Choosing a book for Father’s Day
Books on wine sell. So does a good biography – but only if the subject is a man, Phar Lap, Wesley The Remarkable Owl, one of the Mitford sisters, or former police commissioner Christine Nixon. Literary fiction’s not so popular with dads, but crime, suspense and anything involving spies walk off the shelves. Some history (World War Two-related books especially), most sport and any titles relating to cars also all do well on Father’s Day.
In the book industry, Father’s Day generates more sales than Mother’s Day. This doesn’t mean that men read more than women, but it does indicate that children feel very comfortable giving their dad a book. Another factor, also, is the dearth of good gifts under $35 available to men generally. (You can’t buy a decent tie, shirt or polo top for under $80. With women you have so many choices.)
Fathers should be celebrated every day. But a reminder to those who like to be prompted: Sunday, September 4 is Father’s Day. It’s the ideal time to buy a book. Many book publishers strategically hold off launching a major title until September or October so they can maximize revenue potential during the Father’s Day-Christmas buying season. Booksellers, meanwhile are inundated with choices about what to buy, how many copies, and which titles to push.
If you are confused about what to buy dad for Father’s Day, here are some suggestions. These are titles we’ve observed to be popular choices among our male customers –or among women who are buying for men. You can click and order with us via email, or visit 513 Malvern Road, Hawksburn.
(1) Man Bites Murdoch by Bruce Guthrie $29.99
(2) The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly $32.95
(3) In The Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson $35
(4) Fair Cop by Christine Nixon $34.99
(5) 1835: the Founding of Melbourne and the Conquest of Australia by James Boyce $39.95
(6) Jamie’s 30-Minute Meals by Jamie Oliver $49.95
(7) The Sense of Ending by Julian Barnes $29.95
(8) The Facebook Effect: The Inside Story Of The Company That Is Connecting The World
David Kirkpatrick $21.95
(9) James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion 2012 $36.95
(10) At Home: A Short History Of Private Life $24.95