Are there any books that you've read, and like, but when you step back and think about the book you're surprised you like it?
Lately I've read a few books by Charles Willeford (The Shark-Infested Custard, Miami Blues, and New Hope for the Dead). In all of the books, essentially every character is alternately: mean, gross, vile, an actual murderer, an actual sociopath, or utterly unable to see other people as people.
Maybe that's all to be expected because they're very dark comedies (90%+ cacao), but I have still ended up surprised after finishing each book that I enjoyed it and would read another.
I'm even unsure about recommending them to friends, at least not without giving a caveat up front.
What about you all?
This is a pretty interesting article that talks about a story that Herbert worked on as a journalist that ties in directly to some of the ecological concepts covered in Dune: https://niche-canada.org/2020/04/24/frank-herberts-ecology-and-the-science-of-soil-conservation/