I've read The Abortion aloud a few times because I love the language so much. Brautigan is so underrated these days; as far as I'm concerned, he's right up there with Vonnegut. (Did you ever read Charles D'Ambrosio's appreciations of Richard Brautigan? One was in the first issue of Swink magazine—not available online—and it was incredible. D'Ambrosio doesn't write like Brautigan, but he appreciates him so much that I bet you'd appreciate his writing. They have a certain kind of unexplainable bond. Try to find Orphans, but Dead Fish Museum is excellent, too.

I bet you'd like Sarah Shun-lien Bynum's Ms. Hempel Chronicles. It has a similar, floaty feel to it; you learn about the character indirectly, but that turns out to be one of the best ways to meet a character.

(I second David's suggestions of Queneau and Markson. I think you might enjoy Oulipian authors a great deal. And another of David's suggestions is right-on: You might hate him, but I have to say that Tao Lin's most recent novel, Richard Yates, was one of the most Brautiganian reading experiences I've had in a while. I think if Brautigan was starting out today in a world of Google Chat and celebrities and the internet, he'd be writing a lot like Lin's style in Yates. But bear in mind that it is a completely acquired taste.)

There's a great out-of-print book called Dreams of an Imaginary New Yorker Named Rizzoli that you should definitely track down (I bet it won't be very expensive.) I read it during my Brautigan-intensive period, and it blew me away. Other authors I discovered when I finally read my way through everything Brautigan wrote: Jim Dodge, Italo Calvino, Nicholson Baker, and Donald Antrim.

And I'm not a spiritual person at all, but I really enjoyed David Eagleman's Sum: Forty Tales of the Afterlives. It's a series of thought experiments about imaginary afterlives. Each chapter is a short, stand-alone imaginary glimpse into what could happen to us when we die. It's not Christian (or religious at all, for that matter) and it's just the right amount of whimsical. Let me know if you've had any experience with any or all of these authors and I can fine-tune my suggestions further.

Oh lord yes – let’s travel anywhere to get out of this endless drizzle! (Even somewhere where the drizzle is atmospheric and charged with mystery!) Those are some terrific series you mention, and I’m sure you’ll get some great suggestions here for other series that bring you into settings and ways of thinking that feel different from the familiar Anglo-American mystery. Let me throw out a few of my own favorites.

First, somewhere warm: try Sicilian writer Andrea Camilleri’s series featuring Chief Inspector Salvo Montalbano. This runs to a dozen titles now, and they have a much more laid back, world weary poignancy – things get solved, or they don’t, life goes on – or sometimes doesn’t; let’s have lunch. Salvo is a likeably flawed detective in a likeably flawed society, with an on-again, off-again love interest.

There’s a new African series set in Botswana by an author named Michael Stanley, and so far, so good. His lead is Assistant Superintendent David Bengu, aka “Kubu,” who is a very winning character. Like Camilleri, these have a less driven, obsessive approach to crime than the typical American PI, and offer plenty of interesting cultural detail, but they are not as cozy as Alexander McCall-Smith’s Precious Ramotswe books.

I’m very fond of a series of charming mysteries by French author Daniel Pennac: The Fairy Gunmother, The Scapegoat, Write to Kill, Monsieur Malaussene, and Passion Fruit. They have an oddball French energy that I can best compare to Zazie in the Metro, or Jean Luc Godard – something droll and goofy: I loved them. Since you like those Amsterdam cops, I think you might enjoy these.

Robert Wilson has an interesting series set in Spain, starting with The Blind Man of Seville, with a very worldly detective, Javier Falcon. Maybe also take a look at Pablo de Santis’ standalone, The Paris Enigma, in which great detectives match wits at the 1889 world’s fair.

James Church has a series set in North Korea – a place none of us is likely to visit soon except through these books: I would certainly try the first one, A Corpse in the Koryo. Martin Limon has a series set in Seoul, though I haven’t tried them. Colin Cotterill’s series set in Laos is terrific, loaded w/ political and social elements – a wry detective in some truly challenging circumstances.

As I'm sure you know, there are scads of Scandinavian mystery writers being translated and published here now, typically dire and dark, but for my money one of the best is Swedish author Asa Larsson, whose titles are Sun Storm, The Blood Spilt, and The Black Path. If you like the Northern stuff, also try Kerstin Ekman, Karin Alvtegen, Arnaldur Indridason, Helene Tursten and Ake Edwardson (I’m assuming you already know Henning Mankell). And then the original classic Scandinavian police procedurals by Per Wahloo and Maj Sjowall – those are great, like Ed McBain but Swedish, which brings in some intriguing social differences to the way the conceive of crime and what is says about society.

Gotta run - time to do my storytime - but I'll look forward to checking back and hearing what other good suggestions you get.

Have you read the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear? Technically, this historical mystery series isn't set during the Great War itself, but its female sleuth, Maisie Dobbs, served as a nurse in the war, and many of the mysteries she solves relate to the conflict. Plenty of accurate historical detail, and a thoughtful, intriguing heroine who uses intuition as well as more traditional sleuthing methods to solve crimes. The first in the series is titled Maisie Dobbs.

Another series you may enjoy is the Jade del Cameron mysteries by Suzanne Middendorf Arruda. Jade del Cameron is a spunky independent heroine who learned how to shoot a gun and drive an ambulance at the front in WWI, and is seeking similar thrills after the war. She moves to Kenya to become a photojournalist but somehow ends up solving mysteries instead. Arruda provides the reader with lots of cultural and historical detail in an unusual setting. Mark of the Lion is the first in the series.

Finally, you might also like Laurie King's Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes mysteries. 15-year-old Mary Russell befriends an elderly Holmes in the early years of WWI, and begins solving crimes with him. The series continues into the post-war years, following the crime-solving pair from England to the United States. In the first book in the series, The Beekeeper's Apprentice, King brings wartime Britain to life.

I hope you find what you're looking for in these series. Happy reading!

For a couple of historical romances, try:
Katherine by Anya Seton
http://seattle.bibliocommons.com/item/show/2259991030_katherine
My grandmother, my mother and I all loved this book. Seton was hugely popular in the 70s, and has written some time travel historical romances, like Green Darkness, too. But Katherine, recently reprinted with an intro by Philippa Gregory, is considered a solidly researched historical about the love affair of Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster. Katherine was related to Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire.

Then, if you want a whopping romance series that also appeals to men for its action and adventure elements is the time travel historical series "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon. Speaking of my family again--my dad loves this series, too! Start with the first book, simply called Outlander:
http://seattle.bibliocommons.com/item/show/598706030_outlander

Oh, and you can't go wrong with Georgette Heyer who writes Regency romances akin to Jane Austen and who is getting reprinted now, too:
http://seattle.bibliocommons.com/search?t=smart&search_category=keyword&q=georgette+heyer
Here's a recent article about Heyer on Nancy Pearl's blog:
http://nancypearlbooks.wordpress.com/2010/10/24/hessian-boots-and-pale-yellow-pantaloons-the-novels-of-georgette-heyer/

Now as for what's good and what's not, mileage may vary. Like Paul said, some of it comes down to labels, but then it really comes down to personal tastes. These are just a couple that I liked.

Plus, we haven't even gotten to the sex part. Do you want some sexy romances or not?

Hello there,

I'm a librarian for the teenagers in Seattle and I read a TON of YA fiction. I also happen to share several of the same favorite grown-up authors as you, so I have a feeling you may enjoy some of my favorite YA books as well. Here are a list of some YA books with strong female protagonists and excellent prose that haven't been mentioned yet (and you can find them all at the Seattle Public Library):

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

To get away from her pregnant stepmother in New York City, fifteen-year-old Daisy goes to England to stay with her aunt and cousins, with whom she instantly bonds, but soon war breaks out and rips apart the family while devastating the land.

http://seattle.bibliocommons.com/search?t=smart&q=how+i+live+now

Imani All Mine by Connie Rose Porter
Beautifully written, at times heartbreaking, story of an African-American teenage mom growing up in a tough urban neighborhood. The teenage mom, who narrates the book, has an incredibly compelling voice.

http://seattle.bibliocommons.com/item/show/2105771030_imani_all_mine

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Through journal entries sixteen-year-old Miranda describes her family's struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon, causing worldwide tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. First in a series

http://seattle.bibliocommons.com/search?t=smart&q=life+as+we+knew+it

A Room on Lorelei Street by Mary Pearson

To escape a miserable existence taking care of her alcoholic mother, seventeen-year-old Zoe rents a room from an eccentric woman, but her earnings as a waitress after school are minimal and she must go to extremes to cover expenses.

http://seattle.bibliocommons.com/item/show/2530064030_a_room_on_lorelei_street

Annabee mentioned E. Lockhart, who is generally fantastic but has produced a few clunkers. I have to give a special shout-out to The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, because it is so so so good. Frankie is a sophomore at a prestigious boarding school whose older boyfriend Matthew is a member of a secret society. When the boys won't let her join, Frankie infiltrates the society and makes it do her bidding. Razor-sharp humor and smarty-pants references to postmodern theory & situationist politics make this a very fun read.

http://seattle.bibliocommons.com/search?t=smart&q=disreputable+history+of+frankie+landau-banks

Since you mentioned Lynda Barry & Jason Lutes as two of your favorite authors, I figured you wouldn't be adverse to a few graphic novel suggestions.

Local by Brian Wood (auth.) & Ryan Kelly (ill.) is a graphic novel that follows the life of Megan McKeenan, a young woman who leaves Portland to find herself. There are twelve interconnected stories, each set in a different city. Readers get to watch Megan grow up and figure out who she is and where her true home is over the course of 12 years.

http://seattle.bibliocommons.com/item/show/2536947030_local

Aya by Marguerite Abouet (auth) and Clement Oubrerie (ill)

Based on the author's memories of growing up in Cote d'Ivoire in the late 1970s, this light-hearted comic follows the everyday lives and romantic entanglements of Aya, a independent-minded 19 year-old and her friends and family, who live in the working-class neighborhood of Yopougnon in Abidjan, the capitol city. First in a series

http://seattle.bibliocommons.com/item/show/2398345030_aya

If you enjoy fantasy at all, there are several great authors writing wonderful teen fantasy with strong female protagonists. Three authors that come to mind immediately are Tamora Pierce, Kristen Cashore, and Shannon Hale, whose books all feature fierce, resourceful and ethical young female characters. You can't really go wrong with any books by these authors.

I hope you enjoy these titles, and the other great suggestions that other Questionlanders have offered here. Don't forget that librarians at Seattle Public Library are ALWAYS happy to offer more suggestions for good books. Just shoot us an email and we'll get back to you within 24 hours with a list of good books to read.

http://www.spl.org/default.asp?pageID=info_help_ask_email

Cheers, and happy reading!

One writer I think you should definitely try out – and a writer that I can’t but imagine had some influence on deBernières himself – is the Brazillian writer Jorge Amado. Yes, magical realism, but much of it with such a deft touch and a wonderful sense of humor about itself. Let me suggest his “Gabriella, Clove and Cinnamon,” as well as “Dona Flor and her Two Husbands.” Wry, funny, charming, and delightfully odd.

Before leaving the South America, perhaps the recent Nobel prize winter Maria Vargas Llosa might be worth a try as well. Like deBernières, he tends to weave in a good deal of historical context. I’m less certain about this suggestion, but perhaps try his “Aunt Julia and the Script Writer,” or for something more serious, “Death in the Andes.”

I see you’re already reading Salman Rushdie, who also springs to mind. Maybe Gunter Grass’s “The Tim Drum.”

I think you might enjoy Stephen Millhauser, who writes his own distinctly American style of magical realism. You might try his Pulitizer Prize winning “Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American Dreamer,” a rags-to-riches story about a shoe shine boy turned hotelier who attempts to create a hotel that is bigger than the world itself. Or maybe “Edwin Mullhouse: The Life and Death of an American Writer,” about a 10 year old novelist.

Ukranian writer Andrey Kurkov wrote a charming and offbeat book concerning an obituary writer and his little friend Misha, a depressive waterfoul: “Death and the Penguin.” Others by him have been harder to find, but that one is worth checking out. Which sort of reminds me of Nikolai Gogol a little bit: if you’ve never treated yourself to his short stories, or his novel “Dead Souls,” I think you’d enjoy it.

Perhaps Kevin Brockmeier’s “A Brief History of the Dead,” concerning the fate of a curious purgatorial zone occupied by the recently dead who still live in human memory, when the humans on earth start dying off. Elegiac, imaginative, with a great story to boot. Similarly Kathryn Davis “The Thin Place.”

“Gould’s Book of Fish,” by Richard Flanagan, is another possibility. It is a real heartbreaker, but amazingly inventive and gorgeously written. Likewise Olga Grushin’s debut novel, “The Dream Life of Sukhanov,” is rather autumnal, about an aging artist grappling with his life’s compromises, but a terrifically well written piece of fiction that plays with Marc Chagall’s imagery.

Sam Savage’s books might appeal to you – his debut, “Firmin: Adventures of a Metropolitan Lowlife,” about a rat who falls in love with literature when he eats some James Joyce, and his follow up, the more downbeat “The Cry of the Sloth,” about an author writing his way to oblivion.

And one I haven’t read out of Africa, that is supposed to be very good, and a blend of magical realism and historical social stuff, is “Wizard of the Crow” by Ngũgĩ wa Thiongʼo. And – this is getting long – just one more for your consideration, for now anyway – Salvador Plascenia’s “The People of Paper.”