"Futebol (The Brazilain Way of Life)," by Alex Bellos 

If ever a country was famous for its passion about sport, there must be none more so than Brazil and their obsession with the beautiful game. If you’re Brazilian, football is more than a sport…it is a way of life. In this book Alex Bellos, a British journalist, describes the Brazilian fascination with football, from it’s introduction in 1894 (by a Scotsman!), to the modern day, where at last count Brazil remain the most successful footballing nation of all time. Bellos captures every bizarre aspect of the nation’s obsession, Brazilian footballers plying their trade in the Faroe Islands, the hilarious story of the game ‘Auto ball’ (where players drive cars around a massive pitch and push around a giant football), the ‘Big Kickabout,’ a tournament held deep in the Brazilian rainforest that runs alongside a beauty pageant - competing teams must bring with them a beauty queen to be eligible, the great players like Ronaldo, Garrincha, and of course Pele - their stories are all told here. You don’t have to be a football fan to enjoy this book - it’s about more than sport. It’s about the culture, passion, and occasional absurdity, of the world’s foremost football fanatics.