Truthfully I don't even really know how these work. But I'm having a lot of fun clicking through all the linked blogs, and this week's question gives me an excuse to write a post I've been sitting on for awhile. Actually, I don't even know if you're supposed to make a post answering the question. But whatever, I was inspired!
Q: The book you're never gonna read again?
Ugh, any number of books that were assigned in school. I think The Art of Keeping Cool was my first experience with god-awful literature, followed several years later by Johnny Tremain. Then in high school, there was Beowulf and, of course, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. That was the only book ever assigned to me (at that point) that I ever made the conscious decision not to read, after I couldn't make it through the first chapter.
But I didn't link up with this to complain! If you're surprised that this got me thinking about Olympic books, than we clearly don't know each other very well. I've wanted to make a list of Olympic books to read for ages, and this was the perfect excuse to peruse Amazon! My list had over 20 books on it, and narrowing it down was a serious issue... so I didn't. Yay! :P
Okay, I've already read The Boys of Winter and Going for the Gold, but the more I read about this team, the more I want to read about this team. So One Goal is a total no brainer. As for Miracle On Ice, it's just a collection of all the New York Times stories written about the team. Um, as someone who wrote a thesis based on the Times' coverage of the Olympics, does this not sound like the most awesome thing ever? And apparently, used, it costs one cent. So, uh, this will shortly be in my possession.
Okay, I've already read The Boys of Winter and Going for the Gold, but the more I read about this team, the more I want to read about this team. So One Goal is a total no brainer. As for Miracle On Ice, it's just a collection of all the New York Times stories written about the team. Um, as someone who wrote a thesis based on the Times' coverage of the Olympics, does this not sound like the most awesome thing ever? And apparently, used, it costs one cent. So, uh, this will shortly be in my possession.
These are the books that prove, without a doubt, how much of a nerd I am. I literally cannot believe A Century of Olympic Posters exists, I'm THAT excited about it. And Secrets of the Olympic Ceremonies? I mean, hello! (Though I could probably contribute to that one. ;D) The Book of Olympic Lists is subtitled, "a treasure trove of 116 years of Olympic trivia," so, y'know. Olympic Turn Around is about, "How the Olympic Games stepped back from the brink of extinction to become the world's best known brand and a multi-billion dollar global franchise." Call me crazy, but I find that fascinating. And then, of course, there's The Official History of the Olympic Games and the IOC: Athens to London 1896-2012. I could probably crawl into that book and live in it.
Is anyone else perversely interested in the play-by-play and minute details of the Munich Massacre? Just me? Ahem. Well then. I'm also super interested in the Holocaust, so there's that. But I think that reading One Day in September would be fascinating. Morbid, but fascinating. Much less morbid is The Second Mark which is about the figure skating judging scandal in Salt Lake City 2002 that gave Jamie Sale and David Pelletier the second gold medal of the pairs competition. Unprecedented stuff, man. And hey, that's something I actually remember witnessing! The programs, the first medal ceremony, the second medal ceremony, all of it! Whoa, how 'bout that? I loved them. I think they're divorced now and it makes me kind of depressed.
Well, I think I've fully cemented my status as the ultimate nerd. And I'm Not. Even. Sorry. #boom
This is a fascinating and thoughtful bibliography of books about the Olympics. Surely there's an article in the making here. --- And you're a devotee, not a nerd!
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