i sense a pattern here...
i just finished adding my current reading to my books list and realized for the first time that i've been reading nothing but memoirs for nearly a year.
i know that's not exactly "this just in" breaking news, but it's strange to realize that all my fantasy and sci-fi and fiction--long time lovers and friends, you see--have been cast aside without even a moment of recognition until now. true, i am very interested in memoir as a form and yes, my thesis project was in creative non-fiction, so it makes sense that my attention would turn in this direction, but that i haven't picked up a romance novel, even anne of green gables, or my well-worn copy of the hobbit in over a year is certainly a departure for me.
and yet i've been feeling like each of the books i've picked up recently and for a while was put in my way for a reason, for the bit of much-needed wisdom i was able to glean from the writer's experiences, and i realize now that i've obviously been seeking them out as much as they have been falling into my lap. funny the little patterns of behavior we perpetuate without even knowing it, eh?
anyhow, my most recent complete read is Wins, Losses, and Lessons by Lou Holtz. for those of you who have were never touched by the glory of Notre Dame football and the fabled history of that school, you poor things, Lou Holtz was the most recent in a long line of legendary coaches that made the Dome their home. however, if you are or were ever an athlete, or if you love the concept of team sport or love just watching any sport at all, i highly recommend this for a quick read. (quick note: i had the notre dame bug in the late 80s, early 90s when a few aunts and uncles attended and graduated from there. my uncle donald was a cheerleader for ND and got to travel for the games. for her 3rd halloween, my little sister dressed in an officially licensed, pint-size, NR cheerleading uniform. go Irish!)
lou manages to distill his life into a collection of the many reasons that team sports are such an amazing learning experience and how they can be rewarding in more ways than you would expect. the book is not about Notre Dame, by the way, but rather Lou's journey to that point. he has a great many lessons to share, about faith, hope, and heart--both in and out of football. i was suprised to find out how devout a Catholic he is and how much that had to do with his desire to coach at Notre Dame--but i was also surprised that i enjoyed the book without feeling as if i was being preached to. it was interesting to hear his take on faith and prayer, and its place in his life. i'm just not accustomed to hearing people speak so openly about that, let alone men.
oh yeah, one more thing....the football anecdotes he recounts are fan-f'ing-tabulous.
