Converting to Classics

[Nada]

I've been trying to convert from Young adult books (I feel too old for YA) to classics. I've been reading the Invisible man on and off and I really like it. Does anyone have any suggestions for a books like Invisible Man or just some really good classics?

[Kandice]

Anything by Wells would be good, since you obviously enjoy his style.

The Scarlet Pimpernel is good. Anything by Robert Louis Stevenson.

[Travis]

Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
Time Machine by Wells

[Marcela]

The Color of Water. Im mixed, so perhaps this got to me more...but if you want to read something about making sense of your identity as a human being...this one is for you.

[Elia]

I am confused here... The photo attached to this post is Invisible Man by Ellison, not THE Invisible Man by Wells, so are you looking for recommendations of books similar to Ellison's (which is about the struggle of a black man during segregated times in america) or Wells (which is a sci-fi story about a man who actually literally becomes invisible)? Knowing what to recommend to you would be easier if this were clarified. The only reason I ask is because a couple of people who posted before me gave recommendations based on Wells. :)

[Lee Ann]

Nada wrote: "I've been trying to convert from Young adult books (I feel too old for YA) to classics. I've been reading the Invisible man on and off and I really like it. Does anyone have any suggestions for a b..."

Black Like Me is reminiscent of Invisible Man, pretty powerful stuff.

[Feliks]

Elia wrote: "I am confused here... The photo attached to this post is Invisible Man by Ellison, not THE Invisible Man by Wells"

Ha! I spotted that, too. Hey, simple human mistakes continue to happen. Anyway, to address the OP's question. Stepping up into classic novels. I suggest start reading really robust contemporary fiction as a segue. Unfortunately, I can't immediately name any really good contemporary fiction; but you get my drift. Start with something you know you already enjoy, and scout around from there. What will probably happen on Goodreads is that folks will cite a slew of classic titles to you--but the 'jump' to highly-detailed writing set in distant timeperiods will jar you. It will be too abrupt.

Try some gentle; shorter works. Post WWII, but not too modern. 1950s-1960s was a better era for American novelists.

Perhaps Pynchon's 'Crying of Lot 49'. James Jones, 'From Here to Eternity'. Anything by Larry McMurtry. 'Bridge of San Luis Rey' by Thornton Wilder. Maybe some Kurt Vonnegut, 'Breakfast of Champions'. O'Toole's 'Confederacy of Dunces'. Heller's 'Catch-22'. Solid, moving, but fun books.

Maybe even some short-story collections? 'Winesburg, Ohio' by Sherwood Anderson? Hemingway's 'Men Without Women' or 'In Our Time'. Dorothy Parker's collected works. Personal fave: Dashiell Hammett, 'Red Harvest'.

Random collections of American short stories would probably suit. You would have a chance to sample a lot of authors and their styles at once.

[Lora]

Lots of great recommendations here. I would also add other sci-fi authors, like Ray Bradbury. Novellas like Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome; The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis.
Are there particular time periods you're especially interested in? Or themes?
I second the short story way to go, it gives you a chance to sample authors before plunging in for their longer writings.

[Maelanie]

The Wretched of the Earth, or Black Skin White Masks
By Frantz Fanon

[Himanshu]

I think its a great which affect american

[Alexandra]

If you're talking about Invisible Man by Ellison, and you like that sort of existential fiction, I would go with works by Albert Camus, Jean Paul Sartre, Herman Melville and Dosteovesky (see: Notes from the Underground); I also second the books by Frantz Fanon mentioned by Maelanie. As far as classics, in general, that is a pretty extensive list. If you are looking for American classics, I suggest Melville (again), William Faulkner, Thoreau, Jack Kerouac and all the beatniks, Henry James, Truman Capote, Nathaniel Hawthorn, John Steinbeck. In relation to Invisible Man you may like to explore African American literature, such as the works of Richard Wright and Toni Morrison. The classics of literature don't begin in America of course, so you may want to look into older works.

I know you wanted novels and not authors, but there are too many books to name. Happy reading!

[Feliks]

Nathaniel West, 'The Day of the Locust'

short, easy read

Henry James, 'Washington Square'
also short

nonfiction: Joshua Slocum, 'Sailing Alone Around the World' --definitely a man's book; filled with gentle adventure and sailing lore; but more important is that it will get you to see that the language in other centuries is not too different from that of our own.

[Maelanie]

Nada wrote: "I've been trying to convert from Young adult books (I feel too old for YA) to classics. I've been reading the Invisible man on and off and I really like it. Does anyone have any suggestions for a b..."

The "coldest winter ever"

[Maelanie]

Kandice wrote: "Anything by Wells would be good, since you obviously enjoy his style.

The Scarlet Pimpernel is good. Anything by Robert Louis Stevens..." i i Kandice wrote "Anything by Wells would be good since you obviously enjoy his style. book The Scarlet Pimpernel is good. Anything by Robert Louis Stevens..." i i Nada wrote "I've been trying to convert from Young adult books I feel too old for YA to classics. I've been reading the Invisible man on and off and I really like it. Does anyone have any suggestions for a b..." i i Kandice wrote "Anything by Wells would be good since you obviously enjoy his style. book The Scarlet Pimpernel is good. Anything by [author:Robert Louis Stevens..."

"Coldest winter ever"