In this series, we’ll pick some of our favorite things about Minnesota and share some related book suggestions. (We’re open to your suggestions! Comment below or email us and tell us some of your favorite MN things!) 

Hockey season has recently started up again! In case you have students or patrons interested in reading more about the sport, here are some suggestions:

Hockey Strong: Playing Through Pain for the Love of Sport – stories of sacrifice from inside the trenches of the NHL by Todd Smith “This is the story of hockey, one scar at a time. For the casual enthusiast and hockey fanatic alike comes a brilliant collection of essays and photographs celebrating the grit and dedication of hockey players who regularly and willingly withstand injury and hardship to play the sport they love.”

Beartown by Fredrik Backman “People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals, and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys.”

Iceman by Chris Lynch “The other guys on Eric’s hockey team call him the Iceman, because he’s a heartless player, cold as ice. Only Eric knows the truth — he’s not cold, he’s on fire, burning with a need he just can’t explain. Least of all to his fanily — not to his dad, whose only joy in life id watching Eric smash other hockey players to a pulp. Or his mom, who starts every conversation with “Your problem is…” Or even his brother, Duane, once a star athlete, now a star slacker.”

Checked by Cynthia Kadohata “Hockey is Conor’s life. His whole life. He’ll say it himself, he’s a hockey beast. It’s his dad’s whole life too—and Conor is sure that’s why his stepmom, Jenny, left. There are very few things Conor and his dad love more than the game, and one of those things is their Doberman, Sinbad. When Sinbad is diagnosed with cancer, Conor chooses to put his hockey lessons and practices on hold so they can pay for Sinbad’s chemotherapy. But without hockey to distract him, Conor begins to notice more. Like his dad’s crying bouts, and his friend’s difficult family life. And then Conor notices one more thing: without hockey, the one thing that makes him feel special, is he really special at all?”