Which books do you like to recommend to people and why do you like to recommend them as much as you do? And what makes think others would enjoy the books you recommend and like them as much as you do?
What in you opinion makes these books of your stand out?
Depends on who I'm talking to as to whether or not I recommend a given book. I have a friend to whom I've suggested books I wasn't particularly fond of or that I hadn't even read yet, but which I thought fit his usual reading patterns. I think I've hit about 80-85% right with him.
Among books I've recommended to others are,
The Circus of Dr. Lao by Charles Finney -- terrific satire as well as a engaging fantasy. My first 4-5 reads I had trouble with the ending; it seemed weak. My last couple of reads, I'm not sure there could be a more perfect ending given the premise.
The Land of Laughs by Jonathan Carroll -- One of my favorite fantasies, it starts like a mainstream novel with aspects of the thriller, slides into fantasy, and ends on a chilling note. What works for me is the directness and simplicity of Carroll's prose; but it's a deceiving simplicity since the story and its implications are thought-provoking.
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susannah Clarke -- big book, written as a Jane Austen-like comedy of manners with magic. Wonderful from start to finish, with a sly sense of humor and a mostly understated approach to magic. Some readers hate the footnotes but I looked forward to them since they offered more background to the world and often showed that sneaky humor.
Absalom, Absalom by William Faulkner -- complex, compelling, intricate, Faulkner applies a mystery story-like plot to an unraveling of the ways in which the post-Civil War South worked, only not a who-dun-it, we know that, but a why-dun-it. This is one I'd mainly suggest to patient readers with the advise to let the prose carry you along, read without worrying about parsing the long sentences. For myself, each time I've read it I've found myself about 50 pages in in about half the time it takes me to read that much by most writers, wondering if I'd really followed the story or just followed words along the page. I'm always surprised how much I remember.
Twilight by William Gay -- a more recent, unfortunately deceased Southern writer. A chase story through the Harrikin, local name for a forest that has the qualities of a fairy tale woods. Along the way we meet possibly the most off-putting undertaker in literature.
The Two Sams by Glen Hirshberg -- story collection by one of the best of recent ghost/horror story writers. "Struwwelpeter" (sp?) and "Mr. Dark's Carnival" are, for me, worth the price of admission on their own. Add in "Dancing Men" and the title story and it's a plus-value collection. There's a 5th story I didn't care for as much, but I think maybe because its weak in relation to the other stories rather than weak on its own.
Naturally, there are others, but these are ones I've been pushing hard, some for a number of years. This year I read Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and I would push it on others, except most people I've talked to have already read it.
Randy M.
