I just found out my grandpa has never, not in 90 years, read a book. But he said he’d give it a try if I send him one.
All my favorites are like 200-400 pages and I think between the newness of it and his dyslexia he should really try something pretty short. Maybe even a novella.
He has no idea what types of books he likes- just something really engaging that sucks you right into the world.
He grew up on a farm in rural Kansas in the 1930-40s and loves reminiscing and talking about doing things by hand lol l he watches soap operas and Maury😂 so he might be open to some drama.
He finished high school and he’s pretty smart but I doubt he’ll stick with something with a lot flowery language and difficult to understand. Especially with the dyslexia.
If you’ve got a short book that’s easy to understand but completely enthralls you while you read it, please send it my way😁🤍
Fiction or non fiction. Just something really good.
by Post_Op_Malone
12 Comments
Holes by Louis Sachar is my go to rec for a really engrossing short book!
All Quiet on the Western Front is an amazing book that might be easy for him to get into reading. 300 pages and not really a difficult read. I feel like giving an old guy a good war book is an easy way to get them into reading lol
The Orchard by Adele Crockett Robinson is a memoir by a woman who revived and managed her family’s Apple orchard in the 30s – I can’t remember the language being flowery, I think it’s pretty straightforward since it’s journal style. He might be interested in that since it is farming and it is pretty short.
Maybe Of Mice and Men? We read that in 9th grade so I think it’s probably not too tough, definitely short, and farming in the 30s again.
The Thursday Murder Club
The Orchard by Adele Crockett Robertson.
Anything by Fannie Flagg, but my favorite by her is The Whole Town’s Talking. It is long, though.
If he struggles with the physical act of reading, maybe try audiobooks! All the joy of reading with some extra accessibility. 🙂
Louis L’amour books would be a good option. They are all very short and straightforward westerns where the writing is not challenging at all.
I’ve read “The quick and the dead”, but there are plenty of them.
The Old Man and the Sea
What does he like? What did he do for a living?
Of Mice and Men
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton? If he’s seen the movie, it might make the book easy to get through while deepening a story he already knows. Even if he hasn’t seen the movie, it’s written in accessible language, is fairly short, and really great!
True Grit by Charles Portis. Short (maaaaybe 210 pages?), very funny, and pretty thrilling/engaging. Not too flowery — actually, a lot of the humor comes from how plainspoken everyone is. Plus, it’s a western. Old men love westerns. He may even be familiar with the 1969 film adaptation starring John Wayne, or the 2010 coen brothers adaptation starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Hailee Steinfeld. If not, it’s the perfect book to read over a few days and then watch the movie!