The all purpose "Which book should I start with by ... ? (and why)?" thread

Paul Auster--New York Trilogy

I've read surprisingly little on that list, but didn't much enjoy what I have read. (Cocaine Nights by Ballard, The Sea by Banville, New York Trilogy by Auster, Disgrace by Coetzee). I've started other books by Banville & Boll that I didn't finish. All strike me as accomplished craftsman with impressive intellects but emotionally somewhat cauterised (although to be fair admirers would suggest this emotional distancing is at least in part a conscious part of their MO). If I had to pick one of those, I'd say "Disgrace", beautifully crafted and thought provoking, but still not exactly a fun read.

I found the last novel by Siri Hustvedt, Auster's wife, more enoyable than Auster.

But De Gustibus and all that

I've only read his 70s stuff, but, for Ballard, I would start with High Rise.

If you are intent on reading Auster, New York Trilogy is the way to go, but the City of Glass comic is much better than the novel.

That sounded a little snotty, which wasn't what I intended; I just have found myself bored with everything of his I've read (and, more unfortunately, watched).

The general take on Paul Auster is that you only need to read the New York Trilogy, and probably only really need to read the first book in it, City of Glass, and -- my take at least -- you're probably better off just reading the comic book adaptation.

Oh wait Colin just said that. Sorry, low blood sugar right now.

John Banville - "the untouchable".his best work, and not only in my opinio.think nabokov meets john la care, and you are close.
a spy ,also a gay in the closet,who lives the life of a multy-layerd-liar.
"the sea" is second best.

Bernhard - from what is inprint from this master of prose, "the loser" is the best.and if you dig deeper(into the used books copies) - "correction","concrete" and "whitgenstein nephew" are his absolute masterpieces.he is in the level of kafka.jaw dropping.classic.a writer and a philosopher of the modern age.

coetzee - disgrace - very good book,not a must,imo.
auster - new york trilogi indeed.good,nice, but skippable,and for sure, the only one,if any, that u need to read from him.waaaaay overrated author.

Heinrich Boll has a story about a soldier and a girl with a scarred face.

Pale Anna?

Start with Coetzee's Waiting for the Barbarians. Everything I've read of his has been stellar, but "Waiting..." is fucking brilliant. It's the purest distillation of all his major themes and is beautifully done.

I've only read 2 of Banville's books but I quite liked The Sea. And yep, Auster's New York Trilogy is def the way to go.

Ballard: 'The Drought' or 'The Drowned World' or one of the big collected short stories volumes
Banville: 'The Untouchable' or 'The Book of Evidence'
Coetzee: 'Disgrace' or 'Boyhood' or 'Foe'

franny glass otm about Waiting for the Barbarians.

Another vote for The Untouchable or The Book of Evidence re Banville.
Ballard: another for High-Rise; also the stories, especially 'The Voices of Time' which packs in many early Ballard fixations (end of man, empty swimming pools, etc).

"The Book of Evidence " was dissapointing if u ask me.

btw - john banville's new book,"christine falls" is a crime novel, in the tradition of george simenon, and he wrote it under different name: Benjamin Black.
anypne read it?

I took it out of the library, tried to read a page and returned it unread.

It was OK, but nothing spectacular. And the main character is meant to be recurring, as I understand it, in future novels, but it's hard to see how that will work. 'The Untouchable' was much more thrilling.

Thanks for the comments, folks--I'll def take these under advisement. Now add your own authors!

i really did enjoy 'concrete island' by ballard, it's his most absurd novel in a lot of ways.

Best to avoid reading any two of Ballard's last half-dozen novels in quick succession, as (sadly) they're all much the same. Having said that, the infamous 'Crash' was the only book of his I found so dull I had to give up on it.