30 Days of Book Talk discussion

What is a book most people probably haven’t heard of that contains a lot of elements you particularly love? A book that's especially suited to your tastes, but that isn't always the easiest to recommend to others?

A few of mine:

- The Secrets of Jin-shei: historical fantasy + alternate China + women’s friendships
- Benighted: Complicated and flawed female protagonist + social commentary wrapped up in a fantastical plot + social justice issues + strong writing
- The Seamstress: Historical fiction set in Brazil by an author from that country + tells the stories of two sisters whose lives go in different directions, one as an outlaw and the other trying to fit into society + strong writing and character development
- Firethorn: fantasy from the point-of-view of someone at the bottom of society + strong worldbuilding involving a very rule-bound society + feminism and social justice issues + great writing and descriptions
- The Ladies of Mandrigyn: a fantasy novel about the women of a traditionally repressive society banding together and forming an army to defeat an evil wizard. I mean come on.

If you have any books to recommend based on this very specific list, please do! ☺ Meanwhile, what's on your list?

Mine aren’t so specific or permanent. I have to think. I can’t recall any that would fit with your list I’m afraid.

Memories: I’m a sucker for at least one good Time Travel novel per year, and this is one of my faves that I’m sure is just forgotten now.

The Wandering Jew: I’m calling this niche reading, in terms of 19th Century Thrillers along the lines of The Count of Monte Cristo...but ignored, compared to Dumas. The length would put off many, but I got fifty pages in and knew it was for me.

The Walter Syndrome: one of my cherished Noir novels from the 1940s-50s period, that I remember I bought on a whim due to title and cover - and I just love it.

Me Too: being a huge Wodehouse fan means always hoping to find some writer who approaches him for a certain type of humour in the style and stories presented. Certainly, in my teens - just after discovering Wodehouse - I was keen to try other novels billed as Humourous, and met many books that I either didn’t find all that funny, or if funny, were not like Wodehouse (fair enough). Donald Jack’s Bartholomew Bandy books, especially Me Too, seem to me to be in the ‘Wodehouse spirit’ of things, and I had a great time with them (maybe funniest to Canadians, but still...).

Lady Into Fox: a favourite forgotten Fantasy novel from the 1920s, along with The Haunted Woman; nice to discover two male writers of the 20s writing about women breaking free.

This is a really great question, Emma and I know exactly what you mean! I have had that sensation of reading a book and feeling like the author somehow knew exactly what would delight me. I wish now that I had created a special shelf for those because my memory is crap anymore 😝.

Here are a few of my 5 star reads that may not be to everyone else’s taste:

Standing in the Rainbow - one of the trio of absolutely charming southern novels about Elmwood Springs by Fannie Flagg.

Lunatics - I feel like Dave Barry is my long lost twin brother, his sense of humor is completely aligned with mine

Your Perfect Year - a lesser known book about second chances that gave me the same happy vibe as A Man Called Ove

For me this is almost the same category as your most read book and or favourite, so they are

- Miss Buncle's Book
"Surely the combined brains of Silverstream would discover the identity of John Smith. It had become an absolute obsession to Mrs Featherstone Hogg, the thing had got on her nerves, she felt she could not rest until she had found him. Once they knew who it was they could decide what was to be done, everything depended upon who the man was. Whether it was the sort of man who could be terrorised, ostracised, or horse-whipped. At the very least he could be made to apologise and hounded out of Silverstream. In this case the punishment must be made to fit the criminal. Mrs Featherstone Hogg decided that Colonel Weatherhead would be the best person to wield the horse-whip should the horse-whip be necessary. She was a little doubtful as to what horse-whipping really was, but Colonel Weatherhead would know. "

- Barchester Towers - .“There is no happiness in love, except at the end of an English novel.”

- Circle of Friends
“It’s what people do is important, not what they say or feel.”

- Troubled Waters
"...that was the point of random blessings: You were not supposed to show caution or discrimination about the people you approached. You were supposed to rely on the people who had been sent to you by the unchoreographed currents of the universe. You were supposed to understand that wisdom could be imparted by anyone, no matter how unexpected, that everyone had a gift to bestow."

- Night Watch
“That was always the dream, wasn't it? 'I wish I'd known then what I know now'? But when you got older you found out that you NOW wasn't YOU then. You then was a twerp. You then was what you had to be to start out on the rocky road of becoming you now, and one of the rocky patches on that road was being a twerp. "

Ooh, this is a neat question. I've got a few that come to mind:

The Grace of Kings - a sweeping low magic fantasy epic that seems to be inspired by some Chinese folklore, reminiscent to me of older stories like Romance of the Three Kingdoms - it just scratched some itch perfectly that I didn't even know I was feeling. I loved this book like I've loved few others, was so excited it was only the first in a series, and hardly anyone else had much to say about it. OK, this book has 11k ratings on GR which is modest, but the second book a year later only had 3k, it's like it was already forgotten.

Low Chicago - the Wild Cards series generally is that thing that I like and I do not know anyone in real life, or even in most other online hangouts, who care even a little bit about this series which I frequently think of as a better version of what Heroes could have been. This particular book has a variety of fun superpowers at play, time travel, a whole lot of Chicago history, and I won't say it was perfect but it was a delightful romp overall... 265 ratings! It's a shame.

The Sot-Weed Factor - The single funniest book I've ever read, though it largely defies explanation with all of its absurdity set against the backdrop of a failson with poetic ambitions coming across the ocean to colonial Maryland to try to revive the family tobacco estate's fortune. Probably the fact that it's set in Maryland helped me get through it and love it so much but I recommended it once to a more casual reader friend and she politely attempted to read it and I know she never finished. Lesson learned, this is a masterpiece for me to mostly enjoy on my own.

Ok, I think I understand what you mean by niche?! But these are books I have or will recommend to anyone whom I think might like them?

I hope I understand correctly, but here it goes:

Like water for chocolate, I loved the magical realism of this book at the time. I think I was more fascinated by all the recipes. Because now that I review the plot even in my head, I can’t bring myself to reread it and rather have it stay in my mind as a pleasant memory.

The first time I discovered Penny Reid. At first her books did seem niche and new and one of a kind and I enjoyed myself immensely. After a while the novelty wore off, and I had some disappointment with some of her newer books.

The silver Devil. The writer saw this magnificent novel on a dare. She wrote another book as well. And then tragically died in an accident. But this book was mesmerizing and I haven’t read anything quite like it since then.

If we’re categorising as books one feels we’re written specifically for one, then I would of course have to mention Ilona Andrews and 95 percent of their works. I float in another universe while reading her books. Action, magic, power, every single story is incredibly entertaining for me.

Dissolution by C.J. Sansom. This is the first in a series of historical mysteries, set in Tudor England. It may be the best series of historical mysteries that I've ever read.

I have to echo The Grace of Kings above. I really loved that book.

Another one for me is Sinai Tapestry by Edward Whittemore, sort of a mix of fantasy, historical fiction, and literature. The book's blurb here on GR really doesn't do it justice. I attempted a review of it some time back: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Emma Deplores Goodreads Censorship wrote: "- Benighted: Complicated and flawed female protagonist + social commentary wrapped up in a fantastical plot + social justice issues + strong writing."

I read that one a while back. Interesting idea, and it certainly has all the plusses you mention, but I also had some major issues with it.

Benjamin wrote: "I have to echo The Grace of Kings above. I really loved that book.

Another one for me is Sinai Tapestry by Edward Whittemore, sort of a mix of fantasy, historical fiction, and lite..."

What were your issues with Benighted? I know a lot of people didn’t find it believable that a 99%-werewolf society would police werewolves, but that made complete sense to me.

The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon, specifically in the translation by Meredith McKinney. It's one of those books I re-read every year or three. To be sipped slowly, like a fine expensive brandy.

I had to really think about this one.

I am a huge fan of David Ball’s historical fiction, Ironfire and Empires of Sand. Amazing characters and plot and set during an time and place that I am not too familiar about.

Swallows and Amazons: Yes this was a children’s book, but it captured my imagination that even Narnia couldn’t compete with when I was a kid. Exploration, friendships and adventure. I swear I became a sailor because of the books even though I live 12 hours drive from the nearest ocean.

The Whitefire Crossing by Courtney Schafer. I loved the rock climbing (which I do) parts, the adventure, unique magic system and great characters. But such an unheralded fantasy author.

I've read all three Whitefire Crossing books and they're quite good. I really liked David Ball's short story in the Warriors anthology so I need to try one of his novels at some point.

Emma Deplores Goodreads Censorship wrote: "What were your issues with Benighted? I know a lot of people didn’t find it believable that a 99%-werewolf society would police werewolves, but that made complete sense to me."

I was fine that actually. It was some other aspects of the worldbuilding that I thought didn't make sense. For instance, there's another series that has the same kind of werewolves and that author speculates that women can't maintain a pregnancy because the fetus can't survive the extreme physical transformation from human to wolf.

I'll put the last bit in spoilers just in case. (view spoiler)[
The part that really bothered me though is that the main character considers herself disabled. I'm disabled myself and I can't adequately explain why, but it pissed me off. I suppose she could have PSTD. It...just didn't ring true for me. I'm sorry I can't explain it better. (hide spoiler)]