What are your favorite figure skating books?

[Lipinski boy]

I’m not sure if someone had posted a similar thread in the past, but has anyone read any really good books on the sport?

I enjoyed Johnny Weir’s “Welcome To My World,” Dorothy Hamill’s autobiography “A Skating Life,” and Dick Button’s “Push Dick’s Button.”

But I will always have a soft spot for Tara Lipinski’s autobiography “Triumph On Ice” because this was the book that got me into the sport in the first place.

Is there anything new and worth reading out there? I am aware of Adam Rippon’s upcoming memoir, but there is a frustrating lack of books on this subject in recent years.

 

[MsZem]

You can look for suggestions in this thread:

Recommendations for books on figure skating

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?

www.fsuniverse.net

The Second Mark is not error-free, but it's quite good nonetheless.

 

[paskatefan]

Not a new book, but my personal favorite - Skate Talk - by Steve Milton. Interviews with skaters, coaches, ...

 

[trouble77]

I have a nice collection of figure skating books, and the book I enjoyed reading the most is "My Sergey, a love story" and "Cracked ice". Especially "Cracked ice" written by Sonia Bianchetti, delivered everything that was promised in the description of the book. It`s not an easy book to find but it`s worth it.
Recently I bought the one written by Dick Button. I was so looking forward to reading it, especially because I grew up listening to his comments and I have always been a fan of him. Unfortunately IMHO this book is totally useless. If you are new to figure skating, you won't understand much, it will just confuse you. If you are a long time fan of this sport,
just like me ...I guess you won't understand the purpose of this book. I couldn't finish it and I regret buying it.

 

[antmanb]

A second vote for the "The Second Mark".

I also really enjoyed The John Curry biography "Alone" by Bill Jones.

 

[Limonite]

I'm another fan of "The Second Mark". The book takes an in-depth look at the skaters (and coaches) who were part of the 2002 winter olympics figure skating fiasco. I found the first part of the book, about the skaters lives, much more interesting than the SLC scandal second part. Even with its inaccuracies, I think the book is very well researched. Still, if I could ask the author a question, it would be about why she wrote very little about Anton Sikharulidze's life. I was kind of disappointing about that .

 

[Japanfan]

I too loved 'The Second Mark'.

Another book I enjoyed was Joan Ryan's 'Little Girls in Pretty Boxes'. I think it was published in 1994. It was more about gymnastics than FS, but there was a lot of material about FS. The book dealt extensively with EDs in both sports.

 

[JasperBoy]

For Canadian skate fans, I suggest PJ Kwong's Taking The Ice, success stories from the world of Canadian figure skating. The copy she autographed for me in 2010 is a prized possession

 

[Vagabond]

This topic was recently discussed here.

 

[skating is fun]

Forcing the Edge by Kurt Browning - Funny, sometimes hilarious and a wonderful memory lane. Not easy to get a copy these days, bought mine at Worlds 1996 in Edmonton and even then I only found them at the museum`s shop.

 

[jenniferlyon]

I haven't read Adam Rippon's book yet, but it's on my books-to-get list.

I've done a little work on a new skating novel, but at this stage it's still more of an embryo than a fetus.

 

[Brenda_Bottems]

Tessa and Scott: Our Journey from Childhood Dream to Gold, Steve Milton
Primer of Figure Skating, Maribel Y. Vinson

-BB

 

[Aerobicidal]

Tessa and Scott: Our Journey from Childhood Dream to Gold, Steve Milton
Primer of Figure Skating, Maribel Y. Vinson

-BB

Brenda, are you really here for the skating or are you trying to ruin FSU?

 

[nyrak]

I loved all of Toller Cranston's books, so blunt and delightfully catty

 

[Kati]

My Sergei by Katia Gordeeva

 

[aftershocks]

My favorites:

Forever Two As One

by Tai Babilonia & Randy Gardner, with Martha Lowder Kimball

Toller Cranston's memoirs: When Hell Freezes Over, and Zero Tollerance. Toller also wrote a book or reminscences, entitled, Ice Cream: 30 of the Most Interesting Skaters in History. Plus, there are other books about & by Toller.

Alone: The Triumph & Tragedy of John Curry, by Bill Jones

The Second Mark, by Joy Goodwin
My Sergei, by Katia Gordeeva
Push Dick's Button, by Dick Button
Figure Skating: A History, by James R. Hines
Primer of Figure Skating, by Maribel Y. Vinson
Frozen in Time: The Enduring Legacy of the 1961 U.S. Figure Skating Team, by Nikki Nichols
Artistic Impressions: Figure Skating, Masculinity, and the Limits of Sport, by Mary Louise Adams