30+ Books for Men Who Don’t Read

If you have been looking for books for men who don’t like to read, pop in your email address below and I’ll send the printable list right to your inbox!

The 6:20 Man by David Baldacci
Every morning, Travis Devine rides the train into Manhattan dreaming about the wealth he can see but doesn’t have – then one email turns his whole world upside down when a coworker (and former girlfriend) turns up dead. He gets pulled into a shadowy investigation of his own firm, with a killer closing in the whole time. This one sounds like a page-turner.

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
Sci-fi/fantasy isn’t always my go-to for audiobooks, but if you know a man that is – this was the most recommended audiobook by my audience in 2025! Earth turns into a giant, televised dungeon crawl where Carl (plus his ex’s very opinionated, now-talking cat) has to fight monsters, beat the clock, and win over an alien audience to survive, which is perfect if you love video-game vibes and nonstop action. (Heads up for a lot of language)

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
This is one of those books that I couldn’t finish, but I could see that the premise would really appeal to men! In 2044, the real world is a dump, so teen gamer Wade Watts escapes into the OASIS – a sprawling virtual universe packed with puzzles and ‘80s pop culture Easter eggs that could make him rich beyond his dreams. But when he cracks the first clue, the game turns deadly, and winning might be his only way to stay alive in both worlds. Forewarning – this one does have some swearing.

The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi by Wright Thompson
This isn’t a light read, but it’s an important one. Wright Thompson grew up 23 miles from where Emmett Till was murdered and didn’t learn the truth until he left the state – so he went back and wrote this nonfiction deep dive into what really happened, and who covered it up. Heavy, but the kind of book that sticks with you.

I Will Find You by Harlan Coben
David Burroughs is serving a life sentence for murdering his own son. Then a photo shows up that makes him believe his son might still be alive – so he breaks out of prison to find out. It is now a Netflix series, and honestly, that premise alone has me intrigued.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
This fast and gripping read is about a deeply troubled computer hacker, with a photographic memory, who teams up with a journalist to investigate the disappearance of a wealthy businessman’s niece from 40 years ago. (Beware there are some gruesome and racy parts.)

The Hallmarked Man: A Cormoran Strike Novel by Robert Galbraith
A dismembered body turns up in a silver vault next to Freemasons’ Hall and the deeper Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott dig, the more missing men fit the profile. Add in the slow burn between the two them, and this feels like exactly the kind of mystery you get lost in for a weekend.

The Beijing Betrayal by Joel C. Rosenberg
China is quietly preparing to invade Taiwan, a new virus is about to be unleased on U.S. soil, and Marcus Ryker has no idea any of it is coming while he’s chasing a terrorist halfway across the world. This is the final book in the series, so if military thrillers are your thing, this sounds like a big way to go out.

The Client by John Grisham
Eleven-year-old Mark Sway accidentally learns where a mob-connected murder victim’s body is hidden, and now both the mob and the government want him to talk – for very different reasons. His only ally is a rookie lawyer named Reggie Love, and from there it’s classic Grisham tension. (If you love a good legal thriller, his earlier one, The Pelican Brief, is worth reading too.)

Drowning: The Rescue of Flight by T.J. Newman
A commercial jet crashes into the Pacific and sinks with twelve passengers still trapped inside, and the only shot at saving them is a rescue dive led by an estranged couple who have to work together to get their daughter out alive. Written by a former flight attendant, so you know the details are going to feel painfully real.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Bilbo Baggins rarely leaves his hobbit home, but is suddenly bombarded with visitors who want to take him on a treacherous journey. The Hobbit is full of adventure you are bound to get sucked into Middle-Earth!

Skyward series by Brandon Sanderson
My husband and now my two oldest daughters are HUGE Brandon Sanderson fans and this was the first book I’ve read by him! This one takes place in the future where pilots are the heroes of the human race and Spensa dreams of becoming one like her father. But her father’s actions years earlier look like they’ll keep her from recognizing her dream.

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
We listened to the full-cast production of this audiobook in Costa Rica this year as a family and everyone – from my husband to my 8 year old – loved it. So clever and funny and creative. Definitely an audiobook win, with the stamp of approval from my husband.

The Way of Kings (Stormlight Archive) by Brandon Sanderson
Brandon Sanderson is one of Bart’s favorite authors and even though I’m not a huge fantasy reader, a lot of people recommended this one. It is the story of a land filled with conflict and war where characters from all walks of life struggle to survive.

How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States by Daniel Immerwahr
We think of the U.S. as fifty states, but there’s a whole hidden history of islands, territories, and colonies that shaped the country in ways most of us were never taught. If you’re the guy who actually enjoys a deep-dive history book, this one sounds fascinating.

Big Dumb Eyes: Stories From a Simpler Mind by Nate Bargate
We started listening to this as a family on the road while we were in France – it’s a great family listen that has us all chuckling. My husband Bart also thoroughly enjoyed it, and it is absolutely wonderful on audio, perfect if he is just easing into reading.

Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan
This book just made me laugh so much and you ABSOLUTELY must listen to this one since Jim Gaffigan narrates it and it’s basically stand-up comedy in book form. It may actually be unsafe to listen to this while driving unless you can control your hysterical outbursts.

Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins
Goggins went from an abused, overweight kid with no future to a Navy SEAL, Army Ranger, and one of the toughest endurance athletes alive – and his while philosophy is that most of us are only using 40% of what we’re capable of. This one’s basically a gut-punch motivational manual disguised as a memoir.

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell 
I’ve read all of Malcolm Gladwell’s books and I think this one is the best (although if you prefer essay-style to a full-length book, What the Dog Saw is also fabulous). He talks through so many different scenarios of success, from crazy-successful people like Bill Gates to groups where the most successful people are congregated around a specific marker like birth month. The audio on this one is terrific with Gladwell reading it himself.

Atomic Habits by James Clear
Bart and I both listened to this book when it first came out and couldn’t stop talking about it for months. It can feel so overwhelming and impossible to change your habits, but this really helps you understand how to make it happen and why the littlest habits make the biggest difference. It kind of feels like one of those books that EVERYONE should read. So much so, I put it on a list of books to prepare for adulthood!

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
My mom and I both read this incredible book about a team of young college boys who competed in the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany and pulled off an astounding win against all odds. A year or two later, when we went on a trip to Seattle together, we visited the University of Washington where the team was from and saw their boat hanging on display in the ASUW Shell House.

The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
If you are short on time this might be a good one to get into – since most the books in the 7 book series are under 175 pages! In a future run by corporations, a self-aware security robot called Murderbot (who secretly hacked its own controls) must protect a team of scientists and help solve the mystery of a missing mission.

The Terminal List by Jack Carr
Navy SEAL James Reece comes home from a deployment that got his entire team killed, only to find out the ambush wasn’t an accident – it was his own government. Now he’s got nothing left to lose and a whole list of people to go through. Chris Pratt played him on the Amazon Prime series, so you already know it’s intense.

The Martian by Andy Weir
I just want to talk about this book non-stop, even years after I read it, and I loved the movie too (enough to see it twice!). It’s just SO fun and funny and interesting (and packed with swearing – FYI). It was a bestseller for a reason and a perfect book to read if you’re getting back into reading –  I included it on my list of books for couples to read/listen to together! (Full review here).

Beartown by Fredrik Backman
I mentioned that I hadn’t read this one and I got a massive number of comments saying, “YOU MUST READ IT. IT’S MY FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME.” So it feels like one that everyone should dive into – including myself! 

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Two retired Texas Rangers set out on a cattle drive from a dusty Texas town all the way to Montana, and what follows is basically the definitive novel of the American West. It’s a Pulitzer Prize winner, and if you’ve never read a true Western, it is the one to start with.

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
I knew exactly zero about Phil Knight and the origins of NIKE, and now I’m a fan for life after Bart read this book and passed it along to me with rave reviews. This memoir was completely fascinating even for someone like me and I stayed up way too late finishing it. (Full review here)

Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing
If you need some great non-fiction, this story is mind-boggling (and extra fun since the Endurance -the ship – was just recently found more than a hundred years after it sank). This is one of those stories where truth is stranger than fiction and I don’t just recommend it to men, I think it’s perfect for couples read!

Unbroken by Laura Hildenbrand
This book is non-fiction but it’s so amazing, it’s hard to believe someone didn’t make it up. Olympic runner Louis Zamperini’s plane is shot down in the Pacific during WWII and after surviving on a tiny inflatable raft for 47 days, he’s taken prisoner by the Japanese. And compared to being a POW, the raft time looks like vacation. Probably the best WWII book I’ve read. (Full review here)

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
This twisty thriller was just at the edge of my creepy tolerance and I loved every second of this story of a couple who win a weekend away in Scotland and hope a change of scenery will save their crumbling marriage. But when they arrive at the church-turned-hotel and find it empty, it’s clear that there is more to this trip than meets the eye. How did they win this trip, anyway? With jumping timelines and multiple narrators, the twist in this one completely surprised me. I read a paper copy, but I’ve heard the audio version is terrific too (the husband’s parts are read by the beloved Richard Armitage). 

Red Rising by Pierce Brown 
Darrow is a simple miner on Mars, working as hard as possible to prepare Mars for the rest of civilization. Despite his efforts, he soon realizes he has been betrayed by society. Mars is already thriving with cities, lush greenery and much more – making him realize that he and his people (the Reds) are nothing more than slaves for the rest of mankind. Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the ruling classes school in his design to destroy the society from within. Analese’s husband has read this entire series and has loved every single one!

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson
Ever wanted to understand black holes, the Big Bang, and quantum mechanics but don’t have the time (or patience) for a textbook? Neil deGrasse Tyson breaks it all down in short, digestible chapters you can knock out while you are waiting for your shower to warm up.

With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa by E.B. Sledge
E.B. Sledge fought in two of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific Theater in WWII, and this memoir – pieced together from notes he secretly kept in a New Testament – is considered one of the most honest firsthand accounts of combat ever written.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 
I was a massive fan of The Martian and LOVED Project Hail Maryjust as much too! In this one, Ryland Grace wakes up in a spaceship with no idea where he is, what he’s supposed to do or even what his own name is. As memories slowly start returning, he remembers that the sun was dimming and that there were only a few decades to find both the problem and a solution before life on earth became unsustainable. And he’s now in outer space on a mission alone to save all of humanity. No pressure. It’s full of humor, suspense, and science that’s (mostly) understandable to the layperson.

Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks
After Mount Rainer erupts, a small town goes silent – and the recovered journal of one resident lays out exactly why, including her claim that Bigfoot was involved. Part horror, part survival thriller, part “wait, is this real?” This one sounds like a wild ride!