Spring New Releases: Sports Nonfiction Book Recommendations
Game Day Hero Reader Type
For the Game Day Hero Reader Type, spring brings a fresh lineup of sports nonfiction that dives into the incredible stories of athletes, teams, and historic moments. These book recommendations capture the triumphs, struggles, and behind-the-scenes action of the sports world, making them perfect for anyone who loves to celebrate athletic achievement.
With exciting new titles being released in March, April, and May, there's no shortage of inspiring reads. Whether you're exploring untold stories or reliving iconic events, these spring new releases will keep you on the edge of your seat.
may new books
A Physical Education: How I Escaped Diet Culture and Gained the Power of Lifting
by Casey Johnston
From the most visible woman writing about weightlifting today, a "profoundly engrossing" memoir and manifesto about how lifting helped dissolve her allegiance to diet culture; taught her to be at home in her body; and led her to grow every kind of strength (Elizabeth Greenwood).
In A Physical Education, Casey Johnston recounts how she ventured into the brave new world of weightlifting, leaving behind years of restrictive eating and endless cardio. Woven through the trajectory of how she rebuilt her strength and confidence is a staggering exposé of the damaging doctrine spread by diet and fitness culture.
The Meathead Method: A BBQ Hall of Famer's Secrets and Science on Bbq, Grilling, and Outdoor Cooking with 114 Recipes
by Meathead Meathead
"The only book on outdoor cookery you'll ever need." --Alton Brown
The Meathead Method is where barbecue goes next. In the follow-up to his New York Times bestseller Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling, BBQ Hall of Famer and founder of AmazingRibs.com, Meathead presents a guide to new methods for great outdoor cooking with 114 creative and inspiring recipes. The Meathead Method is a toolbox to elevate all your cooking, outdoors and indoors.
The #1 Dad Book: Be the Best Dad You Can Be in 1 Hour
by James Patterson
"Hilarious and sharp...everything (and more) about being a dad." -Ron Howard
Dad, your new life begins in one hour.
I did the homework, so you don't have to do as much. I talked to lots of experts, and lots of dads, and lots of experts who are also dads. I read everything I could. Then I wrote and rewrote this book, filled with steps you can take to become a better dad…
Ballistic: The New Science of Injury-Free Athletic Performance
by Henry Abbott
The biggest victories of medical science--over polio, smallpox, heart attacks, and the like--are stories of prevention. Then there's sports, where we just run around until something breaks, leading to pain, frustration, and sometimes even expensive surgery. Injuries are a major cause of society's growing mobility crisis. What if we could predict and prevent them?
Blending cutting-edge science with gripping storytelling, award-winning data journalist and competitive amateur athlete Henry Abbott reveals that we are on the cusp of a new era in sports medicine, built around the science of ballistic movements--leaping and landing--and the unique fingerprint of your body's physics.
Skipper: Why Baseball Managers Matter and Always Will
by Scott Miller
From the award-winning baseball writer and coauthor of Ninety Percent Mental, an unprecedented look at the job of Major League Baseball managers--showing how they shape the game, and how the ever-changing game shapes them.
Skipper takes on an ambitious Moneyball-esque premise: a deep dive into the ongoing struggle for control that often takes place behind the scenes between Major League Baseball managers and the ownership groups, and now, their data analysts. In a culture still attempting to come to terms with the Digital Age, there's a bigger story behind the evolution of authority of managing inside the major leagues.
The Rise of Major League Soccer: Building a Global Giant
by Rick Burton - Norm O'Reilly - Don Garber - Mark Abbott
Discover the strategy behind Major League Soccer's rapid rise as it aims to compete with global football giants.
Major League Soccer, armed with its massive Apple sponsorship, the imminent arrival of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, the hosting of the COPA America tournament in 2024, and the signing of the game's GOAT, Lionel Messi, could make MLS one of the world's biggest leagues and one, within the next five years, capable of keeping credible company with European leagues such as La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1, and Bundesliga.
The Warrior: Rafael Nadal and His Kingdom of Clay
by Christopher Clarey
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Master comes an intimate biography of tennis's enduring champion Rafael Nadal.
In The Warrior, Christopher Clarey, Rafael Nadal's most mind-blowing achievement: 14 French Open titles. Nadal has won big on tennis's many surfaces en route to becoming one of the greatest players of all time: securing two Wimbledon titles on grass and four U.S. Open titles on cushioned acrylic hardcourts. But clay, the slowest and grittiest of the game's playgrounds, is where it all comes together best for his tactical skills, whipping topspin forehand and gladiatorial mindset. Clay is to Rafael Nadal what water is to Michael Phelps, which helps explain one of the most impressive individual sports achievements of the 21st century.
april new book recommendations
The Protein Playbook: Build Strength, Boost Metabolism, and Feel Energized
by Women's Health Women's Health
Eating more protein is easier than ever with these 75 high-protein recipes from the Women's Health Test Kitchen
Women's Health shares the power of protein and how you can eat your way to greater strength, increased energy and a higher metabolism.
High-protein diets are tried-and-true for weight loss but growing research suggests a protein-rich diet improves your overall muscle health and decreases blood pressure, blood sugar, triglycerides among other health benefits.
In this ultimate guide to all things protein, the editors of Women's Health draw on the latest science to deliver an easy action plan to incorporate this powerful macronutrient into every meal.
Axe in Hand: A Woodchopper's Guide to Blades, Wood, and Fire
by Nicole Coenen
A unique, welcoming guide for the ultimate outdoor hobby.
Axes, woodchopping, and fire: it can all seem intimidating. But the truth is that with the proper knowledge and technique, they are safe, fun, sustainable, passions. What's more, times have changed. In the past, you may have seen guides that relegated women to organizing and stacking wood--focusing on men as the true outdoorspeople. Yet everyone is capable of chopping with skill and making fires.
Nicole Maple Coenen (nicole_coenen) has made her name (and 5M+ followers) with exactly this message. The techniques and lessons in this book showcase strength and will empower you to find the same in yourself.
Axe in Hand teaches the history and benefits of woodchopping and woodburning as opposed to other energy and heat sources. You can save money, have a lower carbon footprint, or simply use it as a way to form new social connections.
Secrets of the Icewomen: The Power of Cold and Breathwork to Balance Hormones, Bolster Health, and Unlock Inner Potential
by Isabelle Hof - Laura Hof
Become happier, healthier, and stronger with this essential guide that explores the unique benefits that cold water therapy, along with breathing and mindset exercises, can afford women.
Sisters Isabelle and Laura Hof have been practic-ing and teaching the Wim Hof Method for most of their lives. Science-backed and potentially life-changing, the method focuses on three pillars--breathing, cold therapy, and mindset--which can result in increased energy, better sleep, a strength-ened immune system, and more. While the method works for everyone, it has unique physical and men-tal health benefits for women.
Inspired by the potential of the method, Isa-belle and Laura started the Icewomen community, devoted to unlocking the power of these practices.
The Baseball Ultimate Trivia Book: Test Your Superfan Status and Relive the Most Iconic Baseball Moments
by Vincent Spada
Put your baseball expertise to the test with over 600 trivia questions, accompanied by entertaining illustrations capturing your favorite baseball moments throughout history.
Quiz yourself or compete with your friends! With challenging questions from baseball history, The Baseball Ultimate Trivia Book is the perfect way to show off your knowledge and prove your superfan status. Arranged by MLB team, with additional quizzes at the end covering baseball history, stats, and more, this delightful book allows you to relive your favorite baseball moments whenever the mood strikes.
Pickleball's Best Excuses: Hilarious Quips Every Pickler Should Know
by Joshua Shifrin
A humorous resource for explaining away your missed shot or your embarrassing defeat. A perfect gift for any fan of America's fastest growing sport--Pickleball!
If you're reading this book, surely you don't need any more convincing. From dinks and dillballs to Falafels and Flapjacks; matches under a sun-soaked sky or swatting that little plastic ball under the lights at night, we can all agree that Pickleball is the best thing to come along since sliced bread. Pickleball is a great workout, a terrific way to meet people, can be played at any age, and is loads of fun! As the adage goes, "A bad day on the pickleball court is better than a good day at the office."
But what happens when things don't go your way on the court? When you're so excited, you inadvertently step into the kitchen on too many occasions. Or that day when you just seem to be plagued by faults, and then you lose the most important point of the day . . . the final point!
march New Releases:
I'm That Girl: Living the Power of My Dreams
by Jordan Chiles - Simone Biles
With a Foreword by Simone Biles
The sensational two-time Olympian Jordan Chiles's heartfelt, inspiring memoir chronicling her unlikely path to the podium--including the unprecedented challenges, the joy of winning, the crushing pain of defeat, and the love and support of her devoted family and teammates that helps her stay strong.
It was a rare and stunning reversal: after the judges at the 2024 Paris Olympics determined that Jordan had rightfully scored third place for her performance--following a successful challenge by her coach--she earned the bronze medal. Later, Jordan's euphoria turned to devastation when the Court of Arbitration for Sport stripped her of that medal based on nothing but semantics. Jordan called the ruling, “One of the most challenging moments of my career. Believe me when I say I have had many.”
Lucky Loser: Adventures in Tennis and Comedy
by Michael Kosta
From a host of The Daily Show and stand-up comic, Michael Kosta, comes a wildly funny and insightful memoir about his unlikely journey from professional tennis player (#864 in the world) to professional comedian (there's no ranking system in comedy but he's probably . . . top 50?).
Before Michael Kosta was performing stand-up comedy specials and hosting The Daily Show, he was a professional tennis "star," reaching the lofty heights of the #864 ranked men's singles player in the world. Stop laughing. That's better than your world ranking. As a tennis pro, Kosta traveled across the globe, competing in such exotic locales as the Netherlands, Tokyo, and even rural Illinois before deciding to put down his racket and pursue a more stable and predictable career: comedy.
The Stress Paradox: Why You Need Stress to Live Longer, Healthier, and Happier
by Sharon Horesh Bergquist
A paradigm-shifting approach to wellness that reveals how the right levels of stress are actually good for you and how stress can help you unlock the body's natural ability to stave off aging, prevent disease, and improve metabolic health.
What if we've gotten stress wrong?
There's a breakthrough happening in the study of wellness and longevity. We know that excessive stress can be toxic, but emerging new research reveals that too little stress is just as bad for you as too much.
Dr. Sharon Bergquist, a pioneering physician and leading stress researcher, is at the forefront of this movement. In The Stress Paradox, she explains that our bodies are designed to heal and repair themselves, but we need the right amount and type of stress to rejuvenate at a cellular level.
Homestand: Small Town Baseball and the Fight for the Soul of America
by Will Bardenwerper
A poignant memoir exploring small town baseball as a lens into what's right and wrong with modern America--written by an acclaimed journalist and Army Ranger who, after returning from Iraq to a painfully divided country, rediscovered its core values in the bleachers of a minor league ballpark in Batavia, New York.
What happens when a minor league team--the heart and soul of a Rust Belt town in western New York--is shut down by the billionaires who run Major League Baseball?
The Wonder Boy: Luka Doncic and the Curse of Greatness
by Tim Macmahon
ESPN's Tim MacMahon chronicles the career of the Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic and examines the pressure of building an NBA team around a prodigy.
In 2018, the Dallas Mavericks landed the most hyped European teen prospect in basketball history--Luka Doncic, who has proven to be a generational NBA talent with a flair for sensational playmaking. But that's only half the story. With The Wonder Boy, MacMahon takes us beyond the highlights to the madness that ensues as the Mavericks try to avoid blowing their golden opportunity.
On the Grid: Life Behind the Scenes of Formula 1
by Luke Smith
Learn how Formula One is the world's greatest team sport with this intimate and colorful insider's account of what really happens on--and off--the race track, from The Athletic's senior F1 writer who has been following the sport around the world for over a decade.
Formula One has only 20 drivers in its elite ranks, but behind each one is an army of professionals devoted to the sport: statisticians and strategists, engineers and mechanics, PR gurus and party planners, and more--all who spend months traveling thousands of miles across the globe each year. Their achievements (and failures) may not be as well-publicized as those of the drivers and team principals, but they're just as important: one fifty-cent screw in the wrong place could cause a $15 million car to break down mid-race.
Symon's Dinners Cooking Out: 100 Recipes That Redefine Outdoor Cooking
by Michael Symon - Douglas Trattner
Go beyond the basics with 100 recipes for showstopping mains, salads, even desserts--all cooked outside--from the host of Symon's Dinners Cooking Out on the Food Network.
In Symon's Dinners Cooking Out, Michael Symon offers 100 recipes for outdoor cooking including desserts and drinks too. Featuring fan-favorite recipes from his popular Food Network show, Symon's Dinners Cooking Out, and brand new recipes, this cookbook is sure to excite budding and expert grillers alike. From live-fire classics like Bacon-Cheddar Smash Burgers to unexpected dishes like Fettuccine with Smoked Tomato Sauce, cooks who take it outside will find all kinds of creative ways to use their grills year-round.