In which I ask you to RECOMMEND A BOOK.
This time, with a small caveat:
Rec a book you do not think we’ve read. A book that’s something of an underdog — a fringe case, a book you want everyone to read but none of your friends have ever actually opened.
Also, the larger caveat applies, and I wish I didn’t have to give it, buuuuut:
Do not recommend your own book.
Because ew. Why would you do that?
Share the book-love. Don’t book-masturbate on us.
Oooh, one final caveat:
Recommend one book only, please and thank you.
Kastil says:
Ricochet by Keri Lake.
August 10, 2015 — 12:04 AM
Rich Amooi says:
The Best Man by Kristan Higgins.
August 10, 2015 — 12:05 AM
Tina Smith Gower says:
I frickin love Kristin Higgins. All her books!!
August 10, 2015 — 12:10 AM
Chris Lites says:
Mobius Dick by Andrew Crumey
August 10, 2015 — 12:06 AM
jjbrownwordslinger says:
Desert Queen by Janet Wallach, about Gertrude Bell, who influenced T.E. Lawrence before he became of Arabia.
August 10, 2015 — 12:06 AM
Tara J. Brannigan (@kindofstrange) says:
Her Smoke Rose Up Forever by James Tiptree Jr, aka Alice Sheldon.
I have no idea how I made it this far in my life without having ever read this collection. Loving it!
August 10, 2015 — 12:06 AM
Erin says:
The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami. Very short book, a little surreal, kind of an Arabian Nights feel to it.
August 10, 2015 — 12:07 AM
mannixk says:
I just read this and loved it.
August 10, 2015 — 4:24 PM
readingcaliforniagarden says:
Last book I read is Traitors Purse, by Margery Allingham, 1941. Love to see this redone Chuck Wendig style. I’d buy.
August 10, 2015 — 12:07 AM
Bridget Foley (@wonderfoley) says:
GOODBYE FOR NOW by Laurie Frankel. The best kind of thoughtful speculative fiction. Written by a woman for the best kind of men.
August 10, 2015 — 12:08 AM
Jason says:
Tap, Tap by David Martin
August 10, 2015 — 12:08 AM
Tina Smith Gower says:
The one I just finished and love (part of a series) is J. Kathleen Cheney’s The Golden City. Historical fantasy set in Portgual and it’s just wow.
August 10, 2015 — 12:09 AM
Kathryn Mann says:
If you haven’t found Andy Weir’s The Martian, you should check it out.
August 10, 2015 — 12:09 AM
Paz Spera says:
It’s a fantastic book, one of the best I’ve read all year
August 10, 2015 — 1:56 PM
Heather says:
A coworker purchased this for our library collection and had me read the first sentence. I love that book. So much fun and the characters are so vibrant.
August 13, 2015 — 6:42 PM
Lorin O. says:
Time’s Arrow, Martin Amis. Woefully underappreciated in my view.
August 10, 2015 — 12:10 AM
Michael Jason Stokes says:
I know it was popular enough but if you haven’t read The Kite Runner you are doing yourself a disservice. A truly engaging story.
August 10, 2015 — 12:11 AM
Mozette says:
Immortal Espionage by Debbie Behan
A great book I’m reading so far; and I want to read her other books too.
August 10, 2015 — 12:12 AM
Heather G says:
Chameleon by KT Hanna! Sci-Fi at its best
August 10, 2015 — 12:13 AM
Leigh says:
Seconding this one. It’s really a hidden gem. It has this really gritty world, and the characterizations are so well done. I’m like, hurry up sequel!
August 10, 2015 — 7:22 AM
Kathy Reinhart says:
A debut novel, ‘The Good Girl’ by Mary Kubica.
August 10, 2015 — 12:13 AM
Moriah says:
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. Do not read before traveling to Turkey or Romania.
August 10, 2015 — 12:14 AM
Cabocalla says:
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. READ IT, FORREST, READ IT NOW
August 10, 2015 — 12:16 AM
Tammy says:
Dark Star by Oliver Langmead from Unsung Stories.
August 10, 2015 — 12:19 AM
Chris King (@ChrisKing0000) says:
Jesus Christs by AJ Langguth
August 10, 2015 — 12:20 AM
Fatma Alici says:
Heroes Die by Matthew Stover
August 10, 2015 — 12:20 AM
glasscitybooks says:
The Rosie Project, Graeme Simsion. Fabulous, feel-good read.
August 10, 2015 — 12:21 AM
Ridley Kemp says:
I dug “The Humans” by Matt Haig. It could have wallowed in trope, but it was charming and kept me engaged throughout.
August 10, 2015 — 12:21 AM
Sparky says:
SLAMMED! by Choice of Games. Remember those chose your own adventure books when you were a kid? Or the single player D&D books or the Lone Wolf saga? Right. Now imagine those with a bit of a techno upgrade, branching paths and character identity. (Oh and rolling back the stupidly insane difficulty and moronic deaths) Interactive books. Really the entire line is interesting and I would love to see Choice of get more love in general but in particular SLAMMED! is a favorite of mine because it was about something I knew nothing about (professional wrestling) and managed to not only get me invested and spark a bit of investigation but it drew me in completely. Go forth, chose a name and a style. Make your choices, read mightily and see what outcomes you may bring about.
Okay seriously go check this out. Admittedly you need something electronic to read it but it’s on iOS and Android and I think Steam and a few of the titles are on the Kindle as well so hopefully you have something that can download it.
August 10, 2015 — 12:24 AM
Jane Bryony Rawson says:
Have you read Crandolin by Anna Tambour? The nutsest fantasy you could ever imagine, if you can imagine incredibly nuts things.
August 10, 2015 — 12:29 AM
Harry-le-beau says:
The Coroner’s Lunch, by Colin Cotterill. First in a crime series set in 1970s Laos, with 72-year-old Dr Siri Paiboun as an old reprobate who’s got the coroner’s job because he’s the only doctor left in Laos. Funny, intelligent, moving. Borders on fantasy occasionally.
August 10, 2015 — 12:29 AM
Yukii ゆきい says:
Dance Dance Dance by Haruki Murakami.
August 10, 2015 — 12:33 AM
Fred G. Yost says:
I love Murakami! Haven’t read that one yet, though. *adds to list*
August 10, 2015 — 9:50 AM
Yukii ゆきい says:
Pleased to meet a fellow Murakami reader! Out of all his works that I’ve read, this one intrigues me the most so far, hopefully you’ll enjoy this book of his as well 🙂
August 10, 2015 — 10:26 AM
mannixk says:
Just reading one of his old short story collections “Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman” right now. Awesome. There is one story called “Hunting Knife” that I went back and re-read as soon as I finished it.
August 10, 2015 — 4:26 PM
Mike Voss says:
HOMEFRONT. Scott James Magner, author of some secret histories in The Foreworld, jumps to science fiction with an exploration of what happens when genetic outcasts return home to Earth.
August 10, 2015 — 12:37 AM
law says:
James Alan Gardner: Ascending ( While it is the 5th book it works well as a standaone. )
August 10, 2015 — 12:38 AM
deborahleighwrites says:
THE WOLFEN, by Whitley Strieber. It’s old, but I read it in ’78 and again in ’14, and it holds up 100%. Excellent read about an eerie pack of brainiac dogs who terrorize the city. Two cops are on the hunt, and they quickly become the hunted. It’s a wonderful example of multiple POVs done well since Strieber gets in the heads of the various dogs and cops. Part noir, part fantasy, part city gritty. Enjoy.
August 10, 2015 — 12:51 AM
Kilian Metcalf says:
Last Hour of Gann by R. Lee Smith. If anyone ever told me I would like a book with a romance between a human woman and a lizard-man ninja/king/warrior/priest on another planet, I would have given them such a look. However, art is in the how, not the what. I liked the book from the start, what with its spunky fierce female lead. The warrior lizard priest, etc., was cool, too. Then when they finally met, ZOMG! I could not put the book down. I read continuously for three days straight on two devices so I could trade them off when the batteries ran down. I read until 5:30 am the night before I had to teach a class at 8:30 just to find what happened. Yes, it was *that* good. Who knew lizard love could be so compelling? Also I second The Coroner’s Lunch.
August 10, 2015 — 12:52 AM
jaybushman says:
THE PSYCHIC SOVIET by Ian Svenonius. A short book of essays about (mostly) the music business that is modeled on Mao’s Little Red Book – only its bright pink. Svenonius walks a veeeery thin line between, “OMG this guy is full of shit” and “huh, I never really thought of it that way, but it does make sense.” Bonus: the author was the first recipient of the coveted “Sassiest Boy In America” designation awarded by Sassy Magazine.
August 10, 2015 — 1:00 AM
Rich Bohn (@RichBohn) says:
Dead Men by John C. Foster
August 10, 2015 — 1:01 AM
Alice says:
No.6 by Atsuko Asano. One of the most beautifully written and thought provoking things I’ve ever read.
August 10, 2015 — 1:04 AM
Steveo Cottrell says:
Zombie by Joyce Carol Oates
August 10, 2015 — 1:05 AM
roninkelt says:
ancillary justice by ann leckie
August 10, 2015 — 1:15 AM
Matthew Wright says:
STORM OF STEEL by Ernst Junger (“In Steel’s Storm” in the original German). The 2003 translation by Michael Hoffman. Woah! It’s the story of Junger’s experiences on the Western Front in WW1. And who needs a novel in these centenary years of WW1 – his truths read like fiction, but are far wilder. A book that evolved through the century from its first publication in 1920, re-written by Junger himself, then re-translated and published by Penguin.
August 10, 2015 — 1:18 AM
Curtis dibrell jr. says:
Alcatraz versus the Evil LIbrarians by Bradon Sanderson. An Adventure Fantasy that pokes fun at itself and it’s genre. It’s
harry potter if all the characters had low level powers from Mystery Men.
August 10, 2015 — 1:18 AM
Scott Parisien says:
Lullabies for Little Criminals. By Heather O’Neil. It’s one of those books that has something you want to highlight on every page. Very visual. Tender and damaging. Great diamond in the rough.
August 10, 2015 — 1:24 AM
Terri Elders says:
Olive Kittridge by Elizabeth Strout. Read it!
August 10, 2015 — 1:26 AM
Juliette Kings says:
The Poe Shadow by Matthew Pearl.
August 10, 2015 — 1:28 AM
Nicky says:
Wool by Hugh Howey, although probably everyone’S already read this and just rudely didn’t tell me about it.
August 10, 2015 — 1:33 AM
James R. Tuck says:
Hella good. And Beacon 23 is just as strong!
August 12, 2015 — 1:56 AM
lovablewriter says:
Uprooted by Naomi Novik. Please read it! This book will open your eyes to one of the most intricate, terrifyingly beautiful fantasy worlds in the history of sci-fi/fantasy fiction. Read UPROOTED, published in May 2015, for a true glimpse into what it’s like to be human alongside a shit-ton of suspense and the most beautifully written magic.
August 10, 2015 — 1:39 AM
Megan Lynae says:
The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo. It is a historical novel AND a ghost story. Win-win.
August 10, 2015 — 1:47 AM
Gregory Lynn says:
Going Through the Change, a menopausal superhero novel by Samantha Bryant
August 10, 2015 — 1:49 AM
Megara Black says:
Insanity (Madness in Wonderland) by Cameron Jace. It is the first book in a series, based on the Alice in Wonderland characters with a murderous, dark, and modern twist. I found this first book as a free kindle download. As soon as I’d finished reading it, I immediately bought the other two books currently available. I can’t wait to plonk down more money for the 4th book, as soon as it’s published.
Also, it has beautiful cover art.
August 10, 2015 — 2:14 AM
Jan O'Connell says:
If you’re a crime series junkie like me, discover Cliff Hardy in Peter Corris’s The Dying Trade. He’s the Philip Marlowe of Sydney and knows the seamier side of the city well. Then you can read your way through the other 38 books in the series! Great sense of place, taut writing and a character that’s all-Australian without the bushman stereotyping.
August 10, 2015 — 2:18 AM
JT Lawrence says:
‘Under the Skin’ by Michel Faber. Okay … EVERYTHING by Michel Faber, but you asked for one book and the most ‘fringe’ is ‘Under the Skin.’
August 10, 2015 — 2:31 AM
ashramswithinanut says:
“The Paris Wife” by Paula McLain – for Hemingway fans.
August 10, 2015 — 2:33 AM
Stephanie says:
Impossible Things by Kate Johnson. Intense, beautiful love story set in a brilliant fantasy world.
August 10, 2015 — 2:47 AM
Kay Camden says:
Going to check this one out right now…
August 10, 2015 — 9:04 AM