S ol dier . S ummoner . S aint. in the final bat tle, who will riSe? lots and survive on “slimed and sugared ballpark food.” It’s the trip of a lifetime—and every sports fan’s secret dream. For dads who prefer the Beautiful Game to America’s Favorite Pastime, there’s Eight World Cups: My Journey through the Beauty and Dark Side of Soccer (Times, $28, 304 pages, ISBN 9780805098488) by journalist George Vecsey. One of soccer’s earliest advocates in this country, Vecsey writes with expertise and flair about the otherworldly plays, volatile personalities and sticky politics that make the game so fascinating. As a columnist for The New York Times in the 1980s, he had to persuade his editors to let him cover a sport that was still obscure in the States. They sent him to Spain for the 1982 World Cup, setting the course for decades of action-packed reportage. Among the notable Cups Vecsey covers: Italy, 1990, in which the United States participated after a four-decade hiatus and “difficult genius” Diego Maradona loomed large; and Germany, 2006, the year Wayne Rooney and Renaldo (he of the “tinted tufts and supercilious smirk”) famously butted heads. Vecsey’s delight in soccer culture is palpable, and he makes his audience—even the reader who isn’t smitten with the sport—care, too.
The fierce conclusion to
t h e G r i S h a t r il o G Y by New York Times–bestselling author
l eig h b a r dug o H “ t r iump hant . . . this third book is an epic quest.” —Kirkus, starred review
“ un l ik e anY t hinG i ’ ve e ve r r e ad.” —Veronica Roth, New York Times–bestselling author of the Divergent series
“ me S me r izinG . . . Bardugo’s setup is shiver-inducing, of the delicious variety. This is what fantasy is for.” —The New York Times Book Review
FOR FOODIES
Visit BookPage.com to read a Q&A with Dave Engledow.
viSit
th e G r i s h atr i l o g y.c o m #RuinandRising
Henry Holt
R E A D M O R E AT B O O K PA G E . C O M
Whether he entertains culinary aspirations or simply likes to engage in experimental eating, the dad on your gift list is sure to savor The World’s Best Spicy Food: Where to Find It & How to Make It (Lonely Planet, $19.99, 224 pages, ISBN 9781743219768). This globe-trotting volume touches down in some of the world’s most flavorful locales, including Thailand, India and Morocco, to get the inside scoop on the best—and zestiest—local cuisines. There are dishes for every taste and temperature level, from sizzling exoticisms such as Singapore’s Devil’s Curry to familiar favorites like Five-Alarm Texas Chili. Designed to appeal to the reader’s sense of adventure as well as his appetite, the book brims with decadent photos, heady recipes, and tasty tips from today’s top food writers. Perfect for fire-eating fathers, whether they like a little or a lot of hot.
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