# Some Book Recs: Literary Fiction

This is a Friday newsletter bonus. I set quant topics aside and recommend a few literary fiction books.

I describe *literary fiction* as works written at the highest level of craft, demonstrating brilliant style and character portrayals along with — not instead of — great plotting. I read literary fiction along with genre fiction (mysteries, science fiction, etc.)

My list is idiosyncratic and random. I might have listed 100 others; yet each of these has stayed with me, and each is outstanding and unique. If you read any two of them, I hope you'll love at least one. Some are well known but others may be new to you.

BTW, in the cases of three authors — Murakami, Murdoch, and Powers — I recommend titles that are the best places to *begin* reading their work. Those books are excellent and yet not the pinnacles of their works, which you can discover later.

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### A Few Recommendations

**Karl Marlantes**. *Matterhorn*. A semi-autobiographical novel that depicts, as well as any novel could, what it is like to be in combat. Read it and understand why soldiers view war as a far last resort when diplomacy & leaders fail. [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Matterhorn-Novel-Vietnam-Karl-Marlantes/dp/0802145310), [Powells](https://www.powells.com/book/matterhorn-a-novel-of-the-vietnam-war-9780802119285).

**Haruki Murakami**. *A Wild Sheep Chase*. A great introduction to Murakami: quirky, readable, surreal, rollicking, set with unforgettable locations and mysterious characters. After this, read *Dance Dance Dance*. [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Sheep-Chase-Novel/dp/037571894X), [Powells](https://www.powells.com/book/a-wild-sheep-chase-9780375718946).

**Iris Murdoch**. *The Sea, The Sea*. A Booker Prize winning novel (1978) that combines exquisite, which is not to say comfortable, psychological and emotional depth with powerful evocations of relationships, passion, and place. [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Sea-Penguin-Twentieth-Century-Classics/dp/014118616X), [Powells](https://www.powells.com/book/-9780099284093/1-6).

**Ruth Ozeki**. *A Tale for the Time Being*. Ozeki is a novelist and Zen teacher. This book skillfully weaves current day Japan, the Canadian BC Coast, a character named Ruth Ozeki, historical Japan, and the Zen teachings of Dogen. Brilliant. [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Tale-Time-Being-Novel/dp/0143124870), [Powells](https://www.powells.com/book/a-tale-for-the-time-being-9780143124870).

**Richard Powers**. *The Echo Maker*. A meditative examination of "what happened?" in a car crash in a beautifully portrayed small Nebraska town. Explores memory, the brain, human connection, family, and the contingency of life. [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Echo-Maker-Richard-Powers/dp/0312426437), [Powells](https://www.powells.com/book/the-echo-maker-richard-powers-9780099506027).

**Leo Tolstoy**. *War and Peace*. You've heard of it? It's a fantastic read, one of the best novels ever. But IMO you must pick a period to read 100+ pages daily, to keep the characters and plot in your head. Read the concluding essay, too! [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/War-Peace-Vintage-Classics-Tolstoy/dp/1400079985), [Powells](https://www.powells.com/book/war-and-peace-9781400079988).

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### On my Short List to Read ...

**Hernan Diaz**: *Trust.*

**Barbara Kingsolver**: *Demon Copperhead*. Or maybe catch up with *Flight Behavior*.

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### Other Genres?

Sometime I'll share my recommendations in other genres, including Mysteries, Science Fiction, and perhaps others like espionage and historical fiction.

If you'd like recommendations for *quantitative research & analytics* ... I'll compile those sometime, too! Meanwhile, book recommendations are given at the end of each chapter in the [Quant UX book](https://www.amazon.com/Quantitative-User-Experience-Research-Understanding/dp/1484292677), the [R book](https://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Research-Analytics-Use/dp/3030143155), and the [Python book](https://www.amazon.com/Python-Marketing-Research-Analytics-Schwarz/dp/3030497194).

Happy reading!

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