by Book Club Claire
2026 marks the eighth year of me being involved with this podcast! Following the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics and Paralympics, Jill and Alison were looking for contributors as they hit the lull between Games. I volunteered, and they asked if I would start a book club featuring Olympic and Paralympic books!
Normally we do four books a year, but in Olympic and Paralympic years, the schedule for Alison and Jill is often so crazy that it’s hard for them to find time to read four books! This year, we decided to do two.
How I choose the books we read for Book Club
The choice came to me on what to pick. I always have a list going with books being released, so I scan there before anything else. Then, I break it down to three categories of books: biographies (or autobiographies with ghost writers), specific Games, or specific sports. I also need to make sure I go between summer and winter. Oftentimes I will lean more heavily on summer, just because I prefer those summer sports, and because there are more books on those subjects!
Another thing to keep in mind is an effort to branch out from doing books only focused on athletes from Team USA. While that’s easier for us because Jill, Alison, and I are in the United States, we want to enjoy books that feature other countries and other athletes.
What we don’t read
Some books that we don’t choose are the ones that Alison and Jill have already read. They had a Patreon series last year, and they also read books when they are featuring the author on a podcast episode. Since they’ve already read them and featured them, we want to showcase other books that will give them some limelight!
A Paralympic selection for 2026
There are lots of Olympic books out there, but far fewer Paralympic books. Luckily, that is improving, and I’m working to include more Paralympic books in our book club. So with us only doing two books this year, I made sure one of them featured a Paralympian. That book will be Limitless: The Power of Hope and Resilience to Overcome Circumstance by Mallory Weggemann (and Tiffany Yecke Brooks).
Weggemann was left paralyzed in 2008, but made the most of a tragic situation. Only four years later, she competed in the London 2012 Paralympics in swimming. She has attended every Paralympics since, and has accumulated four gold medals, two silver medals, and one bronze medal. (As Alison says: a full set!) Her book will be featured at the end of the year!
Book Club goes to the velodrome
The first book we read this year didn’t get featured until Jill and Alison had a break from their Olympic and Paralympic chaos, which is why we didn’t record it until August! The book was Heroes, Villains, and Velodromes: Chris Hoy and Britain’s Track Cycling Revolution by Richard Moore.
Why did I pick that book? WIth the focus turning back to the summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, I went with a sport that we haven’t covered yet! Alison and Jill both like track cycling way more than me, so I figured they’d appreciate this choice. (Spoiler alert: they did!)
And while the story ended halfway from Britain’s resurgence into track cycling due to its publication deadline (current editions end in Beijing 2008 instead of the peak of London 2012), it was a good read. I learned more about Chris Hoy than I ever knew before, even though I’ve heard his name a ton. (And if you were watching any of the 2026 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony coverage, you probably saw him featured, since it took place in Scotland, where he’s from!) This also helped me understand a bit more about how Great Britain’s federations work as they transitioned from independent groups to the current TeamGB format.
Do you have any books we should put on our radar for future years? Contact the show and let us know!
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