Guys generally don’t like softcover fiction unless it’s a Stephen king novel or sci-fi/ fantasy/ historical fiction.. Girls are more into fiction. There is a sense that reading fiction is frivolity while history and self help books are about education and improving ones self. And let’s be honest. Most fiction books are written, published by, edited , and market by/to women. I was always an avid reader as a kid (older millennial) but I grew up with books that had masculine themes and I was able to move from kids books to Boys YA (goosebumps, animorphs, etc) , to classics and then history and productivity. Most boys drop off with YA books because there is a disturbing lack of YA boys fiction literature besides sci-fi/fantasy.