People who like sport don't read innit

And congratulations HW!

MM reads a lot of cycling books. He reckons cycling lit is more extensive than many sports due to its long-term association with journalism.

Very little cycling fiction out there. I can only think of Tim Krabbe's The Rider which is ok to good. Lots of non fiction; most of which follows the standard arc of the sports biography. Our hero is introduced as he crashes, injures himself or has some kind of physical or emotional disaster. Is it all over? Then a few chapters of childhood/early sporting career. Then picks up the story after the crash and onwards and upwards to triumph.

But there are some great exceptions. Almost all of William Fotheringham is good as are David Millar's two books. (I know I'll think of loads more as soon as I hit the post button.)

But then you's expect cycling to have loads of documentation. It's a sport that appeals to nerds. (I speak as a cycling nerd myself.)

Three men on the Brummel is the only Cycling fiction that comes to mind.

I search for climbing memoirs if I've got the opportunity. Picked up 2 firsts by Eric Shipman for £60 some years ago, Nanda Devi and Blank on the Map. Our clubhouse has a copy of Colin Kirkus' Let's Go Climbing, which we reckon would pay for a new roof if we could bear to sell it.

Among non-fiction cycling books there is Bicycle Diaries by David Byrne. He is in the habit of taking a fold-up bicycle on tour with him, and cycling around the various cities of the world he visits, as a way of gettig more of a flavour of the places than a touring musician would normally get. Reportedly good - I enjoyed reading his How Music Works, although it was really more about how the music business works than how music works.

I found that for free a while back but never read it and lent it to a mate (you know the rest)

you know the rest

From which we can conclude that your friends only ever press dross on to you, right?

And that you don't but your faves more than once?

Should have read

And that you don't buy your faves more than once?

I think the books I've read twice are in single figures. A thread?

From which we can conclude that your friends only ever press dross on to you, right?

I've read hundreds of books more than once. I thought most keen readers did.

Same here. One of the joys of my life is revisiting old friends.

Rereading might be one of those indicators of a great psychological divide - like somewheres/anywheres or dogs/cats.

You may have something there. My wife can't understand my rereading books. If I followed her book-collecting advice, I'd bin everything once I turn the last page.

She does like reading, just - once is enough.

My impression is a lot of women are very plot-oriented. Once they know the end, there is no reason to re-read.

I rarely remember the endings of books.