Hi all!
My boyfriend said he wants to try reading a book. He said he’ll give the book a chance for 10 pages and then he will decide if he will continue or not. Being a reader myself I know sometimes it takes a bit longer to get into a book than 10 pages so I’m hoping for suggestions that will get him hooked from the first 10 pages.
I gave him Brandon Sanderson’s books last time and he tried the first 10 pages and didn’t like it. I was thinking about Eragon this time. I was also thinking about Atomic Habits because I was hooked from the first 10 but he said he prefers stories (adventure, fantasy).
He likes the following movies/series if that helps: Batman, Joker, The Godfather, Rush Hour, Pirates of the Caribbean.
Thanks!
by SeaworthinessTop5176
32 Comments
Try {{A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman}}. I usually do Sci-fi and fantasy, so this is outside of my norm. I loved this book and then I read more by the same author.
The Godfather is based on a book by Mario Puzo with the same name.
Red Rising
What books did he enjoy in school, if any? Has your boyfriend done anything to research books himself or do you do all the labor? Does he really want to try reading or is he playing along with you wishing he would read?
Project Hail Mary-Andy Weir
Starts off strong, is fast paced, has a good story, and is pretty “easy” on the science portion of sci fi.
You might want to think about getting him a few months of Audible.
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy might have enough happening in the first 10 pages to keep him reading
Have him eat a weed gummy and then drop him in your area’s nicest independent bookstore. Then tell him to wander around until he finds something that looks interesting to him.
Really that simple.
Maybe the Hunger Games prequel
On Amazon/Google/Goodreads you can download samples of the beginnings of books. Have him do a bunch of random ones and see what sticks. **Red Rising** like someone else suggested is great or a zombie apocalypse book like **The Reapers are Angels** or even realistic fantasy like **The Scorpio Races** which has a killer opening line.
I really enjoyed City of Thieves. It was written by David Benioff, one of the showrunners for Game of Thrones.
Anything James Patterson. Very easy to read and usually the action starts right out of the gate.
I would recommend Ready Player One. After the first chapter you are hooked! The book is also very good.
Try Tama Janowitz’s Slaves of New York. The first line is pretty catchy.
How does he feel about post-apocalyptic fiction?
The Mountain Man series by Keith C Blackmore has quite a beginning to book one. You can read as many or as few books as you like. It also has a prequel called The Hospital, which is a longish short story, but pretty riveting.
Razorblade Tears will have him hooked immediately!
I’d recommend free the darkness by kel kade. It has a very quick start and has a lot of action and things that most boys/men who like action and adventure would enjoy.
Jurassic park.
Maybe World War Z? Terry Pratchett might work too?
Murderbot Diaries! First book is All Systems Red
With that mentality, maybe Cat in the Hat?
Jubal County Saga by Bob McGough is addictive 😛
Rise of the Cheat Potion Maker #1: A Cultivation LitRPG Saga
It’s a fantasy book that has a gaming aspect to it. The book is an easy to follow, light (and sometimes funny)reading, well written, and leaves you wanting more.
I’ve read the same series of books that you have recommended him to try and I think we may have similar tastes in books
Have you tried picture books? Maybe something at a 4th grade level?
Why not start with graphic novels? If he likes Batman, well, there are a lot of Batman books out there. Maybe he’d enjoy *Watchmen?* That starts out pretty strongly right out of the gate.
The audiobook of Ready Player One
Fool’s Die by Mario Puzo, author of The Godfather.
I feel like The DaVinci Code is the go-to for this
Regardless what you choose, it should be short. Consider giving him the book version of a movie he likes.
I don’t know if these will hook him in ten first pages, but I think they are good “beginner” books:
– Hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy
– A small short story collection of HP Lovecraft
– First Witcher book (just a bunch of short stories, with some overarching story)
– Animal Farm is short and a classic, though not really a story story and more just philosophical
– Kings of the Wyld is very lighthearted fantasy, basically a love letter to DnD and rock music
– Skyward by Brando Sando has a good prologue if I recall correctly
Give him the Ex-Heroes series by Peter Clines, in addition to Peter Clines being a good author, the premise of those books are a great hook on their own! If he enjoys them you can use Paradox Bound to get him into more mainstream books!
Jurassic Park or the Godfather
Haven’t met a man yet who didn’t like these books.
Ender’s Game is what got me into reading. Before that, I hated reading.