I HAVE ONE FOR THIS!! Lawrence Block’s Sometimes They Bite is one of my (if not just THE) all time favourites of his. As for justification… it’s a collection of short stories, and while I love his novels, there’s something to be said for having those twists and… violence? in a much shorter medium. A Walk Among the Tombstones is pretty horrifying, but these stories encapsulate all of that feeling in just a few pages. They’re just fun to read!
Also the first and eponymous one hooked me immediately (no pun intended) and I am forced to spread the good word of Mowbray and Tolliver forever, now.
mtragedy on
I have never known anyone who reads Lawrence Sanders (no idea if he’s still big, you used to find him all over the thrift store) and I think I’ve only ever seen like one other copy of Timothy’s Game and The Timothy Files, both of which I love! Modern noir (okay, 80s modern noir) set in a financial investigation firm in New York City, they’re fun romps and the main character is the most bitter curmudgeon on the surface to ever curmudgeon (and I think he’s kidding himself that he’s not a curmudgeon underneath). Super fun and I love them.
Scuttling-Claws on
In Universes by Emet North. It’s science fiction that’s focused on exploring the psyche of the protagonist in a deep and profound way, and makes me feel seen in an incredibly uncomfortable way
clumsystarfish_ on
Good prompt! Mine would have to be The Day I Became an Autodidact and the Advice, Adventures, and Acrimonies That Befell Me Thereafter by Kendall Hailey. I don’t know if it’s unpopular per se, but it’s definitely uncommon.
It inspired me to keep learning after flunking out of university (and therefore having a bit of a hate on for institutional education), and after taking a break, going back to try again. Decades later, I still reread it at least once a year.
earth_yogini on
When We Lost Our Heads by Heather O’Neill — one of my favorite books i’ve ever read and it feels like hardly anyone has read it!
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I HAVE ONE FOR THIS!! Lawrence Block’s Sometimes They Bite is one of my (if not just THE) all time favourites of his. As for justification… it’s a collection of short stories, and while I love his novels, there’s something to be said for having those twists and… violence? in a much shorter medium. A Walk Among the Tombstones is pretty horrifying, but these stories encapsulate all of that feeling in just a few pages. They’re just fun to read!
Also the first and eponymous one hooked me immediately (no pun intended) and I am forced to spread the good word of Mowbray and Tolliver forever, now.
I have never known anyone who reads Lawrence Sanders (no idea if he’s still big, you used to find him all over the thrift store) and I think I’ve only ever seen like one other copy of Timothy’s Game and The Timothy Files, both of which I love! Modern noir (okay, 80s modern noir) set in a financial investigation firm in New York City, they’re fun romps and the main character is the most bitter curmudgeon on the surface to ever curmudgeon (and I think he’s kidding himself that he’s not a curmudgeon underneath). Super fun and I love them.
In Universes by Emet North. It’s science fiction that’s focused on exploring the psyche of the protagonist in a deep and profound way, and makes me feel seen in an incredibly uncomfortable way
Good prompt! Mine would have to be The Day I Became an Autodidact and the Advice, Adventures, and Acrimonies That Befell Me Thereafter by Kendall Hailey. I don’t know if it’s unpopular per se, but it’s definitely uncommon.
It inspired me to keep learning after flunking out of university (and therefore having a bit of a hate on for institutional education), and after taking a break, going back to try again. Decades later, I still reread it at least once a year.
When We Lost Our Heads by Heather O’Neill — one of my favorite books i’ve ever read and it feels like hardly anyone has read it!