Rate The Dude's Fiction Bookshelf (+diablo and others too!)

[Potvaliant]

El D -

Seems like we have similar tastes in literature - Pahlaniuk, Lethem, Sedaris, Chabon, Hornby, Saunders (I assume CivilWarLand in Bad Decline is one of the loaners) ... Augusten Burroughs is one of those writers I'm pretty sure I'd like but haven't read yet. Any other similar authors you might recommend?

Here are some from my shelves that people with similar tastes might like :

Denis Johnson
Irvine Welsh
Tobias Wolff
Sean Stewart
Jonathan Carrol
Paul Theroux (though I prefer the travel books to the fiction)
Italo Calvino
T.C. Boyle
Salman Rushdie

Like Pahlaniuk some of the above authors have books I like much, much less than others. I can narrow it down if anyone's interested.

[gumpzilla]

[ QUOTE ]

The Diablo bookshelf pictured kind of looks like a greatest hits NY Time Bestseller list from the past 10 years.

[/ QUOTE ]

And, by extension, "Books that were purchased in an airport," which was what I thought of when I saw it. A decent chunk of the fiction that I've read on that shelf did indeed come from an airport as well.

The interest in this thread leads me to think that some sort of El D forum book club (my inclination would be mainly geared towards fiction) would be fun.

[Slow Play Ray]

[ QUOTE ]
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

[/ QUOTE ]

I have "almost" bought this book on multiple occasions. I have tried reading the first few pages in the store and I just can't get a feel for whether or not I will like it, so I always pass it over for something else. Can anyone compare it to something else, or have anything else to convince me it's worth the read?

Also, I will add a recommendation to this thread for the fantasy fans - The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. I have about 50 pages left on my 3rd day of reading it, and I am going to be very sorry when it ends. Awesome character development, and really very little "fantasy" to it - I think anyone who enjoys a great adventure story would enjoy this book (think along the lines of Count of Monte Cristo). It's a great page-turner, I would wager anyone here who has recommended Martin would really like this book. It's not quite as vast and fleshed out as Martin's series just yet, but there are 6 more books scheduled in the series, so who knows.

[ratholeusoul]

George R.R. Martins a Song of Fire and Ice

After few years of just TV and games for my pastime, I ran into the first book of this series. I immediately ordered the rest online - the first books I really bought (I've used the library for all my life before that). I can recommend this highly, best value you can get for ~$30.

Also, Martin mentioned in his not-a-blog that HBO is interested in making a TV series out of Song of Fire and Ice.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR111...id=14&cs=1

I'm quite sure that HBO is perhaps the only team that can make a great tv series out of a great book. But still, you should definitely check out the book [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Anyone who mentioned the above books and recommended something alike - thank you, I'm gonna order them blind and have your word for it [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Now, my own recommendation:

http://www.amazon.com/Brothers-War-Magic...530&sr=1-10

This is one of the rare books that steals your soul from page 1. Kind of like the first time you read Hichhiker's guide to the galaxy. You know the feeling. I know it's based in the MTG universe - but in a good way. Kinda like KOTOR was great in Star Wars universe [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Subfallen]

[ QUOTE ]
Can anyone compare it to something else, or have anything else to convince me it's worth the read?

[/ QUOTE ]

It's worth reading just to marvel at how Chabon's characters emerge and evolve through interaction. Most writers manufacture their characters piece by piece, carefully explaining personality traits, histories, beliefs, etc. They forget we readers don't want this dissected character any more than we want the IQ score and personality profile of a new acquaintance.

We want to know a person by working with him, talking to him, maybe even kissing him. (OMG TEH GAY!?) We want to make up our mind about him by watching him make up his mind about us, our mother, and that frustrating new boss. That's life, and that's great literature.

And Chabon is sickeningly good at it. READ THIS F'ING BOOK.

[charlieiskickin]

I don't really post on 2p2 much, but I'm a huge bookworm. A book I haven't seen mentioned, but that I really, really recommend: Vernon God Little. It's so well-written that it blows my mind.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a great author, along with Jose Saramago and anything by Dumas. Boccaccio's Decameron is also really, really funny (and old--my little brother, who hates reading, stole it to read and liked to go around and tell everyone his new hobby was 14th century Italian literature.)

Madeleine L'Engle, Jerry Spinelli and Julian F. Thompson are all authors that I read when I was growing up, and I reread them constantly and love their books just as much.

[Hoi Polloi]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Read the Iliad and the Odyssey.

I rate it a 3.

[/ QUOTE ]

Which one?

[/ QUOTE ]

The Dude's.

[Go_Blue88]

[ QUOTE ]
here is one of my bookshelves. not strictly fiction. have read most of the books, but not all of them.



[/ QUOTE ]

In terms of entertainment value, I'm not sure how I feel about your collection. I can't picture myself looking forward to reading some of these every night.

[SleeperHE]

The Gap Cycle

[Go_Blue88]

[ QUOTE ]
All,

Here are some of my books. Comment away. Note that many of my books are "loaned" out, so this does not include a number of my favorites.



[/ QUOTE ]

"Life After God" is a really cool title...never heard of it though.