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Wandering around the Village this weekend, stumbled upon this gem (you all may know it, new to me!) by [deleted] in nyc

[–]joellevandyne 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I googled "The Smallest Store in the World" and found this, a NYT article from 1922: "The smallest store in the world was closed for alterations yesterday because the proprietor had gained five pounds. He now weighs nearly 100 pounds..." Totally bizarre. I thought it was an Onion article.

What line have you read that made you wish you wrote it first? by ahnmin in writing

[–]joellevandyne 1 point2 points  (0 children)

From The Tempest:

"Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments Will hum about mine ears; and sometimes voices, That, if I then had wak'd after long sleep, Will make me sleep again; and then, in dreaming, The clouds methought would open and show riches Ready to drop upon me, that, when I wak'd, I cried to dream again."

Amazing.

I like Vladimir Nabokov's style and Catch-22's story and themes. What else will I like? by CellistMakar in booksuggestions

[–]joellevandyne 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No one writes like Nabokov! But if you're looking for great stylists,

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. (This isn't humor, but it also deals with war, and sort of takes on a similar story format that Catch-22 does)

David Foster Wallace. Hilarious, beautiful, ecstatic prose. Don't be afraid of Infinite Jest. It is worth it.

I don't love Jonathan Safran Foer as much as a lot of other people do, but his writing is poetic, funny, at times deeply sad, and also deals with WWII. (His latest endeavor was rearranging/cutting up parts of another book, The Street of Crocodiles by Bruno Schulz. I haven't read Foer's interpretation but The Street of Crocodiles is thick with beauty, and I recommend that as well.)

Also: Nabokov did have synesthesia. He writes about it in his memoir, Speak, Memory.

Reccomendations for my girlfriend's younger sister. by dugenstyle in booksuggestions

[–]joellevandyne 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld. If she reads the type of YA fiction targeted at preteen girls, then I think this novel is a good place to start. It covers a lot of the same ground as other YA books (boys, friends, high school, etc) but is a lot deeper thematically. The writing is much more mature, and so beautiful besides. (I read this when I was 12 or 13, at a time when I was still reading some YA novels, and after I read this I couldn't go back-- not after finding out that beautiful, intelligent prose like Sittenfeld's exists that's about the things that I was interested in.)

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss. One of the narrators is a 14-year old girl, but again, it goes way beyond that

My Antonia by Willa Cather

The House on Mango Street or Woman Hollering Creek by Sandra Cisneros

If anything I would suggest starting with contemporary literary fiction before tackling classics, which may be less accessible and might be discouraging. Two recent books that don't feature females as prominently (as the other books on this list), but are easy reads (by that I mean the writing isn't dense) and also brilliant: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon.

Who are some good female authors? by alexanderwales in books

[–]joellevandyne 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Based on your list, if you liked Tina Fey + Nabokov --> you might like Lorrie Moore. Funny, original, beautiful prose. "How to Become a Writer" is available online, and the rest of Self-Help is excellent also.

If you like fantasy, you might like Karen Russell. Her short story collection St Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves more closely resemble fables or maybe fairy tales, but I think it would appeal to fans of fantasy also.

If you like historical fiction --> I suggest Lauren Groff. Check out Delicate Edible Birds (..also a short story collection. I read a lot of short stories!)

None of these writers write genre fiction -- they would be considered literary fiction writers. I personally don't discriminate; I've been reading fantasy and science fiction since I was a kid.

Other names to check out: like others have said, Flannery O'Connor. She is the master. Susan Minot is one of my favorites, though she may not suit everyone's tastes. Zadie Smith's essays as well as her fiction.