In Harm's Way by Doug Stanton

In Harm's Way by Doug Stanton is a great read. The account told, best know from Quint's tale in the film Jaws, is truely horrific. Almost as horrific is the way that the captain was treated by the US Navy - I am in no doubt that he was a scape-goat to save his superiors and the Navy in general.

I wish the survivors every luck in continuing battle to clear their captain's name. Unfortunately it is obviously now too late for those actually responsibility to answer for their negligence.

A Golden Age by (Sir) Steve Redgrave

A Golden Age by (Sir) Steve Redgrave is a fantastic read, although a little suprising that it finishes before the final Gold Medal at the Sydney Olympics. It is an amazing story of a level of commitment that that is hard to comprehend.

I am now really looking forward to reading Matthew Pinsent's book A Lifetime in a Race, as it will be fansinating to see the perspective from the other end of the boat, so to speak.

Driving Force by Danica Patrick

I found Driving Force by Danica Patrick a somewhat strange read. While her passion for racing (and life in general) come across strongly, I think the whole concept of the book was wrong. She is just too young imo to write an autobiography, and despite being only 200 pages long, it seemed like it was padded out to make it work. There is much repetition.

It would have been far better to my mind to have done a book about her first season in the IRL, and specifically the Indy 500, as that was by far the focus of the book. To me it would have sat much easier than the somewhat strained result produced.

And as a final point, if she wants to demonstrate that she is no different to any male driver, and can do the job just as well (which I am sure she can), then she needs to stop highlighting the fact she is the only woman in the IRL at every opportunity.

The Player by Boris Becker

The Player by Boris Becker was a "unique" autobiography, which I am still unsure whether I enjoyed or not. It was disjointed book with a chapter for an area of his life - Wimbledon, his marriage breakup, tax evasion allegations etc. , rather than it being a chronological story.

Also it seemed at times that his aim was to answer stories/allegations written about him in the press - and generally the German press. Not having read the majotity of these stories and allegations, I did feel lost at times as to the detail of what he was referring to.

Working the Wheel by Martin Brundle

While Working the Wheel by Martin Brundle had some interesting insights and anecdotes, in my opinion in was certainly not a "nail-biting acount" or "gripping and dramatically vived" as the cover claims.