I'll try to give a variety here, with descriptions:
Any
Kurt Vonnegut novel if you like satirical fiction. He also usually mixes sci-fi (time travel and the like) and some pretty crazy ideas into his work but he's by far my favourite author due to his writing style (which is kind of like having a conversation with him). They're also pretty simple and quick reads. I mean simple as in language, he does tackle serious things like war, religion, whatever. Try these:
Slaughterhouse-Five - Slaughterhouse-Five spans the life of a man who has "come unstuck in time." It is the story of Billy Pilgrim experiencing different time periods of his life, most notably his experience in World War II and his relationship with his family. The book is a series of seemingly random happenings that, in combination, present the thematic elements of the novel in an unraveling order.
Cat's Cradle - It explores issues of science, technology and religion, satirizing the arms race and many other targets along the way.
Sirens of Titan - His second novel, it discusses issues of free will, omniscience and the overall purpose of human history.
But really, any Vonnegut novel is worth a read. Like I said, they're quick (he usually has a lot of chapters in a 300 page book... you can speed through it in no time at all).
If satirical sci-fi isn't your thing... maybe you want a good childrens novel.
Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar - It's so funny and odd.
The books tell many stories of a school built as a tower 30 stories high, with one room per story, but with no 19th story. Each book contains 30 chapters, called stories, complementing the 30 stories in the school.
I have to mention this novel because it doesn't get recognized enough and it's superb...
The People of Paper by Salvador Plascencia.
The People of Paper is the debut novel of Salvador Plascencia. It is part of the Rectangulars line of McSweeney's Books. The novel, in form, owes a debt to a wide variety of experimental fiction from the magical realism of Latin American writers, to the Beat writings of William S. Burroughs, to the American postmodernists of the 60's and 70's, particularly in its turn towards metafiction. The book is notable for its unique layout, featuring columns of text running in different directions across the page, blacked out sections, and a name that has literally been cut out of the novel.
Basically though, it's a novel that examines the authors heartbreak.
Whitechapel Gods by S. M. Peters - It's a steampunk novel.
In Victorian London, the Whitechapel section is a mechanized, steam-driven hell, cut off and ruled by two mysterious, mechanical gods-Mama Engine and Grandfather Clock. Some years have passed since the Great Uprising, when humans rose up to fight against the machines, but a few brave veterans of the Uprising have formed their own Resistance-and are gathering for another attack. For now they have a secret weapon that may finally free them-or kill them all...
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy - It's kind of slow but it's really violent and well written. It's a western.
An epic novel of the violence and depravity that attended America's westward expansion, Blood Meridianbrilliantly subverts the conventions of the Western novel and the mythology of the "wild west." Based on historical events that took place on the Texas-Mexico border in the 1850s, it traces the fortunes of the Kid, a fourteen-year-old Tennesseean who stumbles into the nightmarish world where Indians are being murdered and the market for their scalps is thriving.
About McCarthy, I hear that
The Road is really good... and it seems like a book I'd like more than Blood Meridian. I also want to read
No Country for Old Men.
I know you said you don't like religious texts, but you should consider reading
The Principia Discordia. It's really something else. Here's a wikipedia description of it:
The
Principia describes the Discordian Society and its Goddess Eris, as well as the basics of the POEE denomination of Discordianism. It features typewritten and handwritten text intermixed with clip art, stamps, and seals appropriated from other sources, possibly in violation of copyright laws.
While the
Principia is full of literal contradictions and unusual humor, it contains several passages which propose that there is serious intent behind the work, for example a message scrawled on page 00075: "If you think the PRINCIPIA is just a ha-ha, then go read it again."
Basically, it's a joke disguised as a religion and a religion disguised as a joke. Meaning it has a sense of humour. It's also only a companion religion, meaning you can be, say, Christian, but use Discordianism to enhance your experience. Or maybe I'm wrong... the wonderful thing is, you take it how you want! It encourages that.
If you want to take a look at it to see what you're up against, it's online:
http://appendix.23ae.com/pd1/00.html
