I don’t often think about the personal lives of authors of the books I read . Once in a while I get a glimpse of something from their life if they mention it in a note usually related to why they wrote that particular book. I’ve read a couple of memoirs by writers, but mostly they remain separate from their work for me. I try not to think about Fitzgerald or Hemingway, choosing to focus on their books that I love . With Fredrik Backman, this will be different.

I have been a fan of Fredrik Backman from when I read [book:A Man Called Ove|18774964]. Since then I have read every novel, novella or short story that he has written and that has been available in the US. One of the things I love most about [book:Beartown|33413128] and [book:Us Against You|36373463] is how he turns seemingly simple phrases and perfectly depicts unconditional parental love . This book is a perfect illustration of why he can so beautifully convey that in his fiction. This collection of essays with advice to his son about what it was like to become a father for the first time, the love, the care, the mistakes, things he wanted to impart to his son about “stuff”, about life, the everyday things like poop diapers as well as the big picture, but mostly about love. It actually reads like love letters to his son and also to his wife. It’s full of wisdom and humor, the reality of being a first time parent and it is full of so much love. I’ll read whatever he publishes, but I will have a hard time separating the man from his art and that’s fine with me. I love how he conveys who he is in the lovely book.

I read this practically in one sitting. It’s that addictive. I highly recommend it to Backman fans and anyone else who might be looking for a fantastic read that will definitely make you laugh, probably make you cry and give you some things to think about, both large and small in your own life.


I received this ARC was provided by Atria via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love this author! His way of writing is easy to read and flows nicely. This book was short and quick to read, but was really heartfelt and funny. I really enjoyed it!

4.5 Stars

Laughs, lots of laughs....words of wisdom....oh so true observations....and mishaps, can't forget the mishaps!

THINGS MY SON NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT THE WORLD brought back so many, now laughable, memories from when my son was a baby and toddler. Although times have greatly changed, some things just don't....like poop.

Backman begins with poop....lots of poop....all different kinds and colors of poop. When will it arrive, always at inopportune times, of course (will not forget the explosion my son served up at his baptism) and why doesn't it arrive. Hilarious!

And, besides the discussion of poop, and the crap you have to buy for poop (like a Jabba the Hut potty, lol) here are a few other favorite Backman moments of mine in this work of non-fiction.

****OMGOSH, The Jurassic Park T. Rex stare down event. I can just picture it and am still cracking up about it!

****The spit incident of how not to clean a child's face!

****The, if I had a tattoo....perfect!

****The elevator/stroller mishap....yikes! That one is scary!

Anyway, I could go on and on with the many trips to IKEA and furniture assembly....more stuff you have to buy, the answer to why we have wars, (that's a good one) and oh yeah, the strength of a woman.

Release date not until May 7, 2019 so I know I'm not supposed to quote from this novel, but oh how I wanted to!

***Arc provided by Atria Books in exchange for honest review***

Funny and touching. Backman reminds everyone that parenting is hard but worth it, and it's impossible to be a perfect parent, but the most important thing is to enjoy every minute of it.

Fredrik Backman has a way with words. This way manipulates the reader to feel all the feelings.
Things My Son Needs to Know about the World is exactly what I need in a book right now: humor, sweetness, love, and realism.
I'm a mom to two little girls (not boys). A lot of parents, including me, read a crap ton of parenting books. I have a few favorites. My favorites are real. They talk about the moments when we fail as parents.. I can relate to failures in parenting. Ha! Backman embraces the realism in such a comforting way. I feel like he's talking with me on the phone or next to me on the couch.
The heart behind the stories and lessons are exactly what I want for my daughters.
I absolutely adored this book. I can't wait for it to come out and share with all my parent friends/family and prospective parents.
I laughed, smiled and my heart warmed. This is the best parenting book I have ever read.
When my daughters get older, I'll smile and hand them this book and say, "Here, this explains everything."

I love Backman's writing in all of his previous books, and this one didn't disappoint. A great, quick read with little wisdom shots on parenting. This book hits home to me with a five year old, and expecting a baby in the next three weeks. There were moments when I thought "yep" because I agreed so strongly. Chapters on poop, mom being a superhero, pre-eating before attending a function, are all wonderful. Great book and highly recommend.

A little book with a lot of love-- it's pure Fredrik Backman. A bit autobiographical, you get little glimpses into his family life, and you can see where he gets some of his ideas for his books.

The much-loved author of the novels "A Man Called Ove" and "Beartown" has written this little book of essays dedicated to his son. Backman's typical conversational style of writing is present in this work of nonfiction. His blend of heart and humor is exactly why his books are so popular with such a wide audience. In this piece, Backman lays out his advice over 12 different lessons, including "What You Need to Know About Being a Man" and "What You Need to Know About IKEA". In between the lessons, he has these short anecdotes that are also hilarious and honestly relatable. In my reading of the book, I found it to be endearing and a potential great gift for any Father's Day. There were many laugh out loud sections and I felt like it could describe my husband's potential future parenting style. It was a great book to pick up and put down and I would recommend this book for anyone needing a few laughs. It wasn't the deepest of Backman's bibliography but I doubt it was intended to be.

This book is definitely cute and Backman has a fun sense of humor. However, it did get a bit tiring to always hear about “your mom” in a way that made her seem like a drag. He does express his lover for her but there are a lot of jokes made that include how she doesn’t understand this manly thing, or how she is so different from him. That part got old to me. I do think this would make a nice gift for a new dad - there is no doubt Backman loves his kids and has their best interests at heart.

Thank you to the publisher for providing this ARC through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

4.25 Stars* (rounded down)

Fredrik Backman - throughout every single essay in “Things My Son Needs to Know About the World” I felt your immense love for your son. It bursts forth like the air escaping out of a balloon: whoosh!! It’s mad, crazy, fabulous love.

Reading this, I laughed hysterically at times, where I felt my whole body convulsing with laughter and then there were moments, where I felt my eyes fill and I felt tears at the back of my throat and I knew that you had done it yet again.

My personal favorites:

“What you need to know about my expectations of you.” (Laugh, laugh, cry cry!). Utterly brilliant. Superpowers, right on! Professor X would be proud!

“Marked for Life” - So hysterically funny that I belted out laughing in public and had to put my head down to hide my face. Milk puke.. yeah, that’s good stuff right there.

“I’ll be wrong no matter what you do. That’s how it feels.” Good one. Enough Said.

“I’m not saying it’s the only reason I love her.” Pure perfection.

“Why it’s not worth arguing with your mother.” Lesson learned! Bawahaa!!!

“What you need to know about love.” Love. Just lots and lots of it.

As if I didn’t already love Fredrik Backman - “Things My Son Needs to Know About the World” - made me love him more. I sit here with a smile and a warm fuzzy feeling in my heart. Fredrik Backman, you bring feelings out of me every single time. Love it! I highly recommend this for those of you who are looking to feel “something” - whether you have kids or not.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Atria and to Fredrik Backman for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Published on NetGalley and Goodreads on 3.3.19.
*Will be published on Twitter on release date. Excerpt to be published on Instagram.

Everyone needs this book!! I always get excited to start a new Fredrik Backman novel and from the very first page of Things My Son Needs to Know about the World, I knew I was in for an epic read (as per usual)! My first instinct was to shout out to everyone I know to pre-order Things My Son Needs to Know about the World for the perfect Father’s Day gift, but actually, I think it would make a fantastic Mother’s Day gift too! I laughed, I cried, but most of all found this novel 100% relatable and heartwarming! Every single line I found myself nodding my head and thinking Fredrik’s writing was spot-on! Fredrik Backman has pulled at my heartstrings with every novel he has written and I find myself constantly recommending them all the time, but this 5 star gem should be required reading—it’s just that good! I’m already looking forward to reading Fredrik’s next novel!!

I have loved Fredrik Backman since reading 'A Man Called Ove' --he blew me away
I have eagerly read every book since. I have bought A Man Called Ove, Beartown, Us Against You (I do not buy books normally as I read too much)- I had to own these and they have a special place on my bookshelf.
I have recommended his books to friends and patrons creating more fans of Fredrik Backman.
He is a top author for me!
I was amazed when I saw that he wrote a nonfiction book on his fatherhood with his son.
Then I started reading...
Open to "To my son: I want to apologize. For everything I'm going to do over the next eighteen or so years'"
I am now holding my breath ... WOW ...cannot stop reading

Reading about IKEA shopping, brought a smile as I remember IKEA shopping with family in Minnesota.
Telling his son, words of wisdom, advice, anecdotes, and memories
The recipe for Fried Snickers Ice Cream had me laughing out loud, then making notes to look for ingredients.
Then laughing about "growling" at a dinner party

I look forward to this book being released, I will be buying it and adding it to my bookshelf
I am also looking forward to A Man Called Ove Movie with Tom Hanks.

I will be checking final copy, but some top quotes for me are:
Play, Learn, Grow up, Follow your passions, Do your best, Hold on to friends
Be kind when you can, tough when you need to be
Don't go against the direction of the painted arrows
Words matter, Be better
Be honest and brave and just
**Don't we all need to follow these words of wisdom**

Adorable and thoughtful and I want to buy a copy for every new parent and those young parents at heart!

The only reason that I did not read this book in one sitting is because I had to go to work. Mr. Backman's look at fatherhood is both funny and poignant. Laugh out loud funny. There are also some great tips about life. The chapter using wrestling characters to make a point was fantastic. Mr. Backman, I have read everything you've released in the US and will continue to do so. You get better with each book. Keep them coming!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC. it has not influenced my review.

Except for the fact that my husband (and our son) are big Hotspurs fans and can't stand Manchester, this would be a really fun gift for him. (The author makes his Manchester alliance very clear throughout the book.)

While nothing like the author's previous book, this is a humorous, feel-good book about fatherhood (which I think a lot of new mothers can relate to, as well, or at least any with a sense of humor about parenting.) The text -- which isn't very dense to begin with -- is broken up with funny asides, which I read out loud to my husband as I was reading because I was laughing and got many eye rolls in return, which usually means he thinks it's funny, but it's from me so he doesn't want to admit it.

Overall, a fun, short read.

I love all of Frederik Backman's books and this is no exception! Cannot wait to gush about all the things when this book comes out! also, yes I did find a bit of a disconnect because I am not a parent but I didnt even care. still loved it!

I've been a Fredrik Backman fan for quite some time. I didn't start with A Man Called Ove like many others did. I read that book and thought it was okay. I didn't dislike it but I also wasn't blown away like many seemed to be. And I thought that was going to be it between me and Fredrik Backman. I figured I'd given him a chance and it was okay but nothing to write home about.

Then, a few years ago, my friend K told me I had to read My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry and I said "Oh, I've read that author before, I'm not a huge fan." But she insisted that this book was different and I was going to love it. I rarely turn down book recommendations and I really like my friend K so I decided to give it a shot.

I didn't get up from the chair the whole time I read that book. I laughed, I cried, I couldn't believe someone could write like that.

Thus began my journey to read everything Fredrik Backman has written since. His ability to weave wisdom and depth into his characters and his stories is unparalleled. His stories touch my soul and connect with me in the best ways a book can.

This book is written for his son and it's full of short stories and really short stories about lessons he imparts and really funny anecdotes from when his son was a newborn. It's personal and nonfiction but yet it's full of his magical stories, his sense of humor and his deep, magical way of connecting with his readers on things that matter.

My favorite part, of course, was the Money Island 3 solution. As a fan of Lucasfilms games, that made me laugh out loud. There are so many bits of my childhood in this book. So many ways in which I could relate to the author as a person. I am delighted to find that this author whose books I love also seems to be a wonderful person. (Not that I am all that surprised.)

Many bits of this book reminded me of Nick Hornby whom I also love. If you haven't read Backman before, I would have to recommend you start with My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry and then I am pretty confident that you will feel compelled to make your way through everything he's ever written. Then you'll finally end up on this one and you'll have a giant smile when you find out the person behind all those books is as hilarious and magical as you hoped he would be.

big thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in return for an honest review