What just happened?
Some of my favourite books are downright weird, so I thought that I would share them with you, because we all need a little weirdness (and a lot of books) in our lives:
The Comforters (Muriel Spark, 1957)
Caroline Rose is plagued by the tapping of typewriter keys and the strange, detached narration of her every thought and action. Caroline has an unusual problem - she realises she is in a novel. Her fellow characters also seem deluded: Laurence, her former lover, finds diamonds in a loaf of bread - has his elderly grandmother hidden them there? And Baron Stock, her bookseller friend, believes he is on the trail of England's leading Satanist.
Why you should read it:
It's metaliterary; it features the woman I aim to be when I grow older, Laurence's elderly, jewel-smuggling grandmother; and it's the debut novel of Muriel Spark
Similar books:
The Uncommon Reader (Alan Bennett, 2007)
The Roman Actor (Philip Massinger, 1626)
The Driver's Seat (Muriel Spark, 1970)
The Countenance Divine (Michael Hughes, 2016)
In 1999, a computer programmer, Chris, is trying to fix the Millennium Bug while also trying to figure out himself, as he secretly belives himself to be chosen for something important, and his colleague Lucy, who is working on a mysterious art project. In 1888, Jack the Ripper stalks the back alleys of London, following the instructions of his master. In 1777, William Blake, poet and engraver, has a spiritual vision, and believes that he can resurrect Milton. In 1666, John Milton finishes reciting his epic, by which he will be remembered forever, but the air is thick with Popish plots and Restoration fears, not to mention the smoke from the Great Fire of London.
Why you should read it:
It's genre-defying; Hughes deserves kudos for even attempting such an ambitious debut novel; and it has one of the most beautiful covers I have ever seen
Similar books:
Cloud Atlas (David Mitchell, 2004)
Paradise Lost (John Milton, 1667)
Possession (A.S. Byatt, 1990)
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (Patrick Süskind, 1985)
Perfume is the story of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille who, since his birth in Paris in 1738, appears ordinary, harmless, perhaps even a little dim-witted, while also making everyone around him feel ill at ease. Why? Because Grenouille was born with an extremely acute sense of smell, perceiving through scent rather than vision, and without an odour of his own. Perfume is the story of a murderer.
Why you should read it:
It's an entire book about a man with a really good sense of smell; everyone should read more translated literature; and it will linger with you for some time, like any good scent should
Similar books:
Amsterdam (Ian McEwan, 1998)
The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde, 1890)
Little Face (Sophie Hannah, 2006)
Purity (Jonathan Franzen, 2015)
Pip Tyler doesn't know who she is. She knows that her real name is Purity, that she's saddled with student debt and a reclusive mother, but there are few clues as to who her father is or how she'll ever have a normal life. Then she meets Andreas Wolf - internet outlaw, charismatic provocateur, a man who deals in secrets and might just be able to help her solve the mystery of her origins.
Why you should read it:
Love him, hate him, or have barely even heard of him, Jonathan Franzen is a big name in the field of literary fiction; it features the most messed-up people I have ever encountered; it will get under your skin
Similar books:
Amsterdam (Ian McEwan, 1998)
The Mandibles: A Family, 2029–2047 (Lionel Shriver, 2016)
The Corrections (Jonathan Franzen, 2001)
Surfacing (Margaret Atwood, 1972)
The protagonist, a young woman from whose perspective the book is told but whose name is never revealed, returns to northern Quebec to the remote island of her childhood, with her lover and two friends, to investigate the disappearance of her father.
Why you should read it:
It explores some extremely deep, dark, and important themes; the prose is exquisite; at a mere 186 pages you have nothing to lose by giving it a go
Similar books:
The Awakening (Kate Chopin, 1899)
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox (Maggie O'Farrell, 2006)
The Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath, 1963)
Ulysses (James Joyce, 1920)
Reimagining Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey as the travels and trials of an everyday man through the crowded streets and pubs of Dublin, Joyce weaves strikingly versatile prose styles and varying perspectives to encompass the whole of life within the hours of a single standard day, June 16th, 1904.
Why you should read it:
It is one of the best books ever written; you don't have to pretend to understand it (because no-one really does, at least not in its entirety); it will impress everyone you tell
Similar books:
The Odyssey (Homer, c.675–725 BCE)
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (Laurence Sterne, 1759)
Mrs. Dalloway (Virginia Woolf, 1925)
The Comforters (Muriel Spark, 1957)Caroline Rose is plagued by the tapping of typewriter keys and the strange, detached narration of her every thought and action. Caroline has an unusual problem - she realises she is in a novel. Her fellow characters also seem deluded: Laurence, her former lover, finds diamonds in a loaf of bread - has his elderly grandmother hidden them there? And Baron Stock, her bookseller friend, believes he is on the trail of England's leading Satanist.
Why you should read it:
It's metaliterary; it features the woman I aim to be when I grow older, Laurence's elderly, jewel-smuggling grandmother; and it's the debut novel of Muriel Spark
Similar books:
The Uncommon Reader (Alan Bennett, 2007)
The Roman Actor (Philip Massinger, 1626)
The Driver's Seat (Muriel Spark, 1970)
The Countenance Divine (Michael Hughes, 2016)In 1999, a computer programmer, Chris, is trying to fix the Millennium Bug while also trying to figure out himself, as he secretly belives himself to be chosen for something important, and his colleague Lucy, who is working on a mysterious art project. In 1888, Jack the Ripper stalks the back alleys of London, following the instructions of his master. In 1777, William Blake, poet and engraver, has a spiritual vision, and believes that he can resurrect Milton. In 1666, John Milton finishes reciting his epic, by which he will be remembered forever, but the air is thick with Popish plots and Restoration fears, not to mention the smoke from the Great Fire of London.
Why you should read it:
It's genre-defying; Hughes deserves kudos for even attempting such an ambitious debut novel; and it has one of the most beautiful covers I have ever seen
Similar books:
Cloud Atlas (David Mitchell, 2004)
Paradise Lost (John Milton, 1667)
Possession (A.S. Byatt, 1990)
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (Patrick Süskind, 1985)Perfume is the story of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille who, since his birth in Paris in 1738, appears ordinary, harmless, perhaps even a little dim-witted, while also making everyone around him feel ill at ease. Why? Because Grenouille was born with an extremely acute sense of smell, perceiving through scent rather than vision, and without an odour of his own. Perfume is the story of a murderer.
Why you should read it:
It's an entire book about a man with a really good sense of smell; everyone should read more translated literature; and it will linger with you for some time, like any good scent should
Similar books:
Amsterdam (Ian McEwan, 1998)
The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde, 1890)
Little Face (Sophie Hannah, 2006)
Purity (Jonathan Franzen, 2015)Pip Tyler doesn't know who she is. She knows that her real name is Purity, that she's saddled with student debt and a reclusive mother, but there are few clues as to who her father is or how she'll ever have a normal life. Then she meets Andreas Wolf - internet outlaw, charismatic provocateur, a man who deals in secrets and might just be able to help her solve the mystery of her origins.
Why you should read it:
Love him, hate him, or have barely even heard of him, Jonathan Franzen is a big name in the field of literary fiction; it features the most messed-up people I have ever encountered; it will get under your skin
Similar books:
Amsterdam (Ian McEwan, 1998)
The Mandibles: A Family, 2029–2047 (Lionel Shriver, 2016)
The Corrections (Jonathan Franzen, 2001)
Surfacing (Margaret Atwood, 1972)The protagonist, a young woman from whose perspective the book is told but whose name is never revealed, returns to northern Quebec to the remote island of her childhood, with her lover and two friends, to investigate the disappearance of her father.
Why you should read it:
It explores some extremely deep, dark, and important themes; the prose is exquisite; at a mere 186 pages you have nothing to lose by giving it a go
Similar books:
The Awakening (Kate Chopin, 1899)
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox (Maggie O'Farrell, 2006)
The Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath, 1963)
Ulysses (James Joyce, 1920)Reimagining Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey as the travels and trials of an everyday man through the crowded streets and pubs of Dublin, Joyce weaves strikingly versatile prose styles and varying perspectives to encompass the whole of life within the hours of a single standard day, June 16th, 1904.
Why you should read it:
It is one of the best books ever written; you don't have to pretend to understand it (because no-one really does, at least not in its entirety); it will impress everyone you tell
Similar books:
The Odyssey (Homer, c.675–725 BCE)
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (Laurence Sterne, 1759)
Mrs. Dalloway (Virginia Woolf, 1925)
No comments have been added yet.
