Secondary Canon

[rosaleeluann.livejournal.com]

What with the ACoK ARCs going around, if we keep talking about it it seems like everyone will be trying to either avoid spoilers, get tiny teasers, avoid giving spoilers, or try to think of teasers that really are tiny and won't seem to some people to be spoilers. So how about we talk about something else, eh?

Do you know what I love about us?

Well, a lot of things, actually, but I was thinking of one thing specifically.

I love how, not only do we discuss other books, but (understandably) we all have similar/overlapping taste. And I especially love how this means that there is a rather large pool of books that we can just refer to and expect many people to understand what we're refering to. (I don't know how many times I've seen references to, for example, Howl's Moving Castle, even though it is obviously not included in the series this community was created to discuss.) Its like, a collection of books that most of us have read many of, if that makes sense. I don't quite know how to word it. I do think in part this is a result of WSK (which makes sense), but also I think it's just because we're people who like books with specific characteristics.

My brain somehow decided to call this "Secondary Canon", which isn't the best term for it--have any better ideas? PLEASE SHARE.

I started thinking, trying to decide what books are in this sort of extra-canon. I probably haven't read all that should be included, but here are the ones I can think of:

Harry Potter (of course)
Howl's Moving Castle
The Blue Sword/the Hero and the Crown
the Miles Vorkosigan series


Others that seem to me to be a bit "further down" on the list, as far as how many of us have read them goes (though they they are of course not at all inferior in quality):
The Eagle of the Ninth/the Mark of the Horse Lord (and Rosemary Sutcliff's others)
To Say Nothing of the Dog
The Winter Prince (and sequels)
The Perilous Gard/the Sherwood Ring
the Lord Peter Wimsey books
Goose Girl (and Shannon Hale's others)
the Chronicles of Chrestomanci
the Hunger Games


Also, TV series such as Firefly or Avatar. (I really don't watch much TV, so you guys could probably think of more of these than me.)

This is just a list I've thought of off of the top of my head, and of course most of these are books that I happen to have read, which is why they come to mind.

Do you agree with me? What other books do you think many/most of us have read? What do you think it is about these books that so many of us have read them?

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Thanks so much for posting this! I was *almost* falling into the spoilers trap!

I think I'm going to check out some of those titles tommorow! But considering I'm taking a Humanities course I have a huge pile of Ancient Greek and Roman peices to read first (which I some how always connect to Gen and the Theif series heh heh)

As for t.v series, currently
House MD
Vampire Diaries
and Glee (for some reason the new episode is being delayed :[ )
are my top favs! [Glee is on tonight, vampire diaries are on thursdays and house on mondays!]

Kelly

[bookaddict88.livejournal.com]

Yes, this community and athanarel are the ones I go to for book recs! People read and love the same books as me in these coms, so I know I'll enjoy books that are recced!

Howl and Miles have similar characteristics to Gen in some ways, so I can see why they might be mentioned. It's been too long since I've read the Blue Sword. And Harry Potter is Harry Potter.

Of the books you list on the "second tier", I've only read the Perilous Gard. But the rest of the books have been mentioned often enough here that they're all on my TBR list!

And I don't read much TV, either, though I do love Firefly.

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

Lord of the Rings, maybe?

'The Moorchild' by Eloise McGraw

Hmm... Jane Austen, probably.

Can't think, I'm supposed to be doing Latin homework. XD

lol

[rosaleeluann.livejournal.com]

You don't read much TV?

Re: lol

[bookaddict88.livejournal.com]

Lol. Ok, so I spend so little time with TV that I don't even know what you're supposed to do with it! XD

[viviolo.livejournal.com]

Every single one of those books is on my "favorites" bookshelf. So I definitely agree with the list so far! :D

To that I would add the authors Lloyd Alexander, Madeleine L'Engle, Patricia C. Wrede, Sherwood Smith, Tamora Pierce, Terry Pratchett and... maybe Georgette Heyer? (I don't remember her being mentioned before here, but her writing seems the sort sounis members would be attracted to)

Heh, my TV tastes are a bit less discerning than my reading tastes, I think. Some favorites are Mad Men, The West Wing, Friday Night Lights, Deadwood, Glee, Avatar, Farscape, Xena, Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl... I'm sorry, there is no defense for that last one. I just like cheese. :(

[viviolo.livejournal.com]

OH OH and Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles.

And The Lies of Locke Lamora. And The Demon's Lexicon.

And okay I'll shut up now.

[chachic.livejournal.com]

I agree with bookaddict88. This community and athanarel always has great book recommendations. Every time a person asks for recs, I update my wishlist with more books.

I've read the books that you mentioned except for the Miles Vorkosigan series, they're still on my TBR pile!

Other books that can be included in the list are:
Crown Duel
Trickster's Choice and Trickster's Queen (because Aly reminds me of Gen in some ways)
The Abhorsen Trilogy
His Dark Materials Trilogy
Bartimaeus Trilogy

And maybe Graceling and Fire in the second tier because that's where you included The Hunger Games.

As for TV shows, I love Glee, How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory (although I'm still on the first season). I download the episodes online so I can watch them here. :)

[bookaddict88.livejournal.com]

Oh, move the Vorkosigan books to the top of your TBR pile, if they're not there already! ;D I SO love those books.

Seconding the Sherwood Smith and Tamora Pierce, and even the Kristin Cashore, though since those are newer, they probably are in the second tier.

[willow-41z.livejournal.com]

I am currently rereading Friday's Child by Georgette Heyer. I read it last week, but it's so good I'm rereading it again. Before that I finished rereading the Nonesuch and Cotillion. Definitely the kind of writing I am attracted to!

Madeleine L'Engle is one of my favorite authors of all time, and in that ranking of favorite authors of all time, she's towards the top! I'm reading the Crosswicks Journals right now, though I also like her fiction, especially the Austen series.

... have we talked about Madeleine L'Engle before, after running into each other here? *has a very bad memory* I apologize if we have!

[bookaddict88.livejournal.com]

Yes on all these! Those authors that I haven't read (Heyer, and all the ones in your second comment) have been recced enough here that they're on my TBR pile.

[styromgalleries.livejournal.com]

I second Lord of the Rings, and maybe Terry Pratchett's books as well.

[styromgalleries.livejournal.com]

Madeleine L'Engle! Have you seen the book Herself which has all these little short chapters about writing, whether it's the process she uses, or things she thinks characterize all writers, or just general advice to other writers? It's pretty fabulous. Don't know if you're an author yourself, but you may enjoy it anyway.

[styromgalleries.livejournal.com]

Can't think, I'm supposed to be doing Latin homework. XD
Ugh. That was me last year. Fun times. Amo amas amat, baby!

[styromgalleries.livejournal.com]

I'd just like everyone to know that I have picked up a couple of the Miles books to read because of you people. XP They're on the top of my to-read list once I have a break from school (one more week!!).

[(Anonymous)]

There are plenty of references to the TV show Doctor Who on this site (both in the comments and the avatars)

Firefly and Battlestar Galactica would have to be my other two favorite TV shows.

Books, you mentioned most of the ones I love. The only addition might be Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel.

Must write a very long paper now. Two of them, actually.

-Left-handed Creativity

[(Anonymous)]

Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen ( I think that's her name)
Ines of My Soul
Hawksong and Snake Charm were really (if you're looking for a quick reading fix)

Missy

[(Anonymous)]

LOL it's okayy
I just had to comment because
I LOVE Vampire Diaries, (mostly because of Daemon...does that make me horrible?)

Re: lol

[(Anonymous)]

I don't even use my TV, I'm always on the computer! Its a waste of space but my husband bought a HUGE one and keeps going on about HD and Blueray..I'm not sure what all the hype is about really...lol.

But then again I'm going on and on about CoK's and I think I'm driving him up the wall! He's always like "This is not about that Theif, is it?" Oh, I just love Gen.

[chachic.livejournal.com]

I like your icon! Okay, I'll move up the Vorkosigan books. I've been meaning to read them for the longest time. I'm rereading The Trouble With Kings and I keep showing my friends and saying "Look! It's autographed!" :)

[bookaddict88.livejournal.com]

The Vorkosigan books are very quotable! I have four icons based on quotes from the series, and would totally have more if I had more space. (I only have one Thief icon. I want to change that, but I don't know which of my other icons to get rid of!)

And awesome about moving up the series. Let me know what you think after you've read them. I'm kind of obsessed. XD

My friends in RL sadly don't read the same books as I do! (Or at least, not the fantasy books that I do.) Still, I've definitely showed off my autographed Sherwood Smith books and map, and pointed out my name in the acknowledgments of King's Shield!

[harlyn.livejournal.com]

I have a theory :-D
It seems like one of the main sub-genre's within fantasy makes the fantasy-world like a chessboard, and the characters move around on it to advance the plot. The characters might be more or less likable, there's usually a map at the beginning, and the story is some combination of political or violent--eg, George R.R. Martin. If these stories have a clear, central protagonist, the plot follows the hero's journey--eg, Eragon or the Belgariad. I think all of theses genres probably descend from the Lord of the Rings. I like some of these books, but not nearly so much as books like QT.
QT and a lot of the other series on the secondary-canon list have likable, well-developed characters; even if they have a complicated plot, the characters are undeniably the focus of the story. They're less like the Lord of the Rings and more like very sophisticated fairy tales.
Also, on the television topic--do any of you watch Doctor Who or Buffy? (I loved Farscape and Babylon 5 when they were on, but that's been some time now)

[emerald-happy.livejournal.com]

When people from sounis or in chatzy gave me book reccs I'd write them down and then see which ones were repeated - those are the ones I'd read and love. I'd add Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith to the further down list since I know a lot of people are also members of that lj community.

Re: lol

[keestone.livejournal.com]

As far as I can tell, the hype about HD is "OMG you can see every pockmark on the actors' faces and exactly how badly aged the CGI is!" (Um, yeah the Sony stores around me were advertising their HD TVs in their windows and playing Spiderman 2 on them, which was a Bad Idea.)

[keestone.livejournal.com]

Add Bujold's Chalion series to the list as well. She does the politics of small(ish) nations and very interesting gods in a way that resonates quite nicely with MWT's books.