What novels should I read?
August 25, 2020 1:13 PM   Subscribe

I have such a hard time sticking to books til the end, and a lot of anxiety and, hence, short attention span. But when I find the right novel, I'm so happy. So I'm trying to develop a list of novels that have a higher probability that I'll like them.

I'm posting a list here of novels (and short story collections) that I loved or liked enough to lose myself in and finish -- or just the authors of those if I can't remember titles. Here are a few things they have in common: they're contemporary; no matter how serious the subject matter, there is ALWAYS a sense of humor/irony expressed; they can have some violence, especially if they're mysteries, but, if they do, it's mitigated for me by their comic undertones. HOWEVER I don't like "funny" books, that is, books that know they're "funny" (like, spare me PJ O' Rourke and Christopher Moore. And hate obvious satire). So, for example, I read a bunch of Pachinko, a wonderful book, but too sad or flat or something for me. I need more "privilege" in my characters; they can't be so miserable/fatalistic that they aren't somewhat snarky, but they can't be Republican self-satisfied assholes, either.

Question: If I liked these books/authors, what other books should I try?

Sam Lipsyte (but I've already read all of his books) - "The Wisdom of the Doulas" would be my perfect short story
some Elmore Leonard, Like Get Shorty (but I think I've already read all of his that I would like)
YOU by Caroline Kepnes and her sequel
a not-great book called A Star Is Bored (great title) by the late Carrie Fisher's personal assistant that's obviously about her (felt kind of icky reading it, but still)
Written Out, by Howard Mittelmark (murder on Long Island)
LORRIE MOORE (maybe my favorite author, but read them all)
Barbara Pym (but read them all)
The Mapp and Lucia books by Benson (but read them all)
Normal People, Sally Rooney (working on her other one, don't love it as much)
Joshua Ferris, pretty good
oh and there was a time when I loved Mark Leyner but he's too haha funny EXCEPT his last novel wasn't and was wonderful
Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday
A lot of George Saunders but not the Bardo one because that was too bleak so I didn't finish.
Oh and of course David Sedaris, I eat up every word, even though he knows he's being funny.
Oh and there was a time long ago when I read every word by Peter DeVries.

So that's a partial list. Thank you.
posted by DMelanogaster to Media & Arts (25 answers total) 23 users marked this as a favorite
 
Response by poster: Oh, and I asked on Goodreads, but they don't really get it. Their comparisons are based on superficial characteristics (like "Funny"). I trust You People more.
posted by DMelanogaster at 1:17 PM on August 25, 2020 [1 favorite]


Oh man, have I got a story collection for you: Middle Men by Jim Gavin
posted by kapers at 1:23 PM on August 25, 2020 [2 favorites]


I believe you will like Pretend I'm Dead by Jen Beagin
posted by Morpeth at 1:36 PM on August 25, 2020 [1 favorite]


Try the mysteries of P D James; she's like a combination of Barbara Pym and Dorothy Sayers (and you might enjoy her stuff, too).

I think you could give Dorothy Gilman a shot, as well.
posted by jamjam at 1:45 PM on August 25, 2020 [1 favorite]


I think you might like Less.
posted by Mchelly at 1:46 PM on August 25, 2020 [6 favorites]


Based on your love of Lorrie Moore and Barbara Pym, I think you should try Margot Livesey. She writes prose that's crystal-clear, readable, wry, and knowing without lapsing into sentimentality or archness. I would start with her gloss on Jane Eyre, The Flight of Gemma Hardy or with The House on Fortune Street.
posted by minervous at 1:48 PM on August 25, 2020 [1 favorite]


Based on Barbara Pym and the Mapp and Lucia books, and if you haven't already, you could try Patricia Wentworth's Miss Silver books, Ngaio Marsh's Inspector Alleyn books, or Dorothy Sayers' Peter Wimsey books. I have enjoyed them all and they have the same general structures of feeling.

Have you read Nancy Mitford? Also early 20th c. English, although much much more frivolous and less, hm, ethically sound? I love Love in a Cold Climate.

Try Tove Jansson's novels. The Summer Book is quietly one of the best things I've ever read, but you might prefer The True Deceiver.

Have you read Dashiell Hammett? I loathe Raymond Chandler but love Hammett. The Continental Op stories are great.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 1:49 PM on August 25, 2020 [2 favorites]


Try some Grace Paley short stories. They're funny in a very distinct way, and written in a hard-to-describe style.
posted by storybored at 1:52 PM on August 25, 2020 [5 favorites]


Jennifer Egan! The Keep (works great as a mystery), A Visit to the Goon Squad (a bit experimental), Manhattan Beach (more conventional narrative, no contemporary setting though). You will usually have some characters with enough spirit left to appreciate the absurdity/irony of a situation. I often balk at the Haha-Funny-stuff too, but I think Egan's wit is in no danger of this.
posted by sohalt at 1:58 PM on August 25, 2020 [3 favorites]


Have you tried Marlon James? I've read his 2014 book A Brief History of Seven Killings, two times now in the past 3 years. There is both deep irony and laugh-out-loud gallows humor on most of the book's 688 pages. (I wish it could go on for another 600 actually) It won the 2014 Booker Prize, is narrated by a couple dozen characters, half of which speak in Jamaican patois, the other half in a variety of American dialects (CIA spooks, 70s-era Rolling Stone hipsters). the novel recreates the attempted assassination of Bob Marley in 1976 as well as the related cultural upheaval/CIA vs. Latin American anti-communist coalitions/gang-political alliances drug trade that took place between Kingston/Miami/New York in the the 1980s and 1990s.). But so much of the humor comes from Jamaicans trying to work with Americans, Americans failing to understand Jamaicans, to say nothing of the many other Caribbean and South American interlopers that converge around Bob Marley, all trying to manipulate the social movement around him to their interests. The author has an incredible ear for dialogue and accents.
posted by caveatz at 2:12 PM on August 25, 2020 [1 favorite]


Marlborough House by Angela Thirkell is super funny and quietly sarcastic. And the Avery Shaw mysteries by Amanda M. Lee are hilarious.
posted by gt2 at 2:22 PM on August 25, 2020


Response by poster: "Jennifer Egan! The Keep (works great as a mystery), A Visit to the Goon Squad (a bit experimental), " LOVED them both, forgot to mention her. And I liked LESS.
posted by DMelanogaster at 2:25 PM on August 25, 2020


Back when Sam Lipsyte first broke out (I do love Homeland so much), I followed a recommendation to a book called Ovenman by Jeff Parker. it was right at the time.

I absolutely love Milkman by Anna Burns. it's not for everyone, but it has that first person feel with sardonic asides that make me chuckle. you know what I mean

Like you, I don't go for funny books. but looking back over my goodreads reviews, i remember how much I laughed reading The White Boy Shuffle by Paul Beatty. i've read a bunch by him since, bu none have matched this one

and i will always recommend Long Division by Kiese Laymon for the short attention spanned, it's the perfect length
posted by OHenryPacey at 2:35 PM on August 25, 2020 [2 favorites]


I just read all the Barbara Pym. These are some non-bleak books I have read recently:

Dodie Smith's non-I Capture The Castle novels (ICTC is pretty different): The Town In Bloom, It Ends With Revelations, The New Moon With The Old, A Tale of Two Families. These are my favorite novels from the pandemic era.

Nancy Mitford's Love In A Cold Climate, Don't Tell Alfred and The Blessing..

Noel Streatfeild's (Ballet Shoes, etc) grown-up novels and fictionalized autobiography.

Stella Gibbons's non-Cold Comfort Farm novels

Margaret Drabble's Jerusalem The Golden and The Millstone; her other ones are definitely funny but have a lot more disturbing bits that, much as I love her work, do not do it for me during the pandemic/social collapse.

I also got fairly far with some Angela Thirkell, although there's definitely a bit of smuggery there.

Have you read any Robertson Davies? In some of his books the gender stuff and the grotesque make them Not For Pandemics, but I defy anyone not to like Tempest-Tost. The Lyre of Orpheus is also funny and fairly upbeat, and if you've read those you can judge whether you want to read the rest.

Also, Margaret Atwood's early novels Lady Oracle and The Edible Woman are pretty funny.

(I'm assuming that if you like Mapp and Lucia and Barbara Pym, "contemporary" just means "after the invention of the motorcar".)
posted by Frowner at 6:06 PM on August 25, 2020 [2 favorites]


I’ve liked a bunch of things on your list, and I think you might like Liane Moriarty. She’s most famous for _Big Little Lies_ which turned into an HBO series. But my personal favorite is _Nine Perfect Strangers_ which is about a wellness retreat that goes weird.
posted by tinymegalo at 7:26 PM on August 25, 2020 [1 favorite]


Speaking as someone who doesn’t do audio books, you might consider the audio book version of George Saunders’ bardo thing, which charmed me with its eclectic cast of dozens; I mean, go ahead and google the cast. Then check it out of the library. I’m not sure it’s relevant, but I am also speaking as someone who has read every published word by Lorrie Moore.
posted by baseballpajamas at 8:31 PM on August 25, 2020


Sarah Caudwell's Hilary Tamar mysteries check all your boxes and are excellent reads to boot. I cannot recommend them highly enough.
posted by littlegreen at 1:08 AM on August 26, 2020 [1 favorite]


Was coming here to suggest LESS, glad you liked it. You might also like Elinor Oliphant is completely fine. You don't mention SF in your list but if you're open to it you might like Martha Wells' Murderbot books. Additionally Sarah Vowell is pretty great if you like Sedaris-type stuff (and I'm with you that Leyner is a little extra in that regard and I don't care for him). Assassination Vacation would be the one I might suggest from her (note: not novels, more like Sedaris-style essays). Also if you haven't read anything from Alexander McCall Smith, he has a kind of gentle humor that I like from the The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series to the less well known Portuguese Irregular Verbs. Lastly Bill Bryson writes good humorous books and there are a lot of them. My two faves are A Walk in the Woods and In A Sunburned Country.
posted by jessamyn at 9:48 AM on August 26, 2020


Response by poster: Frowner, a long long time ago I read all of Robertson Davies. Wonderful. I have so much to pursue now! Thank you all.
posted by DMelanogaster at 12:57 PM on August 26, 2020


If you like Barbara Pym, you might also like Anita Brookner. Her novel "Hotel du Lac" earned her the Booker Prize in the 1980s, but all of her novels are great.
posted by JimDe at 2:46 PM on August 26, 2020 [1 favorite]


I recently read and enjoyed The Idiot by Elif Batuman. Very witty writing but it's not a comedy, more of a literary romance/slice-of-life. Very well-observed with many humorous turns of phrase. No violence or real intensity.
posted by zeusianfog at 5:05 PM on August 27, 2020


I just read and liked Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff, it has a good level of continual comic undertone.
posted by catquas at 5:11 PM on August 27, 2020


Seconding Milkman (which sounds like it would be anxiety producing, but the protagonist has such a distinctive wry self-assuredness that it really wasn’t, at least for me) and The Idiot. Also I wonder if you’d like Tessa Hadley - maybe start with The Past.
posted by yarrow at 2:47 PM on August 29, 2020


Some recommended French Exit when I was looking for a book like Less.

I also recently loved Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead.
posted by athirstforsalt at 9:29 AM on September 1, 2020


Oh forgot to add The Junior Bender Series - humorous mystery stuff!
posted by storybored at 1:00 PM on September 11, 2020


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