New Zealand and France – including 77 caps for England – is over. What will he do now? What is his purpose in life?In Ruck Me, James sets out on a voyage of self-discovery speaking to ex-colleagues, friends and family, reflecting on his career and diving into some of his most memorable personal anecdotes to date. But what started out as a search for understanding and meaning soon turns into a – let’s face it, sometimes warranted – chastisement opportunity with James directly in the firing line. Turns out he has a lot of work to do…As funny as it is outrageous, this brilliant book acts as a lesson on how (not) to retire gracefully and move forward. And ruck me – you won’t want to miss it.
The Comeback: How Larry Ellison's Team Won the America's Cup (Kindle Single)
G. Bruce Knecht - 2016
New Zealand needed just one more win. Oracle ultimately beat back the odds in what's been called the greatest comeback in sport. But was it? G. Bruce Knecht set out to investigate how Oracle turned things around and, most particularly, the source of extra horsepower that seemed to come from nowhere during the final races. What he discovered was that the team was using a sailing technique that was prohibited under the rules. The Comeback is a pulse-pounding account of Oracle's desperate stop-at-nothing campaign.G. Bruce Knecht, a former staff reporter and foreign correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, is the author of three books, including The Proving Ground: The Inside Story of the 1998 Sydney to Hobart Race. Larry Ellison was a major character in that book as well and it explains how his experience in the race led to his pursuit of the America's Cup. A sailor himself, Knecht raced across the Atlantic in 2005 on the yacht that broke the 100-year-old transatlantic race record.Cover design by Charles Rue Woods.
Confounded: Alasdair's Dilemma
Harrison Phillips - 2018
Six loud boisterous alpha brothers made family life hell for a quiet alpha and as soon as he could, he moved out into his own home. Now the only thing missing was his mate. His wonderful submissive beautiful little mate who was out there somewhere. He just knew it. And Fate answered him. Just not the way he had it planned out. Now he’s stuck reforming his biker bum alpha mate into something that will fit into his life. Dash, short for Dashiell Williams Parkes III, was testing the new prototype motorcycle his company was going to produce when his mate, an alpha, slammed into him with a car. And then he proceeded to yell at him for breaking his ’61 Corvette! After the first whiff of mate, there was no way he was letting this wolf get away even if he was a prig. He let his mate assume he was an out-of-work biker bum who fixed motorcycles to pick up cash while he worked on his mate’s attitude and plan to reform him into being a suitable Alpha Mate.
The Belgian Hammer: Forging Young Americans into Professional Cyclists
Daniel Lee - 2011
Only thirty-six Americans have competed in the Tour de France since the world’s greatest bicycle race began in 1903. That’s not too many more than the twelve Americans who have walked on the moon. It’s far fewer than the hundreds of Americans who have reached the summit of Mount Everest.But rising stars such as Lawson Craddock of Texas, Benjamin King of Virginia, Taylor Phinney of Colorado, Daniel Holloway of California, and Tyler Farrar of Washington state are doing just that as they endure crashes, cold rain, cobblestones, crosswinds, and culture shock on their road to cycling stardom, which starts in Belgium.This is the story of the next generation—of riders not yet tainted by drug scandals, of riders still bursting with hope and potential. This is the story American cycling fans need right now. -------------------“People, get ready for great stories written well. The Belgian Hammer captures cycling culture.” —Benjamin King, 2010 U.S. Pro Road Racing Champion“The Belgian Hammer is the unique story of professional cycling that hasn’t yet been told until now. Daniel Lee has revealed the road map for the next generation of Americans hoping to become successful in Europe, where cycling is king.” —Jim Ochowicz, President/General Manager of the BMC Racing Team.“All of us who left our tire prints on the European circuits remember how racing there shaped us forever. With passion, Daniel Lee gives substance and perspective to the experience of young Americans trying to make it in Europe; and bicycle racing is illuminated by his craft.”—John Howard, three-time Olympic cyclist, who set a bicycle speed record of 152.2 mph in 1985“For those who admire images of cyclists flashing with arms spread wide in triumph over the finish line on blue-sky days, Daniel Lee gives us an insightful, forceful, and gritty account of the rigorous―and frequently perilous―route that cyclists take to force their way up the ranks and develop skills to win. A former racer himself, Dan Lee puts his passion for the sport into his newspaper reporter experience and writing talent. In The Belgian Hammer he follows Taylor Phinney, Benjamin King, Daniel Holloway, and other legends in the making on the USA Cycling national team living in Belgium, where the young bloods from around the world go to test themselves against the best of their generation. They compete in tight packs exceeding 150 riders pumping over narrow wind-blown roads slick from rain while threading through the countryside at unrelenting speed. To spectators cycling matches the grace of ballet. Daniel Lee reveals its uncompromising demands and brutality and heroics.” ―Peter Joffre Nye, author of The Six-Day Bicycle Races: America’s Jazz Age Sport and a Trustee of the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame