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Help!!! Trying to find a good book that my boyfriend will actually read.
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Victoria
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Oct 26, 2009 04:24PM
Does anyone have any recommendations on an fast paced, attention grabbing book? I'm trying really hard to find a book that my boyfriend will read, it drives me crazy that he won't read. I'm determined to find something and I would appreciate some help.
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Hmm... One of my favorite thrillers is Intensity by Dean Koontz. It has double main characters, one female and one male - the male being a serial killer psychopath. Very good. If that's not up his alley, you might try something by James Patterson or the like.
Good luck. I wish my boyfriend would read more too. So far, no luck. *sigh* If only he were into action though!
My husband is NOT a reader, but the very few books he has read are by James Patterson and older John Grishama. They are easy reads. After a short set-up, super action-packed, with the added allure of very short chapters that make it easy for those "sip" readers to read and stop easily. I prefer to take long, long drinks, but, hey, I'm a real reader!
Oh, yes! John Grisham, I forgot about him. Shame on me! My favorite of his is A Time to Kill, but The Rainmaker is a close second. Both are definitely action packed!
a book called "The Good Guy". I know an age 30 guy that just finished it and had good things to say. He likes the plot to more right along.
Victoria, how about something like Wiseguy? It's the book the movie Goodfellas was based on. Not sure if that's your boyfriend's thing, but it's an idea. It's non-fiction, but has a great pace.
If he's not too squeemish, I would recommend Caught Stealing by Charlie Huston. He's the Quentin Tarantino of the literary world. Unrelenting thriller.
My hubs got into reading in the past year or so by starting with spy novels, Daniel Sylva in particular. He's also enjoyed Dan Brown.
How about trying audio books first?? Get the ones that have the best narrators, so he will get hooked, and then build up from there.:)
Those are all good ideas. Thanks, I'm going to see what he thinks. I'm really hoping something gets his interest. 
Mod
Pretty much anything by Harlan Coben or Nelson Demille esp. Plum Island,Lion's Game, Night Fall. All three books share the main character who is a smart ass ex cop. My husband enjoyed
My brother is not a reader, but he does like Michael Connelly so you might want to try some of his books. Or Chuck Palahniuk if he likes strange things. and you cant go wrong with The Godfather! Then, there's always the Harry Potter and TrueBlood series.
Harlan Coben's books are very guy-friendly. (My dad is not a reader and he has read every one.) If your boyfriend likes sports, Coben's Myron Bolitar series is a perfect choice.
Hear Hear for Harlan Coben! I LOVE him!I would also recommend Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane. It just goes right into a story and almost gives you a whiplash after the first page! You cannot help but be absorbed by the characters and see how everything pans out! Then the second you think you have it all figured out he surprises you in the end. I literally shouted "NO WAY!" out loud before I got to the end.
Best book I've read all year!
Tom Clancy would be good - especially if he's seen any of the movies - but don't start with The Sum of All Fears. Patriot Games is one of his shorter ones and is the beginning of the Jack Ryan story.
Michelle♥ wrote: "Hear Hear for Harlan Coben! I LOVE him!I would also recommend Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane. It just goes right into a story and almost gives you a whiplash after ..."
Well. I know what I'M getting with my shiny new PBS credit. :D
ZERO kissing in this book. :-) Amazing story!Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10
Michael wrote: "ZERO kissing in this book. :-) Amazing story!Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10"
I stole the ZERO kissing part from someone else's review. :-)
For sure The Perfect Storm A True Story of Men Against the Sea and Into Thin Air A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster and then he could try The Godfather. But not before the other two
I was just thinking of starting a topic like this to find some books for my boyfriend as well. There are some good suggestions here! I'll have to see what he thinks of some of these.He's a big fan of the early Dirk Pitt books by Clive Cussler. He's not happy with the newer ones though, so I'm trying to find him something similar. Maybe yours would like those too, Victoria? I also just picked him up the first Odd Thomas book from the library so he's testing that out for a new series.
Jayme wrote: "I was just thinking of starting a topic like this to find some books for my boyfriend as well. There are some good suggestions here! I'll have to see what he thinks of some of these.He's a big fa..."
James Rollins and Matthew Reilly also write really interesting adventure stories.
I'd recommend Michael Connelly or John Grisham along with several of the other posters here. Dennis Lehane is also another good offer. All of those are thrillers/mysteries that are pretty easy to read and leave you thinking afterward (if you're inclined.. if not, they're just good reads).I am prejudiced and generally won't date guys who don't read. There's no way he'd understand/accept my love for books and quiet reading time.
Can't really go wrong with older Clive Cussler. Very popular with guys at the public library I manage : Wilbur Smith . Another type of adventure/action novel are Alexander Kent's naval action series. More action less talky than O'Brian's series. Also a surprise hit at the library.
Dan Brown or John Grisham if he wants something fast paced filled with action.
If he's into poker, you might try Positively Fifth Street by James McManus. It tells about The World Series of Poker and the murder of Ted Binion.
A good mystery series that is also crazy funny is the Archie McNally series by Lawrence Sanders/Vincent Lardo. The first is McNally's Secret. They are very funny. If you like dry, sarcastic humor.
My husband likes Elmore Leonard, Carl Hiaasen and David Baldacci. If your boyfriend likes sports, anything by John Feinstein or Roger Angell as well as The Blind Side Evolution of a Game and Friday Night Lights A Town, a Team, and a Dream might be good choices. Good luck!
Crazy for the Storm by Norman Ollestad. Guys like nonfiction as a rule, and this memoir of survival of an event that happened 30 years ago, when he was 11 years old, is gripping from the first word.
I'm afraid my husband only tends to read non-fiction (usually re WWII airplanes!) or children's books (he's a headteacher!) He did quite enjoy Harry Potter but gave up with the longer ones!My sister's partner has been enjoying some James Bond. I read "The Spy Who Loved Me" and it was very different to the film, (set in one night I think).
Another mystery series that is very funny is the Dortmunder series by Donald E Westlake. I adore them. I laugh out loud.
Oh yes! If he likes quirky humour, what about "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams. I had an old boyfriend who loved these books.
My ex-husband read 2 book the entire time I knew him:Lonesome Dove and Shogun. Of the two, Shogun is probably the more straightforward action type book.
Good luck with this project, Victoria. My experience has been, though, that if a person doesn't like to read for pleasure then it is virtually impossible to "make" them.
Oh my, so many more things to try out! I am sure there's something here he will like as much as Dirk Pitt!
I have to agree with Shutter Island. My husband is not much of a reader, but when I showed him the trailer for the movie coming out in February he made me get the book from the library because he didn't want to wait. He loved it and made me read it right away so that we could discuss it.I would also recommend any books by Christopher Moore, Chuck Palahniuk, Jon Krakauer, and Douglas Adams.
If you think he might be interested in true crime type books, John E. Douglas is awesome. He is the one who started the whole Criminal Profiling program for the FBI. Thomas Harris based the character Jack Crawford on Douglas in Silence of the Lambs, Red Dragon, etc. I highly recommend his book The Cases That Haunt Us, in which he gives his insights and professional opinion on many infamous unsolved cases, including Jack the Ripper, Lizzie Borden, the Zodiac Killer, JonBenet Ramsey, etc.
Short stories are also good for guys with low attention spans. I can't put down a Sherlock Holmes story for the life of me, they are too exciting and I have to finish them on the spot!
I'm going to see if he is interested in Christopher Moore since I already have his books. I bought The Road by Cormac McCarthy yesterday my coworker suggested that. So I'm hoping he will be interested in that, if not I think Shutter Island will have to be the next book I pick up. Thanks everyone for all your suggestions, I really appreciate it.
I was thinking the Aztec books by Gary Jennings would be a good action type book for a guy. Has anyone read these?
I have Shutter Island but have not read... I think I may make it my next read since so many of you recommend it. esp with the movie coming out soon.
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Books mentioned in this topic
Shutter Island (other topics)The Cases That Haunt Us (other topics)
Lonesome Dove (other topics)
Shōgun (other topics)
Friday Night Lights (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Jon Krakauer (other topics)Christopher Moore (other topics)
Chuck Palahniuk (other topics)
Douglas Adams (other topics)
John E. Douglas (other topics)
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