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• Reputation: 640 Q&A: 9 0 11 225 15 6 Classifieds: 0 0 what's this? Follow Following 0 Rickler

  3 0 If you're up for reading something that isn't a "literary" novel, per se, Neil Stevenson's Cryptonomicon is gripping, hilarious and expansive. I found it impossible to put down; it's light and funny enough to be immediately absorbing, but meaty enough to seriously hold your attention. On the other end of the spectrum, Thomas Pynchon has helped me through some hard times. When I was in the midst of a thoroughly twisted and mind-fucky love triangle, his dense, digressive (and occasionally, truth be told, damn near unreadable) prose challenged me and forced me to turn my mental energy to something other than contemplation of the thoroughly depressing situation at hand. His particular, amoral and keenly observed take on human relationships really helped put things in perspective for me. Also - holy shit is he funny! Just when you think you can't take another physics equation or extended explanation of nineteenth century photography techniques, he'll have a character launch into a bawdy song or take you on a hallucinatory trip into someone's nasal passages or introduce a weird species of befanged, cave-dwelling imps. I recommend Gravity's Rainbow or Mason and Dixon (if you can stand to read an entire novel written in 17th century dialect; to me that only added to the appeal). Good luck, it sounds like you know just what you need at the moment! Rickler answered in Book Recommendations 8 months ago | Report 1 comment by sublevelthree… 0 0 On the mind fuckery there is also David foster wallaces infinite jest. So many characters heads to jump in and out of and weve together. It's a brick so give yourself some time and use two bookmarks one for where you are and one for the end notes sublevelthree commented 8 months ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  2 0 Have you read the life of PI by yann Martel? It's definitely in my pile of weird books with murikami and paluniuck (sorry bout spelling my phone hates me )it's a crazy trip in a life boat with a boy and a tiger has some tense bits but it's uplifting at times too. The author weaves real history into his created world in an intriguing way sublevelthree answered in Book Recommendations 8 months ago | Report 3 comments by Tuckerkatie, sublevelthree, and David Wright… 0 0 Thats a beautiful story I would read pi over and over good pick! Tuckerkatie commented 8 months ago | Report 0 0 Actually this question just put it on my re-read list sublevelthree commented 8 months ago | Report 0 0 Agreed! - immediately involving story. David Wright commented 8 months ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  1 0 Funny and dramatic and can't put down... and a Go-To author for "aw, fuck the world and fuck all you fucking liars out there too" is Tom Robbins. RacerX answered in Book Recommendations 8 months ago | Report 1 comment by David Wright… 0 0 (-: David Wright commented 8 months ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  1 0 I'm currently reading The Instructions by Adam Levin. It's about a 10-year old boy who's a genius and Talmudic scholar and has been kicked out of 4 schools since kindergarten for fighting and overall flaunting of authority. It is incredibly dramatic and funny and is also over 1000 pages. I too am a Murakami fan and am in love with this book. Marty Marty Unger answered in Book Recommendations 8 months ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  0 0 Snow is a great book so pick it up again eventually! Freedom by Jonathan Franzen comes to mind but is all about relationships falling apart. It is definitely funny, dramatic, and hard to put down. Empire Falls by Richard Russo is not bad if you'll pardon the terrible ending. I wouldn't quite call it angsty, though. It's very adult. The #1 author that comes to mind when I hear the word angst is Chuck Palahniuk, but I do not know any women who like him. protosaurus answered in Book Recommendations 8 months ago | Report 3 comments by sibley, Gloria, and protosaurus… 0 0 I have Snow stacked away for another time definitely. Freedom was great, and my husband is reading it now- grimacing with the parallels of Patty. Ha. I don't know anything about Empire Falls, but I hesitate to pick it up if its not bad with a terrible ending. :) sibley commented 8 months ago | Report 0 0 Not one woman who liked Fight Club? Weird. Gloria commented 8 months ago | Report 0 0 Just been my experience that Palahniuk attracts 95% young males. I really liked Empire Falls except it felt like he had no idea how to end it. It's like a blue-collar version of Freedom. protosaurus commented 8 months ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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• Reputation: 639 Q&A: 22 0 0 205 6 0 Classifieds: 0 0 what's this? Expert: 5 topics Books & Writing Book Recommendations General Book Discussion Other Books & Writing Book Club- A Visit from the Goon Squad Follow Following 2 David Wright

  0 0 First of all, I'm sorry: that sucks. And yeh, "Emperor of all Maladies" will definitely make a bad mood worse, what with all the tumors and cutting and mortality rates - sigh... It sounds like you might enjoy jumping into something like Erin Morgenstern's current hit "The Night Circus," or for something a bit less trendy, Scarlet Thomas's The End of Mr. Y, or Lydia Millet's Oh Pure and Radiant Heart, or Dexter Clarence Palmer's The Dream of Perpetual Motion, or Nancy Mauro's New World Monkeys, or Generosity: An Improvement by Richard Powers, or Lethem's own Chronic City, or Charles Yu's How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe. A variety of books, but all smart, inventive, funny, compelling, sometimes dark but not bleak or melancholic. (Well, the Yu is kind of downbeat, but still funny). As you say, dramatic and funny, but not too brainless. David Wright answered in Book Recommendations 8 months ago | Report 1 comment by sibley… 0 0 Thank you! I've written these down and am going to explore elliot bay books this afternoon. sibley commented 8 months ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  0 0 The Tin Drum, by Gunter Grass. An amazing, surreal, expansive book. If you haven't read any other Murakami, Sputnik Sweetheart, Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World, Wild Sheep Chase and Dance Dance Dance, and Kafka on the Shore are all spectacular and I think make great reading when you're angsty. Also the English translation of his new book, 1Q84, comes out on October 25. Lilting Missive answered in Book Recommendations 8 months ago | Report 1 comment by sibley… 0 0 Thank you! I loved hardboiled wonderland, I'll definitely check out his others and the tin drum. sibley commented 8 months ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  0 0 The Stranger by Albert Camus. Becky Plant answered in Book Recommendations 8 months ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  0 0 Its calles the gargoyle its a wonderful book I think its by andrew davidson its funny well written sad and happy all at once I read it when o found out my ex was sleeping w my best friend/next door neighbor Tuckerkatie answered in Book Recommendations 8 months ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  1 2 I understand that Sue Grafton wrote "A is for Alibi" after a painful divorse from her hubby. Don't know if it's the right therapy for you, but I guarentee you'll be blown away by the ending! (No peeking, now... Follow the mystery/detective story in order so it builds to the climax the right way...) O my captain answered in Book Recommendations 8 months ago | Report 3 comments by O my captain, David Wright, and Black Beetles in Amber… 0 0 How sad that I give a serious, straight forward answer and recommendation. Yet somebody choses to give it a thumbs down without commenting on why... O my captain commented 8 months ago | Report 0 0 I'm guessing it is that old hokey bias against anything popular & genre. Don't let it getcha down - a few thumbs down scars are a sign of an independent mind. On the 'bibliotherapy' front, there is certainly something to be said about a good gripping story with a solid hero who you can identify with, for some good reading in a time of stress or uncertainty. Also, crime fiction contains some of the best writing out there right now, period. David Wright commented 8 months ago | Report 0 0 @O: Someone's been downvoting everything lately, independent of topic/agreement. Black Beetles in Amber commented 7 months ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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