# Suggestions on a new author to read? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 28, 2002, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-on-a-new-author-to-read/125918 "2002-08-28T07:45:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Windwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/5e9695/32.png) [@Windwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Windwalker)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2002, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-on-a-new-author-to-read/125918/1 "2002-08-28T07:45:58Z")
I notice that I tend to read good literary books only when they are recommended to me; otherwise I’ve ended up reading a lot of pulp fantasy novels which are more often than not quite bad (but it is my favorite of the genres, so I can tolerate bad writing in it). Right now, I am looking for a nice literary book that will engage me on a deeper level, and I want to read an author I’ve never read before. To give you a sample of what I like: I love John Irving, esp. **The Hotel New Hampshire** and **The World According to Garp**. I loved **Catch-22 \*\* by Joseph Heller. I liked Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe, \*\* The Satanic Verses** by Rushdie, and \*\* The Invisible Man\*\* by Ellison, and \*\* The Brothers Karamazov\*\* by Doestevsky. I loved \*\* The Catcher in the Rye, Freefall (by William Golding), and Lord of the Flies (also by Golding)\*\*. Borges’ **Labyrinths** was a great collection. I was not a huge fan of **The Metamorphosis** , though it was interesting. \*\* The Grapes of Wrath\*\* did not do it for me, either. Heh, can’t think of too many literary novels that I really disliked. Perhaps **Kitchen** by some Japanese-American author. Was ambivalent about **Heart of Darkness** , though it would probably be on the positive side for me. **A Passage to India** was good up to a certain point… Heh, what a messy post. So, any recommendations on a previously unread author that I would like? If I have by chance read the author you mention, I’ll shout out 🙂 - Wind ---
**Author:** ![Forbin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5e9695/32.png) [@Forbin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Forbin)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2002, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-on-a-new-author-to-read/125918/2 "2002-08-28T08:03:38Z")
I have a suggestion that is a radical departure from your usual reading genre. Since you say that you like fantasy, I suggest you try “Orlando Furioso” by Lodovico Ariosto. The book is available in prose translation, and it really is good fantasy. Magic, monsters, medieval combat and other fantasy themes are what this book is all about, but so much more too. In it you’ll find a lot of very humourous stories, richness of expression, and depth of emotion. ---
**Author:** ![Jabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5e925/32.png) [@Jabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jabba)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2002, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-on-a-new-author-to-read/125918/3 "2002-08-28T10:29:04Z")
William Golding: You’ve already mentioned him and he’s a favourite of mine. If you haven’t read them yet, try _The Inheritors, Pincher Martin_ and _Rites of Passage_ Graham Greene: _Brighton Rock, The Power and the Glory_ Kazuo Ishiguro: _The Remains of the Day, The Unconsoled_ Peter Carey: _The Tax Inspector, Jack Maggs_ Mervyn Peake: The Gormenghast Trilogy ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2002, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-on-a-new-author-to-read/125918/4 "2002-08-28T10:33:28Z")
Your taste in fiction sounds very similar to mine. Here are some books you didn’t mention that I totally love: **Haruki Murakami** - _The Wind-up Bird Chronicle_ **Salman Rushdie** - _The Satanic Verses_ **Vikram Seth** - _A Suitable Boy_ (if you have a few months) **Sebastian Faulks** - _Birdsong_ **John Irving** - _A Prayer for Owen Meany_\* (you may have read this, but IMO it’s his best) ---
**Author:** ![CMC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8baadc/32.png) [@CMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CMC)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2002, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-on-a-new-author-to-read/125918/5 "2002-08-28T15:24:33Z")
You might want to read Arundhati Roy’s, The God of Small Things. It would be a bit different from what you have read and liked. Yet there are some similarities. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2002, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-on-a-new-author-to-read/125918/6 "2002-08-28T15:46:41Z")
I, too, am a HUGE **Haruki Murakami** fan - I strongly recommend his book _Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World_ I also strongly recommend **Ann Patchett** - she is a new author, with 4 books to her credit. I have read her last two, _The Magician’s Assistant_ and _Bel Canto_ and both were wonderful. I would describe her prose as subtle, character driven, Anne Tyler-like in the depiction of people and relationships but without the “bit of whimsy” - Patchett writes great, interesting lit about people we care about in familiar situations (okay, “Bel Canto” is set in a Latin American Vice President’s mansion which has been occupied by terrorists, but the people and relationships are familiar) ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2002, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-on-a-new-author-to-read/125918/7 "2002-08-28T15:59:04Z")
**Raymond Chandler** He hides in the mystery section, but his work transcends genre – it’s not really about what it pretends to be about. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Banger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@Banger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banger)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2002, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-on-a-new-author-to-read/125918/8 "2002-08-28T20:55:44Z")
Harold Frederic: **The Damnation of Theron Ware**. An overlooked classic. You already mentioned Joseph Conrad, but I will suggest my favorite of his novels: **Victory**. If you enjoyed **The Brothers Karamazov** , then you _have_ to read **Crime and Punishment**. A lot of Dostoyevsky’s novels are great, but those two are essential reading. For that matter, how about **War and Peace** by Tolstoy and **Dead Souls** by Gogol? Going with the Russian motif, **Darkness at Noon** by Arthur Koestler is a great novel too. ---
**Author:** ![mattymillhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a3d4f5/32.png) [@mattymillhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mattymillhouse)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2002, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-on-a-new-author-to-read/125918/9 "2002-08-28T23:58:04Z")
if you’re looking for more modern classics (like Catch-22 and Catcher in the Rye), i’d suggest Robert Stone (Damascus Gate and Outerbridge Reach) or Don Delillo (Underworld). a couple of younger authors that you might like are Jhumpa Lahiri (Interpreter of Maladies), and Michael Chabon (Wonderboys). they’re not as deep as Lord of the Flies or The Catcher in the Rye, but they’re good, modern books. and have you tried any William Faulkner or John Steinbeck? ---
**Author:** ![EchoKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@EchoKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EchoKitty)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2002, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-on-a-new-author-to-read/125918/10 "2002-08-29T00:11:11Z")
Darned if I can remember his name, but “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” was great! He’s a young guy, and it is mostly a true story. Addictive! ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2002, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-on-a-new-author-to-read/125918/11 "2002-08-29T00:18:57Z")
Or, if you like the playfulness of Irving – try Tom Robbins. (I’m not sure how “literary” he is, but he’s definitely a lot of fun.) Try his earlier stuff, like **Another Roadside Attraction** or **Even Cowgirls Get the Blues.** Also – I like a good 19th-century novel – I always go through this mental change of having to physically remind myself to _slow the hell down_ – I race through so much of what I read. Try Dickens (maybe **Nicholas Nickleby** ) or Trollope. Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s **Lady Audley’s Secret** is a personal fave. I like the experience of inhabiting a parallel universe for the week or two (or three) it takes to read something like that long and complex. Another big, big fave of classic lit is Edith Wharton, if you can get into the whole “society” thing. Try **Custom of the Country,** which I think a lot of people would agree is her best novel. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2002, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-on-a-new-author-to-read/125918/12 "2002-08-29T00:20:42Z")
freakin’ tags. “Heartbreaking Work” is by Dave Eggers – my socks were definitely on when I finished it, I found it overhyped, though I know a lot of people who liked it. ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2002, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-on-a-new-author-to-read/125918/13 "2002-08-29T00:27:41Z")
I recommend you read anything by Richard Russo. “Nobody’s Fool” and “The Risk Pool” are particular favorites of mine. Also, anything by Jonathan Lethem is sure to be interesting. If you’re in the mood for something that’s both poignant and hilarious, I recommend “Lamb” by Christopher Moore. Actually, I recommend all his books. ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2002, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-on-a-new-author-to-read/125918/14 "2002-08-29T00:30:49Z")
Oh, and some Paul Auster will serve you quite nicely as well. ---
**Author:** ![Windwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/5e9695/32.png) [@Windwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Windwalker)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2002, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-on-a-new-author-to-read/125918/15 "2002-08-29T03:21:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jjimm \* > \*\*Your taste in fiction sounds very similar to mine. Here are some books you didn’t mention that I totally love: > > **Haruki Murakami** - _The Wind-up Bird Chronicle_ > **Salman Rushdie** - _The Satanic Verses_ > **Vikram Seth** - _A Suitable Boy_ (if you have a few months) > **Sebastian Faulks** - _Birdsong_ > **John Irving** - _A Prayer for Owen Meany_\* (you may have read this, but IMO it’s his best) \*\* Heh, I may just go with The Wind-up Bird Chronicle just for the title 🙂 Thanks for all the responses folks! I’ll see if my local bookstore has any of these. I suspect that it won’t have very many, which should make the decision easier… - Wind ---
**Author:** ![CMC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8baadc/32.png) [@CMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CMC)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2002, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-on-a-new-author-to-read/125918/16 "2002-08-29T11:23:30Z")
**Oh, and some Paul Auster will serve you quite nicely as well.** --Purd Werfect Sorry, but this is a brief hijack. I am a huge Siri Hustvedt fan and wanted to read some of Austers books. What’s the best place to start?