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CarlyTown>The Library>Not Quite as Light Not Quite as Light FictionSometimes you may be looking to read something with a little bit more substance. Check out these titles for your not-so-light literary needs!Not Quite as Light Fiction | Can't Miss Short StoriesNot Quite as Light FictionRobber Bride - Margaret AtwoodWitty and bitter tale of a villainess named Zenia wreaking havoc with the lives of three friends. One of the few Atwood books that didn't plunge me into a deep, dark depression. The Brooklyn Follies - Paul Auster Nathan Glass, divorced and recently fighting lung cancer, decides to move to Brooklyn. Comes back in contact with his nephew and his nephew's eccentric, bookstore-owning boss. A bit on the picaresque side, as they encounter characters all over Brooklyn and get entwined with their lives. Full of lots of lovely meditations on life, like: "Like him, I have majored in English at college, with secret ambitions to go on studying literature or perhaps take a stab at journalism, but I hadn't had the courage to pursue either one. Life got in the way—two years in the army, work marriage, family responsibilities, the need to earn more and more money, all the muck that bogs us down when we don't have the balls to stand up for ourselves—but I had never lost my interest in books. Reading was my escape and my comfort, my consolation, my stimulant of choice: reading for the pure pleasure of it, for the beautiful stillness that surrounds you when you hear an author's words reverberating in your head." The Grace That Keeps the World - Tom Bailey Elegiac, thoughtful tale of a family living in upstate New York, who live off the land and have a great tragedy. The story unfolds through the voices of the family and the townspeople and is a quiet, descriptive story, which also has a strong suspenseful thread due to the big mystery to be revealed at the end. Breakfast at Tiffany’s - Truman Capote Bit harsher than the movie, but assuredly good reading. In Cold Blood – Truman Capote Fiction? Non? Possibly written by Harper Lee? Wonderfully written in any case. Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez Great quote: “just seeing the girl was enough for him. Little by little he idealized her, endowing her with improbable virtues and imaginary sentiments, and after two weeks he thought of nothing but her." Charms for the Easy Life - Kaye Gibbon Great quote: “That sort of hurling oneself at a desire is a family trait, and has made convicts, scholars, lovers and dope fiends out of us from way back.” Kaaterskill Falls - Allegra Goodman Dreamy tale of people in a Jewish community in their upstate New York summer homes. Family Markowitz - Allegra Goodman Funny and thoughtful short stories, all featuring American Jews as their subject. Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen Lovely novel about the reminiscences of a man who used to travel with the circus in the 1930s. Beautifully told, with excellent characters and wonderful circus stories. One regret: wish there was a bibliography! Rich in Love - Josephine Humphreys A family experiences all variants on love, as narrated by the endearingly precocious teenage daughter of the family. Truth and Consequences - Alison Lurie I adore Alison Lurie. She takes what could be the dryest subjects, like an academic administrator and her injured but philandering professor husband, and makes them fascinating with her strong characters and her excellent insights into relationships and character. Atonement - Ian McEwan Set in three time periods and surrounding an English family and their house in the country, this novel is filled with beautifully written meditations on writing and love. There was a lovely bit about how control freaks love to write, because they can have control over the events and people they write about. (McEwan put it more beautifully, of course.) A Gate at the Stairs - Lorrie Moore Where other novels may have one or two well-worded and insightful lines, each page of Moore's novel has several. This one is about a college student who nannies for a couple who adopts a mixed race baby, but harbor a pretty shocking secret. Although it deals with some serious issues, it still has a quick wit, especially when it comes to observations about Midwesterners. Last Night at the Lobster - Stewart O'Nan This short novel takes place over one snowy evening at a Red Lobster which is closing the next day. Interesting slice-of-life piece--absorbing and touching. English Patient - Michael Ondaatje Deeply romantic tale of love lost. Far better than the movie. Bel Canto - Ann Patchett Lovely tale of opera and culture shock and hostages and love. Magician's Assistant – Ann Patchett About a magician's assistant. Poetically written. Run - Ann Patchett Marvelous, gripping novel about a white, Irish family who adopted young black boys and the family secrets and dramas that unfold after a woman pushes one of the boys out of the way of a car, and ends up in the hospital. Little Children - Tom Perrotta Novel about infidelity among stay-at-home spouses. Great movie as well, but the source material was definitely there to begin with. Interesting characters, complicated relationships, fascinating interior explorations. The Prestige - Christopher Priest Excellent novel, which the also excellent movie was based on. Fills out the story of the movie even more, and is framed as the magician's memoir and the story as discovered by one of his descendents. Three Girls and Their Brother: A Novel - Theresa Rebeck The three girls of the titles are the granddaughters of a famous literary critic who get their picture in the New Yorker and become media sensations. Told first by the brother, then by each of the sisters, it's a wonderful look at family relationships, as well as the culture of celebrity. Cost - Roxanna Robinson Gripping novel about a divorced professor/artist who was staying the summer at her Maine summer home with her aging and failing parents, and dealing with her heroin-addicted son. Well written, with interesting POV and complex relationships. The Post-Birthday World - Lionel Shriver Novel about a woman in a ten-year relationship who either kisses an attractive acquaintance or doesn't. Alternating chapters follow each decision,and the story goes on from there in two directions. Although it sounds gimmicky, it contains lots of interesting observations on married life, as well as American and British life. Secret History - Donna Tartt Kooky and literary shenanigans at a college among Classics majors. Anne Tyler writes wonderful novels set in Baltimore with incredibly vivid (and usually eccentric) characters. Some of my favorites are: Accidental Tourist, Ladder of Years, Patchwork Planet, Saint Maybe, Earthly Possessions. The Amateur Marriage - Anne Tyler Unfolding over chapters that peek in on Pauline and Michael at different times in their marriage, this novel is quiet and compelling, and provides real insight not only into the life and marriage of this couple, but into the universal issues that people face as they age. Can't Miss Short StoriesThese authors can always be relied upon to provide compelling short stories. For those times when you need your literary fix in small bits. For more great short stories, see also Shirley Jackson.Women and Ghosts - Alison Lurie Vivid, spooky tales, each featuring a woman and a ghost. You didn’t see that coming? Here’s Your Hat, What's Your Hurry - Elizabeth McCracken Witty short stories by a woman with a knack for a turn of phrase. Self-Help - Lorrie Moore Excellent collection of short stories, heartbreaking and hilarious by turns. Like Life - Lorrie Moore See above. Out of the Girls Room and Into the Night - Thisbe Nissen Great short stories, each told with a distinct and different voice. Heat and Other Stories - Joyce Carol Oates Chilling. Disquieting. Not easy going but well worth it. The Collected Stories - Grace Paley Abrasively funny with unsympathetic characters but still somehow touching. The Portable Dorothy Parker - Dorothy Parker From reviews to poems to short stories, an excellent and witty collection. May I recommend starting with “The Waltz”? My Date With Satan - Stacey Richter Fabulous, inventive, winning short stories, with varied, unusual narrators and characters. Loved the story of a woman who tries to get a grant to become a crazy cat lady, the story of the guy who hooks up with a Swedish goth band to play heavy metal, and the story of an aged teen idol. Twin Study - Stacey Richter See above description of Richter's stories. Standouts in this collection include the title story about grown-up twins, one about a lapdop who gets a taste of freedom, another about a suburban couple trying to resist the pressure of Christmas decorations, and one about cavemen wandering into a contemporary California town. Updated 7/31/11 Comments, questions, or suggestions? Email carly[at]carlytown.com. |
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