I find there tends to be two general categories of books; those that are exciting and interesting, so much that I want to recommend them immediately, and “slogs” that are just slow and unappealing regardless of the content. Some I get the jist of fast and a lot seems irrelevant like What is to Be Done, some like Fresh Banana Leaves the writing is just dislikable and repetitive. This is in sharp contrast to books like Half Earth Socialism or State and Revolution where I may be familiar with some of the content, but I really like the style and new information and want to recommend to people.
Do you agree with this categorization? Are there any books that you feel strongly about either way? I’m sure I’ve heard a lot of your recommendations before, but I want to know what will actually be fun to read, because some aren’t even if the content is good. I want to know which to prioritize reading.
It's almost a cliche at this point to recommend Terry Pratchett given that he's one of the most famous recent authors in the english language and is particularly known for his comedy. But one of his books that's been at the forefront of my mind for the past few years - and especially the last few months - is Jingo. On the surface it's a lighthearted and very funny book, easy to breeze through in an afternoon. But the underlying topics it handles are quite serious. Nationalism and militarism, the use of propaganda both overt and subtle, imperialism and colonialism, racism and other bigotries, they're all put under the microscope. I think Pratchett's takes on those topics are good ones.
Of course there's the usual caveat that Pratchett likes his cops, and portrays them as the heroes of the story. But it is a work of fiction after all.