I want to get a new book for my dad. He seems pretty picky about books and just ends up reading the same ones again and again. He likes well researched books that are relatively feel-good. I really want to expand his horizons without shaking the boat too much. He thinks books are meant to be pleasurable and have morals.
He and I have very different opinions about books. He and I get in arguments because I'm a literature teacher/grad student and he doesn't think books should be anything but entertaining. Because of this, I am having a really hard time finding stuff to recommend for him.
Books he likes:
- Jurassic Park
- The Lost World
- Jaws
- Basically any Michael Crichton book
- Any Louis L'Amore book
- Good Omens (this one was a surprise)
- Jack Reacher books
- Hillbilly Elegy (Bleh)
Books he didn't like:
- The Lies of Locke Lamora (he didn't like all the fantasy names)
- Canary in the Coal Mine (He didn't like the overt politics)
- Radium Girls (idk why he didn't like this one)
- What You're Getting Wrong About Appalachia (too academic)
- The Princess Bride (he didn't like the frame narrative, but overall liked the book; would prefer to just watch the movie)
- Most Steven King books (again he seems to like more "wholesome" books)
- Anything he remembers from his high school reading list from the 60s (Wuthering Heights, House of Seven Gables, The Scarlett Letter)
by finnisterre