Jonathan Franzen

Although Jonathan Franzen won the 2001 National Book Award for The Corrections, he is probably best known for insulting Oprah. (I stopped reading The Corrections as soon as I realized that it wasn't about prison life.)

Franzen's most recent book, The Discomfort Zone: A Personal History, is much easier to read. This quiet memoir about growing up in Middle America is funny and sad, but it never goes over the top. I like The Discomfort Zone, but I don't love it. It's just not weird enough for me.