Which is...

What is the best book you've read that "no one has ever heard of"?

Dan

Not sure if people have heard of this one, but it's my absolute favourite, and never mind that it's a children's book.

It's called "The Door in the Wall" by Marguerite de Angeli.

Here's another one. A book completely written in rhyming poetry. Vikram Seth's "A Golden Gate." If there's anything that screams California to me, that's it.

One of my "unknown favorites" is "The Bannockburn Years" by William Scott. I came across this novel while wandering thru a bookshop in Edinburgh several years ago. As the title suggests, it is centered around the Scots fight against the English.

Dan

My "unknown" favourite is "Enchanted April" by Elizabeth von Arnim.
It seems to appeal to women rather than to men, though.

"The Red Tent" by Anita Diamant

Hi lily_chauchoin. Welcome, I think this is the first time I've seen your name here and I notice that you are from New Hampshire. Well! That's where I was born and lived the first 21 years of my live. In Enfield. Do you know where that is?

Up near Lebanon, I think. We're just over the MA border.

Thanks for the welcome.

An "unknown" favorite of mine is:

A Kayak Full of Ghosts: Eskimo Tales - Ed by Lawrence Millman.

"Don't Stop The Carnival" by Herman Wouk.

A famous early missionary on the northern coast of Newfoundland and along coastal Labrador here in North Eastern Canada wrote a series of short stories on his missionary experiences with poor and destitute fishing families as well as Inuit and Innu native families.

These have been collected into a book simply titled "The Best of Sir Wilfred Grenfell". The 40 plus years of Dr. Grenfell's missions were a cultural icon in the early development of medical practice in remote communities here in NF, and formed the basis for medical services which remain established to this day. These stories were set at about the turn of the century, before any form of advanced transportation infrastructure was in place. Dogsled and kayak were the order of the day, and a single house call could have lasted for weeks (weather and distance).

Fascinating reading. A historic site is established at St. Anthony, northern Newfoundland, and if any of you are ever touring NF, its a must see.

Jamie

Hey, ChemicalGrl--

Golden Gate was MY secret, fabulous book!!

I totally agree with you, it's an absolute gem and elicits too many blank stares from others. I highly recommend it.

His other books are great, also-- particularly a monster called "A Suitable Boy," a real epic. His latest novel was fairly enjoyable also, but a little soapy. I can't remember the title, but the main character was a professional violinist with a quartet, and full of "insider" information about life as a professional musician in Europe.

Nina

Hi Nina -

Actually, I was first introduced to Seth's work through "A Suitable Boy." I lived with a few girls from India when I was a grad student, and they were all gushing over this book. (Even more so since two of them were undergoing the process of having their marriages arranged at the time.) So I borrowed the book just to see what they were getting all excited over. Certainly, I've not regretted spending all that time I could have spent writing my thesis reading this book.

Hi, ChemicalGrl:

Isn't it practically REQUIRED that one needs to become totally obsessed in something else when writing your thesis?

I remember getting totally fixated with Doris Lessing novels when writing mine. Not sure if you've read any Lessing, but her books are strongly feminist (but well-written). As the only female in my grad program the year I finished, I probably shouldn't have been let out of the house during this period. (I think I still have some apologizing to do to some of my male colleagues!).

Nina

[ March 08, 2002: Message edited by: Nina ]

I've been meaning to post this now for the past week and keep forgetting. I don't know how unknown it is but I read a wonderful short story last year by Nathaniel Hawthorn called "The Artist Of The Beautiful".

I recommend it to all piano players here as it has lots to offer about arts in general.

Since 1980, I have kept a little book (one of those that has a hard cover but blank pages you can buy at most big bookstores) that lists only the books I have read from cover to cover; their titles, authors and the date I finished each book. A much as I read, it's amazing how few pages I have filled in completely.

This little book lists a few books that I read because, in one way or another, I had to read them, but it also lists many that I read for sheer escape. I noticed some that would fall into this category being listed by others.

But here are a few that really impressed me;

Books on music;

The Piano Shop on the Left Bank by Thad Carhart
The Great Pianists by Harold Schoenberg
Scriabin by Faubian Bowers
Men, Women and Pianos by Arthur Loesser

Books that have influenced my outlook;

RETURN FROM TOMORROW by George Ritchie
SAVED BY THE LIGHT by Daninion Brinkley
You Gentiles by Maurice Samuel
Tragedy and Hope by Carroll Quigley (yes, at better than 1300 pages, this one took a while, but it contains just about the most accurate presentation of a world view that most closely fits mine. Quigley was Bill Clinton's mentor at Georgetown).
The works of C. S. Lewis (fiction and non-fiction)

Fiction;

Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett (so far every one of his I've read is outstanding in some way, particularly Pilars of the Earth and The Man From St. Petersburg.)
The Death Ship by B Traven (This one is weird, there's nothing quite like it.)

Authors I read for sheer escape; Clive Cussler, John LeCarre and Nelson DeMille. I LOVE spy novels or anything where the characters are involved in high stakes danger, adventure, etc. all things I would never be able to do in my life.

Non fiction;

These authors fit into one of my "hobbies" which is research into ancient civilizations and the origins of humans on this earth;

The works of Paul William Roberts, Graham Han**** (if they don't let me spell his name it's the same as thee guy who wrote his large on the Declaration of Independence), John Anthony West (a personal friend), Zecharia Sitchin and David Hatcher Childress.

Most underrated famous novel;

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (astounding!)

[ March 12, 2002: Message edited by: David Burton ]

Wow, David, you actually read "The Death Ship" and "Les Miserabels"? So did I.
That's really cool, because since the first was made into a (equally weird) film and the latter into a musical nobody seems to be reading the novels anymore. How sad.

Victor Hugo is in fact one of the most underrated French writes of all times, so I don't understand why.

David, I also like Follett and agree that Pillars of the Earth was tremendous! And there is nothing like the adventures of Dirk and Al to provide a little escape

WOW, a movie based on The Death Ship? It had better be weird. I’d love to see it. I even managed to get the voice of the main character down. Once while I was visiting my friend John Anthony West, who turned me on to B Traven’s book and actually knew his wife (who lived in Mexico City), I read from the book aloud in this phony Scandinavian Sconcin accent. John was blown away, he laughed his head off. How did they end the movie?