Halie
Collection of short stories published by an independent editor
Posts: 982
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Post by Halie on Jan 17, 2009 18:28:37 GMT -5
What is your favorite work, modern or classic, that nobody seems to know about or enjoy as you do, even in literary circles?
This is not a great work of literature, but one of my favorites ever is The Band Never Dances by J.D. Landis. It's really a great coming-of-age novel about a girl who is struggling with loss, first love, and who she is while dealing with her rising fame. (Note to self: do not become a book reviewer. That sounds incredibly cheesy.)
But anyways, I thought this would be a great thread to share some of our more obscure favorites. Or not-so-obscure but widely criticized. Like for example if you love Pride & Prejudice because you relate much with Lydia and you think you'd be the best of friends.
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Post by neveralone on Jan 17, 2009 19:23:16 GMT -5
cool idea for a thread! I'll have to think about this one though...
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Michelle
First novel published
Posts: 2,563
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Post by Michelle on Jan 17, 2009 21:36:50 GMT -5
Streams to the River, River to the Sea by Scott O'Dell. I was thinking about this other day. I've probably read it about 6 times but not for a long time (so if you read it and it's bad, that will be my excuse). Scott O'Dell wrote Island of the Blue Dolphins but this book isn't very well known.
I think I've mentioned this before, but I also love The Starlight Crystal by Christopher Pike. The writing isn't very high quality, but the story idea fascinates me. There is a spaceship that can go faster than the speed of light therefore traveling in time. It is supposed to orbit for one year/200 years on earth but things go wrong and the main character ends up on an incredibly long journey. And of course there is a love lost in time. If you want a quick, fun read - give it a try.
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Isa
Administrator 
Posts: 6,995
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Post by Isa on Jan 18, 2009 7:58:39 GMT -5
There are two novels that come to mind: "Antoinette de Mirecourt" by Rosanna Leprohon and "A Painted House" by John Grisham. The first one is a 19th century Canadian novel, and the plot is somewhat similar to a Jane Austen novel (a young lady falls in love with the wrong man at first...) so it's a great story, and I like that it also explores the relationships between French and English Canadians at that time, which is such a huge part of our country's history, culture and society.
The second one is by far my favorite novel by John Grisham but I think a lot of people see his name on the cover and figure he can't write anything but his "trial" novels. This one actually takes place in Arkansas in the 1950s, and it's about Luke, a 7-year-old boy growing up on a cotton farm. It's a topic I'd never read about before and I was fascinated by all the work and hardships these people had to face, and Grisham does an amazing job of making us feel as though we were right there with Luke.
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zeldafitzgerald
Collection of short stories bought by Random House
ancora imparo
Posts: 1,948
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Post by zeldafitzgerald on Jan 18, 2009 10:02:33 GMT -5
These aren't the most obscure books in the world- a decent number of people have read them and love them, but they are my favorite children's books of all time, and are so wonderful that I don't understand why they are not more widely featured and read.  They are the Betsy & Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace. It's a ten book series that follows Betsy, her family, and her friends, as she grows from a small child into a young woman. They take place in the early 1900s and they are so completely delightful. In fact, just thinking about them makes me long to re-read them. Maybe I'll re-read all ten this year.  |
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sylviaplath
First short story featured in regional newspaper
Posts: 192
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Post by sylviaplath on Jan 18, 2009 11:27:35 GMT -5
They are the Betsy & Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace. It's a ten book series that follows Betsy, her family, and her friends, as she grows from a small child into a young woman. They take place in the early 1900s and they are so completely delightful. In fact, just thinking about them makes me long to re-read them. Maybe I'll re-read all ten this year. I used to love this series!! I lost some interest in it when they got older, probably because it was harder to relate to them, but I'd love to reread them some time. |
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neh
Collection of short stories published by an independent editor
"I live in two worlds; one is a world of books"
Posts: 943
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Post by neh on Jan 21, 2009 19:01:19 GMT -5
These aren't that obscure either, but i wish more people down under would appreciate authors who deal in material other than day-to-day doings or historical fiction. Isobelle Carmody's Obernewtyn series seems to get more attention in the US than in Aus, and dam that peeves me! Aussies, there are other authors out there than bloody Bryce Courtney and John Marsden!
And i want as many people as possible to read The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches. It was by complete and utter chance that i ever stumbled across it, because one of my teachers had speficially ordered it from Amazon and decided to lend it to me. READ IT EVERYONE!
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Post by neveralone on Jan 23, 2009 15:00:02 GMT -5
Well, this is not obscure, but I don't think The Poisonwood Bible deserves enough recognition. It is tied with East of Eden as my favorite book. I like them both for similar reasons. You could pick up each one several times and have it speak to you a whole new way. I think that's the defnition of a good book!
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zeldafitzgerald
Collection of short stories bought by Random House
ancora imparo
Posts: 1,948
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Post by zeldafitzgerald on Jan 23, 2009 23:49:17 GMT -5
Well, this is not obscure, but I don't think The Poisonwood Bible deserves enough recognition. It is tied with East of Eden as my favorite book. I like them both for similar reasons. You could pick up each one several times and have it speak to you a whole new way. I think that's the defnition of a good book! I bought The Poisonwood Bible a few months ago. I haven't read it yet, but am looking forward to it. |
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