Wherein We Elect Our Favourite Novels of 1966

I think the only two I've read are "Crying of Lot 49" and "Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up To Me". I think that I read "Flowers for Algernon" at some point, but probably the short story version. I have fond memories of reading COL49, but BDSLILLUTM was kind of a disappointment. No doubt I picked it up because of the Pynchon intro. Both share an appreciation for the culture of elaborate pranks that is the purest efflorescence of a certain nerdy subculture that flourishes in tightly regimented environments, e.g. the military.

lot 49 is my least fave of the pynchon i've read, it's really good but loses a little of its magic by the end imo

This may be the hardest one yet for me. I’ve read a bunch and no clear favorites. Although...

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Voted for the one I read more than once

That's supposed to be Three, not Berg.

― Daniel_Rf

Well.

I was hoping to be more excitable and campaign-y and in-depth for these ones where some of my favourite books of all time are appearing, but bad life stuff is happening and I just don't have the energy. The main thrust of what I was going to say about this year's AQ/BSJ match-up goes something like:

- Trawl is honestly lesser Johnson and wouldn't stand much of a chance against any Quin book...
- ...but particularly not against Three, which imo is her best and everyone should read this book.

i voted for in cold blood lol

Torn between Season of Migration and Lot 49, but The Laughing Policeman and The Comedians are excellent too (big lols in each obv).

The Laughing Policeman is great, but that's one where I wish I could vote for the series rather than the individual book.

Voted Crying of Lot 49. I don't think I've read it since I was a kid, but it's part of my mental landscape; little fragments of it, like "potsmaster" and "Hey, solid citizen, we just pinched your boat," float into my mind all the time.

Lot 49 is diverting but extremely minor compared to what came later imo

Gravity's Rainbow is dedicated to Fariña

Oh wait it's been said

I have irrationally disliked Richard Farina ever since reading David Hajdu's book Positively 4th Street; Hajdu seemed so determined to elevate Farina as a misunderstood genius and downplay Dylan's talent that it made me instinctively (and quite unfairly) resent Farina when my actual beef was with Hajdu.

The Comedians is good too; I didn't see it on the list until now. This was a good year.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

A bunch of stuff wuz robbed.

Wherein We Elect Our Favourite Novels of 1967

I was somewhat sheepish about voting for Flowers for Algernon, but I reread it relatively recently and it was well worth the revisit. Glad that one of my other choices, Babel-17, got a vote, somewhat dismayed the The Laughing Policeman got shut out.