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Top Ten Books Chosen by Sir Chris Hoy
Top Ten Books Chosen by Sir Chris Hoy
Since joining the British track cycling squad in 1996, Sir Chris Hoy has won four Olympic gold medals, nine world championships and two Commonwealth Games golds. His new autobiography is a fascinating insight into how the seven-year-old BMX fanatic from Edinburgh became an inspiring beacon for British sporting achievement. Read Chris's list of his top ten favourite books here.A Million Little Pieces
by James Frey"A truly inspirational book which is an account of one man's struggle with alcohol and drugs. Totally opened my eyes to the frightening power of addiction."
James Frey wakes up on a plane, with no memory of the preceding two
weeks. His face is cut and his body is covered with bruises. He has no
wallet and no idea of his destination. He has abused alcohol and every
drug he can lay his hands on for a decade -- and he is aged only
twenty-three. What happens next is one of the most powerful and extreme
stories ever told... Read more"I think Terry Jones' foreword describes it best; '...a rich and deeply compelling work.' Couldn't have put it better myself!"
No lavatory is complete without a Profanisaurus! After all, what else
could you read whilst you're sitting on the 'chod bin' trying not to
'breach the hull' or commit a 'Wee-Harvey Oswald'? Don't know the
difference between 'stabbing the cat' and 'feeding the ducks'? Don't
know when to take a 'monkey's fag break? You need Roger's Profanisaurus... Read moreThe Flying Scotsman: The Graeme Obree Story by Graeme Obree
"The autobiography of my hero Graeme Obree. An open and honest account of his life, detailing the demons that drove him on to become a world Champion and world record breaking cyclist. Our careers briefly overlapped and we were even teammates once in 1997. I remember listening to him talk about his career at the hotel one day and thought it would make an amazing book…"
On the way to breaking the World hour record, he created major
controversy in the professional cycling world over his unique riding
style and his pioneering construction techniques. He famously had to
use washing machine parts to complete the building of his 'Old
Faithful' machine. Graeme's story starts with his tough upbringing in
the Ayrshire valleys... Read more"I just love this book. I used to read it on the toilet and laugh like an idiot."
For several years, Robin Cooper has been plaguing department stores,
hotels,associations, fan clubs and a certain children's book publisher
with his letters. From Prince Charles to the Peanut Council, Harrods to
the British Halibut Association - no one is safe. So who is Robin
Cooper? Architect, thimble designer... Read more
Complicity
by Ian Banks"The first book of his that I ever read. He has since become one of my favourite authors and is a Scottish legend."
A few spliffs, a spot of mild S&M, phone through the copy for
tomorrow's front page, catch up with the latest from your mystery
source - could be big, could be very big - in fact, just a regular day
at the office for free-wheeling, substance-abusing Cameron Colley, a
fully paid-up Gonzo hack on an Edinburgh newspaper. The source is
pretty thin, but Cameron senses a scoop and checks out a series of
bizarre deaths... Read more"A book my sister bought for me and one which I thought was sheer genius. The dark comedy and sheer oddness of the village folk remind me of the League of Gentlemen."
Innocence, experience and comedy in Cumbria. He's a bit of a handyman.
Or, at least, so Mr Parker seems to think. No matter, he'll soon be on
that train east to India from these wet lakeland fells. Just as soon as
he's finished that little job Mr Parker asked him to do. It wasn't much
of a holiday anyway. As the tourists trickled away from the campsite,
so did the sunshine, and the hot water, and the provisions at the local
shop, and even the good beer. Still, there seemed to be plenty of work
to take his mind off these minor disappointments... Read more
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything 
by Stephen D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner"The kind of book I enjoy reading on flights where I can continually turn to my teammate or whoever is sitting next to me and wow them with a nugget of wisdom. A fascinating read."
Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? What do
schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? Why do drug dealers
still live with their moms? How much do parents really matter? What
kind of impact did Roe v. Wade have on violent crime? These may not
sound like typical questions for an economist to ask. But Steven D.
Levitt is not a typical economist. He is a much heralded scholar who
studies the stuff and riddles of everyday life -- from cheating and
crime to sports and child rearing...
Read more"The first book by Irvine Welsh that I ever read. A hugely original novel which captured my attention as a teenager."
Roy Strang is engaged is a strange quest in a surrealist South Africa.
His mission is to eradicate the evil predator-scavenger bird, the
marabou stork, before it drives away the peace-loving flamingo from the
picturesque Lake Torto. But behind this world lies another: the world
of Roy's bizarre family, the Scottish housing scheme in which he grew
up, his mundane job, a disastrous emigration to Aftrica, and his
youthful life of brutality with a gang of soccer casuals... Read more
Tricks of the Mind
by Derren Brown
"This is the kind of book you can read straight through and just enjoy the entertaining way he gets the information across, or you can actively try out all the different exercises he describes. It took me weeks to read this because I chose the latter option. The mind mapping techniques are amazing, I tried it out and was able to remember a 26 digit number, then recall it 2 weeks later. Not everyone has as much time on their hands as me though!"
Derren Brown's television and stage performances have entranced and
dumbfounded millions. His baffling illusions and stunning set pieces -
such as "The Seance", "Russian Roulette" and "The Heist" - have set new
standards of what's possible, as well as causing more than their fair
share of controversy. Now, for the first time, he reveals the secrets
behind his craft, what makes him tick and just why he grew that beard.
"Tricks of the Mind" takes you on a journey into the structure...
Read more
"A biographical book about the Tour de France legend Robert Millar. It gives a great insight into the personality and background of this unique sportsman."The compelling story of Britain's best-ever cyclist -- one of the most
enigmatic, complex and contradictory athletes in any sport -- and the
unravelling of the puzzle surrounding his sudden and dramatic
disappearance. Cyclist Robert Millar came from one of Europe's most
industrialised cities, Glasgow, to excel in the most unlikely terrain
-- over the high mountain passes of the Pyrenees and the Alps. He was
crowned King of the Mountains during the 1984 Tour de France and
remains the only ever Briton to finish on the podium of the world's
toughest race... Read more
Chris Hoy: The Autobiography is out now!
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