My husband wants to get into reading again. He wants to read political nonfiction but can’t seem to stay interested. About 6 months ago he found a WW2 historical fiction book, but it also didn’t hook him.
He loves sports and is interested in history. We like to watch thriller TV shows so I was thinking that might be a good starting book.
I’m interested to hear ANY fiction recommendations you might have that hook you right away!!!
by Crafty-blueberryyy
28 Comments
Sean Duffy series by Adrian McKinty. I couldn’t put this one down. Follows a detective during the Troubles in Northern Ireland starting in the 80’s, mystery/thriller genre.
I struggle to read nonfiction but I am partway through The Traitors Circle and I’m finding it really interesting. It reads like fiction imo.
Always suggest guys start with the Martian or Project Hail Mary if they want to start reading. They fun, latch on fast, and have great humor and momentum. Even if he’s seen the movie, the Martian is just a great read.
I’ve also real enjoyed sports and actor memoirs. If there’s a memoir from a star player from his favorite team (or favorite team growing up) then that’s a great place to start.
Definitely check out Say Nothing
The DaVinci Code grabs you pretty quick. People love to hate on it, but it’s a bestseller for a reason.
Neil Stephenson
The Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells- first book is All Systems Red. Very fast-paced and super short so no crazy commitment.
Get him Charles Bukowski -Women (I myself am actually also interested in WW2 and would be happy to receive eg Otto Skorzeny: The Devil’s Disciple)
City of Thieves by David Benioff. It’s fiction, but the setting is the siege of Leningrad during WW2. This is one of my go tos when people want to get back into reading.
If he’s watched the tv show The Americans then check out *The Charm School* by Nelson DeMille. It’s an espionage thriller set in Cold War Soviet Union and definitely the inspiration for The Americans. Older book but holy cow it was so hard for me to put down.
He may also like Erik Larson for narrative non-fiction. His books read like fiction but cover real historical events. *Devil in the White City* is a great place to start, about a famous serial killer at the 1893 Chicago Worlds Fair.
Lastly, I’d recommend *Murderbot Diaries* series by Martha Wells to anyone trying to build a reading habit, even if you think you don’t like sci-fi. The books are short and easy to get into, and the main character is very relatable.
The Baseball 100 if he likes baseball!
We Breed Lions: Confronting Canada’s Troubled Hockey Culture by Rick Westhead. It’s non-fiction but hits sports and was incredibly well written and researched.
I think I’ll get blasted for this as someone else suggested it in another thread and did but if he wants to read political nonfiction he could try Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson. It was very interesting.
Slow Horses by Mick Herron
Anything by Erik Larson. Nonfiction that reads like fiction.
*Samurai Rising: The Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsun* is an action packed mix of biography and legend. It’s targeted to you adult readers but I had a blast with it and it was easy to tear through.
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman and the audiobook is narrated by Jeff Hays. The premise is rediculous but don’t be fooled. It is constantly recommended for good reason.
Any of the Jeff Shaara books. He covers the Revolution, Civil War, Mexican American War, WWI and WW2, among others.
Temeraire. Napoleonic wars but with dragons, easy to follow the action.
Personal History by Katharine Graham. She was the head of The Washington Post during Watergate
By Way of Deception: the Making and Un-making of a Mossad Officer. I forget the author’s name but the title is self-explanatory. I read it about 20 years ago. I couldn’t put it down.
My favorite work of fiction is Rant: the Oral History of Buster Casey by Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club). It’s a parallel universe dystopia with time travel. I finished it in one sitting and I wanted to read it again immediately.
Has he read John Grisham or David Baldacci ? Both write very compelling stories that are hard to put down.
Gold Coast by Nelson DeMille….
Not new but excellent….a Mafia boss moves next to a Waspy wall street lawyer in a fancy Long Island north shore town….
Also old but classic – Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett…great ww2 intrigue….
Endurance
Skeletons on the Zahara
Lonesome Dove
The first two are nonfiction and are phenomenal reads that take you to a period in history.
Man’s Search for Meaning (non fiction)
Dark Matter and Recursion
11/22/63
I have a couple of recommendations that might be a little bit obscure. The first is Erskine Childer’s book The Riddle of The Sands….it’s a book about a sailing trip that turns into a thriller and has WWI German naval strategy as a backdrop. The second is the non-fiction memoir by WW2 French/American fighter pilot, Pierre Clostermann called The Big Show. Amazing writing and kind of a banger.
If he has never read John Le Carre, that’s where I’d start–specifically with Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Nelson DeMille’s The Charm School is also great.
Is he opposed to books written for kids/teens? If not, Steve Sheinkin does a great job with narrative nonfiction, and they are DENSE for kids books. Bomb was a big hit with the 5th graders and my age 60s non-reader dad alike. It’s about the development of the nuclear program in WWII, but it focuses on the science and spying that went on behind the scenes, rather than the battles.
Any of the Gray Man books (Mark Greaney) would scratch the TV thriller itch.
Lonesome Dove series