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Desperately seeking recommendations

AngusBenton

AngusBenton

New Member
I am brand new to this forum and am hoping some of you kind souls can help me out. I need several recommendations, but am looking for books within a certain "set" for a very long trip to asia (and then 2 weeks there).

Here are the books I have read that, if I hadn't, would be of the sort I'd want to read on this trip:

Already Dead - Denis Johnson
Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell
Anything by Thom Jones (Cold Snap, Pugilist at Rest, etc.)
Mao II, White Noise, The Names – Don Delilo
Factotum – Charles Bukowski
Anything by Robert Stone
Rule of the Bone – Russell Banks
A Fan’s Notes – Frederick Exley

That gives you some range, but also some idea. I like contemporary male writers but ones that are a bit gritty or at least in deep touch with the ugliness in life. I don’t enjoy meaningless drawn out familial nonsense. Depression, violence and alcoholism are welcome.

I want to be entertained as well. No Pynchon or Gaddis – too heavy for this very beach oriented trip.

Please help. Thanks.
 
Well if you liked factotum you will probably like most of Bukowskis books. You could try "The post office".

You will probably also like Fear and loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson.
 
You might try Chuck Palahniuk. Unfortunately I haven't gotten around to reading him yet, but people who have say his writing seems to fit your requirements: gritty, not fluffy, but not too heavy either. I am a huge fan of the movie version of Fight Club and everyone seems very impressed with the novel who saw the movie, so you could look at that. Another novel by him is Choke.
 
Yeah...should have mentioned that I've read Bukowski's novels (not the poetry) and everything Chuck Palahnuik has written. (Some major misses in my book, although I really enjoyed Fight Club). I've read Fear and Loathing as well.

Martin Amis would also make the list, but alas, I've read all his stuff.

Do you guys see why I'm so DESPERATE? Help!
 
sirmyk said:
My book, Palindrome Hannah, would love a trip to Asia. ;)
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Thanks, sirmyk. I'm not a big horror fan, but maybe you could in a sentence convince me? Want to try?

I find Steven King tiresome and haven't read anything of his since I was 15 or so. Anne Rice is very talented, I think.
 
AngusBenton said:
No one wants to help :(
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You've just got to give some people some more time, Angus - not everyone posts on here every day.

I'd love to give you some suggestions, but I'm not familiar with the authors you've mentioned. What I would suggest, however, is a book that deals in some way with the area you're visiting. For example, I read Bill Bryson's Notes From a Small Island while on a trip around England. It really seemed to 'fit'. Someone recently started a thread about books from China and Japan which has some neat suggestions.

Have you tried reading anything from Tim Winton? He's one of my favourite authors, and is consistently one of Australia's top authors of 'literary fiction', which seems to be what you are after.

Otherwise, have a scout about the forums and see what people who have posted on some of your favourite authors also liked. There's a neat 'search' function under the forums tag in the top menu bar, so you can access some older posts.

Good luck, and have a great trip! :)
 
Have you read anything by Michael Chabon? The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier And Clay was an excellent novel that definitely seems to cover a lot of your criteria. Definitely an entertaining read filled with comic books, magic, golems and just about anything else you could ask for.
 
pwilson said:
Have you read anything by Michael Chabon? The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier And Clay was an excellent novel that definitely seems to cover a lot of your criteria. Definitely an entertaining read filled with comic books, magic, golems and just about anything else you could ask for.
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Oh my, I just *adored* this book. I picked this up in a second hand store in Scotland, and then read it when I was in France. I cleary remember sitting in this little park near my hostel in Paris, watching French children play in a playground while I read this on a park bench in the evening twilight. Mmm... such good memories, and such a wonderful book!
 
pwilson said:
Have you read anything by Michael Chabon? The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier And Clay was an excellent novel that definitely seems to cover a lot of your criteria. Definitely an entertaining read filled with comic books, magic, golems and just about anything else you could ask for.
Click to expand...

Thanks pwilson. Read that. And Wonderboys. You are kind to lob in a suggestion. I will bounce around the forum a bit and see if I can pick anything else up. :)
 
Kookamoor said:
You've just got to give some people some more time, Angus - not everyone posts on here every day.

I'd love to give you some suggestions, but I'm not familiar with the authors you've mentioned. What I would suggest, however, is a book that deals in some way with the area you're visiting. For example, I read Bill Bryson's Notes From a Small Island while on a trip around England. It really seemed to 'fit'. Someone recently started a thread about books from China and Japan which has some neat suggestions.

Have you tried reading anything from Tim Winton? He's one of my favourite authors, and is consistently one of Australia's top authors of 'literary fiction', which seems to be what you are after.

Otherwise, have a scout about the forums and see what people who have posted on some of your favourite authors also liked. There's a neat 'search' function under the forums tag in the top menu bar, so you can access some older posts.

Good luck, and have a great trip! :)
Click to expand...

Fair enough advice. I will look into Tim Winton. Thanks for making me feel heard. :)
 
Kookamoor said:
Oh my, I just *adored* this book. I picked this up in a second hand store in Scotland, and then read it when I was in France. I cleary remember sitting in this little park near my hostel in Paris, watching French children play in a playground while I read this on a park bench in the evening twilight. Mmm... such good memories, and such a wonderful book!
Click to expand...
Wow! I'm jealous. I read it in boring old Denver, Colorado but still enjoyed it very much :)
 
I just got back from vacation and I read Sideways by Rex Pickett on the road. I don't think it was truely gritty although the main character certainly had some alcohol issues. The book was far superior to the movie (in case you didn't dig the movie).
 
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