# Reccomend me some novels. For men. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 26, 2010, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-novels-for-men/551507 "2010-08-26T05:51:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-novels-for-men/551507/1 "2010-08-26T05:51:11Z")
How’s THAT for a broad subject? 😉 I was a big reader until about the time I got into High School at which point I proceeded to not read a single thing that wasn’t required by school for the next 8 years. When I started occasionally reading again my choices were, without exception, non-fiction. Books about sports, finance, poker, economics, etc. Just in the last year I’ve sort or revived an interest in films and have even more recently expanded that back to reading, though most material so far has been of the non-fiction variety [(The Big Short by Michael Lewis](http://www.amazon.com/Big-Short-Inside-Doomsday-Machine/dp/0393072231/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1282799950&sr=8-1), and I just finished [The Drunkard’s Walk by Leonard Mlodinow](http://www.amazon.com/Drunkards-Walk-Randomness-Rules-Vintage/dp/0307275175/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1282799977&sr=1-1) last night). But still no fiction. I’ve been trying to read **Don Quixote** for years now but never seem to get beyond the 50th page (of **900!** ). I’ve noticed I often have an extremely short attention span. After a while I’ll realize I’ve been daydreaming and haven’t read a single word on either of the 2-3 prior pages. Still, I am determined to maybe find some works of fiction that would be interesting to a 27 year old male. There are many recommendations but I’ve found lots seem to be more book club type recommendations, granted I wouldn’t be one to turn down some exceptional prose due to mediocre interest in the subject matter. Just asking some book store employees was less than fruitful. I found [this list](http://artofmanliness.com/2008/05/14/100-must-read-books-the-essential-mans-library/), chock full of classics. Most of them seem like obvious selections, though I guess it’s safe to say they aren’t classics because they suck. Anyway, any recommendations would be extremely appreciated. Eight years ago I remembered liking some Crichton, but not so much Grisham. No idea how my tastes have probably changed since then. Thanks in advance. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-novels-for-men/551507/2 "2010-08-26T06:02:56Z")
Hemingway. Nuff said. ---
**Author:** ![ethansiegel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/2bfe46/32.png) [@ethansiegel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ethansiegel)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-novels-for-men/551507/3 "2010-08-26T06:35:41Z")
Fiction based on your description of yourself and a WAG from me: Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card Dune by Frank Herbert Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway Slaughter House 5 by Kurt Vonnegut Catch 22 by Joseph Heller Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger The Count of Monte Cristo (caution: long!) by Alexandre Dumas Siddhartha by Herman Hesse This should give you a good sampling of what’s out there, none of these books (except Count) should be too long, and you should find something that you enjoy reading and can just start plowing through. Just IMO, that’s where I’d start. ---
**Author:** ![Crawlspace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Crawlspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crawlspace)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-novels-for-men/551507/4 "2010-08-26T06:42:49Z")
The best book I ever read is **The Great Gatsby**. It’s not a classic for nothing. If you’ve never read it I would highly recommend it, especially if you pay particular attention to the differences between Nick, Jay, and Tom. My favorite book of all time is **A Confederacy of Dunces**. Brilliant on so many levels. I’d also recommend **A Drinking Life** by Pete Hamill. It’s an autobiography of one man told through his relationship with alcohol. It’s smartly written and devoid of all the sap you’d expect. ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-novels-for-men/551507/5 "2010-08-26T06:47:34Z")
_Day of the Jackal_ by Frederick Forsyth _The Quincunx_ by Charles Palliser _Steppenwolf_ by Hermann Hesse The _Berlin Noir_ trilogy by Philip Kerr _The Reckoning_ by David Halberstam _Freedom from Fear_ by David M. Kennedy ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-novels-for-men/551507/6 "2010-08-26T07:02:43Z")
Cyberhawk, your problem is that _Don Quixote_ is a terribly boring book. He does the same things over and over for 900 pages. By halfway through I was rooting for him to be brutally murdered by one of the people he bothered. I happen to be related to a 27-year-old guy who doesn’t read much, so I’ll recommend the books _he_ liked enough not only to read but buy. Watership Down by Richard Adams The Hitchhiker’s Guilde to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams The Dark Tower series by Stephen King The Redwall series by Brian Jacques ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-novels-for-men/551507/7 "2010-08-26T08:09:14Z")
Some popular fiction recommendations: Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books - mystery/action thrillers about an ultra bad-ass former Army MP who drifts around and always winds up helping people in trouble. Formulaic, but quick, fun reads. _The Girl With The Dragon Tatoo_ and it’s two sequels, by Stieg Larsson. Actually, I’m midway through the second book (The Girl Who Played With Fire) and I’m really enjoying this trilogy so far. Don’t let the titles fool you–these books have a broad appeal to both men and women. There are two main protagonists, one woman and one man. The Aubrey-Maturin books by Patrick O’Brian (_Master and Commander, The Far Side of the World_, etc.). Cormac McCarthy’s novels (_The Road, No Country For Old Men, All The Pretty Horses, Blood Meridian_, etc.) Larry McMurtry’s novels (_The Last Picture Show_, _Lonesome Dove_ and it’s sequels) ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-novels-for-men/551507/8 "2010-08-26T08:20:05Z")
[The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay](http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Adventures-Kavalier-Clay/dp/0312282990) Kind of gives a history of the comic book industry and yet, very manly. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-novels-for-men/551507/9 "2010-08-26T08:29:50Z")
**Eye of the Needle** by Ken Follett **Shogun** by James Clavell ---
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-novels-for-men/551507/10 "2010-08-26T09:06:09Z")
> [@ethansiegel](#): > > Siddhartha by Herman Hesse > [@Sefton](#): > > _Steppenwolf_ by Hermann Hesse Hesse was an author that one of the guy’s I asked in the book store recommended. But given his other recommendations I was hesitant. He said he preferred, “more eastern philosophies and altered states of consciousness.” Given the guy’s mannerisms and the fact we were in Portland, OR, I was left wondering if you needed some chemical assistance to achieve the full effect of his recommendations. Since then, though, I’ve heard Hesse and especially Siddhartha recommended again and again. > [@Crawlspace](#): > > My favorite book of all time is **A Confederacy of Dunces**. Brilliant on so many levels. This sounds awesome. > [@Tangent](#): > > Some popular fiction recommendations: > > Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books - mystery/action thrillers about an ultra bad-ass former Army MP who drifts around and always winds up helping people in trouble. Formulaic, but quick, fun reads. So… **Burn Notice** on paper basically. 🙂 > [@Tangent](#): > > _The Girl With The Dragon Tatoo_ and it’s two sequels, by Stieg Larsson. Actually, I’m midway through the second book (The Girl Who Played With Fire) and I’m really enjoying this trilogy so far. Don’t let the titles fool you–these books have a broad appeal to both men and women. There are two main protagonists, one woman and one man. I just added this to my Netflix queue. I’ll have to decide which one to do first. I have a feeling I’m going to end up with a LONG list of each (Netflix queue sits at 317 right now). ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-novels-for-men/551507/11 "2010-08-26T11:06:13Z")
I read a whole bunch of Hermann Hesse in high school, starting with Siddhartha. Then Steppenwolf, Magister Ludi, Narcissus and Goldmund (my 2nd favorite after Siddhartha). All great books for the searching young man. No drugs required. I also liked John Irving’s books - notably The World According to Garp, Setting Free the Bears, and the Hotel New Hampshire. Tom Wolfe - [The Bonfire of the Vanities](http://www.amazon.com/Bonfire-Vanities-Novel-Tom-Wolfe/dp/0312427573/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1282820577&sr=1-1), plus he has a lot of good non-fiction: [The Right Stuff](http://www.amazon.com/Right-Stuff-Tom-Wolfe/dp/0312427565/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1282820079&sr=1-5), [Electric Kool-aid Acid Test](http://www.amazon.com/Electric-Kool-Aid-Acid-Test/dp/031242759X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1282820079&sr=1-1). Michael Lewis is a favorite non-fiction writer -[Liar’s Poker](http://www.amazon.com/Liars-Poker-Michael-Lewis/dp/039333869X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1282819921&sr=8-3) and [Moneyball](http://www.amazon.com/Moneyball-Art-Winning-Unfair-Game/dp/0393324818/ref=pd_sim_b_2) were particularly interesting. Also, Ken Kesey’s [Sometimes a Great Notion](http://www.amazon.com/Sometimes-Great-Notion-Penguin-Classics/dp/0143039865/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1282820287&sr=1-1) is a favorite of mine. You might appreciate it since it takes place in northwest logging country. You also might want to check out Robert Stone. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-novels-for-men/551507/12 "2010-08-26T12:15:28Z")
It sounds like you need to work your way up to the meatier stuff. Try pretty much anything by Terry Pratchett. The earlier Tom Clancy books - Executive Orders and before - are also lighter reading. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-novels-for-men/551507/13 "2010-08-26T12:24:39Z")
Try Frederick Forsyth’s thrillers – especially the early ones. **Day of the Jackal** , **The Odessa File** If I was recommending sea novels, I wouldn’t start with O’Brien – he does make you work at it. Go with C.S. Forester’s “Horatio Hornblower” novels. Ignore the silly-sounding name. These are extremely well-researched and well-written novels about a Napoleonic era British naval captain. read the whole series. In fact, read any fiction by Forester. It’s all good. He wrote **the African Queen** and a whole buncha war fiction set in the Napoleonic era and in WWII. Hemingway I agree with, but not everyone’s taste is for Hesse. Mine sure as heck ain’t. I also don’t recommend _Don Quixote_ for someone trying to get started reading novels. Mark Twain. One of my favorite authors. And please note that not everything is like Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Read his short stories, or _a Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court_. His _Life on the Mississippi_ and his travel books are great, though not fiction. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-novels-for-men/551507/14 "2010-08-26T12:44:29Z")
Stephen King’s The Shining (even if you’ve seen the movie) Scott Smith’s A Simple Plan (even if you’ve seen the movie) Jim Butcher’s Dresden File books. The first one is Storm Front. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-novels-for-men/551507/15 "2010-08-26T12:58:51Z")
[City of Thieves by David Benioff](http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio/73-9780452295292-0) is fantastic, I’m a 31 year old male and read this a few months back for my book club. It’s been my favorite so far and we’re on our 15th book. [The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway](http://www.amazon.com/Gone-Away-World-Nick-Harkaway/dp/0307268861) was clever and very well written, the tangents can get long but are often great satire. I never saw the twist at the end. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-novels-for-men/551507/16 "2010-08-26T13:05:09Z")
> [@Cyberhwk](#): > > Still, I am determined to maybe find some works of fiction that would be interesting to a 27 year old male. There are many recommendations but I’ve found lots seem to be more book club type recommendations, granted I wouldn’t be one to turn down some exceptional prose due to mediocre interest in the subject matter. Just asking some book store employees was less than fruitful. I found [this list](http://artofmanliness.com/2008/05/14/100-must-read-books-the-essential-mans-library/), chock full of classics. Most of them seem like obvious selections, though I guess it’s safe to say they aren’t classics because they suck. > > Anyway, any recommendations would be extremely appreciated. Eight years ago I remembered liking some Crichton, but not so much Grisham. No idea how my tastes have probably changed since then. You need to look into the works of [Jack Vance](http://greatsfandf.com/AUTHORS/JackVance.php). He’s written every type of fiction: fantasy, science fiction, mystery, comedy, social satire, and horror. Hence his ouvre contains something for everyone. But regardless of which Vance book you choose, it’s guaranteed to have a tightly-constructed plot, lots of humor, sharp dialogue, and a little bit of raunchiness. As an added bonus, most of his books are short, in the 100-200 page range, so reading one isn’t a big time commitment. Stop by the nearest dusty used book store and you’ll probably find plentiful Vance paperbacks for sale. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-novels-for-men/551507/17 "2010-08-26T13:07:28Z")
I second the Tom Clancy novels for their manliness factor. They’re awash in technical details, action and military maneuvers. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. Skip the sequels/prequels. They aren’t nearly as meaty as LD. There’s a lot of interesting ruminations on how men in the old west might have actually lived, which I found interesting. Plus it’s a very funny book — and very sad. And there’s a whore. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-novels-for-men/551507/18 "2010-08-26T13:39:45Z")
I can’t believe a thread on the subject of “guy + novel” has gone this far without mentioning _High Fidelity_ by Nick Hornby (the basis for the movie of the same name). Nick Hornby is like, the ultimate “regular guy” novelist. I am not a guy, but I like him a lot; High Fidelity is a great book. I also liked “Fever Pitch,” which is a memoir about his insane dedication to the London football team, Arsenal (later adapted to film in the US as an insane dedication to the Boston Red Sox). ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-novels-for-men/551507/19 "2010-08-26T15:21:02Z")
Examples of literary, non-genre novels set in the here-and-now (not that that’s the only kind worth reading, but other sorts seem to get their own threads) that would appeal to young men, that spring to my mind: Nick Hornby. Especially [High Fidelity](http://www.amazon.com/High-Fidelity-Nick-Hornby/dp/1573225517/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1282835039&sr=1-4) and [About a Boy](http://www.amazon.com/About-Boy-Nick-Hornby/dp/1573227331/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1282835039&sr=1-14). Peter Farrelly’s [The Comedy Writer](http://www.amazon.com/Comedy-Writer-Peter-Farrelly/dp/0385490526) John Irving ([The World According to Garp](http://www.amazon.com/World-According-Garp-John-Irving/dp/034536676X/ref=tmm_mmp_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1282835210&sr=1-1) is where I started with Irving.) Anne Tyler’s [Saint Maybe](http://www.amazon.com/Saint-Maybe-Anne-Tyler/dp/0804108749/ref=tmm_mmp_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1282835465&sr=1-1), maybe … Then for lighter, pulpier manly entertainment, hit the garage sales or used bookstores and pick up a few Travis McGee (by John D. MacDonald), Nero Wolfe (by Rex Stout), or Louis L’Amour paperbacks. ---
**Author:** ![CPomeroy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ed8c4c/32.png) [@CPomeroy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CPomeroy)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-novels-for-men/551507/20 "2010-08-26T15:47:02Z")
Cormac McCarthy is an excellent choice. Very literary and very masculine. I would also recomment John LeCarre (the Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - and sequels, Tailor of Panama etc.) If you can stand a little history in with your manly adventure, George McDonald Fraser’s Flashman novels are very entertaining. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reccomend-me-some-novels-for-men/551507.md?page=2)