{"id":543,"date":"2006-07-11T07:26:56","date_gmt":"2006-07-11T12:26:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kirstenmortensen.com\/index.php\/?p=543"},"modified":"2020-01-02T15:28:45","modified_gmt":"2020-01-02T20:28:45","slug":"a-snarkling-reading-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kirstenmortensen.com\/index.php\/a-snarkling-reading-list\/","title":{"rendered":"A snarkling reading list"},"content":{"rendered":"

A few days ago, Miss Snark invited her readers to nominate three “awefull” books<\/a>:<\/p>\n

They should be relatively recent, within ten years of first publication. Novels you loved, novels that made you see the world in a new way, novels that made you give up writing for a month cause you couldn’t imagine writing that well.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

She kicked it off by nominating three herself:<\/p>\n

The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead
\nMotherless Brooklyn by Jon Letham
\nWinter’s Bone by Daniel Woodrell<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Then her readers took over.<\/p>\n

I just compiled the list: 285<\/del> 284<\/del> 283 books (excluding dupes). Just in time for your summer vacation!<\/p>\n

(Note: I didn’t cross-check any of these. I didn’t try to exclude books that didn’t meet Miss Snark’s criteria — e.g. some are over 10 years old. I didn’t include authors’ names when a book title wasn’t specified. I just copied the comments into a word file, edited outanything that wasn’t a title\/author, did an alphanumeric sort and deleted dupes.)<\/p>\n

1632 by Eric Flint
\nA College of Magics, by Caroline Stevermer
\nA Conspiracy of Paper, David Liss
\nA Home At the End Of the World, by Michael Cunningham
\nA PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY by John Irving
\nA PRAYER FOR THE DYING, Stewart O’Nan
\nA Soldier of the Great War, Mark Helprin
\nA Sudden Country by Karen Fisher
\nA Very English Agent, Julian Rathbone
\nA Widow for One Year by John Irving (1998)
\nA Year in Provence By Peter Mayle
\nABOUT GRACE, Anthony Doerr
\nAlias Grace, Margaret Atwood
\nAmerican Gods: by Neil Gaiman
\nAn Equal Music, by Vikram Seth
\nAN INVISIBLE SIGN OF MY OWN by Aimee Bender
\nAngle of Repose, Stegner’s
\nAnthem by Ayn Rand
\nAS MEAT LOVES SALT by Maria McCann
\nAsh by Mary Gentle
\nAT SWIM, TWO BOYS by James O’Neill
\nAtrix Wolfe by Patricia A. McKillip
\nBAG OF BONES by Stephen King
\nBaroque Cycle, Neal Stephenson.
\nBastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison
\nBaudolino, Umberto Eco
\nBeauty by Robin McKinley
\nBel Canto, Ann Patchett
\nBeloved, Toni Morrison
\nBOY’S LIFE by Robert McCammon
\nCaptain Corelli\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres
\nCastles Burning, Magda Denes
\nCertain Women by Madeleine L’Engle
\nChild of God, by Cormac McCarthy
\nCHOKE, by Chuck Palahniuk
\nCity of Shadows by Ariana Franklin
\nCloud Atlas by David Mitchell
\nClumsy, by Jeffrey Brown
\nCold Mountain by Charles Frazier
\nCOMING HOME TO YOU, Fay Robinson
\nComing Through Slaughter~ Michael Ondaatje
\nConfessions of a Pagan Nun by Kate Horsley
\nConfessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire
\nCrimson Petal & the White, Michel Faber
\nCrocodile on the Sandbank, Elizabeth Peters
\nCruddy – Lynda Barry
\nCryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
\nDarkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
\nDigrace by j.m. coetzee
\nDOOMSDAY BOOK, Connie Willis
\nDragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
\nDreamtigers by Jorge Luis Borges, which is actually a collection of various pieces.
\nDrinking Coffee Elsewhere, ZZ Packer
\nEarthly Powers, by Anthony Burgess
\nEinstein’s Dreams by Aaron Lightman
\nEMPIRE FALLS, Richard Russo
\nEnder Series, Orsen Scott Card
\nEUREKA STREET by Robert McLiam Wilson
\nEVA MOVES THE FURNITURE, by Margot Livesey
\nEveless Eden by Marianne Wiggins
\nEVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED by Jonathan Safran Foer
\nExtremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
\nFar from the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kawashima Watkins (1986)
\nFevre Dream – George R. R. Martin
\nFight Club
\nFingersmith by Sarah Waters
\nFool’s Fate by Robin Hobb
\nForeigner Series by C. J. Cherryh
\nFortress of Solitude–Jonathan Lethem
\nFoucalt’s Pendulum by Umberto Eco
\nFrom the Corner of His Eye by Dean Koontz
\nFun Home, by Alison Bechdel
\nGalveston, Sean Stewart
\nGATES OF FIRE by Steven Pressfield
\nGILEAD, by Marilynne Robinson (2004)
\nGirl Talk, by Julianna Baggott
\nGirl With a Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier
\nGone for Good by Harlan Coben
\nGood Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
\nGOODBYE, CHUNKY RICE
\nGreen Grass Running Water by Thomas King
\nHarry Potter
\nHistory of Love
\nHis Dark Materials Series, Philip Pullman
\nHocus, Jan Burke
\nHomestead by Rosina Lippi
\nHominids by Robert Sawyer
\nHotel World–Ali Smith
\nHouse of Leaves by Danielewski
\nHouse of Sand and Fog
\nHousekeeping–Marilynn Robinson
\nHOW I LIVE NOW by Meg Rosoff
\nHow We Die by Sherwin B. Nuland
\nHyperion:Cantos, by Dan Simmons
\nIDEAS OF HEAVEN by Joan Silber
\nINCOMPETENCE by Rob Grant
\nInfinite Jest, David Foster Wallace
\nIshmael by Daniel Quinn
\nISLAND OF THE DAY BEFORE by Umberto Eco
\nJazz by Toni Morrison
\nJONATHAN STRANGE AND MR. NORRELL, Susannah Clarke
\nJourney into Moonlight by Antal Szerb
\nJURASSIC PARK
\nJust One Look by Harlan Coben
\nKafka on the Shore, Haruki Murakami
\nKatherine by Anya Seton
\nKeeping Watch by Laurie King
\nKiss Me, Judas by Will Christopher Baer
\nKISSING IN MANHATTAN, David Schickler
\nKITE RUNNER
\nKushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey
\nL. A. Confidential by James Ellroy
\nLamb by Christopher Moore
\nLife of Pi, by Yann Martel
\nLike Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquival
\nLIVES OF THE MONSTER DOGS by Kirsten Bakis
\nLiving on Love – The Messenger by Klaus Joehle
\nLOOKING FOR ALASKA by John Green
\nLooking for Ali Brandi by Melina Marchetta
\nLULLABY, by Chuck Palahniuk
\nMaus by Art Spiegelman
\nMemoir from Antproof Case, Mark Helprin
\nMICROSERFS by Douglas Coupland
\nMIDDLESEX by Jeffery Eugenes
\nMisery, Stephen King
\nMistress of Spices by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
\nMOTHERLESS BROOKLYN, Jonathan Letham
\nMy Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
\nMy Voice Will Go With You by Sidney Rosen
\nMYSTIC RIVER, Dennis Lehane
\nNeuromancer_ William Gibson
\nNever Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
\nNo Great Mischief, Alistair MacLeod
\nNorweigan Wood, Haruki Murakami
\nOld Boys, Charles McCarry
\nOmbria in Shadow by Patricia McKillip
\nOne Good Turn, Witold Rybczynski
\nOne Hundred Years of Solitude
\nORYX AND CRAKE by Margaret Atwood
\nOtherland (all four books) by Tad Williams
\nOutlander by Diana Gabaldon
\nOutlandish Companion, Diana Gabaldon
\nPassage by Connie Willis (2001)
\nPATTERN RECOGNITION by William Gibson
\nPEOPLE OF PAPER, Salvador Plascencia
\nPerdido Street Station, by China Mieville
\nPersepolis, by Marjane Satrapi
\nPETTY TREASON and POINT OF HONOUR, Madeleine Robins
\nPossession by A S Byatt
\nPrep by Curtis Sittenfeld
\nQUARANTINE by Jim Crace
\nQueen of the South – Arturo Perez Reverte
\nRIDING WITH THE QUEEN, Jennie Shortridge
\nROMAN BLOOD by Steven Saylor
\nRunaway by Alice Munro.
\nSABBATH’S THEATRE, Roth
\nSaint Maybe, Ann Tyler
\nSAVAGE THUNDER by Johanna Lindsey
\nSaving Francesca by Melina Marchetta
\nServants of the Map, Andrea Barrett
\nSHALIMAR THE CLOWN by Salman Rushdie
\nShe’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb
\nSIAM MIAMI by Morris Renek
\nSlammerkin, Emma Donoghue
\nSnow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson.
\nSPECIMEN DAYS, Michael Cunningham
\nSPIN, by Robert Charles Wilson (2005)
\nSTANDING IN A RAINBOW by Fannie Flagg
\nSTILL LIFE WITH WOODPECKER by Tom Robbins
\nStorm of Swords by George RR Martin.
\nSunshine by Robin McKinley (2003)
\nSWEET DREAM BABY, Sterling Watson
\nSword of Shadow series: A Cavern of Black Ice & A Fortress of Grey Ice, JV Jones
\nTales of Burning Love by Louise Erdrich
\nTalyn by Holly Lisle
\nTam Lin by Pamela Dean
\nThe Alienist by Caleb Carr
\nTHE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER AND CLAY by Michael Chabon
\nThe Angel of Darkness, Caleb Carr
\nThe Beekeeper’s Apprentice by Laurie R. King
\nTHE BEHOLDER by Thomas Farber
\nThe Bird Artist by Howard Norman
\nThe Blind Assassin, Margaret Atwood
\nTHE BOOK THIEF, by Markus Zusak
\nThe Border Trilogy (ALL THE PRETTY HORSES, THE CROSSING, CITIES OF THE PLAIN), Cormac McCarthy
\nThe Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart
\nThe Burning Land & The Awakened City by Victoria Strauss
\nThe Centaur by John Updike
\nThe Club Dumas (or any of the books by Arturo Perez-Reverte)
\nThe Collected Works of Billy the Kid~ Michael Ondaatje
\nThe Color of Distance & Through Alien Eyes by Amy Thomson
\nTHE CONFESSIONS OF MAX TIVOLI, Andrew Sean Greer
\nThe Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
\nThe Crimson Petal and The White by Michael Faber
\nThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon
\nThe Curse of Chalion, by Lois McMaster Bujold
\nThe Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud? By Ben Sherwood
\nThe Disenchanted by Budd Schulberg
\nThe Fingersmith, by Sarah Waters
\nThe First Betrayal by Patricia Bray
\nThe Five People You Meet in Heaven, Mitch Albom
\nThe Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, Stephen King
\nThe Girl Who Played Go by Shan Sa
\nThe God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
\nThe Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
\nThe Grass Widow, Teri Holbrooke
\nThe Ground Beneath her Feet by Salman Rushdie
\nThe Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
\nThe History of Love by Nicole Krauss
\nThe Hot Rock by Donald Westlake
\nThe Hottest State, Ethan Hawke.
\nThe Hours by Michael Cunningham
\nThe Jungle by Upton Sinclair
\nThe Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
\nThe Known World, Edward P. Jones
\nThe League of Extraordinary Gentleman (and Watchmen), Alan Moore
\nThe Light Ages, by Ian McLeod
\nThe Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst
\nThe Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay
\nThe Lives and Loves of a She Devil, Faye Weldon
\nThe London Pigeon Wars, by Patrick Neate
\nThe Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler
\nThe Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold
\nThe Madam, by Julianna Baggott
\nThe Mammoth Cheese by Sheri Holman
\nTHE MASTER Colm Toibin
\nThe Mists of Avalon by Marian Zimmer-Bradley
\nThe Moor’s Last Sigh by Salman Rushdie
\nTHE NAMESAKE and INTERPRETER OF MALADIES by Jhumpra Lahiri
\nTHE NIGHT COUNTRY, Stuart O’Nan
\nThe Other Wind, Ursula K. LeGuin
\nThe People of Paper by Salvador Plasencia
\nThe Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky
\nTHE POISONWOOD BIBLE by Barbara Kingsolver
\nThe Power of One by Bryce Courtney
\nTHE PRAISE SINGER by Mary Renault
\nThe Princess Bride by William Goldman
\nTHE REMAINS OF THE DAY by Kazuo Ishiguro
\nThe Republic of Love by Carol Shields
\nThe Restraint of Beasts by Magnus Mills
\nThe Road Home_ Jim Harrison
\nTHE ROOFER by Erica Orloff
\nThe Rule of Four, Odd Thomas, The Hummingbird’s Daughter, Elaine Corvidae
\nThe Sandman: Season of Mists, Neil Gaiman
\nThe Secret History, Donna Tartt.
\nThe Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (2002)
\nThe Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
\nThe Shipping News, E. Annie Proulx
\nThe Short Day Dying by Peter Hobbs
\nThe Soloist by Mark Salzman
\nThe Sound of Waves, Mishima
\nTHE SPARROW by Mary Doria Russell
\nThe Stolen Child by Keith Donohue
\nThe Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman
\nThe Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
\nThe Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
\nThe Tree of Man, Patrick White
\nThe Wheel of Time Series
\nThe Wind Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami
\nTHE WOODEN SEA by Jonathan Carroll
\nTHE ZOO WHERE YOU’RE FED TO GOD by Michael Ventura
\nTHIS BLINDING ABSENCE OF LIGHT by Tahar Ben Jelloun
\nTo Say Nothing of the Dog , Connie Willis
\nTO THE POWER OF THREE by Laura Lippman
\nTourist Season, Carl Hiaasen
\nTropic of Night by Michael Gruber
\nTroy: Lord of the Silver Bow by David Gemmell
\nTwilight by Stephenie Meyer
\nUNDER THE WOLF, UNDER THE DOG by Adam Rapp
\nUnless by Carol Shields
\nWe Need To Talk About Kevin – Lionel Schriver
\nWELCOME TO THE WORLD, BABY GIRL by Fannie Flagg
\nWhat Makes Sammy Run? by Budd Schulberg
\nWhite Teeth and On Beauty, Zadie Smith
\nWild Swans by Jung Chang
\nWinter and Night S.J. Rozan
\nWinter’s Orphans – Elaine Corvidae
\nWinter’s Tale by Mark Helprin
\nWittgenstein’s Mistress, David Markson
\nWizard’s First Rule by Terry Goodkind
\nWONDER WHEN YOU’LL MISS ME by Amanda Davis
\nWONDERBOYS by Michael Chabon
\nYear of Wonder by Geraldine Brooks<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

UPDATE: Welcome, snarklings! And thank you Miss Snark for the link!<\/p>\n

UPDATE 2: A few late additions here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A few days ago, Miss Snark invited her readers to nominate three “awefull” books: They should be relatively recent, within ten years of first publication. Novels you loved, novels that made you see the world in a new way, novels … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[535,1246,1245,1244],"class_list":["post-543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books","tag-miss-snark","tag-novel-list","tag-novels-writers-lover","tag-snarkling-reading-list"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kirstenmortensen.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/543","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kirstenmortensen.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kirstenmortensen.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kirstenmortensen.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kirstenmortensen.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=543"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/kirstenmortensen.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/543\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5908,"href":"https:\/\/kirstenmortensen.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/543\/revisions\/5908"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kirstenmortensen.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kirstenmortensen.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kirstenmortensen.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}