Great read, but I rarely recommend it.

[Andrew, Wound Up]

I enjoyed The End of Mr. Y but probably won't often recommend it due to its bad ending. Are they any books that you think are great, but that you rarely tell other people about? Why not?

I've been thinking about this since I finished The Gone-Away World. I loved this book. It was thought provoking, exciting, and had just the right amount of absurdity.

But.

Author Nick Harkaway has a superb vocabulary and he wielded it like a weapon throughout this book. I don't mind a verbal pummeling, and using an e-reader alleviates the problem of dictionary diving, but Harkaway was on a rampage. Multiple times in the book he used byzantine language, clearly intentionally because he then followed up with the needed definition immediately afterwards.

I contrast Gone Away World with Infinite Jest where David Foster Wallace used a similar vocabulary, but wielded it like a paintbrush and not a steak knife.

[Michelle, Overrun By Pets]

I love George R.R. Martin and often find other people who read his books, but I rarely recommend A Song of Ice and Fire because of the vast familial indexes required to navigate the complex plot. I enjoy reading all of the indexes and frequently consulting intricate maps, however I think most people enjoy a lighter, less involved read.