The third and final season of the beloved series Ted Lasso wraps up this week. If you, like us, aren’t ready to leave the world of AFC Richmond behind forever, try one of these novels or non-fiction books that Ted and the whole team would love.
Check the cloudLibrary app for even more upbeat and positive reads.
Adult Fiction
While most of these novels don’t involve sports, each one will warm your heart and make you smile.
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
Becky Chambers is a master of cozy sci-fi, and this book is one of her best! This optimistic short novel follows a monk traveling through a world where robots gained self-awareness, stopped working, and wandered into the wild, never to be seen again…until a robot returns to honor the old promise to check in on people.
Beartown by Fredrik Backman
Beartown’s junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals, but the semi-final match becomes the catalyst for a violent act that will throw the entire town into chaos. No resident goes unaffected in this compelling story about secrets and the courage to fight against the tide.
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
If you enjoyed Amor Towles’ mega hit The Lincoln Highway, you’ll love this one! It’s fun, clever, and an amazing story. You’ll meet the shrewd Count Alexander Rostov, who in 1922 is sentenced to house arrest in the grand Metropol hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Russian history is made just outside the hotel’s doors, while inside Alexander enters an even larger world of emotional discovery.
The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang
A romance even Roy Kent would approve! When Anna Sun’s longtime boyfriend announces he wants an open relationship, she embarks on a string of one-night stands. Enter tattooed, motorcycle-riding Quan Diep, who seems like a perfect target for Anna’s new project. But each attempt fails, as Anna starts to realize that Quan unconditionally accepts her – and everything she’s going through.
Hello, Sunshine by Laura Dave
Culinary star Sunshine Mackenzie’s life is going perfectly – until she’s hacked, and loses everything. Forced to return to her childhood home and an estranged sibling, Sunshine is determined to turn things around and redeem herself. This cool breeze of a book is perfect for anyone looking for a story that blends a compelling family story with personal transformation.
Small Admissions by Amy Poeppel
A light read with substance! After Kate’s almost-fiancé dumps her, she’s thrown into the competitive culture of a private school in New York City, where she interviews all kinds of children and their pushy Park Avenue parents in the admissions department. Although Kate seems to be progressing with her newfound career, her sister micromanages her and her friends seem to have ulterior motives. The book traces Kate’s journey with humor and relatability.
Ties that Tether by Jane Igharo
Azere promised her dying father she would marry a Nigerian man and preserve her culture after emigrating to Canada, but now she’s not sure she can keep that promise. When a one-night stand unexpectedly turns into something more serious, Azere is caught between her feelings for a man who is not Nigerian and her mother’s wishes to preserve her Nigerian heritage.
We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry
If you like coming of age stories with witchy vibes, this one’s for you! In the town of Danvers, Massachusetts (the site of the original Salem Witch Trials), the 11 members of the Danvers Falcons field hockey team pledge themselves to dark forces so they will make it to the state championship. It seems to work as their season picks up, but something sinister might be brewing.
Adult Non-Fiction
If you want more of Ted Lasso’s optimism and thoughtfulness in your life, look no further! These non-fiction books explore some of the show’s themes, like morality, leadership, and working on your mental health.
Dare to Lead: Brave Work, Tough Conversations, Whole Hearts by Brene Brown
Being a good leader in an environment defined by scarcity and uncertainty requires developing traits like empathy, connection, and courage. This book by renowned researcher, speaker and author Brene Brown shares the four measurable and learnable skills that enable leaders to do good work, have difficult conversations, and show up authentically in their roles.
Gmorning, gnight! Little Pep Talks for You and Me by Lin-Manuel Miranda
A high-five in book form! Even before his Hamilton fame, Lin-Manuel Miranda inspired others through encouraging tweets at the beginning and end of each day. This book curates the best of these daily affirmations alongside beautiful illustrations from illustrator Jonny Sun.
How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question by Michael Schur
The creator of the hit show The Good Place brings his skills as a comedy writer to the world of philosophy and ethics. The book explores heavy concepts like existentialism, utilitarianism, and more – but it does so with humor, lightness, and inspiration. Bonus: if you borrow the audiobook from cloudLibrary, you’ll hear some familiar voices from The Good Place as you listen along!
How to Do the Work: Recognize Your Patterns, Heal from Your Past, and Create Your Self by Nicole LePera
Drawing on research from a range of scientific fields, this book explains how adverse experiences live with us and create dysfunction that keeps us stuck in harmful patterns. It then details some tools that can help you take action to end these patterns.
Man Enough: Undefining My Masculinity by Justin Baldoni
Actor/director Justin Baldoni’s book reflects on his personal struggles with masculinity. It explores a range of topics like strength and vulnerability, relationships, body image, sexuality, racial justice, fatherhood, and more.
Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May
Sometimes we need to care for and repair ourselves instead of powering through difficult circumstances. Drawing on literature, mythology, the natural world, and the author’s personal experience of a difficult period in her life, this bestseller offers instruction on the power of rest and retreat during hard times.
You Will Get Through This Night by Daniel Howell
This entertaining and personal book offers tools to better understand your mind and mental health. It’s divided into three sections – This Night, Tomorrow, and The Days After – that offer guidance on getting through tough moments, taking small steps to improve thoughts and actions, and looking after mental health in the long-term.
