Books for Badasses: The Best Novels for Readers Who Are Too Cool to Read

I know a number of people who have not picked up a single work of fiction since high school. They are mostly men, guys who wouldn't be caught dead reading commercial authors such as John Grisham or Stephen King. As an avid reader and a professional writer, I cringe when I hear people protest when offered a book. Reading fiction is one of the most satisfying forms of entertainment available, and it always will be. Not only do you consume a story created in another person's mind, but you inevitably feel as though you accomplished something yourself once you have turned that last page. In an effort to alter the mindset of these reluctant readers, I am setting down this list of novels for readers who are too cool to read. Here is my list of books for badasses.

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis. Patrick Bateman is a young Manhattanite living the American Dream. Accumulating money, dressing to the nines, one-upping his so-called friends and colleagues. And slaughtering people. Yes, slaughtering people. Celebrity author Bret Easton Ellis takes the reader on a tour through the sick, twisted mind of one of fiction's greatest serial killers. The novel is both incredibly frightening and wonderfully hilarious. This novel was so controversial, its original publishing house refused to publish it after complaints from women's groups that it promoted misogyny. While it is tremendously violent, it hardly promotes misogyny or anything else for that matter. At its heart, it is a satire that pokes fun of our world of excess, particularly America's great metropolis during the eighties and nineties.

Porno by Irvine Welsh. This sequel to Trainspotting is superior to the original, and it reacquaints the reader to everyone's favorite junkies. It focuses on Simon David Williamson, who has failed in every endeavor he has undertaken. Heroin does not play a major role in this sequel. Rather, the book focuses on the crew's attempt to make a killing off a second rate porno film they decide to make. Begbie is back, out of prison and made as hell at Mark Renton for stealing his dough. Spud remains priceless. And Rent Boy returns from Amsterdam and reinvents himself once again as he reacquaints himself with his so-called mates. If you loved the film Trainspotting, drop everything and read Porno, truly a book for badasses.

Women by Charles Bukowski. If you have the stamina to read six books as opposed to just one, then start with Bukowski's Ham on Rye and continue through Factotum, Post Office, Women, and Hollywood. They are autobiographical and as raw as anything you will ever read. They center around Bukowski's alter ego, Henry Chinaski, a hard-drinking, blue collar guy from skid row, who jumps from job to job and woman to woman. If you think you can read just one, then pick up Women.

Thanks for reading this guide to books for badasses, novels for readers who are too cool to read.