[Guest]

If I had all the money in the world I would go from one bookstore to another and ask the proprietor what is your favorite book that no one knows about? So I thought I would ask reddit. Fiction / non fiction / graphic novel.

I am really interested and fascinated by literary archaeology and would also love any nonfiction or fiction books about this subject. What I really find interesting is the concept of things you do not know that you do not know.

My personal theory is that there are all of these amazing, brilliant books out there but since they were not the same as what was popular they just have become forgotten overtime.

Look forward to your answers.

 

[NogDog]

Two books I really liked that I don't think I've ever heard anyone else talk about:

* Pears and Perils by Drew Hayes
* Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov

Each is kind of quirky and not easily shoehorned into a standard genre/category, which may have something to do with it?

 

[crebel]

What kind of feedback did you get from reddit users?

 

[Tony Rabig]

These three come to mind immediately.  The first is long out-of-print but well worth digging for either on Amazon or through interlibrary loan; the other two are available in the Kindle store.

1. MYSTICAL UNION, by Don Robertson
2. 1968, by Joe Haldeman
3. VOICES OF A SUMMER DAY, by Irwin Shaw

Enjoy.

 

[barryem]

I'm about half way through "Tammy Out of Time" by Cid Ricketts Sumner, a 1948 book that was later made into the three Tammy movies of the 1960s. I remember seeing the first movie which I think was based on this book. I don't remember anything about it. I had a date that night and the movie might not have been my focus. I had no idea till a couple of weeks ago that it was even based on a book.

The book is really surprising me. I remember the movie as one of the many teen beach type movies of that era. The book is very intelligent and carefully plotted and unlike anything I've read before. Tammy is raised on a shanty boat and hasn't been exposed to the modern world. And then she is. And among "civilized" people she's pretty impressive. And they are impressed; well, most of them are. Her folksy understanding of the world keeps giving them useful insights into their own lives. This isn't written with teens in mind at all.

Here's a link to it if anyone is interested. It's well worth considering:

https://www.amazon.com/Tammy-out-Time-Ricketts-Sumner-ebook/dp/B07BDQ8RV4/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=tammy+out+of+time&qid=1568601060&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Barry

 

[Natasha Holme]

Losing The Moon by Byron Katie

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2417234.Losing_the_Moon

 

[The Hooded Claw]

Mixed Doubles, by Daniel da Cruz—forgotten book by an almost forgotten author, but it is one of the best time travel stories ever written (this obviously limits its appeal)

Shades of Gray, by Timothy R. O’Neill—This one was republished on Kindle decades after the original publication, so not totally forgotten. A wonderful ghost story set at West Point.

The Brigadier Gerard series, by Arthur Conan Doyle (yes, the Sherlock Holmes guy!)—seventeen short stories published in two books, The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard, and Adventures of Gerard. Over the top humor stories about a handsome, honorable, and terminally stupid French officer in the Napoleonic Wars. “How the Brigadier Slew the Fox” May be the funniest thing I’ve ever read.

 

[BT Keaton]

Probably The NeverEnding Story. Everyone knows the movie oddly enough, but when I ask people if they've read the book the answer is almost always no... or that they didn't even know it was a book!

 

[nonperson]

Despite its being one of Japan's most widely known novels, few elsewhere seem to know of No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai.

 

[mzeki]

There is this book A Sufi's Journey to Truth: A True Story by Faruk Dilaver. It is one of the best book's I've ever read but it is mostly unknown.

 

[archaeoroutes]

Don't know about no-one knowing it, but The Eyre Affair is superb!

 

[Koi]

This is a fun thread, and I sent myself samples of what I could find of these. Drawing a blank for what to contribute at the moment, now that I’m trying...

 

[Ashmor]

Not my favorite book but I really enjoyed reading this one: Kaiju Rift by Ian Woodhead

 

[E.B. Roshan]

"Ballad of the White Horse" a historical epic poem by G.K. Chesterton (something different for fans of Beowulf and Lord of the Rings.)

"Indiscretions of Archie" by P.G. Wodehouse (his Bertie and Jeeves series is well-known, but for some reason Archie slipped through the cracks.)

"The Daughter of Time" by Josephine Tey (a fascinating historical detective mystery.)

 

[pjocon]

Limbo, by Bernard Wolfe. The author was Leon Trotsky's bodyguard while he was living with Frieda Kahlo and Diego Rivera in Mexico. (He was away when Trotz got axed.) His book concerns an unusual application of artificial-limb technology and a drastic peace movement, whose creator had no idea how hiw ideas would spread or what they would become.  Deep, and operates at so many levels...

 

[LDB]

Unintended Consequences by John Ross.

 

[Sophie Newton]

The Little Book by Selden Edwards.

 

[RuthGrenfell]

Anything by H Beam Piper, but in particular his Little Fuzzy series.

He has a clean (classic ) style so that even though his work is from the 50's and 60's it doesn't feel outdated. With very little setting details so you only occasionally get caught out by words or items that haven't made it into the future. It is the people and interactions that make his books so re-readable even 60 years after they were written.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B016K1CBJU/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0

Not sure how unknown he is as an author but he was well before my time!

 

[Linjeakel]

Mixed Doubles, by Daniel da Cruz-forgotten book by an almost forgotten author, but it is one of the best time travel stories ever written (this obviously limits its appeal)

I really enjoy time travel stories so I thought I would check this one out. I can only find it on Amazon as a used paperback for £40.99! I don't love time travel books quite that much!

 

[pentopaper]

There is this book A Sufi's Journey to Truth: A True Story by Faruk Dilaver. It is one of the best book's I've ever read but it is mostly unknown.

what's it about? what genre is it?