I'm not so fond of new fiction coming out these days.

[Sequoia]

Terrorists, terrorists, terrorists....gotta have them

Square jawed men with dogs and power rifles hunting bad guys

Dopey sex scenes, terrible adverbs seemingly written by 8th grade boys.

Mystrey books with the same ole same ole detectives or stay at home moms turned super sleuth.

Child snatchers, serial killers, bla, bla, bla....

Where are the Charles Dickens and Poe of our day? I'm just going back to the classic or something written before 9-11, or before TV came on the market. Fiction was so much better then. American fiction is just horrid anymore.

[rfranklin]

1. Where are the readers of yesteryear?

There has always been plenty of trashy fiction. Remember the dime novels about 100 years ago?

[ixion]

2. the Hemmingway's and Fitzgerald's of our day are not given any space in print

because everyone is too busy fighting over celeb books or non-fiction pieces. You can be schmuck with no writing skills whatsoever, but if you get media exposure, you can get millions to tell your 'story'.

I wrote for many years, and published a fair amount. I finally gave up trying to publish because I simply wasn't writing what people wanted to read.

[ananda]

3. well

If they didn't sell, they wouldn't get published.

[villager]

4. some of the best fiction writing is happening in YA, right now.

DUers should pick up "Octavian Nothing, Traitor to a Nation." Pretty terrific stuff...

[Sequoia]

12. I'll check it out. Thanks.

[1monster]

5. Try Fantasy genre... The tired old formulas are why the number of

Fantasy fans are growing and growing.

[Sequoia]

11. Oh no, I hate those even more.

[Captain Hilts]

37. My roomate reads that stuff. I can't imagine a steady diet of that stuff. nt

[mcscajun]

6. I don't have a handle on the book market at large, but may I suggest one book?

"An Irish Country Doctor" by Patrick Taylor, MD

A friend loaned it to me on Sunday morning, and I finished it in two sit-downs - one Monday night, and the other last night. I just could Not put it down. :)

Here's a brief line on it from Publishers Weekly: "Barry Laverty is fresh out of school and uncertain about what type of medicine he should practice when he answers an ad for a physician's assistant in Ballybucklebo, a small Northern Ireland town populated, it seems, entirely by eccentrics. Laverty is initially taken aback by his new boss, Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly, whom he meets as O'Reilly is literally throwing a patient out of his office."

And they do mean "throwing" as in the conventional pick-em-up and toss 'em out the door throw.

:hi:

[Sequoia]

14. Sounds interesting.

I might complain about sex scenes written by 8th graders but fiction about teens in high school (and movies) are more interesting than stories about adults in dull jobs.

on edit: My library has a copy but I can't put it on hold because it's only available in one library. God, I hate cow towns!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just emailed the library to yell at them for that and for not stocking new books in a timely manner.

That does it for now, I'm just going to read "The Martian Chronicles" for the 10th time.

[Warpy]

15. I love detective trash for escapist trash

and I'm especially fond of Evanovich's gimmick. Instead of a cop kicked off the force or a bored housewife, her main character is an out of work department store underwear buyer turned bounty hunter in desperation and because she had an easy to blackmail relative in the business.

The early books are absolutely hysterical and the later books have their moments, although the focus has shifted too much to an improbable co worker. I defy anyone to get through one without laughing.

Writers like Dickens, Twain, Austen and Steinbeck (to name only four of many) really don't come around that often. They will get published when they do, as all publishing houses love the cachet of discovering the next one. Their books aren't best sellers most of the time because they require a little work to understand.

They will be out there, though. Just don't expect them every year.

(as a side note, look for "The Irish Magdalene." It's hard to find, but it's one of the funniest books I've ever read in my life.)

[Captain Hilts]

42. Evanovich's tanked for a while, then the last one was better. nt

[sandnsea]

7. I'm reading Frank McCourt

I've always thought good fiction was rare. I have much less tolerance for trash as I get older. I refuse to waste my time. Maybe that's true for you. too.

[Captain Hilts]

39. Try Brendan O'Carroll's series on growing up broke in Ireland. Not as heavy as A's Ashes. nt

[classof56]

8. Must say I gotta agree with you, Sequoia.

Mainly I read non-fiction these days, because any time I start a contemporary fiction book I quickly lose interest. I am writing one which I hope will get published one of these days, but it's one of those kinda smarmy romance novels about love found, lost and found again. No dopey sex scenes and I hope some editor/agent/publisher finds it better-written than by an 8th grade boy. Wish me luck! Meanwhile, you can't beat the classics--maybe the reason why Jane Austen is so popular nowadays, plus of course Dickens, Tolstoy, Twain, etc.

Enjoy!

[jobycom]

9. It's not fiction that's changing, it's you.

I've found the same thing with books and movies. The plots are more contrived and obvious, the characters more stock, the insights redundant and either pretentious or banal--or both.

It isn't that writers are worse or publishers more formulaic, it is that I've read and watched so damned much that it's hard to come up with anything new for me. My fourteen year old daughter, on the other hand, loves books (and music) that I find boring. To her, the insights are fresh and inspiring.

I went on a kick for a while reading early twentieth century fiction, mainly because I found an author with my last name. She was a bestseller for years, with a number of titles, but she's been so forgotten that I can't even find a good bio on her, aside from the paragraphs at the back of her old books, which I've picked up from Ebay. She's not a bad writer, but she's no better than modern fiction. Replace dopey sex scenes with awkward romance scenes, and terrorists with gangsters, and you've got the same pattern. She was writing at the same time as F Scott Fitzgerald and Earnest Hemingway. She faded into obscurity, and they remain.

The writers now who seem to have staying power are few and far between, as they have always been. Tracy Chevalier, Jan Martel (or at least one of his books), Umberto Eco... There are good writers, but not enough, as always.

[frylock]

10. chuck palahniuk..

http://www.chuckpalahniuk.net/

[DixieBlue]

31. He's great.

Although it always takes me a bit to finish his books. I gallop through 3/4 of each one but that last 1/4 seems to take me forever.

[endarkenment]

13. I can recommend a dickens of our age.

Roberto Bolano http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Bola%C3%B1o

Unfortunately he's dead, but if get your hands on a copy of Savage Detectives you will have a priceless modern classic.

[pitohui]

16. are you serious? so much good stuff i can't keep up

okay for just one example read extremely loud and incredibly close by foer and get back to me

our modern dickens is joyce carol oates, and much as i enjoy dickens, she's BETTER -- check out the falls or we were the mulvaneys

too many books, so little time

what is the series with "stay at home mom turned super sleuth" -- i feel i'm a regular reader of the thriller/mystery genre but i've NEVER encountered her

[Sequoia]

23. I'll clarify

Just look on the shelves and there's those, A Mona Mack Mystery (not a real title, just an example) or some such name. I used to get books from publishers and there were plenty of these types of books where you could figure out who did it right away. These books sell well though but I have no patience with reading them.

I'll ceck out the books you mentioned. Thanks.

[pitohui]

24. i'll tell you another horrible series to stay away from

someone left one of those "the cat who..." books on the plane and it was truly the most boring, uninteresting "mystery" i ever read, sheesh, it was weak

[Sequoia]

25. Thanks. I've only looked at the covers of those books.

[Sequoia]

26. I put "Extremely Loud...." on hold at the libary.

It looks to be popular so thanks. I checked it out on Amazon and it's about a kid. More interesting that adults sometimes.

[pitohui]

27. you'll like it, i promise

terrific story

[Orrex]

17. Didn't you just post in praise of Thomas Harris?

Here?

FWIW I first read Silence of the Lambs and Red Dragon about 15 years ago, and both struck me then as largely conventional suspense thrillers that happened to benefit financially from a blockbuster Oscar-winning film. I can't recall the specifics, but it seemed to me that Harris succumbed too often to the temptation to sound impressive to his reader. There's a lot that's good on the page, but a lot that's pretty darned pedestrian, too.

And Harris' choice to make Clarice and Lecter lovers in Hannibal clearly demonstrates that he'd entirely lost touch with the characters that he'd helped to create.


I confess that I'm not sure what exactly you're looking for, then. Another best-selling suspense thriller?
:shrug:

Whatever you do, steer clear of Ted Bell. Trust me on this. I implore you.

[Richardo]

18. I see your Ted Bell and raise you Dan Brown

I'm ordinarily not a proponent of book-burning, but in his case I'd make an exception. Some of the worst published writing I've ever read.

[Orrex]

19. Well, that's really the nuclear option, isn't it?

Any conversation of grossly over-rated (and mysteriously successful) book-releasers must begin and end with Dan Brown.

[pitohui]

20. these are airplane books

there are some books that are not too deep and that you can skim with one eye on when the flight attendant is coming around w. more drinks

this to me explains a lot of stuff like dan brown, there is not enough "meat" there to entertain on a quiet sunday in front of the fire -- it is something to look at while waiting for a train or in the airplane, just fluff

[Orrex]

21. See...

That would be okay, if people only read them with that in mind. But millions of people are snapping up these books and reading them as if they're actually worth reading, and that's the real crime.

Hey, we all read crap just for the sake of brain-candy, and there's nothing wrong with that in moderation. But if fluff makes up the whole of one's literary diet, then starvation is inevitable.

[DixieBlue]

32. i call those books "brain candy" ...

sometimes you just gotta read garbage. i do, anyway. and i would rather read dan brown's contrived crap than some bodice ripper or any of the "chick lit" that was so popular for a while.

[shimmergal]

29. Yes, it's horrible writing

The Da Vinci Code at least) but you have to give him credit for writing a novel of ideas that becomes a best seller. Not an easy thing to do.

[Sequoia]

22. Yep.

So I went to the library and found "Soldiers in Hiding" by Richard Wiley because I found his brand new "Commadore Perry's Minstral Show".

But I never read Hannibal and then to think of Jodi Foster and that English actor together...well....no.

[Orrex]

28. Well, IIRC Foster turned down the role

because the book was such a drastic betrayal of Starling's character. The part was played by Julianne Moore, a fine actress to be sure, but she's no Jodi Foster.

[smoogatz]

30. Sounds like you need to quit reading genre--or bad genre, anyway.

If formulaic writing bothers you, then genre fiction isn't going to be your thing.

[japple]

35. I agree with you, smoogatz. Sequoia, maybe you should

go to amazon.com and browse through their literary fiction suggestions. And look for authors like Toni Morrison, Cormac McCarthy, Neil Gaiman, T. C. Boyle, Ann Patchett, Louise Erdrich, Don DeLillo, John Irving, Marge Piercy, Gore Vidal, Larry McMurtry, Ivan Doig, Lee Smith.....and I could go on and on. You're looking in the wrong categories.

[Greyskye]

33. Charles de Lint, Neal Stephenson

My two favorite authors. Both are phenomenal writers and fabulous storytellers. de Lint has an amazing ability to have you connect with his characters, and his themes showcase the importance of family (often the family you choose, as opposed to the one you are born into). Stephenson is (in my opinion) the literary successor to the cyber-punk genre. More accessible then the works of say, William Gibson or Bruce Sterling, and (IMHO) better written. His novel "Cryptonomicon" may be the exception the the accessibility rule - this book is heavily into cypher-punk, as Stephenson is an amateur (?) cryptographer.

I recommend "Zodiac - an Eco-Thriller" as a good intro to Stephenson. Any of de Lint's works from the past 15 or so years are great. I even recommend his short story collections - and I normally loath short stories.

Happy reading!

[Goblinmonger]

34. There are FANTASTIC writers now

People have been saying what you are saying for centuries.

Off the top of my head:

Michael Chabon
Haruki Murakami (he'll give you something different than you expect)
Jose Saramago
Thomas Pynchon (ok, maybe a little dense reading and perhaps his best is behind him)
Phillip Roth
Jeffery Eugenides (Middlesex is one of the best novels I have read)

OK, some of those aren't American, but the point is there are good authors out there.

FWIW, I think Dickens sucks. Poe was pretty good but Lovecraft was better for the genre.

[Bridget Burke]

46. Michael Chabon, you say?

Just finished The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. Intellectually interesting--& fun to read. (His previous novels have been ordered.)

www.amazon.com/Amazing-Adventures-Kavalier-Clay/dp/0312282990/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/103-5197758-6337457?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190128064&sr=8-2

And I've finally started on my copy of Pynchon's Mason & Dixon. Pynchon's like a roller coaster--a bit of an effort to get to the top of the first "hill." Then--hold on!

There's lots of good stuff out there. And online sources will fill in if good bookshops are scarce.

[Goblinmonger]

48. Pynchon's an effort by worth it

Try "The Crying of Lot 49." Great read.

Chabon reads like butter.

Plenty of good stuff out there. Unless you like sounding like you are overly intelligent and want to complain about kids these days.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

36. Try the British mystery writers--they tend to have more depth

Ruth Rendell has two types of books, one of which is the English village mystery updated, while the other tends to be crime from the criminal's point of view.

Val McDermid is extremely versatile, and always interesting. Her breakthrough book was "A Place of Execution," but if you saw the series "Wire in the Blood" on BBCAmerica, that's based on one of her series.

One of my favorite series is Reginald Hill's Dalziel and Pascoe series. It's been made into a TV series in the UK, and the early years were shown on A&E back when it was artistic and entertaining, but Dalziel, the main character, is even raunchier and funnier than he is in his TV incarnation. Still, there's a serious undertone to the books.

Robert Barnard's books tend to be more lightweight, but he never uses the same characters or plots twice.

[XemaSab]

45. I read "A Place of Execution" and I hated it

Thought it was so predictable and so poorly written. :(

[XemaSab]

50. OTOH, I can't get enough Ruth Rendell...

some of her books are pretty odd, like almost Shirley Jackson-esque, but "No Night is Too Long" is one of my most favorite books ever.

Another book I like in the mystery genre is "The Sabbathday River" by Jean Hanff Korelitz. It's about a progressive woman from New York named Naomi who's been living in small town New Hampshire for about 10 years. One day she's out jogging and finds a dead baby in the river. One of her employees is accused of the murder, but Naomi suspects that her employee's only being accused because she had the nerve to have a public affair with a married man. (none of this spoils anything; it's all first chapter stuff).

[Captain Hilts]

38. That's why I'm finally reading Jane Austin other than P&P. nt

[Sequoia]

40. Check out this NYT article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/29/movies/29jame.html?_r=1&ref=arts&oref=slogin



<snip>

How did this early-19th-century novelist become the chick-lit, chick-flick queen for today? It is not only because she is an enduring writer. So is Melville, but bumper stickers and T-shirts read “What would Jane do?” not “What would Herman do?” A few other female writers have achieved pop culture celebrity: Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath for the drama of their suicides, the Brontës for the gothic romance of their novels and the contrast to their quiet lives. None inspire the warmth, fanaticism — or merchandising — that Austen does.

She has entered pop culture more thoroughly than other writers because she is almost spookily contemporary. Her ironic take on society is delivered in a reassuring, sisterly voice, as if she were part Jon Stewart, part Oprah Winfrey. Beneath the period details, the typical Austen heroine offers something for almost any woman to identify with: She is not afraid to be the smartest person in the room, yet after a series of misunderstandings gets the man of her dreams anyway. It doesn’t take a marketing genius to spot a potential movie audience for that have-it-all fantasy.

<snap>

In a job I had about 10 years ago there were two sisters who just loved to read Jane Austin's books.

[Captain Hilts]

41. The WashPost had an article on Sunday about Austin because of the movie out about her....

life.

[raccoon]

43. I've noticed several of those at my local library recently, among the new books,

" stay at home moms turned super sleuth."

But I haven't read any.

[Sequoia]

44. Don't bother, they're crappy as hell.

I'd get sent these books from publishers and they just hurt my brain. Things in these books include: grown up kids, dogs, knitting, quilting, fairs, shady cops, shady friends, no-gooder wild guy comes back to town and becomes hero and marries high school crush girl now grown up, bla, bla, bla.

[MedleyMisty]

47. Terry Pratchett's Discworld series

Excellent satire - it's funny and deep. Small Gods is one of my favorite books ever.

And in general I'm a 19th century classics girl.

[Daveparts]

49. The Servants of Pilate

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977145775

[tigereye]

51. well, in my book group, we have read some wonderful novels

Inheritance of Loss was quite good, as was The Curious Incident of the Dog in the NIghttime. Zadie's Smith' books are good, as well.

I just finished March by Geraldine Brooks, which was a very well-written rendering from the perspective of Mr. March, the father from Little Women. It was very, very good - beautifully constructed.

[USA_1]

52. ''Motherless Brooklyn''

I agree that literature today is not as tasteful or as aesthetic as it used to be in past generations. But there still are books of considerable merit out there. One such book is Lethem's Motherless Brooklyn:


http://www.amazon.com/Motherless-Brooklyn-Jonathan-Lethem/dp/0375724834



I first heard of it on the British Guardian website as the readers there heaped mountainous praise on the book. Shortly thereafter I read it and saw for myself that their perception was correct. Some day it will be considered a genuine classic.