Sports, Games & Hobbies

British writer, comedian and broadcaster David Baddiel with his five football must-reads.

The author and journalist makes his selection of the best books on World Football. Features volumes from Simon Kuper and Alex Bellos, as well as a cracking investigation into FIFA corruption

Sport is central to American culture but there are surprisingly few great novels devoted to it. Chad Harbach, author of the bestselling novel, The Art of Fielding, picks his favourite 'novels with sporting themes.'

It’s America’s favourite sport – at its best, a wonderful, thrilling spectacle; at its worst, legitimised violence exacting a terrible price on players. The Chicago Sun-Times sportswriter takes us inside the dark heart of American football.

Sports pundit Michael Carlson says baseball reflects an American ideal which is now an American fantasy. It works well as a metaphor for life, which may be why there have been so many good novels written about it

The 11 times gold medal-winning Paralympian athlete Tanni Grey-Thompson, now a peer in Britain’s House of Lords, tells us about the spirit and legacy of the Olympics. She picks books on "the spirit of sport."

The world championship winning horse rider Mary King, who has represented Great Britain at six Olympics from 1992 to 2012,  tells us what it takes to succeed in her sport

Fast, violent and with a passionately political history, hockey is the sport that defines Canada. The sports columnist tells us how this came to be, and why hockey, still a thrilling spectacle, has also become more dangerous to play. He picks the best books on ice hockey.

The former international cricketer, author of a book on luck, and England's national selector tells us about the chance happenings that have helped shape his life, for better or worse

Monty Don OBE, Britain's most loved gardener and lead presenter of Gardeners World, discusses his favourite books on gardening including one he describes as "the best gardening book ever written." This is a  strong endorsement, given that his own gardening library extends to over three thousand books.