Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

A book about soccer.


Wow, okay. Another oddly specific one! Perhaps it's time to read Key Player


Listopia list is Here: A Book About Soccer

Personally, I think soccer is the most boring sport ever, but even I respect Christine Sinclair

I found a listopia that might help with ideas:
Soccer balls on the cover

For this and the running club one, probably the path of least resistance is a YA or adult contemporary romance where one (or both) of the partners is involved in the sport.

EDIT: Wrong topic, that's what I get for too many tabs open at once.

Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez which is set in Argentina or nonfiction set in the Netherlands Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football by David Winner which is available on Kindle Unlimited right now.

Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby is good - it's autobiographical, about his lifelong support for Arsenal. But it struck me as being a book about the nature of obsession.

I haven't read it, but I've heard Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference is good, and if you're looking for something that's about soccer without being about soccer, that might be worth checking out.

For a rom-com, The Long Game by Elena Armas would work for this prompt.

I know not everyone counts manga for their reading challenges but I’m thinking I’ll read the Blue Lock manga for this. I’ve really been enjoying the anime. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

I've already read it, so I'll have to find something else, but I highly recommend Britt-Marie Was Here for this prompt.

I read Stamping Grounds when I was reading around Europe for ATY 23. I have no interest in reading about soccer, but this book about the following the fortunes of the Liechtenstein football team was entertaining and tells you something of the country.

From what I saw in Akata Witch, the main character plays soccer. I might read it and see if it involves enough mentions of that to count (for me personally).

Just remembered there's a Discworld book for this: Unseen Academicals. I'll probably read a romance, but good to know I can always fall back on a re-read.

Thanks for sharing this! This was one of the prompts making me not want to do the challenge this year but I can read manga NP.

HopeRose wrote: "I know not everyone counts manga for their reading challenges but I’m thinking I’ll read the Blue Lock manga for this. I’ve really been enjoying the anime. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4..."

Not sure what I'm reading for this yet, but I'm surprised no one mentioned this:

"One, for example, is "a book about soccer" to help you get ready for the 2025 FIFA World Cup" from their blog post.

The next FIFA World Cup is in 2026. I'm a soccer fan, my bf mentioned this when I told him.

My library has the manga ブルーロック 1 Blue Lock 1 so that seems like a painless way to deal with this prompt

Yes! An excuse to read Crushing It, which has been glaring at me from my shelf. I'll read it with my sports-loving son :)

I'll finally read Cleat Cute, which will be quick and easy. Glad this isn't basketball as I've read every women's basketball book I can get my hands on already

Chai wrote: "From what I saw in Akata Witch, the main character plays soccer. I might read it and see if it involves enough mentions of that to count (for me personally)."

Maybe you actually succeeded in changing my mind about this absolutely boring prompt. I decided to Not read anything for this but Akata Witch is on my TBR and I didn't know it contains some soccer. (Or is it the US meaning of the word football in the book?

Anyway, if I get time and all the other prompts are done then I might just read that book for this prompt. Thank you so much!

Karen wrote: "Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez which is set in Argentina or nonfiction set in the Netherlands Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football b..."

I wish I hadn't read Furia because it was amazing and is perfect here.

If you want to get angry about our wealthy overlords: The Ugly Game: The Qatari Plot to Buy the World Cup

I might use Godwin for this one. It's on the Tournament of Books longlist, and I saw that the summary mentioned something about looking for the next big soccer player. Hopefully it fits.

Bend It Like Beckham was a cute movie, and it was a book first. Probably will go with that

Denise wrote: "Not sure what I'm reading for this yet, but I'm surprised no one mentioned this:

"One, for example, is "a book about soccer" to help you get ready for the 2025 FIFA World Cup" from their blog post..."



a big OOPS on their part!!! I think this shows that no one bothered reading their blog post, we just dove right for the list.

I'm already ready for the 2025 World Cup by avoiding anything to do with it, so the blog doesn't really help me with this prompt.

LeahS wrote: "I'm already ready for the World Cup by avoiding anything to do with it."

With you on that one! Ugh. Not a football (not soccer!) fan at all.

Still, I bought Lioness: My Journey to Glory for £0.99 in a kindle deal earlier this year. Beth Mead was Player of the Tournament at the UEFA Euro 2022, so I was wondering about using it for the female athelete prompt, but opted for a Kelly Holmes biography instead (which I still need to read - that prompt didn't set me alight, either), so this is still available.

I don't even know where to start with the Run Club one. I might rebel and do a walking club.

I'm trying to keep in mind that even though I dislike football, I did thoroughly enjoy Ted Lasso, so I'm open to finding a book that is still good despite being about football!

Curious George Plays Soccer
by H. A. Rey

Britt-Marie Was Here was really good. Set in small town Sweden a misfit ends up coaching the children's soccer team.

I am not a soccer fan and so I have chosen to find a graphic novel on this topic as it will be a fast read.

Graphic Novel - Blue Lock, Vol. 1.

Melinda wrote: "Curious George Plays Soccer
by H. A. Rey"

I love using kids books for prompts I dislike. There is also Stacey The Soccer Fairy from those books my kids used to love.

Me too! Without kids books and graphic novels I’d never finish the challenge. There’s lots of kids books about soccer I am finding!

Dubhease wrote: "Melinda wrote: "Curious George Plays Soccer
by H. A. Rey"

I love using kids books for prompts I dislike. There is also Stacey The Soccer Fairy from those books my kids used to love."

I gave Soccer in Sun and Shadow a nudge up the Listopia list; I started reading it last year and got distracted, but I love the way Galeano writes the vignettes in this book. Looking forward to giving it another go.

I am so over sports. One of my least favorite things in the world, though I found Little Girls in Pretty Boxes, my 2024 sports pick, informative and edifying.

A likewise sport-adverse friend has recommend the manga ブルーロック 1 Blue Lock 1 , so I will probably check out issue 1.

Please no sports next year. Three years in a row is enough.

I highly recommend Booked by Kwame Alexander. It's a poetry book for middle school aged, but don't let either of those genres scare you away. It is excellent.

I was browsing a list of banned picture books for some ideas for Christmas presents and came across Soccer Star.

I also have The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick from the 1001 books to read before you die list as an option.

Thanks, Jennifer - these both look good.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Denise wrote: "Not sure what I'm reading for this yet, but I'm surprised no one mentioned this:

"One, for example, is "a book about soccer" to help you get ready for the 2025 FIFA World Cup" from ..."

Lol, I thought it was an even year thing, but I don't pay enough attention to be sure.

Can't decide between a fiction or a nonfiction.

I have Megan Rapinoe's book One Life which would be cool to read.

At the same time I have fiction book I want to get to called Cleat Cute which Megan Rapinoe is getting turned into a series so I think this would be fun too.

I've just unwrapped a Christmas present and found Earth, a book about a footballer, so suddenly sorted for this prompt...

Seasons greetings to all.

It was a good book - soccer did play an important part - less the sport than the attitude towards its players- but the main focus was on a rape trial - the MC was not the accused rapist but was involved. Despite the tough subject matter, the book managed to keep the reader involved with the MC, while not stinting on the effect on the alleged victim - and the truth is only revealed late in the book.

SarahKat wrote: "I've already read it, so I'll have to find something else, but I highly recommend Britt-Marie Was Here for this prompt."

I didn't have any idea what I was going to read for this prompt...but then I seen your comment :) Thank you so much SarahKat!!! I really appreciate the recommendation!! So, I will be reading:

*Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman


HAPPY READING!!

I could have sworn I read Fever Pitch, but it's not checked off on my GR, even though the rest of what I've read by him has been. So I'll give it a shot.

Jennifer W wrote: "Lol, I thought it was an even year thing, but I don't pay enough attention to be sure."

Yeah, usually when people say "the FIFA world cup" they mean the men's national team one, and that's played in even years with the next one being 2026. The women's equivalent is in odd years, but not until 2027. I think what the prompt is referring to is the FIFA Club World Cup, which is contested by city-based club teams (think Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Juventus etc) rather than national teams. That one is being held in the US in 2025, but to refer to it just as "the FIFA world cup" is a little bizarre.

Futbolista comes out in April - it's a queer soccer-based romance.

I Love Elena Armas, but havent gotten around to The Long Game so i think this is perfect for me.

For my MM readers: Everything for You is about 2 soccers players and one of my favorite reads. Its book 5 in the series but i think you can read it as a standalone. The entire Bergman series features soccer or ex soccer players except book 2 (Ren plays hockey, blasphemy)

Id say Book 5 is the one that focuses the most about soccer, but the FMC in book 1 is still a player, and the FMC in book 6 is a professional player. One of my favorite series EVER.

Perusing the
‪National Book Critics Circle 2025 nominees for fiction and one fits this category: Godwin by Joseph O'Neill.

Scoring with My Brother’s Best Friend by Gina Cooper was an adorable, quick read.

I read (Unseen Academicals)[https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...] for this one.

It's a low fantasy setting, but Foot The Ball in DiscWorld really gets into the essence of football in our world, I feel. I don't know if folks who don't like football will enjoy it (at least some of the jokes are dependent on knowing the rules of football, I feel), but it may be an option to consider if you don't want to read a romance, nor do you want to read about real world football

Boipoka wrote: "I read (Unseen Academicals)[https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...] for this one.

It's a low fantasy setting, but Foot The Ball in DiscWorld really gets into the essence o..."

I'm so annoyed I read it this year. I may need to reread it. Never an issue with Pratchett.

I ended up listening to Megan Rapinoe's memoir One Life which was pretty good. She talked a lot about her activism which was really nice to hear.