The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances by Matthew Inman

The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances
by The Oatmeal, a.k.a. Matthew Inman [741.5 Inm]

As a casual runner who sometimes obsesses about how much to run, the title of this humorous collection of essays and illustrations really caught my attention. Artist Matthew Inman, who goes by the moniker "The Oatmeal" in his online and print art, has penned a terrific volume filled with heartfelt observations about the obsessions some long-distance runners can fall into, counter-balanced by extremely humorous (and occasionally disgusting) art to supplement his observations. I enjoyed this a lot, but as with any other books by The Oatmeal, I find myself having to be somewhat cautious when recommending them. Inman's humor can easily diverge into the revolting and/or offensive. But, if you've got the stomach for off-color humor, you may find this volume exploring the author's tendency to run past the point of practicality to provide fascinating insight. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library [ see Scott's Reviewer Profile and more of his reviews ]

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try other volumes of The Oatmeal's humor.]

[ official Running page on the official The Oatmeal web site ]

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Just Ride

Just Ride: A Radically Practical Guide to Riding Your Bike
by Grant Petersen [796.6 Pet]

Just Ride is unabashedly opinionated, but Grant Petersen absolves you in the introduction from agreeing with him on everything. "I'm not asking you to buy everything - just to consider everything," he says. While there are some of his opinions that I strongly disagree with, he makes a strong case for his most central argument: that the influence of racing on the world of bicycling has led to practices that are not suitable for non-racing cyclists (Petersen calls them "Unracers"). He wants to free cyclists from feeling compelled to follow the trends established by bike racers, and he gives practical advice to encourage them to adopt practices more suited to the way they ride and in so doing, restore more fun and practicality to cycling. -- recommended by Peter J. - Virtual Services Department

[ Wikipedia page for Grant Petersen ]

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Dancing With the Stars exercise DVDs

Dancing With the Stars exercise DVDs
[DVD 613.71 Dan]

Looking to get fit with some fun exercises led by some of your favorite TV stars? Look no further than the three Dancing With the Stars exercise DVDs in the libraries' collections: Cardio Dance (with Maksim Chmerkovsky, Ashly Costa and Kym Johnson), Latin Cardio Dance (with Maks and Cheryl Burke), and Dance Off the Pounds (with Dmitry Chaplin, Lacey Schwimmer and Kym). Each disc features the stars (and a group of support dancers) going through a dancer's traditional warm-up, then spending 15 minutes each on the essential techniques of several dance styles, followed by a cool down period. Each disc also features healthy eating tips from Slim-Fast (one of the sponsors of the Dancing With the Stars touring show), and a "music-only" version of the DVD, in case you don't want to hear the dialog and instructions on subsequent viewings. Dances covered include: Cardio Dance (Paso Doble, Cha-Cha, Samba, Jive), Dance Off the Pounds (Swing, Jive, Quick-Step), and Latin Cardio Dance (Merengue, Cha-Cha, Samba, Mambo). Fun to watch, both from the fitness standpoint and as a fan of DWtS -- but make sure you've got plenty of room to move around if you want to actually do the moves! -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

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The Massage Book

The Massage Book

by Geoge Downing [615.822 qDow]

This is a classic in the world of massage books. It has sold over one million copies since its first publication in 1972. There is good reason for the high sales numbers. The directions are simple and well illustrated. The author covers just about any part of massage that you would want to know about and at the back of the book there are detailed anatomy pictures. If you are just starting to learn about the art of massage, this is the book that I would recommend. -- recommended by Patty L. - Walt Branch Library

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Ten (or more) new reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog over the course of the entire month.