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Fun, smart books for winter

Hi! I'm reading a lot of dense urban-planning material this winter, and I'd like to break it up with something a little bit more fun, but I have a hard time with books that have great stories but terrible writing (the recovering book snob in me rears its head sometimes).
I really like books that have a strong sense of place and books of essays. The last few books I loved were The City & The City by China Mieville, White Teeth, The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, I Was Told There'd be Cake, In The Shadow of the Sun, and The Blind Assasin. Any suggestions?

Ev asked in Book Recommendations about 1 year ago | Report

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  • Emily_2_small
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    For its strong sense of place, I recently enjoyed River House by Sarahlee Lawrence, a memoir of building a house by hand with her father in Central Oregon. I wanted to jump in the car and drive down there the whole time I was reading it.

    Fiction-wise I'd second The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, along with just about anything by Haruki Murakami, just for the quality of his writing. His novels are set in Japan but are replete with references to western culture and music. Personally I prefer Jay Rubin's translations of his work.

    A favorite essay collection is The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner. It's a collection of essays about a variety of countries, all focused on happiness and why some cultures seem more content than others. It's funny and fascinating, and two years after reading it, parts of this book are still lurking in the back of my mind.

    eadams answered in Book Recommendations about 1 year ago | Report
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  • Photo_on_2012-01-03_at_17
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    I would suggest "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" by Haruki Murakami. I'm just reading it now and really enjoying it.

    Kristin Bell answered in Book Recommendations about 1 year ago | Report
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  • Lookalikes_small
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    All of Tana French's books - The Likeness, In the Woods, and Faithful Place. She's excellent. The Likeness is particularly good.

    Geni answered in Book Recommendations about 1 year ago | Report
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  • Mototour_small
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    Ghostwritten by David Mitchell.

    Christina L answered in Book Recommendations about 1 year ago | Report
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  • Photo_on_2011-05-23_at_16
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    I love my Capote Reader.

    lilmonster206 answered in Book Recommendations about 1 year ago | Report
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