Please help me help a friend. A very dear friend said he can't sleep or find peace with all the current world events. He is a sweet, gentle soul and really not doing great. His usual hobbies like gaming and YouTube aren't the right escape currently because everything reminds him of war and politics so I thought I would just go and buy him a book. And if he doesn't like it, he can just give it away. But I am struggling to think of a book that might have a fighting chance!
I feel like reading might be a good pick for him (even if he would never pick it up on his own) because he is always very passionate about video game and movie/series lore! He has a lot of down time at work that he used to spend on his phone but now he is just staring into space and spiraling. So, why not try and read a bit?
As a child, he read a lot of comics and comedic novels. School ruined reading for him and he hasn't picked up a book since, says he hates reading (yet he spends a lot of time reading articles, news, social media…).
He is a fairly typical guy in his late 20s, likes video games, mountain biking, sports, tech, cars… loves his cats and his family to peaces.
Judging from his taste in movies, he is really invested when he can attach to a well-written male character. Among his favorites are Interstellar and The Bear, for example. So maybe a emotional MC with a hard shell for his soft core?
I feel like
something short (300 pages max)
with a male lead,
easy to get into,
serious topic but not too dark,
with some comedy sprinkled throughout, loveable characters and
a happy ending without any major tragic deaths (especially no child or animal deaths)
would be perfect. Do you know of anything that sounds like a good fit?
I am open to suggestions if you think something else might be a good fit, too! Truly appreciate you taking the time to read this!
by p3bbls