Sumpin' to Read
July 24, 2009 8:58 AM Subscribe
Recommendations for recent fiction?
I'm woefully out of touch and I'm looking for a few newish (in the last year or two) fiction paperbacks to bring to my awesomely wild and crazy friend in Russia, who asked for "anything cool." I know she really enjoyed Feast of Love, and asked me to also bring the latest New Yorker and Vanity Fair, if that helps guide you. I suspect she's up to date on Russian fiction, but she also reads French and Spanish, so you're not limited to English.
I'm woefully out of touch and I'm looking for a few newish (in the last year or two) fiction paperbacks to bring to my awesomely wild and crazy friend in Russia, who asked for "anything cool." I know she really enjoyed Feast of Love, and asked me to also bring the latest New Yorker and Vanity Fair, if that helps guide you. I suspect she's up to date on Russian fiction, but she also reads French and Spanish, so you're not limited to English.
Best answer: 2666 is new and very very good.
The People of Paper is one of my favorite 'gift' books, though it is from 2006.
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao was very very popular, won tons of awards, and recently came out in paperback. It's highly readable, with a great narrative voice.
posted by farishta at 9:11 AM on July 24, 2009 [1 favorite]
The People of Paper is one of my favorite 'gift' books, though it is from 2006.
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao was very very popular, won tons of awards, and recently came out in paperback. It's highly readable, with a great narrative voice.
posted by farishta at 9:11 AM on July 24, 2009 [1 favorite]
(not that 2666 is recent, but the English translation is, so it's been getting a lot of buzz in the last year)
posted by oinopaponton at 9:12 AM on July 24, 2009
posted by oinopaponton at 9:12 AM on July 24, 2009
A great resource for good new books is the Morning News Tournament of Books, aka the 'Rooster.' Their website has this year's winners as well as links to the previous four tournaments, whose winners and runner ups should all be in paperback by now.
posted by farishta at 9:29 AM on July 24, 2009
posted by farishta at 9:29 AM on July 24, 2009
The White Tiger
Seconding The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
posted by DrGirlfriend at 9:48 AM on July 24, 2009
Seconding The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
posted by DrGirlfriend at 9:48 AM on July 24, 2009
I really have to second The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. It really is an amazing book.
posted by skewedoracle at 9:49 AM on July 24, 2009
posted by skewedoracle at 9:49 AM on July 24, 2009
And along the line of Roberto Bolaño, his Savage Detectives (Los detectives salvajes) blew my mind. This link is to the hardcover but the paperback is also out.
posted by DrGirlfriend at 9:52 AM on July 24, 2009
posted by DrGirlfriend at 9:52 AM on July 24, 2009
I loved The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao! I think I'm forthing it.
The Terror by Dan Simmons was very entertaining. And it's not a novel, but Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver was so enjoyable.
posted by kiwi-epitome at 10:05 AM on July 24, 2009
The Terror by Dan Simmons was very entertaining. And it's not a novel, but Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver was so enjoyable.
posted by kiwi-epitome at 10:05 AM on July 24, 2009
I'm reading "Absurdistan" right now...I'm enjoying it enough to finish but it's not overwhelmingly good. It features strong Russian themes though so that might make it more interesting...
posted by vito90 at 10:36 AM on July 24, 2009
posted by vito90 at 10:36 AM on July 24, 2009
Best answer: another vote for the Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - brilliant piece of work
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami is pretty much the definition of mind-blowing - that book haunted me for weeks
i was also really impressed with Daughters of the North by Sarah Hall - an intense, probing work of dystopian fiction
Sherman Alexie's young adult novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is all sorts of cool - bonus: illustrated by Ellen Forney
posted by jammy at 11:12 AM on July 24, 2009
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami is pretty much the definition of mind-blowing - that book haunted me for weeks
i was also really impressed with Daughters of the North by Sarah Hall - an intense, probing work of dystopian fiction
Sherman Alexie's young adult novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is all sorts of cool - bonus: illustrated by Ellen Forney
posted by jammy at 11:12 AM on July 24, 2009
Cockroach by Rawi Hage, Beautiful Children by Charles Bock.
posted by Alex Voyd at 4:11 PM on July 24, 2009
posted by Alex Voyd at 4:11 PM on July 24, 2009
Love Is A Four Letter Word features Metafilter's own cowboy_sally.
posted by tizzie at 7:32 AM on July 26, 2009
posted by tizzie at 7:32 AM on July 26, 2009
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posted by oinopaponton at 9:11 AM on July 24, 2009