Does your DH read? Do you read the same books?

[MaineBelle]

I would love to be able to share some of my books with DH and then discuss them afterwards, but alas, he doesn't like fiction. And fiction is mostly what I read. He likes to read non-fiction, especially about war - not really my cup of tea. Some of the few books that we both read: The DaVinci Code, Ghost Soldiers, some Tom Clancy books. Also, I read about 10x as many books as him.

How about everyone else?

[camberne]

Ugh, my husband reads horrid books. They're all military history, military strategy, ballistics, histories of different weapons, or technical books about physics and chemistry. He'll be in bed reading an encycopedia for goodness sake!!

Give me my romance novels and murder mysteries any day of the week over his stuff!!

[Freckles]

We go to Barnes & Nobles together once per month---spend about 3 hours there looking through books, and in the end we both leave with a book of our own choosing, which we read, and then once we finish we both switch and discuss. It has been very interesting, because sometimes we have similar tastes---such as Dan Brown, but often we have differeent tastes, and it has been fun learning more about what we each find interesting. Anyway, it is our own little private book club, and we both love it. :D

[tenofcups]

FH and I both read a lot--usually a few books a week, although it will vary depending on how long and/or intense the books are. We don't usually read the same books, but we do have an intersection of oh, maybe 10-20%.

He just finished an old Michael Crichton book, Congo, which I'm starting now; we've both read all his books. We've both read all the Dan Brown books and there are a handful of other mystery writers we both like. I just gave him the Time Traveler's Wife, which I think he will like. He introduced me to the Hitchhiker's Guide. Sometimes we pass books on to each other that it turns out the other one doesn't like, but that's fine--we keep learning more about each other's taste.

[Lanapoo]

We both read the Harry Potter books and a lot of the same fantasy authors. DH won't read any mystery or romance though :D

[Lil_Mrs_0702]

Mainebell- It sounds like you guys may like the Alex Cross series, by James Patterson. My parents both got really into it, as well as my DH & I. He is the author of Kiss the Girls which starred Morgan Frieman and Asley Judd a couple of years ago. My husband and also read Dean Koontz, I think I will turn my parents on that next.

I lucked out. My husband works at Barnes and Noble. He brings home lots of books for me that are suggested by some of the girls he works with. They have some pretty good taste that I never would have discovered otherwise!

[twinnyme]

Mainebell- It sounds like you guys may like the Alex Cross series, by James Patterson.

We read similar books, including the James Patterson books (Alex Cross series and othes) and then books much like that, I'm forgetting the author names now. Kind of horror/suspense/etc. Then in addition to that I read other types of fiction, including family sagas, romance, contemporary, etc. He doesn't read anything else, though, excepts sports magazines! We both read a ton, though (less now that we have a 7.5 month old) and often go to B&N to browse for a few hours, too, and sit in the cafe.

My one sister reads voraciously and her DH barely reads one book per year. My other sister also reads voraciously (similar tastes to mine except the horror/suspense) and her DH reads only non-fiction. Our reading tastes (and desire to relax by reading) is one of the things DH and I have in common.

[Irish Elf]

The movers hated us when they saw how many boxes were labeled books.

DH and I occasionally like the same books. Harry Potter and the Laura K hamilton books get read by both. I'm into serial killer mystery books and he likes more realistic ones. Occasionally he'll read what I suggest but usually not.

he'd read my romance novels only if he got sex afterwards. ;)

I hope all you browsers at Barnes and Noble are putting your books back and not leaving 3 hours worth of browsing behind. :)

[katmg]

Nope. My DH isn't nearly as much of a reader as I am. He read Divinci Code after I read it and he liked it, but for the most part we don't read the same things.

[LRL]

DH and I mostly read the same books. I have always refused to read romance, and most fiction books. For the most part we read non-fiction, (historical and theoretically based) books in religion and science. Makes for some awesome discussions for us, and a better understanding of each others beliefs and opinions.

[msnicolea]

My DH is so busy with school-finishing up his PhD this year--that he doesn't read as much non-school stuff as he used to. We do have the same taste in non-fiction books, so we often share those. He does not read the same fiction I do.

[Freckles]

I hope all you browsers at Barnes and Noble are putting your books back and not leaving 3 hours worth of browsing behind.

We try to, but they won't let you at the one near us. They will grab them from you and go to work. I always feel bad about it too. :o

[Vishenka69]

We both love to read but while I like more entertaining books, DH prefers more serious fiction. Movers hate us too :D, we have 4 bookcases filled with mostly hard-covers.

[Secret_Squirrel]

Ugh, my husband reads horrid books. They're all military history, military strategy, ballistics, histories of different weapons, or technical books about physics and chemistry. He'll be in bed reading an encycopedia for goodness sake!!


Oh my - I think our husbands are cut from the same cloth!

DH has read several thick books about the history of the atomic bomb. He's currently reading Clinton's biography, but before that it was a policy book by George Schultz.

His usual fiction is something Clancy-like.

I've read some of his books, but he hasn't read any of mine - although he professes an interest in a few. I'm trying to get him to read Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson.

[Vorian's_Leronica]

usually we read completely different genres. BUT I have raved so much about Dune and its prequels that he has started reading them and LOVES them.

except now he is driving me a little crazy. he is sooo into them he wants to discuss them 24/7 lol

I've created a monster.

[bunnybeth]

We're both big readers and have many books. I've gone through most of his bookcase now after a few years of marriage, even the books that didn't sound that interesting were usually pretty good reads. I tend to read more for fun than DH because he's an English teacher and has a lot to read for his classes. Right now he's teaching mythology and scifi so there's going to be more of those books around for me to read soon. :) Besides that, we read a lot (and I mean a lot) of manga, graphic novels and comic books. Those are like reading candy for both us.

Secret_Squirrel, I love Crytonomicon and Snow Crash!

[Amuse Bouche]

I would label DH as a "reader" although he doesn't read as much as I do. There are some books we read individually, and some books we share, though I think he likes the books I recommend to him better than the books he picks out for himself. He reads things because he should, or he's curious, whereas I read things because they're a good read.

[MsPeachy]

No. Unfortunately not. DH isn't a reader at all. Reading puts him to sleep immediately. Honestly, I don't think he ever learned how to read for pleasure.

I'd love to be able to discuss books with him like alot of you do with your husbands but it just isn't ever going to happen. :(

[Myra]

He doesn't read books, only magazines, internet, and many newspapers. But he still insists on taking over the bookshelves with his law books. I used to try to get him to read and would give him books. The only ones he ever finished were Prozac Nation and About a Boy. Oh, and he's going to read my Freakonomics. But I have given up the Husband-should-read-books campaign.

[Sazoo]

My DH & I both go in spurts where we read a lot of books for awhile, & then we read hardly any books for a bit. I probably read more than DH does, though. He's more of a magazine & online news reader than a book reader.

But to answer your question of do we read the same types of books - NO. DH likes science fiction/thriller/horror type stuff mostly. He's a big fan of Stephen King & Tom Clancy, for example, which I have just never gotten into. He's also read the DaVinci Code, which I plan to read one of these days, but it's not high on my list.

I tend to read fiction novels, mostly suspense/murder mystery type stuff. I have several favorite authors that I read - John Grisham, John Nance, James Patterson, & Kyle Mills, to name a few. I also occasionally pick up paperback romance novels for some light reading - these make particularly good reading material for airplane trips, IMO. ;)

[nawsgirl]

DH and I read about the same amount, although he will get obsessed with a book or series and read constantly until he's done then take a break for a while, whereas I am a constant reader. He likes to read everything a particular author has written, and I will usually pick and choose from various genres.

We will read some of the same stuff, i.e. Dan Brown, Tom Clancy, Michael Crichton, and some non-fiction- well, actually he's already read it all, and I plan to. I'm hoping we will be able to have some discussions about it...

Right now he is reading a lot of historial fiction novels that take place in Ancient Rome... I read mainly fiction- the past 10 or so books I've read include Dead Run (P.J. Tracy), The King of Torts (Grisham), Devil in the White City, Diary of a Mad Bride-to-Be, and Mirror, Mirror (Gregory Maguire)- so some mystery, some chick lit, some "best seller general fiction"...

[Kay]

My DH only reads non-fiction books, mostly about submarines and war and occassionally about politics. I hate non-fiction books. I love mysteries, crime thrillers, Harry Potter books, science fiction. I also read a lot faster and a lot more books than DH.

[laura]

My husband reads, not quite as much as I do, but a fair amount. I read during my commute (on the train) and he drives to work, but we both read about the same amount at home. Generally we do not read the same things, but I will read a lot more of "his" stuff than he will read of "mine". We both read all the Harry Potters and he got me to read the LOTR series. I also read Ender's Game, 1984, and a few other books on his suggestion. LOTS of times he will finish a book and say he thinks I would really like it and I don't read it though - I don't know why, I guess b/c there are so many books out there I want to read for myself. Oh, he did read Fast Food Nation after me, and I bought Freakonomics, but he wants to read it too. I love that he reads, though - I don't think I could personally be with someone who didn't.

Right now he is reading one of the Dune books (the third maybe?), and I am reading One Hundred Years of Solitude - I don't think we'll swap when we're done. ;)

[eponymous]

DH is definitely a reader and we share a lot of interest in books. We read at very different speeds, though - I read close to 100 pages/hour and he's closer to maybe 30, so I know that recommending a book to him is a major committment on his part. He does, however, listen to a lot of books on tape, because his commute is 90 minutes every day, so we share stuff that way, too. I really appreciate that he's a reader; not only does it help us feel close, but I know that he understands me.