Reddit reviews White Noise

In fifty years, even though it's a mug's game trying to predict what will last among our books, I would say that American Pastoral has a really good chance at being the seminal American novel of our time. White Noise by Don DeLillo seems too time-specific (all the references might not make sense in fifty years), but then again it came out thirty years ago and seems more relevant today, so who knows? It's hard to compare anyone to Joyce, but I think Thomas Pynchon might have a similar fate in store. He'll be the difficult writer that will only become more frustrating as our children continue to be failed by our educational system. I'd also like to think that Jeanette Winterson will be highly regarded in the future, but she's not even that well-known today. David Foster Wallace? I have the same issues with him as I do with DeLillo, but great literature has a way of overcoming those references that are inevitably going to leave most people lost in the future.

I know I must be missing some, but these are all that I can think of at the moment.

Fiction:

Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges

The Stranger by Albert Camus

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon

White Noise by Don Delilo

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot

Everything that Rises Must Converge by Flannery O'Connor

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men by DFW

Infinite Jest by DFW

Of these, you can't go wrong with Infinite Jest and the Collected Fictions of Borges. His Dark Materials is an easy and classic read, probably the lightest fare on this list.

Non-Fiction:

The Music of the Primes by Marcus du Sautoy

Chaos by James Gleick

How to be Gay by David Halperin

Barrel Fever by David Sedaris

Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris

Secret Historian by Justin Spring

Of these, Secret Historian was definitely the most interesting, though How to be Gay was a good intro to queer theory.

I have been browsing book threads quite a bit lately and whenever I happen upon one about contemporary fiction the name Don Delilo comes up. I would like to have one of his books on the list. Anyone read some of his books that they would recommend? If not I hear that White Noise is a good starting point.

Currently reading, and would like to finish:

1. Interaction Ritual Chains by Randal Collins
   
   Started in 2014, put down, would like to finish in 2015:
   
   
2. Aztecs by Inga Clendinnen
   
   
3. The Ego Tunnel by Thomas Metzinger
   
   Would like to re-read in 2015:
   
   
4. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
   
   
5. White Noise by Don DeLillo
   
   
6. Anathem by Neal Stephenson
   
   Would like to read in 2015:
   
   
7. The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro
   
   
8. A couple of books for /r/SF_Book_Club
   
   
9. Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts, back-to-back
   
   
10. At least one or two books on Buddhist philosophy / practice
    
    
11. At least one or two books on philosophy, either philo of mind or more cultural studies / anthro / sociology type stuff.

Non mobile link www.amazon.com/White-Noise-Penguin-Classics-Deluxe/dp/0143105981/

I've not heard of White Noise before now but the summary on Amazon sounds interesting to say the least

Hitler Studies