# Name a good book that you're pretty sure nobody else has read **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 22, 2008, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-good-book-that-youre-pretty-sure-nobody-else-has-read/460941 "2008-08-22T17:32:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2008, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-good-book-that-youre-pretty-sure-nobody-else-has-read/460941/41 "2008-08-23T02:26:53Z")
Well, so far I haven’t read any of the books mentioned. . . My own entries, and honestly, I’m hoping that I’m proved wrong – I hope somebody has read these as I think both authors should be wider read and known than they are: **Divine Right’s Trip** by Gurney Norman **Kinfolks: The Wilgus Stories** also by Norman And a short story collection by a friend of mine: **The Resurrection Man’s Legacy** by Dale Bailey. Sir Rhosis ETA: You won’t walk into a typical bookstore and find any of these, but I’m sure they’re fairly available through Amazon and those type places. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2008, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-good-book-that-youre-pretty-sure-nobody-else-has-read/460941/42 "2008-08-23T02:29:30Z")
[Mendel’s Dwarf by Simon Mawer](http://www.amazon.com/Mendels-Dwarf-Simon-Mawer/dp/014028155X) It still amazes me that this book didn’t win all sorts of awards. It is breathtaking. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2008, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-good-book-that-youre-pretty-sure-nobody-else-has-read/460941/43 "2008-08-23T02:38:23Z")
Some more: **Thunder on the Mountain** by David Poyer **Trying Hard to Hear You** by Sandra Scoppettone **Coming Soon!!** and **Letters** by John Barth **A Thousand Pieces of Gold** by Adeline Yin Mah **Barnaby #1-5** by Crockett Johnson \*\*Sorry Chief . . . \*\* and **Captain Nice** by William Johnstone **The List of Seven** and **The Six Messiahs** by Mark Frost **The Other Side of the Clock** edited by Philip Van Doren Stern **Frank Merriwell’s School Days** by Burt L. Standish ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2008, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-good-book-that-youre-pretty-sure-nobody-else-has-read/460941/44 "2008-08-23T02:41:06Z")
[QUOTE=RealityChuck] **Coming Soon!!** and **Letters** by John Barth [/QUOTE] Read both. Wrote my best paper in college on _Welcome to the Funhouse_. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2008, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-good-book-that-youre-pretty-sure-nobody-else-has-read/460941/45 "2008-08-23T02:41:10Z")
[QUOTE=Yookeroo] [Dreamhouse](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312151144/sr=8-1/qid=1219454428/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1219454428&sr=8-1&seller=) by Alison Habens. [/QUOTE] Well phooey. That’s another one I owned for awhile and got rid of before reading it. **Savannah** , I’ve read The L-Shaped Room. Loved it. Since my first entry failed, how about _Soledad_ by R. G. Vliet? Hmmmm? Hmmmmm? ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2008, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-good-book-that-youre-pretty-sure-nobody-else-has-read/460941/46 "2008-08-23T02:49:58Z")
[QUOTE=Zsofia] I’ve read _The Carpet Makers_ and _Bride of the Rat God_, do I win a prize? [/QUOTE] I’ve also read _Bride of the Rat God_ and I own _The Snouters_. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2008, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-good-book-that-youre-pretty-sure-nobody-else-has-read/460941/47 "2008-08-23T03:02:57Z")
[QUOTE=RealityChuck] **Frank Merriwell’s School Days** by Burt L. Standish [/QUOTE] Actually own it. How about: **The Day Lincoln Died** , by Jim Bishop. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2008, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-good-book-that-youre-pretty-sure-nobody-else-has-read/460941/48 "2008-08-23T03:07:42Z")
Oh look, I inspired a thread! (I’m a she, BTW, **AuntiPam** , not that it matters.) I have read _Bride of the Rat God_ – very good book. Also the beautifully written Ballad series by Sharyn McCrumb, the first one of which is _If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O_. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2008, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-good-book-that-youre-pretty-sure-nobody-else-has-read/460941/49 "2008-08-23T03:25:12Z")
A couple of SF masterpieces, since this thread seems to lean that way: Rachel Pollack’s **[Unquenchable Fire](http://www.amazon.com/Unquenchable-Fire-Rachel-Pollack/dp/0879514477/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219461703&sr=1-1)**. An alltime masterpiece of SF, but not even listed at Pollack’s entry at Wikipedia. Michael Blumlein’s [**The Brains of Rats**](http://www.amazon.com/Brains-Rats-Michael-Blumlein/dp/0440213738/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219461652&sr=1-2). Non-SF: Halldor Laxness’s **Salka Valka** Sigrid Undset’s **The Master of Hestviken** Henri Fabre’s **The Hunting Wasps** (lifetime topten) ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2008, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-good-book-that-youre-pretty-sure-nobody-else-has-read/460941/50 "2008-08-23T03:36:15Z")
[QUOTE=BrotherCadfael] _The Wimsey Family: A Fragmentary History Compiled from Correspondence with Dorothy L. Sayers, by Charles Wilfrid Scott-Giles, Dorothy L. Sayers_ This one is pretty obscure, because it is so hard to find. Last I looked, you have to order it directly from the Dorothy L. Sayers Society. Sayer’s great detective, Lord Peter Wimsey, is the second son of the 15th Duke of Denver, and carries with him eight centuries of aristocratic history. This book, a collaboration (mostly for fun) between Ms. Sayers and Mr. Scott-Giles, a Wimsey fan and expert in heraldry, details that history. Here you will find the origins of the Wimsey family (with a minor vassal of Duke William of Normandy, aka William the Conqueror), its rise through the ranks of the nobility from a humble barony, through a modest earldom, to become the wealthiest dukedom in England. Along the way, we find Crusaders and villains, cursed suits of armor, the origin of the Wimsey arms with its curious three mice, the story of the glazier’s widow, the story of Lord Mortimer Wimsey (who founded a religion with himself as its only adherent), the founding of Bredon Hall, and how and why Queen Elizabeth “slept here in the usual way and nearly bust the family bank”. Utterly useless to anyone who is not a fan of the Lord Peter stories, this book is essential reading to anyone who is. [/QUOTE] Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’d never heard of this, and it sounds marvelous! I ordered a used copy on Amazon ($11.98, including shipping), and I await it with Buntered breath! ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2008, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-good-book-that-youre-pretty-sure-nobody-else-has-read/460941/51 "2008-08-23T03:37:54Z")
\*Shoot, Don’t Shoot \*by J.A. Jance \*Life Probe \*by Michael McCollum Shoot is an excellent murder mystery.\* Life Probe\* might be the best SF you haven’t read. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2008, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-good-book-that-youre-pretty-sure-nobody-else-has-read/460941/52 "2008-08-23T03:40:53Z")
I forgot Silverlock, by John Myers Myers. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2008, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-good-book-that-youre-pretty-sure-nobody-else-has-read/460941/53 "2008-08-23T03:51:11Z")
[QUOTE=BrotherCadfael] _The Wimsey Family: A Fragmentary History Compiled from Correspondence with Dorothy L. Sayers, by Charles Wilfrid Scott-Giles, Dorothy L. Sayers_ This one is pretty obscure, because it is so hard to find. Last I looked, you have to order it directly from the Dorothy L. Sayers Society. [/QUOTE] And I just checked; the second edition is now sold out. The Dorothy L Sayers Society website says that the Third Edition will be published online and, if there is sufficient demand, on CD-ROM, possibly sometime in 2009. I guess I’ll have to check the local library and see if I can get a copy on loan. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2008, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-good-book-that-youre-pretty-sure-nobody-else-has-read/460941/54 "2008-08-23T03:52:12Z")
[QUOTE=Skald the Rhymer] I forgot Silverlock, by John Myers Myers. [/QUOTE] I have that one! I’ve started it a couple of times but haven’t finished it. It was recommended by a Doper. Imagine that. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2008, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-good-book-that-youre-pretty-sure-nobody-else-has-read/460941/55 "2008-08-23T03:56:08Z")
**"Take Five"** by former National Review columnist D. Keith Mano. A strange but brilliant book about a filmmaker who loses each of his 5 senses, one by one. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2008, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-good-book-that-youre-pretty-sure-nobody-else-has-read/460941/56 "2008-08-23T03:57:36Z")
**Worm the Red** wrote: > [@](#): > > The Long Ships by Frans G Bengtsson - simply a brilliant view of the vikings. Just brilliant and great! I read it back in High School. The copy was an old paperback tie-in to the release of the movie of the same name, starring Richard Widmark. Wortn seeing, if only for Vikings in the Mediterranean and some surreal scenes. The book has an entry in Wikipedia. **Reality Chuck** – I read those William Johnstone books, and several other of his Get Smart books besides **Get Smart! Get Smart, Once Again Missed it by THAT Much! Sorry About That, Chief Max Smart and the Perilous Pellets** The second of those was the first “adult” book I ever finished in one sitting. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2008, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-good-book-that-youre-pretty-sure-nobody-else-has-read/460941/57 "2008-08-23T04:43:16Z")
I just realized that my post was referring to a different book than the one that was in the **BrotherCadfael** post I quoted. The book that is currently out of print is _The Lord Peter Wimsey Companion_, compiled & edited by Stephan P Clarke. Which also explains why I was so confused by **pinkfreud** ’s post, as used copies of the _Companion_ are selling for over $500. :eek: And now, off in search of the correct book, and then to bed, as I’m obviously short of sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2008, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-good-book-that-youre-pretty-sure-nobody-else-has-read/460941/58 "2008-08-23T05:11:05Z")
[QUOTE=BrotherCadfael] _The Wimsey Family: A Fragmentary History Compiled from Correspondence with Dorothy L. Sayers, by Charles Wilfrid Scott-Giles, Dorothy L. Sayers_ [/QUOTE] Unfortunately, The Companion is too expensive for my blood, but I did just order this one. Thanks for reminding me! I’m working my way through the Wimsey books for the first time now (3 1/2 more to go) and I know I’m going to be jonesing when I’m done. This will have arrived just in time. My entries to the OP’s request are [An Owl On Every Post](http://www.amazon.com/Owl-Every-Post-Sanora-Babb/dp/0826315313/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219467849&sr=8-14) (a memoir) and [Whose Names Are Unknown](http://www.amazon.com/Whose-Names-Are-Sanora-Babb/dp/0806137126/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219467849&sr=8-1) (a novel inspired by the previous memoir), both by the amazing Sanora Babb. Oh OH how I wish I’d read these when I was an adolescent, they would have been my favorite books, especially Owl. I guess, better a few decades late than never. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2008, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-good-book-that-youre-pretty-sure-nobody-else-has-read/460941/59 "2008-08-23T05:36:55Z")
_Tik-Tok_—By John Sladek Kinda like Gulliver’s Travels, only with more robots, and less respect for human life. _Back to the Moon_—By Homer H. Hickam Nice techno-thriller adventure, if occasionally a bit over the top and occasionally amateurish. Though I’d _swear_ I caught a few little bits that the author must have put in to lure an editor into cutting\* that slipped through. _The Marching Morons_—Cyril Kornbluth Actually, quite a few of his short stories. “The Slave” and “The Adventurer” really stand out in my mind. ::Whimsical shrug:: \*Is there a universal term for these? You know, adding scenes or expenses that you don’t really want anyway, but that you know a higher-up will veto, drawing attention away from the stuff you _don’t_ want cut? I’ve heard about half a dozen different terms from as many seperate sources for what you call the practice. I think “add a helicopter [shot]” was even used by a Doper, specifically, years back. ---
**Author:** ![Waenara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@Waenara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waenara)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2008, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-good-book-that-youre-pretty-sure-nobody-else-has-read/460941/60 "2008-08-23T05:49:51Z")
[_Replay_](http://www.amazon.com/Replay-Ken-Grimwood/dp/068816112X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219470301&sr=1-1) by Ken Grimwood. I _love_ this book, and re-read it once a year or so. It makes my ponder my own existence and where my life is going and how I want to get the most out of things, and that it’s never too late to make changes in your life. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-good-book-that-youre-pretty-sure-nobody-else-has-read/460941.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-good-book-that-youre-pretty-sure-nobody-else-has-read/460941.md?page=4)