Book Rec Meme

[apple_pathways]

How does a book rec meme work?

5 EASY STEPS TO REC SUCCESS:

1. Find the genre/type of book you're looking for in the comments! The following genre/types are listed in alphabetical order:
   
   Chick Lit
   Children's and Young Adult Lit
   Classics
   Contemporary Literature
   Fantasy
   Historical Fiction
   Horror
   Manga, Comics, and Graphic Novels
   Mystery/Detective/Crime
   Non-Fiction
   Romance
   Science Fiction
   Thrillers
   and "Other" (For any genre or type not already listed.)
   
   
2. Click 'reply to this' on the comment with the genre you're looking for. If you're recommending a book, type "RECCING" in the Subject line of your comment. If you're requesting a recommendation, type "REQUESTING".
   
3. Either copy, paste, and fill out the handy forms provided, or describe in your own words the book you're recommending or looking to read.
   
4. Browse the other recommendations that have already been left. Read the rec requests other participants have left, and make suggestions for books you think they might like.
   
5. Share the love! ♥ Copy and paste the following code into your journal to send your friends to the meme:
   
   <a href="http://apple-pathways.livejournal.com/76281.html"><img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/apple_pathways/pic/000akqeh"></a>
   
   

It's that easy! ;)

Just remember:

* Keep it civil, or suffer the consequences! (Consequences TBD, but may include deletion, bannination, or unsightly rash.)
* DO NOT "Post a new comment"! To keep things tidy, please post all comments as a reply to an existing comment. Misplaced comments will be removed: it doesn't mean you're a bad person. :P
* If you need to ask me something or get my attention, either PM me or post a reply under the "Questions" thread, otherwise I may not see it.

Happy Reading! ♥

Comments

REQUESTING

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

Sub-genre: Any, really.
Length: Any--but I do hesitate to invest in something more than 400 pages at the moment!
Genre tropes I enjoy: I love realism, dark themes, and humor--I also like books that explore a different POV or have a unique writing style.
Genre tropes I dislike: Heavy-handed philosophy, sappy romance.
I'm looking for a book like: I'm looking for the next House of Leaves, or the next Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. I love Margaret Atwood, Neil Gaiman, and Mark Haddon.
Other factors to consider: I try SO VERY HARD to keep up with what's new and hot in the world of books, but I fail woefully at this task. What's the next hot book? (That's actually worth reading...) Is there a book you've discovered that was written in the last five years that just stood out for you?

Yeah, no saw me breaking my own rules and forgetting to put a subject to my request, right? Good... :P

Re: REQUESTING

[switchbladesis.livejournal.com]

some of us may be tracking, but we won't tell

Re: REQUESTING

[tourdefierce.livejournal.com]

If you like ~gay fiction? Dancer From the Dance by Andrew Holleran does some really good playful story telling and character building. Also plays with what are the loves of our lives and has some meta about friendships/relationships, as well as what it means to give up individualism for a community.

God. Um, contemporary for like 1978? LOL.

Re: REQUESTING

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

ha! Hey, that's 'contemporary' enough for me. ;) I'll check it out! I really love authors who do interesting things with narrative, and "playful storytelling" sounds perfect!

Re: REQUESTING

[lemniciate.livejournal.com]

A Kind of Intimacy by Jenn Ashworth! Give this a go if you like dark themes, dark humour and most importantly, if you like an unreliable narrator. This was published this year (or maybe last...?) and I enjoyed it a lot!

Re: REQUESTING

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

Ooh! THANK YOU! The story sounds intriguing, and I love an unreliable narrator! Definitely going to see if I can request it from the library!

(In conclusion: I ♥ exclamation points!!!)

Re: REQUESTING

[nahara.livejournal.com]

I have more than one rec for you, my love!

1. The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Read this in two days. It was very well written, enjoyable, sad, uplifting. It isn't dark like House of Leaves but dark in its own way, a piece of historical fiction set in Mississippi during the 1960s civil rights movement. Told from the POV of three female characters, I think you'll enjoy the different and very distinct style of writing Stockett chooses for each.

2. The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht. She just won The Orange Prize for fiction - a prize given to women authors. It's her first book (she's only 25) and it's a beautiful book. It's very magical realism about the character's grandfather's time in WW2 in parallel with her time during/after the war in Kosovo. I've not actually finished this yet, but I thought it was worth recc'ing.

Re: REQUESTING

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

Oh, it's funny: I was just reading about The Tiger's Wife! (God knows where...)

Will most definitely check out The Help: it's been awhile since I've read some good historical fiction! (Makes me feel smarter. :P)

Re: REQUESTING

[allie-meril.livejournal.com]

So, people either love Jonathan Safran Foer's writing, or they hate it. His books are kind of like puzzles, with lots of different viewpoints and experimental writing styles that all somehow come together in the end in a really striking way.

It hits all the tropes that you enjoy, except for the realism: both his novels that I've read have elements of the fantastical, not in a fantasy sense, but in a "hey what just happened is not really possible" sense.

I've read Everything is Illuminated (my favorite) and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and recommend them both very highly.

Re: REQUESTING

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

While I do love realism, I'm also fond of the fantasy genre, so that's not a problem at all! I also like puzzles, so that description of the writing is really intriguing! Oh man, I am going to have so many books to read from this meme!