Here is a list of books I really like. Kinda random, mostly drawn from me going through my Books iRead app:
Adams - Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Asimov - I, Robot ; Foundation Becket - Waiting for Godot - I think one of our lit books said something about this in its postmodern section. Cisneros - The House on Mango Street Delany - Dhalgren ; Stars in My Pocket like Grains of Sand ; Nova - I would avoid Dhalgren or Stars in My Pocket like Grains of Sand if you plan on reading it in public / are a bit queesy about copious amounts of sex of all forms. Nova mostly avoids this. Also note that Delany is my favorite sci-fi author in terms of ideas presented and actual technique, but not my favorite in terms of prose. Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Eggers - A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius - This is genius, particularly if you now go into it thinking about his fourth-wall breaking and self-parody. Gibson - Neuromancer Hemingway - A Farewell to Arms ; For Whom the Bell Tolls Herbert - Dune Kerouac - On the Road Levithan - The Realm of Possibility Marquez - One Hundred Years of Solitude McHugh - China Mountain Zhang Means - Assorted Fire Events Stories Murakami - Kafka on the Shore - This is also genius. Obrien - The Things They Carried Plath - The Bell Jar Stevens - Harmonium Vonnegut - Cat's Cradle; Breakfast of Champions Whitman - Leaves of Grass - Either get the first edition which has something like 9 long-form ones or get the last one which has basically everything he ever wrote.
That's obviously a lot of favorites. So. If you want just a few books I think are absolutely really good (your mileage may vary):
Delany - Dhalgren or Nova Eggers - A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius Murakami - Kafka on the Shore Stevens - Harmonium Whitman - Leaves of Grass
Re: am so late :((((
Adams - Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Asimov - I, Robot ; Foundation
Becket - Waiting for Godot - I think one of our lit books said something about this in its postmodern section.
Cisneros - The House on Mango Street
Delany - Dhalgren ; Stars in My Pocket like Grains of Sand ; Nova - I would avoid Dhalgren or Stars in My Pocket like Grains of Sand if you plan on reading it in public / are a bit queesy about copious amounts of sex of all forms. Nova mostly avoids this. Also note that Delany is my favorite sci-fi author in terms of ideas presented and actual technique, but not my favorite in terms of prose.
Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Eggers - A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius - This is genius, particularly if you now go into it thinking about his fourth-wall breaking and self-parody.
Gibson - Neuromancer
Hemingway - A Farewell to Arms ; For Whom the Bell Tolls
Herbert - Dune
Kerouac - On the Road
Levithan - The Realm of Possibility
Marquez - One Hundred Years of Solitude
McHugh - China Mountain Zhang
Means - Assorted Fire Events Stories
Murakami - Kafka on the Shore - This is also genius.
Obrien - The Things They Carried
Plath - The Bell Jar
Stevens - Harmonium
Vonnegut - Cat's Cradle; Breakfast of Champions
Whitman - Leaves of Grass - Either get the first edition which has something like 9 long-form ones or get the last one which has basically everything he ever wrote.
That's obviously a lot of favorites. So. If you want just a few books I think are absolutely really good (your mileage may vary):
Delany - Dhalgren or Nova
Eggers - A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Murakami - Kafka on the Shore
Stevens - Harmonium
Whitman - Leaves of Grass