Some of the best books I've found recently were on the 25 cent shelf. Tells you alot about what our society values when you can find Aristotle in the bargain bins and Paris Hilton on the talk shows. On the other hand, I did find five different copies of Leonardo DiCaprio's biography on the bargain shelves as well, so maybe there's hope.
It's always a risk recommending books/music/movies to someone else. What if they hate it, or worse, find it juvenile? I like some stuff that I'm completely embarrassed to admit to; Voyage of the Space Beagle, for instance, by A. E. VanVogt (no joke.) Despite the name, it's an excellent book--I just don't tell many people about it. Harry Potter is another of my secret peccadillos. I think I'm embarassed that my tastes turn out to be so plebian. Nevertheless, Harry Potter books are very good, mainly, I think, because they tell well a great story built around the archetypical themes Joseph Campbell and Karl Jung identified (among others).
I'm really fascinated by those archetypical themes. It's like psychology for the whole human race! It's one of the things I really love about Anthropology. Why do humans do what they do?
I really don't mind it when novelists breathe life into history as long as their history (or prehistory) isn't completely inaccurate. I expect them to add flesh to the skeleton of facts. What I object to is when archaeologists engage in some historical fiction and act as if they aren't. I think all scientists should clearly identify their facts and their suppositions. They should note, right up front, what their political leanings and personal philosophies are so that readers would be able to draw their own conclusions. After all, if I can convince you that my theories have merit even after having told you that I'm a Shiite Communist and lifetime member of the NRA, then I've really made some progress.
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