Every serious reader loves to get a chance to share his or her favorite books with other people, especially when those books are not well known or easy to find. It’s really just a subtle form of bragging, a way for readers to show off what they have read and others have not. That said, allow me to show off my bibliophilia a bit while I rattle off a few of my favorite forgotten pseudo-classics. Honest, I do it out of love. I swear.
First off is Sinclair Lewis’ dark-as-midnight 1935 political satire, “It Can’t Happen Here,” which deals with one family’s troubles during the rise of an American fascist dictator. Lewis is a writer who seems to have fallen out of style, though with Philip Roth releasing the similarly themed “The Plot Against America” last year, it seems about time for a revival. The book’s step-by-step description of how easily America could fall into totalitarianism is intensely comic in that, frightening, self-conscious, “oh Jesus” kind of way. Necessary reading.
Moving on to something more current, Kent Anderson’s 1996 police thriller “Night Dogs” holds some local interest in that it takes place in Portland during the 1970s. But any resemblance to the actual city ends at a few street names. Anderson’s world, as told through its nearly lunatic police officer protagonist, borders on the surrealistic. Written in James Ellroy-ish white heat, the book details a wide range of events leading to the usual closing redemption. While the book doesn’t end with any shockers, the ride along the way is thrilling. Powerful crime fiction.
On the more comical side of crime, Douglas Adams’ “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency” offers the same kind of esoteric comedy as his more popular “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” series, with a slightly
different bend. The title says about all that needs to be said about the plot, which is full of the same mind-bending twists as all of Adams’ writing. This one has been out of print for a while, so grab it if you see it.
For another change of pace, “Mainlines, Blood Feasts, and Bad Taste: A Lester Bangs Reader” is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of rock ‘n’ roll, particularly circa 1970-80. Bangs was one of the best writers to ever grace the pages of ratty old music mags, and this collection shows him at the height of his power. While not overall as good as the previous Bangs
collection, “Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung,” it does include some of his most interesting work. The selections concerning Black Sabbath and his “Bad Taste is Timeless” column are must reads.
Speaking of books that make you look cool when you pick them up, Hermann Hesse’s 1927 classic “Steppenwolf” is about due for a revival any day now. Once the height of uber-cool in the 1960s, the book deals with hip subject matter such as angst, alienation and loneliness in a way that doesn’t make you blanch from the pretentiousness of it all. Wicked stuff, and a great way to look smart and stylish.
Tuning the hipness factor to a more subtle level, Joe Adamson’s Marx Brothers bio “Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Sometimes Zeppo” is a must for any fan of cinematic comedy. Detailing the family and film history with light, unadorned prose, the book gives the best round-up of the Brothers’ career available. To top it off, the book is written by an obvious fan who appreciates the Marx style of comedy but is perfectly willing to admit deficits of ego and quality control in the brothers.
So happy reading, lit-fans, and please don’t hold it against me.

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