Will I ever be a 'reader' again?

[sweetnitanitro]

After a failed trip to the library on Wed I am struggling to find fiction that I like. I have read fiction books that I like (Jasper Fford and the Discworld books have been my favourite so far) but I seem to be rather picky I turned down everything my mum recommended to me and left the library empty-handed and feeling like a bit of a tit.

I like things that are clever and funny and a bit unpredictable but I DON'T like-

Romance in any way, shape or form
Crime
Historical novels

And that seems to be all there is! All the books I can find seem to be about someone falling in love or getting shot (or both). Please give me some recommendations before I resign myself to the non-fiction section forever!

[wrinklytum]

Have you ever read any Margaret Atwood?

The Handmaids Tale is a good start.

[misshardbroom]

Have you read any Brett Easton Ellis or Hunter S Thompson? Or Philip Roth?

We read A Million Little Pieces by James Frey in our book group, which was a bit different for the chick-lit loving mummies who make up the majority!

If you don't mind the sort of teen / adult crossover market, then I'd recommend some Meg Rosoff.

I liked Restless by William Boyd too, but it's set in the Second World War, so that might be a bit too historical for your tastes!

Hope this is some help, even if only to discount a load of other authors .

[nickelbabe]

?? you love Jasper Fforde, but don't like crime?
weird....
I think what i'm trying to say is that just because you don't like a genre in general, you will find certain books that are technically in that genre but break all the rules of that genre!

If you're worried about books that you don't want to read, I suggest going back to children's books. this might seem like a weird suggestion, but one thing that puts me off with adults' books is that they filla lot of pages with unnecessary stuff. kids' books have to keep you interested and so don't have that much waffle in them.

try The Hunger Games by Susannah Collins, The Dead and the Gone by Susan Pfeffer. Or something by Eva Ibbotson?

[Wigeon]

Ian McEwan. Totally gripped by Saturday and Atonement. Also liked On Chesil Beach and Amsterdam and Enduring Love (not a romance so don't worry).

Roald Dahl's books for grown ups, like Tales of the Unexpected and More Tales of the Unexpected, Switch Bitch.

Also like Margaret Atwood! All slightly depressing but very good!

All the above clever, funny and unpredictable.

[sweetnitanitro]

Thanks for the suggestions!

When I say I don't like crime I guess it would be more accurate to say I don't like serious crime or stuff that's too in depth. I liked Jasper Fforde because it was funny and a bit silly.

I'll see if my local library has any of those

[AstronomyDomine]

Nooo, stay away from McEwan, especially On Chesil Beach; I posted in another thread how I wanted to beat myself soundly for wasting my time on the pile of drivel (and somebody else agreed with me). Don't don't don't do it!

[MaybeAfterBreakfast]

Most Ian McEwan novels are good (Enduring Love is my favourite) but On Chesil Beach is not up to standard at all. I reckon he knocked it off in an afternoon. If you read that it'll put you off fiction for a good while longer.

[sweetnitanitro]

Might save that one for when I've got a bit more spare time then, thanks!