Unique Page Order/ Format. 3 stories in 1 Book: 1) Read odd pages for the first story. 2) Read even pages for a second story. 3) Read every page in order for a third story. Possibly a graphic novel? Read around early 1990s?

[Tina]

One time on a flight my dad was given a book that if you read the even number pages you got one story, if you read the odd number pages you got another story and when you read from the first page to the last you got another story. He can't remember the name. I've looked online and I can't find anything, does anyone know or have heard of a graphic novel or maybe a book like that?

[Shelley]

Sounds interesting I hope you find it. I'd like to read it.

[Jenna]

I hope you find it too...it sounds interesting. (And rather complex to write.)

[Jessica]

this sounds like a great book. I hope you find it soon

[Kiriys]

I don't know your book, but here are some lists it might be on.

Kindle-Conflicting Books
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...

Books with Innovative Book Design/Structure
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...

Physically Engaging Books
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

[Tina]

Kiriys wrote: "I don't know your book, but here are some lists it might be on.

Kindle-Conflicting Books
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...

Books with Innovative Book Design/Struc..." thanks for this! I'll check it out :D

[Juels]

Hopscotch by Julio Cortázar has some strange reading orders.

[Kris]

Tina, is this a graphic novel with mostly images on every page? Can you describe the illustrations - realistic/cartoony/cute, simple/detailed, painted watercolors/bold graphics, sunny/dark/muted colors/black & white?

[Justanotherbiblophile]

*bump*

[Tina]

Kris - my dad remember nothing of it. Only the order :( I feel like it’s a graphic novel but I dunno. I’ve been looking for it for years.

Justanotherbibliphile thanks for the bump :)

[Kris]

Tina, around what year did your dad receive this book?

Is this book for children, young adults (teens), or older adults? Are there many illustrations throughout the book?

What are the themes or tone of the stories (e.g., funny, serious, mystery/crime, adventure, fantasy/science fiction, non-fiction)?

[Kris]

A long shot - the graphic novel H Day (2010) by Renée French?

"Without the back cover informing readers they are about to embark on a journey about migraines and Argentinean ants, French's nearly wordless latest graphic novel (after 2006's The Ticking) would be difficult to penetrate. But perhaps that's the point. The two stories run concurrently: on the left, an unpleasant-looking stinger takes up residence in a faceless body, causing the head to growing incrementally larger, while on the right, a fog-shrouded city is slowly overtaken by a swarm of tiny black ants, the only surviving witness being a small black dog. Both stories are rendered in French's haunting, unique pencil drawings but are distinct from one another, with the migraine pages remaining primarily white with line drawings and little shading, and the ant infestation saga relying heavily on shading and myriad tones of grays. Those afflicted with migraines will recognize a fellow sufferer as French depicts the intense cranial pressure and the feeling that something is clawing around inside one's skull trying to escape (which, in French's world, it does). But despite the intriguingly postapocalyptic feel of the ant invasion, the link to the plight of the migraine sufferer remains elusive."

[Tina]

Hey Kris, like I said before he only remembers the order but I feel it would be a graphic novel. He read it before all/most airplanes had the entertainment system so that would’ve been early 90s perhaps?

H Day looks pretty cool though! I’ll have to get for the library I work at! Thanks for continuing to look for this :)

[Justanotherbiblophile]

*bump*

[Tina]

Thanks :)

[Kris]

Which airline offered him the book? They may have the same country of origin.

Did you turn the book upside-down to read the second story? This list contains examples of Double Sided Books.

[Tina]

It wasn't an airline that gave it to him, it was one of the passengers. I'll check the list thanks!

[Justanotherbiblophile]

*bump*

[Justanotherbiblophile]

*3-in-1 bump*

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Tina, are you still looking for this or did you find it?

[Tina]

Lobstergirl wrote: "Tina, are you still looking for this or did you find it?"still looking! thinking of deleting this post though it's been a long long time

[Capn]

This one might be too recent, but in case he can read French:

https://www.amazon.com/Recto-verso-pa...

Keep this thread open! Keep the faith! :)

[Capn]

Does your Dad remember if it was a normal, novel-sized paperback book?

I'm assuming it wasn't huge if someone brought it along in carry-on luggage, but I probably shouldn't be making any assumptions at all.

And does your Dad speak any other language other than English? :)

[Tina]

Capn wrote: "Does your Dad remember if it was a normal, novel-sized paperback book?

I'm assuming it wasn't huge if someone brought it along in carry-on luggage, but I probably shouldn't be making any assumpti..."

Hahahah yeah maybe I should keep the faith on this! He speaks Spanish too but I think the book was in English. This was YEARS ago so I think the carry on's where a bit bigger than what they are no haha

[Capn]

Aha! I don't speak/read Spanish, but there were a few books in this language that I saw on Bookfinder when I searched "Recto Verso" (what right and left-handed book pages are called).

Is there any chance it was alternating chapters and not pages? (I don't have a book matching that yet, but I'll bet it'll be easier to write and therefore more likely to exist!) :)

[Capn]

This one is alternating chapters, from 1985 or so. I found it on this Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/printSF/comm...


Walking in Glass
Iain Banks' "Walking in Glass" - three separate stories in ABCABC format that coincide at the end. Might just qualify as sci-fi?


I will keep looking.

It occurs to me that your dad probably only had a chance to read some of it... is he 100% sure of the PAGES alternating and not chapters?

[Kris]

I added some details to the header/ topic title. Feel free to edit it.

Can he eliminate books written for young children?

[Capn]

Juels already mentioned it above, but before Hopscotch was, the original, Rayeula, existed in Spanish (1963)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hopsc...

[Capn]

These are the closest I can get:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theg...


"In fact Saporta's novel has 150 opening paragraphs, because it consists of 150 unbound pages, printed on one side only, which the reader is meant to shuffle and read in any order. It is an extreme example of aleatory or interactive literature, that tiny but fascinating sub-genre which numbers among its better-known examples Hopscotch by Julio Cortázar, Landscape Painted with Tea by the Serbian novelist Milorad Pavic and – perhaps most famously in this country - BS Johnson's The Unfortunates."

[Capn]

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/sho...

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

[David]

Capn wrote: "Juels already mentioned it above, but before Hopscotch was, the original, Rayeula, existed in Spanish (1963)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hopsc..."

My first option was Rayuela, but it didn't fit. Rayuela can be read either consecutively all chapters (except a few) or following a specific sequence from a guide included in the book.

[Capn]

Oh, thank you, David. I had a grievous typo, I see. Thanks for the correction!

Just in case this helps:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fragm...

...in which I learned that Bob Dylan wrote a fragmentary novel called Tarantula. :)

But there are many - some will be closer than others to the mystery book we seek!

[David]

That is a very interesting list!

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Still looking, Tina?

[Tina]

Thanks for all the suggestions in this past 2 years!

Yes I am still looking for it but I was not getting notifications for some reason!
Thanks for all the help!