[MyOtherSelf]

Hi all-

I am in need of a really good piece of fiction to read...I'll give you a rundown of what I like/dislike.

I used to read nancy drews as a kid, which evolved into agatha christies...if anyone knows of any offbeat deliciously suspenseful mysteries, let me know. I am a sucker for ten little indians (aka, and then there were none) I haven't read a mystery in awhile but I love them.

In terms of girly fiction, I am a huge fan of eat, pray, love. I read the unbearable lightness of being because so many recommended it, but I didn't enjoy all that much.

I really enjoyed you shall know our velocity by dave eggers. My only complaint was that it was a teensy bit slow. I was excited to read god bless you mr rosewater, as I had never read any vonnegut before, but it didn't quite jive with my tastes.

These are the most recent things I read...I'm hoping that gives an idea of what I might like.
Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know! I've been trying to destress these days, so I'm in need of a good book.

[ProfMike42]

Have you considered Science Fiction? I recommend getting an anthology of short stories (a volume of L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future for example.) Anything can happen in SF, and there are stories ranging from hard SF, where the work must conform to scientific knowledge, and soft SF, where anything can happen. SF can include elements of mystery, as well as ordinary life. Some of it even makes you think too. Try it out! I suggested an anthology because short stories take less time to read, but can be as satisfying as a good novel.

[rara avis]

Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Don't be deceived by the bad cover art- it's a kickass book.

[rahdam]

The Count of Monte Cristo - Dumas
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court - Twain
Dr. Faustus - Marlowe ( I think...this is a play )
A Wrinkle in Time (L'Engle)
Dune (Herbert)

are all pretty awesome. Not sure if they are your cup of tea based on what you described. I wish I had access to my bookshelf at my parent's house, I know I've forgotten some things.

[Nikita]

People have recommended, to me, One Hundred Years of Solitude and The Master and Margarita, and others have agreed, though I have not read them. I did start OHYoS, but after reading Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, which I recommend, the irrationality of the characters just really bugged me and I could stop tearing it apart in my head long enough to enjoy it.

I second rara's suggestion, though. Another girly type book is The Red Tent. It's set in Biblical times with Biblical characters, but I'm some sort of Agnostic/Atheist and I still enjoyed it.

If you want something that will suck a lot of your time, The Lord of the Rings is an option, especially if you're interested in created history, geography, and language.

Generally, I prefer books like The Satires of Juvenal, The Scarlet Letter, No Exit (a play by Jean-Paul Sartre), Poe, poetry by Dorothy Parker, and the anomaly Harry Potter.

[TigerL]

I'm also a fan of mystery, especially mystery set in other places/ times.

If you have a lot of time, I recommend The Quincunx by Charles Palliser (an English prof in the UK) which is about 800 pages long, written like Dickens with memorable characters, and requires you to pay attention and possibly take notes if you want to solve the mystery yourself. Lots of clues and foreshadowing in the text.

Another oldie but goodie is Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose, which is another thick book, about murder in a medieval monastary. (made into a movie with Sean Connery)

Not as thick:

Caleb Carr's The Alienist (19th century America)
Diane Setterfield's 13th Tale (Gothic mystery)
Frank Tallis' series set in 19th century Vienna
Boris Akunin's Fandorin series set in 19th century Russia
Forgot her name but "The Historian" (Eastern Europe/ vampires)
Carolos Ruiz Zafron's "Shadow of the Wind" (Spain)
Daphne Du Maurier's "Rebecca" (a classic)
Patricia Highsmith's "The Talented Mr. Ripley" (another classic made into 2 movies)
"An Instance of the Fingerpost" (another medieval mystery)

Not mystery:
Isabel Allende's books
Julia Alvarez's "Time of the Butterflies" (historical fiction)
John Steinbeck's book Travels with Charlie about his US travels with his dog (Grapes of Wrath/ East of Eden if you have lots of time)

Great satire that stands the test of time:
William Makepeace Thackeray's Vanity Fair (but thick)

I've read some of the books listed above. Dumas is very readable - fun and adventurous. The Master and Margarita was difficult for me to understand - it was a gift from a Russian friend. I'm not much of a Sci-Fi fan.

So many books, not enough time.

[Sawa Hinuyo]

Recommending Chuck Palahniuk's Invisible Monsters. My jaw almost fell with laughter.

On a more serious note, perhaps Tetsuo Miura's Shame blood.
Or Patrick Süskind's Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, in a more magical setting.

[lurk]

I'm totally hooked on Michael Connelly.

[Slacker]

	Originally Posted by Nikita To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	People have recommended, to me, One Hundred Years of Solitude and The Master and Margarita, and others have agreed, though I have not read them.

The Master and Margarita was great. It was one of those books where I got anxious as the remaining pages became few, because I didn't want it to end.

For mystery style writing, my favorites have been John Le Carre, Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. Then again, this might serve as a disrecommendation, because I'm definitely a fan of both Vonnegut and Kundera.

[MakingIn]

Another great Egger's book is A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.

I also highly recommend Neil Gaiman, especially his book American Gods.

Swann's Way by Marcel Proust if you've got a lot of time on your hands.

The Island by Huxley.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.

[rahdam]

	Originally Posted by MakingIn To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.

This is wicked awesome.

[Night Runner]

If you like detectives, I strongly recommend the Prey series by John Sandford. The books are set in Minnesota and the main character is an INTJ.
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
The first book is
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.

[dmouth11]

If you liked 'And Then There Were None' you should try reading more of Agatha Christie's works. Try 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd' even though the ending is quite controversial and bizarre.

[rahdam]

	Originally Posted by rahdam To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	This is wicked awesome.

They play a question game on a tennis court, something along those lines, it's a really good scene.