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Best Winter Sports

Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage
Their survival, and the survival of the men they left behind, depended on their small lifeboat successfully finding the island of South Georgia-a tiny dot of land in a vast and hostile ocean. 'A superb account of the greatest survival story of our time' - Chris Bonington The story of Ernest Shackleton's epic journey to cross the Antarctic overland has now been turned into four hours of gripping television with Kenneth Branagh playing Shackleton. Shackleton's mission failed, but the resulting adventure became one of the most celebrated accounts of man's survival against unbelievable odds.
Reviews
"Other must-reads in the genre are The Long Walk (though that turns out to be most likely fiction so I no longer recommend it), Into the Wild, and Arctic Adventure: My Life in the Frozen North. At the time of launching, Shakleton's expedition was history's most extensively planned exploratory trip to Antarctic, complete with a photographer, scientists, carpenters and engineers (a crew of 27 in total). The crew salvaged what it could and was forced to make do with dwindling supplies and provisions, eventually eating some of their beloved dogs. I won't dampen your reading pleasure by giving away too much of the unfolding events, but through a combination of amazing resourcefulness, outstanding leadership, and ultimately incredible luck on the part of Shakleton, the whole crew survived without a single life lost."
"You will not find a boring page in this book, and if you need an idea for a gift , this would suit any curious person ( even a wimpy female like me)."
"Absolutely fascinating journey and the author did an awesome job with his research."
"Although I know every sequence and outcome, I don't tire of this epic narrative, and the final chapter never fails to make me tear up."
"A great read for anyone who enjoys the outdoors, fest adventures, and especially the cold."
"Led by Ernest Shackleton, the purpose of the expedition was to cross the Antarctic continent on land, from one end to the other, across the South Pole. In October, when it became clear that the Endurance was going to be crushed by the pack ice, Shackleton ordered his crew to abandon ship. From there, Shackleton and a crew of five journeyed through the roughest seas on the planet back to South Georgia Island, about 800 miles away. Shacklteon then returned by ship to Elephant Island to rescue his crew, arriving on August 30, 2016, two years after they had left England."
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Ice Capades: A Memoir of Fast Living and Tough Hockey
While playing the talented villain in the NHL, Avery broke far away from his on-ice character in the off-season, and Ice Capades takes the reader inside the other unexpected and unprecedented roles that Avery inhabited— Vogue intern, fashion model, advertising executive, restauranteur, gay rights advocate, and many more. Praise for Ice Capades : "The one-of-a-kind left winger gives an unparalleled inside look at the NHL lifestyle... whether you cheered or jeered him on the ice, any hockey fan will be interested in the stories he has to tell."
Reviews
"The pages drag with numerous mentions of how great a hockey player Avery believes he is and how adored he was."
"As a hockey fan I enjoyed this book."
"I grew up a Rangers fan and though there were many whom I liked Sean Avery was was always the one we were happy to watch at the games we went to."
"Sean Avery was a moonshot rocket playing for the NY Rangers."
"Fabulous inside look into a hockey player's life."
"Ok book."
"This book was a fairly interesting read about an NHL hockey player that is not the norm."
"Whether you’re interested in hockey, fashion, big city living, or just old-fashioned fun, this book will absolutely entertain you."
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The Boys of Winter: The Untold Story of a Coach, a Dream, and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team
They were the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, a blue-collar bunch led by an unconventional coach, and they engineered what Sports Illustrated called the greatest sports moment of the twentieth century. Expertly using coach Herb Brooks (who died last year in an auto accident) as his focal point, Coffey shows how Brooks, a devoted student of the game, used both psychological tactics and a groundbreaking system predicated on speed and constant motion to defeat the Soviets, a team of highly trained, older and bigger professionals who had dominated the international competition for decades. For example, although the Russians were a world superpower, they scrounged for Band-Aids and didn't use slap shots because a shortage of quality sticks meant they couldn't risk breaking them—details suggesting the underlying faults of the Soviet regime.
Reviews
"This is an in depth look at the 1980 Gold Medal Winning USMen’s Hockey team from a fresh perspective."
"Like the movies about the game, this is a book that I will keep always."
"It does jump a little from the action of the game, to backgrounds on the players, but I actually like that."
"Very well written and interesting book."
"I'm the same age as most of the guys on this team and remembered being out with friends and most of the girls were annoyed we had to watch another sporting event."
"If you fondly remember the 1980 Olympic hockey victory you will enjoy reading this book immensely."
"You will find out about the town and growing up, and the socio economic issues the town had, not in a smooth telling, they will talk about the town then talk about how many people were laid off in 2003 and then back to Buzz as a child. Very disjointed. I did like the author pointed out that people remember exactly where they were and that is rare for something good, usually you remember that for major tragedies, like 9/11, The Challenger explosion etc."
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Best Ice Skating & Figure Skating

Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence
Gary's lessons and David's writing provide examples of the importance of the mental game." Through forty accessible lessons and inspirational anecdotes from prominent athletes--many of whom he has worked with--you will learn the same techniques and exercises Mack uses to help elite athletes build mental "muscle." In Mind Gym , noted sports psychology consultant Gary Mack teaches athletes the lessons he's learned about how the mind influences athletic performance as much as physical skill does, if not more so. Through forty accessible lessons and inspirational anecdotes from prominent athletes--many of whom he has worked with--Mack shares the same techniques and exercises he uses to help elite athletes build mental "muscle."
Reviews
"Great book-easy to read and provides a lot of good insight into mental training and imagery."
"This is my go-to sports psychology book for encouragement."
"I have always tried to emphasize the importance of mental training to my athletes and clients."
"Great book."
"They will let me know whether or not the books were good reads."
"Actually, the book was recommended by one of my former athletes, a state champion."
"Excellent book to get an athlete to consider the mental aspect of sport."
"Best book ever for mental strength on any sport and just all around confidence in life."
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Best Snow Skiing

Freedom Found: My Life Story
Freedom Found is a must-read for Warren’s legion of fans, ski history enthusiasts, adrenaline junkies and anyone whose interest is piqued by an extraordinary 20th-century success story. He premiered his first annual ski film in 1950, and over the next five-plus decades millions of skiers and snowboarders flocked to his films, worshipping his unique sense of humor, candor and adventure.
Reviews
"Good read!"
"I have been a fan of Warren Miller's movies since the 1980s."
"I always loved his ski movies but I had no idea that his life behind the scenes was so much more interesting than the movies."
"WM is a hero."
"I've attended a lot of Warren's films over the years, loves what he stands for, and could practically hear his voice in my ear as I was reading along."
"We loved this book and were so pleased to have found you had it.Thx for the great delivery service."
"Great, if you have been skiing since the 1950's and 1960's you will really enjoy this book."
"I started watching Warren Miller films as a kid growing up in Denver and Vail."
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Best Downhill Skiing

All-Mountain Skier : The Way to Expert Skiing
­­ Ski magazine. This second edition contains all the information you need on the latest equipment--including shaped skis, boots, bindings, and footbeds--to perform like a pro on crud, hardpack, powder, and ice.
Reviews
"This is an excellent book."
"Gives some great tips for all styles of skiing."
"I liked it so much that I bought it as gifts for several of my skiing friends."
"I just bring it with me on ski trips and skim through sections when I'm at the hotel at night."
"I have read this book with great interest after reading Harold Harb's book."
"This book is still modern and relevant, goes into good detail, and is super easy to understand and apply."
"It's full of drills that I have been trying whenever I'm on the greens or blues I don't waste my time just going from point A to point B. I found myself doing nothing but talking about all the stuff I learned in this book."
"I'm a self-taught intermediate skier -- always threatening to, but never quite taking a lesson."
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Best Iditarod & Dog-Sledding

The Cruelest Miles: The Heroic Story of Dogs and Men in a Race Against an Epidemic
The heroic dash of dog teams across the Alaskan wilderness to Nome inspired the annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and immortalized Balto, the lead dog of the last team whose bronze statue still stands in New York City's Central Park. Readers will be on tenterhooks as they follow the mushers and their dogs through minus-60-degree temperatures, unbroken trails, "ice fog," treacherous ice floes, gales, and blizzards, from the January day when Dr. Curtis Welsh realized that he faced an epidemic with only three nurses and an outdated supply of serum to that early morning less than five days later when Gunnar Kaasen and his Balto-led dogsled team arrived in Nome, exhausted and frostbitten, and carrying the new serum.
Reviews
"Granted, there are some filler chapters as they talk about the native style of life and how mukluks etc are made, but these parts are short enough that interest is not lost and they don't interrupt the flow of the narrative either."
"All I knew was it was an arduous race with sled dogs that takes place in Alaska each year. It outlines the urgency to get Diphtheria antitoxin to Nome, Alaska in 1925 during one of the worst cold spells of the winter. The 1925 event utilized numerous dog teams that relayed the serum to Nome much like the Pony Express. The serum finally arrived in Nome carried by Gunnar Kaasen, with lead dog Balto who subsequently received much notoriety. However, every dog team deserves credit for their part in this 674 mile race against time which took 5 and 1/2 days. The dogs teams of 1925 were mostly Malamutes and Siberian Huskies with thick double coats well suited to the extreme conditions. The modern race has mandatory check points, and rest stops with food delivered to the dogs by airplane. Any dogs which are sick or injured are ferried back by Bush Pilots to receive proper veterinary care and then loving friendship from the inmates of the state prison. It is the craftiness, good judgment, and endurance of the musher that brings home the big prize. I found this book to be a great read, as it increased my knowledge of dogs' special abilities and their relationships with the humans who breed and care for them."
"But I mean, what's not to love about a story of a dogs, their masters, and a race against time and the elements to stop an epidemic that is quickly consuming the children of Nome Alaska? You will find yourself catching your breathe as these brave men encounter situations that would stop the hardiest of individuals. I loved at the end after the story there was more personal information concerning those specific individuals involved in the heroic endeavor."
"It also gives the history of how airplanes began to evolve after this famous dog sled run."
"If you have ever been to Alaska or are planning to go, this book will give you many insights to the hardships of Alaska caused by the weather and remoteness of this vast "country"."
"It really tells the tale of the heros and their faithful dogs that served in saving the lives of not just children but adults as well who were suffering from the horrible sickness."
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Best Teen & Young Adult Winter Sports

Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod
Paulsen and his team of dogs endured snowstorms, frostbite, dogfights, moose attacks, sleeplessness, and hallucinations in the relentless push to go on. Fueled by a passion for running dogs, Gary Paulsen entered the Iditarod--the 1150-mile winter sled-dog race between Anchorage and Nome-- in dangerous ignorance and with a fierce determination.
Reviews
"Gary Paulsen is witty, charming and down to earth, as always, in this fantastic Iditarod story."
"A great book for my 11/12 year olds."
"But I read this book years ago and it is one of the funnest books I have ever read."
"), at times beautifully quiet, (watching the sunrise with Cookie), the reader is left with a profound respect for the many brave mushers, the land of Alaska, and the amazing dogs that run this great race."
"I've enjoyed about ten of his works immensely, so far, and want to read more."
"I reread this book about every 5 years."
"It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me want to get into sledding with my husky."
"This may be a children's book, but I have loaned it to all my dog loving friends and they all love it."
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Best Cross-Country Skiing

Powder: The Greatest Ski Runs on the Planet
Europe Edelgriess (Austria). Patscherkofel (Austria). Strief (Austria). Valluga (Austria). Wilde Grub'n (Austria). Aiguille Rouge (France). Bellecote (France). Face de Bellevarde (France). Pic du Midi (France). Sarenne (France). Vallee Blanche (France). Dammkar (Germany). Kandahah (Germany). Revelation (Greenland). Balma (Italy). Mount Etna (Italy). Olympic (Italy). Val Mesdi (Italy). Kanin to Sella Nevea (Italy/Slovenia). Lyngen Peninsula (Norway). World Championship Run (Poland). Olympic Downhill (Russia). Coire Dubh (Scotland). Luis Arias (Spain). Lindsrapped (Sweden). Back Side (Switzerland). Diavolezza Glacier (Switzerland). Inferno (Switzerland). Parsenn to Kublis (Switzerland). The Wall/Paradise (Switzerland). Klein Matterhorn (Switzerland/Italy). Itinerary 19 (Turkey). With a career that has mirrored the rise of information technology, after publishing his first ski book in 1985, Patrick went on to build a database of all the ski areas in the world, eventually hunting down more than 6,000 areas in 80 countries--a database that sits behind many of the world's ski information sites, books and brochures.
Reviews
"Christmas present for ski fanatic hubby."
"Nice quality."
"This book will make you drool over the slopes to be skied around the world."
"Specific runs in specific places."
"Great book, prompt shipping."
"When I saw the cover of Patrick Thorne’s “Powder, The Greatest Ski Runs on the Planet,” my gut sank and filled with butterflies at the same time. “I tried to be international with the choice of runs, but honestly, 50 is way too small of a selection to have to make when you consider there are 6,000 ski areas on earth in around 80 countries, and I don’t know, maybe 100,000 runs between them,” says Thorne."
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Best Children's Hockey Books

My First Book of Hockey: A Rookie Book: Mostly Everything Explained About the Game (A Sports Illustrated Kids Book)
Next up in the fan-favorite Rookie Book series, Sports Illustrated Kids explains the coolest game in the world to its youngest fans. In the left-hand corner of each spread, a box keeps track of the period (there are three periods overall), and in the right-hand corner, a box keeps track of the time (there are 20 minutes to each period). In addition to the two time markers in the corners of each spread, the pages are color-coded to correspond to the current period (first period is blue, second period is orange), which may provide young readers with entertaining lessons on colors and counting, too.
Reviews
"Bought for my nephews to sway them away from basketball!"
"A fabulous book for kids new to the sport of ice hockey!"
"Cute and informative!"
"I bought this book for my 1 year old grandson, and my 21 year old liked it more."
"Really cute, Informative book for my 4 year old hockey fanatic grandson."
"Reveived on a timely basis and now a favorite book for my Two grandsons."
"Just perfect for my nephews...they are twins and will just love them!"
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Best Antarctica Travel Guides

Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage
Their survival, and the survival of the men they left behind, depended on their small lifeboat successfully finding the island of South Georgia-a tiny dot of land in a vast and hostile ocean. 'A superb account of the greatest survival story of our time' - Chris Bonington The story of Ernest Shackleton's epic journey to cross the Antarctic overland has now been turned into four hours of gripping television with Kenneth Branagh playing Shackleton. Shackleton's mission failed, but the resulting adventure became one of the most celebrated accounts of man's survival against unbelievable odds.
Reviews
"Other must-reads in the genre are The Long Walk (though that turns out to be most likely fiction so I no longer recommend it), Into the Wild, and Arctic Adventure: My Life in the Frozen North. At the time of launching, Shakleton's expedition was history's most extensively planned exploratory trip to Antarctic, complete with a photographer, scientists, carpenters and engineers (a crew of 27 in total). The crew salvaged what it could and was forced to make do with dwindling supplies and provisions, eventually eating some of their beloved dogs. I won't dampen your reading pleasure by giving away too much of the unfolding events, but through a combination of amazing resourcefulness, outstanding leadership, and ultimately incredible luck on the part of Shakleton, the whole crew survived without a single life lost."
"My wife and I have been hooked on the story since first laying eyes on the pictures that accompany the story of what Shackleton and his men went through."
"You will not find a boring page in this book, and if you need an idea for a gift , this would suit any curious person ( even a wimpy female like me)."
"A great read for anyone who enjoys the outdoors, fest adventures, and especially the cold."
"Led by Ernest Shackleton, the purpose of the expedition was to cross the Antarctic continent on land, from one end to the other, across the South Pole. In October, when it became clear that the Endurance was going to be crushed by the pack ice, Shackleton ordered his crew to abandon ship. From there, Shackleton and a crew of five journeyed through the roughest seas on the planet back to South Georgia Island, about 800 miles away. Shacklteon then returned by ship to Elephant Island to rescue his crew, arriving on August 30, 2016, two years after they had left England."
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Best San Jose California Travel Books

Turning Japanese
MariNaomi is the author and illustrator of the SPACE Prize-winning graphic memoir Kiss & Tell: A Romantic Resume , Ages 0 to 22 (Harper Perennial, 2011), the Eisner-nominated Dragon's Breath and Other True Stories (2dcloud/Uncivilized Books, 2014), and her self-published Estrus Comics (1998 to 2009). Her work has appeared in over sixty print anthologies, and has been featured on such websites as the Rumpus , the Weeklings , Los Angeles Review of Books , Midnight Breakfast , Truthout , XOJane , Buzzfeed , Bitch Media , and more. MariNaomi is the author and illustrator of the SPACE Prize-winning graphic memoir Kiss & Tell: A Romantic Resume, Ages 0 to 22 (Harper Perennial, 2011), the Eisner-nominated Dragon's Breath and Other True Stories (2dcloud/Uncivilized Books, 2014), and her self-published Estrus Comics (1998 to 2009).
Reviews
"An interesting read for those curious about Japanese culture (me) and probably people in search of their own Japanese roots and identity (not me)."
"Thank you so much for another touching, sincere, well crafted book!"
"The art is amazing as it always is but MariNaomi hits on so many feelings I've had as a half Japanese girl."
"Interesting bio, but average in story vs. a Fun Home."
"I think my favorite parts were the moments where Naomi used a strangely distorted perspective to draw specific places - It really gave a sense of the author's worldview and set apart those moments from the rest of the story."
"I felt she had all the bones of a great memoir, but the substance or takeaways of her experiences didn't always come through."
"A fantastic memoir about exploring cultural identity, travel, and family."
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Best Teen & Young Adult Hockey Fiction

Hockey Player For Life (The Forever Friends Series)
Told in flashback, this is the story of 13-year-old Tom Leonard his AA hockey team and hometown's "can't miss kid." The relationships between father & son, adolescent friends, youth player & adult coach, and amongst hockey teammates are well done. I like the way that the main characters develop - Tom matures and learns the fun of playing a team game.
Reviews
"My 11 year old son, who does not like to read very much, is loving this book."
"great author, great book."
"Great book for young hockey players and teens."
"Great book for my 10 yr. old hockey obsessed child who plays year round."
"I was referred to this book by my sons hockey league, was more than please with the great message in this book."
"My Grandson loves this book."
"I bought it for my 13 year old grandson and he loved it, gave may tips and he could clearly relate."
"Kind of boring."
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