Task #1: Read a book about sports.

[Theresa]

@Shawn My understanding is that it only needs robe nonfiction if the prompt specifically says nonfiction.

[Danielle]

Rebecca wrote: "I'm near St. Louis, so that book is not even legal in my state, or at least it shouldn't be. :-)." Haha well I will be sure not to mention it in the threads again ;-) The Cardinals are a great team, and your book pick sounds really interesting!

[Adam]

For task 1 I shall be reading

[Cheri]

Nina wrote: "I think I'll be reading Moneyball. I've heard really good things, and I'm not very into sports so I think framing the sport in finance and numbers will be interesting. Probably will try the audiobook."

Great idea, thanks!

[Rainey]

I am reading it as well. The movie was excellent.

[Jo]

Would Unseen Academicals be cheating? :D

[Martha]

My mother told me about this book today and it may be a serious contender for my choice in this category: Tribal: College Football and the Secret Heart of America

[Sheri]

I an thinking King of th World by David Remnick, about Muhammad Ali

[Rainey]

Melissa wrote: "Not a genre I would go for, but that's whole point of joining this challenge. I like the suggestion here of Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game

What do you think of [book:Sudd..."

Well tennis is a sport so why not.

[Molly]

I recommend Conviction for any baseball fans who also enjoy stories about murder, religion and family relationships. It's YA and beautifully written.

[Courtney]

I was thinking Last Go Round: A Real Western, about championship rodeo in 1911. And I love Ken Kesey. <3

[Courtney]

Shawn wrote: "I know the "rules" aren't strict but is the intent for this to be non-fiction?"

I think it's okay - I imagine if it was a book in the library catalog, one of the subject headings would be sports, and that would cover fiction too. Like The Brothers K, where baseball is a major part of the book.

[Bex]

Think I have king of the world somewhere as well. May be ireading two for this category next year.

[Marlene]

What Will Be: The Autobiography by William Fox-Pitt is a great read for those who are interested in Eventing.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

[Anna]

Marianne wrote: "I was about to start What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami, but maybe I'll save it til January for this!"

I've already started reading it - wasn't sure if it would fit for the category, but he gets pretty in-depth about how he trains and where he runs while mixing it in with his life and his writing. I think it's a good pick for a first sports read.

[Chia]

The author of The Domino Diaries: My Decade Boxing with Olympic Champions and Chasing Hemingway's Ghost in the Last Days of Castro's Cuba was profiled in The New York Times today (http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/15/nyr...). I just added the book to my want-to-read shelf.

[Chia]

Oh! And for anyone who hasn't read it yet—Terry Pratchett's Unseen Academicals totally changed the way I think about sports.

[Cindy]

I'm going to read Eric Liddell, about the true story behind Chariots of Fire.

[Lia]

Emily wrote: "What about Kwame Alexanders books? Either The Crossover or Booked? They´re about sports right?" yes in my mind. I have read the Crossover and loved it I have Booked at library ready to pick up. Can't wait to read it.

[Lia]

Brooklyn wrote: "Thinking of going with The Crossover."
great book

[Penny]

Brandy wrote: "Penny wrote: "So would Tigers and Devils or The Perfect Game or The Art of Fielding count for this?"

I hope so for your sake The Art of Fielding is a..."

None one has had any input so I'm just going to go with one of them, I've had the Art of.. on my TBR for years, but I'm finally tackling War and Peace and I'm not sure if another big book is the way to go.

[Morgan]

Any tips on books about women in sports with deep and interesting life stories?

[Theresa]

Penny wrote: "Brandy wrote: "Penny wrote: "So would Tigers and Devils or The Perfect Game or The Art of Fielding count for this?"

I hope so for your sake The Art o..."

I'm reading The Art of Fielding for this prompt. I didn't realize how long it is. Yikes. But I really want to read things from my TBR rather than buying/borrowing new books, so I'm going to stick with it.

[Annie]

hm. I think maybe What I Talk About When I Talk About Running? or maybe @Falcon Fever: A Falconer in the Twenty-first Century, falconry is a sport, yeah?

[Lisa]

Bonnie wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Would "Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail" count for this task?"

Not sure hiking is a sport."

Julia wrote: "Darn those Olympic tie-ins, I did that this year with Dvora Meyers' End of the Perfect 10 on the history of gymnastics scoring/judging. It's interesting, if very US focused. Probably needed to be t..."

Surely it's a sport, thought not a competitive one.

[Beth]

Yair wrote: "I'm gonna go with the Art of Fielding. Since the plot mostly revolves around the sport. And even Amazon has it listed as a book about a sport."

Me, too. I've had this one on my shelf for years, so it seems like a good opportunity to finally read it.

[Ariel]

I'm planning to read The Blind Side

[Henriette]

I might be going with Murakami: What I talk about when I talk about running. Not a sportsfan, but a huge Murakami fan!

[Julia]

I don't care for sports, but apparently I read novels about them all the time. I strongly recommend Kwame Alexander's The Crossover and Booked. Also Shakespeare Bats Cleanup by Ron Koertge and there is a sequel. These are all novels written poetry about boys playing or wanting to play sports.
Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock is about a girl who plays football.
Summerland by Michael Chabon is a baseball fantasy novel.
Chris Crutcher writes about teen boys who play various sports in Spokane, and in rural areas around Oregon, as well. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes is about swimming, Whale Talk is about an unusual swim team, Athletic Shorts: Six Short Stories is short stories about various sports.

[Grace]

I am going to read John Irving's, The Imaginary Girlfriend. Although the name does not reflect the connection to sports this is an autobiography that reflects on the writer's connection to wrestling. And Irving is one of my fav authors. What do you think, does this qualify?

[Arlitia]

Henriette wrote: "I might be going with Murakami: What I talk about when I talk about running. Not a sportsfan, but a huge Murakami fan!"
This is one of my favorite books of all time, about running, about life, about possibility and intention. It might be the book I choose for the re-read task. Enjoy!

[Melissa]

I'm reading How Soccer Explains the World. My favorite sport, with a little international relations/politics

[Ariel]

Grace wrote: "I am going to read John Irving's, The Imaginary Girlfriend. Although the name does not reflect the connection to sports this is an autobiography that reflects on the writer's connection to wrestlin..."

From what I've heard about it I think it should count.

[Amber]

I was considering Bucky F*cking Dent: A Novel by David Duchovny until reading this thread.

Anyone have any good recommendations for books about jiu jitsu?

[Beth]

Lisa wrote: "Would "Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail" count for this task?"

Totally, I think! It is shelved in memoir, but the entire book describes in detail her preparation (or lack thereof) and the hike itself and hiking is definitely a sport.

[Emma]

I'm thinking of reading Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx is Burning: 1977, Baseball, Politics, and the Battle for the Soul of a City.

I'm not sure if there is enough sport in that since it's really about the politics around baseball, but it's been on my to read list for a very long time.

[Shatterlings]

Jo wrote: "Would Unseen Academicals be cheating? :D"

Yes Jo, it would, that's not out of your comfort zone at all. Try Seabiscuit, it's great and more about the people than the sport. What I really want you to do is read Invincible, it's about Arsenal football club and their unbeaten season ;)

[Manda]

Considering Hey Rube: Blood Sport, the Bush Doctrine, and the Downward Spiral of Dumbness

[Katie]

I'll be reading Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen for this task. It's nonfiction about long distance running.

[Monica]

Katie wrote: "I'll be reading Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen for this task. It's nonfiction about long distance running."

A fantastic book that captures a lot of the excitement and joy of running. Don't read it for the running advice; read it for the adventure!!

[Chia]

Emma wrote: "I'm thinking of reading Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx is Burning: 1977, Baseball, Politics, and the Battle for the Soul of a City.

Oh, this looks great! I might read it as a double book-feature with Burn Baby Burn

[Monica]

My choice will probably be about cycling. Right now I'm looking at Domestique: The Real-life Ups and Downs of a Tour Pro and Faster: The Obsession, Science and Luck Behind the World's Fastest Cyclists.

[Emma]

Chia wrote: "Oh, this looks great! I might read it as a double book-feature with Burn Baby Burn "

That's a great idea! Honestly I've been trolling around for more New York books after... well, moving to New York and mainlining The Get Down.

[Theresa]

Ultra wrote: "Jo wrote: "Would Unseen Academicals be cheating? :D"

Yes Jo, it would, that's not out of your comfort zone at all. Try Seabiscuit, it's great and more about the people than the spor..."

Dang, @Jo! I think @Ultra just took you to task. LOL! ;-)

[Alexis]

I'm going to read Booked by Kwame Alexander. I've read The Crossover by him and loved it, glad I have another of his books for next year's challenge!

[Amy]

I don't think I have seen The Boys in the Boat mentioned here yet, and just wanted to recommend it. I generally prefer fiction over nonfiction, but I really liked this one.

[Heather]

Brooklyn wrote: "Thinking of going with The Crossover." That's my choice for this challenge too. I'm not a big sports person but I'm looking forward to this one.

[Rainey]

I would recommend Indian Horse, which is a story about Hockey (In Northern Ontario) and much much more.

To quote AavidReader from their amazon.com review: "If I had known it was a hockey story at the outset, I may not have read it - but as it turns out, hockey is a metaphor for much that is happening in young Saul's life, and an opportunity for beautiful prose. It is both escape and trap; curse and salvation; a divine gift and a path....

But this book is much more than a story about hockey and redemption. The author paints a heart-wrenching story about the residential school system, without making it overly sentimental. I found that the story was not predictable, and I was still surprised and completely enthralled right to the last page.

The mystical moments were beautifully blended with reality,to make a remarkable book about a life's journey, that still leaves room for hope"

[Shaun P.]

I think I am going to go with "In The Water They Can't See You Cry" by Amanda Beard. Not a big regular sports fan so need to go with something from an Olympic Athlete and swimming is one of my favorite of the Olympic sports. This one sounds interesting because she talks about her battle with depression.

[Janelle]

I'm planning on reading The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.