To explain a bit: Normally I don’t mind reading things that make me think, but as a first year law student, I’m getting more than enough of that at school. What I need are some things that’re light, easy, and fun.
Genre-wise, I’m looking at weird fiction of the Lovecraft/Mieville (and more recently, KJ Bishop’s Etched City) vein, sci-fi, and possibly fantasy–though I’ve been disenchanted with the genre of late. Also possibly westerns, though I’ve never read any; my tastes run more to Sergio Leone than John Wayne. Oh! also mystery and thrillers; I’m a fan of Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe stories and was quite pleased with the first John Rain book by Barry Eisler recently.
I appreciate any aid you all might provide; you’ll be helping a 1L retain a little sanity.
Light, easy, fun fantasy/weird/sf fiction…here’s some initial brainstorming. More to come later perhaps.
The Jorkens books by Lord Dunsany (Check on the Night Shade Books web site)
The Breckenridge Elkins and boxing stories by Robert E. Howard (look for the books “The Riot at Bucksnort” and “Boxing Stories” from Bison Books)
The Thraxas books by Martin Scott
“Tales of the Dying Earth” by Jack Vance
The Fafhrd & Grey Mouser books by Fritz Leiber
“The Compleat Enchanter” stories by de Camp & Pratt
“Slaves of Sleep” and “Typewriter in the Sky” by L. Ron Hubbard (yes, that L. Ron Hubbard; it’s awful but fun)
The Nifft books by Michael Shea
The Retief books by Keith Laumer
“The Time Bender” and “The World Shuffler” by Keith Laumer (there are two more books in that series, but those can be safely ignored)
“Next of Kin” by Eric Frank Russell. Also get a Best-of anthology if you can find one.
Thorne Smith
Fredric Brown
Henry Kuttner
Christopher Moore. Funny shit. A little ( okay, usually a LOT ) on the weird fiction side. But still…funny :). Try The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove for example.
Christopher Moore is an excellent suggestion, but I’d start with Coyote Blue, Bloodsucking Fiends, or Coyote Blue. (Lust Lizard was almost too silly, IMHO.)
Joe Lansdale’s Hap and Leonard books are great fun. Savage Season is the first. A couple of good ole east Texas boys, one white, straight, and unmotivated -one angry, black and gay, both funny as hell.
Tom Holt also writes weird funny stuff, mostly taken out of a strange, interanally meta-reality that gets a bit mind-boggling after a while. Start with “Flying Dutch”.
In a different kind og strange, try reading Isabel Allende’s generation “trillogy” - “Daughter of fortune”, “Portrait in Sepia” and “House of Spirits” (not quite sure about the titles). Not exactly “fluff”, but lovely reading.
Lots of good stuff already suggested. I second the Pratchett and Holt. I’d start the Holt with Who’s Afraid of Beowulf? or The Portable Door. For Pterry, start with Guards!Guards! or Wyrd Sisters.
“Bill, the Galactic Hero” by Harry Harrison (the one from the 60s, not the second series)
“Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers” by Harry Harrison (this only works if you’ve read the Skylark and Lensman series)
“The Lighter Side” by Keith Laumer (an anthology from Baen Books)
“Tales from the White Hart” by Arthur C. Clarke
I assume you already know that Clark Ashton Smith has a lot of dark humor in his stories
“Mention My Name in Atlantis” by John Jakes (stoopid but entertaining)
The Kai Lung stories by Ernest Bramah
The “Orlando Furioso” volume from the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series
“Tales from Gavagan’s Bar” by de Camp and Pratt
“The Ship that Sailed the Time Stream” by G. C. Edmondson
James Branch Cabell has a lot of humor, but isn’t fluff. Anyway, you may want to try “Jurgen”, then “Figures of Earth”, then “The Silver Stallion”
John Moore (e.g., “Heroics for Beginners”) is okay, but only worth the price if you can get it used
Seconded, especially Jurgen- his most famous book & one of my favorite books, period.
You might want to throw in Domnei at any time before Silver Stallion.
I might as well mention The Cream of the Jest, his second most-famous book.
Books for children or teens are good if you’re looking for something that doesn’t take a lot of brain power! I recommend The Borrowers, Runaway Ralph and Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. Maybe some Anne of Green Gables, too, if you need an infusion of sweetness.
Carl Hiassen writes Florida crime fiction wherein a (down-on-his-luck/divorced/drunken/dried out) (author/reporter/writer) has to help a very pretty Floridian lady recover the (lottery ticket/gun shipment/drug shipment/MacGuffin shipment) and prove that (the mob/gangs/white-trash criminals/blue-collar criminals) and sleazy local politicians are collaborating to (bilk/pin a crime on/disenfranchise/poison/impoverish) the good-hearted locals. One death by reptile and one death by gunshot in each book, almost guaranteed, and the good guys always win. The protagonist gets the girl and they watch a (Gulf/Keys) sunset as they smooch in (her new beach house/his new car/their new boat/a quiet beach/a cabin in the Everglades).
Despite the color-by-numbers plots, they’re fun fluffy reading, especially if you’ve spent any time in Florida and read the local papers. You’ll probably laugh out loud a few times, and you’ll definitely keep turning the pages.
Even better than Hiassen is Tim Dorsey. Start with Florida Roadkill, then move on to Hammerhead Ranch Motel, Triggerfish Twist, Orange Crush and the rest. You’ll never look at serial killers that same way again.
The Stephanie Plum mysteries by Janet Evonovich are a lot of fun to read.
Alexander McCall Smith’s books about Mma Ramotswe and her adventures running the #1 Ladies Detective Agency are thoughtful and engaging. I don’t classify them as fluff but they make a great read.
