Check It Out: A reading list for dads on their special day
The Columbian
Published: June 21, 2020, 6:00am
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As I write this column, it’s cool and rainy outside, but the Sunday forecast is very nice, so I hope everyone is enjoying Father’s Day and the start of summer.
I want to offer a reading list in honor of this special day for dads, and I hope that readers will find one or more of the titles enjoyable reads. For a change, I decided to provide publisher annotations instead of my personal reviews. A different voice can offer unique perspectives even in brief descriptions, and after all, variety is the spice of life, or in this case — of reading.
Happy Father’s Day!
“Father’s Day: A Journey into the Mind and Heart of My Extraordinary Son” by Buzz Bissinger (available in e-book and e-audiobook formats).
“The best-selling author of ‘Friday Night Lights’ and ‘3 Nights in August’ journeys across country and into the psyche of his son and traveling companion, where he finds not only the remarkable skills and debilities known as savantism, but a host of qualities we should all emulate.” (Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
“International Night: A Father and Daughter Cook Their Way around the World, Including More Than 250 Recipes” by Mark Kurlansky and Talia Kurlansky (available in e-book format).
“From celebrated food writer Mark Kurlansky, a savory trip across the globe for parents and kids, with delicious and accessible recipes and tidbits both cultural and historical.” (Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing)
“Like My Father Always Said…: Gruff Advice, Sweet Wisdom, and Half-Baked Instructions on How to Fix Your Stuff and Your Life” by Erin McHugh (available in e-book format).
“From quips to short anecdotes, the book is divided into all the sage and nutty information we garner from our dads.” (Publisher: Harry N. Abrams)
“An Odyssey: A Father, a Son, and an Epic” by Daniel Mendelsohn (available in e-book and e-audiobook formats).
“From award-winning memoirist and critic, and bestselling author of ‘The Lost,’ comes a deeply moving tale of a father and son’s transformative journey in reading — and reliving — Homer’s epic masterpiece.” (Publisher: Signal Books)
“Papadaddy’s Book for New Fathers: Advice to Dads of All Ages” by Clyde Edgerton (available in e-book format).
“Edgerton has four kids ranging in age from 5 to 30 years old. After three decades of fatherhood, there are certain things he has learned during his tenure. His way of raising his children involves, of course, lots of humor, but also the sound advice of a lifelong educator.” (Publisher: Little Brown and Company)
“An Uncomplicated Life: A Father’s Memoir of His Exceptional Daughter” by Paul Daugherty (available in e-book format).
This is “a father’s exhilarating and funny love letter to his daughter with Down syndrome whose vibrant and infectious approach to life has something to teach all of us about how we can better live our own.” (Publisher: William Morrow & Company)
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