I love to read and my bookshelves have always been overflowing with books that I hope to some day get to. Ever since I bought my first Kindle, I continue to buy books, but now they stack up in the cloud of the Internet with the same hope of someday being read. I also usually have more then one book going at any given time. In fact right now I’m reading Medium Raw and Delivering Happiness. Talk about two different extremes.
Giving books as a present is something I love doing. I think it really shows how well you know someone, when you can pick the perfect book out for them. I know this year I bought my Dad a couple of books for Father’s Day and when I saw them I knew they were perfect for him. He got them early and reacted just as I had hoped for.
All the links below are affiliate links, but of course you can buy them from wherever it is that you love to buy books. We think these would make great gifts for any Dad on your shopping list.
The Pioneer Woman Cooks
Don’t be distracted by the title of this book or the beautiful and talented Ree Drummond on the cover, this is a cookbook that any guy would love to have in his kitchen. Full of hearty, tasty and down right sinful recipes, this is my favorite cookbook I own (and I own a lot of them). I’m a huge fan of Ree’s photography and it fills the pages with step-by-step shots of each recipe so even the newest of cooks can figure out if they are on the right track or not. Her laid back, sometimes snarky commentary makes it fun to read as well. If you are unsure about this book, you’ll want it for the cinnamon roll recipe at a minimum. They’ve become a favorite in our house.
Heroes for My Son
Kodak sent us a couple of these books to give away, but I had already looked through it at the store and fallen in love with it. Each page highlights an individual that the author Brad Meltzer views as a hero for his son. There are world leaders, sports figures and politicians between the pages as well as a few personal ones. I found this book highly inspirational and while anyone would enjoy this book it would be perfect for the new father in your life. After Father’s Day, we’ll be holding a contest to give away a couple of signed copies, so stay tuned.
Shedworking
Every guy dreams of having their own space. It might be a room in the basement, something set up in the garage or their own full blown man town. But, another alternative is a whole new room in the backyard. The idea of shedworking is that what use to be just to store your lawnmower and shovel, the concept of a “shed” has evolved into something totally new as more people look for alternatives to commuting to an office. Full of photos and imagination this one is a surprise that keeps on giving. Of course now I’m eager to try one of these out in the woods behind my house.
Geek Dad
We are all fans of GeekDad.com (bookmark it now!) so when they sent us a copy of this book we were excited to read it. You’ll never have to go looking for a kid’s science project idea if you own this book. From start to finish it is filled with fun projects that a dad and his kids can do together. Everything from building the best slip n’ slide to building a lamp out of LEGO. A warning though that the minute your kids get a hold of this, you might be instantly busy with new things as they will want to start doing the projects right away. *grin*
1,000 Places to See in the U.S.A. & Canada Before You Die
The name sort of says it all doesn’t it? There is also a global edition, but the reality of visiting most of those is beyond my grasp, so I recommend this one as something with more fun close to home. Organized by state or province, we found it fun to see what they suggested people do in our home states and actually discovered some things that we had never done before. We all have our personal bucket lists, so why not give 1,000 more items to add to the list?
The Council of Dads
I’ve never had a book make me tear up in the first three pages before, but this one certainly did. I actually first heard of this book while flipping through the in-flight magazine of all places. The author who is the father to two little girls finds out that he has terminal cancer and sets out to put in place a council of other fathers that when he is gone can help raise and influence his kids. It forced me to wonder if I was in a similar situation who would I choose with such a deeply personal task? This is not an easy read because of the constant swing of emotions, but it is one you should make the time for.
Emergency
Are you ready in case there is a natural disaster in your area? What if a terrorist attack took out the power grid and you had to survive on your own. Could you do it? These are the types of questions the author asked himself as he wrote this story/how to guide for a variety of situations. Described as “one man’s story of a dangerous world–and how to stay alive in it” I found it to be a fun and informative read. It isn’t a dry, boring how to manual, but you will certainly learn how to be more prepared from reading it.
Now, these are just some of our favorites this year that we’ve read and think would make great gifts, but what are others. We’d love to hear from you what should have been on the list or what we should keep on our radar for upcoming birthdays and holidays for the guys on our lists?
or the 
. Both are amazing cameras if you have the budget for them.
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