# Recommend books for my 70 year old dad **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 18, 2012, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-my-70-year-old-dad/638128 "2012-10-18T14:31:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-my-70-year-old-dad/638128/1 "2012-10-18T14:31:21Z")
My father’s recently (semi) retired and has started reading light/entertaining fiction again after a longish gap(20-30 years). Since he is, as mentioned in the title, 70 years old, I find that the books I recommend to him are not always to his taste. So I asked him to come up with a list of books/authors that he enjoyed, with the hope that Dopers would be able to help! Here’s his list - Leon Uris - Exodus Daphne du Maurier - Scape goat Jean Cleary - Green Helmet A.J. Cronin - Beyond This Place Arthur Hailey - Money changer (likes most of Hailey) Fredrick Forsyth - Dogs of War (likes most of Forsyth) Richard Powell - The Philadelphian; The Soldier. Nevil Shute - Slide Rule Alistair Maclean - Guns of Navarone, Where Eagles date Any P.G. Wodehouse Recommendations? ---
**Author:** ![glaeken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@glaeken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glaeken)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-my-70-year-old-dad/638128/2 "2012-10-18T15:52:28Z")
The Flashman series by George MacDonald Fraser might be worth a look. I have just started my dad on them who is a similar age. They are historical books dealing with the adventures of a 19th century English army officer who happens to be a total cad. During their adventures they manage to get mixed up in a lot of the big events of the 19th century pretty much anywhere on the globe from Russia to India to the US and untold other places. They are a mix of history, adventure and humour. They are fairly un pc though for some people as they do represent the attitudes of the time they are meant to be set in. That could be an issue for some. I have heard Fraser’s writing compared to P.G. Wodehouse though I have not personally read any Wodehouse to confirm. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-my-70-year-old-dad/638128/3 "2012-10-18T16:05:21Z")
If he hasn’t read **Lonesome Dove** by Larry McMurtry, I’d put it at the top of his list. Also, I get the impression that Robert Ludlum is very popular among men in that age category. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-my-70-year-old-dad/638128/4 "2012-10-18T16:14:38Z")
My parents, who are in a similar age range and enjoy the works of Arthur Hailey, Alistair Maclean and Frederick Forsyth, also particularly like similar books by Clive Cussler, Jack Higgins, and Ken Follett. Your father might also like the stories of political intrigue by Jeffrey Archer (no stranger to political intrigue himself). If he enjoys Leon Uris, he might also like the similar works of Herman Wouk. They are a slightly different genre, but has he read any of James Michener? _Hawaii_ is a great place to start, although I also enjoyed _Alaska_, and my favorite is _The Source_ (about Israel). ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-my-70-year-old-dad/638128/5 "2012-10-18T16:34:25Z")
Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey/Maturin books would keep him busy for a while. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-my-70-year-old-dad/638128/6 "2012-10-18T17:01:21Z")
_Cold Comfort Farm_ by Stella Gibbons and _Death by Sheer Torture_, by Robert Barnard. Both very British and very funny. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-my-70-year-old-dad/638128/7 "2012-10-18T19:35:51Z")
He might like Ken Follett. I’d recommend _A Dangerous Fortune_ or _Pillars of the Earth_ to start out. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-my-70-year-old-dad/638128/8 "2012-10-18T19:43:22Z")
I was going to mention Ken Follett also. He’s written a lot books, some better than others, but I’ve gotten some enjoyment out of all of them. Also Herman Wouk’s two WWII novels \*The Winds of War \*and _War and Remembrance_ were some of the best reading of my life. If he liked _Exodus_ he might like those. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-my-70-year-old-dad/638128/9 "2012-10-18T22:25:33Z")
Look for [Rolling Thunder](http://www.amazon.com/Rolling-Thunder-Mark-Berent/dp/0743486838/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1350598975&sr=1-1&keywords=rolling+thunder) in your local library; if he likes it, get the series. ---
**Author:** ![Tara57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@Tara57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tara57)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-my-70-year-old-dad/638128/10 "2012-10-18T22:36:31Z")
Would he like the Horatio Hornblower series? ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-my-70-year-old-dad/638128/11 "2012-10-18T22:44:37Z")
> [@glaeken](#): > > The Flashman series by George MacDonald Fraser might be worth a look. I have just started my dad on them who is a similar age. They are historical books dealing with the adventures of a 19th century English army officer who happens to be a total cad. If you want a similar series with an American protagonist, you could try the [Ethan Gage](http://williamdietrich.com/books/napoleons-pyramids/) series by **William Deitrich**. They’re set during the Napoleonic Wars, initially at the time of Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign. Unlike Flashman they also have Illuminati and masons, etc. worked into the plot. Some other **Nevil Shute** books might appeal; _Trustee from the Toolroom_, _Round the Bend_, _An Old Captivity_ maybe. The characters are very post-war British though! ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-my-70-year-old-dad/638128/12 "2012-10-18T22:52:24Z")
How about the original \*\*Ian Fleming \*\*James Bond novels? ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-my-70-year-old-dad/638128/13 "2012-10-19T04:30:06Z")
If you want to induce a heart attack, try **Fifty Shades of Grey**.:D;) Otherwise, i) Life of Pi ii) Kane and Able by Jeffery Archer iii) The Hunt for Red October iv) The Good Terrorist (Doris Lessing). v) Some Orhan Pamuke works like Snow or My Name is Red. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-my-70-year-old-dad/638128/14 "2012-10-19T11:32:06Z")
Most anything by W.E.B. Griffin. ---
**Author:** ![phxjcc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phxjcc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phxjcc)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-my-70-year-old-dad/638128/15 "2012-10-19T12:01:38Z")
For non-fiction Stephen Ambrose, Citizen Soldiers Eugene Sledge, With the Old Guard Utley, A Life Wild and Perilous: Mountain Men and the Paths to the Pacific ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-my-70-year-old-dad/638128/16 "2012-10-19T20:07:46Z")
Michael Connelly Harry Bosch series. > **[Series Order - Michael Connelly](https://www.michaelconnelly.com/series/)** > > The Harry Bosch series order and the Mickey Haller series order. Michael Connelly's characters. Among his works that you may have seen on the big screen: Blood Work, Lincoln Lawyer. I’m 50, and I have really enjoyed them. ---
**Author:** ![Gukumatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/74df32/32.png) [@Gukumatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gukumatz)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-my-70-year-old-dad/638128/17 "2012-10-19T23:19:43Z")
He might like a lot of the early Clancy books. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-my-70-year-old-dad/638128/18 "2012-10-19T23:24:19Z")
You didn’t have any John Le Carre - complex cold war and later spy novels ---
**Author:** ![qualityleashdog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/9f8e36/32.png) [@qualityleashdog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qualityleashdog)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-my-70-year-old-dad/638128/19 "2012-10-20T14:08:46Z")
If he likes history, he might look into Alan Eckert. The Frontiersman is best to start with, and if he likes that there’s a whole slew of others. Historical Narrative, good entertainment, but probably not all that accurate with some of the liberties Eckert takes. Controversial for some on the basis of accuracy, but I didn’t care, it was entertaining. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2012, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-my-70-year-old-dad/638128/20 "2012-10-21T08:54:44Z")
Thanks for all the suggestions folks, will work through the thread and see how he likes it. Will report back on the ones that struck a chord! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-for-my-70-year-old-dad/638128.md?page=2)