The Diceman is awesome
I forgot about that one. If it doesn't mess with your head, nothing will! Definately one of those 'important' novels.
Anyone mentiones 'Perfume' by Patrick Suskind yet? Don't let the shite film of it put you off. It's a cracking read.
Kevkevs - I agree 'Catcher in the Rye' is nothing special.
I just read and enjoyed Anna Karinina by Leo Tolstoy - brilliant on a kindle, to heavy to hold up for long enough to read it in hard back!
I also have a first edition hard back of 'The Satanic Verses' sitting on my desk waiting for my attention to focus.
Sitrep : Finished The Long Goodbye. Great thing about Philip Marlowe detective novels is you dont have to work too hard, it's just like watching a Bogart movie, lovely.
Half way through Fear and Loathing.....couple of cup cakes.
Next up, Midnight's Children.
not really my usual fayre but I've just really enjoyed 'The Russia House' by John Le Carre (The Spy Who Came In From The Cold etc)
I always say the same to this question: Birds Without Wings, Louis de Brunettes. I never wanted to get to the end.
Also recently read The Human Stain, Philip K Dick. Very good indeed.
+1 for Haruki Marukami as well.
As I and others have previously recommended on this thread - James Ellroy. Do it.
However, if you like Amis and Rushdie, I would suggest a book by their recently departed mate Christopher Hitchens entitled 'Arguably'.
Man booker shortlist is always a good starting place. +1 for 'On the Road'. Just read and LOVED The Sisters Brothers by Patrick de Witt
my next book to read is "the adventures of kavalier and clay" by michael chabon, has been highly, highly recommended to me.
I wholeheartedly agree; a fine read
An Artist of the Floating World is another excellent title by Kazuo Ishiguro
Early Douglas Coupland is also good fun, although his later work often seems a little like a recycling of his ideas. I really like Microserfs.
i'm also a little taken aback that no-one has mentioned Time Traveller's Wife. While I admit it doesn't fit the OP's historical request, it's a wonderfully simple idea beautifully executed. One of my all time favourites. Shame about the dire movie they made, but fell free to ignore that, if you can...
noteeth - Member1Q84 is really good so far; though I've only got through book 1 and most of 2 (of 3)
I've not long finished part 3. I thought 1 & 2 were good, but it did seem like HM was occasionally treading water (though everything was still pleasingly weird). But suffice to say, Part 3 is brilliant & perfectly paced - I really enjoyed it.
Hmmm, I disagree. I finished Parts 1 & 2, thoroughly enjoyed them, read a short book in between and started Book 3.
Nothing happened in the final book. Absolutely nothing. A very disappointing finish to a promising story. It came across as a beautifully written attempt to appease fans of the initial story who wanted more, and that Murakami couldn't work out how to finish the book.
I'd still recommend Murakami though! 
IdleJon - are you me? Exactly the same experience, I had to drag myself to the end of book three. And still nothing really happened. I guess it's too deep and meaningful for me.
James Ellroy is good, didn't get on with the writing style in the Cold Six Thousand - to stylised into short sentences. Loved all his stuff up to that.
James Lee Burke is a fave.
+1 for Louis de Bernieres..
I love this guy to pieces
Just finished kavalier and clay. One of the most enjoyable books I have read.
a very disappointing finish
Ha, it finished just I as hoped it would (don't want to give anything away...!).
I suppose that being quite long, I invariably compared parts 1& 2 with the chunky WInd-Up Bird Chronicle, which had me entranced the whole way through. And then some.
I'm about halfway thru the complete western stories of Elmore Leonard - punchy stuff.
-1 for Louis de Berniere.
Just read Gabriel Garcia Marques intead of the cut price rip off that LdB
beej - Member
IdleJon - are you me? Exactly the same experience, I had to drag myself to the end of book three. And still nothing really happened. I guess it's too deep and meaningful for me.
I did wonder if I'd missed the deep and meaningful stuff as well, but I don't think I did. I like his writing though. He's one of the authors who could write a restaurant menu and it would make fascinating reading.
I'd also +1 Cormac McCarthy. The Crossing was one of the best , most resonant books I've ever read.
Louis de Bernieres is a fantastic writer - I love him.
JG Farrell books seem very slow but are full of character.
+1 Iain Banks, and sadly, for reasons below, George R Martin.
Martin's writing can be appalling - a horse that was trained special is one phrase that clunked in Game of Thrones. The good thing is that he is an excellent story teller if you can get past the occasional poor writing. I finished Book3 Pt1 yesterday and can't wait to read Pt2, whatever it's called!
(Trying to type in work so maybe not the best explanations!)
The Crossing was one of the best , most resonant books I've ever read.
Snap. The scene where Billy and the she-wolf make their stand... amazing writing.
And the ending - a passage of such quietly devastating power, I was in a daze for a very long time.
Historical novel?
Got given 1001 books to read before you die last year.
So far I have read two that I hadn't before. The first was the picture of Dorian Gray. Plot good, Wildes writing annoying.
To kill a mocking bird far better.
I like Stephen King and James Herbert for day to day stuff.
For something proper creepy try Desparation (king) or The Dark or The Others (herbert). Something a bit less creepy but still supernaturally try Fluke or Once
BTW.....not looking for historical novels per say, just good fiction of any genre.
My NY resolution of only reading fiction in 2012 has been updated to only fiction recommendations from STW on this thread. Going to be depressing to get to December and see how little of these I will have manged to get through.
Loads of good ones, thanks.
Just read Gabriel Garcia Marques intead of the cut price rip off that LdB
LOL.. I don't know how or why you would compare the two.. I know it's fashionable to do so.. but really..!?
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