Virtual Book Club
Sarah Skelton
I enjoy choosing books which align with the theme of each edition of Ayrshire Magazine, and whilst my choices for this issue are not specifically ‘World Cup’ related, they are both connected to sport. I hope you like the choices!
One is a non-fiction book which is the inspiring story behind the creation of parkrun, and the other is a fiction novel by a well-known author about a tennis star coming out of retirement.
Don’t forget to leave your feedback on the AM Virtual Book Club Facebook page – I’d love to know what you think!
One Small Step: The Incredible Story of parkrun by Paul Sinton-Hewitt
I have a confession – I have not run a parkrun myself! However, I have a daughter who has done so almost every week since it started in her local park, and my ten-year-old grandson, Ben, has volunteered as a marshal 65 times! I did, in fact, help him on my last visit – maybe I will run on the next one!
Notwithstanding my own lack of actual running, I am always impressed and inspired by initiatives that bring people together and build communities. This was what inspired Paul Sinton-Hewitt to start parkrun.
From childhood, Paul understood the intrinsic need for connection and belonging. After navigating the care system of South Africa in his childhood and enduring both his career and marriage breaking down years later, he turned to running as a lifeline. Longing for community and purpose, he had one simple idea: he would start a weekly run every Saturday morning in his local park.
No prizes, no pressure, no fee. His only rule: he would always be there, whether anyone showed up or not. From the thirteen runners who joined that first weekend, Paul created parkrun, which has grown into a truly global community over twenty years and united millions of people from all walks of life.
One Small Step is more than Paul’s inspiring memoir; it’s a blueprint for how coming together in simple ways can improve the health and happiness of millions worldwide. Whether you’re a runner or not, read it and be inspired!
Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid was a book club favourite. Malibu Rising and Daisy Jones and the Six are also very popular, and I absolutely loved her latest novel, Atmosphere, about a group of trainee astronauts at the start of the space shuttle programme.
Carrie Soto is Back is a powerful novel about an ageing athlete who returns for one last round of greatness.
Carrie Soto is a legendary tennis champion whose name once dominated every headline and record book. Now, years after retirement, Carrie watches a new rising star threaten the very legacy she sacrificed everything to build.
Unwilling to fade quietly into history, Carrie makes a bold, almost unthinkable decision – she’s stepping back onto the court. Older, scrutinised, doubted at every turn, she must battle not only her rivals but the weight of her own reputation, her complicated relationship with her father‑coach, and the question that haunts every great athlete: Who am I when the winning stops?
Fast‑paced, emotionally charged, and full of electric on‑court tension, Carrie Soto is Back is a triumphant story about ambition, resilience, and the courage it takes to reclaim your place in the world. However flawed Carrie might be you will find yourself rooting for her!
Remember, you can get free shipping when you order these books online from The Book Nook Stewarton using the special discount code AMVBC. You can also subscribe to the virtual book club at www.booknookstewarton.co.uk/shop/ayrshire-magazine-virtual-book-club
