So here are your suggestions for authors, I haven’t tried:
Martin Cruz Smith
Robertson Davies
Anita Desai
William Faulkner
Richard Ford
Tove Jansson
Thomas Kenneally
Clive King (“Stig of the Dump” – assume that is name of work rather than author’s pseudonym)
Robert Le Carre
Beryl Markham (keeping up with comments)
Alexandr Solzhenitsyn
Colm Toibin (actually I have read “The Blackwater Lightship and wouldn’t mind trying another, so I’m not sure he counts).
Alan Warner
Emile Zola – My husband says I would like “Au Bonheur des Dames” it’s all about shopping and women.
Anyone else you want to suggest adding? I’ll give all of the above a go. I will add them to the list of well-reviewed, interesting sounding books which I have typed on a piece of paper and folded up in the back of my diary. You don’t believe me? Do.
So that’s it for another NaBloPoMo. Hats off to the fair Mrs. Kennedy for co-ordinating. I am not only saying that in the hope of getting a random prize.
Thank you also to my regular commenters during the month. I am hopeless at replying to comments but I love and treasure every one; without you I would have given it all up as a bad job.
The man going down to the basement to put out the laundry has just looked over my shoulder and said “NaBloPoGo”. Maybe I should stop now.
One final item of news; Daniel broke his glasses yesterday. Sigh.
So sorry to hear about Daniel’s glasses.
I must send one more suggestion along because I have no self control when it comes to books.
Have you read West with the Night by Beryl Markham? Did I already suggest that?
Anyway, I found it inspirational.
Two wonderful books I’ve read this past fall were The World To Come by Dara Horn, and Forever by Pete Hamill. Also, another excellent one is Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer; endlessly entertaining and leaves you with a whole mixed bag of emotions you can’t quite place at the end.
i was just reading your “omissions” post not five minutes after weeding out my bookshelves for the 400th time (my sister is taking back a large bookshelf i have been keeping for her. for 10 years. but nevermind.), and i agonized for at least 15 minutes on the Louis de Bernieres because even though i hated the book, a much-respected book review editor friend recommended him. I finally consigned it to the ‘sell’ pile, and am feeling much more justified after reading your assessment.
I agree with quite a few of your rejections, which makes me even more likely to try some you recommend. Can I suggest Haruki Murakami? I’m not always fond of his descents into fantasy, but I still find him really quite readable. As for Vonnegut, I think his reputation might seem more comprehensible from his short stories – try Welcome to the Monkey House.
I kept Eco and de Bernieres in my bookshelf much longer than they deserved simply because everyone raves about them so much. And re Alice Munro – I read an article a while back where a European literary figure was quoted as asking why so much Canadian literature “is about middle-aged women who don’t have any problems”. Stand up, Alice!
i second KE on Haruki Murakami. Couldn’t put down The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles and hated for it to end.
I third KE. Even the fantasy ones.
Can I just say how much I’ve enjoyed the fact that you posted every day this month as it gave me an excuse to waste even more time on the internet knowing there would be at least one reliably good post out there every day … and I’ve been feeling I’ve been blogstalking you as I’ve felt compelled to comment so often, I’ve actually reined myself back at times.
I really like Louis de Bernieres. And Amy Tan. I pretty much agree on the rest. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a great book; I haven’t read his 2nd yet though I have it tucked away… Personally I think Anita Desai is a waste of time. Dull dull dull. And I totally agree with DC – I’ve also commented way less than I could have this month!
“I will add them to the list of well-reviewed, interesting sounding books which I have typed on a piece of paper and folded up in the back of my diary.”
Creepy, I do exactly the same thing and have a look at it whenever I go to a bookstore or our local library.
And “Au Bonheur des Dames” is the only book I have ever read from Zola. The rest sounded too depressing. This particular one has such a happy ending that you could swear it was written for Hollywood.