There will be no fancy intro for July's version of Four for the Month, only a foursome of books we've deemed acceptable for your reading pleasure.

So let's get right to it. "In Search of Captain Zero" Author: Allan C. Weisbecker

Amazon.com price: $10.17

This is the tale of a middleaged surfer/writer who heads south of the border on a quest to find his long-lost friend, Christopher (aka Captain Zero), and a few perfect waves.

Face it, it takes big-time guts for a guy to pack a camper truck and drive from New York to Costa Rica with only his dog and a few surfboards in tow, but Weisbecker pulls it off in dramatic detail.

After trekking across the country, Weisbecker, a surf fanatic turned drug smuggler turned Hollywood scribe, explores the beauty and peril of coastal Baja before taking a ferry bound for Mainland Mexico and later continuing his adventure into Central America.

When he finally does track down Captain Zero, Weisbecker's wild, builtup expectations are quickly dashed by his friend's sorry state of affairs. In essence, the journey is much more satisfying than the carnage that lies in wait at the end of the road.

Be forewarned, though, this is not a dumb-as-they-come, "let's go catch a few waves, bra" type of surf novel. There are big words involved, with immensely descriptive narratives for all things ocean related.

"Joe DiMaggio: The Hero's Life"

Author: Richard

Ben Cramer

Amazon.com price: $16

The All-Star Game was played at Yankee Stadium earlier this week. Throughout the game, memories of Yankee greats such as Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle were rekindled.

In this book, author Richard Ben Cramer, the 1979 Pulitzer Prize winner, does a fantastic job reporting on DiMaggio's life and times.

Included are details of DiMaggio's days growing up in San Francisco, his nine World Series titles and his 56-game hitting streak, still a record.

Clearly, on the field, DiMaggio was one of the best ever. Off the field, however, he was a surly sort who wasn't a whole lot of fun to be around.

For a man associated with the word "class," DiMaggio, Cramer reports, often treated people like dirt, including his own son, Joe Jr., and both of his wives, Dorothy Olson and, later, Marilyn Monroe.

The reader also learns that DiMaggio privately hated being associated with baseball fans, Ted Williams and even his teammate Mickey Mantle.

Still, there's no denying that long after Yankee Stadium is torn down, people will still be talking about the great Joltin' Joe. Get the real story here.

"Open: Inside the Ropes at

Bethpage Black" Author: John Feinstein

Amazon.com

price: $11.96

Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate helped make last month's U.S. Open at Torrey Pines one of the all-time classics.

But, as John Feinstein explains in "Open," there's much more that goes on behind the scenes to make the nation's golf tournament the megaevent it has become.

Feinstein takes the reader behind the scenes of the 2002 U.S. Open, which was the first time the event was held at a public venue- Bethpage State Park's Black Course.

Located in Farmingdale, N.Y., Bethpage Black was known mostly as a cult classic before the '02 Open.

Included are details of the actual four days of competition, but be warned- that is not the focus. Instead, the story is based on the transformation of a regular, yet difficult, golf course into a thing of beauty.

The event was a success, and the 2009 U.S. Open will once again be held at Bethpage Black.

"The Jordan Rules"

Author: Sam Smith

Amazon.com price: $7.99

Reading this book is more enjoyable than watching the current Chicago Bulls play the Clippers from the front row of Staples Center.

And it's a lot cheaper.

"The Jordan Rules" is the best book about Michael Jordan, hands down. A close second would be the sequel, "Second Coming," also by Sam Smith.

A captivating account of the Bulls' first title run in 1990-91 by the team's former Chicago Tribune beat writer, "The Jordan Rules" offers behindthescenes basketball insight while showing the players' true colors.

Most other books sugarcoat the Bulls dynasty- Smith avoids the trap.

Let's just say His Airness is no Mother Teresa; Scottie Pippen is no Gandhi, and the rest of the Bulls, even baby-faced B.J. Armstrong, are no angels.