Literary theme analysis, by a book like {foo}
Books about Cynical
Slaughterhouse-Five
by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
A man's struggle to make sense of the horrors of war and the chaotic nature of life.
The story is told in a non-linear order, and events become clear through flashbacks and time travel experiences from the unreliable narrator , who begins the novel by writing "All of this happened, ... (Wikipedia)
White Noise
by Don DeLillo
A darkly comic exploration of modern life, examining the effects of technology and consumer culture.
Set at a bucolic mid-western college known only as The-College-on-the-Hill, White Noise follows a year in the life of Jack Gladney, a professor who has made his name by pioneering the field of Hitler ... (Wikipedia)
Our Man in Havana
by Graham Greene
A humorous tale of espionage in Cold War Cuba, as a vacuum cleaner salesman attempts to outwit the British Secret Service.
Graham Greene's classic Cuban spy story, now with a new package and a new introduction, First published in 1959,, Our Man in Havana, is an espionage thriller, a penetrating character study, and a ... (Goodreads)
Women
by Charles Bukowski
A collection of stories exploring the lives of various women and their relationships with men.
Women focuses on the many dissatisfactions Chinaski faced with each new woman he encountered. One of the women featured in the book is a character named Lydia Vance; she is based on Bukowski's ... (Wikipedia)
Babbitt
by Sinclair Lewis
A satirical exploration of the conformist culture of 1920s America.
Lewis has been both criticized and congratulated for his unorthodox writing style in Babbitt . One reviewer said "There is no plot whatever... Babbitt simply grows two years older as the tale ... (Wikipedia)
The Plague
by Albert Camus
A small town in Algeria is struck by a deadly plague, testing the courage and faith of its citizens.
The book begins with an epigraph quoting Daniel Defoe , author of, A Journal of the Plague Year, . In the town of Oran, thousands of rats, initially unnoticed by the populace, begin to die in the ... (Wikipedia)
American Psycho
by Bret Easton Ellis
A corporate psychopath's descent into homicidal madness, exposing the dark side of 1980s New York.
Set in Manhattan during the Wall Street boom of the late 1980s, American Psycho follows the life of wealthy young investment banker Patrick Bateman. Bateman, in his mid-20s when the story begins, ... (Wikipedia)
American Tabloid
by James Ellroy
A riveting crime drama set in the 1950s, featuring a complex web of characters and their dark and twisted agendas.
"Shakedowns" covers just 26 days, introducing the three principal characters, and establishing their relationships, history, and career trajectories. Pete Bondurant is a former LASD deputy; he ... (Wikipedia)
Transmetropolitan, Vol. 1: Back on the Street
by Warren Ellis
A journalist navigates a dystopian world, exposing corruption and social injustices.
After years of self-imposed exile from a civilization rife with degradation and indecency, cynical journalist Spider Jerusalem is forced to return to a job that he hates and a city that he loathes. ... (Goodreads)
Transmetropolitan, Vol. 5: Lonely City
by Warren Ellis
A science-fiction dark comedy about a journalist navigating a dystopian world.
SC, TPB, in cello, New, Written by Warren Ellis. Art by Darick Robertson. Published in June of 2001. Softcover, 144 pages, full color. Mature Readers. Cover price $14.99. ... (Goodreads)
Hollywood
by Charles Bukowski
A gritty and wild novel of the film industry and its desperate players.
Adopting the stylized alter-ego, Henry 'Hank' Chinaski , a character used in previous novels, this book relates his experiences of working with a director, finding financial backing, losing financial ... (Wikipedia)
Tales of Ordinary Madness
by Charles Bukowski
Poignant, darkly humorous exploration of life as a struggling artist in Los Angeles.
Inspired by D.H. Lawrence, Chekhov and Hemingway, Bukowski's writing is passionate, extreme and has attracted a cult following, while his life was as weird and wild as the tales he wrote. This ... (Goodreads)
A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments
by David Foster Wallace
Collection of essays and arguments, exploring the absurdities of contemporary culture.
In this exuberantly praised book — a collection of seven pieces on subjects ranging from television to tennis, from the Illinois State Fair to the films of David Lynch, from postmodern literary ... (Goodreads)
Transmetropolitan, Vol. 2: Lust for Life
by Warren Ellis
An anti-hero journalist fights to uncover corruption in a futuristic dystopia.
Outlaw journalist Spider Jerusalem has become a household name in the future City he calls home. This latest collection of twisted tales showcases Spider's horrific yet funny screeds on subjects as ... (Goodreads)
The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary
by Ambrose Bierce
Collection of satirical definitions of everyday words, offering a cynical take on humanity.
If we could only put aside our civil pose and say what we really thought, the world would be a lot like the one alluded to in The Unabridged Devil’s Dictionary. There, a bore is "a person who talks ... (Goodreads)
Ghost World
by Daniel Clowes
Two teenage girls navigate the awkward transition to adulthood, grappling with identity, relationships, and the mundanity of suburban life.
Ghost World has become a cultural and generational touchstone, and continues to enthrall and inspire readers over a decade after its original release as a graphic novel. Originally serialized in the ... (Goodreads)
Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto
by Chuck Klosterman
An exploration of pop culture and its influence on contemporary life.
Countless writers and artists have spoken for a generation, but no one has done it quite like Chuck Klosterman. With an exhaustive knowledge of popular culture and an almost effortless ability to ... (Goodreads)
Deadeye Dick
by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
A darkly comic story of a man's quest for redemption from a tragic past.
The novel's main character, Rudy Waltz, nicknamed Deadeye Dick , commits accidental manslaughter as a child (he carelessly shoots a gun out of a window and fatally strikes a pregnant woman) and lives ... (Wikipedia)
You Get So Alone at Times That it Just Makes Sense
by Charles Bukowski
A collection of poems exploring the depths of human emotion and the beauty of life.
Charles Bukowski examines cats and his childhood in You Get So Alone at Times , a book of poetry that reveals his tender side. He delves into his youth to analyze its repercussions. ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Possibility of an Island
by Michel Houellebecq
Exploration of existential questions in a dystopian future, through the eyes of an immortal.
There are three main characters - Daniel and two of his clones. Daniel is a successful comedian who can't seem to enjoy life despite his wealth. He gets bored with his hedonist lifestyle, but can't ... (Wikipedia)
Spook Country
by William Gibson
A thriller about a journalist trying to uncover a mysterious plot involving virtual reality technology.
The first strand of the novel follows Hollis Henry, a former member of the early 1990s cult band The Curfew and a freelance journalist. She is hired by advertising mogul Hubertus Bigend to write a ... (Wikipedia)
Cat's Cradle
by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
A satirical exploration of human folly, exposing the dangers of unchecked science and technology.
Told with deadpan humour and bitter irony, Kurt Vonnegut's cult tale of global destruction preys on our deepest fears of witnessing Armageddon and, worse still, surviving it ... Dr Felix Hoenikker, ... (Goodreads)
Trouble Is My Business
by Raymond Chandler
Private detective Philip Marlowe takes on a series of cases that lead him into the dark underworld of Los Angeles.
In the four long stories in this collection, Marlowe is hired to protect a rich old guy from a gold digger, runs afoul of crooked politicos, gets a line on some stolen jewels with a reward attached, ... (Goodreads)
Playback
by Raymond Chandler
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired to investigate a blackmail scheme involving a Hollywood starlet, but things quickly become more complicated.
At the beginning of 1952 (some 18 months after the parting of Marlowe and Linda Loring in, The Long Goodbye, ). Marlowe is faced with the choice of turning against his client and taking up the cause ... (Wikipedia)
Waiting for Godot
by Samuel Beckett
Two men wait for a mysterious figure who never arrives, reflecting on their lives and existence.
Two men, Vladimir and Estragon, have met near a leafless tree. Estragon spent the previous night lying in a ditch and receiving a beating from some unnamed assailants. The two men discuss a variety ... (Wikipedia)
Ubik
by Philip K. Dick
A mind-bending sci-fi tale exploring the nature of reality and the power of the subconscious.
By the year 1992, humanity has colonized the Moon and psychic powers are common. The protagonist, Joe Chip, is a debt-ridden technician working for Runciter Associates, a "prudence organization" ... (Wikipedia)
Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture
by Douglas Coupland
A satirical look at the lives of disaffected young adults in the early 1990s.
Andy, Dag and Claire have been handed a society priced beyond their means. Twentysomethings, brought up with divorce, Watergate and Three Mile Island, and scarred by the 80s fall-out of yuppies, ... (Goodreads)
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
by Ben Fountain
Billy Lynn and his fellow soldiers are hailed as heroes during a football halftime show, but the reality of war and their uncertain future loom over them.
19-year-old Specialist Billy Lynn is part of an eight-man unit, Bravo Squad, fighting in Iraq. After key moments of a brief but intense fight anointed as "the Battle of Al-Ansakar Canal" are filmed ... (Wikipedia)
Breakfast of Champions
by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
A humorous exploration of life's absurdities, through a madcap journey of a protagonist.
Kilgore Trout is a widely published, but ignored and virtually invisible writer who is invited to deliver a keynote address at a local arts festival in distant Midland City. Dwayne Hoover is a ... (Wikipedia)
Slaughterhouse-Five
by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
A surrealistic, satirical commentary on the horror of war and the loss of innocence.
The story is told in a non-linear order by an unreliable narrator (he begins the novel by telling the reader, "All of this happened, more or less"). Events become clear through flashbacks and ... (Wikipedia)
Elmer Gantry
by Sinclair Lewis
Universally recognized as a landmark in American literature, Elmer Gantry scandalized readers when it was first published, causing Sinclair Lewis to be "invited" to a jail cell in New Hampshire and ... (Goodreads)
Notes from Underground
by Fyodor Dostoevsky
A portrait of the struggles of a troubled man, exploring his inner turmoil.
The novel is divided into two parts. Serving as an introduction into the mind of the narrator, the first part of Notes from Underground is split into nine chapters: The narrator observes that utopian ... (Wikipedia)
Whatever
by Michel Houellebecq
A man's search for purpose in a world of nihilism and alienation.
"Houellebecq captures precisely the cynical disillusionment of disaffected youth."— Booklist "This boy needs serious therapy. He may be beyond help."—,The Washington Post, Just thirty, with a ... (Barnes & Noble)
Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned
by Wells Tower
A collection of short stories exploring the dark and absurd aspects of human nature, often set in rural America.
Viking marauders descend on a much-plundered island, hoping some mayhem will shake off the winter blahs. A man is booted out of his home after his wife discovers that the print of a bare foot on the ... (Goodreads)
No Country for Old Men
by Cormac McCarthy
A gripping tale of violence and pursuit in Texas' desolate landscape.
The plot follows the interweaving paths of the three central characters (Llewelyn Moss, Anton Chigurh , and Ed Tom Bell) set in motion by events related to a drug deal gone bad near the ... (Wikipedia)
High-Rise
by J.G. Ballard
In a high-rise building, social boundaries begin to break down as the inhabitants descend into chaos and violence.
Following his divorce, doctor and medical-school lecturer Robert Laing moves into his new apartment on the 25th floor of a recently completed high-rise building on the outskirts of London. This tower ... (Wikipedia)
Side Effects
by Woody Allen
A collection of humorous and satirical short stories that explore the absurdities of modern life and relationships.
A humor classic by one of the funniest writers today, SIDE EFFECTS is a treat for all those who know his work and those just discovering how gifted he is. Included here are such classics as ... (Goodreads)
The Ask
by Sam Lipsyte
Failing artist, Milo Burke, navigates his way through the absurdity of academia and family dysfunction in this darkly comedic novel.
Milo Burke, a development officer at a third-tier university, has “not been developing”: after a run-in with a well-connected undergrad, he finds himself among the burgeoning class of the newly ... (Goodreads)
Money
by Martin Amis
A satirical look at the power of money and the cut-throat world of 1980s high finance.
Money tells the story of, and is narrated by, John Self, a successful director of adverts who is invited to New York City by Fielding Goodney, a film producer, to shoot his first film. Self is an ... (Wikipedia)
Super Sad True Love Story
by Gary Shteyngart
A darkly comic exploration of love in a technologically-driven world.
The son of a Russian immigrant , protagonist Leonard (Lenny) Abramov, a middle-aged, middle class, otherwise unremarkable man whose mentality is still in the past century, falls madly in love with ... (Wikipedia)
Erections, Ejaculations, Exhibitions, and General Tales of Ordinary Madness
by Charles Bukowski
A collection of raw and gritty short stories and poems that explore the darker side of human nature and the struggles of everyday life.
Erections, Ejaculations, Exhibitions, and General Tales of Ordinary Madness was a paperback collection of short stories by Charles Bukowski, first published by City Lights Publishers in 1972.[1] It ... (Goodreads)
Barney's Version
by Mordecai Richler
A man's life story told with humour and heart, reflecting on his relationships, successes and regrets.
The story is written as if it is an autobiography by Barney Panofsky recounting his life in varying detail. Barney's version of events may be viewed as that of two unreliable narrators , in that his ... (Wikipedia)
Transmetropolitan, Vol. 8: Dirge
by Warren Ellis
A journalist's mission to restore truth and justice in a futuristic, dystopian world.
Transmetropolitan created by Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson. ... (Goodreads)
Choke
by Chuck Palahniuk
A darkly humorous story of a man's journey to self-awareness through disruption and chaos.
Choke follows Victor Mancini and his friend Denny through a few months of their lives with frequent flashbacks to the days when Victor was a child. , Victor had grown up moving from one foster home ... (Wikipedia)
Rant
by Chuck Palahniuk
A darkly humorous and surreal look into a world of chaos, taking on societal norms and conventions.
Buster Casey is born in the rural town of Middleton with the senses of smell and taste far more advanced than any other human. He acquires the nickname "Rant" from a childhood prank involving animal ... (Wikipedia)
Disrupted: My Misadventure in the Start-Up Bubble
by Dan Lyons
A humorous account of an older man's experience in the chaotic world of Silicon Valley start-ups.
For twenty-five years Dan Lyons was a magazine writer at the top of his profession–until one Friday morning when he received a phone call: Poof. His job no longer existed. "I think they just want to ... (Goodreads)
The Judge and His Hangman
by Friedrich Dürrenmatt
Commissar Bärlach of the Bernese police, who is dying of cancer, must solve the murder of his best officer, Lieutenant Ulrich Schmied. Bärlach is assisted in his investigation by officer Walter ... (Wikipedia)
Transmetropolitan, Vol. 3: Year of the Bastard
by Warren Ellis
A dystopian journey of a journalist, uncovering the darkness of power and corruption.
Investigative reporter Spider Jerusalem attacks the injustices of the 23rd Century surroundings while working for the newspaper The Word in this critically-acclaimed graphic novel series written by ... (Goodreads)
Love Is a Dog from Hell
by Charles Bukowski
A poetic exploration of the human experience, from joy to heartache and everything in between.
Collection of poems rising from and returning to Bukowski's personal experiences reflect people, objects, places, and events of the external world, and reflects on them, on their way out and back. ... (Goodreads)
CivilWarLand in Bad Decline
by George Saunders
A collection of darkly comic stories, exploring the absurdities of life in a post-apocalyptic world.
In six stories and the novella, Bounty, Saunders introduces readers to people struggling to survive in an increasingly haywire world. ... (Goodreads)
Brighton Rock
by Graham Greene
A young gang leader's struggle for power, morality, and redemption in the criminal underworld.
Charles "Fred" Hale comes to Brighton on assignment to distribute cards anonymously for a newspaper competition (a variant of " Lobby Lud "; in this case, the name of the person to be spotted is ... (Wikipedia)
The Flame Alphabet
by Ben Marcus
A mysterious epidemic causes children's speech to become toxic to adults, forcing parents to flee from their own offspring.
A terrible epidemic has struck the country and the sound of children’s speech has become lethal. Radio transmissions from strange sources indicate that people are going into hiding. All Sam and ... (Goodreads)
Mother Night
by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
A tale of moral ambiguity, exploring the consequences of deception and the power of words.
“Vonnegut is George Orwell, Dr. Caligari and Flash Gordon compounded into one writer . . . a zany but moral mad scientist.”—,Time,, Mother Night is a daring challenge to our moral sense. American ... (Barnes & Noble)
Goodbye, Columbus and Five Short Stories
by Philip Roth
A collection of stories focused on themes of assimilation, identity, and relationships.
Neil Klugman and pretty, spirited Brenda Patimkin - he of poor Newark, she of suburban Short Hills - meet one summer and dive into an affair that is as much about social class and suspicion as it is ... (Goodreads)
The Misfortunates
by Dimitri Verhulst
A coming of age story of a boy dealing with poverty, drugs, and family strife.
In De helaasheid der dingen keert de schrijver terug naar zijn geboortegrond in Reetveerdegem. We maken kennis met zijn vader, Pierre, die zijn paar uur oude zoontje in een postzak op zijn fiets ... (Goodreads)
Player Piano
by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
A dystopian novel exploring the consequences of a world dominated by machines.
Player Piano is set in the near future, after a third world war . While most Americans were fighting overseas, the nation's managers and engineers faced a depleted workforce and responded by ... (Wikipedia)
Pygmy
by Chuck Palahniuk
A group of teenage terrorists from an unnamed country infiltrate American society with a sinister plan. Darkly humorous and satirical.
The plot revolves around a 13-year-old boy named Agent Number 67 from an unnamed, totalitarian state described as a "mash-up of North Korea, Cuba, Communist-era China, and Nazi-era Germany ", as an ... (Wikipedia)
Journey to the End of the Night
by Louis-Ferdinand Céline
A darkly comic, nihilistic journey of self-discovery, following a man into the heart of an absurd world.
Céline’s masterpiece—colloquial, polemic, hyper-realistic, boiling over with black humor Céline’s masterpiece—colloquial, polemic, hyper realistic—boils over with bitter humor and revulsion at ... (Barnes & Noble)
Less Than Zero
by Bret Easton Ellis
A young man returns to his hometown of Los Angeles and becomes disillusioned with the empty and hedonistic lifestyle of his wealthy friends.
The novel follows the life of Clay, a rich, young college student who has returned to his hometown of Los Angeles , California for winter break circa 1984. Through first-person narration , Clay ... (Wikipedia)
Timequake
by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
A man is forced to relive the life he lived before, discovering the beauty of second chances.
Vonnegut uses the premise of a timequake (or repetition of actions) in which there is no free will . The idea of determinism is explored—as it is in many of his previous works—to assert that people ... (Wikipedia)
A Handful of Dust
by Evelyn Waugh
A satirical novel about the decline of British aristocracy and the emptiness of modern life.
Tony Last is a country gentleman, living with his wife Brenda and his eight-year-old son John Andrew in his ancestral home, Hetton Abbey. The house is a Victorian pseudo-Gothic pastiche described as ... (Wikipedia)
Homesick for Another World
by Ottessa Moshfegh
Collection of darkly humorous short stories probing the human condition.
«NO HI HA CAP HISTÒRIA QUE NO SIGUI ORIGINAL I ESTIGUI PERFECTAMENTCONSTRUÏDA. EL TALENT DE MOSHFEGH ÉS ÚNIC.» - NPR Si bé per les sevesnovel·les Ottessa Moshfegh ha rebut tota mena d'elogis i ... (Goodreads)
What a Carve Up!
by Jonathan Coe
A satirical novel that explores the lives of the Winshaw family, a wealthy and corrupt British clan. Darkly humorous and politically charged.
Godfrey, son of the wealthy Matthew and Frances Winshaw of Yorkshire, is shot down by German anti-aircraft fire during a secret wartime mission over Berlin, on 30 November 1942. His sister Tabitha ... (Wikipedia)
Hocus Pocus
by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
A darkly comedic tale of a man's struggle to cope with the absurdity of life.
Eugene is fired from his job as a college professor after having several of his witticisms surreptitiously recorded by the daughter of a popular conservative commentator. Eugene then becomes a ... (Wikipedia)
Transmetropolitan, Vol. 6: Gouge Away
by Warren Ellis
A dystopian future, where a renegade journalist confronts corruption and deception.
There's no faster path to paranoia and delusion that the red carpet of celebrity, and in the city no one is more famous than mega-popular attack journalist Spider Jerusalem. Nearly paralyzed by his ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Bonfire of the Vanities
by Tom Wolfe
An ambitious Wall Street banker's moral downfall in New York City.
The story centers on Sherman McCoy, a successful New York City bond trader . His $3 million Park Avenue co-op , combined with his aristocratic wife's extravagances and other expenses required to keep ... (Wikipedia)
English, August: An Indian Story
by Upamanyu Chatterjee
A young civil servant is posted to a small town in India, where he navigates the complexities of bureaucracy, culture shock, and self-discovery.
The posting starts off as a tremendous culture shock for Agatsya, a city boy. However, it eventually becomes one long philosophical journey and a process of self discovery . Written by a civil ... (Wikipedia)
The Elementary Particles
by Michel Houellebecq
Story of two half-brothers, exploring the depths of humanity and the emptiness of modern life.
Despite the essentially elaborate scope of the plot revealed in the novel's conclusion, the narrative focuses almost exclusively on the bleak and unrewarding day-to-day lives of the protagonists, two ... (Wikipedia)
Platform
by Michel Houellebecq
Satirical exploration of the modern world and its discontents.
The story is the first-person narrative of a fictional character named Michel Renault, a Parisian civil servant who, after the death of his father and thanks to a hefty inheritance, engages in sexual ... (Wikipedia)
The Day of the Locust
by Nathanael West
A study of the dark side of the American Dream, exploring the disappointments and struggles of the have-nots.
Tod Hackett is the novel's protagonist. He moves from the east coast to Hollywood, California in search of inspiration for his next painting. The novel is set in the 1930s during the Great Depression ... (Wikipedia)
The Visit
by Friedrich Dürrenmatt
A wealthy woman makes a fateful decision to exact revenge on the impoverished village that once wronged her.
The story opens with the town of Güllen (a name evoking "liquid manure" in German) preparing for the arrival of famed billionaire Claire Zachanassian, who grew up there. Güllen has fallen on hard ... (Wikipedia)
The Loser
by Thomas Bernhard
Three friends, all pianists, meet at a master class with Glenn Gould. One gives up music, another commits suicide, and the third becomes a recluse.
In Mozarteum in Salzburg in 1953 the main characters met a young Canadian prodigy who played the Goldberg Variations miraculously and who, they quickly came to realize, was a greater pianist than ... (Wikipedia)
The Manchurian Candidate
by Richard Condon
A former POW is brainwashed to become an unwitting assassin in a political conspiracy.
Major Bennett Marco, Sergeant Raymond Shaw, and the rest of their infantry platoon are captured by an elite Soviet commando unit during the Korean War in 1952. They are taken to Manchuria , and ... (Wikipedia)
The Conspiracy Against the Human Race
by Thomas Ligotti
A philosophical treatise on the futility of existence and the horror of consciousness, arguing for the ultimate extinction of humanity.
His fiction is known to be some of the most terrifying in the genre of supernatural horror, but Thomas Ligotti's first nonfiction book may be even scarier. Drawing on philosophy, literature, ... (Goodreads)
Post Office
by Charles Bukowski
A poetic and darkly humorous narrative about a man's struggles with poverty and loneliness.
In Los Angeles, California , down-and-out barfly Henry Chinaski becomes a substitute mail carrier ; he quits for a while and lives on his winnings at the race track, then becomes a mail clerk. ... (Wikipedia)
The Loved One
by Evelyn Waugh
Satirical tale of a young man's journey to a funeral home in Los Angeles.
Sir Ambrose Abercrombie visits housemates Dennis Barlow and Sir Francis Hinsley to express his concern about Barlow's new job and how it reflects on the British enclave in Hollywood, which is also ... (Wikipedia)
Vernon God Little
by D.B.C. Pierre
A teenage boy's struggle to survive after being wrongfully accused of a school shooting.
Named as one of the 100 Best Things in the World by GQ magazine in 2003, the riotous adventures of Vernon Gregory Little in small town Texas and beachfront Mexico mark one of the most spectacular, ... (Goodreads)
London Fields
by Martin Amis
A female artist's exploration of life and death, told through the lens of an apocalyptic setting.
London Fields is set in London in 1999 against a backdrop of environmental, social and moral degradation, and the looming threat of world instability and nuclear war (referred to as "The Crisis"). ... (Wikipedia)
The Rachel Papers
by Martin Amis
A coming-of-age story of Charles Highway, a precocious teenager, and his obsession with Rachel, an older woman.
The Rachel Papers tells the story of Charles Highway, a bright, egotistical teenager (a portrait Amis acknowledges as autobiographical) , and his relationship with his girlfriend in the year before ... (Wikipedia)
David Boring
by Daniel Clowes
A young man named David Boring searches for love and meaning in his life, while encountering strange and surreal events.
David Boring is a story told in the first person by its eponymous protagonist, concerning his sometimes fantastic and sometimes mundane exploits and misadventures in and out of big city life. Much of ... (Wikipedia)
Glamorama
by Bret Easton Ellis
A man's descent into a world of fame, glamour, and superficiality.
The author of American Psycho and Less Than Zero continues to shock and haunt us with his incisive and brilliant dissection of the modern world.In his most ambitious and gripping book yet, Bret ... (Goodreads)
Decline and Fall
by Evelyn Waugh
A satirical comedy of manners, exploring the fall of an irresponsible young man in the British social class system.
Modest and unassuming theology student Paul Pennyfeather falls victim to the drunken antics of the Bollinger Club and is subsequently expelled from Oxford for running through the grounds of Scone ... (Wikipedia)
Vile Bodies
by Evelyn Waugh
A satirical look at the decadence of the Bright Young Things of the 1920s.
Adam Symes has a novel to finish and, with the proceeds, plans to marry Nina Blount. Returning from France, his manuscript is impounded as obscene by customs officers, while in the next room his ... (Wikipedia)
Summer House with Swimming Pool
by Herman Koch
A doctor's summer vacation with his family turns into a nightmare when a patient dies after visiting their rented house.
The blistering, compulsively readable new novel from Herman Koch, author of the instant New York Times bestseller, The Dinner., When a medical procedure goes horribly wrong and famous actor Ralph ... (Goodreads)
The Fuck-Up
by Arthur Nersesian
A young man's life spirals out of control as he struggles with addiction, relationships, and finding his place in the world.
Arthur Nersesian's underground literary treasure is an unforgettable slice of gritty New York City life. This is the darkly hilarious odyssey of an anonymous slacker. He's a perennial couch-surfer, ... (Goodreads)
Transmetropolitan, Vol. 9: The Cure
by Warren Ellis
A journalist's battle against a corrupt and oppressive government, in pursuit of truth.
The forces of darkness are closing in on outlaw journalist Spider Jerusalem and his merry, filthy band ? but now they’ve got their own rope around the neck of corrupt President Callahan, and it’s ... (Goodreads)
The Boys, Volume 2: Get Some
by Garth Ennis
The Boys continue their mission to take down corrupt superheroes, encountering new allies and enemies along the way.
The second volume of the acclaimed series The Boys is here by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson! Dark avenger Tek-Knight and his ex-partner Swingwing are in trouble. Big trouble. One has lost control ... (Goodreads)
Collected Poems
by Philip Larkin
A collection of Philip Larkin's poems, exploring themes of love, death, and the human condition with a sharp wit and melancholic tone.
One of the best-known and best-loved poets of the English-speaking world, Philip Larkin had only a small number of his poems published during his lifetime. Collected Poems brings together not only ... (Goodreads)
The Dinner
by Herman Koch
A tense family dinner that unravels a series of secrets and lies.
The story is narrated by Paul Lohman, a former history teacher. He and his wife Claire meet at a fancy restaurant in Amsterdam with his elder brother Serge, a prominent politician and contender for ... (Wikipedia)
The Average American Male
by Chad Kultgen
A raw and explicit portrayal of the life of an average American male, filled with sex, drugs, and self-destructive behavior.
“I can’t figure out if this book is a heart-felt dispatch from the front line in the battle of the sexes or a brilliant send-up of the way in which the male point of view has been misrepresented by ... (Goodreads)
Last Words
by George Carlin
A collection of George Carlin's final thoughts on life, death, and everything in between, delivered with his signature wit and humor.
As one of America’s preeminent comedic voices, George Carlin saw it all throughout his extraordinary fifty-year career and made fun of most of it. Last Words is the story of the man behind some of ... (Goodreads)
The Misanthrope
by Molière
A comedic satire of the French social and political elite, exposing their hypocrisies and vices.
The Misanthrope or Le Misanthrope ou l’Atrabilaire amoureux is a comedy of manners in five acts and in verse. It is one of the best of Molière's plays — and one of the greatest of all comedies — ... (Goodreads)
Scoop
by Evelyn Waugh
A humorous and satirical look at journalistic misadventures in Africa.
Lord Copper, newspaper magnate and proprietor of the "Daily Beast", has always prided himself on his intuitive flair for spotting ace reporters. That is not to say he has not made the odd blunder, ... (Goodreads)
The Informers
by Bret Easton Ellis
A collection of interrelated stories set in 1980s Los Angeles, exploring the dark and depraved lives of the city's elite.
Set in Los Angeles, in the recent past. The birthplace and graveyard of American myths and dreams, the city harbours a group of people trapped between the beauty of their surroundings and their own ... (Goodreads)
The Universe Doesn't Give a Flying Fuck About You
by Johnny B. Truant
A blunt and irreverent self-help book that encourages readers to take control of their lives and stop waiting for external validation or permission.
If you walk around every day on eggshells, nervous about making a mistake or looking stupid, then you should read this. If you have a "next big thing" in mind you want to do because you know it will ... (Barnes & Noble)
Thank You for Smoking
by Christopher Buckley
A satire of the tobacco industry, exploring the power of corporate lobbying.
Nick Naylor is the chief spokesman for the Academy of Tobacco Studies, a tobacco industry lobbying firm that promotes the benefits of cigarettes. He utilizes high-profile media events and ... (Wikipedia)
On the Heights of Despair
by Emil M. Cioran
A philosophical exploration of the human condition, despair, and the meaninglessness of existence.
Born of a terrible insomnia—"a dizzying lucidity which would turn even paradise into hell"—this book presents the youthful Emil Cioran, a self-described "Nietzsche still complete with his ... (Goodreads)
When the Sacred Ginmill Closes
by Lawrence Block
An alcoholic ex-cop investigates the death of his friend in a New York City bar.
This Matthew Scudder noir crime novel starts out much like the previous books in the series. Matt is still drinking heavily and solving crimes as an "unofficial" private detective in gritty New York. ... (Wikipedia)
Imperial Bedrooms
by Bret Easton Ellis
A dark and twisted tale of a group of Hollywood friends whose lives are intertwined with sex, drugs, and violence.
The action of Imperial Bedrooms depicts Clay, who, after four months in New York, returns to Los Angeles to assist in the casting of his new film. There, he meets up with his old friends who were ... (Wikipedia)
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