I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I seem to have a very small niche- there are two friends of mine who have my taste. Others read some of what I do, but it seems odd to me that a lot of what I read goes mostly unnoticed. Not mainstream, maybe? Then again, I've read some things that were recommended to me at wotmania and discovered some very good stuff. I just think there's a lot out there that's underappreciated. Fantasy and science fiction have a ton to offer, but a lot of times, it seems people are stuck- in what, I can't really describe. I've seen people like I once was, reading the epic Tolkien-esque fantasy. There's a lot of it out there, and it can be good on the rare occasion, don't get me wrong. Then there are people who read (what I consider, anyway) things that are pretentious, "literature" and such. Different discussion altogether, I know. And some of that is good, too. There are gems all over the place.
I think what I'm getting at, though, is that there isn't enough attention paid to authors who have fallen by the wayside. I've kind of thought of doing something Anastasia once did for me- randomly sending out books that are important to me. Of course, that gets expensive. I also know that I don't really get excited enough on the message boards about my own favorites. I should write more reviews, I know, but I always feel like it's just, I don't know, pretentious-sounding. Too many English teachers in high school praising my writing, maybe, that always sounded like a bunch of BS to me.
Anyway, I want to know what you all like to read. Even if it's not my bag, tell me about it. Tell me about some authors you feel are underrated and why. I should expand my own reading a little more, and not judge by what's come before in a particular sub-genre and such.
Am I coming across?