Expand your game, expand your mind! Read about it!

Is anyone looking to read a good soccer book this year? I'm looking forward to reading all four issues of The Blizzard and finally reading David Goldblatt's The Ball is Round. I would love to hear if anyone else has some suggestions or goals.

With the festive season upon us, I’ve been scouring the market for football books for kids. As a father of two lads, I’ve been through more than my share - and it’s fair to say the ‘zero to hero’ genre has been done to death (Jamie Johnson et al). Of the pro’s efforts, Theo Walcott’s books are ok, and the Frank Lampard ones offer something different for younger readers.

However, the biggest success has been an independent publication called ‘Broiter United’. Instead of the usual Roy of the Rovers style narrative, it features rhymes about a team of cheaters who all get stitched up as a result of their skulduggery. Every position is covered, including a cannonball goalkeeper, a time-wasting DM (who inadvertently gets hypnotised), a serial diving winger (and an overzealous St John’s Ambulanceman), through to a financially dodgy chairman and a ref-bashing manager (who is forced to officiate a school match). It’s a really good book and makes a great stocking filler.

https://www.broiterunited.com/

It features the pre-pandemic world; it shows the warmth of Russia before the war, it talks about the perils of an Arsenal fan, the things one has to do to attend a World Cup final and it pays an ode to Fyodor Dostoevsky's White Nights!

An Away Game -- Stories from the Stands is my debut. The story revolves around three odd-balls with one goal -- to attend a FIFA World Cup Final. One of them is a hardcore Gooner and I've tried including my 18-year journey of being an Arsenal fan.

https://preview.redd.it/pp9fvd8y8cq91.png?width=711&format=png&auto=webp&s=83fee8194fe0fda5f1bca387d8c9b3827f1ae85a

The second guy is a Manchester United fan, while the third guy is a cricket fan. There are plenty of age-old debates, and banter, there's friendship and there's love.

Also, I have expressed my love for the Russian culture, the mind-blowing tournament that was World Cup 2018. There are plenty of references throughout the story, most of whom have inspired me to write this book, in particular Nick Hornby, James Horncastle and Jonathan Wilson, among others.

Here's the link to different platforms from where you can get a copy. If you belong to a country where the links are inaccessible, and want to read the story, please DM me.

~ Takshak

Hey folks, I'm publishing a soccer book this fall and I'd like to share it with you. The book is called Non-Goals: What to Look For When You're Looking At Soccer, and it's written for an American audience of people who don't know the game well but are interested in learning more about it. In the book I connect on-field action to things people already know about (food, music, travel, art) and I pay particular attention to what I call "non-goals:" under-the-surface moments on a soccer field that make the game so much fun to watch. A quick read full of original illustrations that bring the cultural comparisons and on-field action to life, Non-Goals is a light, entertaining introduction to the world of soccer.

I didn’t grow up playing soccer, but it’s become my favorite sport over the last 15 years or so and I wanted to write something for Americans like me who are curious about the game. It was a ton of fun to spend time on this project and share the way I view the game with others.

Here's what one reviewer had to say about it:

'Non-Goals' is the ultimate quick primer for the soccer-curious. Breaking down the game through relatable analogies like The Beatles, American history, and 'Moby Dick', Bob Bjarke manages to take what could easily become boring sports analysis and turn it into genuinely eye-opening fun. I'm sincerely inspired to watch more soccer after reading this book!

-Ryan Pinkard author of 33 1/3 on The National's Boxer

Thanks for letting me share this here, and if this is at all interesting to anyone here, you can learn more and pre-order the book at my website: www.NonGoalsfc.com/book

Bob

Curious to hear what everyone's favorite books are or any titles to recommend! Mine is Finding the Game by Gwendolyn Oxenham

Hello everyone,

My name is u/Away_Dave, and I am the new r/soccerbooks mod. It's a pleasure to meet you!

First, on behalf of the former mod, I'd like to apologize for any posts that were not approved. Some were as old as 5 or 6 years. That sort of thing won't happen around here anymore. Everyone will be able to post.

I realize this sub has been empty for quite some time. I'm open to hearing your ideas or suggestions for the community's future. In particular, topics, flair, rules, and types of weekly/monthly posts come to mind. I envision making this community diverse, engaging, and fun. I have some ideas that I would love to bring together, book clubs, book swaps, and perhaps even some AMAs one day? I want to ensure I get everyone's input and listen to your ideas.

A little about me, I love soccer. I enjoy books in every aspect, from autobiographical to economic, historical to tactical, and politics to statistics. I'm from New York and teach English for a living, so books are naturally my thing. I have never modded before, so go easy on me at first!

Currently, I'm reading The Making of the Women's World Cup: Defining Stories from a Sport's Coming of Age by Jeff Kassouf and Kieran Theivam. My favorite book is Finding the Game: Three Years, Twenty-five Countries, and the Search for Pickup Soccer by Gwendolyn Oxenham. I highly recommend it!

I'd love to hear your favorite soccer book and what you're reading now.

Hi all,

Over the past summer I wrote a book about the past 20 years of Sunderland AFC's history. Ordinarily I wouldn't be quite so self-promotional but I've been advised by a few non-Sunderland fans who bought the book in hard copy that they thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and felt it offered a good insight into how not to run a football club. Hence, I thought I'd spread the word a bit further afield.

The book sold out in hard copy and received positive reviews across the board and, as a result, has recently been made available on the Amazon Kindle store. Having retailed on paper at £10, the digital version is now available for a mere £2.99.

I have reproduced the blurb below, along with a link to the book should anyone be interested.

'It is twenty years since Sunderland AFC moved from Roker Park to a sparkling new home. The Stadium of Light opened its doors in 1997 and was, at that time, the third largest club football ground in England. It was a mammoth statement, one made all the more ambitious by the fact its inhabitants would be plying their trade in the second tier of English football.

‘Short-Changed’ takes a thematic look at the past two decades of Sunderland AFC, centring around the three men who have held the role as chairman in the Stadium of Light’s young history. Where Sir Bob Murray could point to the new home as his legacy, and Niall Quinn to his saving of the club from ruin, Ellis Short is devoid of much to shout about. During his time at the club, he has overseen a wasting of huge sums of money, and stood idly by as the club’s name has been tarnished by scandal and controversy.

The book covers football in abundance, charting the rocky path the club has travelled, as countless players and managers have came and went. ‘Short-Changed’ also takes a broader view, considering the pervading financial realities that have impacted Sunderland during their recent history, as well as looking at the connection between the football club and its wider community.

Drawing on exclusive interviews and considerable research, ‘Short-Changed’ is the story of a club that has wound up right back where it began when the Stadium of Light’s doors first opened.'

You can buy a digital copy here: Short-Changed

Is it worth the read? It seems like a very interesting read and am just wondering if anyone here could review it?

This is by far the best Football related book i've ever read. It's funny,well written and gives you a great peek into the life of professional footballers, managers, and trainers.