Contemporary Fiction - Recommendations please.

[Griz]

Looking for some summer reading - contemporary fiction, any recommendations? I did a few searches and read a few of Odin's reviews - thanks btw - but didn't find any concise lists.

I have The River Why by Duncan on hold at the biblioteca, but looking for something in the meantime. Thanks for any suggestions.

If anyone else is looking for a good read - if you aren't familiar with Paul Auster give him a try, particularly Music of Chance.

[Buster Highmen]

Anything by Mark Helprin, but "Freddy and Fredericka" is a hoot, "Pacific" is a great collection of short stories, 'Perfection' among the best evah and then there's "A Winter's Tale", but the latter is set in Industrial Age NYC/NY.

[cj001f]

A soldier of the great war is another good one by Helprin

[lemon boy]

Well if you haven't read any of Steve Martin's books: start there.

Otherwise, I just finished off Aldous Huxley's Island which was fantastic and Jack London's The Sea Wolf, which again…was fantastic.

[stump832]

Anything by Jonathan Lethem, though Motherless Brooklyn and Fortress of Solitude are my favorites.

[Steven S. Dallas]

Fortress of Solitude...

... is an awesome book. I really liked As She Climbed Across the Table, too, but it's so short- I think I read it in three hours.

Have you read Michael Chabon's Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay? It's really, really good- come to think of it, it's a lot like Fortress of Solitude. You should read both of those and then write a sweet paper or something.

[stump832]

Have you read Michael Chabon's Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay? It's really, really good- come to think of it, it's a lot like Fortress of Solitude. You should read both of those and then write a sweet paper or something.

I'm gonna put that on my reading list, provided the paper is optional.

[lemon boy]

Have you read Michael Chabon's Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay? It's really, really good

yeah they don't give out pulitzers for nothin

[cj001f]

Chabon's Wonder Boys was pretty good as well

[SkiBrain]

You could probably find lots of good recommendations here:

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=87456

[Hutch]

... Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay....

seconded

[Steven S. Dallas]

I'm gonna put that on my reading list, provided the paper is optional.

It is, but you should probably get some practice in now, Dartmouth guy. Ooh, look at me, I go to Dartmouth! I'm going to Blitz my friends so we don't wear the same Patagonia jacket to the Skiway! I drive an Land Rover and have a black Lab, even though I'm from Darien!

[AKbruin]

Anything by Haruki Murakami.

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. The premise--an English butler pondering his life of service--sounds uninspiring, but it's a fantastic novel.

I also liked The Music of Chance, although I was a little let down by the ending. You might like Ian McEwan. His novels read a lot like Auster's. Try Atonement.

Oh, and not to cast aspersions on SSD's literary tastes, but I found The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay too long and a little maudlin (although I appreciate the comic book era historical backdrop). IMHO, its Pulitzer is comparable to Braveheart's Academy Award.

[Steven S. Dallas]

No, I agree that it's a little sappy. But then again, I also thought Braveheart kicked ass, in much the same way- not an all-time-great, but definitely enjoyable.

[cj001f]

It is, but you should probably get some practice in now, Dartmouth guy. Ooh, look at me, I go to Dartmouth! I'm going to Blitz my friends so we don't wear the same Patagonia jacket to the Skiway! I drive an Land Rover and have a black Lab, even though I'm from Darien!

Did stump Tuck and run or something?

[bdmrad]

Middlesex by Eugenides. It was good even before Oprah recommended it. Also East of Eden by Steinbeck.

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson is a hoot.

[Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabadoo]

Middlesex by Eugenides. It was good even before Oprah recommended it. Also East of Eden by Steinbeck.

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson is a hoot.

The Virgin Suicides is also pretty good by Eugenidies. White Teeth by Zadie Smith is worth a look too. The Corrections, if you haven't read it, almost anything by TC Boyle. Don Delillo might also interest you.

[telepariah]

I agree with Zadie Smith and Murakami. And if you like Murakami, check out David Mitchell's Ghostwritten and Number Nine Dream.

[Steven S. Dallas]

Oh, yeah, Middlesex is really good.

[cj001f]

colour me middle of the road on Middlesex.

Cryptonomicon is fun, the Diamond Age is better.

[stump832]

Whatevs SSD - the family moved the compound from Darien to Ogden like, last month.

I've also been enjoying Don DeLillo (Underworld) and Phillip Roth (American Pastoral) lately.

[bdmrad]

I'll try Diamond Age. I also recommend Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy - great portrayal of evil.

[BeanDip4All]

Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius- Dave Eggers

[Stu Gotz]

Harry Potter.

[AKbruin]

Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius- Dave Eggers

Great book for the first 120 pages or so. It gets a little whinny and self-indulgent after that though. Worth a try though.