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, 16:56:45 UTC 7 years ago
Such is the case of The Mixed Men (aka "Mission to the Stars") by A. E. van Vogt.
My ex's best friend got me hooked on John DeChancie's "Skyway"series about interstellar truck drivers 'driving' on roads between planets.
There are some other titles and/or authors that this old memory core is not coughing up at this time. I really would like to remember them because I know the stories made an impact on me and I am sure others would enjoy them.
May 26 2010, 17:43:41 UTC 7 years ago
May 26 2010, 18:02:15 UTC 7 years ago
Heck, we will even throw in the boxes of comic books going back to at least the early 80's.
Before anyone says "Donate them to the library" please note we live in Idaho - home of "What is this SF garbage you speak of?"
At the moment we are trying to figure out how to copy stuff from the Beta tapes (including some original taped-from-TV-series) and the video tapes whilst living on a below-poverty-level income.
June 14 2010, 18:45:20 UTC 7 years ago
Try not to die, but wow, I'll come to Idaho.
June 14 2010, 18:56:55 UTC 7 years ago
Heh - I almost forgot that in the 'collection' is a Longfellow book - smallish but thick book printed on rag paper with an embossed leather cover, no print date and no ISBN number. Nearest I can figure is that it was printed in the 1800's.