Here’s the best football books of recent months for reading on the beach or by the pool. Kick off the summer with one of these six great reads.

Review – Brian Moore Saved Our Sundays – The Golden Age of Televised Football by Matt Eastley

Matt Eastley’s book is a joyously nostalgic journey through the golden days of regional televised football in the 1970s. The iconic commentators of the period, Brian Moore, Hugh Johns, Gerald Sinstadt, Gerry Harrison, Martyn Tyler, Keith Macklin, and Roger Malone brought great drama to our TV screens when there were only three channels.

Review – Munichs by David Peace

David Peace has had varying degrees of success with his three football novels. He had great success with ‘The Damned United’ about Brian Clough and Leeds United which subsequently became a film, but less so in ‘Red or Dead’ about Bill Shankly and Liverpool. He successfully returns with ‘Munichs’ about the 1958 Munich Air Disaster, the subsequent rise of Manchester United and the changing face of football in Britain.

Review – Extra Time Beckons, Penalties Loom: How to Use (and Abuse) The Language of Football by Adam Hurrey 

Ten years after producing his amusing ‘Football Cliches’ book Adam Hurrey returns with another witty and insightful book about the language of football. Hurrey is also the creator and host of the popular ‘Football Cliches’ podcast which explores the unique language of football and above all the cliches.

Review – States of Play: How Sportswashing Took Over Football by Miguel Delaney

The Independent’s Chief Football writer Miguel Delaney has produced a forensic investigation into sportswashing and how it has damaged the beautiful game. Delaney journeys from Abu Dhabi to Newcastle and onto London, Paris, Moscow and New York to investigate the allegations of sportswashing and misconduct in football. He explains how football has been taken over by the world’s wealthiest businessmen, state-backed corporations, media tycoons and oil-rich oligarchs.

Review – Last Boy of ’66: My Story of England’s World Cup Winning Team by Sir Geoff Hurst

Hat-trick hero Sir Geoff Hurst is the last surviving member of England’s 1966 World Cup winning team and his latest book delves deepest into his life and the key characters of the final. Hurst has had a bittersweet life with some unbelievable highs and distressing lows. The deaths of his younger brother Robert and his eldest daughter Claire are darknesses that he has taken decades to process.

Review – Gary Lineker: A Portrait of a Football Icon by Chris Evans

Chris Evans’s biography of Gary Lineker provides a fascinating insight into one of football’s most popular characters. Lineker led the itinerant life of a footballer with Leicester City, Everton, Barcelona, Spurs, Grampus Eight and England before becoming the accomplished presenter of Match of the Day and other sports broadcasts, a successful entrepreneur and owner of sports podcasts.