Sport titles available on Borrowbox
Published on 30th March 2020
Everything is basically on hold for the time being. But as anyone who's currently working from home has realised by now, it's good to keep some habits alive, to ensure some sense of normality. This blog is brought to you by Ronan, avid sport's fan turned narrator. Missing sport? Then borrow one of the many sports titles available on audio book or ebook from BorrowBox on our website.Get your fix here.
The following are some recommendations that may interest you:
Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand
Seabiscuit was not expected to be a successful race horse. However, with the help of a visionary owner, a brilliant trainer and a down-on-his luck jockey, Seabiscuit started winning races and became the most famous horse in the world. The author tells the story of the many ups and downs on the way to success, the famous rivalry with War Admiral and she also details the world of US horseracing in the 1930s.
On the Seventh Day Thirty Years of Great Sports Writing from the Sunday Independent edited by John Greene
This is a great book to dip in and out of. The chosen articles cover a wide range of sports. It includes Paul Kimmage’s coverage of the 2002 World Cup campaign and David Walsh’s interview with Aidan O’Brien. Other writers that are featured in the collection include Eamon Dunphy, Joe Brolly, Cliona Foley and Mick Doyle. It’s a celebration of some of Ireland’s greatest sporting successes as well as the great sports writing that told the stories.
Game Changer by Cora Staunton
In her autobiography, Cora tells the story of her remarkable career, from becoming the highest-scoring forward in the history of Ladies Gaelic Football to moving to Australia to play for a team in Sydney. She also recounts how the game helped her cope after the death of her mother and about the challenges that she and her teammates experience in the world of female sport.
Ali A Life by Jonathan Eig
Sometimes, the problem with wanting to read about someone as famous as Muhammad Ali is trying to choose among the many, many books written about him. This biography, by Jonathan Eig, is one of the more recent books to be written about Ali’s life and is based on a lot of new research including over 500 interviews. This is a much-praised book about Ali’s astonishing life and career.
Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing by Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse
Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse have been friends for 30 years. Not only have they shared similar careers in comedy, they have both suffered from heart disease too. To help Bob recuperate from heart surgery, Paul encouraged him to go fishing with him. They have fished together for many years since then and this book accompanies their BBC television series. You don’t have to have watched it to enjoy this book. There are chapters on how to fish, recipe collections and also about their friendship, how they battled heart disease and much more. Written mostly as a conversation between the two, this is a book about life, friendship and the joys of fishing.
Into the Silence by Wade Davis
This book tells the story of the many British expeditions to Everest in the 1920s, including the 1924 attempt by Mallory and Irvine. The author explains the motivations of the climbers. Also examined is the cultural importance of climbing the mountain by focusing on British imperialism in the wake of the First World War. This is a fascinating book.
The Munich Disaster the true story of the fatal 1958 Air crash by Stephen Morrin
By February 1958, Manchester United were the best football team in England. On their flight home from a European Cup match, the plane crashed while attempting to take off from Munich. 23 passengers and crew were killed, including 8 of the Manchester United team. One the players who died was Liam Whelan from Dublin. The author tells the story of how manager Matt Busby built the wonderful team that sadly became victims of the devasting crash. He also focuses on the aftermath of the crash and the story of James Thain, the captain of the plane and his struggle to clear his name.