Done. Any book abstract that begins with the words, "Bizarre illnesses and plagues that kill people in the most unspeakable ways," does not need to exert itself much farther for me to be hooked.
Butcher Bird by Richard Kadrey. It's wonderfully weird. I suppose I would call in urban fantasy, but most of the cities are...highly unusual. I loved it.
Um...a few other really good books are:
Mockingbird by Sean Stewart (Weird & wonderful. Set in contemparary Houston Texas. Voodoo, logic vs. magic.)
The Facts of Life by Graham Joyce (Sort of a post-WWII historical novel with ghosts)
Freedom & Necessity by Steven Brust & Emma Bull (Really amazing epistolary novel! Set in England around 1850.)
Ah! Excellent! For me, Emma Bull is the real draw. If you ever find a copy of Bone Dance (which is sadly out of print) you must read it. Post apocalyptic Minneapolis! She's one of my favorite authors. (Which is not to say I do not like Brust!)
I don't keep up much with new stuff, but here's some stuff I've liked a whole lot:
"A Journey Long and Strange" (Tony Horwitz). This did come out this year, and is an interesting look at the first chapters of American history and all the stuff most people get wrong about it. Horwitz's journalism comes through with less "gotcha" than things like "Lies My Teacher Told Me" but with plenty of humor and self-deprecation regarding the gaps in his knowledge. Very readable and I think useful information.
I think everyone should read "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down." If you haven't yet, buy it and read it.
"Kafka on the Shore" (Murakami). There's one part that's super violent and very hard to read, but I felt it was necessary for the telling of the story, and it's a fantastically woven tale.
I'm currently reading (and entranced by) Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides.
Walter Isaacson's Einstein: His Life and Universe is actually totally entertaining, depsite being a fairly thorough biography.
The book I fell madly in love with (although the middle third has some issues) last year was Zadie Smith's On Beauty. The year before, it was Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go, and I recommend both highly. They're both in the genre sometimes called "literary fiction." Likewise categorized and also quite good: Claire Messud's The Emperor's Children.
I think pretty much everyone should read Michael Pollan (Omnivore's Dilemma is better than the newer one) and Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickeled and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America.
Depending on what your education in literature was like (mine was focused and I missed a lot), there are some fantastic things you might've missed in there: Zorah Neale Hurston Their Eyes Were Watching God, Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country, and V.S. Naipaul's A Bend in the River have all struck me this
( ... )
You know, I'm pretty sure we have a copy at home - I've just never gotten to it. I shall have to make that my next read (right after I finish Duma's The Last Cavalier ).
Ooh, Middlesex, definitely. Fforde is funny for one book, but that's about it, IMHO. I have Messud's book on my shelf to read next, I'll tell you how I like it. I don't know about Einstein, but Driving Mr. Albert, by Michael Paterniti, was pretty fun.
Oh, and you MUST read/own Blue Highways, by William Least Heat Moon.
Comments 25
Reply
Reply
If you want more about illnesses and plagues, you should try "The Hot Zone" by the same author. But don't read it at night.
Reply
Reply
Um...a few other really good books are:
Mockingbird by Sean Stewart (Weird & wonderful. Set in contemparary Houston Texas. Voodoo, logic vs. magic.)
The Facts of Life by Graham Joyce (Sort of a post-WWII historical novel with ghosts)
Freedom & Necessity by Steven Brust & Emma Bull (Really amazing epistolary novel! Set in England around 1850.)
Reply
I added Butcher Bird , which looks fascinating! The only two urban fantasy novelists I've read are De Lint and Gaiman and I really like the genre.
I'll store the others away as suggestions for my next book splurge. Thanks!
Reply
Reply
"A Journey Long and Strange" (Tony Horwitz). This did come out this year, and is an interesting look at the first chapters of American history and all the stuff most people get wrong about it. Horwitz's journalism comes through with less "gotcha" than things like "Lies My Teacher Told Me" but with plenty of humor and self-deprecation regarding the gaps in his knowledge. Very readable and I think useful information.
I think everyone should read "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down." If you haven't yet, buy it and read it.
"Kafka on the Shore" (Murakami). There's one part that's super violent and very hard to read, but I felt it was necessary for the telling of the story, and it's a fantastically woven tale.
Reply
Thanks!
Reply
Walter Isaacson's Einstein: His Life and Universe is actually totally entertaining, depsite being a fairly thorough biography.
The book I fell madly in love with (although the middle third has some issues) last year was Zadie Smith's On Beauty. The year before, it was Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go, and I recommend both highly. They're both in the genre sometimes called "literary fiction." Likewise categorized and also quite good: Claire Messud's The Emperor's Children.
I think pretty much everyone should read Michael Pollan (Omnivore's Dilemma is better than the newer one) and Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickeled and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America.
Depending on what your education in literature was like (mine was focused and I missed a lot), there are some fantastic things you might've missed in there: Zorah Neale Hurston Their Eyes Were Watching God, Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country, and V.S. Naipaul's A Bend in the River have all struck me this ( ... )
Reply
Reply
Reply
Oh, and you MUST read/own Blue Highways, by William Least Heat Moon.
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment