Rave Review: Chuck Palahniuk

My collection of Palahniuk books

Growing up I was always reading. Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, plays, I really wasn't that picky.

In my elementary school years I volunteered in our school library and I always looked forward to the regular trips to the library my mom would take my sister and I on.

Through the years my love of books has stayed with me, but for a while I was a bit lost when it came to fiction. I would still read different novels, trying to find an author that really captivated me. I would jump from title to title, just reading books that were sometimes okay, and sometimes less than what I expected but never followed an author's work. Anything I read, even if I enjoyed it I didn't go out seeking what else that author had to offer.

Not until I read my first Palahniuk, that is.

The year was 2008, and I remember Dan was trying to get me to watch Fight Club with him. Now, I am not Brad Pitt fan so I was a bit reluctant. I made a compromise though whenever Dan told me he had the novel it was based on.

Of course I borrowed the novel, brought it home, read it from cover-to-cover in one sitting, and enjoyed every minute of it! (I also decided to kill two birds with one stone and make it my book report in English class.)

Ever since first reading Fight Club I've been working my way through the rest of Palahniuk's novels.

And I have enjoyed every single one I have read so far. (To date there are still four of his novels I have not read, and there's still a handful I'd like to own!)

There's just something about his writing style, it just pulls me in. The novels are so gritty, mind-twisting at parts, disturbing even, everything but boring. Once I start, I don't want to stop. I've lost count how many of his books I've read in one sitting, because honestly I find them that hard to put down!

Last night I finally got around to reading Lullaby. I think in about three hours I had breezed through it, and wow, what a ride!

Now, I won't give anything away, but if you're looking for a well written novel, check this out! Wikipedia categorizes Lullaby as a horror/satire novel, but if you're familiar with any other of Palahniuk's works, that won't come as a surprise for you.

What are some of your favorite written works or authors?