Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 6/18/2007

6/18/1999:
A pair of marathon matches make for a long day at the semifinals of the Eastbourne Championships in England, a Wimbledon tune-up event. First, Nathalie Tauziat of France rallies from 1-5 down in the final set to defeat Anna Kournikova of Russia, 6-4, 4-6, 8-6. Then, in one of the longest matches in women's tennis history, Natasha Zvereva of Belarus outlasts Amanda Coetzer of South Africa 6-7 (5), 7-6 (4), 10-8 in 3 hours and 20 minutes. Tomorrow's final will also go three sets when Zvereva, after dropping the first nine games, beats Tauziat for the title.

Birthdays:
George Mikan b. 1924
Lou Brock b. 1939
Andres Galarraga b. 1961
Sandy Almoar Jr. b. 1966
Luke Jensen b. 1966


If you judge The Last Song of Dusk by its cover, you’ll want to buy it. (The gorgeous image of a Technicolor peacock alone is worth the price.) If you judge the book by the praise it’s received, you’ll want to pick it up. (Shanghvi is in a league with Salman Rushdie and Arundhati Roy, the critics promise.) If you judge the book by its content, you’ll want to read it. Set in 1920s India, it is a love story rife with longing and desire and heartbreak. See if you aren’t seduced.

THE LAST SONG OF DUSK, by Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi (Arcade Publishing, 2004)