Clint Recommends:
Lost in the Funhouse by John Barth
The terms “postmodern” and “metafiction” excite as many readers as they infuriate, and turn off others. Barth’s collection of interrelated short stories will probably not move these contentious lines drawn in the sand. Yes, they are stylistically challenging, but ultimately these stories cannot be denied. Their structural inenuity and linguistic beauty have been an influence on many contemporary writers.
If you like Lost in the Funhouse, check out Girl with Curious Hair by David Foster Wallace
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Cassie Recommends:
All We Ever Wanted Was Everything by Janelle Brown
Here’s the story of a mother and her two daughters, each finding a way through a tough spot. Sounds like the formula for a bad chick lit novel, right? You are so wrong. While this book may be a fast read, its depth and wit greatly surpass ANY beach novel. Humorous (in a dark comedy kind of way) and occasionall painful (in an I have been there sort of way), Brown’s writing is clever, concise, and charming, and the characters are so enthralling I instantly became addicted.
If you like All You Ever Wanted Was Everything, check out Little Children by Tom Perrotta.
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Adam S. Recommends:
The Alienist by Caleb Carr
Some words to describe this book: Smart, chilling, engaging, atmospheric, and completely gratifying. This is one fine literary historical thriller. It’s Sherlock Holmes meets Silence of the Lambs. Pick it up.
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Bryan S. Recommends
The Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes
Set in post-Victorian London, Jonathan Barnes’ debut novel is a tongue-in-cheek parody of the classic Arthur Conan Doyle period mysteries (or is it a homage?…or both?) Witty, filled with strange and over the top characters, a narator that admits he should not be trusted, and a professional conjurer/amateur detective racing to save London from impending doom. Big Fun!
If you like The Somnambulist, check out Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gould.
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Kester Recommends:
Arkansas by John Brandon
Darkly comic, stark and stunning: John Brandon’s debut reads like Cormac McCarthy for Generation X. The last novel that impacted me this way was Tristan Egolf’s Lord of the Barnyard. Brandon shares the same warm absurdity, the same gift for making the broken and criminal feel like family.
If you like Arkansas, then check out Lord of the Barnyard.
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Manfred Recommends:
The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey
This book is in the Fiction section but I believe every word of it, and love every idea it potrays. Certainly Abbey was one of the first culture jammers of the southwest and his words still continue to influence in the name of environmental protection. Do you like adventure? Then you will love this book.
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Ansley Recommends:
Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown
Less a story of being a lesbian than of being a woman who sets no limits and won’t take no for an answer.
If you like Rubyfruit Jungle, check out Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison.
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Samm Recommends:
The Girl in the Flammable Skirt by Aimee Bender
Bender is able to see the human condition in a way some folks don’t, and is able to capture it in a way most of them can’t. Which is why she is one of my FAVORITE authors. Though not for the faint of heart, these seemingly simple stories beautifully allude to pain, joy, hope and love. One of her best collections!
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Nolan Recommends:
The Heyday of the Insensitive Bastards: Stories by Robert Boswell
Robert Boswell’s collection of high lonesome short stories reveals a spectrum of characters young and old, naive and seasoned, all finding themselves fodder for an ever-spinning world, showing no matter what they’ve come across they still can’t help but learn their lessons the hard way. Yet Boswell still all-knowingly gives hope that we’ll all get it right eventually. A sad and beauitful book for readers who make their drinks extra stiff for a reason.
If you like The Heyday of the Insensitive Bastards, check out No One Belongs Here More Than You by Miranda July.
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Kester Recommends:
The Yiddish Policeman’s Union by Michael Chabon
Michael Chabon is a brilliant writer and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay was so amazing that I doubted he could top it. I need not have worried. In The Yiddish Policeman’s Union, he has created his most fleshed-out characters and placed them in the most imaginative of scenarios. In the process, he has written his best work to date.
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Danny Recommends:
Moon Palace by Paul Auster
Moon Palace is an amazing book, one of my favorites by Paul Auster, that deserves its place among the greats of American literature. You will, I guarantee it, love every character in Moon Palace, particularly the narrator, Marco Fogg, and his old man aquaintance, Mr. Effing. This is the kind of book you’re sad to let go; I still miss these cahracters ten years after reading this beautiful novel.
If you like Moon Palace, check out Mr. Vertigo, also by Auster.
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Flippo Recommends:
Cruddy by Lynda Barry
Dang! This is one of the best stories I have ever read. Told from the perspective of Roberta, a young girl with a past, it explores drugs, cold-blooded murder, first love and such new-fangled concepts as “memory smells” and “dazzle camouflage” (see pg. 17.) Between Lynda Barry’s heart-wrenching illustrations and cool lingo, this book is at turns horrific and beauitful. You will shudder and smile. It is amazing and will FREAK you completely.
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Emily M. Recommends:
An Arsonist’s Guide to Writer’s Homes in New England by Brock Clarke
This novel’s love/hate affair with the literary canon is both endearing and mysterious as we follow an accidental arsonist on his quest to find out who is digging up his past, setting authors’ homes ablaze, and trying to wreck his life. As a New England ex-patriot, the regionalisms are an added bonus.
If you like An Arsonist’s Guide, then check out Miss Wyoming by Douglas Coupland
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Jenn S. Recommends:
How We Are Hungry by Dave Eggers
This collection of stories is the best thing this guy’s done. I’m serious.
Some fo these sentences keep my mind racing for days.
Example: “I loved the man I followed in the way you love only those you’ve wanted to kill.”
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Raul Recommends:
White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
C’mon – you want to succeed in life, don’t you? Do you feel that it’s society holding you back – its rules and mores and such? do you ever just want to forge your own path? Take a listen to what Balram Halwai has to say about his rise to fame (or is it infamy?) in modern day India – you’ll never forget the conversation and learn a thing or two about life and death.
If you like White Tiger, check out Hakawati by Rabih Alameddine.
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Ali Recommends:
Drop City by T. C. Boyle
The scene is that of typical ’70s hippie commune – “cats” and “chicks” comin’ together to live off the grid, practice free love and do a lot of drugs. So what happens whent hey run into a little trouble with the law and have to uproot from sunny California and decide to caravan to the Alaskan wilderness? Nothing good. In this surprisingly stark novel, Boyle once again proves he is a masterful storyteller.
