Election year or not, nothing says fall like football and basketball — and while politics may dominate the public consciousness, there are a lot of people flipping the channel to sports for a respite from that kind of action.

As a long-suffering Miami Dolphins fan, I'm preparing myself for more of the same: Exhilarating leads that go swiftly to hell in the closing moments of the fourth quarter. And as far as my Miami Heat are concerned, I'll be surprised if we even make the playoffs in 2017. At the very least, there are books — yeah, books — to help wash some of the pain away. But let me not cry you a river. Instead, here are five books that will be a welcome treat for readers and sports fans.

Juan Vidal is a writer and critic for NPR Books. He's on Twitter: @itsjuanlove

Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit NPR.

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