Get competitive with these sport themed adult fiction books!
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Description:
"Mark, a millennial technical writer who lives in Pittsburgh with his wife, Sushila, and their toddler daughter, grew up a world apart from his much younger half-brother Geoff. Raised in the UK by the mother who deserted Mark when she divorced his dad and married a richer man, Geoff is now a fast-talking soccer agent, who pulls Mark across the ocean into a scheme to find an elusive prospect known only as "Godwin"--an African teenager Geoff believes will be the next Pele. All they have to go on is a video of Godwin; they don't even know which country it was shot in. Narrated in turns by the intellectually rigorous yet self-thwarting Mark, and Lakesha Williams, the conscientious leader of the writers' collective where he works, the novel becomes a twisty international adventure that is part heart-of-darkness and part American Main Street in the 2010s--deliciously far-flung geographically, ethically, and emotionally. Godwin immerses us in the hazy world of high-stakes soccer-recruiting and the beautiful game itself, weaving the search for Godwin together with the moving story of Mark's mixed-race family and Lakesha's surprising path into their lives" --
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC ONe
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The 7-10 split : a Harlequin novel
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"For teacher Ava Williams, some subjects are not up for debate. Like history--specifically, the one she has with Grace Jones, bowling pro and local celeb. Who is now, for no identifiable reason, teaching at the same small-town Georgia high school as Ava. Once upon a time, they were thick as thieves, best friends, rivals who pushed each other, and total bowling nerds. Then they shared a kiss, sweet and confusing... and after that, they split and nothing was ever the same. Ava is pretty sure she has every reason to hate Grace. Especially when the school's soggy potato of a principal announces--finally--that the students can have the bowling team Ava has been pushing for, for years... only to hand it to Grace. Now they're expected to be partners and lead their new bowling team to victory in six months. And with that, their rivalry is back. Fierce, ultracompetitive... and with an undeniable attraction that pushes, pulls and crashes together. It's history. It's chemistry. And it's just a matter of time before it explodes" --
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Lee
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"Tim O'Connor is paid to be violent. He plays for the El Paso Storm in the West Texas Hockey League. People call him Oak. He's been an enforcer for longer than his hip or shoulder or back have been able to hold together. He is a broken machine of gristle and rage. And he has been away from home for too long. He's called back to Boston by his mother's death. There he confronts a life he failed to live, a daughter he doesn't know, and a body that is quickly breaking down. Still, he can't conceive of a future without hockey, even as he chews oxycodone and Adderall to numb his injuries and steady his brain. When a brutal encounter with the police places him in the path of Joan Linney, a haunted public defender, and Kip, a boy with a brave face, Oak and his chance companions roam cold streets from Castle Island to Quincy Point, struggling to believe in a different future."--Provided by publisher.
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Ben
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Description:
"Late summer, 1921: Disgraced former lightweight champion Pepper Van Dean has spent the past two years on the carnival circuit performing the dangerous "hangman's drop" and taking on all comers in nightly challenge bouts. But when he and his cardsharp wife, Moira, are marooned in the wilds of Oregon, Pepper accepts an offer to return to the world of wrestling as a trainer for Garfield Taft, a down-and-out African American heavyweight contender in search of a comeback and a shot at the world title. At the training camp in rural Montana, Pepper and Moira soon realize that nothing is what it seems: not Taft, the upcoming match, or the training facility itself. With nowhere to go and no options left, Pepper and Moira must carefully navigate the world of gangsters, bootlegging, and fixed competitions, in the hope that they can carve out a viable future."--
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Dun
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Description:
"Gabriel Pįa knows who he is: a college goalkeeper, a future Liga MX or MLS star, and definitely straight. He's starting his freshman year with a lot of eyes on him and even more potential, but he's got this. Nothing will have him straying off the path to greatness. That is, until his philosophy classmate Vale volunteers to tutor him. Vale, the same guy who Gabi, in a moment of history repeating itself, might've kissed very briefly--and only once--just to help him out at a party. Vale, the smart, supportive, compassionate new friend with beautiful brown eyes and a smile that keeps Gabi, for completely inexplicable reasons, constantly in a daydream. As a friendship blooms and the two spend more and more time together, Gabi finally begins to recognize something about himself: maybe he's not as straight as he thought he was. But a larger and darker realization lingers. Someone like Gabi--a brown, Mexican futbolista with dreams of playing for El Tri--can't also be bisexual. He's seen the way his teammates and community react to queerness in their sport. It would be the exact type of straying off path that destroys his future. Or, maybe Gabi could be brave enough to embrace all those parts of himself and forge his own path, one that includes a boyfriend and the beautiful game."--
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Gar
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Description:
"When Won Lee, the first Asian American in the NBA, stuns the world in a seven-game winning streak, the global media audience dubs it "The Wonder"--much to Won's chagrin. Meanwhile, Won struggles to get attention from his coach, his peers, his fans, and most importantly, his hero, Powerball!, who also happens to be Won's teammate and the captain. Covering it all is sportswriter Robert Sung, who writes about Won's stardom while grappling with his own missed hoops opportunities as well as his place as an Asian American in media. And to witness it all is Carrie Kang, a big studio producer, who juggles a newfound relationship with Won while attempting to bring K-drama to an industry not known to embrace anything new or different. The Sense of Wonder follows Won and Carrie as they chronicle the human and professional tensions exacerbated by injustices and fight to be seen and heard on some of the world's largest stages"--
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Sal
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Author(s):
Description:
"Nora Mackenzie's entire career lies in the hands of famous NFL tight end Derek Pender who also happens to be her extremely hot college ex-boyfriend. Nora didn't end things as gracefully as she could have back then, and now it's come back to haunt her. Derek is her first client as an official full-time sports agent and he's holding a grudge. Derek has set his sights on a little friendly revenge. If Nora Mackenzie, the first girl to ever break his heart, wants to be his agent, oh he'll let her be his agent. The plan is simple: make Nora's life absolutely miserable. But if Derek knows anything about the woman he once loved, she won't quit easily. Instead of giving in, Nora starts a scheme of her own. But then a wild night in Vegas leads to Nora and Derek in bed the next morning married. With their rule book out the window, could this new relationship be the thing to save their careers or the thing to spark the romance of a lifetime?" --
Format:
Book
Call Number:
LP FIC Ada
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Description:
"When smart-mouthed Vanessa Lerner joins the high school basketball team Julie Parker coaches, Julie's ready for the challenge. What she's not ready for is Vanessa's new foster parent, Elle Cochrane--former University of Tennessee basketball star. While star-struck at first, soon Julie persuades Elle to step into the unfilled position of assistant coach for the year. Even though Elle has stayed out of the basketball world since an injury ended her short-lived WNBA career, the gig might be a way to become closer to Vanessa--and to spend more time with Julie, who makes Elle laugh. As the coaches grow closer, Elle has a hard time understanding how Julie is single. When Julie reveals her lifelong insecurity about dating and how she wishes it was more like sports--being able to practice first--it sparks an intriguing idea. While Elle still doubts her abilities as a basketball coach, helping Julie figure out dating is definitely something she can do. But as the basketball season progresses, and lines grow increasingly blurred, Julie and Elle must decide to join the game--or retreat to the sidelines" --
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Kel
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You should be so lucky : a novel
Author(s):
Description:
The 1960 baseball season is shaping up to be the worst year of Eddie O’Leary’s life. He can’t manage to hit the ball, his new teammates hate him, he’s living out of a suitcase, and he’s homesick. When the team’s owner orders him to give a bunch of interviews to some snobby reporter, he’s ready to call it quits. He can barely manage to behave himself for the length of a game, let alone an entire season. But he’s already on thin ice, so he has no choice but to agree. Mark Bailey is not a sports reporter. He writes for the arts page, and these days he’s barely even managing to do that much. He’s had a rough year and just wants to be left alone in his too-empty apartment, mourning a partner he’d never been able to be public about. The last thing he needs is to spend a season writing about New York’s obnoxious new shortstop in a stunt to get the struggling newspaper more readers. Isolated together within the crush of an anonymous city, these two lonely souls orbit each other as they slowly give in to the inevitable gravity of their attraction. But Mark has vowed that he’ll never be someone’s secret ever again, and Eddie can’t be out as a professional athlete. It’s just them against the world, and they’ll both have to decide if that’s enough.
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Seb
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Haikyu! 01, Hinata and Kageyama
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Description:
"Ever since he saw the legendary player known as 'the Little Giant' compete at the national volleyball finals, Shoyo Hinata has been aiming to be the best volleyball player ever! Who says you need to be tall to play volleyball when you can jump higher than anyone else? After losing his first and last volleyball match against Tobio Kageyama, 'the King of the Court, ' Shoyo Hinata swears to become his rival after graduating middle school. But what happens when the guy he wants to defeat ends up being his teammate?!" --Back cover.
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Book
Call Number:
YA FIC Fur
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"Inori is a little girl who dreams of becoming a figure skater. Yet, the obstacles to this dream feel insurmountable: Inori's already "too old" (she's 11); she's always had trouble at school; and, worst of all, her older sister's skating dreams ended in failure, so her mother is dead set against putting her other daughter through a similar experience. Still, the rink is the only place Inori can be herself, and she's out on the ice when a fateful meeting takes place. Tsukasa, a frustrated coach on the edge of giving up competitive skating himself, will join Inori to form an unstoppable duo powered by hard work, transcendent joy, and an unshakeable belief that they can prove everyone wrong" --Publisher.
Format:
Book
Call Number:
YA FIC Tsu
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Gifted baseball player Roy Hobbs, his career derailed by a youthful indiscretion, makes a stunning comeback in later life, but finds himself still struggling against the temptations that would bring him to ruin.
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Mal
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Description:
"Helmed by good-girl captain Abby Putnam (a descendant of the infamous Salem accuser Ann Putnam) and her co-captain Jen Fiorenza (whose bleached blond "Claw" sees and knows all), the Falcons prove to be wily, original, and bold, flaunting society's stale notions of femininity in order to find their glorious true selves through the crucible of team sport and, more importantly, friendship."--Provided by publisher.
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Bar
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Description:
"Ace high school table tennis players push their passion to the limit in this story of self-discovery, told by Eisner Award winner Taiyo Matsumoto. Makoto Smile Tsukimoto doesn't smile even though he's got a natural talent for playing ping pong. As one of the best players in school, all hopes are on him to win the regional high school tournament, but winning is not what Smile really wants to do. Will the fierce competition to be number one bring out his best or drive him away from the game?"--Provided by publisher.
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Mat
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Description:
"Hellsmouth, a willful thoroughbred filly with the blood of Triple Crown winners flowing through her veins, has the legacy of the Forges riding on her. One of the oldest and proudest families in Kentucky, the Forge family is as mythic as the history of the South itself. Descended from one of the first settlers to brave the Gap, Henry Forge, through an act of naked ambition, is attempting to blaze a new path, breeding horses on the family's crop farm. His daughter, Henrietta, becomes his partner in the endeavor, although she has desires of her own. Their conflict escalates when Allmon Shaughnessy, a black man fresh from prison, comes to work in the stables, and the ugliness of the farm's past and the exigencies of appetite become evident. Together, the three stubbornly try to create a new future through sheer will--one that isn't written in their very fabric--while they mold Hellsmouth into a champion"--
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Mor
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Eyeshield 21. 01, The boy with the golden legs
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Description:
"The underdog-with-exceptional-ability-makes-good plot is typical of boys' manga, but seeing another country's view of a great American competitive sport--in this case, football--provides added entertainment. Since football isn't a popular sport in Japan, Sena Kobayakawa's school's team only has two players: Ryokan, a large, friendly boy who dreams of someday competing in the Christmas bowl game, and Hiruma, the quarterback better known for frightening the underclassmen. At 5'1", Sena has always been smaller than his classmates, so he's been used as their gofer and errand boy. As a result, he's developed outstanding running speed. He wants to be team manager, but he winds up competing under the name Eyeshield 21 to keep other teams from knowing his name and stealing him away. The three must recruit enough players to form a team of 11 in order to play their first game"--Publishers Weekly.
Format:
Book
Call Number:
YA FIC Ina
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Description:
After his unceremonious release from a Premier League academy at nineteen, Tom feels his bright future slipping away. The only contract offer he receives is from a lower-level club. Away from home for the first time, Tom struggles on and off the field, anxious to avoid the cruel pranks and hazing rituals of his teammates. Then a taboo encounter upends what little stability he has, forcing Tom to reconcile his suppressed desires with his drive to succeed. Meanwhile, the team’s popular captain, Chris, is in denial about the state of his marriage. His wife, Leah, has almost forgotten the dreams she once held for her career. As her husband is transferred from club to club, and raising their first child practically on her own, she is lost, disillusioned with where life has taken her.
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Rai