“fight club” is his first and a good initiation to his writing style/issues, plus, good frickin book, a must read and reread. If you think it’s about fighting, you’re thinking way too shallow.
“invisible monsters” IMO his cruelest, strangest, and most bizarre.
for his best work: “choke”
with “survivor” a close second.
side note: I get to hear him speak about his new book “diary” tomorrow at a signing. yay!
So, Chuck Palahniuk is my contribution to the OP, the only author whose books I anticipate their release date and preorder.
Issac Azimov - dead but still finding great books of his I haven’t read; Neal Stephenson Robert J. Sawyer Orson Scott Card Tom Clancy - but not the Net force ‘inspired’ or ‘created’ stuff David Eddings Terry Goodkind Margret Weis and Tracey Hickman - only the books they do together Philip K. Dick - again gone but still finding great shot stories/novellas of his
Palahniuk and Gaiman have already been mentioned and rementioned.
Frank Herbert is a must for me, his tales were all lovingly crafted and more enjoyable with subsequent readings. Some of his best work was outside the Dune series.
Daniel Quinn, although it’s impossible to describe. If you read you understand, if you haven’t anything I’d say would be hollow and misconstrued.
I concur with Roger Zelazny (amazing how many people enjoyed him as much as I did! The Amber Chronicles, Dream Master, Lord of Light - I loved all his books)
Also, Ramsey Campbell - honestly, his short stories are MUCH better than his novels, but I snap both types up.
Waverly Root - who wrote food essays (Food of Italy, Food of France, Food), like Elizabeth David or MFK Fisher.
Cornell Woolrich - who wrote Rear Window, Phantom Lady and his Black Series (Bride Wore Black, Black Curtain, etc.)
Lately, Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child - their books follow a certain formula, but I love them, anyway.
Naguib Mahfouz
And if Barbara Ehrenreich does any other non-fiction exposes like Nickeled and Dimed, I’ll snap it up!
The Grave Maurice? Don’t bother … it sucked massive big time. I’ll MAIL you my hardcover publishers edition to read. Thats how little I liked it
Thanks for the recommends on Chuck Palahuniuk. I will look at my local bookstore for his stuff!
nisosbar: *Lord of Light * is one of the best reads I ever stayed up all night to finish! I think of that book at the oddest times. It made some impression just under the surface of my consciousness.
Marvin Kaye is a soso writer but I grab EVERY one of his anthologies when I find them. I have a half dozen of them so far. They have introduced me and reintroduced me to some of the finest writers in the world living and dead.
janet evanovich, john nance, nora roberts (jd robb), kathy reichs, lisa scottoline, sharyn mccrumb (such a cool last name), erik larson, carl hiassen, donna murray, jayne ann krentz (in all her names), douglas preston, lincoln child (together or apart), james rollins, matt reilly, carol o’connell, diana preston, wm. kienzle, ann george (before she passed).
some i will check out the story line before i buy. i enjoyed clive cussler’s pitt series, i can wait a bit for his new series. then there are others i like to read in clumps in paperback, peter’s peabody series, barr’s pigeon series, the cat who series, so i wait a few years and then buy a clump of them and have a fun weekend.
Lok, many blessings on your head for bringing such incredibly good news! And, yes, “Callahan’s Con” will be on its way to me as soon as possible. Now, quickly, throw me the URLs announcing newly-found Sturgeon and Zelazny and Pangborn…and have you got any lottery numbers you like?
Patricia Cornwell, Michael Crichton, Kate Whilhelm, Gary Jennings, Tom Robbins, Stephen King, J A Jance, John Grisham, John Irving, Anne McCaffery, Larry McMurtry, Jean Auel.
George MacDonald Fraser fan checking in. All of the “Flashman” series are a riot (the anti-hero is an utter cad and bounder, but you’re not supposed to identify with him; furthermore, he is under no illusions whatever about what he is, and doesn’t mind you knowing it), the “McAuslan” army stories are hugely enjoyable, “The Pyrates” is a wonderful send-up of the classic Hollywood pirate genre and “Quartered Safe Out Here” is a splendid first-person account of WWII in Burma. There are a few of his books I’ve yet to catch up on but only because I haven’t seen them and am not quite fanatical enough to hunt them down.
Paul Watkins: born 50 years earlier, he might have been as famous as Hemingway or Greene (similar subjects & themes); as it is, he hasn’t had anything published in the last four or so years, and last I heard was teaching literature at a college. Shame on the publishing industry, and its unit-shifting mentality.
I’m also going to check Christopher Moore; the preview pages of Lamb on Amazon were very intriguing.
Cranky, I’m glad you mentioned Haruf. I thought all he’d done was Plainsong. So now I go shopping.
catnoe, glad to see another David L. Martin fan. He has a new one coming out in a month or so, forgot the name.
I came back to see if anyone had listed the fabulously prolific Joyce Carol Oates. I stopped buying her when she filled up a bookcase all by herself. And I got behind. She writes much faster than I read.
I also forgot to put Toni Morrison on my list, even though I haven’t quite forgiven her for that snippy remark she made to Oprah, about Paradise (which I really hated). I don’t recall the exact words, but it was patronizing.
Does he write for the SF Chronicle? If so, yeah, he’s really good (in fact the only reason to buy that rag, IMO). I hadn’t even thought to look to see if he’d published any books.
Third me for George RR Martin. I had the honor of meeting him and was just amazed at what a wonderful man he is, along with being such a talented author. (and I got spoilers for the next book!)
Michelle West is another buy without looking author for me.
Dara Joy oh yes indeed. Actually, I agree with **Shirley Ujest’s ** list. All good stuff there.
Yet another for Neil Gaimen .
Terry Pratchet is a must have.
I am also fond of Janny Wurtz , but not what she did with Fiest.
I know I have more, but I will remember them too late. :smack:
I only wish I knew of other newly found works, especially Zelazny. But I doubt we can get that lucky again. And none of the lottery numbers I use have ever done me any good.
I had a tenative Mickey Zucker Reichert. I just finished the third BiFrost Guardians book and keep going “Holy crap! What’s she gonna do next?” I mean, during the PROLOGUE to the BiFrost books, I keep going “Oh! Man! Oh! What next!” So she’s now a definite.
SF/Fantasy:
Neil Gaiman, Lois McMaster Bujold, David Weber (Harrington only), Greg Egan (hardest and oddest SF around), Terry Pratchett, Alan Moore, Tim Powers, Ursula LeGuin, Marian Zimmer Bradley (Darkover only, and yes, will get the postmortem continuations)
Detective:
Laurie King, Stephen Saylor (recommended way way over Linsday Davis for the Roman history), Elizabeth Peters (Peabody only), both Kellermans, Lawrence Block (Scudder & Rhodenbarr only), Sara Paretsky, Dorothy Sayers (yes, long dead but Jill Paton Walsh has 2 “new” ones), Kerry Greenwood.
Other:
Much more individual variation and selection by topic and review. Stephen Jay Gould, Richard Dawkins, Steve Jones. Umberto Eco. Erica Jong. Germaine Greer.
SF/Fantasy:
Neil Gaiman, Lois McMaster Bujold, David Weber (Harrington only), Greg Egan (hardest and oddest SF around), Terry Pratchett, Alan Moore, Tim Powers, Ursula LeGuin, Marian Zimmer Bradley (Darkover only, and yes, will get the postmortem continuations)
Detective:
Laurie King, Stephen Saylor (recommended way way over Linsday Davis for the Roman history), Elizabeth Peters (Peabody only), both Kellermans, Lawrence Block (Scudder & Rhodenbarr only), Sara Paretsky, Dorothy Sayers (yes, long dead but Jill Paton Walsh has 2 “new” ones), Kerry Greenwood.
Other:
Much more individual variation and selection by topic and review. Stephen Jay Gould, Richard Dawkins, Steve Jones. Umberto Eco. Erica Jong. Germaine Greer.
