Hi everyone!
I’m looking for book recommendations to surprise my husband. He used to read a lot years ago, but nowadays he only finishes one or two books a year. He keeps saying that nothing really hits anymore. He still enjoys TV shows and videogames a lot, though.
The last book he read was We Used to Live Here, which I personally loved and thought he would too… but he absolutely hated it. He found the main character flat and thought the internal rules of the story made no sense. He can’t stand when things “just happen” without solid logic.
He didn’t like Blackwater because the Southern Gothic vibe bored him.
Sanderson put him to sleep.
He ended up disliking The Magnus Archives, though he loves haunted objects.
We own lots of Stephen King, but every one he starts, he drops.
He was even annoyed at me for Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow.
Things that did work for him: Project Hail Mary and The Hunger Games.
So he’s not tied to any specific genre, but he is picky. He wants strong plots, well-built characters, and if there’s some social commentary woven in, even better.
For reference, here are some of his favorite shows: Severance, anything by Vince Gilligan or Flanagan, From, Dark.
And videogames he loves: Mass Effect 2, Pentiment, Silent Hill 2, Final Fantasy X, The Last of Us.
If any of you like a challenge: hit me with something that could genuinely surprise him. I promise to report back if you succeed!
Thanks!!
by elecow
5 Comments
The Poet by Michael Connelly. Tell him to go in blind.
The Gods Are Bastards. I suggest it a lot, but it fits this request. The first book’s on Kindle.
I would sugest Dungeon Crawler Carl! It’s a wild ride, but allot of fun. It has humor, but it’s so dark.
Allien invasion takes over earth and the humans who lived are forced to participate in a gameshow trying to survive by leveling up. Carl goes into the Dungeon allong with a cat called Princess Donut.
Ooh I get to say it first – especially since he’s a gamer, I 10000% recommend the Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman!! And Kaiju: Battlefield Surgeon (by the same author) if he likes darker, more twisted stories. With DCC he’ll be surprised that he’ll love the story and character so much, since on the surface it sounds kind of fluffy, and with KBS he’ll be surprised at how sadistic and twisted it is. Both are lit-RPGs, but different styles. Also, DCC is absolutely skyrocketing and will likely have a show of some kind soon (which is going to be awesome!).
Dark Matter might work!