More Mainstream Books
Comments and Links page
Updated 9.7.2002
I have read a multitude of books and I have only little space for all of these. However, let me introduce those that are the most interesting:
Bimbos of the Death Sun by Sharyn McGrumb: Humorous whodunnit happening in a small science fiction convention. Charming handling of our "outcast" status. The "sequel", Zombies of the Gene Pool, is not so good.
Felidae by Akif Pirincci: This is no Garfield but the story of a cat nonetheless. And some cat-lovers would not like themselves being called can-openers.
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett: Not actually a thriller, despite of the author. Tale of a medieval carpenter in a need of work and a clerical intrique he faces. This is very good depiction of a life in the medieval England.
Series and Collections:
Judge Dee: A detective story series of Robert van Gulik. Judge and his entourage solving crimes in ancient China. Informative linkpage here...
Don Camillo: Satirical book series by Italian Giovannino Guareschi. Stories about a a little Italian village with a big catholic priest and a communist mayor. Althought I have read only Finnish translations, this link leads to Karen Welbourne's Don Camillo-page.
As for unfortunate thieves, there is always John Dortmunder (by Donald E.Westlake in a humorous mood).
Then there is Tony Hillerman, the author of Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee detective novels placed in Navajo reservation. Although a white man, he does have a certain touch...
Some good authorsLet's begin with a classic: Mark Twain. From Tom Sawyer to Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, the satirical smirk never disappears (and as it happens, I do agree with him about the Fenimore Cooper)...
Then there is, of course, Carl Hiaasen; once you have read Skin Tight, for instance, you are unlikely to take plastic surgery so seriously...
Some additional comments here.The stories written by Jorge Luis Borges are more esoteric; Garden of the Forking Paths could be worth a visit.
And let's not forget the Finnish classic, Mika Waltari. Unfortunately the outside world (aside from French, it appears) knows him only by the stupid blockbuster movie spuriously based of his Sinuhe the Egyptian.