For short stories: Distant Star by Roberto Bolaño, he makes all his stories feel like an adventure, they stretch decades and lifetimes. Cathedral by Raymond Carver, really highlights the sadness and absurdity of regular life with characteristically dry and comic style. Short Novels:
I've recommended Kokoro by Sōseki on here before, but it's really great. Clock Without Hands by Carson McCullers is a great novel. Some really good Southern gothic.
orbital - samantha harvey
the mortal and immortal life of the girl from milan - domenico starnone
small things like these AND foster - both by claire keegan
five-carat soul - james mcbride (short stories but they go by quick)
lie with me - philippe besson
if an egyptian cannot speak english - noor naga
the boy and the dog - hase seishū
home - toni morrison
scattered all over the earth AND the emissary - both by yoko tawada
franny and zooey- j. d. salinger
the black tree atop the hill - karla yvette
the white card - claudia rankine
A Little Lumpen Novelita by Roberto Bolaño Pedro Pàramo by Juan Rulfo Self-Portrait in Green by Marie NDiaye Sweet Days of Discipline, SS Proleterka, both by Fleur Jaeggy The Employees by Olga Ravn Marie Redonnet’s trilogy: Hotel Splendid, Forever Valley, Rose Mellie Rose I could go on forever—I love little books
One of my fave genres ♥️ The factory, hiroko oyamada
Indelicacy, Amina Cain
Assembly, Natasha brown
Kitchen, banana yoshimoto (rec’d elsewhere)
Written on the body, Jeanette winterson (!!)
When we cease to understand the world, Benjamin labatut
20 fragments of a ravenous youth, xialou guo
The faces, Tove ditlevsen (recd elsewhere)
How i live now, Meg rosoff
slaughterhouse five, Kurt Vonnegut
The first two lines of the chorus:
'You can never be strong,
You can only be free' Sums up everything great about Robert Pollard's songwriting. Drama, hope and disappointment.
