Women in sport have historically had plenty of problems, usually being relegated to 'lesser' sports and roles, so there are plenty of nonfiction books looking at that - both the queer aspect and the gender aspect. There are also several butch sporty types in romance and young adult books, and even a couple of self defense/martial arts teachers.
The adult lesbian books are mostly about tennis, and are mostly romance (but then, aren't most lesbian books?), while the YA books are generally about basketball and softball, and all the biographies are about the tennis star Martina Navratilova.
Fiction
Romance: Tennis, soccer, basketball, boxing, rowing, softball, mountain running, biking, martial arts, sailing, surfing
- A Fighting Chance by Barb Wolfe (MMA - Mixed Martial Arts, some self defence) [reviewed here]
- A Perfect Match by Erin Dutton (tennis)
- All in the Game by Eleanor Hill (soccer)
- Bareback by D. Jackson Leigh (Horse riding)
- Beautiful Game by Kate Christie (soccer & tennis)
- Breaker's Passion by Julie Cannon (surfing)
- Broken Trails by D Jordan Redhawk (dog sledding)
- Chance by Taylor James (basketball)
- Crossing the Line by Toni James (fell running)
- Descent by Julie Cannon (mountain bike racing)
- Forty Love by Diana Simmonds (tennis)
Full Court Pressure
by Lynn Galli(basketball)
- Grand Slam by Samantha Brenner (tennis)
- Hawke
by Taylor James (softball)
- High Intensity by Belle Reilly (Mountaineering)
- Love Game - Season 2011 by M. B. Gerard (tennis)
- Love's Tender Warriors by Radclyffe (martial arts)
- Lovematch by Ali Vali (tennis)
- Lucky Loser by Yolanda Wallace (tennis)
- Mounting Danger by Karis Walsh (horse riding)
- Murphy's Law by Yolanda Wallace (Mountaineering)
- Open Water by Pol Robinson (rowing)
- Romancing the Zone by Kenna White (basketball)
- Running with the Wind by Nell Stark (Sailing)
- Silent Bob by Erik Schubach (hiking/mountaineering/outdoor gear sales)
- Sudden Death by Rita Mae Brown (tennis)
- Take Time Out by R. L. Johnson (basketball)
- Worth the Risk by Karis Walsh (Horse riding)
Other / General Fiction: Martial arts, golf, swimming, running, boxing, baseball, basketball
- Always by Nicola Griffith (women's self defence classes) [review]
- All Out by Judith Alguire (running)
- Breaking Spirit Bridge by Ruth Perkinson (basketball, bipolar)
- Cutman by Christa Faust (boxing, short story)
- Damn Straight (The Lillian Byrd Crime Series) by Elizabeth Sims (mystery, golf)
- Flashpoint by Katherine V. Forrest (golf) [review]
- The High Cost of Living by Marge Piercy (karate)
- Lady Lobo by Kristen Garrett (basketball)
- The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily Danforth (swimming, running) [review & guest review]
- Oranges and Lemons by Lizz Bugg (Mystery; single boxing scene at start, minor references in rest of story) [review]
- Punching Judy by David James (boxing)
- The Sea of Light by Jenifer Levin (swimming)
- Smokey O: A Romance by Celia Cohen (baseball, minor obvious lesbian content)
- Sunday's Child by Joyce Bright (running)
- Sweat: Stories and a Novella (anthology, various sports including basketball, mountain climbing, softball
- Water Dancer by Jenifer Levin (swimming) kindle link
Young Adult: Basketball, softball, baseball, cycling
- A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend
by Emily Horner (cycling)
- Far From Xanadu/Pretend You Love Me (softball) [review]
- The Foul Line by F Thibou (basketball)
- The Necessary Hunger: A Novel by Nina Revoyr (basketball)
- Out of Left Field: Marlee’s Story by Barbara L. Clanton (Softball)
Erotica
- Body Check: Erotic Lesbian Sports Stories (mixed anthology)
- Tough Girlz Vol. 1 by Bo Taffy & Ben Dunn (manga, boxing)
- Women on the Verge: Lesbian Tales of Power and Play (mixed anthology)
Nonfiction:
- Diamonds Are a Dyke's Best Friend: Reflections, Reminiscences, and Reports from the Field on the Lesbian National Pastime
(baseball)
- The Gay Games: A History
- Heroines of Sport: The Politics of Difference and Identity
- Lesbians and bisexual women in sport.: An article from: JOPERD--The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance
Lesbians and Gays and Sports
- Out on the Field: Gender, Sport, and Sexualities
- Outsports Revolution: Truth & Myth in the World of Gay Sports
Sport, Sexualities and Queer/Theory
- Sportsdykes: Stories from on and off the Field
- Strong Women, Deep Closets: Lesbians and Homophobia in Sport
Biographies
- Choices: My Journey After Leaving My Husband for Martina and a Lesbian Life
- Love Match: Nelson Vs. Navratilova
- Martina Navratilova: Lives of Notable Gay Men and Lesbians
Also check out
You May Also Be Interested In:
Missing books on the list:
ReplyDeleteLynn Galli - Full court pressure (basketball)
Kenna White - Romancing the Zone (basketball)
Kristen Garrett - Lady Lobo (basketball)
Joyce Bright - Sunday's Child (running)
Karis Walsh - Worth the Risk (Horse riding)
Bella Reilly - High Intensity (Mountaineering)
Yolanda Wallace - Murphy's Law (Mountaineering)
R. L. Johnson - Take time out (basketball)
Ali Vali - Lovematch (tennis)
D. Jackson Leigh - Bareback (Horse riding)
Thank you! Full Court Pressure is under the YA list already, but I'll add all the rest now.
DeleteWelcome. Full Court Pressure is not a YA book.
DeleteOh my goodness, you're right. I must have been very confused when I added that title, I just didn't look at at after that.
DeleteAgain, a great list with some unfamiliar titles I'd love to try!
ReplyDelete