Reading Recommendation-Weird, Stange Books

ctol · 09-07-2010, 04:28 AM

Do not know if this has been asked about before, but every now and then I like to read weird, strange, and different books. So what I am looking for are the weirdest, strangest, oddest books you have ever read. They can be any genre. I do not care if they are dead tree or ebook either.

For example the two at the top of my list are Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon and The Enstein Intersection by Samuel R. Delaney.

SlowRain · 09-07-2010, 04:57 AM

You could try The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster.

ardeegee · 09-07-2010, 07:36 AM

You could try books by China Miéville. Or Kelly Link. Or this one by Cory Doctorow. Or The Ant King.:
http://smallbeerpress.com/creative-commons/
Or some of the authors mentioned in this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bizarro_fiction

montsnmags · 09-07-2010, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ctol

Do not know if this has been asked about before, but every now and then I like to read weird, strange, and different books. So what I am looking for are the weirdest, strangest, oddest books you have ever read. They can be any genre. I do not care if they are dead tree or ebook either.

For example the two at the top of my list are Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon and The Enstein Intersection by Samuel R. Delaney.

I haven't read The Einstein Intersection, and was initially prompted to say Dhalgren. Have you read it?

Cheers,
Marc

RCR · 09-07-2010, 08:15 AM

Codex Seraphinianus.

WillAdams · 09-07-2010, 09:45 AM

David Lindsay's _A Voyage to Arcturus_ available in various versions here by Dr. Drib and mtravellerh

William

poohbear_nc · 09-07-2010, 10:03 AM

Anything by Scarlett Thomas - esp. PopCo and The End of Mr. Y (say it out loud to get the pun) - she's a brilliant, quirky, mathematically based writer that can blend pop culture with Derrida and cryptography. Need I say more?

durkinrobinson · 09-07-2010, 10:13 AM

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and Everything is Illuminated.

some call me tim · 09-07-2010, 10:46 AM

The Illuminatus Trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson, Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs. Just read Perdido Street Station by Mieville, and it was very weird, but very enjoyable. And I'll throw out the Thursday Next books by Jasper Fforde too--not as weird as some others mentioned, but certainly highly imaginitive. Start with The Eyre Affair.

ctol · 09-08-2010, 05:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by montsnmags

I haven't read The Einstein Intersection, and was initially prompted to say Dhalgren. Have you read it?

Cheers,
Marc

No have not read Dhalgren yet thanks for the headsup on it.

ctol · 09-08-2010, 05:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by some call me tim

The Illuminatus Trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson, Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs. Just read Perdido Street Station by Mieville, and it was very weird, but very enjoyable. And I'll throw out the Thursday Next books by Jasper Fforde too--not as weird as some others mentioned, but certainly highly imaginitive. Start with The Eyre Affair.

Thank you very much for the tips on the books

dworth · 09-08-2010, 10:39 AM

HP Lovecraft's stuff is pretty wierd and unsettling. Depends how you feel about ancient slithering things from the deepest dark places in the ocean I guess.

Cthulthu f'tagn!

Penforhire · 09-09-2010, 12:37 PM

China Mieville is about the weirdest that I really enjoyed reading, so +1 for him.

Slightly lower on my enjoyment scale would be Deus Irae by Dick & Zelazny, two true titans of SF. Somehow their collaboration was just too... weird.

Also Robert Anton Wilson's 'Schrodinger's Cat' trilogy. I think my brain just isn't big enough for him.

Things I suffered through for school, like Joyce, are mostly repressed memories now.

GERGE · 09-09-2010, 12:47 PM

China Mieville

The New Life from Orhan Pamuk is pretty weird too but I can't speak for the english translation.

You can always read Ada or Ardor.

gollu · 09-09-2010, 01:09 PM

Breakfast fort Champions by Kurt Vonnegut is what comes to mind. Vonnegut is quite extra ordinary author but that one is one piece of weird book.

09-07-2010, 04:28 AM	#1
ctol Groupie Posts: 152 Karma: 303523 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Arizona Device: Nook, Fire Tablet, Windows RT Tablet Windows Phone	Reading Recommendation-Weird, Stange Books Do not know if this has been asked about before, but every now and then I like to read weird, strange, and different books. So what I am looking for are the weirdest, strangest, oddest books you have ever read. They can be any genre. I do not care if they are dead tree or ebook either. For example the two at the top of my list are Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon and The Enstein Intersection by Samuel R. Delaney.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Australian E-Books Sci Fi recommendation?	MrZ	Reading Recommendations	18	01-05-2012 05:40 PM
Weird two tier pricing for some Kindle books?	bfollowell	Amazon Kindle	17	09-29-2010 06:51 PM
Stange problem with PDF file	daesdaemar	Sony Reader	0	04-09-2010 10:03 AM
Weird problem with metadata in converted books?	jjje555	Calibre	3	12-28-2009 06:55 PM
DX For Reading Books vs K2	poohbear_nc	Amazon Kindle	4	06-12-2009 07:22 PM

09-07-2010, 04:57 AM	#2
SlowRain Addict Posts: 311 Karma: 9553 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: a Canadian expat in Taiwan Device: HTC 10, Asus Phonepad	You could try The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster.

09-07-2010, 07:36 AM	#3
ardeegee Maratus speciosus butt Posts: 3,292 Karma: 1162698 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: PRS-350	You could try books by China Miéville. Or Kelly Link. Or this one by Cory Doctorow. Or The Ant King.: http://smallbeerpress.com/creative-commons/ Or some of the authors mentioned in this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bizarro_fiction

09-07-2010, 08:15 AM	#5
RCR Addict Posts: 334 Karma: 992487 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: 2 x Sony 505, iPad, Samsung 7 Tablet, ASUS Transformer, Nexus 7	Codex Seraphinianus.

09-07-2010, 09:45 AM	#6
WillAdams Wizard Posts: 1,250 Karma: 3439432 Join Date: Feb 2008 Device: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (300ppi), Samsung Galaxy Book 12	David Lindsay's _A Voyage to Arcturus_ available in various versions here by Dr. Drib and mtravellerh William

09-07-2010, 10:03 AM	#7
poohbear_nc Now what? Posts: 60,972 Karma: 135181808 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Durham, NC Device: Every Kindle Ever Made & To Be Made!	Anything by Scarlett Thomas - esp. PopCo and The End of Mr. Y (say it out loud to get the pun) - she's a brilliant, quirky, mathematically based writer that can blend pop culture with Derrida and cryptography. Need I say more?

09-07-2010, 10:13 AM	#8
durkinrobinson Lovechild Posts: 90 Karma: 100000 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Tampa Bay Device: Kindle	A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and Everything is Illuminated.

09-07-2010, 10:46 AM	#9
some call me tim Connoisseur Posts: 52 Karma: 22620 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Seattle Device: Kindle Voyage, Kobo Libra	The Illuminatus Trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson, Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs. Just read Perdido Street Station by Mieville, and it was very weird, but very enjoyable. And I'll throw out the Thursday Next books by Jasper Fforde too--not as weird as some others mentioned, but certainly highly imaginitive. Start with The Eyre Affair.

09-08-2010, 10:39 AM	#12
dworth Zealot Posts: 140 Karma: 2094632 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Bradford, UK Device: kindle pc	HP Lovecraft's stuff is pretty wierd and unsettling. Depends how you feel about ancient slithering things from the deepest dark places in the ocean I guess. Cthulthu f'tagn!

09-09-2010, 12:37 PM	#13
Penforhire Wizard Posts: 2,230 Karma: 7145404 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Southern California Device: Kindle Voyage & iPhone 7+	China Mieville is about the weirdest that I really enjoyed reading, so +1 for him. Slightly lower on my enjoyment scale would be Deus Irae by Dick & Zelazny, two true titans of SF. Somehow their collaboration was just too... weird. Also Robert Anton Wilson's 'Schrodinger's Cat' trilogy. I think my brain just isn't big enough for him. Things I suffered through for school, like Joyce, are mostly repressed memories now.

09-09-2010, 12:47 PM	#14
GERGE Guru Posts: 733 Karma: 5797160 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Istanbul Device: Kobo Libra	China Mieville The New Life from Orhan Pamuk is pretty weird too but I can't speak for the english translation. You can always read Ada or Ardor.

Advert

Advert

09-09-2010, 01:09 PM	#15
gollu Unsullied Posts: 249 Karma: 759693 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Israel Device: Kindle 2i	Breakfast fort Champions by Kurt Vonnegut is what comes to mind. Vonnegut is quite extra ordinary author but that one is one piece of weird book.