A Book of Walks

by Bruce Bochy

Walking can do anyone good – and Bruce Bochy knows that as well as anyone. As a Major League manager, he has one of the more stressful jobs imaginable. So what does he do to relax? He goes for long walks. Whenever possible, he takes long walks as a way to clear his head, calm his soul and give his body a workout. In this charming little volume, he shares his thoughts on walking in terms that can inspire everyone to get out more often for a good walk, a great way to stay fit and healthy through the forties and fifties and beyond. Along the way he provides glimpses into his life and character that will delight his many fans.

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Nonfiction, Memoir

57 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 15, 2015

About the author

Bruce Bochy, longtime manager of the San Francisco Giants, is a former manager of the San Diego Padres. A former catcher, Bochy's three World Series victories with the Giants have earned him widespread acclaim and he is a consensus choice as a future member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Reviews

[Lori McMullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book turned out to be something different...I thought Bochy was going to describe walks in and around San Francisco, but what I found was something else. He shared walking paths he's taken in baseball cities around the league, as well as, some history and his own insights about each area. I have a new appreciation for Bochy and some new walks to try. Thanks Boch!

[Jim]

Giants manager Bochy gives a description of some of his baseball-city walks. As someone who loves to visit baseball stadiums and also loves to walk in new cities, I enjoyed this.

Except that one of the chapters centered around one of the most traumatic sports events of my life - the 2012 NLDS between the Giants and Reds.

[Anne Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved to read this quick read little book about Bruce Bochy and his walks.

I like to walk and I liked to read about his walks and what these walks do for him.

It made me want to go for a walk....


This book was a win from the Goodreads First Reads Program.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads . I enjoyed reading this book .I will be looking for more books from the author in the future , Great book !!

[Rob Neyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a small book, essentially a trifle, and might easily be devoured in an hour or so.

For that reason, it might be difficult to justify the $10 cover price. But it's also delightful at times, especially if you (like me) enjoy nothing more than walking around a real city, whether at home or when visiting. This will also be essential reading for Bochy's biographers someday, as I learned far more about his habits and his personality than anywhere else.

And the proceeds from the book are going to a good cause, too. So "A Book of Walks" has my endorsement, and most especially if you're a Giants fan.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The newest publication in transcendentalism, Manager of the San Francisco Giants, Bruce Bochy takes the reader on walks during the baseball season. A wonderful read!

[Mrs. Danvers · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say? If I were a person who wore team jerseys, I would wear Bochy's number. This book is conversational, gentle, and delightful.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable little book from an enjoyable seeming guy. Makes me want to take some trips just to take a walk.

[Linda Cardott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

[Karen Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a gem - as a Cubs and Brewers fan, a fellow lover of NYC, San Francisco, San Diego and walking as a form of not just exercise but also of observing and learning, I really enjoyed this!

[Trisha Knaul · Rating 2 out of 5]

If this hadn't been such a short book, it would have made it onto my DNF list. The author basically narrates some of the walks he likes to take.

[Mike Crawford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Casual and cheery, like a short walk chatting about longer walks

[Evan Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe I first heard about this book from an A's fan. Yet my humiliation has been tempered by my delight in A Book of Walks. Bruce Bochy takes his wife Kim to the Louvre when he receives a call that there's a wildfire in San Diego and his house might be destroyed. Cliffhanger! He is regretfully unable to enjoy the innumerable masterpieces. Bruce Bochy name checks Hegel. En passant but evocative, BB! Bruce Bochy goes to the Coliseum in Rome and has an existential moment. Gladiators. Baseball. Gladiators? Baseball? Bruce Bochy admits that he had not known that John James Audubon lived in Kentucky for many years. If only our academics exercised such humility! Wouldn't we all be better off? Of course we would be better off because academics are not going anywhere. They operate in the very fabric of our society and need to put food on their tables. Meanwhile, Bruce Bochy expresses regret that he was not alive in the 1890s so that he could meet Mary Greene, a steamboat pilot on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Bruce Bochy marvels that there has been a carousel in New York City's Central Park since 1871: four total; two were destroyed by fire. I find this passage very tasteful because BB doesn't mention Catcher in the Rye. Hegel, yes; Salinger, no no no. I appreciate a writer who highly esteems my intelligence (though I have never read Hegel and prefer not to after Hegelians ruined my birthday party years back). Reading this has been an accomplishment in my long weekend. Five stars out of five.

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Usually with a baseball manager, you associate walks with going to the pitcher's mound to bring in relief. But Bruce Bochy, the manager of the San Francisco Giants has written a book about the walks he has had outside of the park, in the cities where his teams have played. It is a small book with nine chapters. The writing is not good, but it is interesting to read Bochy's thoughts on what he enjoys in his walks and why he takes a stroll.

There are several things which would make this book better. First, the maps he provides leave you scratching your head on where locations are. Before trying to trace his steps, get a better map. Second, this is definitely not a trail guide. Third, the writings is almost like his words were transcribed from some musings he did. This is not a tour book, so those things are excusable. It is a tour of Bochy's mind.

I do not know that you will learn great management strategy. But not everything needs to be utilitarian, somethings are to be enjoyed. So if you are looking for new places to walk, this little book is probably not it. But if you are a Giants fan and want to enjoy the manager a bit more,  you could do a lot worse.

For more of my thoughts on this book, try my blog.

[Christopher Kanas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful small book that can be read in 1-3 sittings. I must admit my bias of being a rabid Giants fan and fondness of Bochy from years of watching his calm demeanor leading the Giants to 3 World Series Championships. So naturally, I was looking eagerly into getting to know Bochy a little more through his book.

The book is a nice selection of short chapters of Bochy describing his passion for walking in different cities across the United States; often cities that the Giants travel to as part of their schedule. Bochy reflects nicely on some history of each area and points of interest, while also recounting funny stories involving players and dabbles in some philosophy. All of it sounding very much like it would sound if you were hearing him speak it. casual pacing, simple wording, and not a lot of fluff. Put simply, well, that's Bochy.

I learned a bit about some areas in the states, laughed a bit a some of his stories, and overall was pleased with a man who seems dedicated to his wife (often his walking partner) and who enjoys being in the present. I liked Bochy before the book, I like him even more after the book. Thanks for a little share into your world Boch :D

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

After I read this book I felt like I just had one of those great (but not momentous) conversations with a random stranger. We both like long exploratory walks. We both take similar routes in San Francisco. And we are both drawn to walks by water in new cities or towns. And we've both had that special connection shared between and human and their dog. For me it was with a dog named Stella out on Bernal Hill.

Im not a sports fan so I spaced out a little during those parts, but I appreciated the correlations. This is an unpretentious book that was enjoyable to read. And it's not trying to be anything other than what it is.

[Deke · Rating 1 out of 5]

Although it's an inappropriate overstatement, the words "ugly, brutish and short" came to mind when deciding how to describe this unfocused, very colloquially penned collection of ramblings (in more ways than one). As a lover of the essay form, this strikes me as an under conceived, under thought, under edited work rushed to publication on the backs of 3 SF Giants wins.

[Mark Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and simple (100 pages) and the proceeds go to a good cause. I don't know that I'd say it's a great book, but probably the biggest thing I got out of it was that it humanized Bruce Bochy. Reading things like how he likes to walk to Wrigley Field and walk around Central Park area and stop in the irish pubs made him seem a lot different than the person you see interviewed on TV.

[Danny Knobler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bruce Bochy is a heck of a major-league manager, but he's also a heck of a good advocate for walking and enjoying it. Great idea for a book, and a nice quick read. I suppose you could even read it while taking your favorite walk.

[Luann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book to read - it was almost like Boch was sitting and talking in our backyard! Great thought provoker in how walking is so meditative for the soul!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not well-written, but the celebrity aspect of reading the thoughts of Bruce Bochy combined with the theme of walking worked for me.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little book makes you feel like it wouldn't be unusual to run into Bruce Bochy walking down the street, and when you did he would be just as friendly as a good neighbor.

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a tiny slip of a book, which I read while I was on the subway. Charming & familiar.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable read, particularly if you are a fan of Bruce Bochy. The writing is not particularly sophisticated, but I appreciate how the editor does not do much to correct Bochy's grammar or change his writing. The result is a very kind and humble voice unique to the skipper himself, and it kept me smiling throughout each story. I particularly love when Bochy describes walking with his dog and whenever he refers to his wife. His loyalty and his appreciation for life and history suggest why he's had so much success with the Giants.