Art Thiel, Steve Rudman, and Mike Gastineau

You’ve heard of coffee-table books, but have you heard of bathroom books? We’re talking about the sort of easily digestible paperback that can be completed over the course of 200-300 separate squats in six months to a year. The Great Book of Seattle Sports Lists (Running Press, $14.95), compiled by longtime sports journalists Art Thiel, Steve Rudman (both of the late printed P-I), and Mike Gastineau (KJR’s “Gas Man”), is a noble entry into this porcelain genre. While the book’s lack of photos is a tad perplexing, as is its failure to include the Mariners’ selection of Brandon Morrow over Tim Lincecum in the “Dreadful Draft-Day Debacles” chapter, it’s nevertheless an exhaustively researched, highly entertaining reminder that Seattle—Seattle University, even—has a richer sports heritage than generally credited. The book is a must-have for even casual observers of local sports, especially those prone to frequent bowel movements. MIKE SEELY
Mon., June 22, 7 p.m., 2009