Sooley - John Grisham

John Grisham writes legal thrillers. But he also writes stand alone sports novels that are just as wonderful. The latest is the newly released Sooley.

Samuel's home in is South Sudan, a war torn country beset with violence. Samuel dreams of someday playing basketball in the US - and bringing his family with him. And through a series of events...he makes it to the US....

Oh, I love a good underdog story! Sooley's story is one of those. The listener will fall in love with him and have their fingers crossed that he fulfills his dreams. Grisham has done a fantastic job building his characters. The supporting cast of coaches, teammates and supporters drew me in just as much as Sooley did. There are some real life people woven into the story as well.

Sooley is told in alternating settings - with Sooley in the US and then cutting to the Rhino Refugee Camp in Uganda where Sooley's family is.

I thought the plot was fantastic, believable and possible. I was caught off guard with an unpredictable development that I must admit, made me a little angry. But it was indeed a believable turn. Grisham hits many social issues in this book. 

All in all - I loved it! 

I chose to listen to Sooley. The narrator was Dion Graham and he was the perfect choice. His voice is rich and full and really pleasant to listen to. He provided different voices for every character - they suited the mental images I had of the characters and it was easy to discern who was speaking. The voice for Sooley was so very good. Graham easily interprets Grisham's book with his expressive voice. And extra points for  'calling' the basketball games. It sounded just like we were in the stadium. I've said it before and I'll say it again - listening immerses me in a book and I feel like I'm part of the story. Even more so in this case. Hear for yourself - listen to an excerpt of Sooley.

Open Heart, Open Mind - Clara Hughes

You can find me glued to the television during national and world sports coverage - especially the Olympics. I remember watching Clara Hughes race over many Olympics - she is a six time Olympian with six medals to her credit - in two sports - speed skating and cycling. She has numerous other accolades and victories.

But what you don't see on television is what's going on behind the scenes, what it takes for an athlete to rise to this level, the obstacles they've met, the obstacles overcome and who they are besides being a public figure and athlete.

Clara Hughes' newly released memoir, Open Heart, Open Mind, lays all of that bare. Hughes' father was a verbally abusive alcoholic, Clara drank, did drugs and skipped school. When she did start to channel her energy into competitive sport she landed with a coach who was results driven, caring little about her mental health. Hughes has suffered from depression for most of her life. In 2010, she put her own struggles in the public eye when she became the national spokesperson for the Bell Let's Talk mental health initiative - "A wide-reaching, multi-year program designed to break the silence around mental illness and support mental health all across Canada."

I am always appreciative of reading someone's memoir - the bravery in sharing your life with the public. Hughes shares both professional and personal. I was fascinated by the behind the scenes look at a professional athlete's training and performance. Clara's athletic accomplishments are extraordinary. But it is her personal triumphs that are outstanding. Hughes has taken that same energy and drive that she used in sports, applied it to her mental well being and advocating for others through numerous projects, such as Right to Play.

The title? Hughes participated in a Squamish First Nations brushing-off ceremony in 2010....

...."Another elder addressed each of us in turn, opening our hearts to the energy of the flame and brushing away negativity. He told us, I cannot heal you of your pain. Only you can heal yourself with your open heart and your open mind."

Wise words. Great read. Amazing and inspiring woman. Read an excerpt of Open Heart, Open Mind.

Calico Joe - John Grisham

John Grisham is one of the most recognizable names in fiction today. He is well known for his legal thrillers, but has also written a number of novels outside of that genre. His latest - Calico Joe - fall into that category.

Paul Tracey gets a call one day - Warren, the father he hasn't seen in years, is dying. Paul's reaction? "After a few minutes, I admit the truth - life without Warren will be the same as life with him."

But this call does stir up old hurts, memories and unfinished business. We're taken back to Paul's childhood for the beginning of the tale. Warren made it to the big leagues - he was a pitcher for the Mets in 1973. He was also a womanizer, a hard drinker, a man with a temper and a man with a family who was happy to not have him home. Paul loved baseball as well. He played himself and could cite the stats on any team. When a young phenom named Joe from Calico Rock, Arkansas is called up to play for the Cubs, he takes the country (and young Paul) by storm. Never before has there been such a player.  And then the Mets and the Cubs face off...

Yes, Calico Joe is a sports story, but it's much more than that. It's the story of a father and son and redemption.  I played ball when I was younger, so the sports stats didn't throw me at all and won't detract from the story for non sports readers. They really set the scene for the emotional strings that Grisham deftly pulls as he carefully builds the story of Calico Joe, young Paul and his father.

Calico Joe is listed as a novel, but I thought of it more as story telling. I could picture myself listening to this one over the radio in days gone by or sitting listening to a retired player sharing a tale from the old days. As one character in the book says "But it doesn't matter: he loves to talk and tell stories....I am delighted to be here and happy to listen."

As was I. A one sitting read and another home run from Grisham. Read an excerpt of Calico Joe. You can find Grisham on Facebook