Best comedy fiction books according to redditors
We found 187 Reddit comments discussing the best comedy fiction books. We ranked the 85 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 187 Reddit comments discussing the best comedy fiction books. We ranked the 85 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
The Waters of Nyra - Kelly Michelle Baker
Temeraire Series - Naomi Novik
Age of Fire Series - E.E. Knight
Enchanted Forest Chronicles - Patricia Wrede
Tooth and Claw - Jo Walton
Dragon Keeper Series - Caroline Wilkinson
Dragons in Our Midst Series - Bryan Davis
Dragon Orb Series - Mark Robson
Rain Wilds Chronicles - Robin Hobb
Dragon Rider Series - Cornelia Funke
The Dragon Codices - R.D. Henham
The Dragons: The Lost Histories - Doug Niles
Dragon Chronicles - Susan Fletcher
Pit Dragon Chronicles - Jane Yolen
Dragonfriend Series - Marc Secchia
Shapeshifter Dragons Series - Marc Secchia
Seraphina Series - Rachel Hartman
A Dragon's Guide Series - Laurence Yep
Day of the Dragon / Night of the Dragon - Richard A. Knaack (Yes, I like Knaack come at me)
Wings of Fire Series - Tui T. Sutherland (The writing and characters can be frustratingly childish at times, read a sample first.)
​
There are way more than this but these are all I can think of off the top of my head. Some are Dragon PoV because I strongly prefer to read those.
[All of these.] (http://www.amazon.com/20-Master-Plots-Build-Them/dp/1599635372)
Here they are, broken out:
> Quest: A character-driven story that has a hero go on a journey for something that changes him in some way.
> Adventure: A plot-driven story that focuses on reaching a series of goals.
> Pursuit: The Chase plot, very action oriented.
> Rescue: A Rescue Arc as the main story, also very action oriented.
> Escape: A Great Escape plot, similar to the Rescue, except the captive rescues himself/herself.
> The Riddle: Basic Mystery plot revolving around a Driving Question.
> Rivalry: Character-oriented story based on the interactions of two opposing characters, The Hero and The Rival.
> Underdog: A story where the Underdogs Never Lose. Revolves around an underdog (maybe they are underprivileged, poor, disabled, etc.) who triumphs despite overwhelming odds.
> Temptation: The story revolves around whether or not to give into a temptation and the consequences, Pandora Box-like.
> Metamorphosis: A story revolving around a physical transformation of some kind, generally a true Metamorphosis is a one-way street.
> Transformation: A story revolving around an inner-change, rather than a physical one.
> Maturation: A Coming of Age Story, where the a character matures physically, emotionally or spiritually.
> Love: Your basic Boy Meets Girl Romance Arc, with two characters falling in love as the main story.
> Forbidden Love: Star-Crossed Lovers who spend most of the plot trying to be together despite the world trying to tear them apart.
> Sacrifice: Revolves around a characters and their sacrifices, lethal or otherwise.
> Discovery: A story that unearths those skeletons in a character's Mysterious Past.
> Wretched Excess: Story where the character is in a downward spiral from drugs, greed, depression, insanity, etc.
> Vengeance: Your basic Revenge story, very character-driven.
> Ascension: Follows a character's rise to power.
> Descension: Like-wise to Ascension, follows a character fall from power.
Yes, for example.
High Fidelity or About a Boy, by Nick Hornby
Every single one of my guy friends who reads loves these books. High Fidelity tends to be more celebrated. But they're both fantastic and funny.
The Book of Joe and Plan B, by Jonathan Tropper
If I'm being cynical, I'd say that Tropper and Hornby tend to write chick books for guys. But that's not going to give you a real idea of what these books are. They're mainly about finding your way as a man, but it often turns out that finding the right woman -- or figuring out that you've already got the right woman -- is part of that process. The male protagonists tend to be meandering in their lives. Love just helps them get on the right track. And they're written from a male point of view, so you're not going to get a lot of purple prose about beating hearts and sweaty abs.
Killing Yourself to Live, by Chuck Klosterman -- This is a different type of book than the others I've listed. Klosterman is a guy who is best known for his non-fiction. And the subtitle of this book is "85% of a true story." So it's sort of based on real events. Basically, he's writing a column for Rolling Stone magazine where he travels to all these places where famous musicians died. Along the way, 3 relationships end. So he does some deep thinking -- I've never read anyone who digs deeper into pop culture than Klosterman -- about the meaning of life and death, and about relationships and love. The book features some discussion about relationships, but it also dissects Kiss's solo albums and talks about Mtv's The Real World. (Hmm, now that I think about it, I wonder if those references are going to be a little dated?)
Wow! Like you, I have a fascination with SciFi, and I'm actually writing a SciFi novel!
It's great to see others so inspired with the genre.
And certainly everything that's been happening lately in rocket science and astronomy certainly seems more and more like we are increasingly living in a SciFi story!
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But yes, I was just curious: is this going to be your first short story?
Do you happen to have any favorite authors in the SciFi genre (and outside of it)?
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ALSO...
in terms of your questions above, I was noticing that many of them seem to overlap with ideas explored in this amazing youtube channel by Isaac Arthur.
I think all aspiring SciFi writers will gain a lot of insights into the possibilities (mostly according to known laws of physics) about the future.
So that channel has helped me a lot in shaping out some of my own SciFi ideas.
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ALSO... just to address one of your questions above... (since you asked!)...
For the price per KG to LEO, that's a pretty intense specific and intricate detail to put into a short story.
Of course, for your story to work well, you don't actually need to have any highly intricate facts/figures measured out that specifically.
A lot of great SciFi stories and novels don't.
BUT... then again, a lot of great SciFi stories and novels do!
I am thinking of Andy Weir's amazing SciFi novel "The Martian", and he certainly put a lot of mathematical and intensely intricate figures like that in his novel, and he made it work well!
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But keep in mind...
If you do decide to put highly specific and intricate figures in your story, and see if that works... then you're going to increase the research levels of your workload, and ideally, it would be nice if you could talk with someone who knows a lot about it, here in subreddits like this one.
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NOTE: one solution for you in terms of dealing with an intricately accurate SciFi story, is to simply write a lot of the story first...
Then after that, you do your research.
(And then you do a lot of rewriting of your story!)
So for example, for the KG to LEO, you just pick a semi-educated number yourself (without researching it initially), and then when the story's done you can really pin it down more accurately.
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I mention that because sometimes even great authors admit they can get carried away with too much research at the beginning... neglecting the story/characters/plot development, which of course are the most important elements of the story!
But then again... some authors say they become greatly inspired when immersing themselves into research... and the research actually suggests story and character ideas...
So I guess it's a balance, and also knowing what is your own best way of working...
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NEXT...
I noticed based upon all your questions, that's quite a vast world/universe you are building there!
And that's a great thing! It means you're greatly inspired by this story you want to tell, and so that's a good sign that your story is going to be a good one.
BUT... for a short story, that might be a lot of subplots and locations. Maybe too many?
If all of those locations figure as key scenes in your story, intricately described (I mean you've got Moon bases, Mars bases, and space stations going on here!) then that's certainly a lot of topics to cover in a short story.
To me, it seems that your world building is approaching the level of an actual SciFi novel, rather than just a short story.
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So one way to handle this... might be for you to write a novel instead!
(NOTE: if you want to make a living as a writer ultimately, then you'll have to do it with full length novels, rather than short stories anyways. Novels are where the money is! There are some exceptions to that rule... but not many.)
But ya, in your novel, you could develop a lead character, that has adventures or journeys from Earth, to the moon, to Mars, and beyond.
Of course your character will need to be driven by something... a desire to find something... or to avert a disaster, or whatever...
Initially your main character might not even consciously know he or she is being driven to achieve something, and avert something... but gradually comes to realize it... or maybe your character knows right from the beginning and is one a determined quest and mission...
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NOTE: Just because I'm of the opinion that you might have too much territory to cover in a short story, and you may want to consider an actual novel instead...
doesn't mean I'm right!
There are indeed some short stories that have a huge scope of the Universe as the background landscape, and a character races through a vast universe... or through a vast time-scape...
and it's achieved all in one compact nice short story!
So... ultimately... don't listen to me if you disagree with any of my tips!
(I'm just throwing tips and ideas at you because you asked!)
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EDIT: FINALLY...
I would highly HIGHLY recommend this book to you, since you seem very serious about writing this story of yours:
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Plot and Structure (by James Scott Bell).
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NOTE: as a writer, you don't have to agree with everything he says. (In fact you shouldn't!)
BUT, if you read this book, then it will give you a strong edge, to be able to push a "good story" or "good novel" into becoming "a GREAT story" or "GREAT novel"!
Reading this book, could be the edge you need to become a best selling author!
It will give you great insights into the psychology of your readers, and w
hat compels them to become obsessed by your story, making them not want to stop reading... and keep turning those pages late into the night!
Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas by Tom Robbins is entirely written in second person. And he does a fantastic job; nobody juggles language like ol' Tom Robbins.
You may enjoy the fiction of Nick Hornby. He's light, funny, and yet manages to tell very real, human stories. Some of his best-known works include High Fidelity, About A Boy and A Long Way Down
Tolstoy's great-grandniece has a good post apocalyptic book called The Slynx.
Day of the Oprichnik and The Queue by Vladimir Sorokin are both good. The Queue is written in all dialogue though, which can be off-putting to some.
Omon Ra by Victor Pelevin is pretty damn funny.
We by Yevgeny Zamyatin is considered a precursor to 1984 and is worth a read.
Yuri Olesha's Envy is another funny one. Short, too.
Petersburg by Andrei Bely is generally considered the Russian Ulysses.
The Foundation Pit by Andrey Platonov is a biting look at Stalin's collectivization.
The Golovlyov Family by Shchedrin is about a family so awful they wouldn't be out of place in a Faulkner book.
Autobiography of a Corpse by Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky is my favorite of his story collections. Pretty trippy stuff.
There are plenty of books like this. https://smile.amazon.com/Plot-Structure-Techniques-Exercises-Crafting/dp/158297294X/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1538987966&sr=8-4&keywords=James+Scott+Bell
Personally, I'd stay away from actual college classes, and look more to local workshops or cheap online courses like from writers.com I think it is.
My main recommendations revolve around self help books like that above, and actually reading other people's fiction. I believe that will be the biggest help to you based on my own experiences.
Sanderson is also part of a podcast called "Writing Excuses". It's 15 minutes of a group of writers speaking their thoughts on a particular topic of writing. It has a lot to teach. I would also recommend a book called "Damn Fine Story". It helps to understand different aspects of good storytelling by breaking down iconic pop culture narratives like Star Wars and Die Hard. If you haven't read "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss it's hands down my favorite fantasy book, very influential and inspiring.
There are tons of good YouTube videos and channels where you can learn all about storytelling and its different components. This one looks into screenplays but still has much that is relevant to writing.
Reminds me of Ella Minnow Pea.
As always, my suggestion is Flashman. There are many books spanning the 19th Century and focusing on a British Officer. Hilarious and very historical. Really brings it to life.
Good on you for stepping into it. There are lots of would-be SF/fantasy writers who spend years and years on worldbuilding, but somehow never quite get around to the actual writing of the novels.
As it turns out, worldbuilding is the fun, easy part of writing. The actual writing is the terribly hard part. Because when a person starts writing, their writing is shit. When you read back over what you've written, it's full of awkward phrases and boring cliches, and the dialog is so bad it's unreadable. Lots of new writers look at their output and get depressed, and then because they have no idea how to improve their writing, they retreat back into more worldbuilding.
The solution is you have to keep pushing it out, every day. Your output gets better with experience.
If there's one book that inspired me to write better, it's James Scott Bell's Plot and Structure. The ebook is $10. Put that on your phone and take a week to read it through. This book is part of a writer's tools series. I also have Characters, Emotions and Viewpoint by Nancy Kress and it is also good. You might do well to look at that entire series.
Then there's a book by Mary Buckham I think is indispensable, Writing Active Hooks. Learning how to use hooks is a critical part of a fiction writer's skill set, but no other book I know of tackles the subject head on. You set a hook to keep your reader interested, and before that one times out you can set another one, pulling your reader deeper and deeper into your book. It's the secret weapon you have to have.
The Berlin Noir Trilogy is great. Raymond Chandler type private eye in Berlin before, during and after WW2
The Flashman Papers is a really funny satirical series about a cowardly, racist, drunken (etc, etc) Victorian English soldier
and Pillars of The Earth is a big epic novel about building a cathedral and the town around it. Super good, everybody loves that one. Ignore the lackluster TV miniseries.
A few recommendations that come to mind:
WSAYWT: Canada West. Top down.
AOTD: I'm a pretty slow reader, maybe do like 6 novels in a year (most of my reading is focused on comic books). But I got a new book for xmas based off a reddit post I saw, Ella Minnow Pea. It's pretty fun so far, a light read.
GD: Had to have the plumber come out for the second time since moving into this place in August of last year. Sounds like we're going to have a reoccurring problem with the main kitchen sink drain line, which is common for our whole building (3 flat).
At $325 to roto the drain, I think I may just buy one myself and do it every now and then.
"Plot and Structure" by James Scott Bell.
http://www.amazon.com/Plot-Structure-Techniques-Exercises-Crafting/dp/158297294X/
I was actually referring to how much my son has read this summer. Thanks for the recommendations though! I unfortunately have a hard time finding time to read these days but I am reading Flashman as it popped up on a recommendation somewhere.
I'm mostly a fiction kinda girl.
https://www.amazon.com/Love-Dick-Semiotext-Native-Agents/dp/1584350342
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/nov/02/i-love-dick-sex-chris-kraus-men-women-book
Book summary
"I am absolutely fucking done going out and doing stupid shit. Nothing good comes from it."
"Come onnnnn... I'll buy the first round. What's the worst that could happen?..."
Calamity ensues and you meet a girl at the local bar who says her favorite books are "I Hate Men" and "I Love Dick".
One of my favorite books, Ella Minnow Pea, involves a search for that very thing.
More recently it’s been done with emails. Can’t remember the name of the example.
ETA it was: https://www.amazon.com/Novel-Matt-Beaumont/dp/0452281881
The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip - by George Saunders, a MacArthur-winning fiction writer; a deceptively nuanced children's book that can be read, on one level, as illustrating the perils of the free market and the need for social programs. Can be read in less than half an hour. I'm not suggesting this book to insult your or your friend's intelligence; it's just really funny and fun to read. Actually, a better choice might be Saunders's novella The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil, which is also a quick read (two or three hours) and more directly satirical of politics. Odds are that your friend will find enough to agree with in that book that they'll be more open to hearing your arguments, even if it doesn't convince them all the way.
You have to check out the Flashman series. They are great reads, full of fantastically researched historical fiction, but man do I hate Flashy. He's overly confident and treats women terribly. He's a drunk, a coward and a gambler. He sells out his brothers in arms to save his own skin. He's the worst type of human being, and yet, the other characters in the books think he's a hero because of his uncanny timing.
Here's the deal, you don't know what you don't know about your story.
Maybe you're an outliner, maybe you don't know how to build a scene, maybe you don't know your character's motivations.
Writers block is not a lack of a muse, it's your brain realizing that it is short of something and needs some knowledge to press on.
Depending on how you want to approach this, you have to know the basic unit of storytelling which is the scene. Research it, practice it, do it. From there, build your scenes into plot. Or do that in reverse and build your plot and fill it with scenes. Learn how to make characters into people.
I also like wired for story since it fills the gap between plot and scene by focusing on characters and how they fit into story.
Sitting in a chair, putting sentences in front of you is good, doing so with a bit of knowledge is better. Without knowing how to build scenes, make characters, and plot out a story (even as a pantser or discovery writer), you will get discouraged and flail around in the dark.
Listen to the writing excuses podcast and try out their various tips on novel writing, they have a three act structure that is good but their talk on it is crap. This is better.
You can't place up walls well without blueprints, you can't build walls without carpentry skills, and you can't finish a house without effort. Writing a novel is similar.
TL:DR Educate yo-sef. Keep writing while you're learning. Your first draft will be crap, but it will be worse crap if you go into it blind.
The 20 Master Plots and How to Build Them
If you want to get better at roleplaying games, try reading something that is about creating stories interspersed with more game content.
If you like that you'd really like this book.
Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters https://www.amazon.com/dp/0385722435/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_fKr5xbKR8TD5R
Edit: Not sure why I've been down voted for this. Perhaps by offering the Amazon link? It's not an affiliate link or anything. I'm not getting anything from it. Just a good book along the same topic.
Also, Tom Robbins: http://www.amazon.com/Half-Asleep-Frog-Pajamas-Robbins/dp/0553377876
I'm not familiar with that story, but for yourself (e.g., an adult), you might enjoy Ella Minnow Pea. The people in the book are forbidden to use certain letters as the letters fall off a memorial statue in the town, and the letters also disappear from the book as the story progresses.
poison! Not Mojo. My bad
http://www.amazon.com/Box-Office-Poison-Alex-Robinson/dp/1891830198
I just finished reading Ella Minnow Pea
> Ella Minnow Pea is a girl living happily on the fictional island of Nollop off the coast of South Carolina. Nollop was named after Nevin Nollop, author of the immortal pangram,* “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” Now Ella finds herself acting to save her friends, family, and fellow citizens from the encroaching totalitarianism of the island’s Council, which has banned the use of certain letters of the alphabet as they fall from a memorial statue of Nevin Nollop. As the letters progressively drop from the statue they also disappear from the novel. The result is both a hilarious and moving story of one girl’s fight for freedom of expression, as well as a linguistic tour de force sure to delight word lovers everywhere.
I loved it so much, I started reading it, and 'accidentally' finished it all in one sitting! Very captivating and interesting, without being overly complicated (so great for reading while being semi-distracted by other passengers, etc.)
First one that comes to my mind is High Fidelity - http://www.amazon.com/High-Fidelity-Nick-Hornby/dp/1573225517
It would be a bit dated and not some great work of literature or anything but it would qualify I suppose.
This is basically how Ella Minnow Pea starts.
The next Thursday book comes out next week! In the meantime, Shades of Grey is good as well as his Nursery Crime books and The Last Dragonslayer. If you're looking for something different try Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn.
NTA
Now, go read Dear Committee Members for a smile!
https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Committee-Members-Julie-Schumacher/dp/0345807332
The Wikipedia page has some books at the bottom under further reading, including one from 2012.
For a more entertaining look at the war, I highly recommend reading Flashman, by George MacDonald Fraser.
Dear Committee Members is a very funny epistolary novel. It's about an academic dealing with absurd job-related frustrations and his ridiculous social life. It's got serious moments, too. All around a very good read.
http://www.amazon.com/Love-Dick-Semiotext-Native-Agents/dp/1584350342/
I would recommend my two of my favourite books
Ready Player One By Ernest Cline
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
I hope that you find a book you enjoy. Because Bookworms rule!
Sure. But writing is a craft, just like any other craft. Most of it is just learning a complicated set of mechanics. What one person can do, another can do. What makes the difference is drive more than genius.
Read a good, fun book on writing that will get you pumped. Maybe How to Write a Damn good Novel by James Frey, or Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell. Or better yet, if you can, take a class in fiction writing, or join a real world fiction writing group in your town.
Haven't read it and may not be rational, but have heard good things about Tooth and Claw.
Box Office Poison is comic by Alex Robinson, http://www.amazon.com/Box-Office-Poison-Alex-Robinson/dp/1891830198
The Dragon Age (unrelated to the game) series is pretty good, and not your average fantasy series.
Tooth and Claw is basically Pride and Prejudice but with dragons as all the characters.
Seconding recommendations for the Temeraire and Age of Fire books too.
not totally sure what you're getting at with "the disappearance of words," but Ella Minnow Pea came to mind.
https://www.amazon.com/Ella-Minnow-Pea-Novel-Letters/dp/0385722435
Here's some 20th century stuff:
Moscow to the End of the Line - Venedict Erofeev. This book certainly ranks up there with Chekhov and Gogol.
Life of Insects by Vladimir Pelevin.
Queue by Vladimir Sorokin.
Absurdist Stories by by Daniil Kharms and Alexander Vvedensky.
aw, I think it's just a human thing. Everyone wants to pick their favorite everything, "What's your favorite color? Fruit? Ice cream flavor? Book? TV show? Movie?" Seems like children are the only thing that's exempt, you aren't supposed to have a favorite if you have multiple kids. Guess we could add lovers to the list if one is poly. Although I think everyone agrees that Nathaniel, JC, and Micah are special to Anita?
Hey, if you read this far I wanted to bring up something I once saw you write. I don't expect a reply, I understand that you're through with the AMA, but think it's natural that you might still read responses and maybe see this. Your books were really a big part of my life for several years and I feel thrilled to have the chance to be writing something you might read.
If I'm remembering correctly at one point you were upset that people wanted more plot, because you felt that meant more death, blood, and gore for Anita, who's already experienced quite enough. That really made me think. And what I came up with was, you're right, business as usual is too bloody and gory and I understand your wanting out of having to write and research so much death as well.
But, here's the thing, I think you've already proven that you can do whatever you want with this series and your publishers won't give you too much flack. Most of the plots in Anita involve someone turning up dead and then police work to solve the mystery, but what if you tried out a completely different sort of plot, just threw Anita and cohorts into some strange situation and then watch how they reacted?
I mean, I write myself and one year for my birthday I got a book called 20 Master Plots and How to Build Them and sometimes I find it really fun to imagine my characters in some of those situations. It helps me get to know them better too. There are so many other plots out there where no one has to die.
Reminds me of e.
https://www.amazon.com/Buzz-Aldrin-What-Happened-Confusion/dp/1609804112
There's no easy answer. Here are a few starting points.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxDwieKpawg
Pixar's Stanton on story
http://www.amazon.com/Plot-Structure-Techniques-Exercises-Crafting/dp/158297294X
Great book by James Scott Bell
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcmiqQ9NpPE
Part 1/5 of series by Dan Wells, you can find the rest, all are good.
I hear you, don't give up.
Happily. Here a few few quick resources I found for you:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plot_(narrative)
http://www.storymastery.com/articles/34-ten-simple-keys-to-plot-structure
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/how-to-structure-a-story-the-eight-point-arc/
And here a couple references that might interest you if you want more detail on what we generally expect from fiction:
http://www.amazon.com/Plot-Structure-Techniques-Exercises-Crafting/dp/158297294X
http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Fiction-Guide-Narrative-Edition/dp/0205750346
Now, I hope you don't mind if I assume you may feel that I have attacked your opinion of ME3 with my comments. It wasn't my intention to say that you can't enjoy it. Hell, I'm happy for you if you did. But there is a real difference between enjoying something and believing it is good.
In the case of ME3, we can see that some of the most well established principles of writing, thematic and structural elements which are integral to the crafting of a quality narrative, have been abandoned.
If you honestly want to know more, I'd encourage you to take a course in creative writing, or even better, in literary history. With a little background and perspective, you can start to understand why some books, films and games seem to be lacking and why others have a stronger appeal.
EDIT: As I look at your post again, I wonder why you are asking me for specific examples at all, when I have clearly outlined a major structural failing of the narrative in my last post. Oh well, maybe this additional information will be of use to you anyway.
i read these two books, hugely helpful:
link 1
link 2
i know everyone has their opinions about the best books but i really enjoyed both and they're very motivating
Reading recommendation: "The Great Switcheroo" by Roald Dahl, from the collection Switch Bitch.
Can't tell if contest is finished or not, but I'll bite.
Ella Minnow Pea
I haven't read this book yet, but a friend of mine who is an English teacher just finished it and she said it's really good. It's a series of letters, where as the book progresses the use of certain letters in the alphabet becomes banned. At the end of the novel, I believe LMNOP are the only letters left. If you want to, we could read it together!
I like big books and I cannot lie
http://www.amazon.com/Ella-Minnow-Pea-Novel-Letters/dp/0385722435/
Neither of these are thrillers but I was literally transfixed in place when I started reading the Black Hawk Down book. Knelt awkwardly on the floor where I'd picked the book up for hours till I was done. Almost felt like it would have been a betrayal to walk away from those guys before they got a resolution.
And, on a lighter note, Ella Minnow Pea is a super sweet book about what happens when successive letters of the alphabet are ruled illegal. The book itself follows the same rules, chapter by chapter, and the sense of growing claustrophobia and desperation as the letters disappear is really powerful. You, as a reader, have a vested interest in the outcome of these characters in a way i've never felt before.
I know you mean this as a joke, but with some interesting narrative and the right setting you could make this a very serious and involving game. You could learn about the characters around you, become endeared by their stories, even create a mystery as to what, if anything, everyone is queueing for. Here is some inspiration, both in form of Russian novels, The Concert Ticket by Olga Grushin and The Queue by Vladmir Sorokin
I always thought this type of thing would make an engaging game. Create my dream!
Yes and there is also a film.
Try Box Office Poison by Alex Robinson. It has everything you listed, and all the characters are really well developed to the point that you actually care about what happens to them.
Hi, Micheal! What was it like working with Bing for HIDY?
Also, have you ever read this book?
Though known primarily as an author of children's books Roald Dahl also wrote many wickedly funny short stories and short novels for adults. See Switch Bitch for a sample, or go whole hog with the sumptuous Everyman's Library edition of The Collected Stories of Roald Dahl.
I'm Matt and the book would be without a doubt be High Fidelity by Nick Hornby. This is my favorite book of all time. It connects with me on some level. I can understand the desire to quantify everything, put it on some sort of best of, all time, desert island type list. The idea that listening to too much music can make you simultaneously feel too much and not feel enough. The characters and their constant need to relate something that's happening with a song, or a book, or a film. The songs that are a part of your life. I feel like I could have written this. There are some songs that I can't help but associate with people or with a moment. Music and films that take me to a certain place emotionally. And a basic inability to relate with actual people on the most fundamental level. Whether that's because of the music, and movies, and books, or whether I have those because of that inability. This book is like an old friend. Something that's comfortable, that I can always turn to. I've read it over twenty times. I'm on my third copy, the second being left with someone in India (read it twice on the trip). There really was no other choice for this. I can't recommend it enough.
This is kinda close - Et Tu, Babe
Also read The Tetherballs of Bougainville: A Novel also by Mark Leyner
BTW - fuck knows what the ref= stuff means - I just copied an pasted the link from FF - I ain't got no Amazon referral account thingy
There's actually a very clever little book called Ella Minnow Pea about a town who begins to ban certain letters. As they ban each letter, the author will no longer write with it throughout the book. It's a really quick and interesting read. Amazon link here.
The problem is plot. Ideas are cheap. Read books about plot to understand what ingredients are needed to sustain tension and interest.
This is a good one, but there are plenty of others.
The Tetherballs of Bougainville - Maybe I just didn't get it.
I bought the book Damn Fine Story just recently. It's a really really good read. Focuses in on how to keep an audience engaged with narratives and story telling using examples and such, as well as some useful philosophy in creating a story. Funny, and super engaging and useful.
http://www.amazon.com/Love-Dick-Semiotext-Native-Agents/dp/1584350342/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416506374&sr=1-1&keywords=I+Love+Dick
The first of the series.
Plot and Structure By James Scott Bell: Far and away one of the best book I've ever read on writing.
http://www.amazon.com/Plot-Structure-Techniques-Exercises-Crafting/dp/158297294X
I actually just started Techniques of the Selling Writer by Swain, which I have heard great things about but I haven't read far enough to give my own opinion.
http://www.amazon.com/Techniques-Selling-Writer-Dwight-Swain/dp/0806111917
This was really helpful, thank you. When you say 'pick a story', have you ever come across a comprehensive list of stories? I've read 20 Master Plots by Ronald Tobias but they seem to be more generic and keywordy like 'underdog' rather than the phrasing you've given which I find sparks more of an image, "sometimes sacrifice is necessary".
That reminds me of The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil by George Saunders, but thinking back on it, I barely remember what happens in the story so I might be way off.
OP, read this book NOW - seriously.
Buzz Aldrin, What Happened to You in All the Confusion?
You should check out "e: a novel," by Matt Beaumont. The whole book consists of emails written by the employees of a fictitious British ad agency. It's hilarious.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0452281881/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_aqrZzb8FDKN39
https://www.amazon.com/Ella-Minnow-Pea-Novel-Letters/dp/0385722435
This one!
I really enjoyed Dear Committee Members. It's quite snarky.
I read a novel that combined Jane Austen (without the humour, basically just the era and setting) and dragons. Like, dragons in a society like that. Part of the culture was for lords and landowners to go around and inspect the offspring of the people living on their land. They'd kill and eat the runts.
That book was pretty cool. It was a civilization with dragon lawyers, but also where you could have ritual combat to the death acceptable as an "argument" in a court of law.
Sorry I guess that's not really relevant but your comment reminded me of it.
Edit: aha. Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton. Apparently the correct comparison isn't Jane Austen but Anthony Trollope.
If you're looking for comics about realistic people instead of superheroes, I recommend Strangers in Paradise or Box Office Poison.
This is my favorite
The Best of Roald Dahl - a great collection of short stories.
The Portable Door by Tom Holt - funny & a good story.
Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich - fast-paced, entertaining non-fiction.
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby - better than the movie. Easy read, funny.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Tetherballs-Bougainville-A-Novel/dp/067976349X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367600511&sr=8-1&keywords=the+tetherballs+of+bougainville
The Tetherballs of Bougainville by Mark Leyner. Extraordinarily bizarre.
There's a book along these lines: Ella Minnow Pea.