Well Read: Top Books from 2009

As the year comes to a close, it is appropriate to think of what has gone on during the previous twelve months. There are many others out there analysing Liverpool's best game of 2009, the most spectacular goal as well as the highs (and, undoubtedly, the lows) of the year so I won't bother you all by going over those matters.

What I will do, however, is to take a look at the top books that I've come across during the year. Those who follow ALiverpoolThing.com with any regularity know that book reviews are a staple of this blog which is why, come year end, I like to share very personal list of favourites.

First on the list are three books that are very similar in that they aren't really books you read but rather ones that you dip into and lose yourself among the pictures or brief text. These are 'When Football Was Football' by Peter Hooton, 'Liverpool Player by Player' by Ivan Ponting and 'Genius Does as it Must - Liverpool FC Banners' Compiled by Chris McLoughlin and Adam Oldfield.

The development of players in England is something that Chris Green tackled in his book 'Every Boy's Dream'. Now, Green is a good friend of mine and I like his style of writing so for the sake of partiality I have to admit all that beforehand. Even so, the way that he tackles this subject, the length that he goes to in order to get as wide a range of views as possible and his willingness to criticise where need be can't but make this one of my favourites.

'The Rivals Game' by Douglas Beattie seems to have fallen below the radar but it is a book that I greatly enjoyed. The fact that the concept - taking two clubs where there's a derby and look at what makes games between them particularly fierce - was already familiar to me as it is a regular feature on Four Four Two magazine obviously helped but this book cannot fail to light up your desire to go and witness football in as many different countries as possible.

Two books that are wholly dedicated to Liverpool FC are next up. First off there's Red Race which is Paul Tomkins' latest offering. Once again, Tomkins does what he does best: he that most of the most widely flaunted criticisms of the club don't really have a solid foundation particularly when you look at statistics and figures to back them up.

The second book, and the one that I have to admit I personally enjoyed the most from all the Liverpool themed books I read, is Simon Hughes' biography of Geoff Twentyman 'The Secret Diary of a Liverpool Scout'. Hughes didn't have anything bar two of Twentyman's notebooks to start with but thanks to a whole range of interviews he managed to piece together the man's life and his amazing contribution to Liverpool's rise and continued success.

One book that has been on top of most people's must read lists for the year is Soccernomics but, whilst this is an interesting book, it still pales in the shadow of Feet of the Chamaleon which is a detailed look at African football. I've only just finished reading this

book so a full review of it should appear in the coming days but it is an exceptional book that bears comparison to the likes of Morbo and Tor.
Finaly a brief look into 2010.

Next on my shelf to read is 'From Where I Was Standing: A Liverpool Supporter's View on the Heysel Tragedy' by Chris Rowland and 'A Different Corner: Exploring Spanish Football' by Richard Brentnall although I have to admit that I have to finish reading Haruki Murakami’s 'What I Think About When I Think About Running' first (talking of non-football books, Born To Run by Christopher McDougall and The Escape Artist by Matt Seaton are two must reads).

Then there is a whole list of books that I've made a mental note that I must buy which is topped by Englischer Fussball by Ralph Honigstein, At the End of the Storm: The Remarkable Story of Liverpool FC's Greatest Ever League Title Triumph - 1946/47 by Mark Platt & Gary Shaw and Get Her Off the Pitch by Lynne Truss. All of which means that you'll have plenty of reviews coming your way in the coming months.

One final note: thanks to all the publishers who have supported me during the year by being kind enough to send me review copies of their books. I, and my bank account, greatly appreciate it.

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