Recommend me books for menfolks ? please.

[sandbender]

On a tenuous link Biker sent me this little snippet of book lore which I thought was a nice touch

I like that.

 

[Adze]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Norwegian-Wood-Chopping-Stacking-Scandinavian/dp/0857052551

Not a recommendation as to where to buy it mind ';-)

 

[Mesquite]

<br>
There's no fun opening up a book token on Christmas Day.<br>
At least with a physical book in hand they can chill out after our late Lunch/very early dinner, and enjoy it as the meal settles before coffee/chocolate/cake.<br>
Our Christmas is very laid back <img src="images/smilies/biggrin.png" border="0" alt="" title="Big Grin" smilieid="3" class="inlineimg"><br>

On a tenuous link Biker sent me this little snippet of book lore which I thought was a nice touch

 

[Adze]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Man-Mad..._14_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=05KD3FKZYFPBNWT99PQG

Still not a recommendation as to where to buy it but... found another one!

 

[Toddy]

Would they like the 'Freakonomics' type books, or perhaps 'Bad Science' type ones by Ben Goldacre?

Yes but we/they buy many of that sort anyway. Dara O'Briain and the like too. "Eats shoots and leaves" is another in that vein.

Individual recommendations are good though. I am quietly bookmarking a list here

Thanks folks

I think that Icelandic custom would go down well in this house If fact, I think it's inspired

M

 

[Stevie777]

two to start with if they like international terrorists/hired assassins, murder and mayhem and at times incredibly funny..Christopher Brookmyre. Think Die Hard with a Glasgow Accent.
http://www.brookmyre.co.uk/books/a-big-boy-did-it-and-ran-away/

http://www.brookmyre.co.uk/books/a-snowball-in-hell/

or the wonderfully clever and witty, best Robbery in the world of stealing stuff book.
http://www.brookmyre.co.uk/books/the-sacred-art-of-stealing/

Take your pick. Highly recommended by a Geezer for other Geezers.
http://www.brookmyre.co.uk/books/

 

[Klenchblaize]

Response to Tengu's suggestion.

Sorry, but no.
There's no fun opening up a book token on Christmas Day.
At least with a physical book in hand they can chill out after our late Lunch/very early dinner, and enjoy it as the meal settles before coffee/chocolate/cake.
Our Christmas is very laid back

M

Definetly a touch of schadenfreude in that post as I can feel your Kin's pain upon finding a god-damn book voucher on Christmas Morning! Worse than a one size bag of washers!

K

 

[GGTBod]

Another great one which is a total smile spreading page turner is

The 100 year old man who climbed out the window and disappeared by Rod Bradbury

Story of an old man condemned to an old peoples home climbs out the window and goes on the adventure of a lifetime

 

[Toddy]

I had an Uncle who generously sent me booktokens for birthdays and Christmas presents since he'd been told that I was a bookworm.
That long lull between token in hand and actually being taken somewhere with a decent selection where I could buy a book(s) used to drive me nuts. It got so that I really took a right scunner to book and gift tokens.
I know a lot of folks love them for the simplicity and the personal choice, but I find them like the pasta of presents. Cannae be bothered thinking of anything else sort of thing.

M

 

[Toddy]

Another great one which is a total smile spreading page turner is

The 100 year old man who climbed out the window and disappeared by Rod Bradbury

Story of an old man condemned to an old peoples home climbs out the window and goes on the adventure of a lifetime

There is no way on this green Earth that I'm buying that for the 93 year old. He already has me heart roasted as he drives around on his mobility scooter&#8230;.he bought another one not long since, (he wore out the last one ) with 'big' wheels that'll go up any kerb or hill, and a forty mile round trip battery&#8230;.and he drives himself all over Lanarkshire and into Glasgow on it&#8230;.we live nine miles outside the city, and the roads are busy, and he just takes himself off as the notion takes him. He's most dischuffed that he's not allowed to drive it on the hard shoulder of the M74 and M8 though &#8230;thank God, good atheist that I am I say my prayers of thanks for that

M

 

[John Fenna]

It may not be for everyone (the plot is rubbish and the action limited) but this year I am getting .... a good dictionary!
We are Scrabble nuts, my wife a Crossword addict (though she always asks me to finish the hard ones...), my spelling is awful and our old dictionary is falling apart.
A dictionary is possibly the most read book in our house and ours lives next to my chair in the living room (next to the knife strop and the Bible - ours is not a typical living room...) and is an essential tool for any bibliophile... IMHO....

 

[Kerne]

Recently read Ben Elton's "Time and Time Again" - cracking 'alternative history' story.

 

[GGTBod]

There is no way on this green Earth that I'm buying that for the 93 year old. He already has me heart roasted as he drives around on his mobility scooter….he bought another one not long since, (he wore out the last one ) with 'big' wheels that'll go up any kerb or hill, and a forty mile round trip battery….and he drives himself all over Lanarkshire and into Glasgow on it….we live nine miles outside the city, and the roads are busy, and he just takes himself off as the notion takes him. He's most dischuffed that he's not allowed to drive it on the hard shoulder of the M74 and M8 though …thank God, good atheist that I am I say my prayers of thanks for that

M

Toddy it would be criminal of you not to get him that book especially as they are currently making a movie of it and we all know it is better to read the book first, it is a cracker for anyone of any age but especially so for those of us not accepting getting old as a limitation

 

[Toddy]

I agree I think I'm up to nine of them
I have Scots and Gaelic ones too. My oldest one is a South African version of the Oxford English Dictionary&#8230;it is rather 'fauntae"&#8230;.that's Scots for ' faulty/ falling apart'&#8230;but there's no way I'm parting with it

We do actually have Bible in the house. Well, it's a two volume set, Old and New Testament, belonged to my umpteenth great Uncle, James Stewart; published, printed and bought in Edinburgh in 1834.

cheers,
M

 

[Goatboy]

The Norwegian book on woodcutting is pretty darn good as are the Christopher Brookmire books suggested. And if the last author mentioned pleases then Jasper Fford and his series of books where there is a connected universe where all of literary life is real are just splendid. George Formby is the UK's leader and the detective works.in the literary crimes division. Awesome books.
If you're after one for the history buffs that will entertain then Churchill's Wizards: The British Genius For Deception 1914-1945 by Nicholas Rankin is a superb 10/10. Funny, informative and well written.
Ways To Die In Glasgow by Jay Stringer is also fun if you fancy a funny crime jaunt through a fictionalised modern Glasgow. Has a bit of a noir feel as the female PI lead trawls through the seedy underbelly. Made me giggle while reading and fun to read of places I knew.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[Old Bones]

Books are a really personal thing, so recommendations are a bit of a guess - frankly, even if you know the person, it pretty hit and miss.

However, there are some that might suit.

I bought this one this year while in North Scotland - my very basic and rusty geology is getting a bit of a workout - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Granite-Gri...d=1449517634&sr=8-1&keywords=granite+and+grit

William Gibson's Neuromancer, if they are into SF, and I'm a real fan of Ben Aaronovitch'es Rivers of London series - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ben-Aaronovitch/e/B000AP1TJQ/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1449518200&sr=8-1 - basically magic policing in the Met - great fun. Anything by Carl Hiassen - very funny (made me laugh out loud when communting to London, which is kind of embarrasing) - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Carl-Hiaasen/e/B000AQ2LMO/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1449518488&sr=8-1 . Sick Puppy, Double Whammy, Striptease and Native Tongue are particularly good.
More than slightly off the wall is Eric Garcia's 'Anonymous Rex' series. Dinosaurs didn't die out, but are disguised as humans and get high on basil. Loopy, but really fun.http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rex-Eric-Ga...&qid=1449518975&sr=1-1&keywords=anonymous+rex

For films, then 'Final Cut' is simply one of the best books ever written about Hollywood. And not a lot has changed. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Final-Cut-D...UTF8&qid=1449519102&sr=1-1&keywords=final+cut
Serious history. The Sleepwalkers, by - Christoper Clarke - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sleepwalker...8&qid=1449519338&sr=1-1&keywords=sleepwalkers . Will open your eyes about WW1. And if you want decent history and tales of daring do, then Peter Hopkirks books are great - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Peter-Hopkirk/e/B000APBS8I/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1449519651&sr=1-1-spell The Great Game is an excellent start.

Jared Diamond's 'Guns, Germs and Steel is a classic, http://www.amazon.co.uk/Peter-Hopkirk/e/B000APBS8I/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1449519651&sr=1-1-spell

For booze fans - Man Walks into a Pub - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Man-Walks-I...49520083&sr=1-1&keywords=man+walks+into+a+pub , and of course The Good Beer Guide for 2016 (and anything by Roger Protz is worth readin). And of course there is this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cabin-Porn-...ie=UTF8&qid=1449520219&sr=1-3&keywords=cabins In fact there are a whol load of books like that that I'd like. And after they are built - http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Buildin...449522934&sr=1-1&keywords=how+buildings+learn

So many books, so little time. My wife says I have too many books already (Ok, she might have a point....), and she wants serious decluttering before we move (she has even said I can replace them on Kindle). But its not the same, a book is special....

 

[oldtimer]

Anything by Robert Macfarlane may fit the bill. He combines sensitivity to environment, the wild world we all love and a style of writing the envy of many a poet. Your menfolk will surely know of some of the places he mentions and the the ones they don't will still ring chimes of familiar, similar places and experiences.

 

[dewi]

Have you considered some of the QI (Quite Interesting) books?

I get those sorts of books every year and they are a good read... they are random enough to not get boring and interesting enough to learn something you can laugh about down at the pub.

I was going to do a 'quite interesting' pun... but its probably already happened in most people's minds. I'll get me coat.

 

[Tengu]

I understand your distaste at Book vouchers but I have recieved too many naff books to care.

Generaly some novel by some woman author, or the latest pop sci coffee table book.

I could reccomend some I have enjoyed but most are out of print.

 

[Old Bones]

I understand your distaste at Book vouchers but I have recieved too many naff books to care.

There is always the standby Amazon gift token - if you've got the Kindle or its app, then you've got a book that you can choose yourself in about 30 seconds. And there is Apple books, etc as well.