Father’s Day recommendations from Team Bookends

As Father’s Day quickly approaches, here at Team Bookends we’ve put our heads together to come up with a list of all the brilliant books we’ll be gifting to the most impossible-to-buy-for people we know – our dads!

Hannah

My dad is notoriously difficult to buy for (as I think all dads are), but the one thing I absolutely know his taste in is books! Anything with gangsters, crime, or guns is perfect – it lets him live a more exciting life through reading – so for Father’s Day I’ll be giving him a copy of City of Devils by Paul French, which tells the spellbinding and dramatic account of Shanghai’s lawless 1930s and two of its most notorious criminals, SAS Ghost Patrol by Damien Lewis, which recounts the most daring mission ever undertaken by the ultra-secret unit that posed as Nazi Stormtroopers, and finally, my dad is a bit of a know-it-all so I’d test him with The Knowledge – the interactive quiz book which tests you on the world’s toughest feat of memory, the London Knowledge.

Amy

At the top of my Father’s Day shopping list is Forever Outnumbered: an incredibly funny yet emotionally heartfelt ode to modern family life written by ‘Instadad’ extraordinaire Simon Hooper, a father of four daughters. From uninitiated parents-to-be to those who know the ropes in families large or small… even my dad (a seasoned pro at raising daughters) will be able to take solace in Simon’s hilarious and chaotic tales from a life spent forever outnumbered by women! I’ll also be giving my dad a copy of The Man I Think I Know, by Mike Gayle, which is a moving, beautifully written novel about male friendship – an issue far too rarely explored. This is a wonderful, important book which shows that true strength comes with human connection and learning to face up to the world. Essential reading for dads who – like mine – love to take on everyone else’s problems!

Vicky

My Dad is a bit of a stick-in-the-mud. I have been trying to convince him for some time to be more mindful when it comes to the environment – to no avail! So I am going to give him How to Live Plastic Free: a day in the life of a plastic detox which offers some simple changes you can make to your daily routine to make a difference (like always carrying a tote bag with you when you do your shopping). Bit of a passive aggressive Father’s Day present I admit!

Alice

My Dad’s pretty traditional in his tastes: golf, beer, a good rugby match on the telly…so I’ll be giving him Henry Blofeld’s Over and Out as he’s a huge TMS fan and will love the anecdotes and memories that the book contains.