December 2025
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    Hello!

    Any recommendations for a fiction/non-fiction book to gift to a young guy who (these are random descriptors as I'm at a complete loss):

    • Doesn't enjoy reading (very likely has undiagnosed ADHD) – I don't think he's ever enjoyed a book. I don't think a book that's too long or too complicated would work
    • Wants a serious career, but is stuck in retail work
    • He holds himself back in life and probably suffers with depression, and is currently demotivated by 30+ apprenticeship/ etc rejections
    • Was abandoned by his father, raised in poverty by single mum
    • He gyms a lot and loves it (although he gave up recently due to financial issues), and plays computer games when he's not working
    • He does like watching anime cartoon things but since I clearly know little about this, I'm avoiding buying a manga etc book (I think I also got him a manga book a few years ago which he didn't read)
    • He is very funny and charming – life of the party type person – although he refuses to get close enough with anyone to actually be friends with them. He realises that the people around him aren't the people he actually wants to be around.
    • He is an immigrant in London, but speaks solid English and is pretty well integrated (ie he would likely get most local London kid jokes)

    I don't know if a self help book, a journal, or a fiction book is the way to go. I myself fell out of love with reading over the past 10 years and recently avidly picked up children's books out of shelves of many unread self-help books and intelligent-sounding non-fiction books, so I'm not actually sure what to go with.

    when thinking about non-fiction self-help/life experience type books, I thought a book by a male writer that explores things form a younger man's perspective might be good (to be clear, he is not into any Andrew Tate-esque crap, but is from a patriarchal european culture, so the male voice might be helpful)

    I am genuinely open to anything – including something funny like a book of stand up comedy/humour

    thanks!

    by Live-Proposal-6605

    1 Comment

    1. Academic-Mouse1094 on

      I loved the book The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet!

      Becky Chambers is wonderful and I’d recommend any of her books. This one is so funny and warm and easy to read (imo) and I really love a story about found family. Hopefully it could speak to his immigrant experience and he can connect in that way if nothing else

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