Authors who write for us guys...?
 

...and the ladies too, who appreciate good, intelligent fiction that doesn't spend half the book wrapped up in a sleepy New England town emasculating the male characters and bringing together generations of female characters that have finally found their voice. Sorry for the broad (no pun intended) ;) generalizations, but how many times can they be Waiting to Exhale at The Joy Luck Club for heaven's sakes?

I like my characters with a little dirt under the nails and a little crazy under the lid. I know that guys in general don't read a lot of current fiction, and when we do it tends to be science fiction, which is cool also. But I have read my favorites in this genre to death and would love any new suggestions that somebody may have stumbled across.

For example, my top 3 are Chuck Palahniuk (father of Fight Club), Elmore Leonard (noir's last hope), and Irvine Welsh (mostly to help my fake cockney accent). These are 3 writers who keep me on my toes with wit, sarcasm, and a relevant point! A fearless disregard for the ridiculous and general loathing of preconception doesn't hurt, either. (Yeah, I actually dressed as Hunter S. Thompson for Halloween last year. Interesting? Not even to my date.)

I like the idea of authors, as opposed to a single book reccommended, because I think that when you read through an author's works you start to see the subtle things that only come with reference that extends beyond a single one of their books. I like to be in on the joke, I guess! I do realize that there are a lot of great "one hit wonders" out there, so obviously whatever has moved you.

Oh, and one last request - although I am sure that Tommy Lee has put together a great book with wit, sarcasm, etc., I could never give my friends the satisfaction of seeing me with "Tommyland" and confirming what a poser I really am... plus I caught him on Conan and I think I got the gist of it.

I'll stop now. Thanks for the space to blather on.

Tom Robbins. Nick Hornby.

John Steinbeck: in particular- Winter of our Discontent, Tortilla Flats, and East of Eden
Tom Swift: humor- Indecent Proposal
Charles Bukowski- anything
Neal Stephenson- Snow Crash (sorry had to throw some sci-fi there)

Iain Banks - You must read the Wasp Factory. It created a sensation when it was first published. He has lots of great books. Strangely, under the name Iain M Banks (note the M), he publishes science fiction, which is also very good. But if you just like "normal" fiction, go with anything he has written under the name Iain Banks. The Wasp Factory, Canal Dreams, Broken Glass... all recommended.

James Ellroy - If you like Elmore Leonard, you'll love James Elroy. Author of the famous LA Quartet (the most famous of which was LA Confidential), he has also written some amazing crime novels such as American Tabloid and The Cold Six Thousand. Highly recommended.

I mostly read non-fiction, and some historical fiction, so that's about it. I don't think (by your original post) that you'd be interested in those.


Mr Mephisto

Check out books by Joe R. Landsdale.

if you like chuck palahniuk, you should check out The House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. It is his only novel, but it is very twisted and fun to read.

i'll drop another recommendation for tom robbins. you might also check out barry eisler (his john rain series is great mystery/action with an asian flavour) and richard k. morgan, whose two takeshi kovacs books are simply incredible additions to their genre.

Nelson DeMille -- writes largely police/military/espionage-themed books, but with fantastic characters. Check out: The Gold Coast, Charm School, the Lion's Game, Plum Island, Up Country (newest).... many others are good as well.

Richard Stark (aka Donald Westlake)
His Parker series of books are tough, gritty crime stories. Especially the early novels, The Hunter, Man with the Getaway Face, The Outfit, etc.

Another recommendation for Charles Bukowski. No bullshit, grit-for-guys. :thumbsup:

A quick thanks to all, I am headed to the bookstore tomorrow to load up for a business trip and there seem to be some great suggestions here! Much appreciated...

You just described Terry Pratchett.

The only Ken Kesey book I've ever read is <u>One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest</u>, which is extremely likeable and an awesome read. <i>Highly</i> recommended.

matthew woodring stover. start w/ "heroes die." the guy is highly trained in martial arts and that makes his descriptions of fight scenes move like your watching a jet li movie. he's not afraid to curse like a sailor, and his characters are very multidimensional. the protagonist/antagonist relationship is unlike any i've ever seen in another book.

i'll second the terry pratchett vote two. god damn that guy writes funny.... but keep in mind he's british so be ready for humour not humor.... a la monty python on steroids. off the top of my head my favorite 2 of his are "small gods" and "moving pictures".