Contemporary Fiction Books

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MrsAmyM
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Re: Contemporary Fiction Books

Post by MrsAmyM »

Haunted by Chuck Pahlaunik is a great piece of contemporary fiction. Its a collection of short stories woven together by a central storyline of a writers retreat gone wrong. It is sick and twisted and funny and hopeful at the same time. You need a strong stomach for this one but it is worth it.
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JedCohelo
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Post by JedCohelo »

I'd to recommend two books. (Oh, AND AM LOOKING FOR NEW BOOKS TO READ..Cause am a BOOK JUNKIE..I hope I've come to the right place).
First book: "Three men on a bender"-Patrick Rossi
synopsis :In Three Men on a Bender, with cruel sardonic wit Patrick Rossi recounts the story of cuckold Marco, morally superior and short-tempered natural leader Bradi, and himself as they witness a murder whilst on vacation in Ireland. In a series of drunken mishaps, Italy’s finest young stallions are enlisted by the killers themselves to hunt down the witnesses to the murder, becoming embroiled in an ever-deepening game of deceit. Yet it is only a matter of time before the sticky situation they find themselves in, alleviated only sporadically by the appearance of the beautiful Maylea, results in an even stickier outcome for the intrepid travelers in this hilarious story told with a unique brand of self-deprecating humor and sharp observation of man’s follies.


SECOND BOOK:(TOTALLY GUILTY PLEASURE, I've read this way before the movie. The book IS DIFFERENT..trust me)
WOLF OF wallstreet - Jordan Belford

You feel high while reading it..NOT because of the drug use, but because of the visceral LIVELY characterization of the characters.
It's 10003434 times better than the movie.

The second book = s*cks.
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Fran
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Post by Fran »

JedCohelo wrote:SECOND BOOK:(TOTALLY GUILTY PLEASURE, I've read this way before the movie. The book IS DIFFERENT..trust me)
WOLF OF wallstreet - Jordan Belford

You feel high while reading it..NOT because of the drug use, but because of the visceral LIVELY characterization of the characters.
It's 10003434 times better than the movie.The second book = s*cks.
In honesty it wouldn't be difficult to be better than the movie! Dreadful pile of rubbish IMO
We fade away, but vivid in our eyes
A world is born again that never dies.
- My Home by Clive James
amber_dawn
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Post by amber_dawn »

Have any of you read Carolina Moon? I need opinions.
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roguexunited
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Post by roguexunited »

I would like to recommend Julian Barnes' England, England.

In a near future a a project to preserve everything that embodies the essence of England will arise, motivated to some degree by the nostalgic feeling that the England of the good old days is disappearing, but the main motivation is that there might be some monetary gain in the process, and a better nobiliary title for Sir Jack Pitman, founder of the project.
And so in an even smaller island close the the original, the isle of England, England is born. A theme park that contains the Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Shakespeare's Globe, all in one. It offers the visitor the opportunity to be robed by Robin Hood and his merry men, to have dinner and be insulted in the process by the legendary Dr. Samuel Johnson, and much, much more. So, why go the the original if the smaller, more tourist friendly version offers a better authentic British experience? What happens when acting and reality mesh? What happens to old England now that it is obsolete?

To complement the book you can read Jean Baudrillard's Simulation and Simulacra, but it is not necessary to enjoy the story.
Latest Review: "Fate" by Ali Bin Zahid
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Darling_Reads
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Post by Darling_Reads »

If you are looking for an interesting contemporary fiction novel and haven't read the Lovely Bones I would recommend it. The point of view is from a girl that was murdered. She tells the story of her family and friends after her death. I don't want to spoil any of the interesting plot. Alice Sebold does a good job with this novel and even if you watched the movie and didn't think it was great the book is so much more.
Latest Review: "Emmie of Indianapolis" by Kay Castaneda
winsomefish
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Post by winsomefish »

I really liked The Magicians by Lev Grossman. It's very gritty and the main character isn't the most sympathetic person, but he feels real, and so do the secondary characters. A lot of people compare it to Harry Potter, but I think that does a bit of a disservice to both series. They are really quite different. The only similarity is the fact that they both go to magical schools. (The Magicians is set at a magical college called Brakebills). Be warned though, The Magician's made me cry kind of a lot, so there's that.
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AnythngArt
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Post by AnythngArt »

Review of "Site Reading" by Daphne Kalotay

“Sight Reading” is certainly the best book I have read so far this year. Few works of literature can take readers into a new world in just the way this novel does. It doesn’t need fantasy to do that either. Instead Author Daphne Kalotay has created a world in which music and art rule the day.

Without having any background in classical music (the world in which this novel is set), I found myself captivated by the lives of these artists – a composer, a struggling violinist, and an artist-turned-housewife, for whom art and beauty have been suppressed in favor of caring for her family.

-- 15 Jul 2014, 15:05 --

Review of "Panic in a Suitcase" by Yelena Akhtiorskaya

“Panic in a Suitcase” is like a woman with too much makeup, too much jewelry, strong perfume, and multi-colored clothing. There’s a lot going on, but you can’t seem to look away. The woman (or in this case, the debut novel of Yelena Akhtiorskaya) makes you sit up and take notice, even if you are not sure the woman (or book) is your type.

In the case of the novel here, it’s a richly colored, multi-layered affair, with all the characters vivid and bold (even in the case of the Pasha, the poet uncle, who appears to never make any decisions at all). It’s a room of Russians all speaking at once, and the reader isn’t sure if he or she can even understand the language, although the nuance is clear.

The main story centers around the Nasmertovs (a thinly veiled fictional family with which the writer herself is clearly familiar), who have emigrated from Odessa to Brighton Beach (a Russian enclave in New York City). The two worlds are different and yet the same, so too the people who populate each. The plotline roughly centers around the poet uncle whom the family is trying to convince to make the permanent move to New York (as they have). He wavers, he fails to decide, and ultimately remains in Odessa following his month-long summer sojourn in NYC.
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Reshmi
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Post by Reshmi »

'Tiger Hills' by Sarita Mandanna is one of the best books that I have read in the year 2012(and believe me I have read a lot..)I fell in love with this book as soon as I read the first line, in fact more than the book it is the protagonist Devi and the wonderful place called Coorg which had me hooked to this book.

The story is about the events in the life of a beautiful and fiery young girl who is forced to marry her childhood friend Devanna even though her heart has already been given to someone else.Apart from the story line , what I loved was the description of Coorg and bits of historical details scattered across the book.After I read this book the first thing I wanted to do was pack my bags and go to Coorg because while reading the book, I actually felt transported to this beautiful place. I have been to Coorg before during a college trip but I feel I have not really been able to see the beauty which the author definitely has captured in her book.For a first time effort it is an awesome read and worth every penny.I hope the author has many more coming soon.
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the1awkwardvlogger
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Post by the1awkwardvlogger »

This is a beautiful story of two teens, Hazel Grace Lancaster and Augustus Waters. Both had cancer and they met in a support group. Hazel used a tank, so her ilness was clear, but Augustus's ilness was very severe but not as obvious at first. Their love grew, though they were afraid of hurting each other if somwthing were to happen. The fate of these "star-cross'd" lovers was sealed from the beginning, but neither would ever regret their meeting.
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Matty_ryann
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Post by Matty_ryann »

Okay, so I'm sure everyone has heard about this book because the movie came out in June. The basic plot of this book is, these two kids, Hazel and Agustus meet in a cancer support group. Hazel is terminal but is taking an experimental medication to keep the cancer at bay, while Agustus is in remesion from Osteosarcoma and had lost a leg from it. This is a story of how two people who thought they were just going to die from cancer and that would be it, make no diffrence in anyones lives, fell in love and had their own little infinity. Keep in mind, they are star-crossed lovers, so it is very sad and you know from the begining that it will not end well. I absolutley loved this book, it is one of my top favorite books, maybe even favorite, which is saying alot with how much I read. It is not my favorite book just because it is romantic and witty, it is amazing in every way possible, because it is real. It is so easy to relate to and so metephorical and really makes you think about your life. One thing that Hazel says about her favorite book, perfectley describes this one, " Sometimes you read a book, and it fills you with this weird, evangilizing zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together, unless and until, every and all living humans read this book".
rueneyl
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Post by rueneyl »

I would like to recommend the "Girl in the Box" series by Robert J Crane

I could sit here and explain but i just dont want to spoil it for anybody.

Great read, over 9 books in the series so far.

-- 28 Jul 2014, 10:28 --
Matty_ryann wrote:Okay, so I'm sure everyone has heard about this book because the movie came out in June. The basic plot of this book is, these two kids, Hazel and Agustus meet in a cancer support group. Hazel is terminal but is taking an experimental medication to keep the cancer at bay, while Agustus is in remesion from Osteosarcoma and had lost a leg from it. This is a story of how two people who thought they were just going to die from cancer and that would be it, make no diffrence in anyones lives, fell in love and had their own little infinity. Keep in mind, they are star-crossed lovers, so it is very sad and you know from the begining that it will not end well. I absolutley loved this book, it is one of my top favorite books, maybe even favorite, which is saying alot with how much I read. It is not my favorite book just because it is romantic and witty, it is amazing in every way possible, because it is real. It is so easy to relate to and so metephorical and really makes you think about your life. One thing that Hazel says about her favorite book, perfectley describes this one, " Sometimes you read a book, and it fills you with this weird, evangilizing zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together, unless and until, every and all living humans read this book".

could not agree more, i absolutely fell in love with this book. It serves as a great reminder that not all is what it seems, life can be unpredictable and cruel.
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Mohinimushrif95
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Post by Mohinimushrif95 »

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green-
The book starts with a typical teenager reading the same book over and over again leaving her parents worrying that she has no life, but soon enough it is revealed that she is, in fact, no typical teenager, as she has lung cancer. The book is different in telling us about a disease we know so much about and still know nothing. The mind of a sixteen year old, suffering from cancer from a very young age making her a much more mature person than she is expected to be makes us aware of what pain and suffering can do, but nonetheless it cannot take away the real person that you are. The book that this teenage, Hazel, reads is ‘An Imperial Affliction’, which she says is the only book that truly understands what cancer is really about. The author, John Green, has beautifully given us the picture of her mind, retaining the seriousness that the book demands. The book encircles the love story of the girl and a boy named Augustus Waters whom she meets at ‘the Literal Heart of Jesus’ that is her Cancer Support Group. They become friends almost instantly and grow fond of each other, being similar and yet very different simultaneously. He has osteosarcoma (bone cancer) which leads to him having a prosthetic leg. Their love story, like every other, has some unexpected twists and turns, happiness and sorrow bubbling from each of those twists.
The book has given its characters just enough back stories to understand their behavior in the present and anticipate it in the future. It is a must read for people who want to feel and be amazed and know so much more about many different aspects of the human mind and above it all to realize that you are not the only one, which, to be honest, is a comfort worth seeking. Unlike the book An Imperial Affliction, mentioned in The Fault in Our Stars almost at every turned page, this book has a complete and satisfying ending leaving us with the amazingly appropriate amount of imagination as to what happens after the end of the book. Having heard lots of praises John Green, I was very excited about this book and he has definitely lived up to each and every one of these praises including this one and more. I must say I am very grateful to him for writing such a beautiful book and furnishing his readers with such impeccable joy.
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suzy1124
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Post by suzy1124 »

The Human Stain, Philip Roth at his best, a story teller par excellence!...a saga w/more twists and turns than a pretzel, brilliant character development, dialogue, etc...

A real " page turner "
" We don't see things as they are but as we are "

Carpe Diem!

Suzy...
BethOBrien
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Post by BethOBrien »

Just read Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline and really enjoyed it. It's an NYT bestsellers and top book club pick. It brings up a lot of interesting things that lend well to discussion
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