Book recommendations please

[Martinus]

I'm heading off to the Canary Islands next week and would like to take with me 3-4 good short-to-medium-length novels (probably as audiobooks, so I can listen to them while sipping my cuba libres and lying in the sun).

I'm looking for some American or British authors, 20th century or late 19th century, of the likes of W. Burroughs, Palahniuk, Vonnegut etc. (I haven't read many books by them either, so if you can recommend good books by them feel free - chances are I haven't read them yet). I like "weird" stories and queer/gay themes are an extra plus.

So far I am considering taking the Naked Lunch by Burroughs (I've read his "Queer" before) and possibly "Fight Club" but it feels like a school curriculum so far so feel free to recommend something less mainstread.

[fhdz]

You would love James Morrow's Towing Jehovah.

[Cerr]

Middlesex.

[garbon]

I like "weird" stories and queer/gay themes are an extra plus.

If this is the case, anything by Christopher Rice.

[Liep]

I'm going to the Canaries in a couple of weeks as well. The biggest one of them. And speaking of Vonnegut, is Slaughterhouse Five a good start if you haven't really read sci-fi before?

[fhdz]

Middlesex.

That's a very good suggestion.

[Lucidor]

I'm going to the Canaries in a couple of weeks as well. The biggest one of them. And speaking of Vonnegut, is Slaughterhouse Five a good start if you haven't really read sci-fi before?

It's excellent, but not very sci-fi. Asimov is a good start. Latest good scifi I read is the Ender series. Get Ender's Game and Speaker for the dead and you should be allright. The author is Orson Scott Card.

Martinus: Have you read Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell?

[Barrister]

Moby Dick.  Seriously.

[grumbler]

A Soldier of the Great War is fabulous on tape.  Helprin's writing style works well when just spoken.  It is very very long, though, so might not be what you are looking for.

[Martinus]

Thanks for the suggestions, everybody.

I actually ended up with some of the books suggested here by an independent research, so hope you guys weren't joking (I'm looking at you, garbo). :p

My holiday list includes:

- Naked Lunch by William Burroughs
- The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde (I've read that one before but just got it for good measure)
- Choke by Chuck Palahniuk
- Light Before Day by Christopher Rice
- Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin, and
- Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

[katmai]

those might have just enough gayness for you, just barely though.  :p

[garbon]

I actually ended up with some of the books suggested here by an independent research, so hope you guys weren't joking (I'm looking at you, garbo). :p

Hey, you said "weird" with gay themes.  Mme. Rice's son definitely fits the bill.

And actually, I own three of his four books.

[Martinus]

Oh, they also had other books by Christopher Rice on the website. Which one would you recommend the most?

[Martinus]

those might have just enough gayness for you, just barely though.  :p

Maupin is pretty gay, I'm led to believe. :p

[katmai]

those might have just enough gayness for you, just barely though.  :p

Maupin is pretty gay, I'm led to believe. :p

It's a good book actually.