Today’s Booking Through Thursday:
What’s your favorite book that nobody else has heard of? You know, not Little Women or Huckleberry Finn, not the latest best-seller . . . whether they’ve read them or not, everybody “knows” those books. I’m talking about the best book that, when you tell people that you love it, they go, “Huh? Never heard of it?”
I can do you one better—one of my whole favorite authors, not just a single book. Many of the people I talk with about books have heard of most of my favorite authors, at least in passing: Anne Bishop, Garth Nix, Tobias Buckell. However, almost no one has heard of Thomas Ligotti. He has a very loyal cult following among a very small number of people because he writes extremely unusual, bizarre fiction. It’s absolutely captivating. I highly recommend his Noctuary, with Songs of a Dead Dreamer coming in a close second:
When all the landscape is dying, descending fragrantly to earth, we alone rise up. After light and warmth have passed from the world, when everyone stands melancholy at the graveside of nature, we alone return to keep them company. This is our season to be reborn.
I could also list Bettie Sharpe among my little-known faves, but that’s only because she’s just barely started publishing.
Edited to add: I went and found Ligotti’s website for folks interested in exploring his work.
And, a handful of links:
- Mercury in sushi—I mourn.
- Free Fall by Isaac Marion—weird and beautiful fiction.
- Loud Neighbors—another weird and fascinating Isaac Marion story.
- Best source for specialty cooking stuff EVER: King Arthur Flour Company.
- The most bizarre item we’ve ever sold through Cafepress, and I’ll tell you right now that we’ve sold more than one: Level 70 Hottie Thong. Yes, you read that right—thong.
Ligotti sounds like my kind of writer, I must look out for some of his works. Thanks!
Logotti seems to worth checking out! Next time, I will…
“Huh?”
Hadn’t heard of Ligotti, or Buckell either. Given our shared enthusiasm for Garth Nix I think I must try both.
Crafty & gt: Tough to find, but worth the effort! I hope you like!
Geranium: Buckell will definitely be the easier to find; he’s another relatively new author, but he’s been making the blog review rounds so he isn’t as obscure. His debut novel, “Crystal Rain,” is quite unusual and fascinating!
Thanks for the heads up on these authors. I will definitely check them out. The passage you posted was lyrical. Thanks again and have a great day.
Like GeraniumCat I haven’t heard of Ligotti or Buckell. Nix’s Sabriel is on my to-read-pile, though.
I have heard of Anne Bishop but not the other authors. I love the passages you posted. Very interesting 🙂
Happy BTT! Have a good Thursday and good weekend ahead!
Julia – Yen
Judy: Hope you enjoy! Ligotti’s a love-‘im-or-hate-‘im author, IMO. The others have more general appeal.
Mervi: Sabriel’s wonderful, and the series gets better from there. IMO each book is better than the last.
Julia: I hope you have a good weekend too!
I read a Garth Nix book a year or so ago… clearly, I chose the wrong one because I don’t see what the fuss is about.
However, the others, I’ll have to go check out. Thanks!
Susan: Either that, or you just have different tastes than we do. Nothing wrong with that—the world would be an awfully boring place if we all liked the same stuff!