Hire someone from the nearest ‘hood to “break in” and steal the x-box game and leave some fake Hollywood blood in a couple of spots.
Fear is often a great motivator, worry about the books later.
For books: The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Hobbit. Great allegory. Barnes and Noble has some anniversary editions out that you can order online and they also have an inexpensive 4 volume set.
Another great set of books is The C. S. Lewis classics Chronicles of Narnia which come in boxed sets of paperbacks.
For theme of Redemption: Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables - kind of heavy going, but has a great message.
All have related movies showing this season, or in the case of Narnia, recent era movies. It is a worthwhile lesson to contrast the richness of reading the book vs seeing the movie.
Re 22 rifles: another possibility, the Marlin model 60 is a good tube-fed semi-auto, great for learning shooting, and target plinking.
Try to capture his imagination.
Think of his interests, and then find a biography or autobiography book about the successful life of someone who either had similar interests or personality traits.
Buy a book that is moral, emphasizes work and is inspiring.
Try the reference Librarian at your Public Library first. A bookstore will probably guide you to the drug-culture rags to riches heroes of today.
Historical men and women are a good choice, as the reader will tend to focus on the work and ethics, rather than the glitz and glamor of someone in our familiar pop culture.
Read part of the book to him, discuss possible meaning of what you have read, and try to create confidence in him that his interpretations can be trusted to be valid. Get him started, step back and discuss the ideas at the dinner table.
The Dinner Table is where we all have to behave ourselves so that we can sustain our bodies until the next meal. Bringing non-food ideas in at dinner time forces all to be more polite and tolerant. Discussing his ideas with a wide range of aged people will raise his confidence as he makes his way from child to adult.
BTW, the above is just MHO as a Father and Grandfather. Revise all to your situation.
How about tools? Get him something hands on, off the computer. Craftsman or Snap on... How about a multi-tool like a Gerber? Or maybe a combo pocket knife with a seatbelt cutter and glass breaker. Or a serious camping/survival knife like a Ka-Bar.
since people are going to argue about computer games, just give the kid a puppy
Get him a college co-ed. Bring me one, too, while you're at it, grandpa.
Bet he would enjoy and remember a hooker more then books!
A gift card to a bookstore. Choosing books for someone who isn’t interested in reading might not have the desired result.
A Land Remembered by Patrick Smith. Made readers of all my boys! Is possibly the best boy/man book EVER!
Some of the most influential books my husband and I both read in our late teens were the Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis. There's just enough geek in there for geeks to like. They are profoundly conservative. (Titles: Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra & That Hideous Strength).
If he has long trips in the car, you might consider audio books to listen to on his iPhone, if he has one. He can wear a wireless bluetooth device on his ear to listen. That's what my husband does to get his book fix in these days. My kids really appreciate audio books in the car.
Andrew Klavan (an awesome conservative commenter from PJTV) has written a youth thriller series called the Homelanders series.
This is the latest: If We Survive.
I think these are short and thrilling enough to keep a kid's attention.
Ah the issue of what shall the grandma get the grandchild for Christmas. I have an XBox at my house and my youngest grandson is interested in all things cars so we have every car game ever made and I play them with him. He spends more time going through all the design and redesign phase of the cars than playing the games. He thinks it’s cool because no one else has a grannie that plays the XBox with their grandsons. He and I have also been to every car lot in Houston at one time or another and we always go to the car shows - not one of my interests but.... What you do with them is more important in the long run than what you buy them.
I would stay away from the books if he isn’t interested or take him to a book store and let him pick out something that interests him, although it may not interest you. I would think that as an obviously very concerned grandmother, your first issue would be to get him to read. Then you could work on the issue of steering him in the direction of preferred topics. Maybe get him his own subscription to a gun or auto magazine. Membership at a gun club and a gift certificate for range time where we went together turned out be the gift that the oldest grandson appreciated the most. I also bought him a set of golf clubs and a series of lessons and we play golf together.
The book store at our church had a Bible especially edited for teenage boys. I gave it to the oldest several years ago just as a gift but not for Christmas. He has looked at it on occasion and will read it in his own time. eventually.
get him an Ak-47 semi auto. I got one for my kid when she turned 12. She liked it better than any of her other birthday presents that year.
Get him some lessons - guitar, skiing, golf, flying, etc. or some range time - golf, bow, shooting, etc.
How about a girlfriend? ...just kidding!
I think I’d run the gun thing by Mom or Dad first.
There was a series of books called Casca published a while back that was a blend of history and fiction. They have a little bit of man chases woman stuff in them but it’s not over the top. The central figure is a Roman soldier, Casca, the one who stuck the spear in Christ, and in the book he is cursed to never die until the world ends. He wanders through all manner of civilizations - Persians, Mongols, Aztecs, etc, and across continents and the sea through the centuries as a mercenary, sometimes getting captured and sold into slavery, and other times triumphant, even gaining promotions and power along the way which he can never keep too long. You can get a taste of history and archaeology, ancient tools and weapons and terminology thrown in that may spark your kid into looking at history not as a dull class in school but a source just as gripping as a video game. Casca can receive mortal wounds, and endure all the sorrows of a normal man but he must always return, and because he does not age he cannot remain forever in one spot. I liked the books and my brother liked them when he was a few years older than your son, so check them out.
Moisin-nagant rifle with 400 rounds of ammo usually a package deal. And a PAST shoulder pad. He will treasure it for the rest of his life.
SInce you live in Washington why not something local? Dixie Lee Ray’s “Environmental Overkill” would be a most excellent book for a young techno geek to read
:^)
2. Gun IF his parents will allow it.
3. He's NOT going to grow up and be 35 years old playing his xbox...so, maybe relax a tad. Just a tad. You mentioned he's on the computer? AND he likes his Xbox?
See if he'll read something like this!
Or...This perhaps?
Just don't nag him about reading, whatever you do. Find something he'll be interested in. He'll do the typical teen thing and act UNinterested, yet in his room with the door closed, he may just peek inside that book. If he's on the computer...he's already reading. Now, let's hope and pray the sites he's visiting are OK.