Dads, Books, Baseball and More
If we’re being stereotypical about a lot of Dads, a common interest for many of them is sports. Baseball, hockey, basketball, racing, golf - do one of these sound like your dad? Bookseller Rachel owes a lot of her “special interests” to her dad - books and baseball being among them. She can remember many nights growing up spent on the back deck of their Pennsylvania home, each reading their own book or playing scrabble, while the Pittsburgh Pirates played in the background.
That love of baseball is still alive and will in Rachel today (ask her about her MFA thesis next time you stop in) as is her love of books. She gifted her Dad The Baseball 100 by Joe Posnanski for Christmas the year before last, which he claims her thoroughly enjoyed. If you need a book for a sports-loving Dad or father figure, here’s a link to more options, for baseball and beyond.
If the father figure in your life isn’t a sports guy, or perhaps you’re just looking for a new recommendation for a book to read, here are some books that may be dubbed “Dad Books” by some, but we know from experience have broad appeal. Ally loved The Wager so much she put it on our Adult Summer Reading Guide. Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder - not just for dads! Any or all of these books are giftable for any reader in your life who loves to read, so stop on by and stock up for the next special occasion in your life.
Dad Books: Not Just for Dads
Bookseller’s Recommendations for Dads
Amanda
Go The F**k To Sleep - Adam Mansbach
This is honestly a fantastic book, especially for fathers of young kids. It's NOT meant to be a kids book, but has the layout of one. Mansbach came up with the idea after a post to Facebook joking about the frustrations of getting his toddler successfully to bed. It resonates with anyone who's put a struggling child to bed, but I feel dad's would really latch onto this one. Using the internal monologue of "colorful" language one CAN'T use to convince toddlers to go to bed, stay in bed, and stay asleep, it's a fantastic laugh for blowing off parental steam. A+
Kim
The Storyteller - Dave Grohl
For Dads who Rock, this memoir of the lead singer of The Foo Fighters is beautifully written. Full of an equal amount of funny and heartbreaking moments, Grohl takes you through the ups and downs of his life and career, all while somehow feeling totally relatable even as a mega rock star. The chapter’s that feature his daughters/family shine just a little brighter than the rest.
Priestdaddy - Patricia Lockwood
It’s not what you think! This memoir from writer Lockwood about her childhood growing up with a married catholic priest for a father and her need to return home to live with her parents for a time with her husband probably isn’t the first book you think of when father/daughter relationships come to mind but this book reminded me that family is complicated and comes in all shapes and sizes and just because yours doesn’t look like how you think it should doesn’t necessarily mean it’s wrong.