Good Reads - Fiction

Sports

F/ABRAHAMS
Abrahams, Peter - The Fan - 1995, 338p.
Gil Renard, an unsuccessful knife salesman, is "the fan." When his life begins to fall apart, he sees baseball as his salvation, and player Bobby Rayburn as his savior. What happens when a fan becomes so fixated with a sport that he becomes friends with his idol and then tries to live his life? The Fan is a frightening story of obsession and compulsion.

F/SHORT STORIES/BASEBALLS
Baseball's Best Short Stories - 1995, 387p.
An anthology of twenty-eight short stories from writing greats such as Ring Lardner and Damon Runyon to Garrison Keillor and T. Coraghessan Boyle. Many of the stories are about the game of baseball, while others use baseball as a setting for lessons about life. Some great storytelling awaits the reader.

F/BICKHAM
Bickham, Jack M. - The Davis Cup Conspiracy - 1994, 384p.
Former pro tennis player and part time CIA agent Brad Smith is back, this time as the U.S. Davis Cup team captain. Besides managing a seemingly dysfunctional team, he is requested to spy on the Venezuelans who are sponsoring the matches. The highlight of the trip, though, is Smith's former girlfriend Linda who becomes his ally in attempting to thwart a military coup. Great tennis and a spy thriller, too!

F/DANIEL
Daniel, Mark - Unbridled - 1989, 223p.
Steeplechase jockey Georgie Blaine has had a fairly successful career while being known to take a dive once in awhile. His expensive lifestyle—a wife and family plus plenty of partying with other women—makes him an approachable target for throwing a race and so begins a maze of corruption for Georgie.

M/ELKINS
Elkins, Charlotte and Aaron J. - A Wicked Slice - 1989, 198p.
Lee Ofsted is in her first year as a golf pro, attempting to place in the top one hundred at the Pacific-Western Women's Pro-Am while surviving on free meals at the tournament, breakfast at the local Dunkin' Donuts and staying at the Motel 6. Things go from bad to worse though when she discovers the dead body of fellow pro Kate O'Brian while searching in a pond for balls. Just how competitive is the women's golf tour?

F/GENT
Gent, Peter - The Conquering Heroes - 1994, 300p.
Gent's newest sports novel chronicles thirty years in the life of Pat Lee, once a key player on a Michigan State champion high school team. Now he is recruiting coach for a big NCAA school and finds himself caught up in a system that does nothing to punish a player for a brutal crime except to cover up, lie and cheat so the athlete can continue to play. A story that sounds all too familiar—just like reading today's newspaper.

M/HENRY
Henry, Sue - Murder on the Iditarod Trail - 1991, 278p.
The Iditarod, the Alaskan dog sled race, is grueling and physically punishing, but never before has murder been a threat. When an experienced dogsled racer dies after smashing into a tree, state trooper Alex Jensen begins a homicide investigation. Soon there are more murders and fear for the remaining competitors. Not only a mystery, but wonderful details of the race.

W/KESEY
Kesey, Ken with Ken Babbs - Last Go Round - 1994, 238p.
Using a true story told to him by his father as the basis for this historical western, Kesey recreates a time in American history by telling the fictionalized account of three men and the first Pendleton Round-Up, a world champion rodeo competition. A coming-of-age novel about white Tennessee teenager Jonathan E. Lee Spain who is befriended by local black cowboy George Fletcher, and Nez Perce Indian Jackson Sundown who become friends while pursuing a championship title in 1911.

F/KINSOLVING
Kinsolving, William - Bred to Win - 1990, 612p.
Annie Grebauer moves from poverty in rural Kentucky to the glamorous life of thoroughbred horse racing in this novel of romance, family fortunes and the sport of kings. Taking the reader from stud farms to racetracks across America and Europe, Kinsolving has woven an engrossing story with lots of details about horse racing, past and present.

F/LLEWELLYN
Llewellyn, Sam - Deadeye - 1991, 282p.
On holiday sailing his new 45-foot racer, divorce lawyer Harry Frazer is rammed by another vessel off the coast of Scotland. While having his boat repaired in a small Scottish fishing village, Frazer becomes involved in an ecological investigation that takes him to Geneva, Rotterdam and Antwerp, and culminates in a physical confrontation back in Scotland. A seaworthy thriller.

F/LINKS
Links, Bo - Follow the Wind - 1995, 251p.
After a young golfer sneaks onto a golf course he chases after a ball he hit into the woods and finds himself in golf heaven. Here he encounters golf legends such Scot Tom Morris and Bing Crosby. He also runs into Ben Hogan who wants to replay the 1955 U.S. Open that he lost, but is convinced would have a different ending this time. Join some of the golf greats as they tee off and learn some golf history at the same time.

F/PATTERSON
Patterson, James and Peter deJonge - Miracle on the 17th Green - 1996, 149p.
Avid golfer Travis McKinley goes out to play a golf match on Christmas day and does so well that he forgets to go home to dinner. So much for his marriage—but hey, who needs a wife and family when you're suddenly such a good golfer that you can play in the PGA against your heroes, Jack Nicklaus and Raymond Floyd. After a while though, reality sets in and Travis decides that he does, indeed, need his wife and family but maybe it's too late.

SF/SIROTA
Sirota, Mike - Bicycling through Space and Time - 1991, 202p.
Lots of bikers buy new mountain bikes—but not like Jack Miller's. His new 21-speed bike is really special. It's the only bike whose extra gear can propel him onto the Ultimate Bike Path. Travel with Jack through worlds past, present, and future. Douglas Adams fans will especially enjoy the trip.

F/SOOS
Soos, Troy - Murder at Wrigley Field - 1996, 296p.
Remember the days when baseball players earned less than $5,000 a season—and no athletic shoe endorsements? Then you'll want to read this mystery starring infielder Mickey Rawlings. It's 1918 and patriotism is at an all time high with everything German, including composers, outlawed. Rawlings may find himself out of a job unless he can uncover who is sabotaging the team. Even worse, who killed his friend rookie Willie Kaiser on July 4 at the ballpark?

F/STONE
Stone, Robert - Outerbridge Reach - 1992, 409p.
Annapolis graduate and Vietnam vet Owen Browne has left the navy life to become a yacht salesman. When Browne decides to risk everything he has to enter a single-handed sailing race, his life will be altered in more ways than he can imagine. The race becomes an obsession that affects his relationship with his wife and threatens his very life.

F/TEVIS
Tevis, Walter - The Queen's Gambit - 1983, 243p.
As a child, Beth Harmon is orphaned by the age of eight. While living in an orphanage she one day happens on the janitor playing chess. She watches him until she learns the game and is thus transported to another world. As her talent becomes apparent, her life and that of the world of chess change forever.

YA/808.83/ULT
Ultimate Sports - 1995, 333p.
A collection of original short stories by some of today's best young adult authors including Chris Crutcher and Tessa Duder. Using both male and female characters, they tell about sports today and what may possibly be sports of the future. Sports may be the obvious theme here, but it's also about life and how to live it.

F/WALKER
Walker, Walter - The Appearance of Impropriety - 1993, 324p.
San Francisco's professional basketball team, the GoldenGaters, has had a fairly bad season on and off the court. Not only are they in fifth place, but recent articles by a leading sports columnist poses questions with possibly incriminating answers about those connected with the team. Is one of the players throwing games? Are there basketball groupies offering drugs and good times? A realistic and humorous look at professional basketball.

Prepared by Lynn McCullagh, May 1997