Reading Recommendations: The Art of Ice Skating

A new month means another batch of reading recommendations! This month’s theme is Ice Skating! Since the Winter Olympics are coming up in February I thought this would be a great time to focus on books on figure skating! It’s my favorite Winter sport to watch even though I’m clumsy at skating myself. I hope you enjoy these picks!

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Just in time for the 2006 Winter Olympic comes this exciting new spin on the ABCs Join four-time world champion figure skater Kurt Browning as he glides and dances through the alphabet, explaining the history, techniques and memorable moments of the sport.

Though aimed at younger readers, A is for Axel is a colorfully illustrated and informative book for all ages. Taking you leter by letter the book breaks down and simplifies some of the technical words uses for the sport. It also cover difference between pairs skating, ice dancing, and solo skaters. Being a fan of figure skating I was familiar with a lot of the terms used in the book but I also learned a lot of new things. I like how the illustrations were paired up with each word to give more clarity to readers. A good book for those that want a introduction to the sport.

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If someone were to ask Jasmine Santos to describe the last few years of her life with a single word, it would definitely be a four-letter one.

After seventeen years—and countless broken bones and broken promises—she knows her window to compete in figure skating is coming to a close.

But when the offer of a lifetime comes in from an arrogant idiot she’s spent the last decade dreaming about pushing in the way of a moving bus, Jasmine might have to reconsider everything.

Including Ivan Lukov. 

This book is absolutely wonderful from the descriptions of the graceful art of skating on ice to the character development. This was a highly anticipated read on my TBR and I’m so glad I read it. I love the grumpy hero and heroine (Jasmine and Ivan) and their constant banter, reconnection, and seeing them grow as a pair on and off the ice. The characters were the strongest point of the novel for me and i like how the book navigates the career of a figure skater through their own words. Both characters have gone through multiple obstacles and we see how events have shaped them as a whole. A recommend read for romance readers and those that like sports romances.

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Fifteen-year-old Sindiswe Khumalo is the most promising figure skater the South African Skating Federation has ever had. But at the rink Sindi can’t talk about what’s making her father ill. Even her best friends can’t be trusted. The young man who drives the zamboni lost his job when people found out he had HIV. A girl in her class dropped out of school when the bullies accused her of being infected. Sindi has dreams-Olympic-size dreams. The truth could cost her everything, but keeping the secret might cost her more.

I really enjoyed reading Keeping Secrets. Reading Sindi’s story was inspiring. She showed a lot of faith snd courage even when she was sure things weren’t going to be okay. I like how this middle-grade book illustrates the beauty of ice skating, the rich culture of South Africa, and the larger important conversations bring up. I appreciated how it breaks down the stigma of HIV/AIDS, and educates people about it. I also appreciated that the book doesn’t tidy everything up at the end and leaves it a bit open-ended tp so it feels more realistic. In doing so, the ending mirrors their lives and the work the characters need to do in order to grow.

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It was the same every morning. Wake up, grab the ice skates, and head to the rink while the world was still dark.

Weekends were spent in glitter and tights at competitions. Perform. Smile. And do it again.

She was good. She won. And she hated it.

For ten years, figure skating was Tillie Walden’s life. She woke before dawn for morning lessons, went straight to group practice after school, and spent weekends competing at ice rinks across the state. It was a central piece of her identity, her safe haven from the stress of school, bullies, and family. But over time, as she switched schools, got into art, and fell in love with her first girlfriend, she began to question how the close-minded world of figure skating fit in with the rest of her life, and whether all the work was worth it given the reality: that she, and her friends on the figure skating team, were nowhere close to Olympic hopefuls. It all led to one question: What was the point? The more Tillie thought about it, the more Tillie realized she’d outgrown her passion–and she finally needed to find her own voice. 

I love to read graphic memoirs and remember Spinning had been on my TBR for a while. This is a powerful memoir with a cool illustration style. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions as Tillie recounts her life on the ice rink and dealing with the pressure of competitions, moving to a new town, and having conflicting feelings about the sport she’s loved for so long. The novel is also about identity and passion as much as it is about ice skating. More than the beauty of the sport it delves into themes of passion, finding yourself, and discovering what you want in life.

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In the 1930s, only white figure skaters were allowed in public ice rinks and to compete for gold medals, but Mabel Fairbanks wouldn’t let that stop her. With skates two sizes too big and a heart full of dreams, Mabel beat the odds and broke down color barriers through sheer determination and athletic skill. Mabel became the first African-American woman to be inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame.

So I didn’t know about Mabel Fairbanks before reading this book and I’m so glad I got to learn about her amazing legacy (I’m also looking for more books about Black figure skaters in general, so I’m open to recommendations). Mabel’s story of perseverance is motivational and I love how she was such a trailblazer for skaters of color. I would love to read more books about her career. This picture book is beautifully illustrated and I love that it encompasses a good chunk of her career.

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That concludes my reading recommendations for ice skating reads! What books do you recommend or what are your favorites? Comment below!