935: Honoring John Feinstein Part 2
I mentioned how important John Feinstein was to me as a sports lover, so I am republishing my 2019 reviews of his Sports Beat Series that influenced me so much growing up.
Before we get there, here are my updated thoughts on book 2: Vanishing Act
Reading Vanishing Act in 2025 was an interesting experience. I realized how much maturation I still had left to do when I had done my first reread in 2019. I think part of the growth I’ve had to do as a reader is not getting too emotionally entwined with the main character. That has often led to me missing some other significant details in the past and it was interesting reading this series this time around.
Being able to take a quarter step back or so made for an even more enjoyable reading experience. I was able to connect with Stevie and Susan Carol and understand that they were genuinely written as teenagers. I intellectually understood that in the last reread, but a lot of the quirks of these first two books in the series (and the series overall) made more sense through that lens.
Vanishing Act made me happy because I was returning to old friends and seeing them grow up in the pages of their story. Seeing teenagers forge a friendship and seeing the nascent sparkles of a romance was really touching.
My narration journey continues in 2025, so before we get to the review,
I’d appreciate if you check out my works on A03
In this episode, I went along for a mystery...
Friends, friends, friends.
Welcome back to Teatime Reading where there are books in progress. Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson were two of my favorite protagonists in Last Shot, where they were instrumental in uncovering the scandal at the Final Four.
I was eager to spend more time with the two sleuths as they took their respective talents to the US Open. I think that it is only fair that I am transparent here: Basketball and Tennis are two of my favorite sports so it makes sense that I enjoyed these books. Even as a 24-year-old adult, I still liked the novelty of a sports drama crossing over with a Boxcar Children-esque set of children protagonists.
Ultimately, this book was full of dramatic and romantic tension and if the first book was about Stevie and Susan Carol getting to know each other, this book started to show them hitting their investigative primes. I liked the romantic undertones in this book, and the added presence of some famous personalities made for some added entertainment behind the scenes.
Ultimately, I thought that Vanishing Act was an interesting sequel to Last Shot, but the tone was a refreshing departure as the stakes raised from mere corruption to kidnapping and international relations. Even a decade removed from this age group, I still had fun with this book.
Sometimes, fun is all you need in a book.
See you soon everyone.
Peace, Love, Pages.
Note: As Always, Affiliate Links are here for your convenience at no cost to you. All reading was at my own expense.