Books like 'Varieties of Disturbance'
Readers who enjoyed Varieties of Disturbance by Lydia Davis also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary literary-fiction university
-
E.E. Cummings: Complete Poems 1904-1962 (Revised, Corrected, and Expanded Edition) by E.E. Cummings
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsAt the time of his death in 1962, E. E. Cummings was, next to Robert Frost, the most widely read poet in America. Combining Thoreau's controlled belligerence with the brash abandon of an uninhibited bohemian, Cummings, together with Pound, Eliot, and William Carlos Williams, helped bring about the twentieth-century revolution in literary expression...Categorized as:
literary-fiction university 20th-century adult anthologies classics contemporary fiction -
![Scorched by Wajdi Mouawad]()
Scorched by Wajdi Mouawad
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsTwin children Jeanne and Simon want to solve the mystery of their origins. In retracing the bitter history of their mother, who is about to die, other characters come into the story—witnesses or key players able to assist in the investigation. Carried aloft by poetic language, the inquiry pursued by Jeanne and Simon unfolds in a dreamlike atmosphere... -
![Max, Mischa & Tetoffensiven by Johan Harstad]()
Max, Mischa & Tetoffensiven by Johan Harstad
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsMAX HANSEN er søvnløs i Midtvesten. Han er teaterinstruktør på turné tvers gjennom USA. Det kan være at han har blitt amerikaner. Han har ikke vært hjemme på over tjue år. HELST SKULLE HAN aldri forlatt stedet han ble født, en forstad til Stavanger hvor man fikk bråke så mye man orket mens fedrene var ute på plattformene i Nordsjøen og hvor stillheten la seg tung over husene når de kom tilbake... -
![Shameless Love by Mel Dau]()
-
-
![The Pleasures of the Damned by Charles Bukowski]()
The Pleasures of the Damned by Charles Bukowski
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsTo his legions of fans, Charles Bukowski was—and remains—the quintessential counterculture icon. A hard-drinking wild man of literature and a stubborn outsider to the poetry world, he wrote unflinchingly about booze, work, and women, in raw, street-tough poems whose truth has struck a chord with generations of readers...Categorized as:
literary-fiction university 20th-century adult anthologies classics contemporary death -
![The Collected Poems by Wallace Stevens]()
The Collected Poems by Wallace Stevens
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThis definitive poetry collection, originally published in 1954 to honor Stevens on his 75th birthday, contains:- "Harmonium"- "Ideas of Order"- "The Man With the Blue Guitar"- "Parts of the World"- "Transport Summer"- "The Auroras of Autumn"- "The...Categorized as:
literary-fiction university 20th-century anthologies classics contemporary fiction literary -
![A Place to Start Over - Second Edition by Susan Mackie]()
A Place to Start Over - Second Edition by Susan Mackie
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSecond Edition with five new Bonus Chapters.Can one bad decision change your life?While recuperating from her biggest mistake, Harriet’s had time to plan a fresh start, away from the city.With a business plan on her laptop and determination in her heart, she leaves Sydney, heading north... -
![You're So Vain by Whitney Dineen]()
You're So Vain by Whitney Dineen
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFamily drama is something Lutéce Choate struggles to avoid. With a mother who’s an award-winning country western song writer, an aunt who’s a Country Music Hall of Famer, and a brother who’s a rock star, it hasn’t exactly been a low-key kind of life, and she’s ready for a break... -
![All Fires the Fire by Julio Cortázar]()
All Fires the Fire by Julio Cortázar
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsCortazar's stories are like small time pieces, where each polished part moves relentlessly on its own particular path, exercising a crucial and perpetual influence on the mechanism as a whole...Categorized as:
literary-fiction university 20th-century adult anthologies classics contemporary fiction -
![Rose by Li-Young Lee, Gerald Stern]()
Rose by Li-Young Lee, Gerald Stern
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIn this outstanding first book of poems, Lee is unafraid to show emotion, especially when writing about his father or his wife. "But there is wisdom/ in the hour in which a boy/ sits in his room listening," says the first poem, and Lee's silent willingness to step outside himself imbues Rose with a rare sensitivity... -
![El regalo by Eloy Moreno]()
-
![The Collected Stories by Amy Hempel]()
The Collected Stories by Amy Hempel
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe Collected Stories of Amy Hempel gathers together the complete work of a writer whose voice is as singular and astonishing as any in American fiction. Hempel, fiercely admired by writers and reviewers, has a sterling reputation that is based on four very short collections of stories, roughly fifteen thousand stunning sentences, written over a period of nearly three decades...Categorized as:
literary-fiction university adult anthologies contemporary female-author fiction humor -
![Mr. Handsome Hunk: A Manhattan Men Novel by Jacob Parker]()
Mr. Handsome Hunk: A Manhattan Men Novel by Jacob Parker
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsI’ve wanted her my whole life.My best friend’s little sister. But things didn’t work out like they were supposed to.And now she’s back in my life and I’m not sure how I feel about it.She left for college without looking back, and I’m a billionaire bachelor with my eye on lots of prizes now.I’m not the boy she walked away from.Manhattan is my playground, and my family owns the city... -
![Stolen by You by Lindsey Hart]()
Stolen by You by Lindsey Hart
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsInfiltrating Mr. Hotshot's house in the middle of the night?Yes, that was the plan.Getting my hands on his family jewels?Definitely what I was going for.And I mean actual jewelry, not the other round ball kind of things, alright.Now, catching the guy practically naked in his house?Oh God, definitely not what was supposed to happen... -
-
![More of You by Laura Pavlov]()
More of You by Laura Pavlov
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsLife is sweet until it’s not… I followed my dreams when I wanted to follow my heart. I spent the summer touring with the band. Cruz Winslow is the love of my life and being with him 24/7 was amazing, until it came to an end. I needed to go back to school while he finished up his commitment to Exiled.But, that one decision threatened to tear us apart... -
![Double Exposition by Jerica MacMillan]()
Double Exposition by Jerica MacMillan
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA former boyband star gets a little musical education from a sexy violinist. Will they stay in different keys or find a way to play in tune? The first time I saw her I knew I wanted her. And when she talked music with me? I didn’t stand a chance. When she found out my secret past—that I used to be a famous pop star—I expected her to fangirl all over me... -
![Le Démon de la colline aux loups by Dimitri Rouchon-Borie]()
Le Démon de la colline aux loups by Dimitri Rouchon-Borie
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsUn homme se retrouve en prison. Brutalisé dans sa mémoire et dans sa chair, il décide avant de mourir de nous livrer le récit de son destin.Écrit dans un élan vertigineux, porté par une langue aussi fulgurante que bienveillante, Le Démon de la Colline aux Loups raconte un être, son enfance perdue, sa vie emplie de violence, de douleur et de rage, d’amour et de passion, de moments de lumière.. -
![The Theory of Light and Matter by Andrew Porter]()
The Theory of Light and Matter by Andrew Porter
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThese ten short stories explore loss and sacrifice in American suburbia. In idyllic suburbs across the country, from Philadelphia to San Francisco, narrators struggle to find meaning or value in their lives because of (or in spite of) something that has happened in their pasts. In Hole, a young man reconstructs the memory of his childhood friend's deadly fall... -
![Seven Plays by Sam Shepard]()
Seven Plays by Sam Shepard
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIncludes "Buried Child", "Curse of the Starving Class" , "The Tooth of Crime", "La Turista" , "Savage Loge", and "True West". Brilliant, prolific, uniquely American, Pulitzer prizewinning playwright Sam Separd is a major voice in contemporary theatre. And here are seven of his very best. "One of the most original, prolific and gifted dramatists at work today...Categorized as:
literary-fiction university 20th-century adult anthologies classics contemporary drama -
![The Portable Beat Reader by Ann Charters]()
The Portable Beat Reader by Ann Charters
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsBeginning in the late 1940's, American literature discovered a four-letter word, and the word was "beat." Beat as in poverty and beatitude, ecstasy and exile. Beat was Jack Kerouac touring the American road in prose as fast and reckless as a V-8 Chevy. It was the junk-sick surrealism of William Burroughs; the wild, Whitmanesque poetry of Allen Ginsberg; and the lumberjack Zen of Gary Snyder...Categorized as:
literary-fiction university 20th-century adult anthologies classics contemporary female-author -
![درماندگی بزرگ ما by Barış Bıçakçı]()
درماندگی بزرگ ما by Barış Bıçakçı
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsدر یکی از روزهای سرد زمستان، دو دوست قدیمی در کنار هم بر سر تپهای در میان ابرها ایستادهاند. در برابرشان دریای سیاه است، و پشت سرشان استانبول با هزار خاطره و رؤیا. هر دوی آنها در آن لحظه به یک چیز فکر میکنند: به کسی که حالا در دوردستها روزگار میگذراند... -
![Selected Poems by William Carlos Williams]()
Selected Poems by William Carlos Williams
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsOpening with Professor Tomlinson's superbly clear and helpful introduction this selection reflects the most up-to-date Williams scholarship. In addition to including many more pieces, Tomlinson has organized the whole in chronological order...Categorized as:
literary-fiction university 20th-century adult anthologies classics contemporary fiction -
![Live for Me by Emma Thomas]()
Live for Me by Emma Thomas
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTwenty-seven-year-old Ophelia Lux Taylor is feisty and driven; she also happens to have bipolar disorder. Although she's had her ups and downs, life is good now: she lives with her twin brother, Onyx, and another friend in an artsy community in Cincinnati and is pursuing a master's degree in psychology... -
![Night Jasmine by Mary Lou Widmer]()
Night Jasmine by Mary Lou Widmer
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTWO MEN...ONE LOVE... Brutally exposed to the naked facts of life, Katie Raspanti fled the dingy hovels of the slums to become a kitchen maid in New Orleans's most elegant household. She was no more than a child, but all too soon she became the tantalizing beauty who commanded the hearts of two brothers, both willing to abandon family and fortune to be at her side... -
-
![Smarty Pants by Marika Ray]()
Smarty Pants by Marika Ray
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe first time I met her, she was running away from her own wedding.The second time I met her, she tried to get me fired from my job.The third time? I had to haul her drunk self off the bar before she completed her amateur—and hot as hell—striptease.She’s messy, chaos in human form, and not at all who she claims to be...Categorized as:
university literary-fiction contemporary small-town womens-fiction steamy humor fiction -
![Following His Heart by Donna Fasano]()
Following His Heart by Donna Fasano
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratings***USA Today Bestselling Author*** Sara Carson is a 30-something widow with a busy life. Two fun-loving best friends, a caring mom who needs her, and a thriving sweet shop. What more could a woman want? But when the ancient plumbing in her shop springs a leak and a gorgeous, dark-eyed stranger rushes to her rescue, hilarity unfolds—and Sara quickly sees exactly what she’s been missing... -
![Dearest Mary Jane by Betty Neels]()
Dearest Mary Jane by Betty Neels
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratings"The moment I set eyes on a handsome, rich man I shall marry him." So said Felicity, and as she was the glamorous sister with a successful career as an international model, Mary Jane had no reason to doubt her. Mary Jane was the stay at home with no talents to speak of and a face that never merited a second glance... -
![One Last Wish by Ella Harper]()
One Last Wish by Ella Harper
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsRosie and Nate had the perfect relationship. But they struggled to cope with the devastating news their daughter Emmie has incurable cancer. It feels like their world – and their relationship – has come crashing down. They must do everything to support their little girl, but can they stop their marriage falling apart? Unbeknownst to her parents, Emmie is on a mission... -
![War All the Time by Charles Bukowski]()
War All the Time by Charles Bukowski
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWar All the Time is a selection of poetry from the early 1980s. Charles Bukowski shows that he is still as pure as ever but he has evolved into a slightly happier man that has found some fame and love. These poems show how he grapples with his past and future colliding...Categorized as:
literary-fiction university 20th-century adult anthologies classics contemporary death -
![Elephant and Other Stories by Raymond Carver]()
Elephant and Other Stories by Raymond Carver
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThese seven stories were the last that Carver wrote. Among them is Errand in which he imagines the death of Chekhov, a writer Carver hugely admired and to whose work his own was often compared...Categorized as:
literary-fiction university 20th-century adult anthologies audiobook classics contemporary -
![Ella and Micha: Infinitely and Always by Jessica Sorensen]()
Ella and Micha: Infinitely and Always by Jessica Sorensen
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratings**A Secret Series Novella** After five years of marriage, Ella couldn't be happier. Her job is great. Her marriage is amazing. But when she receives some surprising news, her world is turned upside down. Micha loves being a musician, but being on the road, and away from Ella, is difficult...Categorized as:
literary-fiction university alpha-mc book coming-of-age contemporary fiction friends-to-lovers -
![Cómplices by Taibo]()
Cómplices by Taibo
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsJulián ha luchado contra el aburrimiento de todas las maneras posibles. Desde que le diagnosticaron hepatitis, ha recreado en su cabeza conversaciones imaginarias entre ostras que no tienen nada que hacer, ha buscado formas fantasiosas en las manchas de la pared, ha lanzado mocos al aire. Pero es feliz porque no tiene que ir a la escuela... -
![The Gypsy Ballads of Federico Garcia Lorca by Federico García Lorca, Robert G. Harvard]()
The Gypsy Ballads of Federico Garcia Lorca by Federico García Lorca, Robert G. Harvard
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsTranslations of "Preciosa and the Wind""Walking Asleep," "The Moon, The Moon" "Fracas," "The Gypsy Nun" "Black Trouble" "St. Michael (Granada)""St. Gabriel (Seville)""Dead of Love""The Man Who Was Given a Summons""The Comical History of Pedro, Knight""Walking Asleep""The Unfaithful Married Woman""The Martyrdom of St... -
![My Boss’s Daughter: Bossed by the Billionaire by Kelli Walker]()
My Boss’s Daughter: Bossed by the Billionaire by Kelli Walker
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsI’m not the kind of man who denies himself,I’m a powerful billionaire.I take what I want.Even if that means my boss’s daughter.The moment I reached out and pulled her to me,The moment her lips touched mine,I was paralyzed.I shouldn’t have given in.I shouldn’t have claimed her.The moment my boss assigned her to work for me,I knew I was in trouble... -
-
![October by Louise Glück]()
October by Louise Glück
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratings‘October’ by Louis Glück is a poem that describes the change in the natural world during October. It is the time of autumn when the earth takes a new shape. It wears the robe of new leaves and transforms into her former self again. The poet highlights the natural change at the beginning of autumn. Her voice seems confused at the sight... -
![Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley]()
Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIt’s a Friday night in a campus bar in Berkeley, fall of 2000, and Percy Marks is pontificating about music again. Hall and Oates is on the jukebox, and Percy—who has no talent for music, just lots of opinions about it—can’t stop herself from overanalyzing the song, indulging what she knows to be her most annoying habit. But something is different tonight... -
![Little Kingdoms by Steven Millhauser]()
Little Kingdoms by Steven Millhauser
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCartoons that draw their creator into another world; demonic paintings that exert a sinister influence on our own. Fairy tales that express the secret losses and anxieties of their tellers... -
![Abbott Awaits: A Novel by Chris Bachelder]()
Abbott Awaits: A Novel by Chris Bachelder
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA quiet tour de force, Abbott Awaits transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary, startlingly depicting the intense and poignant challenges of a vulnerable, imaginative father as he lives his everyday American existence... -
![É sempre a hora da nossa morte amém by Mariana Salomão Carrara]()
É sempre a hora da nossa morte amém by Mariana Salomão Carrara
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsDepois do arrebatador “Se deus me chamar não vou”, Mariana retoma seu jorro neurótico, humano e delicioso contando agora a história da septuagenária Aurora, encontrada desmemoriada e descalça na beira da estrada e procurando por uma certa Camila... -
![Eunoia: The Set (CD and Book): The Set (CD and Book) by Christian Bök]()
Eunoia: The Set (CD and Book): The Set (CD and Book) by Christian Bök
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe word `eunoia', which literally means `beautiful thinking', is the shortest word in English that contains all five vowels. Eunoia is a five-chapter book in which each chapter is a univocal lipogram (the first chapter has A as its only vowel, the second chapter only E, etc.)... -
![Selected Stories by Robert Walser, Susan Sontag]()
Selected Stories by Robert Walser, Susan Sontag
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsHow to place the mysterious Swiss writer Robert Walser, a humble genius who possessed one of the most elusive and surprising sensibilities in modern literature? Walser is many things: a Paul Klee in words, maker of droll, whimsical, tender, and heartbreaking verbal artifacts; an inspiration to such very different writers as Kafka and W.G...Categorized as:
literary-fiction university 20th-century adult anthologies classics contemporary fiction -
![The Best American Short Stories of the Century by John Updike, Jean Toomer]()
The Best American Short Stories of the Century by John Updike, Jean Toomer
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSince the series' inception in 1915, the annual volumes of The Best American Short Stories have launched literary careers, showcased the most compelling stories of each year, and confirmed for all time the significance of the short story in our national literature...Categorized as:
literary-fiction university 20th-century adult anthologies audiobook classics contemporary -
![The Big Switch: It's never too late by John Thomas]()
The Big Switch: It's never too late by John Thomas
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhat does a 24-year-old man want in life? Love? A decent job? Keith has both. He is a software engineer at a reputable company and has a girlfriend whom he loves a lot. Yet, there is something missing in his life. He is not even close to being happy. Only after losing his girlfriend, he realizes what the reason for his unhappiness is. He realizes that he is caught up in the wrong career... -
![Speechless by Tom Lanoye, Paul Vincent]()
Speechless by Tom Lanoye, Paul Vincent
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsTom Lanoye's mother, an amateur actress, suffered a stroke and lost her ability to speak. With her voice, once so dear to her, gone, she deteriorated, slowly and inevitably. New attacks made her entirely dependent on help.As a grateful and moving homage he reconstructs her life in an abundance of language that used to be hers... -
-
![Short Cuts: Selected Stories by Raymond Carver]()
Short Cuts: Selected Stories by Raymond Carver
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe nine stories and one poem collected in this volume formed the basis for the astonishingly original film “Short Cuts” directed by Robert Altman. Collected altogether in this volume, these stories form a searing and indelible portrait of American innocence and loss...Categorized as:
literary-fiction university 20th-century adult anthologies classics contemporary fiction -
![Korowód by Jakub Małecki]()
Korowód by Jakub Małecki
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsKim jest ten trzeci, który zawsze idzie obok ciebie?Mężczyzna z dzieckiem w ramionach uciekający przez zamarznięty Bałtyk. Zakochany Feliks i jego listy pisane na statku podczas sztormu. Barbara Brzozowska, autorka poczytnych międzywojennych powieści oraz genialny matematyk Tomasz Wilczewski. Wreszcie pisarz Jakub M... -
![ë by Jehona Kicaj]()
ë by Jehona Kicaj
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEin stilles und zugleich sprachmächtiges Buch, das vom Verlust der Heimat durch Krieg, von Schmerz und Sprachverlust erzählt. In diesem ergreifenden Debüt findet die Autorin eine großartige eigene Sprache.Der ungewöhnliche Titel »ë« steht für einen Buchstaben, der in der albanischen Sprache eine wichtige Funktion hat, obwohl er meist gar nicht ausgesprochen wird... -
![The Turning by Tim Winton, Humphrey Bower]()
The Turning by Tim Winton, Humphrey Bower
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe author of Dirt Music and The Riders captures the urgency of memory and the way an entire life can be shaped by one event from the past in this capsule of connected stories set on the coast of Western Australia...Categorized as:
literary-fiction university 21st-century adult anthologies audiobook contemporary fiction -
![Auto-da-Fé by Elias Canetti]()
Auto-da-Fé by Elias Canetti
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratings"Auto-da-Fé" is the story of Peter Kien, a distinguished, reclusive sinologist living in Vienna between the wars. With masterly precision, Canetti reveals Kien's character, displaying the flawed personal relationships which ultimately lead to his destruction... -
![I'm an Old Commie! by Dan Lungu]()
I'm an Old Commie! by Dan Lungu
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsEmilia, a pensioner in northern Romania, is forced to confront the nostalgic illusions she nurtures as a reaction to the grim post-communist present when her daughter, now living in Canada, telephones urging her not to vote for the former communists in upcoming elections...
Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.
