Your favorite fiction books in last decade, i.e. 1996-2006. Here is my 10 for the decade: 1996 Independence Day - Richard Ford 1997 The God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy 1997 Cold Mountain - Charles Frazier 1998 Charming Billy - Alice McDermott 2001 Bel Canto - Ann Patchett 2001 Vernon God Little - D.B.C. Pierre 2001 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruis Zafon 2002 Empire Falls - Richard Russo 2002 Family Matters - Rohinton Mistry 2003 Middlesex- Jeffrey Eugenides
Without thinking about it too hard, 1996 Last Orders, Graham Swift 1996 Every Man for Himself, Beryl Bainbridge 1997 Quarantine, Jim Crace 1998 England, England, Julian Barnes 1999 Being Dead, Jim Crace 1999 A Star Called Henry, Roddy Doyle 2000 The Deposition of Father McGreevey, Brian O'Doherty 2001 Atonement, Ian McEwan 2002 The Songs of the Kings, Barry Unsworth 2002 The Story of Lucy Gault, William Trevor More recent candidates remain in a holding pattern.
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts (he says it's based on his life but it's always listed as a novel) Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson No Country for Old Men by Cormac Mccarthy Bangkok 8 by John Burdett That's all I can think of off the top of my head.
Andre Dubus: The Selected Stories Paul Metcalf: The Collected Works, v. I-III (all written before the last decade, but both published in 1996) Don Delillo Underworld Magnus MillsAll Quiet on the Orient Express and The Restraint of Beasts David Foster Wallace Infinite Jest James Kelman You Have to Be Careful in the Land of the Brave Richard Russo Empire Falls
Fair enough, I'll remove that and put in another. 1996 Independence Day - Richard Ford 1997 The God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy 1997 Cold Mountain - Charles Frazier 1998 Charming Billy - Alice McDermott 2001 Bel Canto - Ann Patchett 2001 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruis Zafon 2002 Empire Falls - Richard Russo 2002 Family Matters - Rohinton Mistry 2003 Middlesex- Jeffrey Eugenides 2004 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini So, where's your list?
Too much like hard work for me!! This will have to do:- Jingo (1997) by Terry Pratchett The Last Continent (1998) by Terry Pratchett The Fifth Elephant (1999) by Terry Pratchett The Truth (2000) by Terry Pratchett Thief of Time (2001) by Terry Pratchett Night Watch (2002) by Terry Pratchett Monstrous Regiment (2003) by Terry Pratchett Going Postal (2004) by Terry Pratchett Thud! (2005) by Terry Pratchett
Accept for the fact that I haven't read Thud! yet, I find absolutely nothing to argue with in this list.
The Asylum Seeker/De asielzoeker (Arnon Grünberg) A star called Henry (Roddy Doyle) Life of Pi (Yann Martel) Een Schitterend Gebrek (Arthur Japin, sorry the book is yet to be translated) I'm now realising that most of my favourite books are older than a decade!
I didn't know you liked a star called Henry. Have you read the follow up (forget what its called!!! Play that thing maybe)? Very disappointing unless you like jazz.
I loved A star called Henry. Or anything else by Roddy Doyle for that matter even though this one's so different from his previous work. I didn't even realise he wrote a follow-up!
It's a trilogy he's doing on Mr Henry Smart. The second book conicles his life in America as a mini gangster and an aide to Louis Armstrong. A star I really enjoyed due to its taking part in my favourite period of history.
I liked the grittiness of A star called Henry. I wasn't sure if it was all historically correct though, the post office bit I mean. Was it?
I'd like to think it was!! I loved the line were Connolly tells his men to keep their arms in case they beat the British as they'd need them against Pearse's men.
1997 Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American Dreamer by Steven Millhauser 1998 American Pastoral by Philip Roth 1999 The Hours by Michael Cunningham 2000 Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri 2001 The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon 2002 Empire Falls by Richard Russo 2003 Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides 2004 The Known World by Edward P. Jones 2005 Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
I've read six of these, an except for the overrated American Pastoral, I've liked every one. Millhauser is a one-trick pony, but sometimes the trick dazzles me. Gilead is one of my very favorite novels, period. My wife is reading (and loving) the Jones novel right now; I intend to read it next. I just read a short story of his in last week's New Yorker, and it was phenomenal.
Roth is running on fumes... Robinson slays! but remember...i think Hornby is good, so what does that say???