Best contemporary literature books according to redditors
We found 50 Reddit comments discussing the best contemporary literature books. We ranked the 30 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 50 Reddit comments discussing the best contemporary literature books. We ranked the 30 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
There's a book series I read, the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaranovich and the lead character, DC Grant, is a black copper. (Also, slightly a wizard).
And there's a thing that happens in them, which is that often when Grant meets someone he'll say if they're white or not. So I'll be reading merrily along and run into a line like
> She was a white, middle-aged woman who looked like she was already losing her patience
And for a while that was really jarring.
I'd literally stop reading to think "Why the fuck would you bother to mention that she's white?"
...And after a while, I realised that Grant mentions that she's white because he's a black guy. It makes sense he'd notice that sort of thing, when I personally wouldn't bother to describe a white woman as white - I tend to see people as white by default to the extent I'd forgotten that DC Grant was a black character with a different worldview to mine. That was a pretty valuable discovery for me, if I'm honest, because at least now I know I'm prone to think like that.
And I suspect that something similar might be happening when people listen to the descriptions of inclusive characters in TAZ.
It's very easy (assuming that you're more or less straight, white and cisgendered) to kind of forget that some people aren't the same as you. Not in a malicious way (or at least not necessarily in a malicious way), but if you happen to inhabit the same cultural space as most portrayals of "what people are like", being reminded that a character is outside those parameters can feel jarring.
It's a good jarring, if you ask me - it makes as much sense to say "But why is Merle a dwarf though?" as it is to complain that so-and-so isn't cisgendered, but people are conditioned to expect dwarves in the context of a fantasy narrative, and they're not (so) conditioned to expect LGBTQ or ethnic variations to be represented in a fantasy narrative or in the media generally.
Honestly the way the McElroys do it, as an aspect of a character rather than the central focus, is probably the best way to fix that lack of representation. I don't think people find it jarring out of malice, just because they're not used to it - but having that representation is how people get used to it. And for those demographics that are traditionally underrepresented, getting to that point is huge.
The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway.
One of those rare books that is fast-paced and hugely entertaining the whole way through, while never sacrificing intelligence or thematic depth.
Kung fu, war, secret weapons, post-apocalypse landscapes, lifelong friendships, corporate conspiracies, and ninjas all smash together in a book about the power of relationships in shaping who we are.
Private Dancer
Bangkok Days
Dead Drunk: Saving myself from alcoholism in a Thai monastery
The Damage Done: Twelve Years of Hell in a Bangkok Prison
May I recommend a book called Rivers Of London (Midnight Riot in the USA). Lots of fun, each river has their own personification.
I finished this book this week and I'm going to recommend it:
https://www.amazon.com/Gone-Away-World-Vintage-Contemporaries/dp/0307389073
>"Reading The Gone-Away World is a bit like spending a week with a hyperactive puppy: there are delightful moments aplenty, but it's slightly wearing over the long run. Still, any author who has come up with the beautifully silly plan of melding a kung-fu epic with an Iraq-war satire and a Mad Max adventure has to be worth keeping an eye on."
It's very much "The Zone", it involves a superweapon that can erase information from energy and matter. The government deploys it without realizing that it creates fallout in the form of "stuff" energy and matter that reforms based on the contents of the minds it comes into contact with.
So for example, a army unit gets ambushed by the idea of an ambush, bullets flying out of nowhere, everything seeming too cinematic because the hallucination is based on their perception of war rather than the reality. But still deadly.
So the whole world gets eaten by "stuff" and there's one big company left producing "anti-stuff" and the world cowers beneath its skirts. It gets political but I don't want to spoilers.
Really can't say enough about how it was written, either. The first third was slower and didn't hook me as much as the rest of it, but once I got out of that section I couldn't put it down. I'm picking up another novel by him to add to my list because I so thoroughly enjoyed this one.
Maybe I should just start doing fiction review posts, instead of finding places to hide these
Rivers of London by Ben Aaranovitch! The lead is a Met Police officer who becomes involved in the supernatural wing of the force. It's set in contemporary London and the atmosphere and London scenes are incredibly vivid.
The Gone Away World is super fun, and a great big trip. Plus, the action scenes are mind blowing.
There's an entire (good) sci-fi novel based in part on this idea of "the space between" in computer games - http://www.amazon.com/Spares-Michael-Marshall-Smith/dp/0553579010
If you like this stuff you will probably love it - it's a good novel in it's own right, too.
Well in that case you definitely need to read the Discworld series, has a lot of the same sort of humour. I'd reccomend starting with Guards! Guards!, it's the first book in the City Watch arc. Here's a guide to how to read the Discworld books, it's a bit chaotic I know but it's well worth it.
Whilst it's a lot less comedy I'd also reccomend the Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch.
Not what you're thinking I think, but I'm reading Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch right now. Really fun and the detail about London is fantastic. Nothing new but he paints a vivid picture.
i whore this book out whenever the subject comes up
My mistake there... It is Kureishi with a K.
The ISBN numbers and a lot more are linked from the articles:
The Buddha of Suburbia -- BTW the BBC mini-series adaptation was f-ing great.
My Son the Fanatic -- I did not watch the film but it don't look good from here
My unreserved recommendation for one of the greatest short stories of the last 20 years: The Body
The History of Luminous Motion by Scott Bradfield is absolutely amazing.
Other books we discussed were books that Redditors had recently read or were planning to read:
The Snow Child
Purple Hibiscus
For We Are Many and All These Worlds Volumes 2 and 3 of the Bobiverse (and it wasn't me who mentioned it, smartass).
October
Silver Sparrow
Hidden Figures
The Glass Castle: A Memoir
And Danger-Moose mentioned The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks, and he had completed The Gone-Away World, which a lot of us were not able to do.
Jbcoll04 suggested Homegoing: A Novel by Yaa Gyasi a couple of posts ago, and I don't want to lose track of that, because both me and darr76 want to read that at some point.
So, be thinking about our next choice. I'm definitely going to read October, Homegoing, and I'll try Volume 2 of the Bobboverse.
The book I am pulling these excerpts out of is "The Gone Away World" by Nick Harkaway.
It is the funniest, saddest, most entertaining, mind-warping tale of brotherhood, coming of age, romance, war, ninjas, and survival I have ever read. It has painted my ideals of politics, ethics, morality, philosophy, and writing that I still strive to come ever closer to each day.
Please dive into this book with nothing else (I've only spoiled some of the funnier quotes, thankfully not the plot nor any of the other insanely comical characters). I promise you, it will blow you away.
Stephen Fry wrote an alternate History novel about someone smarter and more strategic being leader due to present day scientists sending a pill back in time to make all men infertile the night Adolf would've been conceived.
Making History by Stephen Fry
There is a book somewhat that effect, "Scepticism, Inc," about a man who has people bet that their faith is the One True Faith and gets insanely rich in the process. It was a good read in High School, not sure if it holds up with age, though.
http://www.amazon.com/Scepticism-Inc-Bo-Fowler/dp/B000HWYT6C/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1292219191&sr=1-1
Not all within the last five years but,
Await Your Reply. Best if you don't read anything about it before you start.
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
A Suitable Boy
The Ghost Writer
You should read The Uncommon Reader, it's super short and really all about reading and loving books. 126 pages. You can read it in one sitting on a lazy weekend afternoon.
How about a post about a modern retelling of TKAM?
From Amazon
Diana Evans - "26a"
proof
looks like it isn't that great
http://www.amazon.com/Private-Dancer-Stephen-Leather/dp/9810539169/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278466794&sr=8-2
read this on the flight over...
Someone who I don't even know (my mom knows them) recently gave me 1000 dollars towards a wheelchair!
Ebook :)
Have you ever read this story?
Making History - Stephen Fry
http://www.amazon.com/Making-History-Stephen-Fry/dp/1569471509
Milk, Sulphate and Alby Starvation. Weird story, but a good description of Brixton, London.
Sorry I don't know how to hyperlink:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Milk-Sulphate-Starvation-Martin-Millar/dp/094779591X
There really isn't a definitive best book in Fiji. The only literature we did from Fiji in school were short stories. I thought Subramani was pretty good so try this:
https://www.amazon.com/Fantasy-Eaters-Stories-Fiji/dp/0894106317
The Debt to Pleasure
Sure, I generally listen to fantasy style books so it might not be to everyone's taste. If so try /r/fantasy for some great threads of lists of audio books if your interested.
I listen to Terry Pratchett books (plenty of info on where to start with these on the web but I always recommend the guards books ) when I'm walking or jogging because when I start laughing it doesn't mess me up as much. Sometimes Ill slip in an "Iron Druid Chronicles" book by Kevin Hearne these are still light enough to let you enjoy your surroundings and are great for outdoors stuff because there is lots of nature waffle :D
for running I try to stick with something that draws me in like the Dresden files by Jim Butcher. or anything by Brandon Sanderson his stuff tends to jump character perspectives from one chapter to another so you find you run through a chapter to get back to find out what happens. Well I do anyway.
I listen to a large spectrum of stuff really but my core library is Fantasy so here is a list I prepared for a friend earlier in the year Hope it helps:
Books List
but mainly “Under Heaven”(Asian theme beautiful book), “River of stars” (semi sequel like a thousand years later) “The Lions of Al Rasan”. Most of his books are connected and there is this thing called the “Fionavar Tapestry” that connects them. His books can also be considered stand alone.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Under-Heaven-Guy-Gavriel-Kay/dp/0007342101/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421678636&sr=1-1&keywords=under+heaven+guy+gavriel+kay
http://www.amazon.co.uk/River-Stars-Guy-Gavriel-Kay/dp/0007521936/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lions-Al-Rassan-Guy-Gavriel-Kay/dp/0007342063/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421678693&sr=1-5&keywords=guy+gavriel+kay
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tigana-Guy-Gavriel-Kay/dp/0007342047/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421678693&sr=1-4&keywords=guy+gavriel+kay
Best use of gunpowder and magic I’ve ever seen it works really well kinda like a “Mistborn” magic system. (If you haven't read mistborn you might want to its another Brandon Sanderson series) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Promise-Blood-Book-Powder-trilogy/dp/0356502007/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1421677263&sr=8-3&keywords=powder+mage
Really cool Magic system that revolves around swallowing Metals and “burning” them for access to their powers.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Final-Empire-Mistborn-Book-One/dp/0575089911/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421677588&sr=8-1&keywords=mistborn
Classic young lad raised by crazy monk types turns into renegade general / gladiator type trope but with an interesting magic system that guides him.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Song-Book-Ravens-Shadow/dp/0356502481/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421677442&sr=8-1&keywords=bloodsong
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rivers-London-1-Ben-Aaronovitch/dp/0575097582/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421677738&sr=8-1&keywords=rivers+of+london
Metropolitan police have a secret devision that deels with spooky stuff that stems from the time of Isaac Newton. Has some interesting inner city London stuff with Newtonian magic and river gods and avatars of stuff.
Humans are a primitive people living in small isolated towns and require wards painted on their houses to keep them safe from demons that rampage each night. This young lad is then forced to survive in the wild one night and decides he would rather fight than cower in fear. HE then seeks out a fabled tribe of demon fighting warriors and wants to join up with em etc. Pretty good a little dark at times.
Slow building but a great series that everyone ends up recommending. Dresden is a modern day Wizard / Private Investigator. Carries a revolver and a staff etc battles the dark forces of the world and starts a few wars with spooky gangs as you do.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Storm-Front-Dresden-Files-Book/dp/0356500276/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421678098&sr=1-1&keywords=dresden+files
Bit of a guilty pleasure this one I love ancient mythology and modern day wise assery so this hits the perfect combo of no higher brain function required tuning out on the bus good natured talking dog companion nonsense. plus there are like 9 of em
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hounded-Druid-Chronicles-Kevin-Hearne/dp/0356501191/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421678198&sr=1-1&keywords=iron+druid+book+1
Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch. A light and bouncy entertaining urban fantasy that has a great first-person protagonist.
I thought that movie was disgusting. Who needs to see a four-year-old and a three-year-old hooking up?
^But ^it ^was ^also ^disgusting ^because ^it's ^a ^rip-off ^of ^Spares ^by ^Michael ^Marshall ^Smith^.
https://www.amazon.com/Gone-Away-World-Vintage-Contemporaries/dp/0307389073
"The Gone-Away World" by Nick Harkaway is essentially based on the premise of the title of this post.
The Gone-Away World, by Nick Harkoway It's probably difficult to accept, but I'd strongly encourage you not to read anything about it and just buy it and read it. Ignore the horrible cover on the book itself. It's fantastic. If you must know something about it, I'd say there's some Vonnegutesque writing, some Kung-Fu, some war. Some mimes. I've said plenty...
As the Buddah says, disappointment is caused by expectations.
And hatred is caused by lack of understanding.
As the saying goes, there is the way things are, and the way they ought to be, but all that matters is how things are.
The harsh reality is Filipinos see things differently then Westerners.
And the reality is the majority of them like living in a hypocritical, racist, semi-feudal society. Otherwise they would change how they live.
You are the racist one for thinking Filipinos should have the same values as Westerners.
Along a similar line is the book about Thailand called 'Private Dancer'. Because the book was called 'racist' etc. No publisher would publish the book. The author eventually self published it. Eventually when it got published in print the first place it was published was Thailand.
http://www.amazon.com/Private-Dancer-Stephen-Leather/dp/9810539169
Foreigners are always baffled, how come my household help do not steal from me, are not lazy, are never late etc. But when I tell them how to get shit done in the Philippines. The foreigners call me racist. They are the racist ones, they expect the Philippines to run according to western ways.
There isn't a single mention of Taoism, but this book is 100% the culmination of Taoist teaching in the form of martial arts.
The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway.