Non-Fiction – Page 9 – Ryan's Book Blog

Running with the Kenyans

March 28, 2023 by Ryan

Background

Published in April of 2013, Running with the Kenyans is the autobiographical story of how an Englishman decided to find out why the Kenyans dominate in distance running.

My Thoughts

It was a pretty easy read and in line with most of my experiences overseas. I can appreciate that this guy cared enough to improve his running but moving his family to Kenya seemed a little extreme. He talks about several of the points where he doesn’t feel safe, how he is stopped by the police, how there isn’t anyone who can come to his aid for miles around, and how he had to hire a “security” person to wander around his family’s place while they sleep. I don’t see that as worth improving your time but that’s just me.

Recommendation

An interesting book but I don’t think it was worth the time.

Spirit Run

March 24, 2023 by Ryan

Background

Published in March of 2020, Spirit Run is a autobiographical look into an annual 6000 mile run down North America and into Central America. The author explores what it means to be a Native American as he learns about himself.

My Thoughts

This book is full of many things I know nearly nothing about. It rang true in my experiences with Natives or Indians as they have always called themselves when I’ve been around them. I think it is too easy for most people to lump them all together in one group but there are many peoples and so much history and culture has been blended together. No wonder the author seemed to consistently be trying to find himself and wonder if he was “enough”.

Recommendation

It was ok. I won’t be reading it again but I did enjoy it.

The New Rules of Running

March 23, 2023 by Ryan

Background

Published in April of 2014, The New Rules of Running is a book about the latest and greatest thoughts on running. This book contains strategies and how to guides to help anyone become a successful runner.

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed this book as it had a little bit of something for everyone. In particular, I liked how it talked about stretching and made some comments about the newer recommendation against it. This book pointed out that the study that recommendation was based on was on younger people and that those people usually don’t have the same injuries as us older folks. That is the type of thing I want to hear in these books. Something that goes just a little deeper.

Recommendation

I like it. It is a good book to pick up if you are interested in running.

The Pursuit of Endurance

March 19, 2023 by Ryan

Background

Published in April of 2018, The Pursuit of Endurance is a book about the pursuit of the Fastest Known Time (FKT) of various long distance hikes such as the Appalachian Trail. She also tells the story of several other record holders.

My Thoughts

This was a hard book to get through. I was looking for something to keep my motivation up and this failed miserably. While Jennifer Pharr Davis (or JPD as she is known in trendy hiker circles) did some pretty impressive feats of endurance, her motivation, reason, impetus, or whatever was so muddled that it seemed like she just “Forest Gump’d” her way through. The book was laced with millennial-era BS judgements about religion, gender, lack of resiliency and so on. At the end of it all, I wasn’t impressed.

Recommendation

Nothing of value here. Skip it.

Independence Day

March 16, 2023 by Ryan

Background

Published in November of 2022, Independence Day: What I Learned about Retirement is a book about the decision to retire in America.

My Thoughts

This was an interesting read. It is from the vantage point of a 2nd wave Baby-Boomer thinking about when to retire and even what it means to retire. His job is a journalist so he has a chance to speak with a number of well known people and many not so well known people. The book never really tied a pretty bow on the conclusion and left it up to the individual. However, it brought up a number of interesting ideas about what it means to be retired and when might be the right time. I’ve thought a lot about it and I really don’t know what I will want when I am “of age” to retire. I just hope my body holds on so I can enjoy some of it.

Recommendation

Not a bad read.

Living with a SEAL

March 14, 2023 by Ryan

Background

Published in September of 2015, Living with a SEAL is a book from rap star “Jesse James” about how he brought a Navy SEAL into his home to be his personal trainer for a month.

My Thoughts

I went into this one pretty cold. My wife said our friends read it together as a couple and they found it to be pretty motivating. After reading it, I was pretty surprised by the recommendation. These friends are pretty straight laced and I’m excited to talk to the about the book.

I work around the military and the kind of stuff in this book is pretty familiar. Lot’s of hype and big-fish stories. I don’t know that I believe a word of it but I was interested enough that I read it all in one night. However, I don’t think I really got anything out of it and I feel like I just watched a reality TV program. I know it’s staged but I still get swept up in the drama.

Recommendation

I wouldn’t read it again.

Master The Marathon

March 13, 2023 by Ryan

Background

Published in September of 2021, Master The Marathon is a book on how to get ready for running a Marathon. The Subtitle is The Ultimate Training Guide for Women and it was written by Runner’s World editor and current contributor Ali Nolan.

My Thoughts

Honestly, I didn’t see that it was supposed to be for women till I was already in the book. However, I figured it still had a number of valuable insights and it did. (I also learned how to Kegel but it likely isn’t the same when I do it…) I have been thinking about running a marathon again. I’m not sure why really, the last one was enough and was 10 years ago. (Maybe it was because it was 10 years ago…)

Anyway, it was a pretty easy read and the author was enjoyable. I tried to incorporate a few of her ideas into my training today and I’m not certain of the result. Still, I think she had some great ideas.

Recommendation

It was a good book to help with marathon training. It is a pity it was for women.

The Sailor’s Bookshelf: Fifty Books to Know the Sea

March 11, 2023 by Ryan

Background

Published in November of 2021, The Sailor’s Bookshelf: Fifty Books to Know the Sea is retired Admiral James Stavridis’s descriptions and recommendations of 50 books about the sea.

My Thoughts

At over 200 pages in length, I thought this book would be a bit more than it is as a collection of books. However, I did enjoy it. Admiral Starvridis does a good job in infusing his unique view of in each of books he recommends and tells you why you should read them. I have to admit, I was interested throughout the entire book.

One of his top picks is Moby Dick though which I just didn’t enjoy that much…

Recommendation

A good read on what to read.

Emotional Inheritance

March 9, 2023 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Written by Galit Atlas, PhD, Emotional Inheritance is a book about the psychological damage that can be inherited across the generations or even from those around you.

My Thoughts

I can’t say I cared for it at all. She makes the case that we unconsciously pick up our family’s emotional baggage and it can carry on over the generations. Her parents immigrated from Iran and Syria to Israel in the post WWII formation so she had some interesting stories to tell about family issues. I have read a few books about epigenetics in that area and wasn’t too surprised that she wrote in with an opinion on it in USA Today. However, I thought she played pretty fast and loose with some of the ideas and downplayed the good that can come from opposition. Of course, everyone should be in therapy if you buy in to everything these folks are telling us. I’m just glad to see the rise of the term “post traumatic growth” in some of these publications. It reminds me of the emotional equivalent to George Carlin’s take on strengthening the immune system.

Recommendation

Skip this one.

The Life Changing Science of Detecting Bullshit

March 7, 2023 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Written in July of 2021, The Life Changing Science of Detecting Bullshit is a book describing how we are all full of it.

My Thoughts

This was a decent read. I didn’t have any life changing moments while reading but I can say it primed me to be a little less full of myself and more inclined to listen closer to what people are saying. As the Savior said, “But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.” (Matt 5:37)

However, we all like a good tale as well. John Petrocelli does a good job in rating what a person says as Bullshit (and uses the word frequently) by giving in an index of so many flies. (1 through 3.) A BS fly index of 1 would just be someone trying to sound like he saw the game last night when really he has no idea what he is talking about. Still BS but harmless. However, he rated the Mao’s “great leap forward” (resulting in 30 million to 55 million deaths) with a BS index of 3. That’s a pretty big jump in my estimation and I felt like there could be a little more gray in the scale.

Recommendation

I liked it but I won’t be reading it again.