[TheTimeBaroness]

I have to admit, I'm a real fan of the classics and it's amazing to be able to download all of Jane Austen, and other greats like George Eliot, Dickens and on and on...for free! I just started reading The History of Tom Jones by Henry Fielding on my Kindle and I'm reading The Mayor of Casterbridge in print. Can anyone suggest some good cheap reads to pull me out of my classics addiction? I also love authors like Audrey Niffeneger and Neil Gaiman.

 

[NogDog]

Be sure to check out the bargain book and free book threads here in the "Book Bazaar" forum.

If you're into fantasy and/or sci-fi, stop by the Baen Free Library (you can't beat free when you're looking for cheap).

 

[apbschmitz]

I'm having the same problem. There are all those great classics out there that I read 40 years ago and have now mostly forgotten. Very tempting to read almost all of them again, to see how my gray-bearded self will react. I got the free download of The Metamorphosis a couple days ago and was pleasantly surprised to see that it was even more baffling than I remembered.

But I feel like there must be some great, contemporary, self-published classics-in-waiting and I'm a bit frustrated that I don't really know how to find them. Tips?

 

[arshield]

I think you are doing it.  Reading reviews and asking questions is the best way to find good books.  Once you find a few reviews that have similar taste, start reading other books they recommend.

 

[DeclanStanley]

... Once you find a few reviews that have similar taste, start reading other books they recommend.

Conversely find a reviewer that has the opposite taste to you and read all the books that they slate

 

[jherrick]

Conversely find a reviewer that has the opposite taste to you and read all the books that they slate

Ha! That's clever, I liked that one. Come to think of it, I've used that advice in non-reading scenarios too.

 

[MariaESchneider]

I just finished a collection by Nancy Fulda-- Dead Men Don't Cry  and highly recommend it.  It's sci-fi/fantasy.

Neil Gaiman...that's hard because he's written a few things with various styles (kind of why I rec'd the collection above.)  Have you looked at authors such as Scott Lynch?  C.S. Marks?  China Mieville?  Marks is very much a bargain, the other two, not unless you find them on a sale.    Here on the board, you might also check out Jason Lets, and David Dalglish.

 

[balaspa]

I hate to commit heresy, but I cannot stand what most people consider "classic" literature.  I am avowed pop fiction fan.  Austen, Dickens, Mellville...snore....  I find them unbearably boring.  If I had to pick a classic author it would be Shakespeare - and he was considered a pop writer in his day, too.  Villains, murderers, ghosts, witches and wizards galore in his work...which I love.

Ok, now that I have angered you classic literature fans....adieu!

 

[mooshie78]

Not necessarily cheap, but here are some 21st century novels I've read lately and enjoyed a lot.

Shantaram--Gregory David Roberts
The Kite Runner--Khaled Hosseini
A Thousand Splendid Suns--Khaled Hosseini
Juliet, Naked--Nick Hornby
The Imperfectionists--Tom Rachman
Water for Elephants--Sarah Gruen