geekyBecause every group is essentially a sociological tide pool, shifting slightly whenever the tide comes in but still cross-contaminating itself at a remarkable rate, we also tend to have a somewhat distorted view of "everybody." I bet if you polled a sample size of, say, the readership of this journal, you'd discover that Rosemary and Rue was one of the best-known books of 2009. Why? Because I wrote it, and talk about it constantly, and you read this journal, hence exposing you to it on a constant basis. I'm a literary pathogen!
On a more localized scale, we loan books to our friends, talk books up to our friends, and constantly infect each other with our literary passions. In the last year, I have caused my friends to read I Am Not a Serial Killer, Mr. Shivers, A Madness of Angels, the complete works of Kelley Armstrong, The Mermaid's Madness, The Enchantment Emporium, and Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded. These aren't the only good books I've read in the last year; they're just the ones new enough to still be available, and to have excited me with their sudden existence.
So here is today's challenge: Infect us with books we may not have heard of, but which are so damn AWESOME that it verges on a crime that more people don't know about them. Go for out-of-print things (that's why libraries and used bookstores exist), or the first books in series that started eight years ago. Bring enlightenment to the heathen, in the form of literary smallpox.
I'll start with five of my favorites, books I honestly think everyone should read (whether you enjoy them is up to you):
Hellspark, by Janet Kagen.
Mermaid's Song, by Alida Van Gorres.
Emergence, by David Palmer.
The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl, by Tim Pratt.
Paper Moon, by Joe David Brown.
Authors, feel free to pimp your own work here; just get the word out, and let's see what we're not reading!
May 22 2010, 16:29:37 UTC 7 years ago
You will need to hit a used bookstore for this one. One of the three best books in the Apocalyptic Buddhist Science Fiction genre, the other two being Nothing Sacred and Last Refuge by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough. (The first is more serious than the second.)
The Sun, The Moon and the Stars by Steven Brust is probably my favorite of his, because in addition to telling a Hungarian folk tale, he's also writing about the artistic process. Personally, I like the inward eye. You may be familiar with his Draegera books - or his work with Emma Bull - but this is still my favorite.
And, while the author may be familiar, the book probably isn't: The Armageddon Rag by George R.R. Martin. This is his first novel, and while it didn't go very far, it's still a favorite. It's about Rock and Roll and about the dissatisfaction of baby boomers in the 80s and, yeah, about the possible Armageddon. Personally, I think there should be a cover album of the songs mentioned in this book. "Elf Rock" could go over well in certain circles.
May 23 2010, 08:39:47 UTC 7 years ago
"And on certain Fridays now, I, who am not Jewish, go to temple just to hear that crazy horn."
-- Dexter Sinister, talent agent
June 14 2010, 18:39:37 UTC 7 years ago