Non-fiction book ideas for bloke who doesn't read?

[ATV]

An uncle on my wife's side recently had an accident and his leg is in plaster. Currently sleeping in the downstairs spare room as it's easier than going up and down the stairs (they have a downstairs bathroom).

He's got a television with Sky+ but he's not really the sort to watch TV (more of an outdoors kind of guy, gardening, walks etc.)

So I took him a few books. He's 62 and told me he hasn't read a book since he left school at 15, he only reads newspapers. So far I gave him my copies of:

Bravo Two Zero by Andy McNabb
Kevin Pieterson autobiography
Richard Branson by Tom Bower

He's loved what he's read so far. He's ordered the Geoff Boycott autobiography. I tried to get him interested in a bit of fiction (Lee Child, Stephen King) but he didn't like it.

He's asked for a few more recommendations so I'd like to ask, what would be an easy but interesting read for him?

I'm thinking some true more crime (Helter Skeltor, Mr. Nice), business books (Alan Sugar, Duncan Banantyne, he likes all that stuff) and a few cricket and football biographies. Maybe military history?

Could anyone recommend anything else? I'm really glad he's enjoying reading again so would love to get some pointers from guys here.

[Gargamel]

I have been reading Bernard Cornwell Waterloo

Bernard has written many fiction books, including the Sharpe series - including Sharpe the character at Waterloo. And his fiction is easy going light and to be honest slight formulaic ( though none the worse for that)

However Waterloo, is fact, nicely laid out, decent pictures maps, and some anecdotes in there which will blow your mind.

A very nice read, about a famous event which everyone assumes they know something about.

I would recommend

[Pixel Pusher]

I found the following all to be good reads.

Sniper One : Dan Mills - True Story of a British Battle Group Under Siege

Life at the Limit : Sid Watkins - Triumph and Tragedy in Formula One

Wiseguy : Nicholas Pileggi - Journalistic chronicle of the life of Henry Hill

The Damage Done : Warren Fellows - Twelve Years Of Hell In A Bangkok Prison

Killing Pablo : Mark Bowden - The Hunt for the Richest, Most Powerful Criminal in History

Kilo 17 : Harry Ferguson - The Secret War Against the Drug Smugglers

Lima 3 : Harry Ferguson - Taking on the Heroin Traffickers

CQB : Mike Curtis - Close Quarter Battle / SAS

Shooting Gallery : Gaz Hunter - SAS

The Informer : Sean O'Callaghan - IRA / Anti Terrorism

The Profession of Violence : John Pearson - The Rise and Fall of the Kray Twins

Misc sporting characters which were quite good (IMO) Stuart Pearce, Nigel Mansell, Ayrton Senna, Carl Fogarty, Ian Botham, Vinnie Jones.


Wish your uncle a speedy recovery.

[Spiffing]

I enjoyed Duncan Fletcher's autobiography, pretty old now but was a good read.

[Jakarta]

I'm halfway through Unbroken : A World War II story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption. Excellent read so far. Follows the true story of an Italian immigrant coming to the USA, becoming an Olympic standard medium distance runner and pegged to beat the 4 minute mile in the 1940 Olympics that didn't happen and then becoming a bomber in the Air Force and subsequently captured by the Japanese.
Thrilling book so far.
I also understand the Movie is due for, or has been released.

[Planet Claire]

How about Bill Bryson? Funny and very easy to read. My favourite is A Walk in the Woods.

[Fastchas]

Jeremy Clarkson's 'I Know You Got Soul'.
Very interesting book about the best machinery built. A really good read from Clarkson, a proper book by him rather than the rest of his 'cut & paste' attempts from his newspaper columns.

[DevestatinDave]

Just about every book I read is fiction but I certainly enjoyed Carrying the Fire by Michael Collins:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Carrying-Fire-An-Astronaut...

Well written, funny and a good amount of technical detail about the Apollo mission for anoraks (like myself) but not to an onerous degree.

[Pothole]

I always have two recommendations when it comes to non-fiction:

Chickenhawk - Robert Mason

Kitchen Confidential - Anthony Bourdain.

Both written by men's men, I reckon.

[BryanC]

Pothole said:

Chickenhawk - Robert Mason

Agreed - top book shared with my son when we get the bug to rad about 'nam and heli's. A book for blokey blokes.

The OP said somebody '...who doesn't 'read''.

I recommend virtually anything published by Dorling Kindersley as the graphic format is superb with clear and informative text and very easy to sit down and turn the pages.
It caused me to depart from my normal reading topics and pick up Bill Wyman's Blues Oddysey' which took me into a world of music that I knew little about.
Their catalogue at www.dk.com might be worth a search.

[bigandclever]

He's probably fixed by now, but I'd say Bill Bryson's 'A Short History Of Nearly Everything' would fit the bill. As would everything Clive James ever wrote.

[davepoth]

Vulcan 607 is a good one, I'd recommend that.

Truman Capote's In Cold Blood is a fantastic true(ish) crime book.