The Edge - 4/8/01
by Catherine Coulter
A Darkness More Than Night - 3/15/01-3/15/01
by Michael Connelly
First Wives Club - 3/12/01-3/15/01
by Olivia Goldsmith
Bad Boy - 2/11/01-2/14/01
by Olivia Goldsmith
A Painted House - 2/8/01-2/10/01
by John Grisham
Grisham’s
newest novel forgoes his usual legal thriller style and introduces us to
everyday life, a seven-year-old life to be exact, based on Grisham’s own
childhood. Luke Chandler lives on
a cotton farm in Arkansas with his parents and grandparents.
The crop is ready so they hire ten Mexicans and a family of hill people
to help with picking. Over the
next six weeks, Luke learns all about life and people, and is sworn to secrecy
on numerous accounts. Don’t let
this new style keep you from reading Grisham’s latest.
It is just as captivating, maybe even more so, than his others.
The Cat Who Smelled a Rat - 2/1/01-2/5-01
by Lilian Jackson Braun
More mystery involving Koko, Yum Yum, and Qwilleran!
The Mists of Avalon - 1/23/01
by Marion Zimmer Bradley
I was almost done with this book - then it was due back, and we had to
move. :( so - I'll read the rest later.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azakban
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - 3/23/01
by J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone - 3/21/01-3/23/01
by J. K. Rowling
One for the Money - 3/19/01-3/20/01
by Janet Evanovich
The Mark: The Beast Rules the World
by Tim Lahaye and Jeremy Jenkins
ESPN: The Uncensored History
by Michael Freeman
This book attempts to sum up the history of one of the most popular TV
networks of today, ESPN. From its humble beginnings to the colossal
media conglomerate that it is today, this work tells it all - the goods and
the bads.
My Comments: THIS BOOKS IS QUITE POSSIBLY THE WORST WRITTEN MANUSCRIPT I
HAVE EVER READ!!! While the content was enough to keep me hooked (though
I think the author blows up some issues to make the book juicier), I cannot
believe that anyone would want to put their name to this amateurish
crap. Freeman is obviously a member of the press, and his writing style
is that of the 4 column-inch news blurb spread over 286 pages. He refers
to someone by their last name, in some spots, when he has not talked about
that person in 50 pages! I guess you are supposed to keep notes on each
person he mentions so you can figure out who he's talking about it.
These issues, and others, are enough to drive you crazy if you are a picky
reader. HOWEVER, the subject matter is enough to keep any ESPN fan
reading on.
The following is from a reader's review on Amazon.com:
As a former ESPN employee, I caution most readers to take
most of the "gank" provided in this book with a HUGE grain of
salt. The sexual harassment incidents described are anecdotal at best, and
even if they are indicative of a "bigger problem" throughout ESPN
Plaza, what else would you expect with a company when you throw a bunch of
young twenty-something males who are all self-proclaimed "sports
experts" with no social outlets in a sleepy little town in central
Connecticut? (Freeman's characterization of Bristol as a "city" is
laughable).
Freeman does do a good job of painting the painful
sacrifice young singles must make to join this odd corporate culture. But
maybe also mentioning the sacrifices the married employees and their
families have to make (e.g. the intense travel demands levied on many ESPN
employees, the quirky weekend hours, the extramarital activity), would have
helped give this book more balance.
The book also neglects the overall stress on a given night
in the screening room where every sporting event is being monitored. A brief
synopsis of how a game becomes a highlight and the people involved -- from
the PA logging the game to the highlight supervisor to the anchor reading it
on the air -- might also help readers understand the electricity in the air
on a given night at ESPN Plaza.
Other than that, though, the book is a compelling read.
Many of the personnel mentioned in the latter half of the book, both talent
and production, are still at ESPN. The timeline of ESPN's evolution from
cable start-up to the model cable network is great. Freeman's assessment of
ESPN as a "sports news" network and not just a "sports
network" is very well done.
And for those wide-eyed soon-to-be college grads who would
give your left arm to work for the Worldwide Leader (attention all men: they
will most likely spare your arm but they'll begin to take your hairline upon
arrival in Bristol), this book will definitely give you a moment of pause.
