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7 Father’s Day Gift Ideas for Our Endearingly Quirky Dads

by  | June 9
Book set on table

Oh, dads. We love their awful puns, their reliable-as-clockwork t-shirt birthday gifts, their inability to sit on a couch without falling asleep, that one weird mustache phase… The list is endless. While it’s true that every dad is full of surprises, there are some things about them that are so very predictable. For example, we know for a fact that Dad will treasure these books we’ve rounded up to match his weirdest (and most endearing!) quirk.

For even more ideas, check out Simon & Schuster’s guide on Books to Give Dad.  

The Deserter

The Deserter

by Nelson DeMille and Alex DeMille

For the dad who you’re pretty sure is secretly a spy

With ripped-from-the-headlines appeal, an exotic and dangerous locale, and the hairpin twists and inimitable humor that are signature DeMille, The Deserter is the first in a timely and thrilling new series from an unbeatable team of True Masters: Nelson DeMille and his son, Alex DeMille.

Captain Kyle Mercer of the Army’s elite Delta Force disappeared from his post in Afghanistan, and a video released by his Taliban captors made international headlines. But circumstances were murky: Did Mercer desert before he was captured? Then a second video sent to Mercer’s Army commanders leaves no doubt: the trained assassin and keeper of classified Army intelligence has willfully disappeared. When Mercer is spotted a year later in Caracas, Venezuela, Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor of the Criminal Investigation Division fly out to bring Mercer back to America—preferably alive. Brodie knows this is a difficult mission, made more difficult by his new partner’s inexperience, by their undeniable chemistry, and by Brodie’s suspicion that Maggie Taylor is reporting to the CIA.

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I Don't Want to Die Poor

I Don't Want to Die Poor

by Michael Arceneaux

For the dad who can’t stop saying “Money doesn’t grow on trees”

Ever since Oprah Winfrey told the 2007 graduating class of Howard University, “Don’t be afraid,” Michael Arceneaux has been scared to death. You should never do the opposite of what Oprah instructs you to do, but when you don’t have her pocket change, how can you not be terrified of the consequences of pursuing your dreams?

Michael has never shied away from discussing his struggles with debt, but in I Don’t Want to Die Poor, he reveals the extent to which it has an impact on every facet of his life. In Michael’s voice, these razor-sharp essays will still manage to make you laugh and remind you that you’re not alone in this often intimidating journey.

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The Pioneers

The Pioneers

by David McCullough

For the dad who recites historical facts daily

Pulitzer Prize–winning historian David McCullough rediscovers the settling of the Northwest Territory by courageous pioneers who overcame incredible hardships to build a community based on ideals that would define our country. Drawn in great part from a rare and all-but-unknown collection of diaries and letters by the key figures, The Pioneers is a uniquely American story of people whose ambition and courage led them to remarkable accomplishments.

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Upstream

Upstream

by Dan Heath

For the Mr. Fix-It dad

So often in life, we get stuck in a cycle of response. We put out fires. We deal with emergencies. We stay downstream, handling one problem after another, but we never make our way upstream to fix the systems that caused the problems. Cops chase robbers, doctors treat patients with chronic illnesses, and call-center reps address customer complaints. But many crimes, chronic illnesses, and customer complaints are preventable. So why do our efforts skew so heavily toward reaction rather than prevention?

Upstream probes the psychological forces that push us downstream—including “problem blindness,” which can leave us oblivious to serious problems in our midst. And Heath introduces us to the thinkers who have overcome these obstacles and scored massive victories by switching to an upstream mindset. How many problems in our lives and in society are we tolerating simply because we’ve forgotten that we can fix them?

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Self-Care for Men

Self-Care for Men

by Garrett Munce

For the dad who jokes about his bald spot

Taking care of your mind, body, and soul is important to living a longer, more satisfying life and helps you feel confident in your daily interactions with others. In Self-Care for Men, author Garrett Munce—grooming editor for Esquire and Men’s Health and confirmed self-care practitioner—teaches you how to improve your physical and mental health and overall well-being through these easy and practical tips and exercises—from grooming to meditation—that are proven to work. This straightforward and illuminating guide offers self-care techniques, perfect for fathers who want to look better and feel more calm, focused, and happy.

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Golf's Holy War

Golf's Holy War

by Brett Cyrgalis

For the dad who has watched Moneyball at least ten times

Just as Michael Lewis’s Moneyball captured baseball at a technological turning point, Brett Cyrgalis’s Golf’s Holy War takes us inside golf’s clash between its beloved artistic tradition and its analytic future. But Golf’s Holy War is more than just a book about golf—it’s a story about modern life and how we are torn between resisting and embracing the changes brought about by the advancements of science and technology. It’s also an exploration of historical legacies, the enriching bonds of education, and the many interpretations of reality.

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This Tender Land

This Tender Land

by William Kent Krueger

For the dad who loves a good novel to enjoy with his glass of bourbon

In the summer of 1932, on the banks of Minnesota’s Gilead River, Odie O’Banion is an orphan confined to the Lincoln Indian Training School, a pitiless place where his lively nature earns him the superintendent’s wrath. Forced to flee after committing a terrible crime, he and his brother, Albert, their best friend, Mose, and a brokenhearted little girl named Emmy steal away in a canoe, heading for the mighty Mississippi and a place to call their own.

Over the course of one summer, these four orphans journey into the unknown and cross paths with others who are adrift, from struggling farmers and traveling faith healers to displaced families and lost souls of all kinds. With the feel of a modern classic, This Tender Land is an enthralling, big-hearted epic that shows how the magnificent American landscape connects us all, haunts our dreams, and makes us whole.

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Photo Credit // Atria Books

Categories // Bookish Lists

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