Although I don't get to play as often (nor as well) as I would like, I absolutely love golf and enjoy watching PGA and LPGA tournaments on television. I also can't resist a good book about golf, especially the ones that give me a glimpse into what life is like on one of the professional tours. John Feinstein has written a number of books about golf and there's no one who does it better in terms of getting inside the mind of a professional golfer. A few of his books you might want to check out include Moment of Glory: The Year Underdogs Ruled Golf, Tales from Q School, and A Good Walk Spoiled. Or, if you're like many and are still fascinated by all-things Tiger Woods, The Big Miss, Hank Haney's candid account of his six years coaching Tiger, is a book you won't be able to put down. Leave a comment below and share your favorite golf, or other sports, books!

"Eat & Run: My Unlikely Journey To Ultramarathon Greatness" is written by Scott Jurek, who first came to widespread public attention in Christopher McDougall's hugely popular "Born to Run."  You may remember him as the ultramarathoner who lets out a loud howl before the start of every race. I had the pleasure of hearing McDougall and Jurek speak (and howl) a few months ago at Fleet Feet Sports in Chicago, where the duo was promoting Jurek's book. Because the authors were together, I was primed to think that these books were related. Excited for a narrower but deeper continuation of "Born to Run," I eagerly picked up "Eat & Run," only to find out that they were nothing alike.

 

"Eat & Run" is best described as a memoir with recipes. Jurek grew up a traditional Minnesota boy and through endurance running and changing life philosophies, became a vegan. He credits both his vegan diet and his mental toughness for his ability to regularly run 50 to to 100-mile races. For the memoir portion, he recounts his struggles with his mother, who suffered from multiple sclerosis; and his father, with whom Jurek has a tough relationship. And of course he tells stories of the difficulties he's faced on various ultra trails and overcoming them to achieve personal bests. The poignant memories of his parents are the most moving part of the book. A time or two, he gets philosophical to the point of being unrelatable. Regardless, it's still fascinating to get a glimpse into the mind of someone who can run nine-minute miles for a hundred miles straight.

 

The main difference between Jurek and McDougall is that McDougall is a writer and Jurek is not. McDougall often made compelling points whereas Jurek is simply an interesting person. Despite feeling mislead about how similar these books would be (am I the only one who thinks even the covers look similar?), I'd still say Jurek's book is worth reading. "Born to Run" made me want to get out and run a marathon despite not having run an entire mile since high-school gym class. And while Jurek's book did not inspire such a feat, it did at least make me feel I could give lentil burgers a chance.

One of my favorite directors for a long time now has been Steven Soderbergh. Everyone knows that Hollywood is tough, but director Steven Soderbergh is just one of those filmmakers who manages to find tons of success at the box office while also impressing the toughest film critics.

 

The other night I watched one of his more recent efforts called Haywire (2011), starring Gina Carano of MMA fame. From the looks of the trailers, I expected some mindless, yet entertaining, fast-paced action film, but I should have remembered that Soderbergh almost always marches to the beat of his own drummer and rarely delivers what you would expect from a big budget movie.

 

The movie was fine (definitely not his best in my opinion) but I honestly had a hard time focusing on it because I kept thinking back on an earlier movie of his called The Limey (1999), starringTerrence Stamp and written by Lem Dobbs, who also wrote the screenplay to Haywire. Both movies, but more so with The Limey, take on this pace that just makes you feel uneasy if you're accustomed to the standard Hollywood blockbuster. Some might call it slow, or even boring, but I would disagree. I appreciate how Soderbegh takes his time developing the characters and revealing the world in which they go about their business. 

 

If you've already seen Haywire or plan to see it soon, I would recommend that you also take a look at The Limey and look for similarities between the two. Let me know what you think. 

 

And, if you have a favorite film by Soderbergh, leave a comment and tell the rest of us why.

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