OK, so I’ve decided to allow myself to read a book other than for professional purposes (that is, I’ve decided to read a grown-up-person book), and would like to read one with a more involved narrative than the craft books I’ve been skimming. But now that I set my mind to do it, I’m not sure where to start. Can you help?

Here are some books that I’ve really liked, and keep in mind that you should avoid the kind of book recommendations common with a certain provider of book recommendations (I’ll just call them What Do I Read Next, because that’s their name) that holds that should the hero happen to use a canoe in the book you like, you must be an avid fan of any book involving canoes. I’m much more interested in writing style and ideas than canoes, thank you.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson

A Darker Place by Laurie R. King

Virtual Light by William Gibson

Zeitgeist by Bruce Sterling

Passage by Connie Willis