40+ Book Ideas to Buy for Men and Boys for Xmas
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For my Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram visitors and followers, you’re here because you either wish your guys would read more or they’ve read a ton, and you are at a loss what to get them for gifts. No problem. All the suggestions below are my favorites per category. I picked a mix of vintage reads your guys may or may not have heard about but are still really good. Links below take you straight to Amazon's order pages to save you time Xmas shopping (fyi: it is linked to my Amazon Affiliates). Another option is to purchase directly from your local bookstore (once COVID settles). Most titles were published long before this year (except the Heart of a Runaway Girl), so this list is all about vintage cool.
The following is my top 40+ hot “vintage” reads
Categories include: A little something for you, Crime, Mystery/Thriller, War, Arts, Adventure/Travel, Fantasy, Science, Reading to Kids
Other Relevant Blog Links
1. TREAT YOURSELF
A little something for you first
Perfect with a glass of wine, a comfy chair, and the knowledge of a Xmas well-prepared (Preorder your copy for post-Jan 10, 2021 arrival and relaxation)
2. USE GUIDE BELOW
If your guy is into Cool (and Crime)
Try these:
Book Descriptions:
Stylish guys who like cool
Get Shorty or Be Cool, both by Elmore Leonard. Synopsis: The Chili Palmer series is about a former gangster going to Hollywood to make his next big score. Another option is Killshot. Check out my review here.
The Lincoln Lawyer, Michael Connelly. Synopsis: Defense attorney Mickey Haller practices law out of a chauffeured Lincoln Town Car and associates with bikers. What more can you ask?
Tough guys who like cool
Raylan or 40 Lashes Less One, Elmore Leonard. Synopses: Modern cowboy or old school western, take your pick.
Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk. Synopsis: A man leaves his lackluster job when he comes under the thrall of Tyler Durden, an enigmatic young man who holds secret after-hours boxing matches in the basements of bars. Mayhem ensues. Awesome. Don’t worry. Your man won’t join a local fight club ring. But he will enjoy the read.
If your guy wants his thrills
Guys that like their mysteries, and thrillers (most are the not-so-usual suspects)
Girl with a Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson. You know this one. It’s awesome (particularly the first book)
Into the Woods, Tana French. Synopsis: A stunningly accomplished psychological mystery that will take you on a thrilling journey through a tangled web of evil and beyond - to the inexplicable.
Heart of a Runaway Girl, Trevor Wiltzen. Synopsis: A shocking murder in a small town haunts a waitress to seek out the truth. But when she starts asking questions, she’s unprepared for the secrets she uncovers, and now more lives may be destroyed, including her own.
Pelican Brief, John Grisham. He has a lot of them but I liked this one the best. Synopsis: It’s about a young law student whose legal brief about the assassination of two Supreme Court justices causes her to be targeted by killers.
No Country for Old Men, Cormac McCarthy. Synopsis: Click this link to check out my latest review for the details.
The Perfect Storm, Sebastian Junger. Synopsis: The Perfect Storm is a real-life thriller that makes us feel like we've been caught, helpless, in the grip of a force of nature beyond our understanding or control.
If your guy is into war
Try these:
Guys that read about war, and intrigue (1980’s and earlier)
Red Storm Rising, Tom Clancy. Synopsis: World War 111 results from a terrorist act in Russia and the world dissolves into technological battles from Europe to the Pacific, on land, in air, and under the dark cold seas.
Hunt for Red October, Tom Clancy double bill. The Soviet Union is no more, but Putin is still a badass. Synopsis: Although this adventure begins 40 years back, it’s still tense and gripping with lots of underwater combat and political intrigue.
Eaters of the Dead, Michael Crichton. This isn’t your typical Crichton like Jurassic Park etc, which is also a good choice. Try it out. Synopsis: Set in 922 AD is about an Arab courtier punished for having an affair and sent off with a party of Viking warriors to battle a mysterious terror in the Northern Lands.
Guys that read about the tragic impacts of war
Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut. Synopsis: It’s a strange, quirky, thinking man’s book about the impacts of World War 11.
For Whom the Bell Tolls, Ernest Hemingway. This is a classic. Synopsis: A dashing American Guerrilla fighter fights in the Spanish Civil War and falls in love on the eve of a terrible battle.
Schindler’s List, Thomas Keneally. Disclaimer: this made me cry. Synopsis: You know the story, but just in case you don’t, German Industrialist Oskar Schindler, a war profiteer and a man with complicated, rich tastes, saves more Jews from the gas chambers than any other single person during World War 11.
If your guy is into the arts
Try these:
Sensitive guys that love the arts
My Name is Asher Lev, Chiam Potok. This is a beautiful book that made me cry. Synopsis: Boy wants to be an artist but is not supported by his family.
The Commitments, Roddy Doyle. Synopsis: Up and coming band managerJimmy Rabitte wants to spread the gospel of soul, but can his band the Commitments live up to their name? Note: Amazon calls this vintage (a little pricer), but it’s still available.
Girl with a Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier. Synopsis: The world of 1660’s Holland comes alive in this portrait of a young woman who goes on to inspire one of Vermeer’s most celebrated paintings.
Artsy guys with a little edge
Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail 72, Hunter S. Thompson. Synopsis: This is from a man who defined Gonzo journalism, and though it focuses on Richard Nixon, it seems just as timely today. Note: Another vintage option on Amazon. If your guy isn’t into politics but likes the Gonzo style, try Fear and Loathing in Vas Vegas.
If your man is into adventure and travel
Try these:
Guys that like travel or adventure biographies
Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer. Synopsis: The authors haunted and harrowing first-hand account of a major climbing disaster on Everest. Note: Into the Wild is another good read.
Touching the Void, Joe Simpson Synopsis: The author recounts his successful but disastrous adventure in climbing a challenging peak in the Peruvian Andes.
Shantaram, Gregory David Roberts. Synopsis: A hunted man without a home, family, or identity, Lin searches for love and meaning while running a clinic in one of the city's poorest slums, and serving his apprenticeship in the dark arts of the Bombay mafia.
Guys that like historical fiction, adventure epics
Papillon, Henri Charrière. Synopsis: A thief is wrongly convicted of murder and sent to a prison camp in French Guyana, South America, where he plots a harrowing escape. A loosely based biography told by a brilliant natural storyteller.
Wolf of the Plains, Conn Iggulden. Synopsis: If you want historical macho, who isn’t more macho (or tyrannical) than Genghis Khan. Follow his path from orphan to conquerer of the known world (from western eyes). Conn also has two other series: a Roman and a War of the Roses series. You can take your pick on your guy’s preferred era.
Tai-pan, James Clavell. Synopsis: It is a historical epic adventure with adventurers, pirates, ninjas, political intrigue, and romance. It’s got it all. Note: cheaper on digital than paperback since vintage. Another option is Shogun, but it is just as vintage pricey.
If your guy loves fantasy
Try these:
Guys that don’t read much fantasy but should (since these are obvious)
Lord of the Rings and Hobbit, JRR Tolkien (this is a box set)
Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin (first book in the series)
Harry Potter, JK Rowling (first book in the series)
If your guy is into Science
Try these:
Guys that love science mixed with adventure
Apollo 13, Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger (Formerly titled Lost Moon before the movie came out). Synopsis: It has astronauts, launch to the moon, the famous misquoted phrase, “Okay Houston, we've had a problem here.” What more can you ask?
Contact, Carl Sagan. Synopsis: A beautiful book about a female scientist who leads a multi-national team to the stars.
Guys that like to know how the mind (or data) works
Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell. Synopsis: Explains how the tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.
Thinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman. Synopsis: A really smart guy that won a Nobel Prize explains how two systems drive the way we think.
Moneyball, Michael Lewis. Synopsis: Shares how a Major League baseball manager revolutionized the game by focussing on data.
If your guy loves being a Dad
Guys who read to their kids
The Great Brain, John D. Fitzgerald. This is very old school but a classic. Synopsis: Set in 1895, it’s written from the youngest boy’s perspective about his brainy brother, who gets into a lot of trouble with his swindles. It’s dated but great.
Gerald and Piggy, Mo Williams. My kids love these, but more for grade 2 or earlier.
Dog Man Series, Dav Pilkey. Synopsis: Dog man sniffs out crime. What more do you need? Suggested is grade 2 and up. He also did Captain Underpants, just saying. Who doesn’t need underpants?
The Lorax, Dr. Zeuss. Can’t go wrong about any of his, but this one has a poignant and timely environmental theme.
Don’t forget to treat yourself now
A little something for you
If you haven’t preordered this ebook, do it now, (paperback versions go on sale Jan 10, 2021), then go out and buy a bottle of wine for later and celebrate after New Years’. You deserve it