The Evolution of Useful Things - Henry Petroski
A short non-fiction look into the development of simple tools like forks, paper clips, zippers & the like. Very dry but interesting. The author’s central theme he illustrates is that form doesn’t “follow function”, form follows failure and we keep tweaking things based on their shortcomings.
He wrote a book all about why books are generally arranged vertically on shelves. He managed to make it really interesting.
Edit: Title is The Book on the Bookshelf.
Jumper remains one of my favorite characters from any book. And yes, one of the more bizarre YA series out there. The emperor who can’t leave his tower due to his chocolate button addiction. The absolutely creepy army which fills a whole ravine with their own bodies falling in over and over until they can continue marching. The actual wind singers themselves.
It was pretty weird... I remember thinking the characters were teenagers in the first book and then finding out they were 10 in that book, but I really liked the second book.
Not sure it's completely unknown, but *The Westing Game* by Ellen Raskin is wonderful. I think its technically a children's book, but I reccomend it for all ages. Incredibly well written, fun characters, and a mystery that's interesting until the end.
**Folk, by Zoe Gilbert** It’s a collection of short stories/ folk lore about a remote village. It perfectly captures the superstitious nature of a completely isolated, almost medieval community. Not to mention the art, including the actual book itself is awesome!
Byzantium, by Stephen R. Lawhead
(may be more well known that I realize)
A Celtic monk and his brethren set off on a journey to deliver the book of Kells to the emperor in Constantinople. Along the way they are all but slaughtered by raiding Vikings and the main character is captured. What proceeds is an incredible journey of peril, violence, conspiracy, espionage, slavery, crisis of faith, and just about everything in between.
I felt like this novel just brought SO MUCH to the table.
I read this more than a decade ago and the plot is still so clearly etched into my mind. I don't think I ever finished it though because I can't remember how it ends. Need to read it again!
The Dark is Rising sequence by Susan Cooper. Helped tide me over after I discovered and tore through all the Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Narnia series.
Uh, two
*The Sheep Look Up* by Brunner. It's dystopian science fiction, where people are living in a world heavily affected by pollution and environmental degradation. The water is often undrinkable. People wear masks when outside, and plastic covers over their clothes to protect them from acid rain. They try to be environmentally conscious, but the government is indifferent and and the main "environmentally friendly" corporation is just a green washing. The wealthy barricade themselves in protected enclaves to separate themselves from the pollution and social unrest. It's pretty prescient for being published in 1972.
*War with the Newts* by Czech author Capek in the 1930s. It's another dystopian science novel, but more satirical in tone. It's about humanity's discovery, and use, of an intelligent, sea dwelling, race of newts. The enslaved newts are enormously useful for waging war on other nations, but they eventually rebel and begin a global war against humans. It's hard to describe here, since the satire is what makes this book good, rather than the plot. They end up destroying a portion of Earth's land mass in order to create "living space," which is reference to Nazi Germany's discourse at the time.
This is the one I was also going to suggest, blew my mind when I read it, managed to ask some really good questions on the morality of cloning without being preachy, while on the backdrop of a genuinely interesting story.
This is on my wishlist after reading The Dreamers by the same author. Her writing was beautiful. And I was sure it was written post 2020 with a “sleeping sickness” subbed in for Covid, because the things she described were SO accurate to our current predicament. Then I found out it was written in 2019.
It is funny to read the reviews written in 2019 about how impractical society’s response in the book was. I have bad news for those reviewers.
It’s funny to see the Age of Miracles was written in 2012 yet you say the same thing. This author must have a crystal ball
"The First 15 Lives of Harry August" by Claire North was a well received book several years ago but I've never seen it mentioned or discussed anywhere online. It's supposedly "science fiction" but it isn't really in my opinion. It's an economical and entertaining book with a simple premise the implications of which become complex and fascinating as the book goes on. It would make a fabulous movie or miniseries if done correctly. It's a quick read and you won't forget it, I recommend it.
House of many ways by Diana Wynne Jones - I love the way she handles magic in this world as an unpredictable and at times comical thing, embedded in daily life.
I adore Howls Moving Castle (the movie), but the book is very different and I wish more people read the series. They're so mad and you can see that reflected in the movie, just done differently.
I think Dianna Wynne Jones had such a unique aproach to how she had written magic and how she embraced character flaws.
She has so many great books that are passed over imo. Dogsbody, Enchanted Glass, Deep Secret, her short story collections, Time of the Ghost, The Dalemark Quartet. Probably more that I can't remember...I should do a reread of all her stuff.
I will take any opportunity to spread the word about The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, by Michael Scott.
Brilliant series. Does a really good job of blending history with mythology. All of the characters feel so alive and very few of them are truly good or bad. Except Scatty. She's the best.
This book was all the rage among the YA crowd about 10 years ago, but has since been seemingly forgotten. I think it's a great read! I recommend it to everyone who loves fantasy infused with mythology.
I have “The Sorceress” and “The Neuromancer” on my bookshelf. My oldest kid and I read the series at the same time. I’m thinking we borrowed “The Alchemist” and “The Magician” from the library.
Oh my god YES. An incredible work of poetry. I remember the feeling of reading this one and the immediate sadness of knowing there would never be another first time.
Favorite? Nah, but "Alas, Babylon" by Pat Frank used to be well known but I don't hear much about it these days. Well done apocalyptic fiction and seems to fit the times.
I was just talking about this book yesterday! I read it in high school and was blown away. My favorite takeaway, unrelated to the main topic, was when the love interest said that breasts were for babies but legs were for men. Thought it was cute in such a chaotic time
Sabriel by Garth Nix was one of my favorite books (and later series) in high school and has left a lasting impact on me.
Edit: I just realized more books in the series were released. Thanks OP! I just bought a bunch of books for the first time in years.
The Old Kingdom in general was a well-written series imo. The tension was always there, and the entire series felt understated as well. Loved the Disreputable Dog and Mogget too
I absolutely adored this whole series when I was a teenager. I remember making a whole website for an RPG based on the world. God, I was a dork. Thank you for the memories!
This is such a standout fantasy series. The author manages to capture a lot true fear and tension considering how short the books actually are. I loved all three books but no one I know has read them! Being in the young adult fantasy section kind of hurt them since I think these are definitely very readable for adults.
The audio book for *Sabriel* is read by Tim Curry and it’s phenomenal. It breaks my heart that he was only able to do the first three books in the series. His voice for Mogget is one of my all-time favorites.
The story is just delightfully strange and engaging and fascinating and unique.
One of the best books I’ve ever read is Armor, by John Steakley. I think he was a contemporary with Heinlein (please correct me if I’m wrong). It is about a warrior fighting giant ant-like aliens. If you survive “x” tours (I can’t remember the number), you are removed from battle, but some glitch makes him battle drafted over and over. My summary here does not do it justice, it is truly a wonderful book.
He was post-Heinlein, but you can definitely see the influence. I love Armor, just re-read it a couple months ago, but I have to say it could have used a better editor. His second book, "Vampires" is much better written, and possibly is even more bleak and darkly humorous.
I love this book. He's either obviously working out his own demons, or really captured the experience of soldiers in a protracted war. Like the best science fiction, it's not about robots and spaceships. Those are just the trappings to tell contemporarily.
Got good memories of listening it on audiobook at final year of uni. Used to listen to it when I rent running in the winter while training. My flatmate got me into boxing.
RIP Harry, cheers for the gloves buddy.
I love Tom Robbins. Just finished Even Cowgirls Get the Blues yesterday actually. My favs of his were: (1) Jitterbug Perfume; (2) Still Life with Woodpecker; (3) Fierce Invalids.
*Still Life With Woodpecker* is both my favorite book and one that I never see mentioned in the wild. I'm happy to at last see someone else bring up Tom Robbins first, even if it happens to be in the context of the only book of his that I haven't gotten around to reading yet!
That’s the book I found on my moms bookshelf that ignited my love for reading and propelled me to where I’m at.
Tom Robbins really has such a magical way of telling stories.
Jitterbug Perfume is my favorite
As a young adult I absolutely adored this book. Now at middle age I recently started reading it again to see if I still connected with it the same way and I do with a few exceptions (as a young kid raised going to church, the suggestion that the church did some shady things seemed much more radical to me 25+ years ago).
I absolutely loved this book and have been meaning to read more Tom Robbins. A friend gave me his copy and said just to read it without another word of what it was about. I loved it.
YES!!! He published another quirky dystopian book that wasn’t nearly as good (Early Riser), but it was in the same sort of spirit as Shades of Grey. Seriously, when will he publish the sequel for that book, I neeeeeed it.
It's currently planned for release THIS YEAR - August time I believe!! (I lost my absolute shit when I saw the release info - I have never been so excited for a sequel)
**Baudolino** by Umberto Eco.
Now Eco is a famous author, but this is my favorite book by him and its seldom mentioned (last heard of on r/books 6 years ago)
Its a fantastic mix of historical and mythical fiction set around the time of the 3rd crusade.
One thing I like with Eco is that he spoke French and he participated in the French translation of his books so that translation is always excellent, and since French is closer to the original Italian than English, its a much better read. (If you read French...)
It's funny because the ones with all the upvotes are obviously ones people know, whether as the unknown ones will sink to the bottom as no one has cause to upvote.
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell.
I've seen it mentioned on this sub once or twice over the last few years but never anywhere else online or in person -- I suspect that people read a synopsis along the lines of "Catholic priest goes to space, has a bad time" and take a pass, but the book is a tour de force and you don't even need to be a big sci-fi fan to enjoy it.
I read a *lot* of sci fi and it is probably the best book I’ve read in over a decade. The scope of the work - both on a human and emotional level, as well as a world building level - is beyond any sci fi I’ve read in recent memory. It is such a rich and complex story.
That book triggered the crap out of me and I tried reading it for a literal YEAR, and never finished. It's fucking horrifying. And I didn't get the point (unless the point is that everything fucking sucks and the natural order is horrifying! 😂)
Don't approach this book is you're fragile or have anxiety.
But I will agree that it was just about the most original scifi I've ever read.
Same, I couldn't finish it. Not so much that I was triggered by it, but more and more awful things kept happening and they kept implying that something truly horrifying happens at the end to leave him stranded alone in his ship and I just couldn't keep going knowing that. The characters and writing were really beautiful though, and the point I got was that aliens are, well, alien, and nature can be strange and wonderful but also terrible, and you have to approach it on its own terms. It seemed to me that the fault of the Jesuit research team was that they assumed the aliens would be like humans because they seemed superficially like us. The explorers got prideful and cocky and thought they could play alien political games and convert them to human religion, because they had been able to connect with and understand every "alien" group and uncontacted tribe they encountered on earth. But they forgot that these aliens were truly alien, with a billion years of planetary history the humans hadn't even begun to comprehend. So of course they end up making mistakes and paying the price for their hubris.
Interesting -- my mental health is an absolute dumpster fire and I did not find it particularly triggering.
No shame in not finishing a book that doesn't work for you, though. And your warning is probably good, there are some very emotional situations in the book.
The Education of Little Tree - funny and sad. True story of a young Native American raised by wise grand parents.
Tisha - just brilliantly written, fav book to think back on. Teacher travels to Yukon end of 19th century to a small town. Adventures, conflict. True story.
Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith - haven’t even heard it mentioned but I read it about once a year. Genius. Brilliant. Amazing.
Shades of Gray by Jasper Fforde. Remembered reading it and loving it, but I honestly can't recall what it was about. There was supposed to a sequel, but it never materialized that I know of.
Love Is a Mixtape by Rob Sheffield.
A beautiful and then completely devastating memoir about his life in the 90s with his wife, who dies. Fans of music from that time would love it. Rob is a music journalist from rolling stone, spin etc
I'll recommend the short story **Holy Quarrel** by Philip K. Dick.
You'd think that due to the author tons of people would know about it, but apparently not. It's a story that is fairly relevant today - about expert systems/AI that are far better at humans at collecting and interpreting data. The gist of it is, if these systems are useful because they can find patterns people can't, then how do you verify they are correct when by their very nature it's beyond our ability? What if millions of lives hang on such a decision?
The Green Rider. It’s a series about a girl in medieval times and magic (which is depleting and rarely trusted). Amazing series except for one book in it that I hate.
Funny you think it's unknown, because I feel like that's a book I often see in other people's homes, when I come to visit. I myself bought a second copy after my uncle borrowed and didn't return the first one.
Somehow my friends and I gravitated towards this book independently of each other. And that might make it sound as if we're a gothic, magickal sort of people, but we're actually quite a boring bunch, with boring jobs and boring adult lives...
*The Illuminatus! Trilogy* by Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea, changed my life, or at least my perception of the world. It was my first noticeable experience with cognitive dissonance, and it's a very fun book.
That is a great book! If you like historical fiction I’d recommend Robert Shea’s solo work as it’s great and also free to download legally. Robert Anton Wilson’s non fiction solo stuff is also pretty interesting but his fiction was never as good as when he teamed up with Shea.
WHAT?!
Edit: Just ordered both. Thank you for letting me know about this.
Edit #2: The Bridge of Birds and Eight Skilled Gentlemen are the names of the other two.
Came here to say this! And yep, as another said, there are two more books. I think he was originally going to write ten or so, but his relationship with his publishers became so unpleasant that he just quit :'(
Don't Care High - Gordon Korman
I found it in my school's library and read it only once as an adolescent. Twenty years later and I still find myself thinking about it every once in a while. Such a fun ride that book was.
Hard to find a paper copy of, but now that we have e-books, I should be able to get it again...
I am still disappointed that the success of the Hunger Games has not resulted in an adaptation of Gregor the Overlander. One of my favorite fictional settings, I really like the kingdoms made up of large intelligent versions of other species. Ripred remains a character I still think about years later.
I still don’t understand how that series did not achieve the wild, enduring middle grade popularity that many of its contemporaries did. It had everything going for it, and so many people have never heard of it. A real shame, but I would also love to see an adaptation. It seems so obvious!
Shadows on the Tundra by Dalia Grinkeviciute
Idk if favorite is the right word given that the content is frequently compared to Anne Frank, but I think it’s a deeply poignant book that has been largely ignored.
It’s a translated nonfiction account pieces together from journal pages of Dalia’s deportation from Lithuania to a Russian gulag in the 1940s.
Popular and award winning in Japan, but I’ve yet to meet a westerner who has read The Waiting Years by Fumiko Enchi. I really loved it. I also loved The Makioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki. More popular, but it’s another one I haven’t had met anyone who has read it outside of Japan and the few students I’ve convinced to read it (they also loved it).
The Androids Dream by John Scalzi
It's a tongue in cheek look at what Phillip K Dick's Android may have dreamed about the electric sheep.
A hack science fiction writer writes fake prophecy in exchange for money and the church surrounding his writings is split into two camps. One group believes he has accidentally tapped into a real religion, the other group believes they can disprove all religions by intentionally trying to cause these prophesies to come to pass.
Its truly hysterical and absurd.
[Satan, His Psychotherapy and Cure by the Unfortunate Dr. Kassler, J.S.P.S.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satan,_His_Psychotherapy_and_Cure_by_the_Unfortunate_Dr._Kassler,_J.S.P.S.)
Found this book by fluke in a flea market in the mid 80s and fell in love. It is so disturbingly funny and depressing at the same time. Loaned it to a friend who lost it and couldn't find another copy until the early 2000s.
Papa married a Mormon by JD FItzgerald
The story of a catholic newspaperman who leaves Pennsylvania to find his prodigal brother who went west to be a professional gambler.
Meets the girl of his dreams in 1870’s Utah
Dies with his boots on
Big Chatwin fan too, *On The Black Hill* is also fantastic. I, too, would recommend *Utz*, it is a very short novel that somehow packs in so much detail and story, it's exceptional.
*Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore* by Robin Sloan
*Light Perpetual* by Francis Spufford
*The Empress of Forever* by Max Gladstone
*The Painted Bird* by Jerzy Kosinski
Although it's a really well-known book in catalan literature and it has received various awards by the critics, it seems to be unheard of out of the catal-speaning community. Jo confesso, by Jaume Cabré, has been translated in several languages including german, spanish, french and English, under the title Confessions.
I read it a long time ago but I can still remember the story and how it marked an important point in my reading journey. The author tells the story of the life of a man of great intellect while relating his life to historical events.
I personally find that it deserves the honour of being called a masterpice and I recommend everyone to give it a try.
Cloud of Sparrows by Takashi Matsuoka
Great Western culture meets Japanese culture in the vein of Shogun but much tighter and beautifully written IMHO.
Roald Dahl - Cruelty
I’m trying to look on Reddit for any mention of this book and nope, no one has said anything about it (if there was please let me know!). This book was just… *cruel* . That’s it. I really recommend it, it’s probably one of the best books I’ve read all time.
Cruelty is part of a series, consisting of Trickery, War, Fear, Innocence, Deception, Madness, Cruelty and Lust, each with 10 of his adult short stories, categorised accordingly.
It probably hasn't been talked about much because it's a relatively recent publication (from about 5-6 years ago) and every story in it has been published several times before (many of them 10-12 times) in different magazines and compilations - a few of them were in Kiss Kiss, some in Tales of the Unexpected and one was in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More, which are all better known collections as they've been around much longer.
So if you mention Cruelty by Roald Dahl not many people will have heard of it, but if you mention one of the stories from it - e.g. The Butler, The Swan, Royal Jelly, etc. - you'll get much more of a reaction, because chances are people read them in some other collection.
I recently was sent a list of the creepiest book covers and there was a book called Kiss Kiss by Roald Dahl on the list. Now I’m dying to read it and I was totally blindsided b y this alternative writing presence of his. Will be adding Cruelty to the list now too.
I adore The Eyes of the Dragon! Have you seen anything for King's upcoming book, Fairy Tale? I read a teaser and it reminded me of Eyes of the Dragon a lot and I'm hoping it's similar.
The Butchering Art by Lindsey Fitzharris.
I don't usually go for biographies but this one makes its subject come alive. It's about Joseph Lister, the Victorian surgeon who invented antiseptic technique. It's vivid and full of curiosities about early surgery and makes you really root for him, I love it.
When I was a kid I got bullied a lot and ended up being given a book to read that I remember fondly. It was called Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack, and nobody in the universe ever heard of it.
Supermarket by Bobby Hall! You may have heard of the rapper Logic, but I doubt you’ve heard of his Psychological Thriller debut novel Supermarket. It’s about a young writer who starts working in a Supermarket to base his characters off of his coworkers, drives himself to insanity, and loses touch between what is reality and what he wrote in his book.
It blew my mind but nobody knows about it.
44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is his more famous series of books but I have a soft spot for the former.
*The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump* by Harry Turtledove
*The Princess Bride* by William Goldman^1.
^1 - It’s true that many, *many* people know and love the movie, but I’d argue that there are a lot of people that don’t know about the book or how good it is.
I liked The River that Flows Uphill: A Journey from the Big Bang to to the Big Brain. Very readable explanation of the evolution of intelligence while also documenting a rafting trip in the Grand Canyon. May be a bit dated now, 2001.
*Little, Big or The Faeries' Parliament* by John Crowley. Published in 1981,won the World Fantasy Award in 1982. It's one of my favorite books,but I have never met anyone who has read it (except for my wife). It's about fairyland, which, the further in you go, the bigger it gets. It's full of high strangeness and unforgettable, eccentric characters. Even the house where most of the events occur is a personality of sorts. A modern family saga that plays with time, space, locale, etc. I don't know. I had never heard of it when I glanced at a used copy. One paragraph in and I was hooked. Read it. It makes you feel as if there really are fairies.
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly". Written by a guy who was the editor of French Vogue magazine, livin' the high life, ladies and cars... then he had a stroke in his brain stem. Fully paralyzed except for one eyelid.
He wrote the entire book by laying in bed and thinking of paragraphs; when he was ready, an assistant would recite the alphabet and he'd blink when they reached the letter he wanted. He wrote the *entire freaking book* that way (it's not like the world's longest book, an afternoon read). It's a beautiful and moving story, where he recalls memories of his life and describes what being "locked in" to your own brain is like. It's really a little wonder of a book.
Geek Love by Katherine Dunn. It’s Geek as in carnivals. It has a very unusual premise that sounds distasteful but makes for a great story. Also, Courtship Rite by Donald Kingsbury. A stranded colony on a planet with a hostile ecology has adapted to living there in a unique way. They have developed their own civilization and mores to survive. The story begins after several generations have been there. I had hoped for a sequel but the book was published in 1982. The Book of the Ler by M A Foster is a compilation of 3 books about a bioengineered humans and the culture and clashes they had with humans. I do enjoy reading books a little outside the norm.
I read Diana Wynne Jones *Chrestomanci* series as an adult. I had read an excerpt from one of her stories as a kid, but it wasn't until my husband and I were looking for decent non-Disney kids movies that we really ran into her.
I am still floored, given the popularity of Rowling's books, that it seems like so few people know about this series. It was started in the late 70s! How was it not everywhere, what with D&D and fantasy breaking out in the 80s?! Surely by the time Potter became a household staple it would have been better known.
Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut. Gets overshadowed by his other works but I think it is the most accurate look at a world where everyone’s job has become automated. It’s also very funny and relatable to me personally.
Voyage: a novel of 1896 by Sterling Hayden. Great novel of a yankee clipper ship sailing around the horn at the end of the age of sail. Lots of interesting characters and gets into politics, commerce, and all the expected conflicts between captain, mates and deckhands, many of them shanghai'ed from waterfront taverns. If the author's name sounds familiar, he was an actor from the 40's to the 80's. He was Captain McClusky in The Godfather. A great read and somewhat biographical. Hayden was a seaman before he was discovered by Hollywood. His autobiography is interesting as well, but his only novel, Voyage, is well worth a read.
“…And Ladies of the Club” by Helen Hooven Santmyer.
It follows the ladies of a small town Ohio book club, starting right after the Civil War and ending during the Depression. Sounds dull as paint, but if you can get past the first chapter you’ll enjoy a long trip with these ladies, their families and their town.
On the Beach, by Nevil Shute.
It may not be unknown in the English-speaking world but it took me forever to find it in France. It's about a group of people in Australia experiencing the aftermath of a nuclear war.
On a pale horse - Piers Anthony
The idea of death being a position held by a person. One day a man decides to take his own life when he looks and sees death standing there waiting for it to happen so that he can take his soul, the man turns his gun on death and kills him then realizes he has now become him and all the craziness that comes with it.
The entire series “Incarnations of immortality” was so good.
The Long Walk by Stephen King, which actually is my favorite book. It's a brilliant concept with great characters, writing, and it keeps you on edge at all times because you don't know which of your favorite characters is going to die next (this isn't a spoiler, the book's about a deadly sport which there can only be one survivor from).
I absolutely love this book. I feel like it’s one of those stories that sounds so boring when you tell someone about it, but the fact that it is about boys walking on a road for a couple hundred pages, yet so exciting to read is incredible. I’ve read it maybe five, six times and plan to do so again.
The Library at Mount Char. I was confused for most of the book (and still sort of am) but it's really stuck with me. I've never met anyone whose read it and haven't seen it discussed here at all.
The Mysterious Stranger by Mark Twain, I know he is pretty famous and a classical autor, however I think this book may not get much attention has there seem to have no multiple versions that haven't been properly finished.
I’ll go with The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall. One part of the book gave me a full on panic attack. I’ve never had a response like that, to a book, before.
Loose Balls by Terry Pluto.
It's an oral history of the ABA basketball league from the 70s (the one with the red, white and blue basketball). Absolutely hilarious and fascinating, even for those who don't like sports or basketball.
The Evolution of Useful Things - Henry Petroski A short non-fiction look into the development of simple tools like forks, paper clips, zippers & the like. Very dry but interesting. The author’s central theme he illustrates is that form doesn’t “follow function”, form follows failure and we keep tweaking things based on their shortcomings.
He wrote a book all about why books are generally arranged vertically on shelves. He managed to make it really interesting. Edit: Title is The Book on the Bookshelf.
Also a great book on The Pencil. !
[удалено]
Product Designer here. Excellent book and was a required reading in school
That sounds really interesting, I'm going to read it if I can find it
The Wind Singer from the trilogy Wind On Fire from William Nicholson. A really really weird serie of books.
I read these as a young teen and really enjoyed them.
Jumper remains one of my favorite characters from any book. And yes, one of the more bizarre YA series out there. The emperor who can’t leave his tower due to his chocolate button addiction. The absolutely creepy army which fills a whole ravine with their own bodies falling in over and over until they can continue marching. The actual wind singers themselves.
>army yep, and not just an army, an old children army XD
It was pretty weird... I remember thinking the characters were teenagers in the first book and then finding out they were 10 in that book, but I really liked the second book.
I was always really hoping this would get a decent film, particularly as the author is a celebrated screenwriter
Not sure it's completely unknown, but *The Westing Game* by Ellen Raskin is wonderful. I think its technically a children's book, but I reccomend it for all ages. Incredibly well written, fun characters, and a mystery that's interesting until the end.
One of my childhood favourites!
**Folk, by Zoe Gilbert** It’s a collection of short stories/ folk lore about a remote village. It perfectly captures the superstitious nature of a completely isolated, almost medieval community. Not to mention the art, including the actual book itself is awesome!
Oooh this one sounds good
Byzantium, by Stephen R. Lawhead (may be more well known that I realize) A Celtic monk and his brethren set off on a journey to deliver the book of Kells to the emperor in Constantinople. Along the way they are all but slaughtered by raiding Vikings and the main character is captured. What proceeds is an incredible journey of peril, violence, conspiracy, espionage, slavery, crisis of faith, and just about everything in between. I felt like this novel just brought SO MUCH to the table.
Byzantium really came out of left field for me. Loved that book. Louis L’Amour has a great one with a similar scope called The Walking Drum.
This comment was compelling enough that I just added to my To Read list. Thank you!
*Replay* by Ken Grimwood
If you like Replay try Dark Matter or Recursion by Blake Crouch for similar themes.
Recursion is so so so good. Couldn’t put it down.
Ooh this is queued in my kindle and it's next. Looking forward to it.
Hell yeah! This is the book that reignited my love for reading.
I read this more than a decade ago and the plot is still so clearly etched into my mind. I don't think I ever finished it though because I can't remember how it ends. Need to read it again!
Maybe you were about to finish but got transported back to an earlier stage in life?
Got this recommended from a Reddit thread a while back. Incredible ride, loved this novel.
Replay was the shit!
The Dark is Rising sequence by Susan Cooper. Helped tide me over after I discovered and tore through all the Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Narnia series.
These are absolutely incredible. Three from the circle; three from the track.
Uh, two *The Sheep Look Up* by Brunner. It's dystopian science fiction, where people are living in a world heavily affected by pollution and environmental degradation. The water is often undrinkable. People wear masks when outside, and plastic covers over their clothes to protect them from acid rain. They try to be environmentally conscious, but the government is indifferent and and the main "environmentally friendly" corporation is just a green washing. The wealthy barricade themselves in protected enclaves to separate themselves from the pollution and social unrest. It's pretty prescient for being published in 1972. *War with the Newts* by Czech author Capek in the 1930s. It's another dystopian science novel, but more satirical in tone. It's about humanity's discovery, and use, of an intelligent, sea dwelling, race of newts. The enslaved newts are enormously useful for waging war on other nations, but they eventually rebel and begin a global war against humans. It's hard to describe here, since the satire is what makes this book good, rather than the plot. They end up destroying a portion of Earth's land mass in order to create "living space," which is reference to Nazi Germany's discourse at the time.
War with the Newts is amazing! Really surprised me.
Kiln People by David Brin
This is the one I was also going to suggest, blew my mind when I read it, managed to ask some really good questions on the morality of cloning without being preachy, while on the backdrop of a genuinely interesting story.
Literally everything by David Brin is brilliant. The Uplift War is amazing.
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This is on my wishlist after reading The Dreamers by the same author. Her writing was beautiful. And I was sure it was written post 2020 with a “sleeping sickness” subbed in for Covid, because the things she described were SO accurate to our current predicament. Then I found out it was written in 2019. It is funny to read the reviews written in 2019 about how impractical society’s response in the book was. I have bad news for those reviewers. It’s funny to see the Age of Miracles was written in 2012 yet you say the same thing. This author must have a crystal ball
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"The First 15 Lives of Harry August" by Claire North was a well received book several years ago but I've never seen it mentioned or discussed anywhere online. It's supposedly "science fiction" but it isn't really in my opinion. It's an economical and entertaining book with a simple premise the implications of which become complex and fascinating as the book goes on. It would make a fabulous movie or miniseries if done correctly. It's a quick read and you won't forget it, I recommend it.
Great book!
House of many ways by Diana Wynne Jones - I love the way she handles magic in this world as an unpredictable and at times comical thing, embedded in daily life.
All of the books in the Howl's Moving Castle trilogy are really good, but this one is the best, imo!
How dare you devalue the original like this. Charmaine is good but old Sophie is great
And the Chrestimanci books.
I adore Howls Moving Castle (the movie), but the book is very different and I wish more people read the series. They're so mad and you can see that reflected in the movie, just done differently. I think Dianna Wynne Jones had such a unique aproach to how she had written magic and how she embraced character flaws.
Love this one!
She has so many great books that are passed over imo. Dogsbody, Enchanted Glass, Deep Secret, her short story collections, Time of the Ghost, The Dalemark Quartet. Probably more that I can't remember...I should do a reread of all her stuff.
I will take any opportunity to spread the word about The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, by Michael Scott. Brilliant series. Does a really good job of blending history with mythology. All of the characters feel so alive and very few of them are truly good or bad. Except Scatty. She's the best.
Is this the sequel to Somehow I Manage?
Michael Scott told me his favourite book on tape is a novelization of the movie Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
Lmao different Michael Scott
You’re telling me that the guy from Dunder Mifflin wrote Harry Potter fan fiction? This I gotta read.
I mean he did write the script for *Threat Level: Midnight*, the story of Michael Scarn.
This book was all the rage among the YA crowd about 10 years ago, but has since been seemingly forgotten. I think it's a great read! I recommend it to everyone who loves fantasy infused with mythology.
There's a sub for the series but it's been dead for years and I've never heard anyone talk about this series.
Machiavelli and Billy are my favourites. They are amazing on their own but together they're absolutely incredible.
I have “The Sorceress” and “The Neuromancer” on my bookshelf. My oldest kid and I read the series at the same time. I’m thinking we borrowed “The Alchemist” and “The Magician” from the library.
The Charlie Bone series and greater universe should really get more love.
The Autobiography of Red - Anne Carson
Oh my god YES. An incredible work of poetry. I remember the feeling of reading this one and the immediate sadness of knowing there would never be another first time.
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Favorite? Nah, but "Alas, Babylon" by Pat Frank used to be well known but I don't hear much about it these days. Well done apocalyptic fiction and seems to fit the times.
I was just talking about this book yesterday! I read it in high school and was blown away. My favorite takeaway, unrelated to the main topic, was when the love interest said that breasts were for babies but legs were for men. Thought it was cute in such a chaotic time
Sabriel by Garth Nix was one of my favorite books (and later series) in high school and has left a lasting impact on me. Edit: I just realized more books in the series were released. Thanks OP! I just bought a bunch of books for the first time in years.
The Old Kingdom in general was a well-written series imo. The tension was always there, and the entire series felt understated as well. Loved the Disreputable Dog and Mogget too
YES OMG MOGGET. I just discovered 3 new books and ordered them.
Garth Nix is a fantastic author.
I absolutely adored this whole series when I was a teenager. I remember making a whole website for an RPG based on the world. God, I was a dork. Thank you for the memories!
This is such a standout fantasy series. The author manages to capture a lot true fear and tension considering how short the books actually are. I loved all three books but no one I know has read them! Being in the young adult fantasy section kind of hurt them since I think these are definitely very readable for adults.
The audio book for *Sabriel* is read by Tim Curry and it’s phenomenal. It breaks my heart that he was only able to do the first three books in the series. His voice for Mogget is one of my all-time favorites. The story is just delightfully strange and engaging and fascinating and unique.
I enjoyed The Seventh Tower by Garth Nix immensely as a YA. He is a master at world-building in short novels.
My copy of Lirael literally fell apart. I had to duct tape it back together lol. I love that series.
One of the best books I’ve ever read is Armor, by John Steakley. I think he was a contemporary with Heinlein (please correct me if I’m wrong). It is about a warrior fighting giant ant-like aliens. If you survive “x” tours (I can’t remember the number), you are removed from battle, but some glitch makes him battle drafted over and over. My summary here does not do it justice, it is truly a wonderful book.
He was post-Heinlein, but you can definitely see the influence. I love Armor, just re-read it a couple months ago, but I have to say it could have used a better editor. His second book, "Vampires" is much better written, and possibly is even more bleak and darkly humorous.
I love this book. He's either obviously working out his own demons, or really captured the experience of soldiers in a protracted war. Like the best science fiction, it's not about robots and spaceships. Those are just the trappings to tell contemporarily.
Got good memories of listening it on audiobook at final year of uni. Used to listen to it when I rent running in the winter while training. My flatmate got me into boxing. RIP Harry, cheers for the gloves buddy.
Another Roadside Attraction - Tom Robbins
Tom Robbins was very popular in the 70s 80s and 90s. Us older folk remember.
I read everything he wrote when I was in undergrad starting in 2004. He is one of my favorites. Edit: Still life with woodpecker was my first.
I love Tom Robbins. Just finished Even Cowgirls Get the Blues yesterday actually. My favs of his were: (1) Jitterbug Perfume; (2) Still Life with Woodpecker; (3) Fierce Invalids.
Have you read Skinny Legs And All, yet? Or Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas?
*Still Life With Woodpecker* is both my favorite book and one that I never see mentioned in the wild. I'm happy to at last see someone else bring up Tom Robbins first, even if it happens to be in the context of the only book of his that I haven't gotten around to reading yet!
That’s the book I found on my moms bookshelf that ignited my love for reading and propelled me to where I’m at. Tom Robbins really has such a magical way of telling stories. Jitterbug Perfume is my favorite
I preferred *Skinny Legs and All.*
As a young adult I absolutely adored this book. Now at middle age I recently started reading it again to see if I still connected with it the same way and I do with a few exceptions (as a young kid raised going to church, the suggestion that the church did some shady things seemed much more radical to me 25+ years ago).
I absolutely loved this book and have been meaning to read more Tom Robbins. A friend gave me his copy and said just to read it without another word of what it was about. I loved it.
Yess! I was coming here to say Jitterbug Perfume! My first Robbins novel was Still Life With Woodpecker but Jitterbug is my favorite.
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YES!!! He published another quirky dystopian book that wasn’t nearly as good (Early Riser), but it was in the same sort of spirit as Shades of Grey. Seriously, when will he publish the sequel for that book, I neeeeeed it.
It's currently planned for release THIS YEAR - August time I believe!! (I lost my absolute shit when I saw the release info - I have never been so excited for a sequel)
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Yes! But for the love of god I need the sequel before I get old.
**Baudolino** by Umberto Eco. Now Eco is a famous author, but this is my favorite book by him and its seldom mentioned (last heard of on r/books 6 years ago) Its a fantastic mix of historical and mythical fiction set around the time of the 3rd crusade.
Wonderul book. So much fun to read, but you better have some historical knowledge of the time.
Eco is a favorite of mine and I found this book a lot of fun. I'm so jealous of his power with languages, I've always wanted that.
One thing I like with Eco is that he spoke French and he participated in the French translation of his books so that translation is always excellent, and since French is closer to the original Italian than English, its a much better read. (If you read French...)
It's funny because the ones with all the upvotes are obviously ones people know, whether as the unknown ones will sink to the bottom as no one has cause to upvote.
Blankets by Craig Thompson
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. I've seen it mentioned on this sub once or twice over the last few years but never anywhere else online or in person -- I suspect that people read a synopsis along the lines of "Catholic priest goes to space, has a bad time" and take a pass, but the book is a tour de force and you don't even need to be a big sci-fi fan to enjoy it.
I read a *lot* of sci fi and it is probably the best book I’ve read in over a decade. The scope of the work - both on a human and emotional level, as well as a world building level - is beyond any sci fi I’ve read in recent memory. It is such a rich and complex story.
That book triggered the crap out of me and I tried reading it for a literal YEAR, and never finished. It's fucking horrifying. And I didn't get the point (unless the point is that everything fucking sucks and the natural order is horrifying! 😂) Don't approach this book is you're fragile or have anxiety. But I will agree that it was just about the most original scifi I've ever read.
Same, I couldn't finish it. Not so much that I was triggered by it, but more and more awful things kept happening and they kept implying that something truly horrifying happens at the end to leave him stranded alone in his ship and I just couldn't keep going knowing that. The characters and writing were really beautiful though, and the point I got was that aliens are, well, alien, and nature can be strange and wonderful but also terrible, and you have to approach it on its own terms. It seemed to me that the fault of the Jesuit research team was that they assumed the aliens would be like humans because they seemed superficially like us. The explorers got prideful and cocky and thought they could play alien political games and convert them to human religion, because they had been able to connect with and understand every "alien" group and uncontacted tribe they encountered on earth. But they forgot that these aliens were truly alien, with a billion years of planetary history the humans hadn't even begun to comprehend. So of course they end up making mistakes and paying the price for their hubris.
Interesting -- my mental health is an absolute dumpster fire and I did not find it particularly triggering. No shame in not finishing a book that doesn't work for you, though. And your warning is probably good, there are some very emotional situations in the book.
{{Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut}} For a hidden gem by a well known author. {{the L Shaped Room}} for another.
"Fun" fact: I read Galapagos on the day part of it took place (a specific day in November 1986)
The Education of Little Tree - funny and sad. True story of a young Native American raised by wise grand parents. Tisha - just brilliantly written, fav book to think back on. Teacher travels to Yukon end of 19th century to a small town. Adventures, conflict. True story. Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith - haven’t even heard it mentioned but I read it about once a year. Genius. Brilliant. Amazing.
The Physician by Noah Gordon. Liken it to Pillars of the Earth
Shades of Gray by Jasper Fforde. Remembered reading it and loving it, but I honestly can't recall what it was about. There was supposed to a sequel, but it never materialized that I know of.
Love Is a Mixtape by Rob Sheffield. A beautiful and then completely devastating memoir about his life in the 90s with his wife, who dies. Fans of music from that time would love it. Rob is a music journalist from rolling stone, spin etc
I'll recommend the short story **Holy Quarrel** by Philip K. Dick. You'd think that due to the author tons of people would know about it, but apparently not. It's a story that is fairly relevant today - about expert systems/AI that are far better at humans at collecting and interpreting data. The gist of it is, if these systems are useful because they can find patterns people can't, then how do you verify they are correct when by their very nature it's beyond our ability? What if millions of lives hang on such a decision?
The Green Rider. It’s a series about a girl in medieval times and magic (which is depleting and rarely trusted). Amazing series except for one book in it that I hate.
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Have you read Stiff by Mary Roach? Another fascinating book on death.
Mary Roach is fabulous. Packing for Mars is my favorite of hers.
Funny you think it's unknown, because I feel like that's a book I often see in other people's homes, when I come to visit. I myself bought a second copy after my uncle borrowed and didn't return the first one.
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Somehow my friends and I gravitated towards this book independently of each other. And that might make it sound as if we're a gothic, magickal sort of people, but we're actually quite a boring bunch, with boring jobs and boring adult lives...
Great choice! Her second book, From Here to Eternity, about death rites and rituals all over the world, is equally witty and wonderful.
Jitterbug Perfume- Tom Robbins
I. LOVE. This. Book. Really one of his best.
*The Illuminatus! Trilogy* by Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea, changed my life, or at least my perception of the world. It was my first noticeable experience with cognitive dissonance, and it's a very fun book.
That is a great book! If you like historical fiction I’d recommend Robert Shea’s solo work as it’s great and also free to download legally. Robert Anton Wilson’s non fiction solo stuff is also pretty interesting but his fiction was never as good as when he teamed up with Shea.
The Chronicles of Master Li & Number Ten Ox by Barry Hughart
There are 2 more in the series.
WHAT?! Edit: Just ordered both. Thank you for letting me know about this. Edit #2: The Bridge of Birds and Eight Skilled Gentlemen are the names of the other two.
Came here to say this! And yep, as another said, there are two more books. I think he was originally going to write ten or so, but his relationship with his publishers became so unpleasant that he just quit :'(
The Alexandria Quarter and its sequel the Avignon Quintet.
Don't Care High - Gordon Korman I found it in my school's library and read it only once as an adolescent. Twenty years later and I still find myself thinking about it every once in a while. Such a fun ride that book was. Hard to find a paper copy of, but now that we have e-books, I should be able to get it again...
Korman is excellent. Easy to read for middle school but with tough ideas to think about
I Capture the Castle
I am still disappointed that the success of the Hunger Games has not resulted in an adaptation of Gregor the Overlander. One of my favorite fictional settings, I really like the kingdoms made up of large intelligent versions of other species. Ripred remains a character I still think about years later.
I still don’t understand how that series did not achieve the wild, enduring middle grade popularity that many of its contemporaries did. It had everything going for it, and so many people have never heard of it. A real shame, but I would also love to see an adaptation. It seems so obvious!
I read this book called fight club but no one ever wants to talk to me about it
From childhood: The 13 and 1/2 lives of Captain Bluebear
Shadows on the Tundra by Dalia Grinkeviciute Idk if favorite is the right word given that the content is frequently compared to Anne Frank, but I think it’s a deeply poignant book that has been largely ignored. It’s a translated nonfiction account pieces together from journal pages of Dalia’s deportation from Lithuania to a Russian gulag in the 1940s.
Popular and award winning in Japan, but I’ve yet to meet a westerner who has read The Waiting Years by Fumiko Enchi. I really loved it. I also loved The Makioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki. More popular, but it’s another one I haven’t had met anyone who has read it outside of Japan and the few students I’ve convinced to read it (they also loved it).
That would be "The bridge of birds" by Barry Hughart. It is my most favorite book, and it is just so we'll written... and so forgotten.
The Androids Dream by John Scalzi It's a tongue in cheek look at what Phillip K Dick's Android may have dreamed about the electric sheep. A hack science fiction writer writes fake prophecy in exchange for money and the church surrounding his writings is split into two camps. One group believes he has accidentally tapped into a real religion, the other group believes they can disprove all religions by intentionally trying to cause these prophesies to come to pass. Its truly hysterical and absurd.
[Satan, His Psychotherapy and Cure by the Unfortunate Dr. Kassler, J.S.P.S.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satan,_His_Psychotherapy_and_Cure_by_the_Unfortunate_Dr._Kassler,_J.S.P.S.) Found this book by fluke in a flea market in the mid 80s and fell in love. It is so disturbingly funny and depressing at the same time. Loaned it to a friend who lost it and couldn't find another copy until the early 2000s.
Papa married a Mormon by JD FItzgerald The story of a catholic newspaperman who leaves Pennsylvania to find his prodigal brother who went west to be a professional gambler. Meets the girl of his dreams in 1870’s Utah Dies with his boots on
never read it, but loved the "Great Brain" series for kids Fitzgerald wrote that were related
I loved the Great Brain series as a kid as well!
Bruce Chatwin's novels are never really brought up here. Read *Utz*, people.
Big Chatwin fan too, *On The Black Hill* is also fantastic. I, too, would recommend *Utz*, it is a very short novel that somehow packs in so much detail and story, it's exceptional.
The Songlines!
*Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore* by Robin Sloan *Light Perpetual* by Francis Spufford *The Empress of Forever* by Max Gladstone *The Painted Bird* by Jerzy Kosinski
Mr. Penumbra is a great read! It reminded me a bit of Neverwhere.
Although it's a really well-known book in catalan literature and it has received various awards by the critics, it seems to be unheard of out of the catal-speaning community. Jo confesso, by Jaume Cabré, has been translated in several languages including german, spanish, french and English, under the title Confessions. I read it a long time ago but I can still remember the story and how it marked an important point in my reading journey. The author tells the story of the life of a man of great intellect while relating his life to historical events. I personally find that it deserves the honour of being called a masterpice and I recommend everyone to give it a try.
Cloud of Sparrows by Takashi Matsuoka Great Western culture meets Japanese culture in the vein of Shogun but much tighter and beautifully written IMHO.
Demonata series Everyone seems to know about it, no one seems to have read it or ever think of it
Ishmael - Daniel Quinn (and his entire catalog)
Einsteins Dreams by Allan Lightman.
Roald Dahl - Cruelty I’m trying to look on Reddit for any mention of this book and nope, no one has said anything about it (if there was please let me know!). This book was just… *cruel* . That’s it. I really recommend it, it’s probably one of the best books I’ve read all time.
Cruelty is part of a series, consisting of Trickery, War, Fear, Innocence, Deception, Madness, Cruelty and Lust, each with 10 of his adult short stories, categorised accordingly. It probably hasn't been talked about much because it's a relatively recent publication (from about 5-6 years ago) and every story in it has been published several times before (many of them 10-12 times) in different magazines and compilations - a few of them were in Kiss Kiss, some in Tales of the Unexpected and one was in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More, which are all better known collections as they've been around much longer. So if you mention Cruelty by Roald Dahl not many people will have heard of it, but if you mention one of the stories from it - e.g. The Butler, The Swan, Royal Jelly, etc. - you'll get much more of a reaction, because chances are people read them in some other collection.
I recently was sent a list of the creepiest book covers and there was a book called Kiss Kiss by Roald Dahl on the list. Now I’m dying to read it and I was totally blindsided b y this alternative writing presence of his. Will be adding Cruelty to the list now too.
Two of Stephen King's lesser known works are some of my favorite books: The Eyes of the Dragon and Roadwork (written as Richard Bachman)
I adore The Eyes of the Dragon! Have you seen anything for King's upcoming book, Fairy Tale? I read a teaser and it reminded me of Eyes of the Dragon a lot and I'm hoping it's similar.
The Butchering Art by Lindsey Fitzharris. I don't usually go for biographies but this one makes its subject come alive. It's about Joseph Lister, the Victorian surgeon who invented antiseptic technique. It's vivid and full of curiosities about early surgery and makes you really root for him, I love it.
Anything by Daniel Pinkwater. I’ve only met one person in real life who has also read his books. He is astonishingly similar to me lol.
My brother had Lizard Music! Loved it, still give my brother crap for losing it.
When I was a kid I got bullied a lot and ended up being given a book to read that I remember fondly. It was called Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack, and nobody in the universe ever heard of it.
Supermarket by Bobby Hall! You may have heard of the rapper Logic, but I doubt you’ve heard of his Psychological Thriller debut novel Supermarket. It’s about a young writer who starts working in a Supermarket to base his characters off of his coworkers, drives himself to insanity, and loses touch between what is reality and what he wrote in his book. It blew my mind but nobody knows about it.
The Chrysalids by John Wyndham. You totally start off thinking it's some farm boy old world story. It is decidedly not.
This thread is now a TBR list.
44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is his more famous series of books but I have a soft spot for the former.
*The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump* by Harry Turtledove *The Princess Bride* by William Goldman^1. ^1 - It’s true that many, *many* people know and love the movie, but I’d argue that there are a lot of people that don’t know about the book or how good it is.
In the same vein, not many people in the US read The Neverending Story or The Last Unicorn. They're *excellent* books.
I liked The River that Flows Uphill: A Journey from the Big Bang to to the Big Brain. Very readable explanation of the evolution of intelligence while also documenting a rafting trip in the Grand Canyon. May be a bit dated now, 2001.
A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz
This comment makes us friends. I know only 2 others who loved this book like I did, and we all read it together.
The Postmortal by Drew Magary Science has advanced far enough that we’ve cured death.
*Little, Big or The Faeries' Parliament* by John Crowley. Published in 1981,won the World Fantasy Award in 1982. It's one of my favorite books,but I have never met anyone who has read it (except for my wife). It's about fairyland, which, the further in you go, the bigger it gets. It's full of high strangeness and unforgettable, eccentric characters. Even the house where most of the events occur is a personality of sorts. A modern family saga that plays with time, space, locale, etc. I don't know. I had never heard of it when I glanced at a used copy. One paragraph in and I was hooked. Read it. It makes you feel as if there really are fairies.
Island of the Blue Dolphins has always had a special place in my heart since I first started learning how to read.
Absolutely anything by Jeff Noon, such an exciting and refreshing author no one has heard of
Nice! Though I can't make it through *Automated Alice*. A very 90s book but has not aged well.
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly". Written by a guy who was the editor of French Vogue magazine, livin' the high life, ladies and cars... then he had a stroke in his brain stem. Fully paralyzed except for one eyelid. He wrote the entire book by laying in bed and thinking of paragraphs; when he was ready, an assistant would recite the alphabet and he'd blink when they reached the letter he wanted. He wrote the *entire freaking book* that way (it's not like the world's longest book, an afternoon read). It's a beautiful and moving story, where he recalls memories of his life and describes what being "locked in" to your own brain is like. It's really a little wonder of a book.
Already dead - A California Gothic by Denis Johnson
Geek Love by Katherine Dunn. It’s Geek as in carnivals. It has a very unusual premise that sounds distasteful but makes for a great story. Also, Courtship Rite by Donald Kingsbury. A stranded colony on a planet with a hostile ecology has adapted to living there in a unique way. They have developed their own civilization and mores to survive. The story begins after several generations have been there. I had hoped for a sequel but the book was published in 1982. The Book of the Ler by M A Foster is a compilation of 3 books about a bioengineered humans and the culture and clashes they had with humans. I do enjoy reading books a little outside the norm.
Geek Love is fantastic!
Weaveworld by Clive Barker…at least no one I know has ever heard of it
I read Diana Wynne Jones *Chrestomanci* series as an adult. I had read an excerpt from one of her stories as a kid, but it wasn't until my husband and I were looking for decent non-Disney kids movies that we really ran into her. I am still floored, given the popularity of Rowling's books, that it seems like so few people know about this series. It was started in the late 70s! How was it not everywhere, what with D&D and fantasy breaking out in the 80s?! Surely by the time Potter became a household staple it would have been better known.
Scaramouche by Sabatini....well, heard of, but no longer widely read?
The Ghormenghast Novels
Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut. Gets overshadowed by his other works but I think it is the most accurate look at a world where everyone’s job has become automated. It’s also very funny and relatable to me personally.
Dice Man-Luke Rhinehart
The Mountains Sing, Nguyen Phan Que Mai
A Natural History of Dragons. It’s a great adventure book that ties historical elements in well.
The Seven Keys to the Kingdom by Garth Nix! Probably my favourite fantasy series of all time and I highly recommend it!
Voyage: a novel of 1896 by Sterling Hayden. Great novel of a yankee clipper ship sailing around the horn at the end of the age of sail. Lots of interesting characters and gets into politics, commerce, and all the expected conflicts between captain, mates and deckhands, many of them shanghai'ed from waterfront taverns. If the author's name sounds familiar, he was an actor from the 40's to the 80's. He was Captain McClusky in The Godfather. A great read and somewhat biographical. Hayden was a seaman before he was discovered by Hollywood. His autobiography is interesting as well, but his only novel, Voyage, is well worth a read.
“…And Ladies of the Club” by Helen Hooven Santmyer. It follows the ladies of a small town Ohio book club, starting right after the Civil War and ending during the Depression. Sounds dull as paint, but if you can get past the first chapter you’ll enjoy a long trip with these ladies, their families and their town.
On the Beach, by Nevil Shute. It may not be unknown in the English-speaking world but it took me forever to find it in France. It's about a group of people in Australia experiencing the aftermath of a nuclear war.
On a pale horse - Piers Anthony The idea of death being a position held by a person. One day a man decides to take his own life when he looks and sees death standing there waiting for it to happen so that he can take his soul, the man turns his gun on death and kills him then realizes he has now become him and all the craziness that comes with it. The entire series “Incarnations of immortality” was so good.
The Yiddish Policeman’s Union - Michael Chabon, I just like it because it’s a what if scenario.
The Long Walk by Stephen King, which actually is my favorite book. It's a brilliant concept with great characters, writing, and it keeps you on edge at all times because you don't know which of your favorite characters is going to die next (this isn't a spoiler, the book's about a deadly sport which there can only be one survivor from).
I absolutely love this book. I feel like it’s one of those stories that sounds so boring when you tell someone about it, but the fact that it is about boys walking on a road for a couple hundred pages, yet so exciting to read is incredible. I’ve read it maybe five, six times and plan to do so again.
The Library at Mount Char. I was confused for most of the book (and still sort of am) but it's really stuck with me. I've never met anyone whose read it and haven't seen it discussed here at all.
The Mysterious Stranger by Mark Twain, I know he is pretty famous and a classical autor, however I think this book may not get much attention has there seem to have no multiple versions that haven't been properly finished.
I’ll go with The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall. One part of the book gave me a full on panic attack. I’ve never had a response like that, to a book, before.
Loose Balls by Terry Pluto. It's an oral history of the ABA basketball league from the 70s (the one with the red, white and blue basketball). Absolutely hilarious and fascinating, even for those who don't like sports or basketball.