Suggestions for a picky reader?

[teashi]

I feel like I haven't found a great book in a long time, I guess because I'm a picky reader with my own likes/dislikes, and my own expectations. I want books with imagination, suspense, and some mystery to them. A story that doesn't happen every day, hasn't been done over and over, and writing that doesn't give me a headache. I'd like to get into more classics but most of them I've tried just don't interest me.
So here are my 'picky' conditions. Please don't suggest something that is or has:
-A black racial theme
-A lot of satire/parody humor
-'Chick lit' stuff
-Descriptions of sex
-A war-centered story
-Cliche fantasy
-Old writing styles like Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Homer..
An original theme/message might be good too.. maybe even a positive one for a change.
Thanks in advance.

[Jeremiah Jazzz]

Notes From Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky

He's no Homer.

[Scheherazade]

Middlesex

The Secret History

[JBI]

Middlesex

The Secret History

Judging by his 'requirements', I bet that isn't what he's looking for at all - just a hunch.

[Scheherazade]

Judging by his 'requirements', I bet that isn't what he's looking for at all - just a hunch.And you posted to tell me that? ;)

Looking at his requirements, his best bet might be writing a book himself but I went with "books with imagination, suspense, and some mystery to them".

[JBI]

And you posted to tell me that? ;)

Looking at his requirements, his best bet might be writing a book himself but I went with "books with imagination, suspense, and some mystery to them".

Yes, in a sense that is true, given that the denial of the Black experience (I think that includes all forms of writers from African descent?) Women's writing, fantastical writing, old books, and essentially all post-modern works, not to mention any book where people have sex, or kill each other, certainly limits one's perspective. I don't know that anything is easy to situate there.

Well actually, now that I think about it, Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises may work - the main character is impotent, so I guess that knocks off the sex bit.

[teashi]

Yes, in a sense that is true, given that the denial of the Black experience (I think that includes all forms of writers from African descent?) Women's writing, fantastical writing, old books, and essentially all post-modern works, not to mention any book where people have sex, or kill each other, certainly limits one's perspective. I don't know that anything is easy to situate there.

Well actually, now that I think about it, Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises may work - the main character is impotent, so I guess that knocks off the sex bit.
Well..
-For the 'black racial theme', it's just one of those subjects I've had enough of. That said, possibly my favorite book is To Kill A Mockingbird. But I feel like I've read enough stuff with the whole racism theme, partly thanks to having to read a lot of it in school. I could be open to a suggestion for something if it's not about racism, slaves, black men wrongly accused of crimes, or the suffering of abused black women.
-I didn't say no 'fantastical writing', I said no fantasy cliches. You know, magic stones and swords, dark lords, chosen heroes..
-I didn't say 'old books' either, just old-fashioned writing.
-I didn't necessarily say books where people don't have or mention sex, just not to be descriptive about it.
-And when I said 'war-centered' stories, maybe 'army stories' suits better. Stuff like Catch-22, A Farewell to Arms.. I don't know how you get 'books where people kill eachother' out of 'war-centered story' though.
Thanks for suggestions so far. Though I'm not a 'he', easy mistake to make.

[JBI]

The irony though, if one may say so, is that you ask for recommendations to broaden your scope, yet narrow your scope with one swift move by knocking out 9/10ths of books. Besides which, To Kill a Mockingbird hardly deals with Black racial issues, or, perhaps only slightly deals with them. Black people in that text, at any rate, are denied any real sort of voice, besides perhaps the depressed sounding Calpurnia, who despite the fact that we are told Atticus, and the Children love her, is still portrayed as subordinate.

The text, in itself, has nothing to do with the black experience, but deals more with the white experience of blacks.

But beyond that, if you say you don't want to deal with Black issues, and prefer to stick to non-black ones, then all I can say is good luck - you've knocked off most good books as it is. Is there an opposition to books with female narrators as well, or does chick lit just imply bodice rippers?

[teashi]

Right..
I think you may have gotten some things wrong, but I'm not going to argue. If you have a problem with my choices, then oh well.
Like I said, I could be open to something with a 'black theme' that doesn't have to do with those things I just mentioned.

[Mariamosis]

I feel like I haven't found a great book in a long time, I guess because I'm a picky reader with my own likes/dislikes, and my own expectations. I want books with imagination, suspense, and some mystery to them. A story that doesn't happen every day, hasn't been done over and over, and writing that doesn't give me a headache. I'd like to get into more classics but most of them I've tried just don't interest me.
So here are my 'picky' conditions. Please don't suggest something that is or has:
-A black racial theme
-A lot of satire/parody humor
-'Chick lit' stuff
-Descriptions of sex
-A war-centered story
-Cliche fantasy
-Old writing styles like Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Homer..
An original theme/message might be good too.. maybe even a positive one for a change.
Thanks in advance.

Germinal - Emile Zola
A Light in August - William Faulkner
Angle of Repose - Wallace Stegner
The Age of Reason - Jean-Paul Sartre

[Kafka's Crow]

Georges Bataille's The Story of the Eye.
Any book by Kathy Acker, specially Empire of the Senseless (my favourite among her works).

I am sure these books don't meet your criteria, but I don't think any book does!

[Janine]

You mean to tell me there's 'picky' readers like there's 'picky' eaters?

Sorry, I could not resist that.

[JBI]

Germinal - Emile Zola
A Light in August - William Faulkner
Angle of Repose - Wallace Stegner
The Age of Reason - Jean-Paul Sartre

I think Light in August is ruled out over the black racial issues bit.

[andave_ya]

what about mysteries? try any of the Lord Peter mysteries by Dorothy L. Sayers - definitely not something you run into every day! not heavy either, although she does use a lot of literary references/foreign languages/musical pieces. quick reads, very witty and enjoyable. if you want more unusual, go for the short stories - otherwise, try "Murder Must Advertise" or "Clouds of Witness."

[Chilly]

Honestly, I think its hard to find "old books" without "old writting" and i'm wondering how old is too old. Is Robert Louis Stevenson too old? or Joseph Conrad? because some of their books certainly don't fit into the rest of those categories (ex. Kidnapped, Dr Jekyll and Mr hyde, heart of darkness)
and what about:
Hawaii by James Mitchener
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammet

[lyni]

teashi could you post some of the books or authors you've read and enjoyed? that would make it easier to suggest various titles.

[kiki1982]

Why not The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde? Ok, it is old, but it is not too long, so you don't have too much the feeling of Austen, Dickens and Hardy.

Have you tried Dumas? Conflict and stuff is all in the background. Main focus is on his characters and there is always mistery and suspense because half the time you only get a glimpse of what is happening, which will become clear after. He did not waste such a lot of time on description. Although he was partly black himself he did not carry on the theme. No sex, because that would have been vile to write about. And not too much of that sweet love-talk. He wrote for newspapers in episodes, so there had to be some cliff-hanger because otherwise people would never read on...

Graham Greene you could try, although he struggles with Catholic beliefs. But he is short.

Edgar Allan Poe? He wrote kind of thriller stories. Certainly suspense.

[Emil Miller]

Anything by Somerset Maugham will meet all your requirements and provide you with some of the most interesting and enjoyable reading to be found anywhere. You could try some of his short stories to give you a taster, they are absolutely brilliant.

[Uberzensch]

I think One Hundred Years of Solitude would be perfect for you.

[Jeremiah Jazzz]

Lots of sex in One Hundred Years of Solitude though!

[prendrelemick]

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein.

Ok its Sci-fi but its good.

[teashi]

Thanks again for these suggestions. I know my conditions probably seem real strict and limiting. It's not like I want to be a picky reader, I wish I'd just enjoy almost every book I open like other people seem to. But what can you do?
I actually have copies of A Light in August and One-Hundred Years of Solitude. I'll probably try them some time.. though I heard Faulkner can be difficult.
Books and authors I like, to be more helpful, a lot of fantasy and 'young adult' type of stuff.
To Kill A Mockingbird
The Giver
Ender's Game
A Wizard of Earthsea
Redwall
A Day No Pigs Would Die
Bridge to Terabithia
But, I'd like to break out more and find more general fiction and classics to read also.
The 'old writing' style I'm talking about is stuff like this: 'Would Mr. Darcy then consider the rashness of your original intention as atoned for by your obstinacy in adhering to it?' I don't like this technical bloated type of writing, no offense to those who do, but it's not for me.
Sci-fi is OK to suggest. I've heard of Dorian Gray, and Dumas.. was that the author of The Count of Monte Cristo? I began reading it and was liking it OK, then I realized that tiny text on the cover that said 'Abridged' and I abandoned the book. Someday maybe I'll go find an unabridged version and try again. I've also heard of Graham Greene.. Brighton Rock right? I think it's suppose to be about gangsters..
Edgar Allan Poe.. probably I haven't read enough of him to know if I like him or not, but his stories seem really suspenseful and I like the psychological thriller style he has..
Well thanks again, people. :)

[grotto]

"Immortality" Milan Kundera

Just a thought.

[kiki1982]

The 'old writing' style I'm talking about is stuff like this: 'Would Mr. Darcy then consider the rashness of your original intention as atoned for by your obstinacy in adhering to it?' I don't like this technical bloated type of writing, no offense to those who do, but it's not for me.
Sci-fi is OK to suggest. I've heard of Dorian Gray, and Dumas.. was that the author of The Count of Monte Cristo? I began reading it and was liking it OK, then I realized that tiny text on the cover that said 'Abridged' and I abandoned the book. Someday maybe I'll go find an unabridged version and try again. I've also heard of Graham Greene.. Brighton Rock right? I think it's suppose to be about gangsters..
Edgar Allan Poe.. probably I haven't read enough of him to know if I like him or not, but his stories seem really suspenseful and I like the psychological thriller style he has..

The thing about 'Mr Darcy...'. What I found amazing is that they did not at all speak as we do: straight to the point. They turned around the point, but made it in an intelligent non-offensive round-about way which needed a lot of skill (just try it yourself). The key to understanding the style, and necessarily what the characters try to get understood, is that you have to acquire an 'ear', the same 'ear' people had then. Read between the lines so that you get what is being said in which the sentence in itself is of smaller importance than the idea behind it. It is a lot of words, but most of them have no meaning. The sentence you quoted just wants to say that Mr Darcy likes obstinacy (being himself like that), so forgives her her prejudice because she proved herself to be head)strong, a woman after his heart. I had long trouble with it, but I have now the tendency to start laughing straight away. Not to say of course that any of that 'should be liked'.

Dumas is indeed Monte Cristo, but he also wrote The Three Musketeers which is more fun, and shorter. Monte Cristo had about 1200 pages (?) and the Musketeers about 600 (?). The Musketeers is also much faster and more compelling all through, where The Count only is compelling for the last three hundred pages (but seriously). The Muskeers also have two (or five, if you will) sequels, so if you haven't had enough you can always get them, although they are less compellng, but they speak more to the imagination. Be careful with translations and abridged versions, though, because Dumas uses a lot of 'hints' as to what is going on beghind the scenes. Sometimes translations tend to forget 'details' that look like them, but are in fact very important.

Never read Poe, only thought him a good idea in the framework you put forward.

I read one Graham Greene, but I found that very good. If I come across one, I'll certainly pick him up.

[lichtrausch]

Kafka on the Shore by Murakami Haruki

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41TFHMYJG7L._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU01_.jpg

[higley]

I would try Ray Bradbury, particularly The Illustrated Man or The Martian Chronicles.

[Wilde woman]

To Kill A Mockingbird
The Giver
Ender's Game
A Wizard of Earthsea
Redwall
A Day No Pigs Would Die
Bridge to Terabithia

For someone who doesn't want "cliched fantasy" recommendations, you have an awful lot of fantasy in your list. Isn't Redwall not as cliched as it gets? (Not to be insulting...I was a fan of the Redwall series as a kid.) Actually, if you like Redwall, perhaps you'd like Richard Adams' Watership Down, which is a pretty dark allegory featuring animals (rabbits) as the main characters.

Hmmm, if you like Orson Scott Card, you might like Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy (Golden Compass, Subtle Knife, Amber Spyglass). That was one of my favorite YA series. It definitely has fantasy elements to it, but I'd hardly call them cliched.

You might also want to try something dystopian - 1984, Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451 - only because they seem to meet your requirements (though you might not find their ideas that original anymore). Some of them do have sex in them.

I was also going to suggest One Hundred Years of Solitude because you seem like someone who might like magical realism, but it does have lots of sex (though not explicit) and war scenes. And given the books you've listed here, you might find it a tough read.

And out of curiosity, when you say "chick lit", do you mean just bodice-rippers, or do you classify writers like Haywood, Richardson, and Austen chick lit as well?

[annatak]

For some reason, I can't remember details of books particularly well, but I do remember when they resonate with me. So here are some picks that you might want to look into (and I'm sure others on this forum will chime in, if these involve some of the taboo topics):

Cloud Atlas (David Mitchell)

Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (Michael Chabon - might enter into a few of your no-nos, but so worth the read!)

Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Sherman Alexie)

The Book Thief (Markus Zusak)

Curious Incident of a Dog in the Night-Time (Mark Haddon)

Life of Pi (Yann Martel)

[Apocrypha75]

...
Sci-fi is OK to suggest. I've heard of Dorian Gray, and Dumas.. was that the author of The Count of Monte Cristo? I began reading it and was liking it OK, then I realized that tiny text on the cover that said 'Abridged' and I abandoned the book. ...

Hi teashi,

Nice to find someone else here who seems to like their Sci-fi. Having only re-discovered reading in the last few years I was very sceptical of Sci-fi as a genre but have found it to be a rich mine of ideas and themes that appeal to me I don't see it mentioned here much (perhaps the clue is in the forum name :)) but here's a few I really liked:

Foundation - Isaac Asimov
Dune - Frank Herbert
Mockingbird - Walter Tevis
Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut
The Dispossessed (or Left hand of Darkness) - Ursula Le Guin

and some non-sc-fi:

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain
The Great Gatsby - F.Scott Fitzgerald
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - Jonathan Safran Foer
The Things They carried - Tim O'Brien

And I echo the recommendation by others:

Watership Down - Richard Adams
Curious Incident of a Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon

I have also been dipping my toes in the 'classics' and have read 'The Count Of Monte Cristo' (isbn 0-19-283395-2) and would put it in my top 5 books I have read so far.

The abridged/unabridged discussion is one I'm very interested in: I read 'The Three Musketeers' after 'Monte Cristo' and found it weak in comparison. As it turns out I had the full unabridged version and I feel the book suffered because of it; very boring in many places where a little editing could have made all the difference! I suspect that I might like an abridged/edited version more.

As with film and directors cuts -- they are sometimes not as good as the original edited version. I think this true of books as well. For the purist or literature connoisseur, I can see the appeal, but I consider myself neither and would prefer something that has been sculpted (preferable by someone with a love of the work in question) and trimmed of any excess fat so that reading it is a pleasure and not a chore. :)

[SleepyWitch]

Tales of the Night- Peter Hoeg

[*Classic*Charm*]

The Silence of the Lambs- Thomas Harris

No racial issues, no satire, no chick-lit, no sex, no war, no cliche fantasies, and no "Ye Olde English".

Just a couple great characters and some good old fashioned cannibalism. Enjoy:)

Honestly, that's all I could think of that satisfies your immensely limiting set of criteria.

Edit: I just notices how sarcastic and obnoxious this sounds. My apologies, that was unintended. I really do recommend "Silence" though! Oh, but I was being sarcastic about the "good old-fashioned cannibalism" bit!

[IJustMadeThatUp]

I'll just throw this out there; The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

[Mr Endon]

Flann O'Brien's The Third Policeman. It does feature a biting parody of scholars and academia, otherwise a perfect match.

[Scheherazade]

Flann O'Brien's The Third Policeman. It does feature a biting parody of scholars and academia, otherwise a perfect match.Keep hearing about this book so much that I will have to just pick it up and read one of these days.

[Mr Endon]

Keep hearing about this book so much that I will have to just pick it up and read one of these days.

It's the best thing since bread came sliced. I had to read it for a seminar on Irish Lit and everyone was delighted with it. Hilarious and seemingly anarchic, when you read it a second time you notice it is surprisingly intricate. Save this one for Summer, it combines the fun of the best Irish comedy and the greatness of a classic.

And no, I'm not getting a commission for each copy sold!

[Dedalus114]

Ok, 3 suggestions:
Ford Madox Ford, The Good Soldier
John Fowles, The French Lieutenant’s Woman
Jean Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea

[rpenro]

you could try Pan by Knut Hamsun. I don't know anyone who's too sure what it's about.

[Niamh]

Flann O'Brien's The Third Policeman. It does feature a biting parody of scholars and academia, otherwise a perfect match.
Good choice!:thumbs_up

Keep hearing about this book so much that I will have to just pick it up and read one of these days.
Oh Scher you really should read it. it is possibly the oddest book i've ever read.

It's the best thing since bread came sliced. I had to read it for a seminar on Irish Lit and everyone was delighted with it. Hilarious and seemingly anarchic, when you read it a second time you notice it is surprisingly intricate. Save this one for Summer, it combines the fun of the best Irish comedy and the greatness of a classic.


I was about to write something regarding the book that i realised would completely ruin it for anyone who hasnt read it. BUt yes it is a great book.

[tudwell]

If the OP's still taking suggestions, I think you should check out Little, Big by John Crowley. It definitely doesn't have satire, racial themes, sex (well, nothing explicit), or war. The only one of your no-nos that it possibly encroaches is the "old" writing. It's not an old book (70s, I believe) but it's got long passages of description, not unlike older authors. But I recommend you check it out. It's a wonderful fantasy tale (well, more magical realist; the fantasy elements take a back seat most of the time) about love, loss, family, etc. and it's one of the most emotional and moving books I've ever read.

[JohnMelmoth]

Well, I racked my poor old brain last night.

I suggest Wilkie Collins' The Woman in White. It is a classic and full of suspense, I checked and the writing isn't too Ye Olde Worlde. Someone else suggested The Picture of Dorian Gray and that's very suitable too. Who can forget the corruption of beautiful Dorian by that terrible aesthete Basil Haemerroid?

[andave_ya]

Well, I racked my poor old brain last night.

I suggest Wilkie Collins' The Woman in White. It is a classic and full of suspense, I checked and the writing isn't too Ye Olde Worlde. Someone else suggested The Picture of Dorian Gray and that's very suitable too. Who can forget the corruption of beautiful Dorian by that terrible aesthete Basil Haemerroid?

Don't you mean Lord Henry? Poor Basil got left on the side of the road...

[teashi]

I'm just not one of those readers who wants to decipher the sentences like that. I guess I prefer the straightforward style.

Silence of the Lambs? Really? I wouldn't have thought that would fit the conditions.. Thanks for the recommendation.

[JohnMelmoth]

Don't you mean Lord Henry? Poor Basil got left on the side of the road...

You're right ... I let the haemerroid joke get the better of me. And I so wanted to mention Wilkie Collins' other classic, The Prune Stone!

[gokkun]

I highly recommend "Flight" by Sherman Alexie. It flows well, and yet is very profound, and suspenseful.

[Lynne50]

I really enjoyed Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Foer. He also has another one entitled Everything Illuminated. I have not read that one yet.
How about books by Margaret Atwood? And one of my favorites is Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. Hope these help.

[Josephk]

The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter - Carson McCullers
Franny and Zooey - J. D. Salinger
The Castle - Franz Kafka

[Bloomsday]

Perhaps some of Kazuo Ishiguro's writing. The writing is very straight forward and doesn't seem to be against your recommendations. Specifically The Remains Of The Day