"The Art of Fielding" by Chad Harbach

This is a very good book.  Using baseball as the unifying theme, it covers everything:  winning, losing, playing, excelling, failing, celebrating, mourning.  And on and on.  It is a character-driven novel, not plot driven, and the characters are just that, real characters.  Flawed and remarkable, morose and jubilant, often simultaneously. I am not well-read enough to even begin to discuss the metaphorical nature of using baseball as a touchstone nor can I begin to list the literary allusions Harbach uses.  Suffice it to say it all works.  This is his first novel and it seems as if he has been writing for years.  At times lyrical, often satirical, amusing and poignant.  And, on top of all the great characters and the baseball action,  it's a damn good story.  Check it out.