By Pam Moore

My dad taught me how to ride a two-wheeler and float on my back. He taught me how to drive a car, how to check my oil and tire pressure, and how to haggle with a car salesman. He also taught me the pleasure of getting lost in a book, something I watched him do regularly.

If you’re in the mood for a novel featuring an awesome dad, these won’t let you down.

1. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Set in Europe during World War II, the story focuses on two characters and how their paths eventually converge. When Marie-Laure goes blind at the age of 6, her father, Daniel, builds her an exact replica of their Paris neighborhood in miniature, so she can navigate independently.

When the Nazis invade France years later, Daniel flees to the safety of an uncle’s coastal fortress with Marie-Laure on his back. Unbeknownst to Marie-Laure, they are smuggling a sought-after jewel her father took from the museum where he worked before their exile.

Meanwhile, in Germany, the Nazis have plucked young Werner from his orphanage because of his incredible aptitude for radio repair. Initially thrilled for the opportunity, Werner is soon horrified by the atrocities he witnesses in the Hitler Youth Academy.

Eventually, he is tasked with following the activities of the French Resistance, an assignment that nudges him ever closer to Marie-Laure's hiding spot.

The beautiful prose and masterful storytelling beg you to ask yourself what you would do in the same circumstances, while compelling you to keep turning pages.

2. Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng. Though it appears the story is set in motion with the mysterious death of teenage Lydia, it actually begins before she is even born. In this mystery-meets-love-story-meets-tragedy, Ng peels back layers of family history that led to the unfortunate series of events precipitating Lydia’s demise.

Born to Chinese immigrant parents, her father, James, grows up in the 1950s with a longing to assimilate into U.S. culture. He hopes to fulfill that longing by marrying the blue-eyed, blonde-haired Marilyn. Marilyn, however, is desperate to forge a path as a doctor, a dream that is derailed when she and James start a family.

This is the story of failed dreams, expectations, and desires of a family who, despite their love for each other, are strangers to one another.

3. The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman. Set in Australia just after the first World War, this is the story of Tom, his wife, Isabel, and the baby they find alone in a rowboat washed up on the shore of the desolate island where Tom works as the lighthouse keeper.

After surviving the horrors of the war, Tom enjoys the predictable life he shares with Isabel and wants nothing more than to make her happy. Despite his misgivings, he gives in to Isabel's desperate wish to keep the baby. Tom must grapple with the reality of what they took from another family when they claimed the baby they found as their own.

Tom is caught in a moral dilemma that will keep you turning the pages way after your bedtime. This is a book about truth, love, and loyalty that you should not read without tissues nearby.

4. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. This touching story is told from the perspective of the protagonist’s dog. Garth Stein does such an excellent job of letting the dog tell the story, it never even feels weird that a dog is the one giving you all the details. (And, no, I am not the kind of person who shares a bed/hamburger/kiss with her dog. I don’t even have a dog.)

Enzo, the dog, is a shrewd (if biased) observer of human nature. He is also fiercely loyal to his owner, Denny, who is a race car driver, a mechanic, and an all-around stand-up guy.

Through Enzo’s loving eyes, we watch Denny face loss and the unimaginable challenges thrown at him in the wake of that loss. In this unputdownable tale of friendship, loyalty, life, and death, we also see how Denny uses the wisdom he’s gleaned from racing to steer his life.

With Father’s Day this month, it’s a great time to read a book about dads together! 

Pam Moore is an award-winning freelance writer, intuitive eating coach, and host of the Real Fit podcast. Get her free guide to improving your body image at pam-moore.com. This article was originally published on Motherly.