Friday, January 13, 2006
I also read Acceleration by Graham McNamee this week. It's one Daisy read recently and enjoyed. I enjoyed it as well, even though I thought the ending was a little too tidy. It's about a kid who works in the lost and found department of the Toronto subway. He discovers a journal written by a man who he suspects is a serial killer. It was a quick read and pretty suspenseful toward the end.
And then last night I read Wrecking Crew: The Really Bad News Griffith Park Pirates by John Albert. It's a quick and entertaining non-fiction book about a baseball team made up of thirtysomething punk rockers who never quite made it, ex-junkies, struggling actors, a transvestite, and Dave Navarro's cousin. Hee. John Albert himself was a former drummer for Bad Religion. His friend Mike, after kicking a heroin habit he picked up on tour with his band, decides he wants to play baseball in the community league. He starts collecting players and most of the book is made up of their stories. There is actually some baseball thrown in and there is a lot of humor here too. "Jordan was hitting infield grounders when I saw him stop, stare out into the field, and let out an exasperated sigh. I followed his steely gaze over to where Clay Jefferson was playing second base with a lit cigarette casually dangling from his lip. Jordan started to yell something, but then stopped and just shook his head. He swung the bat and hit a hard bouncing ground ball straight at Clay, who managed to field it perfectly with the heater still attached to his lip." There are the requisite ups and downs, relapses, heartbreaks, and, of course, the final game which decides who wins first place in the league. But there are also observations on growing up and learning to accept their lives. I felt at times there was a larger, better book trying to break free, but overall I really enjoyed it.
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And then last night I read Wrecking Crew: The Really Bad News Griffith Park Pirates by John Albert. It's a quick and entertaining non-fiction book about a baseball team made up of thirtysomething punk rockers who never quite made it, ex-junkies, struggling actors, a transvestite, and Dave Navarro's cousin. Hee. John Albert himself was a former drummer for Bad Religion. His friend Mike, after kicking a heroin habit he picked up on tour with his band, decides he wants to play baseball in the community league. He starts collecting players and most of the book is made up of their stories. There is actually some baseball thrown in and there is a lot of humor here too. "Jordan was hitting infield grounders when I saw him stop, stare out into the field, and let out an exasperated sigh. I followed his steely gaze over to where Clay Jefferson was playing second base with a lit cigarette casually dangling from his lip. Jordan started to yell something, but then stopped and just shook his head. He swung the bat and hit a hard bouncing ground ball straight at Clay, who managed to field it perfectly with the heater still attached to his lip." There are the requisite ups and downs, relapses, heartbreaks, and, of course, the final game which decides who wins first place in the league. But there are also observations on growing up and learning to accept their lives. I felt at times there was a larger, better book trying to break free, but overall I really enjoyed it.
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