The Martian
Andy Weir
Astronaut Mark Watney is left behind on Mars and has to fix, patch and grow his way to staying alive. A good bet for a man who likes to see how things work.
Books like The Martian All gift ideas
Books for Him
These eight books suit a husband or boyfriend who likes his stories fast and clever. They run from space survival and a virtual-reality treasure hunt to a fantasy heist, a thriller and two funny true books.
Gift ideas
Ready Player One
Ernest Cline
In a bleak future, a teenager hunts for his dead creator's hidden fortune inside a huge virtual world. Full of 1980s games, films and music, and made for a gamer.
Books like Ready Player OneLeviathan Wakes
James S. A. Corey
A detective hunting a missing woman and a ship's officer who survives an attack end up inside the same conspiracy. Gritty space adventure, and the first of a series.
Red Rising
Pierce Brown
A young miner on Mars learns his people have been lied to and is remade to infiltrate the ruling class. Brutal and fast, for a reader who likes action.
The Lies of Locke Lamora
Scott Lynch
Locke leads a crew of thieves and con artists in a canal city of nobles and gangsters. Witty and profane, with a plot that keeps tightening.
Shutter Island
Dennis Lehane
In 1954 a U.S. marshal goes to an island hospital for the criminally insane to find a patient who has vanished. A short, moody thriller that is hard to put down.
Packing for Mars
Mary Roach
Mary Roach asks what spaceflight does to the human body, from motion sickness to toilets, and finds real NASA oddities. Curious and funny, and easy to read in bits.
A Walk in the Woods
Bill Bryson
Bill Bryson tries to hike the Appalachian Trail with an old friend and reports back with jokes and trail history. Warm, and a natural gift for anyone who likes the outdoors.
How to choose
Choose by what he already watches or plays. For science fiction, The Martian is the easiest start, Ready Player One suits a gamer, and Leviathan Wakes and Red Rising are bigger, darker series openers. The Lies of Locke Lamora is a heist story in a fantasy city, and Shutter Island is a short, tense thriller. Packing for Mars and A Walk in the Woods are the funny nonfiction picks, good for a man who rarely reads novels.
Know what is inside before you buy. Red Rising is very violent, The Lies of Locke Lamora has strong language and brutal scenes, Leviathan Wakes is gritty, and Shutter Island involves violence and mental illness. The Martian has strong language too.
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