21 Books for Men You Need to Read, According to Guys

Recommended by: Cory Leadbeater, author of The Uptown Local: Joy, Death and Joan Didion

Genre: Classic fiction

Nearing its 100th anniversary, Virginia Woolf’s 1927 classic centers on a family’s summer vacations to their home on the Scottish coast. In To the Lighthouse, Woolf explores the relationship between men and women and the conflicts they endure, laying the groundwork for the rise of feminism.

Why he loves it: “I can think of no prose writer in English more capable of articulating the sometimes-magnificent, sometimes-maddening inner workings of the human brain. How do we deal with the passage of time, the certainty of death, the mysterious love of our family and friends, and our desperation to feel, for the slightest of moments, actually known? Woolf takes on these questions without ever presuming they might have simple answers. In To The Lighthouse, a well-lived, meaningful life can take many forms: an academic near the end of his good-but-not-transcendent career, a devoted and wildly creative mother with a gift for knowing her children, a young painter desperately clinging to her vision in the face of her own artistic limitations. I think anyone who reads this book will feel they have at last understood something fundamental to the human condition and also that they themselves have at last been understood.”

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At Reader’s Digest, we’ve been sharing our favorite books for over 100 years. We’ve worked with bestselling authors including Susan Orlean, Janet Evanovich and Alex Haley, whose Pulitzer Prize–winning Roots grew out of a project funded by and originally published in the magazine. Through Fiction Favorites (formerly Select Editions and Condensed Books), Reader’s Digest has been publishing anthologies of abridged novels for decades. We’ve worked with some of the biggest names in fiction, including James Patterson, Ruth Ware, Kristin Hannah and more. The Reader’s Digest Book Club, helmed by Books Editor Tracey Neithercott, introduces readers to even more of today’s best fiction by upcoming, bestselling and award-winning authors. For this piece, Pamela Brill tapped her experience as a seasoned journalist specializing in books and a regular contributor to Publishers Weekly to ensure that all information is accurate and offers the best possible advice to readers. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing, and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Sources:

• Statista: “54% of Americans read a book this year”
• Gallup: “Americans Reading Fewer Books Than in Past”
• Abraham Verghese, physician, professor and the author of books including The Covenant of Water and Cutting for Stone; email interview, June 4, 2023
• Michael Connelly, author of 39 crime fiction and detective novels, including the Lincoln Lawyer series, and executive producer of two television series based on his books; email interview, May 15, 2024
• Walter Mosley, author of over 60 books, including Devil in a Blue Dress, and an inductee of the New York State Writers Hall of Fame; email interview, May 14, 2024
• Tommy Orange, author of Wandering Stars and There There, a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize; email interview, May 17, 2024
• Jack Carr, former Navy SEAL and author of books including The Terminal List and True Believer; email interview, May 31, 2023
• Timothy Egan, former columnist for the New York Times and author of books including A Fever in the Heartland and A Pilgrimage to Eternity; email interview, June 7, 2023
• James Comey, former director of the FBI and author of books including Central Park West and A Higher Loyalty; email interview, June 6, 2023
• Brad Thor, author of books including The Lions of Lucerne and The Last Patriot; email interview, June 5, 2023
• DJ Hess, librarian at Brentwood Public Library in New York; email interview, June 5, 2023
• Garrison Keillor, radio personality and author of books including Cheerfulness and Lake Wobegon Days; email interview, June 1, 2023
• Nelson DeMille, author of books including The Maze and Plum Island; email interview, June 5, 2023
• Michael Buono, reference librarian at Brentwood Public Library in New York; email interview, June 5, 2023
• James Trevino, co-founder of @booktours360 and @mybookfeatures; email interview, June 2, 2023
• William Kent Krueger, author of books including The River We Remember and This Tender Land; email interview, June 6, 2023
• Nick Ziino, librarian at Brentwood Public Library in New York; email interview, June 5, 2023
• Adam White, writing instructor and author of The Midcoast; email interview, May 16, 2024
• Jay McInerney, screenwriter and author of books including Bright Lights, Big City and Bright, Precious Days; email interview, May 15, 2024
• Douglas Preston, journalist, co-author of thrillers including The Cabinet of Dr. Leng and author of six solo novels, including the Wyman Ford series; email interview, May 15, 2024
• Garth Risk Hallberg, author of The Second Coming and City on Fire; email interview, May 14, 2024
• Paolo Bacigalupi, author of science fiction and fantasy books including The Windup Girl and The Water Knife; email interview, May 14, 2024
• Evan S. Porter, author of Dad Camp; email interview, May 15, 2024
• Cory Leadbeater, author of The Uptown Local: Joy, Death and Joan Didion; email interview, May 17, 2024