This vital recovery process is exemplified by Jenny Landreth’s Swell (Bloomsbury), which made the William Hill sports book of the year shortlist and would have been a more than worthy winner. Women’s football may feature heavily in next year’s publishing schedules, following events on and off the field in 2017 that made the front and back pages. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Groundbreaker ... Keegan Hirst became the first rugby league player to come out, while playing for Batley. Rugby league is a William Hill blind spot and this year’s omission was Tony Hannan’s Underdogs (Bantam), recounting a year with Batley. Photograph: BPI/Rex/ShutterstockIf the William Hill award is our barometer, this was a year for biographies.

Source: The Guardian December 02, 2017 09:00 UTC