One Man Book Club

Your home for age and content appropriate book recommendations!

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Most Recent Reviews

October 29, 2018 One Man Book Club

#BridgeofClay: It’s heavy. Can you bear it?

October 25, 2018 One Man Book Club

#ThePlayofDeath (The Hangman’s Daughter #6): I’m so glad I didn’t live in the 1600s…

October 10, 2018October 10, 2018 One Man Book Club

#TheFifthSeason: Lots to love and loved by lots. I did…mostly.

October 1, 2018 One Man Book Club

#TheIronTrial: When I grow up I want to be Harry Potter

September 28, 2018 One Man Book Club

#Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds, a.k.a. yet another reason Brandon Sanderson is king.

September 24, 2018September 25, 2018 One Man Book Club

#BloodyRose: Bloody Brilliant

September 24, 2018 One Man Book Club

#CharlieandtheChocolateFactory: God Bless Roald Dahl

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Dan Grover is the book-loving dad of six reluctant readers and the founder of One Man Book Club, a place for fellow parents and other content-conscious readers to find books they (and their kids!) will love.

Look here for age and content appropriate book recommendations

Look here for age and content appropriate book recommendations

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#TheRains By: #GreggHurwitz My Rating: One out of Five Stars Well, dang. When the middle-school literacy teacher recommends a book to your kids, you're safe, right? Nope. We learned that the hard way this week at my house. I always buddy read with my kids if they read a book I don't know, so when my 6th-grader brought home The Rains because his literacy teacher recommended it as something he'd enjoy, I got myself a copy and jumped in. And then jumped back out. The Rains is a zombie book. Zombie books and I don't typically get along, but occasionally one comes along that I actually enjoy--The Girl With All the Gifts, for example. I figured that a middle grade zombie story might be a cool thing. Wrong. Let me set the scene: aliens are attacking by sending asteroids crashing into Earth. These asteroids carry seeds of spore-producing plants that turn anyone over 17 into alien zombie slaves. Their mission: capture all the children. Now, don't get me wrong--I've read and enjoyed some violent books. But this is violence committed by and against children. That puts it on another level. Some examples? Sure, why not. Cont'd in the comments. #onemanbookclub #bookstagram #readersofinstagram #dadswhoread

#TheOne By: #JohnMarrs My Rating: Three out of Five Stars What if love was science instead of emotion? What if attraction was a gene that you could isolate? What if your DNA could match you to THE one? matchyourdna.com is the company that makes it all possible. With their database of millions of voluntarily submitted DNA samples, the world can't wait to discover their Match. No more dating. No more divorce. No more infidelity. No more racism. No more homophobia. Peace. Love. Harmony. Ya, right. The One tells the stories of 5 people who have been DNA matched with their soul mates. True love, delivered by science. What could go wrong? A lot, apparently. After reading it I feel like I just watched an episode of Black Mirror--it was entertaining getting to the ending, but now that it's done I feel heavy and bummed out. Same reason I stopped watching Black Mirror after only a couple of episodes. Too dark for me. I want to feel lifted by my books. This left me feeling down. Some language, some sex, strong violence. Some of you will want to know there is a homosexual relationship. Adults only for this one. Happy Reading!

#Beyond #Before By: #CatinaHaverlock and #AngelaLarkin My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE stars Friends, I loved (A LOT) Beyond (book 1) and Before (book 2) by sisters Catina Haverlock and Angela Larkin. Wait…aren't they YA Romance? Yep. Paranormal romance, actually. And aren't you a 42-year-old dad with 6 kids? Yep. Well, dang. I guess I'm just a mushy romantic after all. Hi everyone. My name is Dan. I like to read romance novels. But I have rules: 1) No shirtless guys on the cover. Or shirtless girls either...but for some reason the girls always have their clothes on. Huh. 2) I must be able to read it out loud to my teenage daughter without her (or me) getting embarrassed. 3) The romance must be age appropriate for the characters. 4) There must be other stuff happening in the book that interests me. 5) It must make me remember how much fun it was falling in love with my wife for the first time. 6) No one can sparkle in the sun. Check. Check, check, check, check, and check. Beyond and Before are a little bit Twilight with a MUCH better female lead, a little bit The Sixth Sense without the blood and jump scares, and little bit Ghost without the pottery. They are a lot bit sweet and romantic, and have some legit, white-knuckle, anxiety inducing moments mixed in as well. Honestly, this story did everything right for me. Set in real-life locations around Lake Tahoe, the story follows 17-year-old Presley as she tries to fit in as the new girl at the school where her single mom has just been hired as Principal. She makes some friends, deals with bully's, takes care of her younger brother who has autism, and falls in love with a cute boy. Who happens to be dead. The romance is sweet. The female lead is strong, independent, and a great example for my daughters (I especially liked when she punched her bully in the face. Yep.) The why-can-Presley-see-dead-people mystery is fun. The paranormal elements are a good kind of creepy. The anticipation of figuring out how a story about a girl who falls in love with a ghost can possibly have a happy ending? Outstanding. Cont'd 👇🏼 @beyond_the_novel #onemanbookclub #bookstagram #readersofinstagram #dadswhoread

This is my favorite kind of text message... Another Dad win for my reluctant readers! Thank you #brandonsanderson for #Steelheart and all your wonderful stories!

#TheHitchikersGuidetotheGalaxy By: #DouglasAdams My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Don't judge. I never read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It's basically the Monty Python and the Holy Grail for fans of science fiction--a little bit funny, a little bit stupid, and a lot bit woven into every inside joke that everyone gets but you. But never again! Because, I never read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy... Until now. It's a tongue-in-cheek journey through the universe after Earth gets destroyed to make way for an inter-galactic highway, and it's everything I expected it to be. See my clever comment above about Monty Python. Well done, me. If you're like me and your knowing laughter at all those inside jokes has been nothing but a lie, go ahead an read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. You owe it to yourself. Oh, and btw--it's a lot of fun, too. No language, sex, or violence. Plenty of goofy jokes and gags that will probably be over the heads of our youngest ScyFy fans, though. 14 and up is probably a good target. Happy Reading! #onemanbookclub #bookstagram #readersofinstagram #dadswhoread

#TheRuleofThree (The Rule of Three, Book 1) #TheFightforPower (The Rule of Three, Book 2) #WilltoSurvive (The Rule of Three, Book 3) By: #EricWalters My Rating: Four out of Five stars Imagine: Everything with a circuit board breaks. Thanos-snap instant. No warning. Lights. Phones. Cars. Computers. Gas pumps. Semi Trucks. Airplanes--in mid-air. Kids are stuck at school. Parents can't get home from work. Fire departments can't respond. Police cars don't run. Garbage can't get picked up. Hospitals can't save lives. No electricity. No water. No money. No refrigerator. No microwave. Everything. How fast would the grocery stores run out of food? How would you get drinking water? How would you keep your kids warm? How would you protect your family? There are a lot of books about the de-evolution of society if it were to all shut down. The Rule of Three is the only one I've read that's accessible to young people. Any story on the subject is terrifying. Why? Because it could happen. The Rule of Three does a great job putting us in the middle of it. It’s the story of 16-year-old Adam and how he, his family, and his community respond to this scenario. Through team work and group cooperation, they accomplish great things—including defending themselves against those who want to do harm. Themes of ethics, friendship, problem solving, being prepared, family love, making hard decisions, society, and human rights are thoughtfully considered. It’s age appropriate middle grade. Unlike most books on this topic, there is no language and no sex. There are violent situations, but no gore. Plenty of drama. It’s a great way for you and your young readers to ask, “What if?” and “How prepared am I?” There is a right-wing slant on issues around the role of government and gun control, just in case that consideration is important for you. Happy reading! #onemanbookclub #bookstagram #readersofinstagram

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