Recommendations for books on figure skating

[starrynight]

I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for books on figure skating?

I have just finished 'Second Mark' by Joy Goodwin and it was fantastic.

I have also just received in the post Duhamel and Radford's book 'Soulmates on Ice'.

What would everyone else recommend?

 

[SkateGuard]

If you can find a copy, Frances Dafoe's "Figure Skating and the Arts: Eight Centuries of Sport and Inspiration" is just gorgeous. Bill Jones' biography of John Curry was excellent and you can't go wrong with any of Toller Cranston's books. So much fun.

 

[antmanb]

I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for books on figure skating?

I have just finished 'Second Mark' by Joy Goodwin and it was fantastic.

I have also just received in the post Duhamel and Radford's book 'Soulmates on Ice'.

What would everyone else recommend?

I would also recommend Bill Jones Alone for a John Curry biography.

 

[skatesindreams]

Indelible Tracings by Patricia Shelley Bushman.

 

[Laura4]

I enjoyed A Skating Life by Dorothy Hamill

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Indelible Tracings by Patricia Shelley Bushman.

THIS!!!!!!!!!

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I quite enjoyed "The Male Butt," by Matteo Guarise , foreword by Alexander Enbert.

 

[pixie cut]

The Second Mark is such a good book. It didn't get nearly enough attention.

 

[starrynight]

The Second Mark is such a good book. It didn't get nearly enough attention.

The best thing about The Second Mark is that anyone could read it even if you are not interested in figure skating and enjoy it. A bit like Mao's Last Dancer. I knew nothing about ballet when I read that book but it didn't matter because the story stood alone as something anyone would find interesting. The discussions of training life in Russia, China and Canada were very interesting in the Second Mark. I also enjoyed the way the author described the programs skated and the mechanics of pairs. The descriptions of pairs skating are enough to make anyone want to watch and you could imagine the programs without having ever seen them before, because she described them so well.

I'm almost finished Meagan and Eric's book and it's one a lot more directed at close fans of the sport. It jumps right in with the technical discussion, a lot of first names and skating terms used. If you didn't follow skating and hadn't seen the programs, you might have difficulty following some sections.

 

[starrynight]

Are Christine Brennan's books worth reading?

 

[SkateGuard]

Are Christine Brennan's books worth reading?

Short answer... no.

 

[starrynight]

Short answer... no.

lol please elaborate?

I have just ordered the John Curry book 'Alone'. It looks good by the description.

 

[TanithandBenFan]

Are Christine Brennan's books worth reading?

They were two of my favorite skating books, especially the first one.

 

[honey]

They were two of my favorite skating books, especially the first one.

I recently re-read her two books from the 90s, and while indeeibly biased in parts, still worth the read IMO. I love the backstage stuff and some of the focus on the younger up and comers is quite interesting to read now as we know how things turned out. So @starrynight i think the books are worthwhile. But if you were more a Tara than a Michelle fan, might not be for you

 

[starrynight]

I recently re-read her two books from the 90s, and while indeeibly biased in parts, still worth the read IMO. I love the backstage stuff and some of the focus on the younger up and comers is quite interesting to read now as we know how things turned out. So @starrynight i think the books are worthwhile. But if you were more a Tara than a Michelle fan, might not be for you

I'm a more recent fan of the sport, so I'm interested in the kind of books that work well as 'stand alone' stories that are interesting even if you don't already have a strong attachment to the skater.

I don't have particularly strong views either way on Tara or Michelle (yet) so maybe I will give them a go.

I found that reading The Second Mark made me a big Shen/Zhao fan.

 

[Vagabond]

What would everyone else recommend?

This topic was recently discussed here.

 

[dramagrrl]

All of Toller Cranston's books are extremely entertaining.

 

[pixie cut]

Are Christine Brennan's books worth reading?

If you're a skating fan, it's no harm to read them. You could probably pick up used copies for cheap or even get them at the library. They're entertaining. They're not earth shaking and some of the stories have subsequently been told many times, but they're enjoyable period pieces. You won't feel you wasted your time reading them.

 

[misskarne]

lol please elaborate?

I have just ordered the John Curry book 'Alone'. It looks good by the description.

Oh, make sure you have tissues, I bawled my eyes out.

 

[Limonite]

The Second Mark is such a good book. It didn't get nearly enough attention.

I also recommend the book. Still, I have to confess I was a little disappointed because, for some reason , the author talks very little about Anton Sikharulidze.

 

[paskatefan]

Skate Talk - Steve Milton (interviews with skaters, coaches, etc.)

 

[googooeyes]

Skate Talk is great. Anything by Steve Milton is good. Canada's absolute best skating writer. He is in the Skate Canada Hall of Fame as a builder.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

All of Toller Cranston's books are extremely entertaining.

I still have nightmares about his trip to China, the baby monkey and the Lazy Susan.

 

[paskatefan]

Oh, how could I forget Push Dick's Button? I love this book to pieces, and have read it @ least twice. Time to reread it!