Ask a Book Nerd: What are some good books for my dad?

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One of my favorite things about running a book blog is all the people who ask me for book recommendations and for other advice about their reading lives.

This inspired the creation of a series… Ask a Book Nerd! A literary advice column.

Here’s this week’s question…

I want to get a book for my dad. He has very mainstream tastes: has basically read all the Grisham and Stephen King novels. He likes history & mystery... also American football and The Beatles. Like I said, mainstream! lol. He's my Filipino parent but doesn't seem to do a ton of research on Filipino history that I'm aware of. last year I got him The Moor's Account and he said he really enjoyed it!

Hi Daughter,

Not gonna lie, I panicked when I first read your question because dads are SO hard to buy for. My stepdad loves Alabama football so I’ve bought him Alabama football-themed stuff for as long as I can remember as a total copout. Mad respect for trying to get your dad something cool!

It shouldn’t surprise anyone reading this that I’m not a dad, however, I do play one on Facebook.

No, really. Because dads are notoriously difficult to buy for, I did some research for your question by joining a Facebook group called “a group where we all pretend to be middle-aged dads.” Their tagline is “I’m here to mow grass and eat ass.” Sounds legit!

I posted the following to the group:

Hi fellow dads, dadderinos, daddy-o's. I'm all out of Clive Cussler and John Grisham. What should I read next?

Responses included such gems as:

• Tom Clancy

• James Patterson

• Harlan Coben

• Matthew Reilly

• Wilbur Smith

• The engine rebuild manual for a 72 Mustang. You'll never guess the twist on p.143

• Brent Weeks

• Simon Scarrow

• The Hardy Boys books

• Time Magazine

• Reader’s Digest

• A 72 mustang? What sort of tomfoolery... Read about the Chevy 350. Now THAT is an engine.

• Penthouse

I’m guessing getting dad a subscription to Penthouse is a no.

I’m having some fun here, but who knows! There might be some gems in there (minus Penthouse). There could be actual middle-aged dads in the group who are going undercover to see what all of us who are in there pretending to be middle-aged dads are like. I mean, that’s a thing I would do if I were a middle-aged dad.

I also thought it’d be fun to ask my father-in-law, who, while on the upper end of middle age, is a dad who likes to read. Like your dad, he loves history and mystery, and pretty much reads those genres exclusively. His favorite author is Clive Cussler––he’s read every book the man has ever touched. And he’s a big fan of Lindsey Davis, who writes historical crime novels set in ancient Rome.

Meanwhile, my husband, who’s a couple of decades away from middle age and is only the father of four cats but has the taste of a middle-aged dad, recommended Raymond Chandler’s mystery novels. His books were all the rage and the 40s and 50s. While still entertaining, as evidenced by his continued sales posthumously, Mr. Off the Beaten Shelf did warn of some casual 1950s racism, so proceed with caution.

This might be the first time I’ve recommended books on here that I haven’t read. In the spirit of full disclosure, I’m so personally ignorant of dad books that with the exception of one Stephen King book (Pet Sematery), I haven’t read anything by any of the authors mentioned above. So I had to ask for help in creating this post. I’m glad I did because 1) I think asking for help is good and healthy, and 2) I learned a lot in the process. That being said, if the authors themselves or the content they present is in any way unsavory, please assume ignorance on my part.

Here’s what I do know…

There are historical mystery novels set in just about every era imaginable. It’d be fun to find out what your dad’s favorite period of history is and do some sleuthing for books in that time period specifically. If he’s into World War II by chance, he’s really in luck. It seems like half the historical fiction in the world, mystery and otherwise, is set around WWII.

Stephen King has a new book out called If It Bleeds, so that could be a good option since your dad is a fan of his. It’s a compendium of four novellas, so each one will read quickly. And if your dad is anything like me, a quick read is welcome with coronavirus stress looming.

As I read the description of Laila Lalami’s The Moor’s Account that your dad liked, I immediately thought of The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo Book by Tom Reiss. My intuition is telling me he might like that as well. Laila also has a book out that’s part murder mystery called The Other Americans.

Since football season is likely to be canceled, this could be a great time for some classic football books like Friday Night Lights, The Blindside, or Fever Pitch. Sure, they all have TV shows and movies, but we all know the book is better.

There you have it! I really hope this helps. Please keep me posted on which one(s) you end up going with.

And for everyone reading this, if you’d like recommendations for yourself or someone you love, ask a book nerd!