Despite producing 42 of the 100 fastest men's marathoners of all time and distance legends like Kenenisa Bekele and Haile Gebrselassie, few English-speaking writers have truly explored Ethiopian running culture. Michael Crawley changes that with his new book. 5 stars out of 5. Purchase here.

Author Matt Hart, who previously reported on NOP for the New York Times, has drawn upon hundreds of sources for a terrific book. Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the story of the NOP under Alberto Salazar. Many of the details of the NOP saga were already well-known but Hart did a remarkable job of tying them all together in the definitive narrative. Plus he still breaks some major news with a few revelations as Hart also did plenty of his own reporting for Win At All Costs.

In his latest book, David Walsh -- the Irish reporter who helped bring down Lance Armstrong -- tells the story of the Russian doping scandal through the eyes of whistleblowers Yuliya and Vitaly Stepanov, whose relationship was far more complicated than you could imagine. On, February 8, 2013, the couple was supposed to get divorced. Instead of heading back to the registry office that day, Vitaly drove Yuliya to the office of Alexei Melnikov, the coach of the Russian national track & field team, and secretly recorded their conversation and helped bring down the Russia's doping program. 5 stars out of 5. Let's hope this is made into a movie.

McLatchie, one of eight siblings who grew up in a one-room house in Scotland, has lived a very interesting life and spent a lifetime in running, from winning age-group titles as a boy in Scotland to coaching Olympians. Most recently, at age 77, he and his wife coached a team to the NXN high school national title in the US. That being said, the book isn't our favorite but maybe worth a purchase for high school coaches as he shares his entire final month of training prior to NXN. *Purchase here

Matt Fitzgerald joined Ben Rosario's HOKA NAZ Elite team for three months in the summer of 2017 as he chased a personal best at the Chicago Marathon. From workouts on Lake Mary Road to strength sessions to a visit to John Ball, he lived the full professional experience. "[The book] newfound appreciation for one of the privileges of life as a professional runner. Not the chance to travel the world racing in cool locations or the freedom to nap copiously, but the ability to dedicate all of one's energies to becoming the best one can be -- and the opportunity to make memories doing it alongside friends and teammates."

Need to brush up on your distance running history? Richard Amery's book offers a comprehensive history of the sport from Paavo Nurmi to Kenenisa Bekele, told through the 10 men to hold both the 5,000- and 10,000-meter world records. *Purchase here.

If you want to learn about Gerry Lindgren and Spokane, WA - the Rift Valley of American Distance Running - then this book is for you.

Not every race can be your best and not every book can be our favorite. This one starts out fascinating but fizzles.

Treat yourself to your own Valentine's Day gift by buying Alex Hutchinson's new book Endure which we give our highest rating - 5 stars out of 5.

An autobiography by a man who failed every single class in middle school and was in trouble with the law but went on to set an American record in the 5k, make two Olympic teams and raise a son who broke America's 108-year Olympic drought in the men's 1500 has a lot of potential. Add in the fact that he roomed with Bruce Jenner and skipped school to hang out with Steve Prefontaine on the day he died and you've got a must read. Purchase Like Father, Like Son: My Story on Running, Coaching and Parenting now and be a part of the 1st-ever LetsRun.com Virtual Book Club in one month.

Henderson, a lifelong track nerd and the editor of Athletics Weekly, traces the paths of American favorite Mary Decker and teen phenom Zola Budd of South Africa (who wound up competing for Great Britain) to the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, where the they tangled in the 3000-meter final, resulting in Decker's famous fall.

And the verdict is in, which of the three biographies of Emil Zatopek - the man RW called the greatest of all-time - is the best?

Rather than embark immediately upon a professional career, Wade -- an All-American at Rice and 2016 Olympic Trials qualifier -- spent a year visiting running cultures across the globe. The result is Run the World, a fun log of her running adventures in 22 different countries, including Japan, Finland, Switzerland and New Zealand.

Endurance is one of three Zátopek biographies that were released this summer (Today We Die A Little! by Richard Askwith and Quicksilver by Pat Butcher - which we have not reviewed yet - are the others). This one's worth a read as it offers insight into not just Zátopek's life, but those of rivals Alain Mimoun, Gordon Pirie and Jim Peters as well as Zátopek's former coach Jan Haluza and his brutal treatment at the hands of Czechoslovakia's communist regime.

This well-researched biography on the "patron saint of running" - a man whom Runner's World named the greatest runner of all time - is one of three English-language biographies on the Czech legend coming out this summer. *Purchase here.

What was it like to be a Stanford runner from 1968 to 1972, during the height of the counterculture? Coe tells you and and nothing is off limits. Coe's stories range from racing Gerry Lindgren and Steve Prefontaine in the legendary 1969 PAC-8 XC Champs to smoking weed with the Stanford football team and Olympic swimmers at his fraternity house. Though his running career was ultimately not successful, this book certainly is. It's getting great reviews on amazon and we agree, giving it 4.5 out of 5 stars. Purchase here.

If you are interested in learning all about the history of the race that started as a dream of bartender Tommy Leonard, who wanted to get Frank Shorter to Falmouth, then this book is for you. 3.5 out 5 stars.

Looking for a great Christmas present? We have a suggestion. Ed Caesar's new book Two Hours covers everything you would want to know about the marathon, from its roots in ancient Greek lore all the way up to the establishment of big-money major-city marathons in the late 20th century. It includes incredible behind-the-scenes access of Geoffrey Mutai in 2011 when he destroyed the course records in both Boston and New York. 5 out 5 stars.