3 minute read
Book Buzz
WHERE USSSA MEMBERS SHARE THEIR LATEST OR ALL-TIME FAVORITE READS AND WHY!
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BY BOB HUBBARD
OWNER HUBBARD FAMILY SWIM SCHOOL
My preference is to read books, magazines, and newspapers. Things I can hold in my hands. I do read the NY Times and various news feeds online (Huffington Post, Slate, Politico, Yahoo, ESPN, etc.) I respect my friends and relatives who prefer audio versions of all of the above. I do have an Audible account but do not access it or podcasts very often.
Why in the USSSA’s section on books do I go through all of those disclaimers? My encouragement to you today is not to read a book that I might recommend. It is to encourage you to read (or listen) voraciously. That means to read “a lot”. A little bit every day.
There are currently seven (7) books on my bedside table:
Two mysteries, Bruce Springsteen’s biography, Bill Gates on Climate Change, Origin Story, A Big History of Everything by David Christian, a book of poetry by Leonard Cohen, and a thought provoking book on the bible. I am struggling with the new information about Mr. Gates. It has impacted my enthusiasm for his new book.
I am also working my way through an amazing history of the US These Truths by Jill Lepore, on Audible.
My bookshelves have to be purged two or three times a year. The ladies at our local neighborhood bookstore know my name and that of our swim school. The local library and high schools welcome my bags of used books.
Do I read every book that I buy? No! My rule is that if I get 30% into a book and am not enjoying it I put it down. As my family knows, I am reading multiple books, all at the same time. Sometimes I need a mindless mystery or a soothing passage from a book on meditation or some hard core new knowledge from a business writer or a historian.
If I read something interesting to share, my team and even my grandchildren are used to getting pages torn out of magazines and newspapers with their initials on them to read for themselves.
Finally, don’t get stuck reading current stuff. I love to pick up classics. I have recommended Tarzan of the Apes, the book not the movie, to a number of swim school friends. It is a great book. Adventure combined with great history and yes a bit of a love story.
We can learn from great writers, who have tackled many of the same challenges we face today in their own times. I am happy to share specific recommendations if you email me at: Bob@hubbardswim.com. For more on this topic, check out https:// dailystoic.com/not-just-to-read-but-to-read-critically/ as well.
Thank you. Happy Reading.
Bob & Kathy founded Hubbard Family Swim School & Hubbard Sports Camps in 1998, a job that they are grateful for every day, and which has led to many professional presentations and positions including US Swim Schools Lifetime Achievement Award.
Bob’s highlights include growing up in NYC, ocean lifeguard, cheerleader, auctioneer, and music lover. His healthy passion is biking with a group of old guys that gets him out on most of the roads in Phoenix. Bob earned his undergraduate degree from Xavier University in psychology(1973) and a law degree from the University of Cincinnati (1976). He worked as a lawyer and as an executive in a variety of industries including homebuilding, life insurance and hotels.
If interested in joining a USSSA book club, please visit
BIT.LY/USSSABOOKCLUB
Want to share your favorite read with members? Email anne@usswimschools.org to join in the fun!
