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if you had to pick one work of fiction
JeffH
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My friend doesn't read fiction, just non-fiction(historical stuff, economics, politics, mostly). I've been trying to convinve him that he's missing out reading fiction. He says it "puts him to sleep", and when I asked what fiction he is basing this on he said Dickens. He said he'd give it another try, reading something I gave to him after he's finished with his current book. He is a fairly smart guy, just stubborn. H/A, what would you recommend I give him to read? (And I don't think the best answer here is Ulysses)
JeffH on
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Seriously, this series got my dad into fiction. For 40 years he was all about WW2 and comic books, nothing else. I lent him my HP books, he had finished them all in a month. He is now a biiger fan than I.
Those books are like crack, so try that.
Have him start with short stories and/or go with authors with simple and to-the-point styles like Hemingway or Raymond Carver or even Stephen King. edit: Given his interests, he sounds a bit literal-minded so going for anything heavy with metaphor, complicated structure or overly fantastic is probably a bad idea (so avoid 100 Years of Solitude!)
I'd also suggest fiction that deals with history, economics and politics but unfortunately I can't think of anything readable that would fit the bill.
edit: and it covers history and politics.
How about some Tom Wolfe to ease him in. Start with The Right Stuff--technically non-fiction but reads like a novel. If he likes it he can try Bonfire of the Vanities.
Since he likes politics, economics, and history, my crystal ball is telling me something by Neal Stephenson. Perhaps Quicksilver or The Diamond Age. Dune might also work, too.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
I like that book.
I break down into tears every time I read that book
Perhaps start him on: A Game of Thrones
because every person should read this guy's stuff.
I love that book.
I would also recommend Pillars of the Earth. It was recently chosen as an Oprah book, but don't let that fool you--it's good!
[Edit]
Pillars of the Earth is good and history-y, too, if that helps.
Or maybe, just start with a comic book. Y the Last Man or something.
Steinbeck would actually be a really good choice for an intro into fiction from someone who historically appreciates non-fiction. Of Mice and Men, Cannery Row, and, well, most Steinbeck, has the characters as regular people, and stuff happens. Sure, it's more than that, but people like non-fiction because it's about real stuff. Fiction that's pure fantasy or focuses on extraordinary people/actions wouldn't appeal, but I can't imagine that Steinbeck wouldn't.
A lot of Vonnegut skirts the line between fiction & non-fiction, what with a lot of the non-subtle political/social commentary that makes its way into his works. Could be a good way of showing him that fiction isn't just about "made up stories," too.
I've heard great things about American Gods but I've yet to get hold of it myself, but Neverwhere was great.
Or failing that, yeah Of Mice and Men is a great book.
I found Ender's Game to be enormously engrossing when I was younger and didn't read as much.
May not be exactly his cup of tea though.
Question, does he enjoy watching movies? Any specific TV Shows that might give us a hint towards where his tastes may lie?
I'll second American Gods, and Douglas Adams, and I'll throw in Kurt Vonnegut for good measure. I started on Welcome to the Monkey House, which is all short stories, but Slaughterhouse Five is probably a good place to start. Catch-22 is a very similar book to that.
Really, there are a million things you can start him on. Anything not too difficult to read and good should be fine.
Thanks for the suggestions so far guys, I like Of Mice and Men and GRRM(haven't found anyone that didn't like/love this series)
My older brother bought the first one of his books because the guy on the cover looked like Sean Connery. His books are like candy for me.
/raises hand
I can't stand Steinbeck and most epic fantasy bores the shit out of me.
I think the idea of finding out what movies he likes and basing the book recommendations around that is a good one.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
Therefore, I submit:
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Catch-22
I, Claudius (since he's a big fan of Ben Hur, etc.)
EDIT: perhaps even better would be stuff that ties into current events, such as Hosseini's The Kite Runner or A Thousand Splendid Suns.
If you want to get him into sci-fi or fantasy, try starting off with Asimov's magazine or something similar - that exposes him to a variety of styles in easy-to-digest ways. I have similar non-fiction reading interests, and I love Bruce Sterling - he writes science fiction that is also social speculation and commentary. Globalhead is a great example of this.
but they're listening to every word I say
It is pretty hard not to like that book.
we also talk about other random shit and clown upon each other