Word Freak

just couldn't get into it

Outstanding. Fatsis' embedding of himself in the culture of competitive play is engaging even if you're not a Scrabble fan. The mental game he so carefully examines of both aspiring and top players reveals how many layers of emotion and calculation go into playing at higher levels. How can you do well at such a specialized pursuit without flirting with mania?

I lingered over this book
for days. I didn't want
to stop reading about
Scrabble and Scrabble
crazed fanatics.