Father’s Day Gift Guide
 from Barnes & Noble

Father’s Day is coming up on June 19, which means it’s time to put some thought into a gift for dear ol’ dad. If there is one thing I try to do well, it’s selecting meaningful gifts for my family and friends. By “meaningful,” I mean something that they will actually use and enjoy, not some gadget or gizmo that seems cool, but really won’t ever get used. My dad and I are a lot alike, so I have a pretty good sense of what he actually likes and will use. For example, we both have engineering backgrounds, we think the same way, and we both forget or mispronounce words in mid-sentence all the time.

So when I found out that Barnes & Noble had put together a Father’s Day Gift Guide, I was pretty excited to peruse the list and see if there were any great suggestions for my Dad. He and I both love to read, but I’ve been so busy working these days, I’m not as well-versed in newly released books as I used to be. (This is a sponsored post, but we only blog about things that we love and stand by here on Crazy Together. Affiliate links are also included in this post.)

Another thing that my dad and I both love is reading, which makes the Barnes & Noble Father’s Day Gift Guide all the better for picking out a gift for him. Knowing his preferences, I immediately narrowed my search down to a couple categories of books: history and grilling. Let me show you a few that I’m thinking about buying for him.

History Books for Dad

My dad loves all kinds of history, but he is especially fascinated by World War 2. I mean, World War 2 is an endlessly interesting era in its own right, but I think my dad loves it so much more because his father fought in the Pacific in World War 2. So, that’s where I started looking.

The Boys in the Boat Ok, this one actually predates World War 2, but close enough. The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown tells the story of an amateur, working-class rowing team who went to the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics and won the gold medal against all odds. Seriously, who doesn’t love a story of a bunch of amateurs beating professionals, especially when those professionals are Nazis? The phrase “Do you believe in miracles?” comes to mind.

The Secret War Most people know the major battles of World War 2: Pearl Harbor, the Battle of Britain, the North African Campaign, D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge, and so on. But behind every one of those battles was a secret war between intelligence agencies, spies, cryptography, and code breakers. The Secret War: Spies, Ciphers, and Guerrillas, 1939-1945 by Max Hastings is all about the war behind the war, which is right up my dad’s alley.

Outside of World War 2, my dad loves all kinds of American history, especially if it’s military history. There so many interesting topics, from the Founding Fathers to the Cold War to the Middle East. Here’s a few more books that might peak the interest of any history-loving dad.

	Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates The First Barbary War is almost completely forgotten today, but it was a crucial military campaign after the American Revolution that showed the world that our forces could fight far from home and win. Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger tells the story of this all-but-forgotten war in the Mediterranean.
	The Billion Dollar Spy The Cold War involved a lot of espionage and spycraft instead of open war. The Billion Dollar Spy by David E. Hoffman is about one spy in particular. Adolf Tolkachev was an electronics engineer working on radar systems for Soviet fighter jets. Tolkachev become an invaluable source of information for the CIA during the height of the Cold War. I’ve not read this book, but I learned about this story on the History Channel and it is riveting.
	Alexander Hamilton The Hamilton musical currently on Broadway should be enough of a reason for you to buy this book. In Alexander Hamilton, Ron Chernow details the life of this massively influential Founding Father. Alexander Hamilton was George Washington’s aide during the Revolution, founded the national bank, helped establish a trading relationship with Britain, argued for greater powers for the Federal government, and famously died in a duel with Aaron Burr. I’m pretty sure I’m adding this to my list of books to read even if I don’t buy it for Father’s Day.
	Red Platoon: A True Story of American Valor This book is much more recent than the other history books I’ve listed. In 2009, the Taliban surged across the Pakistan border and assaulted a remote Army base in the 12 hour Battle of Kamdesh. Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha led the successful counter-attack against the Taliban fighters and was later awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery and courage. He wrote Red Platoon to chronicle the battle from his perspective.
	Valiant Ambition Nathaniel Philbrick’s Valiant Ambition is an account of the relationship between George Washington, America’s greatest hero, and Benedict Arnold, it’s most vilified traitor. The book starts with Arnold stopping the British advance down from Canada and Washington’s defeat at New York and details their relationship during throughout the war, including the events that lead to Arnold’s fateful decision to betray America.

Grilling Books for Dad

I know, it’s pretty cliche, but what guy doesn’t like grilling? My dad loves cooking and grilling is one of his favorite ways to cook. Heck, he doesn’t even put the grill away for the winter; he just wheels it a little closer to the sliding door on the deck so he doesn’t have to be outside in the cold very long. If the dad in your life loves to grill, these selections just might make the perfect Father’s Day gift:

	Weber’s Big Book of Burgers Jamie Purviance is the king of backyard grilling and he lends his expertise to all of Weber’s barbecue cookbooks. In Weber’s Big Book of Burgers, Purviance walks you through the basics of using a charcoal grill and cooking those most basic of backyard grilling: burgers, hot dogs and brats. It doesn’t get a whole lot better than these.
	Weber’s New American Barbecue Jamie Purviance also wrote Weber’s New American Barbecue to bring you updated versions of traditional barbecue recipes for modern tastes. Not only are there a bunch of great recipes in here, there are a ton of tips and tricks about using your barbecue grill to the maximum extent of its abilities. Trust me, they are a lot more versatile than you think.
	Bob’s Burgers Burger Book If you haven’t seen it, Bob’s Burgers is a show on Fox about a family who runs a burger joint. They have a lot of special burgers with joke names, like the “Bleu is the Warmest Cheese Burger,” the “Bruschetta-Bout-It Burger,” and the “Shoot-Out at the OK-ra Corral Burger (comes with Fried Okra).” The Bob’s Burgers Burger Book features recipes for these joke burgers. I don’t know if my dad is a fan of the show, but I’ve included this book because I think it’s really funny and there are some intriguing possibilities in here.

No matter what you get your dad for Father’s Day, I hope you find something thoughtful that shows you appreciate him and all he’s done for you. And I’m thankful to Barnes & Noble for putting together a great Father’s Day Gift Guide and for giving us the opportunity to share it with you.