Ten top books about running

At PopSugar Helen Carefoot tagged ten books "that tackle running as both a recreational pursuit and a necessity... stories that include running as the catalyst for finding love, building community, finding purpose and oneself, and carrying oneself to safety." One title on the list:

The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff

This story follows Willie Upton, an archaeology grad student who returns to the town where her family has lived for centuries after a series of messy decisions derail her life. As Willie uses her skills to dig through her family tree for answers, she exhumes long dead skeletons from the closets of many prominent townspeople, some of whom are her relatives.

Author Lauren Groff's prose is beautiful, and she masterfully weaves stories from the past and present together while juggling numerous voices. Part of this rich tapestry is the Running Buds, a group of older men who have gathered to jog together every morning for decades, and who take Willie under their wing and function like the town's Greek chorus, spreading gossip and discussing everyone's business.

Read about another entry on the list.

The Monsters of Templeton is among Emily Temple's ten works of literary fiction for runners.

The Page 99 Test: The Monsters of Templeton.

--Marshal Zeringue