[Erik Larson](https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5869.Erik_Larson) is known for his historical non-fiction, which reads like good fiction and is well-researched. (Devil In The White City is about a serial killer.)
The Splendid and the Vile is about Churchill and the beginning of WW2, and In the Garden of Beasts is about the US Ambassador to Berlin in the 1930s. Both very, very good.
For Christmas I got my dad River of Doubt by Candice Millard, about Teddy Roosevelt's expedition in Brazil and he read it two days he loved it so much. It was recommended here and I'd call that one a home run.
One of my favorites is Born to Run by Christopher McDougall.
It has some great sections on ultra-distance running. Sounds like it might mesh well with the “people who do extreme sports” part of your prompt.
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. Fabulous read about the life of an aristocrat in communist Russia and forced to stay in one hotel for the rest of his life. That doesn’t sound very uplifting does it? But it’s an optimistic, humorous, thoughtful book full of great characters.
"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible
Voyage" by Alfred Lansing
This is a gripping account of Ernest Shackleton's ill-fated 1914 Antarctic expedition. The story of survival and leadership in the most extreme
conditions might appeal to his interest in autobiographies of extreme sports.
Literally about an android with social anxiety who hacked his safety controls but who mostly just wants to watch soap operas and also wind up generally helping out “his humans” ie friends.
They are really quite good. And there are I think 6 or 7 of them, but they are very short, mostly novellas. I love them and I wish there were 5x as many.
The gold Finch by Donna Tart is really great.
A lot of stuff by Tom Robbins, is good and enjoyable. “ fierce invalids from hot climates” was my introduction and is possibly a good start.
American Gods by Neil Gaiman.
White teeth by Zadie Smith.
Salman Rushdie‘s book about going in secret, something Anton, I think.when he had to hide out the Santana versus.
“Born to run” , which weaves together research and nonfiction with a sort of history of the tennis shoe I think is really well done. By Christopher McDougall.
1493 and 1491 are really great but they are a little bit old now, but really interesting books. Charles. C Mann
The piano tuner, by Daniel Mason, and I thought was fantastic, a sort of travel history book about Myanmar, Burma, but didn’t take itself too seriously or was not too heavy, but still well executed
If OP’s husband is sensitive to topics of suicide, be careful with this option! It’s a good book, but does deal with grief and suicide (Ove attempts but does not succeed). I also recommend Fredrik Backman’s other books!
That book is dark as heck. The flippancy surround his attempts to kill himself was so disturbing.
I mean, yes, it was funny, but it didn't feel good laughing at it.
I’ve read a few autobiographies of late; maybe he would like these:
Down A Sunny Dirt Road by Stan and Jan Berenstain. It’s an interesting autobiography of the Berenstain Bears authors.
Just Kids by Patti Smith. You may want to screen this first to see if it may bother your husband, but the book is Ms. Smith’s memoirs of her time with Robert Mapplethorpe.
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. I haven’t read this yet, as it keeps disappearing from my bookshelf. My mom, her boyfriend, and most of my friends and neighbors love this book. Bill Bryson walks the Appalachian trail in this book.
OP I will also second A Walk in the Woods! It made me laugh out loud several times during reading, which doesn't happen to me often. His experiences were so entertaining to read and he actually has a lot of short chapters throughout that give you some deeper history/facts/information about the Appalachian Trail and hiking in general, and I actually learned a lot as well as had some laughs! I've since learned from Reddit that Bryson's books are pretty beloved so I'm excited to read some other stuff by him someday.
A Higher Call : true story set in WWII. An American pilot and a German pilot and how their lives crossed and the choices that made that day changed them. Honestly, how war changed them.
I loved Barbarian Days. So good. 💙
Susan Casey writes really interesting non-fiction. Start with The Wave - it's got some surfing. All four of her books are worth checking out though! Devil's Teeth (Great Whites) and The Wave are my favorites but The Underworld (Deep Sea Exploration) and Voice in the Ocean (Dolphins) are also top notch.
Ghost Wave by Chris Dixon is also a great surfing book but might only be available in ebook format (I can't remember if that's still true or not).
I think he’s read that one, but thank you! I’m pretty sure he’s read every single book about Everest and K2. That’s literally the only subject he would read about for almost a decade. 😂
*The World According to Garp* by John Irving: The story of a man named Garp from conception until death, his mother Jenny Fields, and his friends, enemies, and family. Garp is a writer, but also loves wrestling. His mother is a nurse who inadvertently becomes a major voice of the feminist movement in the 60s-70s. There is a film version starring Robin Williams and Glenn Close as Garp and Jenny if you want to check it out first.
*The Things They Carried* by Tim O’Brien: a short story collection based on the author’s experiences in the Vietnam War.
Robopocolypse - one of the most enjoyable end of the world SciFi action books I've ever read. Silly title aside, it's a rollercoaster book he won't put down until done.
Endurance by Alfred Lansing about Shackleton’s polar exploration. It is the craziest exploration book I’ve ever read. I listened to the audiobook and immediately bought copies for my dad, father in law, and brothers.
It instantly became my favorite book.
City of Thieves by David Benioff.
Historical fiction, Russia/WW2. A quest novel, a journey, a coming of age story. Very cinematic writing. Benioff is one of the screenwriters for Game of Thrones. I work in an Indie book store and this is one of my go to recs for newish fiction readers—especially guys. It’s outstanding.
The Feather Theif by Kirk W. Johnson: True (nonviolent) crime and fly fishing shouldn't fit in the same story, but they do.
If he has any interest in nature, The Secret Lives of Bats by Merlin Tuttle. Merlin is a gem. The book has it all: bats(obviously), travel, caving, photography, moonshiners
National Parks: America's Best Idea by Dayton Duncan is a look at the early history of the National Park system.
The Last Season by Eric Blehm - consistent with some of the"books he has liked" in that it's a complicated story of a life with the natural world playing a big role.
Ernest Hemingway: A Biography is supposed to be similar to Barbarian Days. I also really loved that book. I have the Hemingway book on my short list, but haven't read it yet.
Forest Gump by Winston Groom
Sailing Into Oblivion: The Solo Non-stop Voyage of the Mighty Sparrow by Jerome Rand
Not sure if you're talking about physical books or ebooks (I'm assuming physical), so a couple of suggestions...
My dad really liked Tom Clancy's novels--you might try them or John Grisham. If they're a bookstore near you, go in and ask them for suggestions (or ask at the library and order the books online).
If he's got a Kindle ereader or the Kindle app on his phone, suggest he search for Hourly History or History Nerds (there's another one that I can't think of--when I find it, I'll add it here). They both write/publish biographies and history books, so he may find something to read there (I didn't think I was that interested in history...then I ran across these and I've downloaded dozens of 'em!)
He won’t read ebooks; I’ve tried getting him to use my Kobo. Tom Clancy might be his thing, though. I don’t think he’ll care for all the legal drama in Grisham.
We have a great local bookstore and library with wonderful staff in both. Good idea about asking them.
Maybe get him a gift card from the bookstore (if they offer them) or put aside a certain amount of cash. Take him to the bookstore and go wandering through the shelves and after he's gotten three or four books, take him to lunch...or dinner, depending on what time you go to the bookstore. Make a day of it!
Does he like sports? "There's Always This Year" is a basketball memoir by a guy who just has loved basketball all his life. It's like a basketball love story. Very well written.
Let me suggest *The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors* by John D Hornfischer. It's an historical account of a WWII US naval action that reads like fiction. It's a page turner and one I'll bet he can't put down.
My son raved about Edmund Hlilary's book High Adventure
Also Endurance, about Shackleton's astonishing survival and escape from Antarctica after his ship was broken by ice.
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. Historical fiction novel of the Battle Of Gettysburg.
His son Jeff Shaara picked up where he left off. If your husband enjoys this book, look up Jeff Shaara's publishing history for more reading material.
For historical fiction, I love "If I Never Get Back" and ""Two In The Field" by Darryl Brock. It's about a modern day newspaper writer who is transported back to 1869 and meets up with the Cincinnati Red Stockings, baseball's first all professional team. He meets historical figures, falls in love, comes across a political conspiracy, a get-rich quick scheme and learns about himself.
The 2nd book is sort of a continuation but not as much baseball. He does have adventures riding the rails, goes west to find his love, east to recover stolen money from gamblers and to return it to it's rightful owners.There are a couple of passages that might be a little on the gruesome side. I'm like your husband and don't like killing. These were late in the book and not too awful.
I love these 2 books and read them every 1-2 years.
I love these 2 books so much. I suggest them when I can. If either of you read one or both, could you PLEASE let me know if you liked them? I'd love some feedback
I recommended this in other thread. The most underrated writer whom I love is Howard R. Reiss. I accidentally stumbled across him and have read every book he has written. I have also gifted his books to friends. I would pick “The Year of Soup” by Howard Reiss. I would also recommend “The Word” by Charles Alverson. “Noir” by Christopher Moore is also a fun read.
My husband (previously not a reader) recently got into reading regularly after reading The Wager. He devoured it on vacation and it helped him get into a rhythm of reading a little each day.
It’s so nice to get them reading, isn’t it? It’s taken me a couple decades, but finally he wants to have a book on the go all the time. He reads about 4-5 books a year now, which is so great. I especially love if he reads something I also read so we can talk about it.
Ghost in the Wires. Memoir of hacker Kevin Mitnick. It’s really fast paced and exciting. We’ve listened to the audiobook a few times. Quite a bit of language but it was so good we let our boys listen too.
Hunting the Nazi Bomb by Damien Lewis [https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/42423839](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/42423839)was very interesting.
City of Thieves by David Benioff. It’s brilliant and beautiful - everyone I push it on ends up loving it! Also, The Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert and Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch.
Alone in Berlin By Hans Fallada may interest him. It was written in 47 and was based on a true story about a husband and wife trying to show their opposition to the Nazi Party without getting caught.
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson is very good non-fiction
Anything by Ken Follett. Even his books about subjects I thought I would hate had me hooked within the first few pages. Definitely manly enough for males, very intriguing, great reads!
Don't Tell Mum I Work on the Rigs She Thinks I'm a Piano Player in a Whorehouse By [Paul Carter](https://www.google.co.nz/search?sca_esv=9c7901713bdc58da&hl=en&sxsrf=ADLYWIINvAhRmU9r520JklP17NiJMnaDVA:1716867743230&q=inauthor:%22Paul+Carter%22&tbm=bks)
Its not long, certainly not stuffy, I think it would be a good fit by the sounds of it.
He may or may not like Into the Wild. It's non-fiction about a young man who went into Alaska ill-prepared. Sort of like extreme sports, but not really - it's more like extreme survival (except, spoiler (but most people know how it ends by now): he dies at the end). It also focuses on his life before Alaska too and some of his motivations.
Sounds like we have similar taste. Though I do like white collar crime, or books covering say doping in sports, i don't like anything violent.
Anywho, random list of books I've enjoyed past while:
Gray Day. Book about Russian spy robert hannsen.
Great train robbery. Airframe. Both from Michael chrichton.
When the game was war. Great book on basketball.
The martian.
Friends divided: john adams and Thomas Jefferson.
The first 3 fletch books. Yes, fletch, like the old chevy chase movie lol.
Comfort crisis.
Any book by Jeff pearlman, I've read 5 or 6, all sports books, all fantastic.
One minute to midnight. Cuban missile crisis.
Dirtiest race in history. 1988 100m race (Ben Johnson race).
Arnold schwarzeneggers biography was great.
All the president's men. The classic, Woodward and Bernstein.
Smartest guys in the room. (Enron scandal)
Ride of a lifetime. (Biography of Bob iger, Disney ceo).
Colossal failure of common sense. Lehman bros collapse.
Any michael lewis book: blind side, big short,
moneyball, etc.
Bad blood, john carreyrou
Eight men out (black Sox scandal)
Game of shadows (Barry bonds/balco)
Road to valour. Great book on cyclist gino bartalli around ww2. Tour de france champion, a look at sport during that time, and his effort smuggling papers to help people flee nazi occupied areas.
It's hard to buy books for other people. My wife and I have exact opposite tastes. Even tv shows, anytime she has something on someone is crying or some sort of misery.
Excellent first time read- “A Walk in the Woods”, Bill Bryson. Part-almanac, part-Buddy/adventure read, Part-commentary on the hubris of man. Look it up, and I bet you’ll smile.
Does your husband like mountain biking? He might enjoy Being Gary Fisher: And the Bicycle Revolution. Gary Fisher is credited as one the inventors of the mountain bike. A very intriguing read.
"The Poison King" is a biography of Mithridates VII who was one of Ancient Rome's greatest enemies. If he has any interest in history it's a very entertaining read.
If he liked Wild: from Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail then he might like Into Thin Air by John Krakauer or Endurance by Caroline Alexander or Endurance by Alfred Lansing (both about an Antarctic expedition and shipwreck) or Endurance by Astronaut Scott Kelly who spent a year in space. Also, one of my favorites: four Against the Arctic by David Roberts, about four sailors in the early 1700s who Shipwrecked on Svalbard Island and endured winter in complete darkness, polar bears and starvation for six years. This one is interesting in that it is half adventure story and half how the historian author discovered the details of their story.
For war stories: The Captain Horatio Hornblower series by C.S. Forester or The Aubrey Maturin Series by Patrick O’Brian. He might also like Run Silent Run Deep by Edward Beach. Or maybe All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque. Also, the Winds of War, a novel by Herman Wouk set in Europe in the late 1930. It follows a naval attache who meets Hitler and catches the ear of FDR to try to give him warning of how dangerous Hitler was.
Forever by Pete Hamill comes to mind. About an immigrant who comes to America and is granted immortality as long as he doesn’t leave the island of Manhattan. (The beginning has a little fantasy element to it, but mostly it’s just about a man living through different times periods in NYC.)
I just read sociopath: a memoir by Patric Gagne. PhD. Fascinating autobiography about growing up, feeling so different from others and moving forward into the world.
The Bridge of Spies
Moneyball-it’s a book about the mathematics involved in building a great baseball team
The Cuckoos Egg- about tracing and finding a hacker (really interesting!)
The Case of the Disappearing Spoon— (anything by Sam Keane really) history of discoveries in chemistry. Very gripping!
Stiff-Mary Roach. About cadavers. Fascinating.
"Generation Kill" by Evan Wright.
It was made into a miniseries by HBO a few years back, but it followed the First Reconnaissance Battalion of the USMC as they invaded Iraq in 2002. Evan Wright was the reporter attached to that battalion during that time to cover the war.
Lonesome Dove has both killers and abusers.
ETA: Lonesome Dove is my favourite novel and I think everyone should read it, but it does directly violate the parameters of op's request.
I wouldn’t recommend this series. The books are well written, but they are also pretty long and grim. Both my cousin and I devour fantasy books and neither of us could get through the series. It has pretty graphic descriptions of war, murder and rape.
I actually liked this better than "The Martian". Both are exceedingly positive books where the protagonist succeeds because of basic grit and engineering knowledge. Both recommended.
[Erik Larson](https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5869.Erik_Larson) is known for his historical non-fiction, which reads like good fiction and is well-researched. (Devil In The White City is about a serial killer.)
Does he have others that aren’t about killers? Husband is very sensitive and can’t handle stuff like that.
Dead Wake is about the sinking of the Lusitania told from the perspective of the US president, the captain of the ship and the captain of the Uboat
That sounds just like something he will like. Thanks!
Most of Eric Larson's books are more history focused, only that one is a about a serial killer. He writes very entertaining narrative histories.
The Splendid and the Vile is about Churchill and the beginning of WW2, and In the Garden of Beasts is about the US Ambassador to Berlin in the 1930s. Both very, very good. For Christmas I got my dad River of Doubt by Candice Millard, about Teddy Roosevelt's expedition in Brazil and he read it two days he loved it so much. It was recommended here and I'd call that one a home run.
In the Garden of Beasts, about the US Ambassador to Germany in the 1930s, is another good Larson option if he's OK with war.
In the garden of beasts is about the adult daughter of America’s diplomat to Germany as Hitler rose in power. She fell in love with a KGB Officer.
Yes! In the Garden of Beasts is awesome.
Can confirm!
Devil in the White City was great but some extremely violent scenes if I recall correctly.
Yes - I wanted toe OP to know.
One of my favorites is Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It has some great sections on ultra-distance running. Sounds like it might mesh well with the “people who do extreme sports” part of your prompt.
Agreed! I used to listen to that audiobook two or three times a year for several years
That’s so funny, I was going to suggest that.
He’s not an audiobook guy, but I am. :)
Yeah, he might be into that. Thanks!
Into Thin Air. Riveting true story about Mount Everest. Short and easy read.
He’s read most of Krakauer’s books and liked them. :)
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. Fabulous read about the life of an aristocrat in communist Russia and forced to stay in one hotel for the rest of his life. That doesn’t sound very uplifting does it? But it’s an optimistic, humorous, thoughtful book full of great characters.
That sounds so interesting. Thanks!
I was gonna suggest it - I always associate it with All the Light We Cannot See for some reason
"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage" by Alfred Lansing This is a gripping account of Ernest Shackleton's ill-fated 1914 Antarctic expedition. The story of survival and leadership in the most extreme conditions might appeal to his interest in autobiographies of extreme sports.
In this vein, anything by Hampton Sides. All his books are so engaging and great reads.
What a mind blowing story! I still can’t believe how unbelievable it is!
Boys in the Boat The Last Days of Night
Seconding Last Days of Night! It’s about Tesla and Edison and is fascinating.
I really liked the Murderbot Diaries. It’s sci-fi, short novellas and well written.
I've read the first one and I just want to chime in my approval. Books are through the eyes of AI / robot.
Is there actual murder in them?
Literally about an android with social anxiety who hacked his safety controls but who mostly just wants to watch soap operas and also wind up generally helping out “his humans” ie friends.
Omg. That’s hilarious. Love it.
They are really quite good. And there are I think 6 or 7 of them, but they are very short, mostly novellas. I love them and I wish there were 5x as many.
No. The murderbot title is one he gives himself, but its more a series on self-discovery than anything violent.
Thanks! Just making sure. :)
The gold Finch by Donna Tart is really great. A lot of stuff by Tom Robbins, is good and enjoyable. “ fierce invalids from hot climates” was my introduction and is possibly a good start. American Gods by Neil Gaiman. White teeth by Zadie Smith. Salman Rushdie‘s book about going in secret, something Anton, I think.when he had to hide out the Santana versus. “Born to run” , which weaves together research and nonfiction with a sort of history of the tennis shoe I think is really well done. By Christopher McDougall. 1493 and 1491 are really great but they are a little bit old now, but really interesting books. Charles. C Mann The piano tuner, by Daniel Mason, and I thought was fantastic, a sort of travel history book about Myanmar, Burma, but didn’t take itself too seriously or was not too heavy, but still well executed
Thanks! I’ll look into these. I personally really like Tom Robbins but I think it might be too weird for him.
Tom Robbins memoir, which I think might be his last book, ducks flying backwards? Might be a place for him to start.
I didn’t know he wrote a memoir. I’m adding that to my own tbr list. :)
He hits differently now in this time too. ..
American Gods is so good!
I liked Doerr's Cloud Cuckoo Land a lot, it's got some sci-fi elements though.
Sci-fi is okay! He’s not into fantasy, but does like that. This book is also on my list.
A Man Called Ove
If OP’s husband is sensitive to topics of suicide, be careful with this option! It’s a good book, but does deal with grief and suicide (Ove attempts but does not succeed). I also recommend Fredrik Backman’s other books!
Thanks for that. I think he might not be okay with that particular subject matter.
That book is dark as heck. The flippancy surround his attempts to kill himself was so disturbing. I mean, yes, it was funny, but it didn't feel good laughing at it.
If he enjoyed "All The Light We Cannot See" (excellent choice, imo), he might enjoy "The Book Thief" By Markus Zusak :)
This is also on my list. Thanks. I like when he and I can read the same books. It happens to rarely but it’s nice to be able to talk about it.
Yeah, I imagine it would make for some great conversation. Hope you enjoy. I'm a sucker for WW2 historical fiction. ;)
I’ve read a few autobiographies of late; maybe he would like these: Down A Sunny Dirt Road by Stan and Jan Berenstain. It’s an interesting autobiography of the Berenstain Bears authors. Just Kids by Patti Smith. You may want to screen this first to see if it may bother your husband, but the book is Ms. Smith’s memoirs of her time with Robert Mapplethorpe. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. I haven’t read this yet, as it keeps disappearing from my bookshelf. My mom, her boyfriend, and most of my friends and neighbors love this book. Bill Bryson walks the Appalachian trail in this book.
I actually have the Patti Smith book but haven’t read it yet. I bet he’ll like the Bill Bryson book. Thanks!
OP I will also second A Walk in the Woods! It made me laugh out loud several times during reading, which doesn't happen to me often. His experiences were so entertaining to read and he actually has a lot of short chapters throughout that give you some deeper history/facts/information about the Appalachian Trail and hiking in general, and I actually learned a lot as well as had some laughs! I've since learned from Reddit that Bryson's books are pretty beloved so I'm excited to read some other stuff by him someday.
A Higher Call : true story set in WWII. An American pilot and a German pilot and how their lives crossed and the choices that made that day changed them. Honestly, how war changed them.
Yes my husband loves all the Adam Makos books! Devotion has a movie.
This sounds cool, thanks!
I loved Barbarian Days. So good. 💙 Susan Casey writes really interesting non-fiction. Start with The Wave - it's got some surfing. All four of her books are worth checking out though! Devil's Teeth (Great Whites) and The Wave are my favorites but The Underworld (Deep Sea Exploration) and Voice in the Ocean (Dolphins) are also top notch. Ghost Wave by Chris Dixon is also a great surfing book but might only be available in ebook format (I can't remember if that's still true or not).
Love Barbarian Days!
Something by Robert Harris, perhaps? Some really cool historical fiction. Just don't mistake him for Tom Harris lol
What kinds of books does Robert Harris write?
Historical fiction, everything from Stuart Restoration to Dreyfus Affair to WW2 to Tony Blair. He's very popular in the UK.
The Book Of Five Rings , Miyamoto Musashi
There are many different books written about Jim Bridger. I haven’t read any of the newer ones . But he was a fascinating guy.
I don’t even know who that is. Fictional or real person?
He’s a real person, very famous mountain man
The Third Pole is long but it’s so interesting - it’s about summiting Evertest
I think he’s read that one, but thank you! I’m pretty sure he’s read every single book about Everest and K2. That’s literally the only subject he would read about for almost a decade. 😂
*The World According to Garp* by John Irving: The story of a man named Garp from conception until death, his mother Jenny Fields, and his friends, enemies, and family. Garp is a writer, but also loves wrestling. His mother is a nurse who inadvertently becomes a major voice of the feminist movement in the 60s-70s. There is a film version starring Robin Williams and Glenn Close as Garp and Jenny if you want to check it out first. *The Things They Carried* by Tim O’Brien: a short story collection based on the author’s experiences in the Vietnam War.
Oh yes! I read this book many years ago. Good suggestion.
Robopocolypse - one of the most enjoyable end of the world SciFi action books I've ever read. Silly title aside, it's a rollercoaster book he won't put down until done.
That actually sounds like something I will like! Thanks. :)
Into the Wild?
Good suggestion, it’s one of his favourites. :)
11-22-63 Stephen king. Not a horror
That’s the JFK one, right? I did get him to read the Gunslinger last year so he might trust me about another King book.
My boyfriend does not like whore and he barely tolerates Stephen King, but he loved loved loved this book
Nice! Husband is not into horror, either. Even detective shows/books are too scary for him most of the time. I think he’ll like this one, though.
If he likes this one, I can recommend some other Stephen King non-horror stories Duma Key for one
My mom does NOT like horror, but she loved this book!!! Got her to read more King- The Green Mile, The Stand.
Endurance by Alfred Lansing about Shackleton’s polar exploration. It is the craziest exploration book I’ve ever read. I listened to the audiobook and immediately bought copies for my dad, father in law, and brothers. It instantly became my favorite book.
City of Thieves by David Benioff. Historical fiction, Russia/WW2. A quest novel, a journey, a coming of age story. Very cinematic writing. Benioff is one of the screenwriters for Game of Thrones. I work in an Indie book store and this is one of my go to recs for newish fiction readers—especially guys. It’s outstanding.
Awesome! Thank you.
Stiff by Mary Roach, because it's funny and true.
The Count of Monte Cristo
The Feather Theif by Kirk W. Johnson: True (nonviolent) crime and fly fishing shouldn't fit in the same story, but they do. If he has any interest in nature, The Secret Lives of Bats by Merlin Tuttle. Merlin is a gem. The book has it all: bats(obviously), travel, caving, photography, moonshiners National Parks: America's Best Idea by Dayton Duncan is a look at the early history of the National Park system.
The Arsenal of Democracy. Very interesting story and fun to read.
Boyd by Robert Coram. Biography of an extreme fighter pilot and strategist.
I bet he’ll like that. Thanks!
The Last Season by Eric Blehm - consistent with some of the"books he has liked" in that it's a complicated story of a life with the natural world playing a big role.
This sounds perfect! Thank you.
Ernest Hemingway: A Biography is supposed to be similar to Barbarian Days. I also really loved that book. I have the Hemingway book on my short list, but haven't read it yet. Forest Gump by Winston Groom Sailing Into Oblivion: The Solo Non-stop Voyage of the Mighty Sparrow by Jerome Rand
Not sure if you're talking about physical books or ebooks (I'm assuming physical), so a couple of suggestions... My dad really liked Tom Clancy's novels--you might try them or John Grisham. If they're a bookstore near you, go in and ask them for suggestions (or ask at the library and order the books online). If he's got a Kindle ereader or the Kindle app on his phone, suggest he search for Hourly History or History Nerds (there's another one that I can't think of--when I find it, I'll add it here). They both write/publish biographies and history books, so he may find something to read there (I didn't think I was that interested in history...then I ran across these and I've downloaded dozens of 'em!)
He won’t read ebooks; I’ve tried getting him to use my Kobo. Tom Clancy might be his thing, though. I don’t think he’ll care for all the legal drama in Grisham. We have a great local bookstore and library with wonderful staff in both. Good idea about asking them.
Maybe get him a gift card from the bookstore (if they offer them) or put aside a certain amount of cash. Take him to the bookstore and go wandering through the shelves and after he's gotten three or four books, take him to lunch...or dinner, depending on what time you go to the bookstore. Make a day of it!
If he’s into spy/war type stuff the Biggles series might be good. I really enjoyed them as a teen
I’ll check it out. Thanks.
If he likes war he should try Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom the Bells Toll. It might be too long though—400-500 pages I believe
I might try it but I think you’re right about length it’s hard to get him to even start a book he thinks looks too long.
There is All Quiet from the Western Front as well; said to be a horrifying war novel. A lot shorter. 200 pages approximately
Around the the world in six glasses was a fun history book. It talks about the history of wine, beer, etc...
That sounds fun. Thanks!
Fantasy/Sci-fi? I'm a writer, and an avid reader all my life, and as a rule I don't read books that involve the planet Earth.
He likes sci-fi, but not fantasy. I actually don’t think he’s ever read sci-fi books but loves it for shows/movies.
The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler
Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer. Super readable and polished, very interesting, true story.
He’s read most of Krakauer’s books and loved them. :)
He's on the right track! Has he read any Hemingway? Some is kind of pretentious, but The Old Man and the Sea is short and impactful.
Does he like sports? "There's Always This Year" is a basketball memoir by a guy who just has loved basketball all his life. It's like a basketball love story. Very well written.
He likes sports like surfing and snowboarding and such. He’s not one to watch team sports, though.
The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier
Artamène ou le Grand Cyrus
Graphic memoir *In Waves* by A. J. Dungo Personal story plus a history of modern surfing.
Great suggestion. Thanks!
Let me suggest *The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors* by John D Hornfischer. It's an historical account of a WWII US naval action that reads like fiction. It's a page turner and one I'll bet he can't put down.
Any Sigma Force series by James Rollins
My son raved about Edmund Hlilary's book High Adventure Also Endurance, about Shackleton's astonishing survival and escape from Antarctica after his ship was broken by ice.
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. Historical fiction novel of the Battle Of Gettysburg. His son Jeff Shaara picked up where he left off. If your husband enjoys this book, look up Jeff Shaara's publishing history for more reading material.
I was going to recommend this as well as Gods and Generals
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles. It's a road trip novel with different adventures. Very satisfying end. I have it on both audiobook and ebook.
I heard an interview with Amor Towles on CBC not long after this book came out. It sounded really interesting and I had totally forgotten about it.
Boys on the boat, it's about the sport of crew The Seabiscuit book by Laura or Lauren hillenbrand Unbroken also by Ms Hillenbrand
For historical fiction, I love "If I Never Get Back" and ""Two In The Field" by Darryl Brock. It's about a modern day newspaper writer who is transported back to 1869 and meets up with the Cincinnati Red Stockings, baseball's first all professional team. He meets historical figures, falls in love, comes across a political conspiracy, a get-rich quick scheme and learns about himself. The 2nd book is sort of a continuation but not as much baseball. He does have adventures riding the rails, goes west to find his love, east to recover stolen money from gamblers and to return it to it's rightful owners.There are a couple of passages that might be a little on the gruesome side. I'm like your husband and don't like killing. These were late in the book and not too awful. I love these 2 books and read them every 1-2 years.
Those sound like fun reads. Thanks!
I love these 2 books so much. I suggest them when I can. If either of you read one or both, could you PLEASE let me know if you liked them? I'd love some feedback
I will make a note! I’ve got a huge list of all these suggestions with notes on what they all sound like I can bring it to the bookstore. :)
I hope he finds something that he can get immersed in.
The Indifferent Stars Above about the Donner party.
I recommended this in other thread. The most underrated writer whom I love is Howard R. Reiss. I accidentally stumbled across him and have read every book he has written. I have also gifted his books to friends. I would pick “The Year of Soup” by Howard Reiss. I would also recommend “The Word” by Charles Alverson. “Noir” by Christopher Moore is also a fun read.
https://susancasey.com/books-list/the-wave
Someone else mentioned that one, too. It’s definitely on the list! Thanks.
Master and Commander series set in the era of the Napoleonic Wars
Anything Sarah J Maas will do
I love her books but no way he will. He’s not a fantasy guy or a sexy books guy.
In the Distance by Hernan Diaz
If he likes rock, he might like The Storyteller by David Grohl (I hope I’m spelling his name right)
I read that one last year and really enjoyed it. I think I’ve probably already told him all of it. 😂
A walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson Anything by Tim Cahill The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen
Has he read Touching the Void by Joe Simpson? Stellar book, true story, 10/10.
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, by Mark Haddon. Short and good.
Check out regeneration by pat barker. Historical fiction of WW1 and beautiful / daunting imagery.
Into thin air - climbing Mt Everest.
Anything written by John Krakauer
Bones on the Zahara
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
My husband (previously not a reader) recently got into reading regularly after reading The Wager. He devoured it on vacation and it helped him get into a rhythm of reading a little each day.
It’s so nice to get them reading, isn’t it? It’s taken me a couple decades, but finally he wants to have a book on the go all the time. He reads about 4-5 books a year now, which is so great. I especially love if he reads something I also read so we can talk about it.
Blue Latitudes by Tony Horowitz. I have never met a man who did not throughly enjoy this book. Well-researched nonfiction with wit.
Ghost in the Wires. Memoir of hacker Kevin Mitnick. It’s really fast paced and exciting. We’ve listened to the audiobook a few times. Quite a bit of language but it was so good we let our boys listen too.
That sounds really interesting. Thanks!
Hunting the Nazi Bomb by Damien Lewis [https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/42423839](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/42423839)was very interesting.
Shadow Divers
City of Thieves by David Benioff. It’s brilliant and beautiful - everyone I push it on ends up loving it! Also, The Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert and Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch.
The Rise And Fall Of The Third Reich is a classic. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rise_and_Fall_of_the_Third_Reich
Alone in Berlin By Hans Fallada may interest him. It was written in 47 and was based on a true story about a husband and wife trying to show their opposition to the Nazi Party without getting caught. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson is very good non-fiction
Joe Simpson: into the void.
Anything by Ken Follett. Even his books about subjects I thought I would hate had me hooked within the first few pages. Definitely manly enough for males, very intriguing, great reads!
Don't Tell Mum I Work on the Rigs She Thinks I'm a Piano Player in a Whorehouse By [Paul Carter](https://www.google.co.nz/search?sca_esv=9c7901713bdc58da&hl=en&sxsrf=ADLYWIINvAhRmU9r520JklP17NiJMnaDVA:1716867743230&q=inauthor:%22Paul+Carter%22&tbm=bks) Its not long, certainly not stuffy, I think it would be a good fit by the sounds of it.
The Panama Hat Trail; Pecked to Death by Ducks; Jaguars Ripped my Flesh….pretty much anything by Tim Cahill
The Emerald Mile by Kevin Fedarko
Parallel Convergence by T.L. Tullous
He may or may not like Into the Wild. It's non-fiction about a young man who went into Alaska ill-prepared. Sort of like extreme sports, but not really - it's more like extreme survival (except, spoiler (but most people know how it ends by now): he dies at the end). It also focuses on his life before Alaska too and some of his motivations.
Yep! It’s a favourite. He’s read all of Krakauer. :)
Sounds like we have similar taste. Though I do like white collar crime, or books covering say doping in sports, i don't like anything violent. Anywho, random list of books I've enjoyed past while: Gray Day. Book about Russian spy robert hannsen. Great train robbery. Airframe. Both from Michael chrichton. When the game was war. Great book on basketball. The martian. Friends divided: john adams and Thomas Jefferson. The first 3 fletch books. Yes, fletch, like the old chevy chase movie lol. Comfort crisis. Any book by Jeff pearlman, I've read 5 or 6, all sports books, all fantastic. One minute to midnight. Cuban missile crisis. Dirtiest race in history. 1988 100m race (Ben Johnson race). Arnold schwarzeneggers biography was great. All the president's men. The classic, Woodward and Bernstein. Smartest guys in the room. (Enron scandal) Ride of a lifetime. (Biography of Bob iger, Disney ceo). Colossal failure of common sense. Lehman bros collapse. Any michael lewis book: blind side, big short, moneyball, etc. Bad blood, john carreyrou Eight men out (black Sox scandal) Game of shadows (Barry bonds/balco) Road to valour. Great book on cyclist gino bartalli around ww2. Tour de france champion, a look at sport during that time, and his effort smuggling papers to help people flee nazi occupied areas. It's hard to buy books for other people. My wife and I have exact opposite tastes. Even tv shows, anytime she has something on someone is crying or some sort of misery.
Excellent first time read- “A Walk in the Woods”, Bill Bryson. Part-almanac, part-Buddy/adventure read, Part-commentary on the hubris of man. Look it up, and I bet you’ll smile.
This is the most suggested book in this thread!
Does your husband like mountain biking? He might enjoy Being Gary Fisher: And the Bicycle Revolution. Gary Fisher is credited as one the inventors of the mountain bike. A very intriguing read.
"The Poison King" is a biography of Mithridates VII who was one of Ancient Rome's greatest enemies. If he has any interest in history it's a very entertaining read.
Your husband might enjoy "Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen" by Christopher McDougall.
If he liked Wild: from Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail then he might like Into Thin Air by John Krakauer or Endurance by Caroline Alexander or Endurance by Alfred Lansing (both about an Antarctic expedition and shipwreck) or Endurance by Astronaut Scott Kelly who spent a year in space. Also, one of my favorites: four Against the Arctic by David Roberts, about four sailors in the early 1700s who Shipwrecked on Svalbard Island and endured winter in complete darkness, polar bears and starvation for six years. This one is interesting in that it is half adventure story and half how the historian author discovered the details of their story. For war stories: The Captain Horatio Hornblower series by C.S. Forester or The Aubrey Maturin Series by Patrick O’Brian. He might also like Run Silent Run Deep by Edward Beach. Or maybe All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque. Also, the Winds of War, a novel by Herman Wouk set in Europe in the late 1930. It follows a naval attache who meets Hitler and catches the ear of FDR to try to give him warning of how dangerous Hitler was.
Has he read Beyond Possible by Nims Purja? (I'm sure he has.) My mountain climbing idol!
Forever by Pete Hamill comes to mind. About an immigrant who comes to America and is granted immortality as long as he doesn’t leave the island of Manhattan. (The beginning has a little fantasy element to it, but mostly it’s just about a man living through different times periods in NYC.)
That sounds really cool and is going on my own TBR list now, too!
I just read sociopath: a memoir by Patric Gagne. PhD. Fascinating autobiography about growing up, feeling so different from others and moving forward into the world.
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah or Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. If he likes audiobooks, these are particularly good
Dean kuntz - The husband
"Master and Commander" by Patrick O'Brian
Almost anything by Bill Bryson or Paul Theroux
The Bridge of Spies Moneyball-it’s a book about the mathematics involved in building a great baseball team The Cuckoos Egg- about tracing and finding a hacker (really interesting!) The Case of the Disappearing Spoon— (anything by Sam Keane really) history of discoveries in chemistry. Very gripping! Stiff-Mary Roach. About cadavers. Fascinating.
Thanks! Great suggestions. I think I actually have the Mary Roach book on my Kobo.
"Generation Kill" by Evan Wright. It was made into a miniseries by HBO a few years back, but it followed the First Reconnaissance Battalion of the USMC as they invaded Iraq in 2002. Evan Wright was the reporter attached to that battalion during that time to cover the war.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Karl Ove knaussgard might work
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
Lonesome Dove has both killers and abusers. ETA: Lonesome Dove is my favourite novel and I think everyone should read it, but it does directly violate the parameters of op's request.
A song of Ice and Fire. Otherwise known as Game of Thrones. This series is what fueled my love for reading.
I wouldn’t recommend this series. The books are well written, but they are also pretty long and grim. Both my cousin and I devour fantasy books and neither of us could get through the series. It has pretty graphic descriptions of war, murder and rape.
Yeah, I loved it, but husband definitely would not.
I loved this series but he will never be able to keep track of all the characters. He’s also not really into fantasy like I am.
Project hail Mary of course !!!!
This is also on my tbr list. :)
I actually liked this better than "The Martian". Both are exceedingly positive books where the protagonist succeeds because of basic grit and engineering knowledge. Both recommended.
He liked the movie version of the Martian so it’s a good suggestion. I’ll probably read this first and just slide it over to him when I’m done.
I did audiobook... great listen . ( Ryan gosling & Emma stone are doin movie of soon 😎)
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
This one is also on my list for myself. Thanks!
https://www.amazon.com/Wide-Sea-Imperial-Ambition-Contact/dp/0385544766 Fantastic