If you’re like me, book recommendation lists tend to be kind
of disappointing since they’re all composed of the same handful of books. So,
when putting together this list, I tried to pick lesser known but still really
good books. I also wanted to put in a variety in hopes that there’s at least
one book on here that anyone could enjoy.
1. The Name of the Wind
The Name of the Wind,
by Patrick Rothfuss is actually the book I most frequently recommend to people.
It’s a long read, sitting at 722 pages, but it’s well worth every page. I finished
my first read of it within 3 days because I could not put it down. It’s a
fantasy/adventure novel with rich world building, a diverse assortment of
characters, and a lot of unanswered questions (the good kind). If you’re
interested in series like Game of Thrones
or Lord of the Rings, this is
definitely the book for you. It’s part of a trilogy, and there are two novellas
about side characters, so if you like it, there’s more to read. The author is
also really involved in developing projects for his fan base, such as
real-life, fully developed versions of the game Tak which is featured in book
two.
2. Dragons Love Tacos
This is a silly picture book, in case you couldn’t tell by
the cover. And I’m sure will get a lot of eye-rolls from those of you who
though I was more mature of a reader than this. Well guess what. I can be a
mature reader and still like kid’s books.
The concept itself is really adorable, and the drawings are
so silly that you can’t help but giggle half the time you’re reading it. It’s
just such a pure book, you can’t help but feel safe and happy when you read it.
3. Death is a Lonely Business
This book. This is a more difficult book to find, but it’s
worth going through the effort to find it. Most people know Ray Bradbury for Fahrenheit 451 or one of his short
stories like “The Illustrated Man”, but I will never understand why this book
never became more well known. I haven’t read it in a couple years, so I can’t
give it the best sell ever, but trust me—its good. The best I can describe it
is as a surreal mystery. Reading this book feels like getting lost in dimly
lit, mid-twentieth century art gallery. You will go so many places in this
book, you will meet so many people, but everyone and everything is unique and
mysterious in its own way. This book is truly beautiful.
4. Interpreter of Maladies
So, this is a collection of short stories, and as the title
suggests, not all of them end well. They all center on Indian culture and
characters, something I found interesting since that entire region tends to be
ignored in American schools and culture. I like this book because it’s so easy
to read in short bursts or do something like a story each night before bed. All
the stories are completely different, with the only real link between any of
them being the featured culture. The stories will toy with every emotion you
know and remind you what it means to be human--from the small aspects of
everyday life that get so easily overlooked and forgotten, to the cultural
differences you don’t even think about. This is definitely one of those books
that has something for everybody.
5. The Lais of Marie de France
This book is probably the quirkiest on the list, if you ask
me. It’s essentially a collection of medieval fairytales collected by, you
guessed it, Marie de France. The unique thing about these stories though, is a
lot of the morality of it is left up to interpretation. A lot of the stories
are things you could just read for fun and think “wtf?” or you could read it
in-depth and look at the symbolism and still ask yourself “wtf?” It’s an
adventure either way.
6. Silence
Here’s another medieval text for you. As the cover spells
out, it’s a romance, but not the lovey-dovey romance you’re thinking of. This
book is a compelling read, and I’d advertise it to you more as an adventure,
bildungsroman story than a romance. Half the book is the original French, so
it’s a lot shorter of a read than the actual book size would lead you to
believe, but part of me wishes the full book was the story. It definitely
leaves you satisfied, but it’s one of those books you feel like you have to
re-read immediately after you finish it. Lastly, one of the things this book is
known for is its gender conflict, so to all you queer folk out there: read
away!
7. The Woman Warrior
If I’m making a diverse list here, I’ve got to include some
nonfiction work, and this list would not be complete without The Woman Warrior. This book is the
author’s memoir, and it covers her experiences as a Chinese-American girl
growing up in the twentieth century. Don’t let the non-fiction or memoir part
turn you off to this read though. It’s actually a really interesting and compelling
read that even dabbles in some magical realism. It captures the conflict and
cohesion between the two cultures and how they become their own unique
combination when forced together, and although I wouldn’t label it as an
“amazing” read, I’m confident enough to label it a “definitely should” read.
8. 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology
This is the first anthology I’ve ever seen that is not
shaped like a brick, so it fits nicely on your bookshelf. But, I’m not
suggesting the full book—this recommendation is more for the individual essays
it includes (see second picture for list). I haven’t read all of the
collection, but I’ve read a good deal of the selections, and they were all very
good reads. This collection is a complete journey to read, and even if you have
to google each individual essay to read these, I highly recommend you stick
through with them all.
9. milk and honey
Now I’m not too big on modern poetry, I’m more of a Milton and
Shakespeare kind of person when it comes to it. But with the rise in popularity
of this type of writing, I figured I should include this type of thing on this
list. I was between including this book and Dirty Pretty Things, but I picked
this one because it’s more appropriate. Even though I’m not a huge fan of the
style, I enjoyed the ideas and emotions this book puts forth. It’s very emotional,
and I think that’s why I was drawn to it. If I remember correctly, I purchased
this when I was still working at Barnes & Noble because it was on the bestseller
list and a lot of people came into the store asking for it. I would mentally
scoff when this happened because I had flipped through the book once and didn’t
deem it to be that good. However, once I put aside my preconceptions of what
was and wasn’t good poetry, I was able to enjoy this book as an experience
rather than judgement.
10. Jace
Hey, so this might look familiar to you, or you might
remember when I first put this story together. I’m basically including it in
here not necessarily because I expect you to go to the store and buy it (lol
you can’t anyway), but because I still want to do something with this eventually.
I’m still hoping to one day start actually making copies of this to give away
or sell or something, but I don’t know…I just thought I’d remind you all this
will be a thing one day. If you haven’t read it, I guess you’ll have to wait.
I hope you enjoy whatever book you pick! If you have any other suggestions for not-as-well-known books to read, comment below!
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