I've just finished Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. I read it becaue I've heard nothing but rave reviews for it, and against my will almost I have to admit it was an excellent book. Don't let the fact that it was Richard & Judy's read of the year put you off!
You say you don't much like sci-fi, and this does go into the future but things come full circle and it's about people's lives so I think you'd like. If you read the blurb about you'll know it's a series of 6 interconnecting short stories (some more loosly interconnected than others), with reincarnation and humanities capacitiy to destroy ourselves through our knowledge as recurent themes. Each story is set in a different time and the language he uses reflects that, it is very clever. I could go on and on but I won't. This is my recommendation.
no subject
You say you don't much like sci-fi, and this does go into the future but things come full circle and it's about people's lives so I think you'd like. If you read the blurb about you'll know it's a series of 6 interconnecting short stories (some more loosly interconnected than others), with reincarnation and humanities capacitiy to destroy ourselves through our knowledge as recurent themes. Each story is set in a different time and the language he uses reflects that, it is very clever. I could go on and on but I won't. This is my recommendation.
Also Wicked by Gregory McGuire was good.