Buddy Reads for Couples

+ My husband's recs

My husband didn’t consider himself much of a reader, though he listened to a few non-fiction books here and there. Everything changed when he picked up Red Rising by Pierce Brown on a friend’s recommendation.

I was certainly not going to miss out on whatever fiction he was reading, so I jumped on board also. We proceeded to read the whole six-book series (mostly) together, and buddy reading as a couple quickly became one of my favorite things.

Here are some of the books we have read together, as well as some of the books we have been wanting the other to read.

Red Rising Series by Pierce Brown

The Red Rising series is a sci-fi, space opera of epic proportions with a complex world, amazing characters, and an exciting plot. My husband was usually slightly ahead of me, and his hype constantly motivated me to keep reading. The Red Rising world is complex enough that I was often clarifying details with him. It was also good to experience the heartbreaks together, iykyk. There are currently six Red Rising books published, with the seventh and final one likely coming out next year.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Husband enjoyed the Martian movie and I kept hearing amazing things about Project Hail Mary —specifically the audiobook. I was in a reading slump when we went for a mountain drive and started listening to PHM together. We flew through it in a weekend and both loved it. It is fast-paced, thought-provoking, and fun to read.

Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

We have rewatched the Lord of the Rings movies together every year of our marriage. A friend shared the Phil Dragesh LOTR audio, and while I prefer Andy Serkis’s narration, my husband and two older kids have really enjoyed Phil Dragesh’s soundscape version.

Mistborn Series by Brandon Sanderson

I started my Sanderson journey this year, and as you can guess, I am dragging my man along with me. Mistborn was a fun one to buddy read—there are a lot of twists and turns to talk about, as well as a very unique magic system, and I was glad to have someone to process the series ending with.

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

We both enjoyed Warbreaker a little more than the Mistborn books. Like Mistborn, it has an interesting magic system, political intrigue, and some fun twists.

Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

I actually recommend this whole series, and hope my husband will get back into it someday. Once I had read a few books from the TOG series, he decided to give them a go, too. It was fun to hear his reactions and takes on the first two books. I didn’t want to wait for him to finish before starting Mistborn, so it’s my fault he got pulled away from the Throne of Glass series.

Books my husband wants me to read

Arc of a Scythe Series by Neal Shusterman

My husband followed up the Red Rising series with Scythe by Neal Shusterman, the first in a YA, sci-fi, dystopian trilogy. He moved through that trilogy quickly, and I won’t hear the end of it until I get around to it as well.

Let Them by Mel Robbins

I burned myself out on reading self-help a while ago, but Let Them has been so highly recommended by my husband, as well as other people, that I’m sure I’ll end up reading it eventually.

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

I pushed us into Brandon Sanderson, but now he’s getting ahead of me. Hopefully, I’ll catch up with him, but he’s currently enjoying The Way of Kings, the first book in the Stormlight Archive series.

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

The Name of the Wind is one that my husband loved, although he isn’t strongly encouraging me to read it because the series (The Kingkiller Chronicles) currently stands unfinished and has for a while.

Books I want my husband to read

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

Dark Matter was another really fun and fast-paced sci-fi to listen to, in a similar way to Project Hail Mary. I immediately wanted my husband to read it, but he had been wanting to watch the adaptation on AppleTV for a while, so we watched that together instead, which was also fantastic. He likely won’t circle back to the book now that he knows the story. There are always other Blake Crouch books, though.

The Will of the Many by James Islington

I’m currently reading The Will of the Many by James Islington. I am about halfway through and loving it. I’m sure my husband would enjoy it because of the similarities it has to other books he’s enjoyed—namely, Red Rising—while still maintaining originality.

The Empyrean Series by Rebecca Yarros

There simply needs to be more female authors on this list, and The Empyrean Series is a staple of the cultural phenomenon of romantasy. Plus, the plot is quick-paced, the banter is fun, and…dragons.

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What books would you recommend to buddy read as a couple?