Welcome to the latest iteration of the Reading in The Stacks column here at shereads.com. If you’ve been with me since I started writing this column you know we’ve changed it up over the years. First it was all about book pairings. I took three new releases and paired them with back list titles. Then we switched over to a bookish advice column, Advice in The Stacks, that answered all your nerdy readerly questions. Most recently, we spent last year talking about the books to read to stay up on the most urgent issues for the 2024 election aka Voter Literacy with Traci. Now it is 2025, and we’ve got a whole new premise for this space.
I’m thrilled to introduce you all to Required Reading.
Each month I’m taking a topic from the pop culture headlines and handing out some required reading to you and the folks involved. I hope this column will be a place where you can keep up with the latest hot goss and get all the book recommendations you could ever need.
Required Reading: Super Bowl LIX.
This month I am giving out book recommendations for folks who watched the Super Bowl. I know there are a lot of reasons folks tune into the Super Bowl — even those of you who don’t like sports. So trust me when I say I have a book for every kind of view, weather you’re a die hard sports fan, a casual observer, or you just hate having FOMO on any major pop culture event.
THE NFL LOVER
Why We Love Football: A History in 100 Moments by Joe Posnanski
For those of you who love football and can’t imagine missing a single snap of the Super Bowl (or any game really), Posnanski’s book is a must read. It is a love letter to the game and its history.
Buy the book now: Bookshop.org
THE SWIFTIES
Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley
As long as Travis Kelce and the Chiefs make the Super Bowl and he is still dating Taylor Swift, I know there is a whole contingent to tune in just to see what she is up to. So I’ve got a romance novel for you, about a reality TV star and an NFL player who also owns a bakery. In order to save his shop from going under they fake a relationship. If you like a celebrity with your sports, this is the one.
Buy the book now: Bookshop.org
HERE FOR THE SNACKS
Graze: Inspiration for Small Plates and Meandering Meals: A Charcuterie Cookbook by Suzanne Lenzer
Snacks, say less. This gorgeous cookbook is perfect for folks who have no clue there is a difference between a cornerback and a quarterback and mostly just want to enjoy the variety of chips and dips on display.
Buy the book now: Bookshop.org
DIE HARD FANS
Among the Thugs by Bill Buford
This is a book for the Eagles and Chiefs fans who are so locked into their teams and would follow them to the ends of the earth. Now look, this is a book about football, but not the American kind. Instead it is about the hooligans who root for football in England (aka soccer). And if you know anything about the English Premier League, you know these fans are famous for taking the obsession a bit too far. So all my fans who paint their chests in sub zero temps, cry over the losses, and generally make being a fan their personality, I hope you feel seen.
Buy the book now: Bookshop.org
ADVERTISING AFICIONADO
For the Culture: The Power Behind What We Buy, What We Do, and Who We Want to Be by Marcus Collins
If you’re the person who talks during the game but demands everyone shush up for the commercials, you’ve gotta check out, for For The Culture. This book posits the most impactful way to move an audience is by understanding the culture that excites them. In it, Collins gives his reader insights into how their favorite marketing campaigns (including commercials) work and what they tap into to resonate with large swaths of people.
Buy the book now: Bookshop.org
LOVE A PARTY AND JUST WANT TO HANG OUT
Here for It: Or, How to Save Your Soul in America by R. Eric Thomas
If you just want to hang out and have a good time, there is no better book for you than this essay collection (not to mention bonus points for all you Philly people, since Thomas lives there). This book is funny and smart and even gets tender, like the best chill sessions with your friends.
Buy the book now: Bookshop.org
KENDRICK STANS
The Butterfly Effect: How Kendrick Lamar Ignited the Soul of Black America by Marcus J. Moore
If you love Kendrick Lamar you must read this book on his rise to fame and evolution over the years (both musically and politically), from Compton kid to Pulitzer Prize-winning rap legend.
Buy the book now: Bookshop.org
DRAKE DIEHARDS
Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte
At this point if you’re tuning into anything as a Drake fan I have to assume you are a glutton for punishment and are the type who loves to watch a car crash (or you’re Canadian…or both). And the book that will give you the ickiest, squirmiest vibes has to be Rejection. It is a collection of darkly humorous short stories about sex and relationships, and one story even features a faux-feminist incel. What? You said you like Drake.
Buy the book now: Bookshop.org
CASUAL SPORTS FANS
Loving Sports When They Don’t Love You Back: Dilemmas of the Modern Fan by Jessica Luther and Kavitha Davidson
A perfect book for folks who like to watch sports, never miss the biggest games, but also can’t fully buy into dedicating their life to a team or a player or stat line. This book looks at the biggest issues in sports and addresses the complex relationship between them and our political and social climate. It helps the casual sports fan think about how they can still like sports while also demanding that sports do better.
Buy the book now: Bookshop.org
DEGENERATE GAMBLERS
Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball by Keith O’Brien
There is no one more famous for betting on sports than Pete Rose, so if that is your bag, you’ll love this anti-hero story of a man who rose (no pun intended) to the highest heights of his sport before getting a little too close to the sun.
Buy the book now: Bookshop.org
FOMO WATCHERS
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
If the only reason you watched the Super Bowl this year is because you can’t handle not being a part of the thing that everyone else is talking about, the only book I can suggest to you is the biggest book of the year, and the last few years (at least as far as sales go), Rebecca Yarros’ Onyx Storm. It is the third book in her Empyrean romantasy series and it sold 2.7 million copies in the first week. That means there 2.7 million people for you to discuss this one with. Not a drop of FOMO in sight.
Buy the book now: Bookshop.org
PARTNERS OF FANS
Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream by H. G. Bissinger
You’re not here for X’s and O’s you’re here for a little drama and good time, but mostly you’re just trying to earn brownie points with your partner. Enter: Friday Night Lights (and yes the show is very good, too). This book will give you a little football with a lot of heart, and maybe even teach you a thing or two about the sport, but not enough to make your eyes glaze over. It is the perfect dip your toe into the sport book that will also give you storylines to make you feel all the feels.
Buy the book now: Bookshop.org
Leave A Comment