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Reviews

Reviews

by Mark Ribowsky - Biography, Nonfiction, Sports

More than a decade after Tom Landry's death, acclaimed sports biographer Mark Ribowsky finally takes a fresh look at this much-misunderstood legend. THE LAST COWBOY tells us as much about our country's fascination with football as it does about Landry himself.

by John Grisham - Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

Nearly 25 years after the publication of A TIME TO KILL, John Grisham returns to that famous courthouse in Clanton as Jake Brigance once again finds himself embroiled in a fiercely controversial trial --- a trial that will expose old racial tensions and force Ford County to confront its tortured history.

by Jim Dent - Nonfiction, Sports

New York Times bestselling author Jim Dent pens the compelling story of how a black and white player came together to break the color barrier in Texas football in 1965. Jerry LeVias and Bill Bradley bonded as friends at the Big 33 high school all-star game, producing a dramatic finish that fans still talk about.

by Jerry Barca - History, Nonfiction, Sports

UNBEATABLE is the first book to tell the complete story of the incredible 1988 season that brought the fledgling Fighting Irish back to the top of college sports in what many consider to be the greatest unbeaten season of college football ever played. With a completely unlikely but forever memorable cast of characters, Notre Dame whipped millions of fans into a frenzy.

by A. Scott Berg - Biography, History, Nonfiction, Politics

One hundred years after his inauguration, Woodrow Wilson still stands as one of the most influential figures of the 20th century, and one of the most enigmatic. Now, after more than a decade of research and writing, Pulitzer Prize-winning author A. Scott Berg has completed the most personal and penetrating biography ever written about the 28th President.

by David Rosenfelt - Fiction, Mystery

Andy Carpenter’s accountant, Sam Willis, receives a phone call from Barry Price, a high school friend he hasn’t spoken to in years, pleading for help with something too frightening to discuss on the phone. Barry needs Sam’s financial acumen and Andy's legal expertise, but by the time Sam makes it to Barry's house, Barry has already taken off on a private airplane headed somewhere. They soon learn that Barry’s plane has crashed and come to the terrifying realization that Sam was also supposed to have been killed on that plane.

by Carsten Stroud - Fiction, Mystery, Supernatural Thriller, Suspense, Thriller

When two plane crashes set off a spellbinding chain reaction of murder, inadvertent kidnapping, corporate corruption, and financial double-dealing, it’s not enough that Niceville detective Nick Kavanaugh (ex–Special Forces) has to investigate. He and his wife, family lawyer Kate, have also just taken in brutally orphaned Rainey Teague. Something bothers Nick about Rainey --- and it isn’t just that the woman in charge of attendance at Rainey’s prep school has disappeared.

by Chuck Klosterman - Essays, Nonfiction, Popular Culture

In I WEAR THE BLACK HAT, Chuck Klosterman questions the modern understanding of villainy. What was so Machiavellian about Machiavelli? Why don’t we see Bernhard Goetz the same way we see Batman? Who is more worthy of our vitriol --- Bill Clinton or Don Henley? What was O.J. Simpson’s second-worst decision? And why is Klosterman still haunted by some kid he knew for one week in 1985?

by Tim Parks - Nonfiction, Travel

In his first Italian travelogue in a decade, Tim Parks delivers a charming and funny portrait of Italian ways by riding its trains from Verona to Milan, Rome to Palermo, and right down to the heel of Italy. Through memorable encounters with ordinary Italians, Parks captures what makes Italian life distinctive. He also explores how trains helped build Italy and how their development reflects Italians’ sense of themselves.

by Daniel James Brown - History, Nonfiction, Sports

THE BOYS IN THE BOAT tells the story of the University of Washington’s 1936 eight-oar crew and their epic quest for an Olympic gold medal. The emotional heart of the story lies with one rower, a teenager who rows not for glory, but to regain his shattered self-regard and to find a place he can call home. The crew is assembled by an enigmatic coach and mentored by an eccentric boat builder, but it’s their trust in each other that makes them a victorious team.