Product Description
Traces the history of figure skating, the oldest event in the winter Olympic games, and discusses some of the outstanding skaters in this competition and the techniques they have developed over the years. ... Read more

Product Description
Become a smoother, faster, and better-conditioned skater—on asphalt and on ice. Speed on Skates provides detailed instruction and drills to master basic to advanced techniques for every speedskating discipline—in-line, long-track, short-track, marathon skating.

Elite skater and coach Barry Publow explains

• the mechanics of efficient skating form,

• training exercises and schedules for achieving optimal performance, and

• racing strategies and tactics that will give you an edge in competition.

Equally valuable for inexperienced competitors and elite racers, Speed on Skates is the best and most complete guide to speedskating technique, training, and racing. Get smart, get your skates, and get going—faster than ever! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Helped me speed up on my own
This book is like a personal trainer for inline (roller skating).I started reading this book in July 2006 and by August 2006 I was so much faster in inline skating.This is from someone who has never taken any lessons and started to skate on his own.I did the Northshore Inline (Duluth) half marathon later in Sept 2006 in 1 hour 6 mts (pretty impressive by my own standards).I keep referrring to it once in a while to keep up my training and speed.

Best tool ever for inline and ice speed skaters
This book is thorugh and even those of us that are completely uneducated about athletics and how to improve in them can understand clearly what is written in this book. I was afraid it would be too technical but it caters to all levels of knowledge. I am very impressed. I plan to start impleting these practices very soon.

Inline Speed Skating
From the background I had during my competitive years in the sport of inline speedskating, I believe the book is a complete and technical guide to the basic terminology, strategy, and mechanics that are involved with speedskating; both on ice and inline skates.There is heavy usage on photographs to show you the correct way to skate to reach your potential but to achieve what is seen in the picture typically takes years of training with coaches to show you the ways to train your body to achieve the form and stride of an effecient inline skater.

I also believe that some of the material is dated regarding the current face of the sport but the book is a staple in the sport and is a worthy look for outsiders and internally at the facets of the sport of inline and ice speedskating. For anyone interested in speedskating either on ice skates or inline skates, this book is the most comprehensive guide from a champion speedskater that covers most facets of the sport.

Get speedier on skates!
A must have. Loaded with information and great pictures. Also very technical training schedules for the serious skaters. Not too much for short trackers but still alot of useful skating information.

Great book of novice and elite skaters
This is a great book for anyone involved in in-line or ice speedskating.Being a speedskater myself, I have had much success using the book.It is great for novice and elite skaters.The book offers a lot of information regarding techinique and training.I hope others have or will have as much success using this book as I have.

A MUST-HAVE FOR ANY SPEEDSKATERS LIBRARY!!! ... Read more

Product Description
In the sequel to Ice Dancing, Samantha and Alex are determined to win the championship, despite the interference of her parents and the fact that she has not been feeling well lately. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Ice-skating
When I first read it years ago, I thought it was okay. It was good when you had nothing else to read.This is the story in a nutshell.There is this girl who loves ice-skating, but her parents want her to refrain from the activity, for fear she will get sick.When the girl skates, she sometimes gets sick.So she is put in this boarding school in order to stop her from skating.Naturally, she rebels and goes for the competition and wins first prize, etc. etc. etc.For those who can relate to her, it will be interesting, but frankly I did not like it much, but I think some kids may enjoy it.Cheers!!!!!!: )

Ice Princess
This book is about a girl who skates and she got sick while skating, so her parents sent to an all girls' school. The story's genre is Fiction. I thought it was a very good book because she had a lot of faith and courageand kept skating secretly without any worry at all. I would recommend thisbook to young teenagers because it is a good influence and it shows howSamantha had a lot of faith and courage to keep skating. My favorite partin the book was when they did their last dance and won first place

My Favorite Book EVER!
Ice Princess is my favorite book! It has everything, from humor, to romance, to fun! It is a great book, with a surprise around every page! I loved it and read it all the time! ... Read more

Product Description
The attack on Nancy Kerrigan at the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships set the stage for a Winter Olympics spectacle: Tonya versus Nancy. Women on Ice collects the writings of a diverse group of feminists who address and question our national obsession with Tonya and Nancy and what this tells us about perceptions of women in twentieth century America. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

The ugly side of figure skating!
Until 1994, I was an avid figure skating fan. Then this whole debacle regarding Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan began. It didn't begin there. In 1992, the press particularly the american press fawned over Nancy Kerrigan like the next Dorothy Hamill. Even though, it was Kristi Yamaguchi who won the Olympic Gold Medal. Nancy and her blind mother received far more attention than Kristi and her win. Sad but true, the press treated Nancy like a princess because she was prettier than Tonya and Kristi at least to the opinion. It was no wonder that Tonya who skated and landed a triple axel something neither Kristi nor Nancy ever completed in competition was left in the dust. Then when Nancy's legally blind mother said her daughter deserved the gold in 1994, nobody pointed out that she was legally blind in the press. The 1994 Winter games also showed an ugly side to the beauty of figure skating. I saw something that I never saw before. I always thought that the figure skaters were like one big happy family but watching figure skaters like Kurt Browning, Scott Hamilton, and Peter Carruthers show their true side lost me completely to the sport. It tarnished my image. I have to say that forgiveness is not in figure skating. Thanks to Tonya's actions, all of those figure skaters became wealthy and treated her like a leper. In HOllywood, they would have easily forgiven her. I did and I still feel sorry for Tonya because Nancy has gotten everything because of her. Tonya's actions are forgiveable and I wish people would see that Tonya was herself a victim of spousal abuse. I wish Tonya best. I'm sad that figure skating has an ugly side of competition but the figure skaters could have shown some forgiveness. They tarnished their sport by being ugly human beings rather than forgiving ones.
Unlike Kerrigan or Yamaguchi, Tonya had no emotional support. Her relationship with her mother was estranged and there were accusations of child abuse which probably ring true to the person that Tonya turned out to be as an adult. She was in an abusive marriage to Jeff Gillooly who only saw dollar signs if his wife won the Olympic Gold Medal. Tonya's support system was lacking. She came out of poor working class Oregon. She had talent that she should have been a blessing instead of a curse. Her skating was the one asset that could have gotten her a better life. She made poor decisions but that doesn't excuse her but you have to understand why it happened. Of course, the Kerrigan camp could have simply called a truce and made peace before the Olympics instead they capitalized well on Kerrigan's situation as the victim. If I was in Kerrigan's shoes, I would have called a truce or cease fire rather than go to courts and allow it to go any further than ruin or tarnish the sport itself. For example, Mike Tyson, a convicted rapist, is still allowed to box while Tonya is forbidden to skate. There was a lot more ugliness in the sport that surfaced during this time. It's been 14 years and it's time to let this go.

Comprehensive scholarly essays of superb social analysis
This book is a collection of over a dozen essays from disparate authors (mostly women) on the Harding/Kerrigan debacle of the Winter '93-'94.Its emphasis is on the Social Analysis of what may often be referenced as apreeminent U.S. feminist issue and exercise to determine the "why ithappened".As such, this book shines with countless thought provokingaspects that have references back to classic mythology and all the stuff ofa consuming dissection.It blows this big media event apart discussingevery aspect from dress colors, selected music scores to the classstandings of these two women Olympians.If you just want a superficialbook on skating, this may not be the book for you.But if you want todeconstruct the how's and why's of what makes the perverse part of humannature and society tick, with the skating included, this collection can'tbe beat.

well-intentioned but off the mark
It would've been nice to read a book like this written by people who understand the sport of figure skating, rather than just an analysis of the media coverage. This was a great opportunity to examine the grit behind theglamor of the sport, and it was wasted.

A powerful dissection of class and gender roles in skating.
this collection of scholarly essays examines skating as a field byfocusing on the events leading up to the 1994 Winter Olympics.The essaysare thought-provoking, and cover a wide range of topics -- from the role ofthe media in creating a spectacle of women's bodies, to an essay on theprominent role of fairy tales and fantsy in skating.Highly recommendedfor skating fans and those interested in sports culture. ... Read more

Product Description
Describes figure skating, the skills needed for it, and ways to compete. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great for pre teen girls
This book is part of a great sports series for pre teen girls. The writer Heather is very cute! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Fair and unbiased account of this talented athlete
Unlike other purported "bios" of Tonya and Nancy, these writers obviously took the time to interview those close to the skaters rather than depending on news stories for their material. Their attention to detail and the interesting details of backstage life in the fast-paced world of international figure skating make this an interesting read.

Interesting but Quick Read about the Tonya/Nancy Debacle
This book was hastily churned out at the height of the Tonya/Nancy knee-whacking incident as a quick money maker for the author and publisher. The problem with this book is that it is not a well-rounded biography of Tonya; the emphasis is too much on the knee-whacking incident and shortly thereafter, stopping just before the '94 Winter Games. It is an interesting collectible for Tonya-philes, but does not give a full portrait of the talented, complex, troubled young woman. Hopefully a more comprehensive biography of Ms. Harding will be available in the future. ... Read more

Product Description
This practical guide explores the world of ice skating. The book starts with basic steps and moves through turns, jumps, and spins, describing each technique in detail. There are also special sections on the rink, what to wear, terminology, staying warm on the ice, and safety tips. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Fantastic book for the young ice skater
Having just read this book I am astonished at it's beauty. The skaters all look at ease which has motivated my daughter to want to do more. Both my daughter and I enjoy reading the book together and it has been a great helpafter each private skating lesson to understand exactly what my daughterscoach has been saying. As a parent it is essential that I understand whatmy child needs to practise and this book certainly, has not only helped mydaughter but has helped me understand much more about this wonderful sportof figure skating. Many thanks to Peter Morrissey ... Read more

Product Description
Scott Hamilton is one of the most beloved figure skaters in the world-not just among his colleagues, but to the sport's countless fans as well. So when the Olympic gold medalist and four-time World Champion launched his "Stars on Ice" tour back in 1986, everyone wished him the best. In fact, the best is exactly what he got. Hamilton's "Stars on Ice" has become the most successful ice skating tour on the planet.In this lively look at figure skating's most remarkable success story, Stars on Ice features full-color illustrations of the graceful skaters who have entertained fans throughout the show's reign. From Dorothy Hamill to Brian Orser, from Katarina Witt to Kristi Yamaguchi, Stars on Ice beautifully displays the talents of Olympic and World Champion skaters through stunningly realistic photography. In addition, behind-the-scenes vignettes from the tour reveal the heartfelt camaraderie and sense of family felt among the skaters. From the tour's early days of opening night fiascoes to the tragically unexpected loss of Sergei Grinkov to Scott Hamilton's own battle with cancer, Stars on Ice tells a tale of a sport that has touched fans like no other. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Breath taking..
This book was what i expected it to be.It was full of colorful pictures, and very good description of how Stars on Ice evolved to what it is now. GREAT pictures excellent story....though if u were thinking of getting thevideo "The Best of Stars on Ice" ... it wasnt good at all.Theywere performances from the last 5 years and not the 10 years it talks abouton its back cover..

Excellent work about how Stars On Ice evolved into The Tour!
Reason why I bought the book: Just one. Rosalynn Sumners. She was rather reluctant when Scott called her and invited her to join the tour......and that was back in 1986. Thirteen years and a few hundred shows later, Rozhas matured into one of the finest entertainers on the ice. Her departurefrom the SOI tour after the 1998-99 season was rather sad, but rereadingher thoughts and feelings on subjects such as Sergei's death to Scott'scancer and her own shining moments was well worth the money I paid for thebook. Roz, I'll miss you when SOI starts the 1999-2000 tour. God bless!

Great photos
This book has lots of great photos pf all the skaters. A must for every SOI fan.

Brings You Close To Katia and SOI!!
I thought this was an absolutely fantastic book!!! It really gets you up close and personal with the World's Greatest Skating Tour, and I loved the chapter in tribute to Sergei Grinkov. Lots of terrific pictures from allthe programs through the years!! It starts out with the story of how StarsOn Ice got started, and tells about the earliest skaters, all the way up totoday's performers (like my favourite, Katia Gordeeva). This book is amust-have for any fan of SOI and skating in general. You will definatelyhave to see the show in person, after this book!!!

did not reach potential, but not bad either
First, as in nearly all figure skating books these days, the photography is excellent. The photographs will make the reader rush out and buy tickets to Stars on Ice. The chapter about the tragic death of Sergei Grinkov is asmoving as one would expect. However, the family feeling of Stars on Ice didnot shine through out the entire book. In most chapters it was a shallow,superficial coverage of this unique tour. It could have been so much more. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

Very Helpful for Me
I didn't know how to skate at all, and my instructor thought I didn't care, but I just didn't know the basics!This book really helped me learn to skate.

excellent book on ice skating
I didn't know ANYTHING about skating, but this book made me look good on the ice. Now I can skate, stop, do cross-overs and somebody even asked ME for advice the other day. I really recommend it to anyone getting started in skating.

Ohhhhhhhh boy!
Not the greatest guide to ice skating! There is a lot on what you should wear and look for in skates, but as far as the skating goes. . .There's practically nothing in it!But what's in it is written well. ... Read more

Product Description
While the Aldens search a visiting figure skating company for jewelry thieves, they welcome their new adopted cousin, Sue Lee, from Korea, in a paperback edition with sixteen pages of activities, puzzles and games not included in the hardcover. Simultaneous. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

book
I was very disappointed in this item! It was supposed to be in good condition but the pages were all water warped. I will not buy from this seller again!

A great mystery
This is a great mystery.The diamonds are in the place you least expect.Two people get engaged in this book too.One of the characters is really funny.This is a good book if you like mysteries.

What is this book anyway????
The biggest thing that bothered me about this book was that why a person would sew stolen jewels on a skating costume that was in plain sight of everyone.Children like the Aldens aren't smarter than grown-up dectectives.This book was really AWFUL!! ... Read more

Product Description
As Sectionals approach, Coach Perry hires a new choreographer for Lauren and Courtney. But the girls soon realize that Jon's strict style and choices for routines are just not right for them. For the first time ever, Lauren finds an ally in the ever-competitive Courtney--and together they find the confidence to stand up for themselves and confront their coach. ... Read more

Product Description
Have you ever dreamed of elegantly gliding across the ice in front of thousands of breathless fans? Here is the book to get you started. Learn all the important aspects of figure skating from the top coaching professionals. Figure Skating: Sharpen Your Skills helps the beginning skater with acquiring the right equipment, choosing a coach, and learning the basic movements on the ice. For the more advanced skaters, there are chapters on free skating, jumps, spins, figures, and ice dancing. With Sharpen Your Skills you can realize your dreams of participating in one of the world's most beautiful and demanding sports--figure skating. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The Best Instructional Book I've Found
As a teenage skater, I've read many books on technique.This one is the best.It starts with basic skills and includes jumps and spins (up to the axel and forward camel) and introduces ice dance and figures.A good reference for any skater.

This is the best Skating book i ever read!!
I don't think there are any other books out there for beginner skaters which are so easy to understand and well-written.I give this book as gifts to my friend's children who are just starting out their skatingcareers.It really helps explain the basic moves and equipment needs. Igive it a 5-star rating and thank the author for realizing their was a needout there for this

Yes!
This book is awesome with everything...i recently went to a camp in Indiana with Mr.Pieter Kollen and nice skating up there ... Read more

Product Description
The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Juvenile Fiction / General; Juvenile Fiction / Sports ... Read more

Product Description
Lauren wins a scholarship that puts her back on the ice with Coach Perry...and just in time, too! The Regionals are only weeks away, and with Coach Perry's training, Lauren is sure that he will win first place. But suddenly Lauren finds that her feet have become all thumbs! Now she's worried that even the greatest coach in the world won't be able to help her get back on track. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

THE TURNING POINT
This is the first book in the Michelle Kwan Presents Skating Dreams series, and it includes a letter from Michelle addressed to you, in which she tells you a little bit about herself. All the books in the series include a full-color postcard of Michelle, plus her answers to real e-mails from her fans. There is an address where you can write to her, too.

In THE TURNING POINT, you'll meet 10-year-old Lauren Wing, a girl who loves to skate. She's training and practicing for the Regionals competition for novices, and she's looking forward to moving up, to become a junior-level skater, and then a senior-level skater. And maybe someday she can try out for the Olympics. In her dreams! But in her everyday life, Lauren just concentrates on skating her best in the Regionals competition.

Unfortunately, it's hard for Lauren to concentrate on her program when her cat gets lost. Her parents, her brother, her sisters, and all her friends help her look for him. They put up flyers. But they can't find him, and Lauren really misses him. To make things worse, another skater, Erica Claiborn, says nasty things to Lauren just before she has to skate in the competition, trying to make her goof up. The absolute worst thing, though, is when Lauren finds out --- just before she goes onto the ice --- that a world-famous skating coach, Eve Perry, has come to watch the competition. Lauren is scared to death!

She skates very well in her first routine, but in the second one she falls down. Erica wins first place. Lauren tries to be a good sport about it, but falling down was not something she wanted to do in front of Eve Perry! She'll never get to the Olympics that way.

Then something happens. Something that will change Lauren's life forever. If it works out. If she can do it. Will her parents go for it? Do dreams come true? Read this book to see if Lauren can find her cat, and if her skating dreams become a reality.

--- Reviewed by Tamara Penny

Fi learns about astral projection
While Fi, Clu and Jack are in Bardo, Wyoming they come along a girl they meet at a carnival who can leave her body and travel anywhere she wants to. Fi automatically is in awe by this weird happening meanwhile Clu and Jack are in awe, well just in awe of the girl. With the help of Fi Claire will learn a good lesson and gain a new friend in the process. ... Read more

Product Description

Olympic silver medalist Sasha Cohen tells her story -- on and off the ice

Customer Reviews (18)

Absolute Fiction
My daughters idolize Sasha Cohen and their respect grew much greater when she worked so hard to compete at the 2010 Nationals. Win or lose, as competitive skaters, they know what it takes to put yourself out there but, before that, log in those hours at the gym and on the ice to get those programs together. So, I was a bit appalled when I started thumbing through the book and was so captivated by the fiction, that I couldn't put the book down. Sasha could not have skated Juvenile without an axel and combination jumps. She definitely could have not competed and placed without one as the rules of competition are significantly higher than the testing requirements. In fact, she couldn't have competed and placed at the very first level of skating, pre-preliminary, without ALL her single jumps, in combination and the axel. It is very sad to have my daughters read a book about their idol and learn that she allegedly skated juvenile and intermediate AND placed, without all her jumps.

Then, without this alleged technical basis and skill, she magically passed her intermediate moves and free skate test in order to be accepted by John Nicks. Again, an absolute impossibility and fiction under the rules of the U.S. Skating Federation since you cannot pass your free skate test without the axel and doubles, let alone be deemed competitive at a local competition since the competitive rules,again, require doubles and in combination with other doubles and singles! But, no one has to believe me. Just go to the USFSA website and take a look at the judge's forms and the requirements of the TEST listed for Juvenile and Intermediate free skating. Skating is just like ordinary school. If you don't know what is listed on the test, you do not pass. Period. The judges are pretty tough on the skaters and expect much excellence. You won't pass the tests without a high degree of skill and therefore, will be precluded from competing at that level which, always, to my chagrin, the competition elements are so much higher than the test elements at that level. They get reviewed every year but all the basic requirements pretty much remain the same.

[...]

a very engaging and novel approach into the life of Sasha's career
After reading this book, I was quite fondof this figure skater's dramaticand realistic approach toward her career, her struggles and her triumph on the ice.It chronicles the relationship she has with fellow skaters, her coaches and her inspiration, behind her passion.The book offers an inside look of Sasha's experience and of her transition from an unknown skater, to a highly respected figure skater. It includes her family's and fans support leading Sasha to become aworld champion in her own right, and as aunique individual.A very compelling autobiography of one girl's struggle to reach high for her dreams. I highly recommend that the book be read by those who are interested in figure skating and also to learn about these type of figure skaters. Also this book may include interviews.

greatness
good book, worth reading, very inspirational. Cohen is the champion we should all try to be.

Sasha Cohen: Fire on Paper
Sasha Cohen: Fire on Ice was a incredibly detailed story os Sasha's life. My hero is Sasha and I love to skate, so it allowed me to gain more knowledge. Sasha Cohen included beautiful pictures which really helped me to imagine what was going on more visually. The ending was very touching with how she see's skating. I enjoyed reading this story very much and just finished my third time reading it. Now I can't stop spitting out facts to my dad.

It's ok......
It's ok, but it didn't tell much information, and it doesn't tell much insight, basically what she won and lost....... ... Read more

Product Description
It's gold medal time for Tori -- she just knows it! The next big competition is coming up, and Tori has a winning routine.

Now all she needs is that fabulous skating dress her mother promised her! But Mrs. Carsen doesn't seem to be interested in Tori's skating anymore -- not since she started dating a new man in town.

When Mrs. Carsen tells Tori she's not going to the competition, Tori decides enough is enough! She has a plan that will change everything -- forever!

Don't miss the next Silver Blades book, A Surprise Twist! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

GREAT BOOK
It shows exactly how other people can be totally oblivious to something that you care about.And therefor Jeopardise whatever it is you are trying to achieve.Of course this works the other way around too. You could headinto trouble and have no one to stop you. This book Demonstrates how oneshould not Give up or lose faith.READ THIS BOOK. Its Great. Im amazed onhow miss Lowell can make her plots so realistic. This is an everydaysituation. Bravo. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The 1998 Edition of the Sourcebook is a MUST for every fan
Alice Berman's Sourcebook is an indispensable resource for figure skating fans, coaches, athletes, and anyone with an interest in the total business of figure skating.I couldn't believe the price remained the same despite the countless improvements to this resource!The Sourcebook contains everything I need including rink locations, vendor/supplier addresses/phone numbers, skating events, historical facts and figures, etc.It is the Bible of figure skating.Thank you Skater's Edge and Alice Berman.

easy read, lots of resources, informative
Although, I commonly refer to this text for skaing information, many editing problems were found. The text offers useful information on skating, ice rinks, companies offering skating goods, list of skating champions, etc.. However, I found the 1995 edition to have many flaws, including mispelled words, inaccurate information regarding rinks and companies, making the book to be a disappointment.The 1998 edition is coming in february and should be much better. ... Read more

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Product Description
The first in-depth, critical look at figure skating. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

hmmm....
An adequate and fair history of the art of figure skating from its origins to the present. One aspect I found troubling was the book's committment to viewing the art through the eyes of feminist "gender identity" theory. I'm not sure what an introduction to post modernist feminism contributes to a book about figure skating.
Another shortcoming is the author's occasional fade into modern academic jargon that borders on gibberish. Consider the following gem of a sentence from page 259: "The conflicting codes of both "feminine" objectification and "masculine" agency in the person of the same skater provide a potentially empowering tension in symbolic identification with a position that is neither purely powerless nor purely powerful, blurring the either/or dichotomy of a structialist reading into an androgenous both/and." What is missing here is basic writing skill.

I really bought this book for the picture of Michelle Kwan on the cover, Still I learned a fair amount about the art of figure skatingfrom reading it.

Figure skating gets the respect it deserves
_Culture on Ice_ is the first skating book I have bought in more than two years.It is also the first skating book where I actually learned something in every chapter and started to think about skating in ways that hadn't occurred to me.

Even though it's an "academic" book, its contents and message appeal to skating fans universally.The first two chapters are heavy on theory and may present some difficulty for those unfamiliar with academic theories of meaning, but they're worth sloughing through.(I think you could even get away with skipping them if you really can't get through the language.)Chapter three onward should be relatively smooth sailing for any confirmed skating fan with the caveats that the language is academic and the sentences are long.

The research is meticulous, and the chapter notes are full of exciting hidden gems of amazing detail.The technical appendix and suggestions for further reading alone would be worth the cover price for anyone looking to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the sport.

_Culture on Ice_ is successful as a work of theory, a work of history, and an appreciation of all who contribute to figure skating.Kudos to Ellyn Kestnbaum for taking figure skating beyond coffee-table-book status and establishing a framework for future critical analysis of the sport. ... Read more