Book Gifts for People Who Don't Read

Most book gifts for non-readers fail the same way. Someone picks a book they loved, or one that won a prize, and it ends up on a nightstand with a bookmark stuck on page 30.

People who say they don’t read usually aren’t against books. They’ve just been handed slow ones. What works for them is simple: a hook in the first few pages, short chapters, and a story that feels like a movie. Every pick below passes that test.

Full disclosure: I wrote the first one. The other five are books I’ve watched turn “I don’t read” people into people who finished a book.

The picks

1. The Matchbook — Jonathan Finegold

For: the person who watches military and spy movies but hasn’t opened a book since school.

A CIA codebreaker — a former gymnast, not a soldier — is pushed through Navy SEAL training and sent into Pakistan’s mountains with a team that thinks he’ll get them killed. It’s about 200 pages with short chapters, and it’s built to be read in a sitting or two. Readers who don’t usually read thrillers keep saying it hooked them from page one, and many are surprised by how much heart it has.

2. Bringing Down the House — Ben Mezrich

For: the friend who loves heist movies and anything about beating the system.

The true story of MIT students who took Las Vegas casinos for millions by counting cards. It reads like a caper, and the fact that it really happened is half the fun.

3. Killing Floor — Lee Child

For: anyone who has binged the Reacher TV series.

The first Jack Reacher novel and the basis for the show’s first season. Plain, punchy writing and a hero who solves problems directly. If it lands, there are more than two dozen sequels waiting.

4. The Martian — Andy Weir

For: the engineer, the tinkerer, or anyone who liked the Matt Damon movie.

An astronaut stranded on Mars has to science his way out. It’s funny, told largely through his log entries, and every chapter ends with a new problem to solve.

5. Born a Crime — Trevor Noah

For: the person who’d rather laugh than be thrilled.

Trevor Noah’s memoir of growing up in South Africa under and after apartheid. Each chapter works as its own story, so it’s easy to pick up and put down. The audiobook, read by Noah himself, is a great alternative for people who’d rather listen.

6. Shoe Dog — Phil Knight

For: the business-minded dad, the entrepreneur, the runner.

Nike’s founder tells how a small shoe-importing business nearly went under again and again before it became Nike. It’s longer than the others, but it moves like a startup thriller.

How to pick the right one

• Start from what they watch, not what they used to read. A Reacher fan gets Reacher. A heist-movie fan gets the heist book.
• Shorter wins. A book they finish beats a better book they don’t.
• Paperback beats hardcover. It’s easier to carry on a plane or leave in the car, and it looks less like homework.
• Consider audio. Plenty of “non-readers” listen to books on the commute without counting it as reading. It counts.
• Write something inside. “I think you’ll finish this one in a weekend” makes it a challenge, not an assignment.

Quick answers

What’s a good book for someone who doesn’t read?

Pick something short, fast and close to what they already watch: a thriller for movie fans, a funny memoir for comedy fans, a true story for documentary fans. The six above are a good starting point.

Is The Matchbook appropriate for teenagers?

It’s written for adults but is popular with older teens. See the parent’s content guide before gifting it to a younger reader.

How long does The Matchbook take to read?

It’s about 200 pages with short chapters. Most readers finish it in a few sittings, and early readers have finished it on a single flight.

Get a free bonus scene from The Matchbook