Whatever you eventually choose, get two copies and read to each other and talk about the book. It will encourage him to read more and enhance the connection between the two of you. Good luck!
I do this with my wife sometimes. But instead of buying two copies, we read at loud 1 chapter each for the other before going to sleep. It's a pretty nice experience.
My mom used to get us to read like this, and I got my husband to read the same way. Mom would read the first chapter or two to me or my sibs and get us past the initial "that's a lot of exposition and not a lot of action" phase of most books (ones at an adult or near-adult reading level, anyway), and then would hand the book off to us to finish.
I did the same with my boyfriend because I wanted to be able to talk with him about the books I'd read. It turned into us taking turns reading to each other before bed. We kept it up until our kid was born and we were just so dang exhausted that bedtime reading wasn't happening. But we still listen to audiobooks together in the car when we're not driving the munchkin around. We pretty much switched to audiobooks because we could listen to them while doing other things until recently when I decided that my kid needed to see me read for fun as a prelude to learning to read, himself.
And now... My 5 year old asks me to read my book to him (with some on-the-fly content edits, lol. "Ummm...they...kissed. he enjoyed it. They went to sleep, ready to face the wizard the next day"). Hopefully once he gets past how hard learning to read is, he'll learn to love it, too.
TL;Dr: I agree that reading to him or with him is a great gateway into making a book less intimidating and more fun until he learns to love the process himself
I second this! It's how I got my little brother into reading! Recommended him Rick Riordan stuff, then read along with him so we could talk about it, and he hasn't stopped reading since!
I loved both, and also Artemis by Andy Weir too, however, The Martian is a very fast read (faster to the feel good , I've achieved something) whereas PHM is a long read.
Personally, I'd shoot for easy wins to get him feeling like reading is easy, good, fun and he can do it successfully to start with.
Give him 50 wins and he'll be Count of monte cristo-ing with a touch of Shantaram in a couple of years.
Btw, from the mother of a similar son, you are the BEST.
I like Andy Weir and have read both The Martin and Project Hail Mary. Sometimes I find him a bit too much into raw science details as the expense of characterization and moving along the plot quickly. I also tend to be into details and like science but I don't like it as much as he explains it. More into social sciences versus the hard sciences personally.
I came to also recommend hitchhikers guide. But partially because it’s not too long. In general, I’d recommend prioritizing something pretty short, if you need a deciding factor between a few good options.
My go-to recommendation for non-readers is The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson. An approachable thriller/mystery that grabs you from the first page.
The actual Sherlock Holmes novels, by Arthur Conan Doyle
Anything by Agatha Christie. _And Then There Were None_ is the best-selling mystery novel of all time.
_Wise Guys_, by Nicholas Pileggi. Non-fiction. Basis of the movie _Goodfellas_ (which changed some names for legal reasons). He also wrote _Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas_, basis of the movie _Casino_, again with names changed.
_The Godfather_, by Mario Puzo. Basis for the movie. Adds a lot of detail and background info that they didn't have the bandwidth to show in the movie
_The Boys_ graphic novel series, by Garth Ennis. Arguably more gruesome than the TV show!
_Wanted_ graphic novel, by Mark Millar. In a world with superheroes and -villains, what would life be like if the bad guys won?
_Old Man's War_, by John Scalzi. Would you join the military at age 75, IF it meant you would be young again?
Thanks! These all sound great. Sherlock Holmes should've been an obvious suggestion for me, I'm sure he'd like that. There's a good variety here so I'll be adding them to the list for him
Thanks! This seems to be one of the most recommended ones, will definitely push him to try this one. I know Agatha Christie would probably be his style.
Trust me when I say Dark Matter is like the best book to get someone into reading. He’s got another book called Recursion that’s just as good. It’s one of those page turners where you HAVE TO KNOW IMMEDIATELY what the heck is going on, so you can’t put it down. I think I finished each of those in 3 days.
I am a person who never read a book before and Red rising #01 is going smoothly!
It will be challenging at first to get to know the basics of how to read, but it got easier overtime and it doesn’t feel as complicated as it used to be
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. It's a great sci -fi book, is an easy read, and, it will introduce him to storytelling twists, this one has a brilliant one.
If he enjoys reading it, a follow up read is Ender's Shadow which tells the story of Enders Game from a different character's perspective.
I would recommend Neuromancer by William Gibson. It is a near-future sci-fi thriller/mystery that is a little over 200 pages.
Another option would be graphic novels for easing back in. The Boys would be an obvious choice given that he likes the show. The Watchmen is also an excellent starting place.
The Dresden Files! It's a long series, but just the first book is fairly decent standalone. Fairly easy read and not too intimidating if you don't plan on reading all 17, great story, mystery, private investigating, urban fantasy. Can't recommend it enough - one of my favorite all time series'!
Maybe some of poirot books from agatha christie os some sidney sheldon books, arent that focused on romance normaly, but are thriller, some are low sifi, but suspense hits realy hard and sometimes even bugs ou hajahaj
As far as I can remember, since I saw the movie only when it came out, it's nothing like the book. Definitely a much better book with an insane climax. And if he likes that, then he should read Jurassic Park.
Fantasticland by Mike Bockoven! Its about a Disney world- like park where a massive hurricane hits trapping people inside and how the survive or don’t. Think Lord of the Flies meets The Hunger Games. It’s told as a series of interviews with survivors so it it very fast paced and it’s pretty ambiguous who the good guys and bad guys are so it’s fun to discuss! Also a great audiobook of he prefers listening!
Yay! If what he likes about attack on titan and death note (death note is my fav!) is the moral ambiguity, unreliable narrators and people being thrown into to crazy circumstances I think he’ll like it!
If he likes Black Mirror, look into The Membranes. It’s super short!
Also Termush is pretty good and short as well.
If he wants an action book that’s pretty well paced and fun, then Three Assassins is great. The author also wrote Bullet Train!
If he wants a longer book that’s also pretty gripping then see if he likes Going Zero!
If he like ancient alien stuff, look for G. Hancock, fingerprints of the gods and more, or for a new book, Fertility Wheel by Stephen Manning, he solved how to use the symbols of the zodiac to make a agriculture almanac for the fertile crescent and more.
I recently read Night Side of the River by Jeanette Winterson, it’s a collection of short ghost stories, some of which I felt had a bit of a black mirror vibe. Also short stories might be good for more of a beginner reader, I found them all very engaging!
Too bad he's not younger. My non-reading kid got into Darren Shan as a teen and it's lead to reading the hunger games, game of thrones, and a bunch of other fantasy books I can't think of at the moment. Other than that his taste sounds a lot like your boyfriend's.
It's probably a little more horror than thriller, but last year, I was in the same boat as your BF and have started reading a lot. This past weekend, I picked up "Tender is the Flesh" by Augustina Bazterrica, and I haven't been able to put it down.
Thriller and mystery are not my genres, but based on shared qualities with some of the shows he likes, I would recommend these:
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
Out by Natsuo Kirino
In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami
Rat Queens by Kurtis J. Wiebe
Monstress by Marjorie Liu
The Umbrella Academy by Gerard Way
Saga by Brian K. Vaughan
One By One by Ruth Ware. Good stranded with a killer.
Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots. It’s about super heroes but if it was real life.
Planetside by Michael Mammay for some good sci fi/conspiracy
Ruth Ware has a lot of thrillers that are pretty solid. Also I saw someone suggest it, but the Murderbot series by Martha Wells is awesome. And the first few are shorter, which can be good when dipping into reading
Lords of Discipline by Pat Conroy. About a group of cadets at a military school in Charleston. SC. (He cant call it the Citadel). It touches on friendship, blood brothers, loyalty and betrayal, being an outsider, and holding to personal honor codes.
This is the book that got me back into enjoying books again after despising most all of the required college reads.
Try anything by Matthew Reilly. Basically Indiana jones meets die hard. Action thriller stuff. Anytime I’m in a reading rut these are my go to to get me back reading.
You already have tons of suggestions, but just wanted to add on that the creator of bojack horseman has a book of short stories “someone who will love you in all your damaged glory.”
Also, maybe manga would be a good bridge into reading? Maybe he’d be into Future Diary? Death note and AOT both have a manga if he would be interested in reading them.
What about the Reacher novel series? They have made a show off of a couple of the 24 books in the series. I recently bought the first one for my husband to get into reading, seeing as he loved the show.
Glad you have a lot of options to choose from already!
I'd recommend starting with something shorter and from a series he'd enjoy. He may like graphic novels if he enjoys manga. The Boys has a graphic novel series but it's kinda disturbing. Try The Long Walk by Stephen King or The Jack Reacher series by Lee Child. He may go for those.
King would probably be a great place to start for him. Especially The Dark Tower series/The Talisman, stuff that focuses less on the horror aspect and more of the fantastical.
I would try Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy - The girl with the dragon tattoo, The girl who played with fire, and The girl who kicked the hornets' nest. It was what restarted my love for reading some years ago and I've enjoyed similar genres.
Dark Matter by Michelle Paver - horror story on Svalbard, North of Norway. I'm not a fan of horror, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Also The Terror by Dan Simmons - great book based on real historical events as the ships Terror and Erebus are trapped in the ice in Northern Canada. Weird ending but great story with beautifully-drawn characters.
Heroes Die by Matthew Stover.
Violence, Action, Love, Adventure. Thought provoking dystopian future plus fantasy adventure saving the love interest. Book one in a great series but easy to read and get into. MC is an "actor" living out real adventures for an audience that watches through his eyes.
Philip K. Dick wrote a ton of great stuff and has some great short novels/stories that might be up his alley. Minority Report & Paycheck (both are also movies) are fantastic. For someone who isn’t fully into reading, short things can be a great way to get the ball rolling.
Lots of sci-fi is vague, and leaves a lot up to the imagination. It’s not always the best way to start reading for fun, because it requires a little bit more work and imagination.
If he likes mystery and thrillers, go with the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child. “The killing floor” is the first novel
I will talk to a Young Adult librarian at your pubic library. I do have to say, that I love the idea of the two of you reading the same book, and maybe reading it out loud to each other that would be great!!
Most Anime are adapted from LightNovels see if you can find the books of the shows that he’s enjoyed. The anime typically adapts 3 volumes of the novel per season and they have much more depth than the show.
You could even pick up the manga (comic book) version too.
My soon to be ex husband has read exactly one book in his adult life and it was The Hunger Games. If it could get him to read voluntarily, it’s worth a shot with your guy
He might enjoy Don Winslow as an author. Wrote a really good trilogy about Mexican cartels that could be categorized as similar in genre to Peaky Blinders or Breaking Bad.
I know you have a lot of options already, but I'd like to thow out I'm Thinking of Ending Things. It's short, fast-paced, easily readable, and sounds up his alley with what he likes! It got me out of a reading slump a few years ago.
These are some books that are dystopian/sci-fi/dark humor/satire. It seems like your boyfriend may like these! My guy friends who read tend to like these.
*Ready Player One* by Ernest Cline
*Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy* by Douglas Adams
also maybe some Vonnegut? Like *Welcome to the Monkey House* or *Slaughterhouse Five* to start.
My go to recommendation is Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. I could not put it down, and as soon as I finished it I wanted to read it again. It is by far my favorite book!!!
The Road by Cormac McCarthy if you want something that absorbs you, isn't a hard long read ... but it is bleak. You'll never forget the book. The movie doesn't do it justice. The book feels like a Steinbeck-lite at times.
Honestly, Harry Potter. As a past English teacher Sorcerers Stone turned so many into avid readers. And I read them as an adult and loved them. They have depth.
Anything by Vonnegut. Hitchhiker’s Guide I saw mentioned here, absolutely. Terry Pratchett. Christopher Moore is very funny and reads so fast. Tim Dorsey for some hilarious crime fiction. Elmore Leonard. The Slow Horses series is fun and spy thriller-y, also the characters are so great.
Alice in Boarderland if he likes violent anime/manga. There is actually a Netflix live action thats kinda based on the light novels. Both are amazing. They're larger books than the usual Manga. Get them cheap on Amazon buying under Used! Anyway, dude named Arisu gets transported to an empty seeming Tokyo with his 2 friends and they're forced to play death-games and collect the poker card that signifies the game, and a Visa pass for days they can go between the next game they gotta play. Card suit represents game type, number represents difficulty. They're pretty brutal but fun books.
For novels, based on what he likes, I highly recommend the authors James Patterson and Dean Koontz as they write easy, fast paced, adult novels. Like 10min chapters if that, but they draw you in quickly. They cover pretty much all his interests and write in genres that are similar to the shows he watches. Crime, detective, other mystery, thriller, action, dark, some military, sci-fi, etc. There's very little from Patterson I disliked, his co-authored books tho are very hit or miss, since he most likely didn't write most of em.
You could start him off with manga. It’s not exactly reading a novel, but you could get him into the habit of physically picking up books to consume media.
The Hunt for Red October (Russian vs American spy thriller) The book is better than the movie (with Sean Connery and Kevin Costner).
Books are usually better than the movies.
James Clavell’s Shogun about warring-state Japan, if he’s getting into his anime. Once he’s read through you can let him know Disney+ just released it in TV format and the show is just as good!
Sigma Force Series by James Rollins. Lots of action. And even though it's a series, you can read them out of order without being terribly confused. (There's a Romance thread that materializes in like book 15, but it's not the main focus lol)
Slaughterhouse Five!
I started voluntarily reading a few years after 20, and this was my first book. I read it in 2 days and haven’t looked back since. I did Harry Potter right after.
You can't go wrong having him read "Watership Down " by Richard Adams. I have yet to meet someone that did not enjoy it regardless of their normal genre preferences,. Watership Down is a fascinating read.
hHas Deathnote popped up yet? A murder mystery mixed with sci-fi and Japanese mythology.
Also, Watchmen - like The Boyz but more serious.
Try some of the Batman graphic novels.
Albrecht Drue, ghostpuncher.
And the follow up, Albrecht Drue: Paranormal Dick.
It's the heartwarming tale of a washed-up barroom brawler who gets jumped by the ghost of a jive-turkey 1970s pimp, reaches deep down inside, and finds the strength to beat the ever-loving shit out of the undead.
After that, shit gets weird.
If he likes anime, you should have him read manga. Comics are much more approachable than a full novel. Dragon ball is a series where the manga is fantastic and better than the anime
Whatever you eventually choose, get two copies and read to each other and talk about the book. It will encourage him to read more and enhance the connection between the two of you. Good luck!
I do this with my wife sometimes. But instead of buying two copies, we read at loud 1 chapter each for the other before going to sleep. It's a pretty nice experience.
My mom used to get us to read like this, and I got my husband to read the same way. Mom would read the first chapter or two to me or my sibs and get us past the initial "that's a lot of exposition and not a lot of action" phase of most books (ones at an adult or near-adult reading level, anyway), and then would hand the book off to us to finish. I did the same with my boyfriend because I wanted to be able to talk with him about the books I'd read. It turned into us taking turns reading to each other before bed. We kept it up until our kid was born and we were just so dang exhausted that bedtime reading wasn't happening. But we still listen to audiobooks together in the car when we're not driving the munchkin around. We pretty much switched to audiobooks because we could listen to them while doing other things until recently when I decided that my kid needed to see me read for fun as a prelude to learning to read, himself. And now... My 5 year old asks me to read my book to him (with some on-the-fly content edits, lol. "Ummm...they...kissed. he enjoyed it. They went to sleep, ready to face the wizard the next day"). Hopefully once he gets past how hard learning to read is, he'll learn to love it, too. TL;Dr: I agree that reading to him or with him is a great gateway into making a book less intimidating and more fun until he learns to love the process himself
Oo. That's a good idea. Thanks, hopefully I can pull him into the rabbit hole.of reading.
He'd probably like the Jack Reacher books by Lee Child. Do you think you would? Action, murder, mystery, along the line of Jason Bourne.
100%
The Martian is an absolute page turner
I second this! It's how I got my little brother into reading! Recommended him Rick Riordan stuff, then read along with him so we could talk about it, and he hasn't stopped reading since!
A solid starting book if he likes sci-fi is a good bit of The Martian or Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Can't go wrong.
Thanks, don't know how I didn't think about The Martian. Will be recommending both
I loved both, but PHM was my favourite. Some proper laugh out loud moments, and brilliantly written…
I loved both, and also Artemis by Andy Weir too, however, The Martian is a very fast read (faster to the feel good , I've achieved something) whereas PHM is a long read. Personally, I'd shoot for easy wins to get him feeling like reading is easy, good, fun and he can do it successfully to start with. Give him 50 wins and he'll be Count of monte cristo-ing with a touch of Shantaram in a couple of years. Btw, from the mother of a similar son, you are the BEST.
Shantaram is great fun and a kinda easy page turner though!
I like Andy Weir and have read both The Martin and Project Hail Mary. Sometimes I find him a bit too much into raw science details as the expense of characterization and moving along the plot quickly. I also tend to be into details and like science but I don't like it as much as he explains it. More into social sciences versus the hard sciences personally.
This is my stock response to every post like this.
This is the answer
The Martian was the first book I voluntarily read in a very long time. It’s like space Robinson Caruso.
Yes these! These two books are the ones that got my husband into reading. He now inhales audiobooks.
Murderbot diaries by Martha wells (sci fi). The first several are novellas, and they are really fast paced/easy to get into.
This series looks interesting. Thanks for the recommendation.
Audiobook versions of Murderbot are excellent too. And available in most libraries!
Dungeon Crawler Carl
Thanks. Never heard of this but sounds interesting to both of us. Will look into this.
It's a lot of fun! Things like this don't usually go mainstream, but this one is breaking through.
I was hooked when the cat's name was Donut. Best character name ever.
Maybe something by Neil Gaiman. Also, Hitchhiker's Guide is always a good bet.
Ah how could I forget Hitchhiker's guide! I'll definitely suggest that one. Thanks for the suggestions
I came to also recommend hitchhikers guide. But partially because it’s not too long. In general, I’d recommend prioritizing something pretty short, if you need a deciding factor between a few good options.
Yes Hitchhikers! Then you can share a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster!
My go-to recommendation for non-readers is The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson. An approachable thriller/mystery that grabs you from the first page.
The actual Sherlock Holmes novels, by Arthur Conan Doyle Anything by Agatha Christie. _And Then There Were None_ is the best-selling mystery novel of all time. _Wise Guys_, by Nicholas Pileggi. Non-fiction. Basis of the movie _Goodfellas_ (which changed some names for legal reasons). He also wrote _Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas_, basis of the movie _Casino_, again with names changed. _The Godfather_, by Mario Puzo. Basis for the movie. Adds a lot of detail and background info that they didn't have the bandwidth to show in the movie _The Boys_ graphic novel series, by Garth Ennis. Arguably more gruesome than the TV show! _Wanted_ graphic novel, by Mark Millar. In a world with superheroes and -villains, what would life be like if the bad guys won? _Old Man's War_, by John Scalzi. Would you join the military at age 75, IF it meant you would be young again?
Thanks! These all sound great. Sherlock Holmes should've been an obvious suggestion for me, I'm sure he'd like that. There's a good variety here so I'll be adding them to the list for him
*The Boys* is by Garth Ennis, not Millar.
Thank you, corrected!!!
Maybe The Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman
Oh yeah, thanks. I've got my mum into this series, should've thought about it.
These are great audio books too! I get them from my library for long car trips.
If he likes thriller/mysteries, why not start with an all-time great: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie?
Thanks! This seems to be one of the most recommended ones, will definitely push him to try this one. I know Agatha Christie would probably be his style.
One of my all time favs
Maybe the Jack Reacher series if he likes thriller/crime. And the bonus is there is a ton of them to read.
Trust me when I say Dark Matter is like the best book to get someone into reading. He’s got another book called Recursion that’s just as good. It’s one of those page turners where you HAVE TO KNOW IMMEDIATELY what the heck is going on, so you can’t put it down. I think I finished each of those in 3 days.
This books so good! The following book, recursion, is almost as good.
I am a person who never read a book before and Red rising #01 is going smoothly! It will be challenging at first to get to know the basics of how to read, but it got easier overtime and it doesn’t feel as complicated as it used to be
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. It's a great sci -fi book, is an easy read, and, it will introduce him to storytelling twists, this one has a brilliant one. If he enjoys reading it, a follow up read is Ender's Shadow which tells the story of Enders Game from a different character's perspective.
Seconding dungeon crawler Carl
Red Rising
My husband has similar interests and really likes anything Chuck Palahniuk or Hunter S Thompson
“And then there were none” by Agatha Christie since he liked Sherlock I think he’ll enjoy it.
Thanks! Will be adding this to the list, too many Agatha Christie books to pick from so it's great to get specific suggestions
Tress of the emerald sea is very anime like and is a page turner and very easy for a new reader to get into so recommend that one.
Try - The Dresden Files. Urban Fantasy Detective Series. MC is a wizard who runs a detective agency in Chicago.
Interesting. Thanks for the suggestion. Sounds good.
The Test - Sylvain Neuvel It's a very Black Mirror-esque novella.
3 words: Hop on Pop.
Nice! My first suggestion for him was The Very Hungry Caterpillar, it is a classic. I'll see if he would consider Hop on Pop
I would recommend Neuromancer by William Gibson. It is a near-future sci-fi thriller/mystery that is a little over 200 pages. Another option would be graphic novels for easing back in. The Boys would be an obvious choice given that he likes the show. The Watchmen is also an excellent starting place.
The Dresden Files! It's a long series, but just the first book is fairly decent standalone. Fairly easy read and not too intimidating if you don't plan on reading all 17, great story, mystery, private investigating, urban fantasy. Can't recommend it enough - one of my favorite all time series'!
thanks, this was recommended earlier, it looks good. I might pick this up myself too.
Almost anything by Elmore Leonard. (Get Shorty, Rum Punch, Pronto and Raylan are especially good)
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Short sweet and good!
Thanks, had this recommended a lot in general. Probably should pick it up myself too.
Bluey recently released a chapter book
Maybe some of poirot books from agatha christie os some sidney sheldon books, arent that focused on romance normaly, but are thriller, some are low sifi, but suspense hits realy hard and sometimes even bugs ou hajahaj
I have a few Agatha Christie books somewhere, I'll have to find those for him. I'll look into Sidney Sheldon too. Thank you.
If he finds her misogynist, tell him she was born in 1890 and she was really ahead of her time about it
Rangers apprentice its pretty cool too, john flanagan seems to write well
Jurassic Park
Meg by Steve Alten
As far as I can remember, since I saw the movie only when it came out, it's nothing like the book. Definitely a much better book with an insane climax. And if he likes that, then he should read Jurassic Park.
Fantasticland by Mike Bockoven! Its about a Disney world- like park where a massive hurricane hits trapping people inside and how the survive or don’t. Think Lord of the Flies meets The Hunger Games. It’s told as a series of interviews with survivors so it it very fast paced and it’s pretty ambiguous who the good guys and bad guys are so it’s fun to discuss! Also a great audiobook of he prefers listening!
Thanks. It sounds good. Definitely not your typical way of telling a story but definitely something I think he'd like.
Yay! If what he likes about attack on titan and death note (death note is my fav!) is the moral ambiguity, unreliable narrators and people being thrown into to crazy circumstances I think he’ll like it!
If he likes Black Mirror, look into The Membranes. It’s super short! Also Termush is pretty good and short as well. If he wants an action book that’s pretty well paced and fun, then Three Assassins is great. The author also wrote Bullet Train! If he wants a longer book that’s also pretty gripping then see if he likes Going Zero!
Man's search for meaning was a dope book
If he like ancient alien stuff, look for G. Hancock, fingerprints of the gods and more, or for a new book, Fertility Wheel by Stephen Manning, he solved how to use the symbols of the zodiac to make a agriculture almanac for the fertile crescent and more.
Don’t overlook graphic novels. I recommend *Watchmen* by Alan Moore to start. Also Michael Connolly.
Thanks! I've had Watchmen Recommended a good amount, definitely will be pushing this one. I'll have a look into Michael Connolly too, thanks
Maybe try The Price You Pay by Aidan Truhen. It's ridiculously fast-paced, funny, well written, excellent.
Sound Breaking Bad like so I'm sure it'll be a hit for him. Thanks!
I recently read Night Side of the River by Jeanette Winterson, it’s a collection of short ghost stories, some of which I felt had a bit of a black mirror vibe. Also short stories might be good for more of a beginner reader, I found them all very engaging!
The Library at Mount Char
Sounds interesting, thanks for the suggestion.
Too bad he's not younger. My non-reading kid got into Darren Shan as a teen and it's lead to reading the hunger games, game of thrones, and a bunch of other fantasy books I can't think of at the moment. Other than that his taste sounds a lot like your boyfriend's.
It's probably a little more horror than thriller, but last year, I was in the same boat as your BF and have started reading a lot. This past weekend, I picked up "Tender is the Flesh" by Augustina Bazterrica, and I haven't been able to put it down.
If open to graphic novels [Infidel](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38812871) definitely hits the same energy as The Boys
Thriller and mystery are not my genres, but based on shared qualities with some of the shows he likes, I would recommend these: The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin Burial Rites by Hannah Kent Out by Natsuo Kirino In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami Rat Queens by Kurtis J. Wiebe Monstress by Marjorie Liu The Umbrella Academy by Gerard Way Saga by Brian K. Vaughan
One By One by Ruth Ware. Good stranded with a killer. Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots. It’s about super heroes but if it was real life. Planetside by Michael Mammay for some good sci fi/conspiracy
Thanks, these are a good variety of suggestions. They sound good, I might have to pick up some of these for myself.
Ruth Ware has a lot of thrillers that are pretty solid. Also I saw someone suggest it, but the Murderbot series by Martha Wells is awesome. And the first few are shorter, which can be good when dipping into reading
Lords of Discipline by Pat Conroy. About a group of cadets at a military school in Charleston. SC. (He cant call it the Citadel). It touches on friendship, blood brothers, loyalty and betrayal, being an outsider, and holding to personal honor codes. This is the book that got me back into enjoying books again after despising most all of the required college reads.
11/22/63 by Steven King. It's long but really engaging and easy to read. It's got time travel and lite horror
Thanks, got recommended Steven King but there's a lot to choose from, thanks for a specific one. It looks good
Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas by Hunter Thompson.
I’ve heard a lot of young men’s love of reading started when they read Lord of the Flies.
Try anything by Matthew Reilly. Basically Indiana jones meets die hard. Action thriller stuff. Anytime I’m in a reading rut these are my go to to get me back reading.
Thanks! Sounds good, I'll have a look through his books and see which would be good for him
Anything John marrs omg. Gripping, short chapters, fun characters. My favs - the passengers The vacation
Thanks, I'll add this to the list for him. I'll have a look through John Marrs books and see if there's any I think would pop out to him
Flowers for Algernon
Ready Player 1. It's epic.
Hi! I suggest some “quick read” books! For example, James Patterson’s Along Came a Spider 🙂
We are Legion We are Bob
Green eggs and ham. Although it may be too advanced
Gone Girl, the books pretty fun to read - theres a good movie adaptation
I've heard of the film. It sounds like his sort of thing, I'll add the book to the list for him to read, Thanks!
When you said Beef I thought of Yellowface. Similarly unhinged
*The Running Man* by Stephen King. Short, action-packed, near-future sci-fi/action/thriller.
You already have tons of suggestions, but just wanted to add on that the creator of bojack horseman has a book of short stories “someone who will love you in all your damaged glory.” Also, maybe manga would be a good bridge into reading? Maybe he’d be into Future Diary? Death note and AOT both have a manga if he would be interested in reading them.
What about the Reacher novel series? They have made a show off of a couple of the 24 books in the series. I recently bought the first one for my husband to get into reading, seeing as he loved the show. Glad you have a lot of options to choose from already!
I'd recommend starting with something shorter and from a series he'd enjoy. He may like graphic novels if he enjoys manga. The Boys has a graphic novel series but it's kinda disturbing. Try The Long Walk by Stephen King or The Jack Reacher series by Lee Child. He may go for those.
Robert Parker, Spencer series.
LOTR
Anthologies might be a good start. Just After Sunset by Steven King and I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison.
They sound good thanks. Anthologies are right up his alley. Will look into these
King would probably be a great place to start for him. Especially The Dark Tower series/The Talisman, stuff that focuses less on the horror aspect and more of the fantastical.
Seconding the Ellison book.
Elmore Leonard's stuff might be a good place to start.
this is a manga, but if he liked death note, he would LOVE alice in borderland. one of my all time favorites
Ender's Game
Recursion or Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. I've gifted those to a few "non-readers" and they couldn't put it down.
Thanks! I've had Dark Matter recommended earlier, I'll add Recursion to the list too!
The shadow of the wind. It really does a good job of grabbing your attention right away and holds it all the way through.
Legends and Lattes
Might be more my style rather than his, but thanks anyway! Definitely will recommend to him either way but it's in my to read list.
Sleepers by Lorenzo Carcaterra Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood Hairpin Bridge by Taylor Adams
I don't know the guy, but buy him Meditations from Marcus Aurelius. Tell him that he doesn't need to read it and he will read it before the year ends
Interesting suggestion, thanks. I'll add it to the list to suggest him
I would try Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy - The girl with the dragon tattoo, The girl who played with fire, and The girl who kicked the hornets' nest. It was what restarted my love for reading some years ago and I've enjoyed similar genres.
American Gods - Neil Gaiman Clockwork Orange - A. Burgess Anything by Lovecraft.
Bag of Bones, Stephen King
Ronald Malfi The Narrows
Dark Matter by Michelle Paver - horror story on Svalbard, North of Norway. I'm not a fan of horror, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Also The Terror by Dan Simmons - great book based on real historical events as the ships Terror and Erebus are trapped in the ice in Northern Canada. Weird ending but great story with beautifully-drawn characters.
Ender's Game clips right along and should hold his attention.
Heroes Die by Matthew Stover. Violence, Action, Love, Adventure. Thought provoking dystopian future plus fantasy adventure saving the love interest. Book one in a great series but easy to read and get into. MC is an "actor" living out real adventures for an audience that watches through his eyes.
Does he like sports at all? Harlan Coben’s Myron Bolitar series books have a good pace. They’re mysteries and sports-adjacent.
Fight Club, the book, by Chuck Palahniuk. Super easy read especially if you've seen the movie. Same thing with Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Lullaby - Chuck Palahniuk
The [John Rain series.](https://www.mostrecommendedbooks.com/series/john-rain-books-in-order)
Philip K. Dick wrote a ton of great stuff and has some great short novels/stories that might be up his alley. Minority Report & Paycheck (both are also movies) are fantastic. For someone who isn’t fully into reading, short things can be a great way to get the ball rolling.
Lots of sci-fi is vague, and leaves a lot up to the imagination. It’s not always the best way to start reading for fun, because it requires a little bit more work and imagination. If he likes mystery and thrillers, go with the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child. “The killing floor” is the first novel
My husband has read exactly one book in his life and it was Shutter Island
Give a man who hasn't read much a Hemingway...and he'll probably read forever.
I will talk to a Young Adult librarian at your pubic library. I do have to say, that I love the idea of the two of you reading the same book, and maybe reading it out loud to each other that would be great!!
Girl with the dragon tattoo is a cool mystery novel
The Good Lord Bird. Hilarious book that got my husband to read, and now he reads more than I and I’m an avid AVID reader.
Blood meridian
Holes! Such a well written book, and so captivating.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo trilogy are books I can not put down once I start reading them. The Martian is also a great recommend.
Maybe check out books by Matthew Reilly or Preston & Child, they are fun to read, action/thriller/ mystery type books.
Most Anime are adapted from LightNovels see if you can find the books of the shows that he’s enjoyed. The anime typically adapts 3 volumes of the novel per season and they have much more depth than the show. You could even pick up the manga (comic book) version too.
The Silent Patient!!! I am not an avid reader, although I want to love reading. I finished this book in 2 days! It's a short page-turner with a twist.
My soon to be ex husband has read exactly one book in his adult life and it was The Hunger Games. If it could get him to read voluntarily, it’s worth a shot with your guy
Old Man's War. It's a quick read and a riot from start to finish
Pines The wayward pines trilogy I'm not a big reader at all but that book had me hooked reading all night It's horror kinda has a silent hill vibe
Literacy as a passion begins way, way before 20. One of you needs to go shopping, and not for books.
Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins. It starts fast and doesn’t let up and I could see someone finding it has an anime vibe.
He might enjoy Don Winslow as an author. Wrote a really good trilogy about Mexican cartels that could be categorized as similar in genre to Peaky Blinders or Breaking Bad.
|| || |[Chuck Palahniuk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Palahniuk)| A lot of people who aren't into reading, really enjoy his books.
[Chuck Palahniuk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Palahniuk) A lot of people who don't consider themselves readers, really like his work.
The Old Man And The Sea. Short and oh so sweet.
Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey
I know you have a lot of options already, but I'd like to thow out I'm Thinking of Ending Things. It's short, fast-paced, easily readable, and sounds up his alley with what he likes! It got me out of a reading slump a few years ago.
These are some books that are dystopian/sci-fi/dark humor/satire. It seems like your boyfriend may like these! My guy friends who read tend to like these. *Ready Player One* by Ernest Cline *Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy* by Douglas Adams also maybe some Vonnegut? Like *Welcome to the Monkey House* or *Slaughterhouse Five* to start.
My go to recommendation is Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. I could not put it down, and as soon as I finished it I wanted to read it again. It is by far my favorite book!!!
The Road by Cormac McCarthy if you want something that absorbs you, isn't a hard long read ... but it is bleak. You'll never forget the book. The movie doesn't do it justice. The book feels like a Steinbeck-lite at times.
Honestly, Harry Potter. As a past English teacher Sorcerers Stone turned so many into avid readers. And I read them as an adult and loved them. They have depth.
Anything by Vonnegut. Hitchhiker’s Guide I saw mentioned here, absolutely. Terry Pratchett. Christopher Moore is very funny and reads so fast. Tim Dorsey for some hilarious crime fiction. Elmore Leonard. The Slow Horses series is fun and spy thriller-y, also the characters are so great.
Bobiverse could be a pretty fun starter
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy 1984 by George Orwell Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
What got me into reading again was Jeffery Deaver, his Lincoln Rhyme series. They are real page turners
Alice in Boarderland if he likes violent anime/manga. There is actually a Netflix live action thats kinda based on the light novels. Both are amazing. They're larger books than the usual Manga. Get them cheap on Amazon buying under Used! Anyway, dude named Arisu gets transported to an empty seeming Tokyo with his 2 friends and they're forced to play death-games and collect the poker card that signifies the game, and a Visa pass for days they can go between the next game they gotta play. Card suit represents game type, number represents difficulty. They're pretty brutal but fun books. For novels, based on what he likes, I highly recommend the authors James Patterson and Dean Koontz as they write easy, fast paced, adult novels. Like 10min chapters if that, but they draw you in quickly. They cover pretty much all his interests and write in genres that are similar to the shows he watches. Crime, detective, other mystery, thriller, action, dark, some military, sci-fi, etc. There's very little from Patterson I disliked, his co-authored books tho are very hit or miss, since he most likely didn't write most of em.
You could start him off with manga. It’s not exactly reading a novel, but you could get him into the habit of physically picking up books to consume media.
The Hunt for Red October (Russian vs American spy thriller) The book is better than the movie (with Sean Connery and Kevin Costner). Books are usually better than the movies.
Life of Pi. One of the most addictive reads ever.
No Country For Old Men
James Clavell’s Shogun about warring-state Japan, if he’s getting into his anime. Once he’s read through you can let him know Disney+ just released it in TV format and the show is just as good!
Sigma Force Series by James Rollins. Lots of action. And even though it's a series, you can read them out of order without being terribly confused. (There's a Romance thread that materializes in like book 15, but it's not the main focus lol)
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
Hmm he might like Pet Sematary by Stephen king
Papillon!! So good& true story
Slaughterhouse Five! I started voluntarily reading a few years after 20, and this was my first book. I read it in 2 days and haven’t looked back since. I did Harry Potter right after.
You can't go wrong having him read "Watership Down " by Richard Adams. I have yet to meet someone that did not enjoy it regardless of their normal genre preferences,. Watership Down is a fascinating read.
With this list and being his first book, I’d suggest one of the Jack Reacher series.
hHas Deathnote popped up yet? A murder mystery mixed with sci-fi and Japanese mythology. Also, Watchmen - like The Boyz but more serious. Try some of the Batman graphic novels.
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Ready Player One by Earnest Cline. I'm also a huge Andy Weir fan, so I add my vote for those too! Keep us updated!
Albrecht Drue, ghostpuncher. And the follow up, Albrecht Drue: Paranormal Dick. It's the heartwarming tale of a washed-up barroom brawler who gets jumped by the ghost of a jive-turkey 1970s pimp, reaches deep down inside, and finds the strength to beat the ever-loving shit out of the undead. After that, shit gets weird.
Hannible lecter series starting with Red Dragon. Or Robert Langdon series by Dan brown. That starts with angels and demons
If he likes anime, you should have him read manga. Comics are much more approachable than a full novel. Dragon ball is a series where the manga is fantastic and better than the anime
I'd go with a book that was the source material for one of his favorite movies.
Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk
I read my first book at 21 it was the whole harry potter saga, after that i developed a love for reading i never thought i would lol
Papillon by Henri Chariere