Matt Ruff, Jasper Fforde, Donald Westlake, Vernor Vinge. Guys like that. But I’ve read everything they’ve written, well except for Westlake.
Christopher Moore is OK, when he’s not being too cute, same thing for Pratchett with Discworld.
I just read Adam-Troy Castro, If you like Vinge, you’ll like Castro.
Edward Abbey wrote my all-time favorite book; “A Fool’s Progress”.
So, anybody got a few authors for me?
If you like Westlake, you might like Lawrence Block’s THE BURGLAR WHO… series. They’re slightly more mystery and way less comedy, but still enjoyable.
You might also try Janet Evanovich’s series about Stephanie Plum, starting with ONE FOR THE MONEY. They’re laugh-out-loud funny and beautifully written.
How about Neil Gaiman? While he has written quite a few graphic novels, I was introduced to him by his regular novels: e.g., American Gods, Anansi Boys.
J.
Andrew Mueller. I Wouldn’t Start from Here.
Thanks for the input. I forgot about Neil Gaiman when writing the OP.
I feel like I’ve read some Lawrence Block, but can’t remember what.
Keep em coming.
Tom Holt - Expecting Someone Taller, Flying Dutch, The Portable Door, Who’s Afraid of Beowulf?
Kage Baker? Connie Willis?
Have you tried Carl Hiaasen? He’s an entertaining smart-ass, without much cute.
If Hiaasen floats your boat, try Tim Dorsey.
Haven’t read either of those. Thanks.
Yeah, I enjoy Hiaasen (I always thought it was Hiassen, had to go look at one). He seems, IMHO, like an next generation of Elmore Leonard.
I’ve been through Charlie Huston, P.J Tracey and Dennis Lehane too.
Matt Ruff is one of my favourite authors (I especially like The Public Works Trilogy), and I would say if you like him you would like (his friend?) Neal Stephenson – but Neal seems to be an acquired taste.
Then again, I don’t know any of the other authors you mentioned (except Pratchett) so take my reccomendations with a grain of salt.
Connie Willis will be sort of a mixed bag for you, I think. I’d start with some of her comedies (since you like Jasper Fforde). Bellwether is very funny. The Doomsday Book is undoubtedly her best-known, and it’s very much a love it or hate it book. You have to be prepared to deal with some tragedy, but I think it’s worth it. To Say Nothing of the Dog is a screwball comedy that would be a great first book, but it is sort of a sequel to The Doomsday Book. I read them in order - I’m not sure what it would be like to read To Say Nothing of the Dog first.
For Kage Baker, you definitely want to start with The Garden of Iden.
Some favorites of my book club:
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger - the inadvertent and uncontrollable time-travelling of a young man wreaks havoc with his decades-long romance with his eventual wife.
The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger - gripping adventure and tragedy at sea
Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine - a tragicomic travelogue about endangered species
In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O’Brien - a creepy, Vietnam-influenced mystery
The Hot Zone by Richard Preston - fascinating nonfiction about a near-outbreak of the Ebola virus in the U.S.
The Reader by Bernhard Schlink - quiet novel about love, guilt and betrayal
The Great Santini by Pat Conroy - funny, bleak novel about a domineering Marine and his family
Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt - deeply moving novel about growing up poor in Depression-era Ireland
Everybody Smokes in Hell by John Ridley - scabrously funny novel about a suicidal rock star and a beautiful assassin
My Dark Places by James Ellroy - nonfiction; the author investigates the murder of his own mother
Tuf Voyaging by George R.R. Martin - satirical sf novel about ecological engineering, overpopulation, absolute power and war
Fatherland by Robert Harris - chilling alt-history about a murder investigation in 1964 Nazi Germany
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer - true story of a Mount Everest climbing expedition gone horribly awry
Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis - masterful, Pulitzer-winning history of the Framers and their dealings with each other
First Among Equals by Jeffrey Archer - an engrossing political novel, tracing the lives, loves and careers of three rising British politicians who eventually vie to become prime minister
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara - another Pulitzer winner, a powerful novel about the Battle of Gettysburg
Everybody Smokes in Hell by John Ridley - scabrously funny novel about a suicidal rock star and a beautiful assassin
A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby - comic novel about four would-be suicides who meet on a London rooftop
OK, I’ll stop now.
Hmm. I’m not very familiar with most of your guys, except Fforde, Pratchett, and Moore, so my sense of humor might be too “cute” for your taste, so there’s that grain of salt.
Alexander McCall Smith: Portuguese Irregular Verbs, and its sequels. About a clueless, arrogant professor and his hijinks. Very short. British humor. I know Smith has a lengthy mystery series, but I haven’t read it.