# What Creative Work Would You Recommend Without Reservation to Anyone? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 6, 2014, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-creative-work-would-you-recommend-without-reservation-to-anyone/700519 "2014-10-06T04:14:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2014, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-creative-work-would-you-recommend-without-reservation-to-anyone/700519/61 "2014-10-09T17:52:54Z")
Yeah, I think ‘stuff I can’t imagine anyone not liking’ is closer to what I meant. And assume that all recommendations would be age-appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2014, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-creative-work-would-you-recommend-without-reservation-to-anyone/700519/62 "2014-10-09T22:06:55Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > Yeah, I think ‘stuff I can’t imagine anyone not liking’ is closer to what I meant. . . . Well, geez, that’s impossible. There’s going to be a jerk in any group. Try to hold a committee meeting under rules saying all decisions must be unanimous. It won’t succeed. You won’t even be able to end the meeting and go home, because at least one guy will vote against adjournment, too. I interpret the idea of the thread as naming stuff that should have the widest possible appeal, stuff that, by and large, only jerks would take issue with, even if they might say, honestly, that the items aren’t to their personal taste. There are people who don’t like opera. But we can all dismiss as jerkish anyone who insists, “Opera is not good art, ever.” So, we can name good opera here, without reservation. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2014, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-creative-work-would-you-recommend-without-reservation-to-anyone/700519/63 "2014-10-09T23:21:10Z")
The novel “A Fan’s Notes” by Frederick Exley. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2014, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-creative-work-would-you-recommend-without-reservation-to-anyone/700519/64 "2014-10-09T23:45:25Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > The novel “A Fan’s Notes” by Frederick Exley. Spend a lot of time down in black places, do you? 😉 It’s brilliant, but damn. In terms of universal appeal, easy to start with **Kind of Blue** by the Miles Davis sextet. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-creative-work-would-you-recommend-without-reservation-to-anyone/700519/65 "2014-10-10T13:38:33Z")
Stephen King’s 11/22/1963. Not only is it one of King’s best, but the reader gains an incredible knowledge of early 1960’s history, which got so overshadowed by the late 60’s. Anything by Maya Angelou. All her hype is right on the money. She was an incredible writer and wordsmith. And, as someone pointed out after reading her books on my recommendation, they are excellent reads about the civil rights movement. ---
**Author:** ![Chicago\_Faucet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chicago_faucet/32/13910_2.png) [@Chicago\_Faucet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicago_Faucet)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-creative-work-would-you-recommend-without-reservation-to-anyone/700519/66 "2014-10-10T14:11:34Z")
Frank Miller’s “The Dark Knight Returns”. Epic, exciting, and moving. ---
**Author:** ![alted315](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/cc9497/32.png) [@alted315](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alted315)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-creative-work-would-you-recommend-without-reservation-to-anyone/700519/67 "2014-10-10T14:25:31Z")
books, The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher music, the hush drops vol 1 movies,Cool Hand Luke ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-creative-work-would-you-recommend-without-reservation-to-anyone/700519/68 "2014-10-10T14:31:55Z")
A lot of my pics have already been mentioned. I’ll add the “Le Reve” and “O” Las Vegas shows. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-creative-work-would-you-recommend-without-reservation-to-anyone/700519/69 "2014-10-10T14:34:19Z")
Mozart’s 41st symphony. ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-creative-work-would-you-recommend-without-reservation-to-anyone/700519/70 "2014-10-10T14:47:02Z")
Michaelanglo’s Pieta at at the Vatican and his David The Ghent alter piece ---
**Author:** ![Wargamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@Wargamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wargamer)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-creative-work-would-you-recommend-without-reservation-to-anyone/700519/71 "2014-10-10T23:25:31Z")
_Toy Story_ _Toy Story 2_ _Toy Story 3_ ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-creative-work-would-you-recommend-without-reservation-to-anyone/700519/72 "2014-10-13T18:00:56Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > It’s brilliant, but damn. Probably the best review of that book that could be written. ---
**Author:** ![Reno\_Nevada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Reno\_Nevada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reno_Nevada)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-creative-work-would-you-recommend-without-reservation-to-anyone/700519/73 "2014-10-14T21:24:31Z")
So I love the work of James Blaylock, but I also think that a lot of people would not, so I do not recommend it without reservation to anyone. His best, in my opinion, is either \*The Elfin Ship \*or _The Last Coin_, if you want to test me on that. On the other hand, I also love \*The Bridge of Birds \*by Barry Hughart, and that one I think is much more generally lovable, so I do recommend that without reservation to anyone. Do yourself a favor, if you have not read it, and give it a try. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-creative-work-would-you-recommend-without-reservation-to-anyone/700519/74 "2014-10-14T21:55:52Z")
Provided that the word “anyone” is not meant to be taken literally… a medium size Calvin and Hobbes collection would be my answer. There are some Warner Brothers cartoons that would bypass language barriers – someone mentioned Road Runner. I’d put Road Runner a little further down the creative totem pole than Calvin, and might not push it on someone, but it’s pretty universally appealing. For music, Roger Miller’s greatest hits would entertain a wide demograhic, but I’d be more likely to recomend side two of Abbey Road. For a film, O Brother Where Art Thou? ran for long time on CMT (the Country Music station) so I’d say it offers high and low brow entertainment. And generally okay for kids or adults. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-creative-work-would-you-recommend-without-reservation-to-anyone/700519.md?page=3)