Book recommendations: best modern books?

[Himu]

Since I got a kindle...

Can anyone recommend me a definitive list of the best literature the past decade or two had to offer? Embarrassing as it may be I'm extremely behind on modern reading material. I'm not really biased towards one type of book and my tastes wavers on extremes; for instance, my favorite books are Brave New World, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and The Autobiography of Malcolm X. I'm even fond of romance so long as it's well written and not softcore porn for old ladies written pap. Over the years, I've mostly delved into the classics, seeing history as a massive time sink with an insurmountable amount of classics, I didn't see much reason to venture past old lit beyond the rare trip to the New York Times Best Sellers list...but I need something fresh, something modern.

To make the process go more smoothly, here are some novels I was quite fond of the past decade:

- The Road
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (I know, I know)
- Nickel and Dimed
- Mountains Beyond Mountains
- Song of Ice and Fire series
- The God Delusion
- Persepolis
- My Name is Red
- Middlesex
- She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders
- Let The Right One In
- World War Z
- Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (I am a big Jane Austen fan)
- Affluenza

[Himu]

That's the whole point of the thread.

[Himu]

Many of those aren't bad at all.

[Mandark]

Tell me you've read Jonathan Strange.

[Dickie Dee]

The Windup Girl

[Himu]

Tell me you've read Jonathan Strange.

Nope.

The Windup Girl

Nope.

[Himu]

Hmmm. It's a lot older but...I've never read David Simon's The Corner despite being a tremendous fan of Homicide. I'll get Mandark and Mamacint's suggestions on top of that.

Name more!

[recursivelyenumerable]

does Computer Modern Roman count?

[Mandark]

I recommended Jonathan Strange because it's the only book I ever talk about you said you're a big Austen fan and the zombie books mean you've got a tolerance for fantasy elements.  mamacint's on point too; nobody doesn't like The Windup Girl.  It's really good.

If you don't mind detective novels, then The City & The City and The Yiddish Policeman's Union are worth picking up.  They're both murder mysteries set in somewhat altered historical timelines.

[etiolate]

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
American Gods
Our Story Begins by Tobias Wolff - not a novel, but a short story collection to introduce you to the author

[recursivelyenumerable]

I think you might enjoy Mieville in general, actually. The City and the City is relatively restrained, or you could try Perdido Street Station or The Scar for more gonzo fantasy stuff.

[Eric P]

Strange and Norrell is absolutely probably the single best fantasy book I've read which has been published in the past 15 years.

I've forced so many people to buy it with my incessant prattling on concerning that book.

[Dickie Dee]

I should really re-read Jonathan Strange. I remember loving it but now remember almost none of it except how well it captured the writing style of the time.

[Madrun Badrun]

Have you read the culture books?  especially use of weapons and player of games.

[Phoenix Dark]

Use Of Weapons
Eragon

[Himu]

Got Jonathon  Strange for 2.99 in the kindle store. I fucking love this device.

[Robo]

I really enjoyed Devil in the White City.  Nonfiction novelization of H.H. Holmes building his nutty castle of death in downtown Chicago, coinciding with the massive World Fair construction.

[Himu]

I bought:

- Jonathon Strange and Mr Norrell
- The Hunger Games
- Life of Pi
- Windup Girl
- The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
- Ender's Game

My wishlist consists of:

- The Virgin Suicides - Jeffrey Eugenides
- The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
- Sputnik Sweetheart and a ton of other Murakami books
- Neuromancer - William Gibson
- Freedom - Jonanthan Franzen
- The Corrections - Jonanthan Franzen
- The Yiddish Policemen's Union - Michael Chabon
- The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Díaz
- The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet - David Mitchell
- Never Let Me Go - Kazua Ishiguro

I'll check out the others in this thread and add them to my list.

[Mr. Gundam]

Haruki Murakami
Kafka on the Shore
Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World

[tiesto]

Snow Crash

[chronovore]

I'm in asshole mode right now. Sorry I took it out on you. I'll go bully my soldiers.

God, I hope that's a euphemism. 

[Himu]

I think I'm outgrowing fiction.

I mean, I like fiction but...look at this.

http://www.goodreads.com/award/choice/2011

It's increasingly hard for to get into fiction unless it is of top - specifically of aureum - quality. I just don't want to waste my time. But with non-fiction, even if the writing is terrible, I may learn something from it.

Look at these fiction book lists. It's like splitting hairs. Fuck.

[Eric P]

good reads is a popular vote so it is as meaningless as gaf's game of the year lists.

you'd have a much better bet following something like Omnivoracious's year end lists

yes, it's an amazon store blog designed to sell you books, but they have recommended many, many, many awesome books which I have loved and would have overlooked.

[Himu]

thanks for the site

[Diunx]

The Song of Ice and Fire series(now a hit HBO show)
The king Killer Chronicles Series
American Gods.

[Himu]

I have enough on my wish list to cover a wide girth of reading for a while, especially thanks to the best of the year lists posted on Omnivoracious. Thanks for this, guys. My goal for 2012 is to read 50 books.