Best books for father's day - Share your thoughts and enter a draw to win a bundle of books for the family.

[RachelMumsnet]

Don't panic it isn't upon us yet (15th June incase you're wondering) but after the interest in our round up of best books for Mother's Day we thought it would be nice to do the same for dear ol' pops. What better gift than the inspiration of a great book? (What's more they can be bought up to the last minute on Amazon and are the easiest gifts ever to wrap up).

We're in touch with publishers to find out what's new out there but we need your help. Post up what you think are the best book gifts to buy for father's day and why you think they will be appreciated. We'll close the thread on 30 May and everyone who's posted will be entered into a draw to win a bundle of books for all the family. We'll have the Best books for father's day page up and running with all the suggestions in plenty of time for Dh's big day.

Day I Swopped My Dad for Two Goldfish - tooooo funny!!!

Mine's another sci-fi lover

He really likes Charles Stross- I think the Atrocity Archives is the first one
Any Iain M Banks
Hyperion by Dan Simmonds

I persuaded him to read The 100-year old Man who jumped out of a Window last year which he really liked - rarely reads any non sci-fi.

My first choice has already been mentioned by MadamBatShit - ''Poems that make grown men cry.'' If your Dad or OH is interested in Poetry, I think this would make a lovely present as it has poems - along with explanations - from all kinds of literary and famous men. It offers a great insight into the emotions behind reading poetry. I think it's a great idea because just like books, films and music etc can bring people to tears, poetry may not always be the first thing that comes to mind. Especially when it comes to what makes men cry! I would like to read it myself!

I bought my husband The Histories by Herodotus - www.amazon.co.uk/The-Histories-Penguin-Hardback-Classics/dp/0713999772 for Christmas as he loves history. It's a hefty read but he is loving it.

For Father's day, I will probably buy my husband some more comic books as he loves reading them. Either continue the Freak Angels run, the Incorruptible or Irredeemable run.

Back when I would buy my Dad Father's day presents, I got him 'The Book of Bunny Suicides' and we all loved looking through that because it's really funny! - www.amazon.co.uk/Book-Bunny-Suicides-Andy-Riley/dp/0340828994

Another vote for the Game of Thrones set. That's what we got DH last year and he loved them.

Following on from The Day I Swapped my Dad for Two Goldfish, Neil Gaiman's Fortunately The Milk is a great "dad hero" book.

DH got "Nothing" (which is a science book!) for his birthday which he really enjoyed www.amazon.co.uk/Nothing-absolute-oblivion-insights-nothingness/dp/1846685184/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398799819&sr=8-1&keywords=nothing+book
He likes sci-fi like Greg Egan and also thrillers like Lee Child, anything by Terry Pratchett (but we have all of those). He also recently enjoyed Ben Aaronovitch's trilogy (first one is "Rivers of London") - oooh just spotted book 4 is out next month - think that may be my DH sorted for fathers day!
My dad doesn't read much sadly :(

Not your typical fathers day book but My husband would enjoy Miranda Hart's Autobiography!

He'd also be into things like The Killing (and The Killing 2 and 3 too)

It's a standing joke in our family to buy my dad Mr Men books as he has a very childish sense of humour and matches quite well to one of the characters. It feels a little like childhood to give him one book each year.

Calvin and Hobbes or Garfield to share with DD2 or Asterix as I think they have all the Calvins.

Just for DH a geeky electronics book full of equations.

My husband likes a sports biography especially if they have an interesting past. He particularly liked Paul Gasgoines

The GC always buy DH a Giles cartoon book for special occasions. It is so lovely to hear a very quiet, reserved man chuckle loudly !
I have bought him The Punch Book of Cartoons, which I will give him when it is our wedding anniversary soon.

Well my husband is probably not all that typical in that he tends to read non fiction science or maths books which get me yawning half way through the title. However he did read "The End of Mr Y" by Scarlett Thomas recently after I read it and was desperate for someone who had read it to talk to because I had so many thoughts and questions buzzing round in my head after I read it. Anyway miracle of miracles he did actually enjoy it and said he would recommend other people to read it! So if your husband is a bit like mine, he can't be the only one in the world surely? tee hee, then he might like this book for Fathers day.

The childrens book peace at last (I think maybe by Jill Murphy?) seems to sum up my dp pretty well in this house, working nights and trying to sleep in the day with a very loud toddler in the house. Whenever dp and dd read this book they have a little giggle how daddy bear is grumpy and sleepy like daddy

My DH says the bestest, weirdest, most bizarre but compelling book I ever bought him was The Rabbit Factory by Marshall Karp ... just sayin!

Anything by Lee Child for my Dad. Not 'Dad' specific but what he likes. Sadly the new one 'Personal' is not out in time. At least that would have helped with the usual 'what to buy' issue.

if my sons wanted to get their father a book i would advise Clive Cussler, his favourite author, or else something on sailing. Surely it depends on the taste of the man involved - the idea that a 'father' has some specific category of book he's supposed to like strikes me as very odd indeed.

Anything by Terry Pratchett would be a safe bet in this house! DH is usually nose-down in a Pratchett book at any given point.

Flying Saucer Rock'n'Roll by Richard Blandford is a perfect novel for anyone who was a teenager in Britain in the 90s. If he liked The World's End movie, he'll like this.

The author's other book Hound Dog is also brilliant and shockingly funny but needs a parental advisory label on it!

My Dad doesn't read much fiction (he's only finished 3 books- Jothnathan Livingston Seagull, The Twits & The Kite Runner). I'm thinking about getting him a copy of a book I got for DH - letters of Note, compiled by Shaun Usher. It's a compendium of inspiring and entertaining letters, ranking from a letter from Queen Elizabeth II to President Eisenhower giving her drop scone recipe, to Gandhi's letter to Hitler and Leonardo da Vinci's job application.

There is a lovely new Alan Ahlberg book out called "Kicking a Ball" - it's like The Paper Dolls (weeps) but with a father and a ball not a mother and a pair of scissors.

The Timewaster Letters by Robin Cooper is possibly the funniest book ever and ideal for dipping into.

One that DH and toddler DS have been enjoying reading together recently is "Don't Worry, Hugless Douglas" by David Melling .

Briefly, Douglas's dad gives him a new hat, Douglas accidentally destroys the hat and is very upset, but his dad reassures Douglas and Douglas feels happy again. I thought it was a lovely little story about relationships between fathers and their children that's great for a dad to read with small children.

RE: telsa Mon 28-Apr-14 22:47:33
My DH loves history - a trait he is bequeathing to our DD.....

Funny you say this, telsa - my DH is adopted and one of the few things we found out about his biological mother is that she loved history, particularly historical fiction; something my husband is passing on to his son - is there really a gene for that kind of thing? So we buy anything by Bernard Cornwell, Frank Barnard or Conn Iggulden. He also likes Game of Thrones (he refuses to watch the show until the author finishes the series) which I know is fantasy, but it's been influenced by history and VERY loosely based on certain past events.

'My Dad' by Anthony Browne is a firm favourite in our house. DD loves acting out all of the actions-particularly the happy hippo! The reading always ends with a big father/daughter hug. The pictures are charming and our small board book copy is well travelled.

My DH likes the Peter F Hamilton books, sci fi stuff always goes down well.