Thursday, May 30, 2013

Armchair BEA 2013: Day 3 (Literary Fiction)

Today is Day 3 of BEA and today's genre would be Literary Fiction. I am not entirely new to this category and I've read quite a lot actually (most of which are classics).

What books have you read this year that would fit into this category?

So far, I’ve finished three really good books under this category this year and those are Dear Life, You Suck by Scott Blagden, When Love Comes to Town by Tom Lennon, and Being Henry David by Cal Armistead. I’m currently reading The Symptoms of my Insanity by Mindy Raf and will start Cameron and the Girls by Edward Averett after it.

Is there anything coming up that you're particularly excited about?

I’m a huge fan of John Green and I’ve read all of his books except The Fault in Our Stars so if there is anything I should feel excited reading about, it would be The Fault in Our Stars!

What authors/novels would you recommend to someone new to the genre?

While most of the literary works I’ve read before are classics, I’ve certainly enjoyed a few by modern authors and here are some authors that I would most definitely recommend:       

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
All of John Green’s books

Are there any misconceptions or things that you'd like to clear up for people unfamiliar with literary fiction?

A lot of people instantly associate Literary Fiction with Classics. But that’s not always the case. To make everything clear, all Classics are considered Literary Fiction, but not all Literary Fiction are Classics. Literary Fiction are books that emphasize more on “meaning” than “plot”. You could also say that they are more “character driven” compared to Commercial Fiction.

What got you started into this kind of book?

Well, the first literary works I've read were classics and I started reading them at school.

Name a novel that hasn't received a lot of buzz that definitely deserves it.


It would have to be Being Henry David by Cal Armistead. You can read my review here.

9 comments:

  1. I have only read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, and look forward to reading his other books...

    Here's my Literary Fiction post.

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  2. I loved Being Henry David but never would have considered it literary fiction. Interesting that you've labeled it that. I tend to read YA right now because they are quick, enjoyable reads that are usually short. Literary fiction tends to be slower reading for me because I want to savor the writing. Hope you are enjoying Armchair BEA!

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  3. Thanks for clarifying a bit on literature! I've been struggling with that myself today.

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  4. I haven't read Being Henry David but I've heard a lot of great things about it recently. I also need to read The Perks of Being a Wallflower soon. I love your quick and easy explanation of literary fiction!

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  5. You should definitely pick up The Fault in Our Stars. I don't read much YA, but that one did it for me!

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  6. Read A Fault In Our Stars right NOW! It is so good.

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  7. I really enjoy how everyone seems to be interpreting literary fiction differently and that makes me so happy. Also, TFiOS! Read it!! SO GOOD!

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  8. Okay, your post was super informative! You did an excellent job explaining what literary fiction is! THANK YOU! :)

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  9. I love, love, love John Green as well. Looking for Alaska was so good -- I had no idea what was going to happen, but I was so nervous with all the counting down from the Before to the After. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is another great book. I agree that not every Literary book is a Classic.

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