Memoirs and mystery seem to be the genres we gravitated towards this week. Part biography, part memoir on becoming who you are, an intimate portrait of courage, an homage to the great mystery writers of the past, the dynamic mystery involving a plane crash, a mystic vision and political intrigue and a cookbook/comic book that tells a story of authors life are just a little spoilers we hope will get you interested in one of our picks.      

Hiking with Nietzsche-John Kaag

Part biography of one of the most influential philosophers of 19^th century, part memoir, Hiking with Nietzsche is an exploration, of Nietzsche’s work and life, his relationships, thoughts and his search for meaning. It is, also, the author’s self-exploration and a thorough insight into his own life, his marriage, fatherhood and himself. John Kaag followed in Nietzsche’s footsteps, like Mann, Adorno, Jung, Levi, Hesse and many other of his pilgrims did, on the hills of Sils – Maria in Switzerland, where he wrote Thus Spoke Zarathustra. And, he did it twice. First time as a nineteen-year-old young man, almost killing himself on the verge of anorexia and the second 18 years later visiting the same place with his wife and young daughter, retracing the same steps and paths but coming to different conclusions and contemplating different questions. Marija D.  

Letters from Max-Sarah Ruhl, Max Ritvo

This collection of letters (and poems, songs, dreams, fears, and jokes) packs a tremendous emotional and intellectual punch. Ritvo’s cancer was gaining on him throughout the period he and Ruhl, the playwright, corresponded (during which he nonetheless graduated from Yale, earned an MFA at Columbia, got married, published a chapbook and a book), and this adds poignancy to the already moving account of a vital friendship. The depth of affection these two felt for each other lives and breathes in their writing and their passionate curiosity. Letters from Max is an intimate portrait of courage on both sides (it surely takes as much courage to lose a friend as it does to endure the relentless rounds of radiation and chemo Ritvo did), it’s also a spirited writing workshop and philosophical debate. Laurie G.

An Unwanted Guest-Shari Lapena 

You know the formula: Put a bunch of couples in a beautiful country bed and breakfast, but then add a snowstorm, subtract the power, and kill someone. Yet Shari Lapena executes it flawlessly, building the tension steadily as we learn more about each of the guests, and the storm increases intensity. Is it someone already present at the inn? Or is there an intruder that no one knows about yet? Who is next? An homage to the great mystery writers of the past, An Unwanted Guest will keep you entertained and on the edge of your seat until the killer is finally revealed. Keith V.  

Cook Korean-Robin Ha 

They say you eat with your eyes. In that case, Robin Ha’s vibrant illustration style presents readers with a feast to savour in this comic book cookbook. Readers are guided along a delicious journey in Korean cuisine through a series of fluid (and often humorous) cartoon recipes narrated by Dengki, Ha’s hanbok-clad host character. Not merely a collection of practical recipes, Cook Korean also tells the story of Ha’s immigration to the U.S, and her reconnection to Korean culture through the process of learning and cooking family dishes with her mother. Jade L.  

Desolation Mountain - William Kent Krueger 

If you’re looking for a good mystery for fall, look no further than Desolation Mountain. William Kent Krueger weaves a dynamic mystery involving a plane crash, a mystic vision and political intrigue, all against the beautiful backdrop of a northern Minnesota autumn. Krueger’s portrait of an indigenous community combined with his almost reverent depiction of the forests and hills of Minnesota leave me feeling warm and nostalgic, while the energy of the story keeps me on the edge of my seat. This is a perfect book for a rainy fall day with a cup of warm apple cider in your hand. Aron

This week we are excited to announce a highly anticipated science fiction début, a spellbinding thriller, and a novel that’s a darkly comic shadow version of our own turbulent world. And for those who prefer non fiction, our science pick is a collection of 33 marvelous essays on the history of astronomy and a political read gives an answer to what White House Chiefs of Staff actually do and how big of a role they play. We hope you enjoy our picks!

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing-Hank Green

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing contains many absolutely remarkable things, from the delightful characters to the unexpected, exciting plot. Hank Green uses his intimate knowledge of perks, hazards, and peculiarities of Internet fame to paint a fantastical yet surprisingly plausible portrait of his protagonist as she endures the fallout of making one of the most remarkable discoveries in the history of humankind. In accordance with his belief to “imagine others complexly,” Green never oversimplifies his plot or his characters, trusting readers to come to their own conclusions. (P.S. Be sure to take the book out for a quick flip-through and a delightful surprise!) Katie W. 

Dispatches from Planet 3-Marcia Bartusiak 

Dispatches from Planet 3 is a collection of 33 elegant essays. Bartusiak gives a thorough grounding in the history of astronomy, tracing its revolutions from heliocentrism to the discoveries of double stars, supernovae, spiral galaxies, black holes, dark matter, and the whole expanding universe. Each discussion traces the science and charts the impact of the ideas, showing how our evolving understanding of affected our sense of our place in the universe and led to subsequent forays into the unknown. As she traces the evolution of cosmology, Bartusiak chronicles the major questions scientists asked and how they answered them, details the necessary technological advances, summarizes the debates surrounding revelations that were often as unsettling as they were thrilling, and profiles the key thinkers involved—many of whom were women, only now getting their due. Laurie G.  

Foe-Iain Reid 

Foe is an unsettling blend of a psychological thriller with an examination of the structure and support of a marriage, all the while set in a creepy near-future with hazardous advances of technology. Junior and Henrietta live isolated on a rural farm, when a stranger, Terrence, shows up to announce that Junior is being considered for an involuntary mission into space aboard the Installation. As Terrence burrows into their quiet domestic life, and Junior is ever closer to departure, the real reasons for Terrence’s intrusion into their marriage become cloudy and creepy as the thriller builds to a climax flipped on its head. Keith V.

The Gatekeepers-Chris Whipple 

What do White House Chiefs of Staff actually do? How important are they really? What makes a good Chief of Staff? Chris Whipple’s highly informed and deeply engrossing book The Gatekeepers answers these questions and many more. Beginning with Richard Nixon’s first Chief of Staff, H. R. Haldeman, Whipple chronicles the tenures of every White House Chief up until John Kelly. His detailed account reveals the incredibly significant roles that the Chiefs have played in influencing events as major as Watergate, the Iran-Contra scandal, the Lewinsky affair, the invasion of Iraq, and the DACA rollout. Lew G. 

Dog Symphony-Sam Munson 

When Sam Munson’s new novel Dog Symphony opens, our protagonist Professor Pushkin, a specialist in prison architecture, is travelling to an overseas conference in Argentina, all with the ulterior motive of meeting up with the fellow academic he has a crush on. When he arrives, she’s nowhere to be found, and the town is crawling in roving packs of dogs by night and sinister blue-clad workers by day. Borges and Cortazar get name-checked toward the end, but Dog Symphony is much more than a tribute to their mind-bending stories (not to mention those of Bruno Schulz, Thomas Bernhard, and—of course—Franz Kafka). It’s a darkly comic shadow version of our own turbulent world, with its embattled humanities, student uprisings, and hope that a better existence might live on in our dogs. Jonathan W. 

This week’s round up of staff pick has something to offer for everybody’s taste. A couple of brilliant fictional débuts, one set in the present the other in the past, and the final installment of an internationally celebrated series will have you occupied for hours not wanting to put them down until you finish. You will learn, as we did, of actual physical violence on the floor of the U.S. Congress, and how our immune system works in protecting us from harm. With so many great new titles we can safely say that autumn is off to a good start. 

Crudo-Olivia Laing

Upcoming Event, Wednesday, September 19, 2018 - 7 p.m. at Politics and Prose at Union Market

Crudo, Laing’s fictional début, is a read in one sitting kind of book you won’t be able to put down. It’s 2017. The American president is tweeting the world towards nuclear war, Britain has decided to leave the EU, and the world has turned upside down. Kathy is 40, about to get married, obsessed with the daily news and worried about everything going on in the world. She is a loner who learns how to love. The narration is frantic and fast, at moments almost dizzying, but then you realize hers are exactly your thoughts, her feelings exactly your feelings and you keep on turning the pages. Marija D.  

The Field of Blood-Joanne B. Freeman

Upcoming Event Thursday, September 20, 2018 - 7 p.m. at 5015 Connecticut Ave NW

Though today’s Congress seems combative, all the filibusters and name-calling are nothing compared to when Congressmen actually stabbed and shot one another. From the infamous caning of Charles Sumner to endless duel challenges, in The Field of Blood historian Joanne Freeman shows that these frayed tensions were practically destined to erupt into Civil War. Remembering the Congress of the past solely as hallowed halls and dignified men is dangerous, she argues, as the real history reveals uncomfortable yet necessary truths about a union on the brink of collapse. Written with wit, flair, and a hint of cheek, Freeman presents these Congressmen as petty, triumphant, stoic, and vengeful—or, as she puts it more simply, human. Katie W.  

Whiskey When We’re Dry-John Larison

From a fantastic new voice in literature, Whiskey When We’re Dry is a historical adventure novel that redefines the typical American Western epic. Growing up on the frontier with her father, Jessilyn is a gifted shooter used to being fiercely independent. So when her father dies, rather than succumb to life as a wife and mother, Jessilyn becomes Jessie, and sets off west in search of her outlaw brother, Noah. Told in three parts, and exploring issues of gender identity, sexual identity, family and alcoholism, the novel has themes that are quite timely, yet is also still made mesmerizing by Jessilyn’s unique voice and complex character. Her quest takes on America as a whole, and the history that has stayed with this country all along. Keith V.   

The Beautiful Cure-Daniel M. Davis

Science began to realize the complexity of how the body fights disease only in 1989, and this fascinating book tells both the story of the science at work and what the research has revealed. In The Beautiful Cure Davis takes us into the minds and labs of the pioneering biologists, highlighting what led to various discoveries, from the initial puzzle of how immune cells know what foreign particles to attack (germs, not food) to whether, and then how, the immune system can fight cancer. Emphasizing that “no scientist is an island,” Davis follows the achievements that have led to reinterpretations of how the immune system works. His explanations are detailed and clear: as he recreates the revelatory moments, he puts the reader right there, on the edge of discovery. Laurie G.  

My Struggle: Book Six-Karl Ove Knausgaard

This sixth most challenging and ambitious volume of My Struggle, begins with the fallout following publication of Book One. We are then plunged headlong into the nature of self, with juxtapositions between Hitler’s Mein Kampf and the writings of Jack London, Paul Celan, Karl Marx and others – as well as dense commentary on the Old Testament. The third, harrowing and deeply moving part of this book deals with his wife’s nervous breakdown. But “Sacrifice is never merely a loss. For something is always gained by sacrifice,” Knausgaard writes about Abraham and Isaac.  He might be writing about himself. “What he gained,” Knausgaard observes, “was the innermost meaning of life.” Amanda H.D.  

Have we got some exciting things to share with you this week! In anticipation of upcoming events at two of our locations, we learned about the struggles of people addicted to opiates and got lost in one of the summer’s most talked-about books. We enjoyed skillfully combined speculative sci-fi, historical fiction, and an unconventional romance in a tale of artificial intelligence. We were astounded by themes of parenting, loss, heartbreak and love in fiction. And in the rare moments of sun gracing us with its presence this summer, why not take up the 111 challenge and explore the city like never before?

Dopesick-Beth Macy

Upcoming Event at Politics and Prose Thursday, August 9, 2018 - 7 p.m. at 5015 Connecticut Ave NW

At this point some 2.6 million people are addicted to opiates nationwide. Overdoses are the leading cause of death for those under age 50, and in a decade the total deaths from opiates exceeded all deaths from HIV/AIDS. But Macy’s Dopesick, close-up of the opiate crisis in western Virginia tells you more than these devastating statistics can. With compassion and outrage she traces the wrenching downward trajectory of several young people, showing how their lives were taken over by the drugs, how hard they struggled to get clean, and how many times they failed. While new programs are slowly replacing policing with medical care, it’s too soon to gauge their impact. Laurie G.  

The Incendiaries-R. O. Kwon

Upcoming Event at Politics and Prose at Union Market Friday, September 14, 2018 - 7 p.m.

True to the book’s title, R. O. Kwon has crafted a fiery debut that announces her arrival as a new singular voice in American literature. Her first novel The Incendiaries, told through three different perspectives, is an interrogation on the nature of love, faith, and identity. The book reminded me of Graham Greene’s The End of the Affair as both books tackle a character’s investigation into the driving force behind the faith of a beloved in order to shed light into the mystery of why the beloved did the things that she did in the course of the novel. Compelling narrative matched with an eloquent writing style, you can’t go wrong with that. Bennard F.  

Plum Rains-Andromeda Romano-Lax 

Andromeda Romano-Lax’s Plum Rains skillfully combines speculative sci-fi, historical fiction and an unconventional romance into something emotionally satisfying and hopeful. In Japan’s near future, where artificial Intelligence is replacing human health care aides, nurse Angelica’s livelihood is at risk. A prototype healthcare AI, nicknamed “Hiro”, threatens to push out Angelica while it forms a bond with her client, an unhappy centenarian named Sakoyo. Hiro’s presence brings Sayoko’s repressed memories back to the surface, and then each character must struggle to reconcile the past, learn to trust, and pursue future happiness as each sees it. This book is a joy that defies genre and should just be shelved under “terrific book”.  Bill L.  

A Place for Us-Fatima Farheen Mirza 

A Place for Us is an unforgettable novel about an Indian couple who comes to America and raises their three children in California. They are part of a devout religious Muslim community where being practicing believers is more important than just about anything else. Their way of life sustains and shapes them and also tears them apart. Told from multiple view points and over decades, the novel’s themes of parenting, loss, heartbreak and love will grab you on every page and leave you astounded. Fatima Farheen Mirza is a writer to watch. I can’t wait to see what comes next from this extraordinary talent. Nancy R. 

111 Places in Washington That You Must Not Miss-Andrea Seiger 

Although I’ve lived in D.C. for six years, there were many places in 111 Places in Washington That You Must Not Miss that I had never even heard of before. Even when writing about famous sites like the National Air and Space Museum, Seiger points out artifacts that many of us would normally pass by. The sites vary widely, including outdoor parks, performing venues, restaurants, locations where seasonal events take place, and memorials in every quadrant of D.C.  In addition, the Tips section typically features other nearby sites—so really, you get to choose from almost 222 places! Even if you can’t get to all the sites, you’ll definitely discover at least one new favorite spot! Katie W. 

This week we traveled with our books both through space and time. We covered great distances discovering the deserts of the world. We went back to World War II and then a bit further back, 60 some million years, to learn about the magnificent creatures rummaging the earth before us. We thought about what it means to keep those you love safe and found a perfect spot for imagination and self-creation inside a hospital. These are the picks for this week.

The Mere Wife-Maria Dahvana Headley 

The Mere Wife by Maria Dahvana Headley is dark and gorgeous and absolutely devastating.  It is a retelling of Beowulf that hits you hard whether you know every line or have never read the original. It is a beautiful fable about war, trauma, and what it means to keep those you love safe, a book as deep and layered as the mere within it. Anton B. 

The Immeasurable World-Will Atkins 

Interested in “the axis where the absolute coexists with the infinite,” in The Immeasurable World Atkins reports from deserts worldwide, focusing on nature, native culture, history, explorers, and new rituals, like Burning Man. Overall, his emphasis is spiritual. He stays in monasteries, delves into China’s Caves of the Thousand Buddhas and writes poignantly about the nuclear tests that left the Great Victorian Desert a radioactive wasteland, robbing Indigenous peoples of a landscape so sacred they made no distinction between desert and Ancestors. This chapter alone is worth the price of the book, but Atkins leaves many indelible moments: an eagle blinded by an atomic flash, the stages of dehydration, an evaporated lake like “an eyeless socket,” the untold numbers of migrants lost in the Sonoran Desert. Laurie G.  

The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs-Steve Brusatte

Like many other former 7-year-olds, I was once a dinosaur obsessive. With Jurassic Park roosting in the VCR, I would give any grown-up in earshot a rundown of my favorite dinosaurs (this changed daily) and what periods they lived in. If you’re anything like me, a page or two into Steve Brusatte’s prehistoric masterpiece The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs will be enough to bring back the kid in you. Brusatte presents the Mesozoic in vivid detail and with an immediacy not often reserved for a period that ended 65 million years ago. From spindly, cat-sized lizards at the beginning of the Triassic to thundering giants at the end of the Cretaceous, dinosaurs were a highly diverse, sophisticated species whose millions of years of earthly dominance help put our world and lives in far greater perspective. Isaac S. 

The Hospital-Ahmed Bouanani 

Upcoming Event at Politics and Prose at Union Market with translator Lara Vergnaud, Wednesday, September 5, 2018 - 7 p.m.

All readers should rejoice at the sudden burst of writing newly available from Moroccan master Ahmed Bouanani, a long-neglected (and long-reclusive) late writer and filmmaker with a beautiful ear for the active mind’s poetic streams. In The Hospital, a man finds himself in a hospital ward with other male invalids of all ages and backgrounds. While it might sound like a sad place, and while it does inspire many surreal nightmare visions, it’s also revivifying in other ways—a perfect spot for imagination and self-creation, and full of wonderful characters with equally wonderful names: the Guzzler, the Rover, and many more. And it’s all brought into lovely English by phenomenal D.C. based translator Lara Vergnaud. Jonathan W.  

Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin-Timothy Snyder 

InBloodlands, Timothy Snyder argues that the Holocaust is just one part of a larger tragedy: that of the deaths of 14 million–not one a result of combat–in the vast area between Berlin and Moscow. Snyder not only provides an excellent account of World War II on the Eastern front but illuminates the humanity in the countless lives lost due to Hitler’s and Stalin’s cruel policies. Snyder asks each of us not just to condemn but to understand the motivations behind these14 million deaths–so that we make sure we neither forget nor repeat these horrors. Katie W.  

With this week’s selection of picks, we’re remembering a great American poet and writer and announcing an event for one of the most anticipated books of the summer. We learned about the struggles of an online activist, amused ourselves with the adventures of a 22-year-old lawn boy, and fell in love with the fourteen-year-old protagonist who searches for freedom and fights for her soul. We hope you enjoy the books we chose this week as much as we did.    

My Year of Rest and Relaxation-Ottessa Moshfegh

Upcoming Event at Politics and Prose Wednesday, July 25, 2018 - 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

On one hand, I could praise Ottessa Moshfegh for the risks she takes: the confidence to frame her novel around such a decidedly sedentary character, the flamboyant discussion of bodily sensations (or drugged lack of sensation), and the gall to set the novel at perhaps the most eerily pregnant moment in New York City history. On the other hand, I could praise her for her unbelievable sense of humor – she should receive some kind of medal for creating Dr. Tuttle, “the only psychiatrist to answer the phone at eleven at night on a Tuesday”, whose every sentence is a bizarre punchline. Instead, I’ll praise her for deploying those tools, as caustically she does, for a most unique, hard-won sense of empathy. I was not prepared for how emotionally overwhelming My Year of Rest and Relaxation would become, and I’m left even more amazed than before by Moshfegh’s quickly growing collection of masterworks. Jonathan W. 

A Carnival of Losses-Donald Hall 

Funny, spirited, touching - A Carnival of Losses is vintage Donald Hall. His outlook is signaled in the first essay, where he describes being old as a state in which “you learn” about the world in new ways.  Being old does not mean that you just hang around passively, and “when an essay of reminiscence takes eighty-four drafts,” Hall is being anything but passive.  He’s also as honest as he is humorous; being old means naps and a compulsion to notice how and at what age people die. It means easy things are now hard and hard things are impossible. It means younger people stop seeing you.  But most of all, it means there are more memories to draw on. Laurie G.

Well, That Escalated Quickly-Franchesca Ramsey

Franchesca Ramsey was making Youtube videos for over a year when she “quickly” rose to internet fame. Then her video on race deemed her the “call-out queen” of the internet, and while she was happy to fight against racism and sexism, she soon learned how her life on the internet would bleed into her reality. Her book  Well, That Escalated Quickly is part memoir and part tips on being a better ally. Morgan H.  

Lawn Boy-Jonathan Evison 

All you merchants of doom and gloom out there, a forewarning: Lawn Boy is a book that leaves you no choice but to have a big, stupid grin plastered to your face for the duration of the read - and for the days and weeks that follow.  In this smart and richly entertaining tribute to the young, dumb, and broke, we follow Mike Munoz, a 22-year-old underemployed landscaper who can barely navigate his chaotic home life, dwindling finances, and dismal luck with members of the opposite sex. Life events conspire to take him on an unexpected journey of self discovery. A moving and necessary portrayal of the working poor, this hilarious, heartfelt read is impossible to put down. Isaac S.

My Absolute Darling-Gabriel Tallent 

Shocking and unsettling, My Absolute Darling is at times difficult to read, the novel follows fourteen-year-old Turtle Alveston, who feels more at home in nature than she does with her survivalist and damaged father, as she searches for freedom and fights for her soul. Roaming the woods one night, wondering if her father would be able to find her, she meets two lost teenage boys and guides them safely out. And that is the moment she starts questioning her home life. The way Tallent brings you steadily into Turtle’s mind makes you almost feel her pain. He manages to capture her deepest thoughts, her internal struggle, her will to survive. She is the kind of girl, brave and determined, with whom readers are almost duty-bound to fall in love. Marija D. 

The psychotherapist notable for exploring the tension between the need for security and the need for freedom in human relationships, the master of science fiction and horror, and so much more in between: this week’s picks are just a fraction of great titles we’re surrounded with.    

The State of Affairs -Esther Perel 

In this groundbreaking book, Esther Perel, innovative author of Mating In Captivity explores the subject of infidelity and the role of the ‘third’ in the life of a couple. She calls for new definitions of monogamy and new ways of thinking about trust that will enhance active engagement and intimacy in marriage. She covers it all - from sexual alchemy, hook ups, the nature of desire and emotional affairs to the cataclysmic feelings of betrayal and loss experienced by a jilted partner. She also guides the reader through different ways couples come back from crisis and redefine their marriages. The State of Affairs is for everyone - single or married, gay or straight in committed relationships or looking for new ways to navigate them. Amanda H.D.  

Upstate-James Wood 

Like John Banville’s elegant fictions, Wood’s second novel Upstate is less about action than about character and language. The plot is spare:  Alan, a developer, and his daughter, a Sony executive, travel from Britain to see Alan’s expat daughter, a philosophy professor as Skidmore in Saratoga Springs. Told from Alan’s point of view, the narrative is a fluid weave of memories, questions, complaints, and wry humor. But while his social critiques are sharp, he’s on less certain ground with psychology. Are his daughters happy? As this deceptively quiet book shows, navigating the shifting currents of family life is difficult, rewarding, and demands every bit of intellectual and emotional energy we can muster. Laurie G. 

The Drawing of the Three (Dark Tower #2)-Stephen King 

Alright now, I could praise every book that makes up the Dark Tower series, because they are some of my most favorite Stephen King novels. Narrowing down one out of seven was difficult, but The Drawing of the Three shows some of King’s strongest characters at their most desperate points of need. The book picks up right after Gunslinger, progresses seamlessly as new characters are introduced, and the setting shifts from desert to New York City. The books are a mix of western and science fiction, and can be considered King’s Lord of the Rings. Phil R.

Fox-Dubravka Ugresic

Like a mirror version of Patti Smith’s M Train, no description of Fox will contain it all, not with an author as wily as her titular character. Over six chapters, you meet Russian radical authors, Croatian landmine removers, Vladimir Nabokov’s butterflies, late-in-life first-time writers, amusingly callow kids, and Ugresic herself. And Ugresic is an amazing character: a Croatian exile as approachable and funny as she is erudite and politically reflective. Every episode in this book is unforgettable, and while they all stand alone as perfect mini-novellas, it’s the force of them together (and the moments of revelation that span stories) that makes this book so moving. Read now and tell all of your friends: Dubravka Ugresic is one of the world’s best writers. Jonathan W.  

The City of Brass-S. A Chakraborty

Hark! If you yearn for fantastical stories set elsewhere besides the snowy peaks and lush green forests of medieval Europe, if elven kin and dragonkind no longer interest you, I implore you to read this book. The story begins by following the travails of Nahri, con artist extraordinaire living on the streets of 18th century Cairo. While executing a scam, Nahri briefly taps into a knowledge and power she thought didn’t exist. This catapults her into a magical journey filled with adventure and danger, with surprises at every turn. Journey into The City of Brass, if you dare. Michael T.  

The World Cup is entering its final stage. We saw some great football being played, and some not so great. There were a couple of surprises, some tears, and a lot of joy. It is believed that it’s a favourite pastime of millions of people around the world. And while we wait for the semi - final games this week and the final on July 15, we found some great books to make the time go faster. To better understand this beautiful game, fan devotion and what is it that keeps millions going to the stadiums and staying glued to their TV screens, take a look at some of these titles.

Fever Pitch-Nick Hornby

In America, it is soccer. But in Great Britain, it is the real football. No pads, no prayers, no prisoners. And that’s before the players even take the field.Nick Hornby has been a football fan since the moment he was conceived. Call it pre destiny. Or call it preschool. Fever Pitch is his tribute to a lifelong obsession. Part autobiography, part comedy, part incisive analysis of insanity, Hornby’s award-winning memoir captures the fever pitch of fandom–its agony and ecstasy, its community, its defining role in thousands of young men’s coming-of-age stories. Fever Pitch is one for the home team. But above all, it is one for everyone who knows what it really means to have a losing season.

The Game of Our Lives: The English Premier League and the Making of Modern Britain- David Goldblatt

The Game of Our Lives is a masterly portrait of soccer and contemporary Britain. Soccer in the United Kingdom has evolved from a jaded, working-class tradition to a sport at the heart of popular culture, from an economic mess to a booming entertainment industry that has conquered the world. The changes in the game, David Goldblatt shows, uncannily mirror the evolution of British society.

How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization-Franklin Foer

A ground-breaking work - named one of the five most influential sports books of the decade by Sports Illustrated—How Soccer Explains the World is a unique and brilliantly illuminating look at soccer, the world’s most popular sport, as a lens through which to view the pressing issues of our age, from the clash of civilizations to the global economy.

Men in Blazers Present Encyclopedia Blazertannica: A Suboptimal Guide to Soccer, America’s “sport of the Future” Since 1972 - Roger Bennett, Michael Davies

The Men in Blazers are two English-born, soccer-obsessed broadcasters who have savored the dizzying growth of the game along with millions of Americans. Now they immerse fans and novices alike in the history and culture of the world’s game with Encyclopedia Blazertannica. Examining fan culture, from the famous stadium chants to the tactical variations of scarf tying, exploring the complex physics and ethics of both celebratory knee slides and fights between players, reliving the careers of legendary players, classic matches, and colorful World Cup history, and sharing a deep appreciation for the athletic brilliance and ill-judged neck tattoos that dominate the sport, this indispensable tome gives readers a front-row seat to all the action of football madness. 

The World Cup in 100 Objects- Iain Spragg 

See the 85-year history of the World Cup as never before: through 100 iconic objects associated with the game.
This fabulous photographic history boasts the most fascinating collection of artefacts from the FIFA World Cup. The 100 objects include: the ball used in the final of the very first tournament; the collar of Pickles the dog (who found the stolen FIFA World Cup trophy in 1966); the shirt Bobby Moore gave to Pele in the 1970 finals and the one Diego Maradona wore when he scored his infamous “Hand of God” goal; the infamous, controversial vuvuzela; and the scoreboard that registered Brazil’s calamitous defeat to Germany. Entertaining text by a recognized soccer authority and supplementary photos put each item in context and highlight its significance. Every item tells a rich and fascinating story.

Hey tumblr

Putting random stuff at the top of my dashboard unprompted only makes me block those people. Which is sad, really, because it’s not even their fault that you chose to annoy everyone with this “lovely” new gimmick.

How about you fix all the things wrong and broken with your products instead of adding new shit that annoys everyone all the time?

don’t pretend, i think you know i’m damn precious
happy one year of cram monday!

sambrosia:

sambrosia:

fic idea: jack explaining five nights at freddys lore to castiel sam and dean on an extremely long car ride. sam pretends to be interested, castiel is actually interested, dean is contemplating the odds of jack just bringing him back to life if he made a sharp turn into oncoming traffic

jack: okay so when phone guy says “sister location” in fnaf 1 he’s not talking about the restaurant from sister location, which was actually built before that one, but closed down on its first day, it’s called circus baby’s pizza world, not fredbear’s family diner, and so—

sam: (staring out the window eyes unfocused) oh okay

cas: hold on. is it the same menu served at all locations? why are there so many childrens’ pizza restaurants in this town? surely there can’t be that high of a demand for pizza and animatronic-based entertainment in such a small area

dean: the next semi truck i see coming down the highway. the very next one. no chickening out this time