10 Books To Buy Your Dad For Father's Day

Sunday is Father's Day once again. Are you like me and put off getting a gift until the last minute? It’s hard finding that special gift to say thank you for telling me to suck it up and don't take any shit from anyone. Dads are great like, but they're always the first ones to cry when you're in pain. So how do you buy a gift for that, without sounding sappy? Not saying there's anything wrong with sappy, but my dad would probably think I was dying. I'm not big on the fully feels. For me I turn to books, as I refuse to buy him more power tools, (mom's orders,).

He's a big history buff, but also loves the old westerns. I can't tell you how many I've watched (forced) in my childhood years. There's just something about those movies that once you start you can't stop, even if you hate it.

What about you, is your dad a reader? Then why not see if one of these books is right for him.

For sports-mad dads

1. Boris Becker’s Wimbledon by Boris Becker (Blink, June 8, $9.99 Kindle or $24.09 Paperback )

Boris’s story is almost without parallel in tennis, from astonishing teenage talent, to Wimbledon champion, to a renowned television commentator, manager, and coach of one of the world’s greatest contemporary players, Novak Djokovic. In this wonderful illustrated autobiography, Boris shares his unique story, tracing his career through the many changes in the game but which has, at its heart, his loving relationship with Wimbledon, the place where it all began for him.

2. Speed Kings by Andy Bull (Bantam, $10.99 Kindle or $26.95 Paperback/HardCover)

A story of risk, adventure, and daring as four Americans race to win the gold medal in the most dangerous competition in Olympic history. In the 1930s, as the world hurtled toward war, speed was all the rage. Bobsledding, the fastest and most thrilling way to travel on land, had become a sensation. Exotic, exciting, and brutally dangerous, it was the must-see event of the 1932 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, the first Winter Games on American soil. The exploits of Billy and his teammates make up a story that spans the globe, from Golden Age Hollywood to seedy New York gambling dens, to the most fashionable European resorts, the South Seas, and beyond. Evoking the glamour and recklessness of the Jazz Age, Speed Kings will thrill readers to the last page.

For adrenalin junkies

3. Ghost Flight by Bear Grylls (Orion, June 4, $14.52)

The Bourne Identity meets Indiana Jones - a debut thriller to take your breath away. A mother and child savagely abducted from a snow-swept mountainside. A loyal soldier tortured and executed on a remote Scottish moor. A lost warplane discovered in the heart of the Amazon jungle, harbouring a secret of earth-shattering evil. A desperate race to defeat a terrifying conspiracy emanating from the darkest days of Nazi Germany. One thread unites them all. Only one man can unravel it. Will Jaeger. The Hunter.

4. The Bourne Identity: Jason Bourne Book #1 (Jason Bourne series $7.99 Kindle)

Jason Bourne. He has no past. And he may have no future. His memory is blank. He only knows that he was flushed out of the Mediterranean Sea, his body riddled with bullets. There are a few clues. A frame of microfilm surgically implanted beneath the flesh of his hip. Evidence that plastic surgery has altered his face. Strange things that he says in his delirium -- maybe code words. Initial: "J.B." And a number on the film negative that leads to a Swiss bank account, a fortune of four million dollars, and, at last, a name: Jason Bourne. ,br>

For Thrill Lovers

5.Finders Keepers: A Novel by Stephen King(Scribner (June 2, 2015, $14.99 Kindle 17.00 Hardcover)

“Wake up, genius.” So begins King’s instantly riveting story about a vengeful reader. The genius is John Rothstein, an iconic author who created a famous character, Jimmy Gold, but who hasn’t published a book for decades. Morris Bellamy is livid, not just because Rothstein has stopped providing books, but because the nonconformist Jimmy Gold has sold out for a career in advertising. Morris kills Rothstein and empties his safe of cash, yes, but the real treasure is a trove of notebooks containing at least one more Gold novel.

Morris hides the money and the notebooks, and then he is locked away for another crime. Decades later, a boy named Pete Saubers finds the treasure, and now it is Pete and his family that Bill Hodges, Holly Gibney, and Jerome Robinson must rescue from the ever-more deranged and vengeful Morris when he’s released from prison after thirty-five years.

6. I, Ripper: A Novel by Stephen Hunter (Simon & Schuster (May 19, 2015) $14.99 Kindle, $19.01 Hardcover)

In the fall of 1888, Jack the Ripper slaughtered five prostitutes in London’s seamy Whitechapel District. He did not just kill—he ripped with a butcher’s glee—and then, after the particularly gruesome slaying of Mary Jane Kelly, he disappeared. For 127 years, Jack has haunted the dark corners of our imagination, the paradigm of the psychotic killer. We remember him not only for his crimes, but because, despite one of the biggest dragnets in London history, he was never caught. I, Ripper is a vivid reimagining of Jack’s personal story entwined with that of an Irish journalist who covered the case, knew the principals, charted the investigation, and at last, stymied, went off in a bold new direction. These two men stalk each other through a city twisted in fear of the madman’s blade, a cat-and-mouse game that brings to life the sounds and smells of the fleshpot tenderloin of Whitechapel and all the lurid acts that fueled the Ripper headlines. Dripping with intrigue, atmosphere, and diabolical twists, this is a magnificent psychological thriller from perennial New York Times bestseller Stephen Hunter, who the San Francisco Examiner calls “one of the best storytellers of his generation.”

For History Buffs

7. The Codebreakers by James Wylie and Michael McKinley (Ebury, June 4, $19.32 Hardcover)

The True Story of the Secret Intelligence Team That Changed the Course of the First World War. While battalions hunkered down in the mud of western France, anti-aircraft guns took aim at zeppelins floating over the capital, and Atlantic convoys tried desperately to evade German U-boats, another, more secret battle was underway. Down gloomy Whitehall corridors a team of eccentric and pioneering code breakers were fighting for information that would give them a decisive advantage over the enemy. The new technologies of wireless and telegraph were vital for governments and the military, but vulnerable to interception. Cracking the codes used to protect them quickly became a crucial part of the war effort, and London Room 40, led by the charismatic and cunning 'Blinker' Hall, was at the centre of this push for intelligence. Not content to wait for enemy communications to come to him, Hall was soon running agents in other countries, particularly in neutral USA where German saboteurs were intent on damaging the essential flow of munitions to Britain. The stories of Bletchley Park and the spies of the Second World War are well known, but it was Room 40 and their colleagues across the intelligence services that started it all. From the docks of New York City to shady Cairo hotels, this is the gripping and fast-paced story of spies, codebreakers and saboteurs.

For Behind The Scenes Fans

8. A Slip Of The Keyboard by Terry Pratchett (Corgi paperback, $20.91 Paperback)

The late, great writer earned a place in the hearts of readers the world over with his bestselling Discworld series, but in recent years, he became equally well-known as an outspoken campaigner for causes including Alzheimer’s research and animal rights. A Slip Of The Keyboard brings together the best of Pratchett’s non-fiction writing on his life, work and the weirdness of the world; from Granny Pratchett to Gandalf ‘s love life, banana daiquiris to books that inspired him, and from getting started as a writer to the injustices he fought to end.

For Budding Chefs

9. Let There Be Meat by James Douglas & Scott Munro (Orion, June 18, $25.35 Hardcover)

LET THERE BE MEAT is the must-have companion for anyone interested in the art of barbecue and smokehouse; wood-smoked, slow cooked pork and beef, sausages, burgers, ribs, seafood feasts and all the mouth-watering sides that go with them. James Douglas and Scott Munro provide their unique insight into the American BBQ culture, gleaned from seven years travel and hard study in the Deep South, with instructions on how to get the most from your meat. Including matching cocktails, sides, sweet stuff and even how to make your own pig roaster and home brew IPA. LET THERE BE MEAT is the carnivore's bible, crammed with over 100 melt-in-the-mouth recipes that have made Red's True Barbecue a phenomenon.

For The Child Inside

10. Percy Jackson and The Olympians 1-5 Boxset

Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse-Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends -- one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena -- Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.

These are just some suggestions to get that gift portion of your mind working. I'm thinking if getting I, Ripper: A Novel, but I don't know If I want to gift it or read it myself.

In all whatever you get your dad, I'm sure he'll love it to your face. :p.

Happy Reading

-Emily

REFS:
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/action
https://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/thriller
https://www.goodreads.com/..-percy-jackson..olympians
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22609397-i-ripper?...
http://home.bt.com/lifestyle/17-books-to-buy-your-dad..
http://www.amazon.com/books-used-books-textbooks/b/.....