I’m 41 M, and loved reading when I was a kid. I was mostly into goosebumps, redwall, and autobiographies. In my 20s, I was very curious about religion, and was into a lot of CS Lewis books, not the fantasy side of it. Either way, I really miss the feeling of getting lost in a book, and was hoping for some good recommendations. I’m a screen junkie, and honestly not by choice. I’m so tired of looking at the same crap on this phone. It’s a trash, someone untrash me please!
by RadDood84
17 Comments
40 M here. This gets recommended all the time but Dungeon Crawler Carl! There’s currently 7 books in the series with 8 set to release next year and I’ve been obsessively reading them. Started Dec 8th and I’m half way through book 6. Can’t put them down!
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
The Shining by Stephen King
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
Check out The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie. Dark, gritty, violent, funny, character-driven fantasy. The audiobooks are particularly good and really elevate the series, if you’re into that, narrated by Steven Pacey. Endlessly quotable, filled with highly-flawed characters you’ll come to love, tons of cynical wit, and an epic bunch of stories told over the course of 10 books (broken down into basically 3 trilogies), just read in publication order without skipping anything and you’ll be good.
For something a bit less gritty, and still a lot of fun, check out Riyria Revelations by Michael J Sullivan, starting with Theft of Swords (The Crown Conspiracy/Avempartha). It follows a ‘rogues-for-hire’ duo in a classic-feeling fantasy world, who are set up on a simple job and roped into something far bigger than they were expecting. A great cast of characters, deep world building, lots of adventure, and many twists and revelations along the way. It starts off fairly light/low stakes, but soon grows into something quite epic.
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss is another great fantasy novel, filled with mystery, interesting magics, and a beautifully-written epic story. A legendary fantasy hero in hiding tells his life story, and how it all went wrong.
Red Rising by Pierce Brown is a fast-paced, epic, dystopian sci-fi/fantasy revenge story, filled with complex characters, creative world building, and a twisty, action-packed story at the core.
You might also enjoy Stephen King’s off-the-rails epic fantasy series, The Dark Tower, starting with The Gunslinger. Dark, funny, featuring alternate realities and meta references to King’s other works (no need to know those to enjoy this though), it really picks up with book 2, The Drawing of the Three, so give that a go even if you’re not sure about the first book.
Have you read The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis? It is from the perspecrive of two demons, an uncle and his apprentice nephew. It is an exchange of letters, a mentorship of how to be the best demon. How to take advantage, influence, and help limit all the silly mortals on earth.
Short read. You’re familiar with his style. Philosophical themes.
It’s not, “a book for a man”, per se, but it is an easy and engaging read.
Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin. *Lots* of men in that book bro.
**Skippy Dies by Paul Murray** if you’re looking for a tragic comedy on the stings of adolescence at an Irish boys’ catholic school
**The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen**. I’m only about a 100 pages in but so far it’s pretty good and funny, the first major character is a man in his 40s who is facing his own failures but won’t live up to it.
**Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon** if you want a historical fiction that’ll remind you of the comedies of Monty Python with some dimwitted (but loveable and intriguing) main characters.
I’m 36 and read these books in the last year and each struck a chord, not necessarily out of age but relatability and realness, with absurdity and wit.
But most of all, they’re *good* stories with addictive and immersive writing and interesting (never bland) characters.
Between Redwall and CS Lewis, my first guess is Brandon Sanderson. Probably start with Mistborn or Elantris. Knowing what kinds of stories you like now could also help even if those stories aren’t in books.
The Godfather by Mario Puzo
The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth
Firefax by A.M. Vergara
Nonfiction good? Anything by Erik Larson: Isaac’s Storm, In the Garden of the Beasts, The Devil and the White City…
If there was a “guy series” out there, it’s the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child
All of these are fun, easy, fast paced reads.
h{{We are legion we are bob}}.
h{{All systems red}}.
h{{Dungeon Crawler Carl}}.
The Count of Monte Cristo– manly enough for me!
I say Kurt Vonnegut is worth a try
I recommend to all the dads oh my mom friends – Northwoods by Daniel Mason, Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr, The Dog Stars by Peter Heller, and A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Toewles
Dungeon Crawler Carl has really been hitting for a lot of men. If you like Hitchhikers, video games, or have a sense of humor you might like it.
Check out Jason Pargin’s bibliography
– Project Hail Mary
– Dungeon Crawler Carl
– Starter Villain