I don't know what you guys find so steller in Shalman... I barely finished one of his book.. man was it a drag.. I might not be bright enough to relate to him, I guess.. I just find his narration really dry.. My favourite author is Gabriel Garcia Marquez.. Liked every single of his book I have read.. One hundred years of soltitude is a classic and so are all of his books.. Alchemist - one of my all time favourite. I also like Ernest Hemingway - Should be a good start. Read Hope in the Dark by Rebacca Solnit - not a novel but it really defined me as a person..