"unique" book recommendations?

[rex-craft7]

hey im new here>> ok anyways, im looking for some books to read since its summer and all.. im not a very avid reader, but im looking for some interesting, out of the ordinary, but still very well written books>> maybe books where it deals on topics that are taboo/ different/ rarely mentioned?>> or some really just unique story>> sorry im not to specific>> right, most of the time, i look for movies that make me question things, analyze, or have philosophical elements thrown in them>> and im guessing id enjoy a book thats similar to that>> thx>>

[tudwell]

You might try House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewsky. It's a horror novel of sorts, in the form of an unfinished manuscript about a documentary about a haunted house found by a California druggee. It's been described as a "satire of academic criticism". It abounds in footnotes, appendices, an index, and other metafictional devices. It's very original and very fun to read. The work of a true artist.

[Bakiryu]

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. Its truly unique and awesome and it deals with basic human fears. I tend to cry every time i read it :blush: but is not chick lit.

[Dark Star]

There is much better material available within the realm of sci-fi than card, so I wouldn't necessarily recommend that...rather...juvenile, for lack of a better term.

That said, on a similar note: David Lindsay's A Voyage to Arcturus. 1920s sci-fi....very well written, amazing, very WEIRD yet beautiful. Just make sure you expect to have to trudge through the first five chapters. It becomes truly amazing after that.

[Bakiryu]

There is much better material available within the realm of sci-fi than card, so I wouldn't necessarily recommend that...rather...juvenile, for lack of a better term.

Excuse me?! Ender's Game is the best book there is!!!!


Rex: You can also read The Lord of The Rings or The Silmarillon.

[Dori]

Philosophocal elements? Try Voltaire's Candide or More's Utopia. They are both no more than 150 pages each and will take a realtively short time to read them whether you are an avid reader or not.

[sir winston]

take it or leave it, i'll just throw out: till we have faces, by c.s. lewis.

it's kind of a mishmash of fantasy, religion, mythology. pretty interesting though.

[Pensive]

A Bridge to Terabithia and Dastak Nah Do (for those who can understand Urdu).

[Dark Star]

Excuse me?! Ender's Game is the best book there is!!!!


Rex: You can also read The Lord of The Rings or The Silmarillon.

It's a book about a couple of kids who are able to defeat an army of aliens that the world's top military geniuses couldn't defeat by training in 'training rooms' with techniques that require less strategy than a game of Starcraft. Come on, I know sci-fi doesn't rely on realism for the most part but that's going a bit over the top. It doesn't help that those 'training rooms' are rather tedious and take up a large portion of the book.

[Bii]

What about "The Woman and the Ape" by Peter Hoeg - about a woman who leaves her husband for an ape.

[ThousandthIsle]

im looking for some interesting, out of the ordinary, but still very well written books>> maybe books where it deals on topics that are taboo/ different/ rarely mentioned?>> or some really just unique story


I would suggest Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov! Its protagonist is a pedophile, but I can almost guarantee that you will wind up sympathizing with him and even liking him on a certain level... Also features top-of-the-line prose, hard to find much that compares with Nabokov.

[metal134]

Catch 22 is very interesting, very unique, very out of the ordinary and , of course, very well written.

[Video Drone]

techniques that require less strategy than a game of Starcraft.What the heck is your problem with StarCraft? :flare:

[BlueSkyGB]

How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day by Michael J. Gelb

[manolia]

Well, i was undecided whether i should recommend you this or not..this is a book i read in highschool, written by a french author, rather obscure, but then again i could be wrong about that (french people may disagree). I'll post a wikipedia link, but the description made there concerning the author is a bit out of place, if you ask me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Lou%C3%BFs

I have read "Trois Filles de Leur Mére" ("Their mother's three daughters"). I can't say that i liked it, but till today it's the most "unique" book i have read ;) .
And it deals with rather taboo subjects..

[Dark Star]

What the heck is your problem with StarCraft? :flare:

I love StarCraft, however, if 'training' takes less skill than StarCraft does it certainly isn't going to lead to being able to out-maneuver an invasion of enemies that are too smart for the world's greatest military geniuses to handle.:p

[Bakiryu]

It's a book about a couple of kids who are able to defeat an army of aliens that the world's top military geniuses couldn't defeat by training in 'training rooms' with techniques that require less strategy than a game of Starcraft. Come on, I know sci-fi doesn't rely on realism for the most part but that's going a bit over the top. It doesn't help that those 'training rooms' are rather tedious and take up a large portion of the book.


But Ender was a military genius! And he actually killed them all then spent most of eternity filled with regret. The books were awesome! but the first was the best. The long training room parts just serve to illustrate Ender's Sorrow and Isolation for the rest of humanity which he saved :flare:

[Whifflingpin]

"What about "The Woman and the Ape" by Peter Hoeg - about a woman who leaves her husband for an ape."

Yes indeed, brilliant book - in fact all of Hoeg's books throw out a challenge of some sort. He does not get mentioned nearly enough in these forums.

Of course, if we're going for humanity/apedom relationship, Peter Dickinson's 'Eva' is a must.

[aabbcc]

Unique books... I suppose each of us has a different definition of it, so at least for me, these are the books that left a "weird" flavour in my mouth:

Thomas Mann - The Holy Sinner (or at least I believe it is translated that way, the original title is Der Erwählte), a book which deals with quite a tabu... And has got the least expected ending you could imagine. Highly recommended, and it is a very good book - it is Mann after all...

Hermann Hesse - a lot of his works tend to be what one would call "unique", personally I am not as much into his best known Steppenwolf as in other of his works... Try Demian or, if you are into lenghtier ones, The Glass Bead Game.

I am also going to second the recommendation of Voltaire's Candide, though that is a work of completely different nature than the previous ones I mentioned, but it is quite... brilliant, when you think a bit better about it.

If you like poetry, I suppose that certain French symbolists are what one would call to be "different" - or at least to me.

However, the all-time winner for me is Pessoa, especially his Book of disquiet. Now, that was weird - in the best sense possible.

[stlukesguild]

I've yet to read Danielewsky's House of Leaves, although from what browsing that I have done it does strike me as a book that would interest me. Of course if one is going to explore something along the lines of metafiction it might be best to start with one of the classics in the field. I would suggest John Barth's Giles, Goat Boy, almost anything by J.L. Borges (perhaps you might want to start with Labyrinths, Ficciones or Dreamtigers. The Latin-American writers are absolute masters of the genres of metafiction and "magic realism" and you could not go wrong exploring any number of other authors and works. Julio Cortazar's novel Hopscotch and Blow Up and Other Stories are undoubted classics. A similar writer to Borges is the Guatemalan, Augusto Monterroso, whose Complete Works and Other Stories is a fabulous collection of short "fictions" including the work reputed to be the shortest published story. Joachim Maria Machado de Assis is also quite a unique writer. I am especially fond of his Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas. Alejo Carpentier is unquestionably one of the giants of 20th century literature and his Kingdom of this World and Explosion in the Cathedral shouldn't be missed, but you might also enjoy his novella, Baroque Concerto which is a fantastic merger of myth, fantasy and history. Another fun latin American book is Maria Vargas Llosa's In Praise of the Stepmother. This work interweaves a contemporary narrative of a husband, his second wife and a precocious child with erotic fantasies spurred on by works of art (which are reproduced in the book). In a similar 'magic realist" vein one should not miss out on Italo Calvino. Like Borges, almost anything he has written is worth reading, but I would especially recommend Invisible Cities, The Baron in the Tress, Cosmicomics, and If on a Winter's Night a Taveller. More obscure, but brilliantly funny, especially in his great short story Gogol's Wife, is Tomasso Landolfi. Then of course there is always Kafka and perhaps the great father of all metafiction, Lawrence Sterne, whose Life and Opinions of Tristam Shandy is one of the masterpieces of the novel as an art form. I would also second Lolita , Hesse, Mann, Voltaire and Pessoa as well as the French Symbolist poets (Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Verlaine, Mallarme, Gautier, Valery). I would caution that brilliant as these poets are I don't find them to be that "out of the ordinary"... especially not after having read Blake, Traherne, Novalis, Holderlin, or even Dante.

[Bakiryu]

The best book I've ever read (well mostly) MIDDLESEX! tRY IT now!!!

[SleepyWitch]

The best book I've ever read (well mostly) MIDDLESEX! tRY IT now!!!

yep, that's one of my all-time favourites too

[barbara0207]

I second Baki and Sleepy's recommendation.

The book (wriiten by Jeffrey Eugenides) is about a hermaphrodite and the history of his family. It touches a lot of historical, politcal and philosophical issues. Although I would not say it's the best book I ever read, it is certainly very interesting and thought-provoking.

[aabbcc]

In a similar 'magic realist" vein one should not miss out on Italo Calvino. Like Borges, almost anything he has written is worth reading, but I would especially recommend Invisible Cities, The Baron in the Tress, Cosmicomics, and If on a Winter's Night a Taveller.
I second that - especially the last work mentioned.

While we are on the topic of Italian literature, I will add to my recommendations Luigi Pirandello (whom I misteriously missed out) - virtually anything written by him, though I enjoyed One, None and a Hundred Thousand the most - that would be quite "unique" work I suppose. The Late Mattia Pascal was also very enjoyable, and I am looking forward to reading Six Characters in Search of an Author soon. :)

Also, perhaps you might wish to try Milan Kundera - really, anything. My favourites are Life is Elsewhere and, no matter how typical it might sound, The Unbearable Lightness of Being.

[Mortis Anarchy]

Middlesex, definetly! I, Lucifer by Glen Duncan...you get to hear the otherside of the story but in a funny way. Jorge Luis Borges (Dreamtiger and Labyrinth), Ernesto Sabato (The Tunnel)...Kafka, Voltaire(he's been mentioned, but I totally love him)...Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler...Hairstyles of the Damned and The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

[SleepyWitch]

Well, i was undecided whether i should recommend you this or not..this is a book i read in highschool, written by a french author, rather obscure, but then again i could be wrong about that (french people may disagree). I'll post a wikipedia link, but the description made there concerning the author is a bit out of place, if you ask me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Lou%C3%BFs

I have read "Trois Filles de Leur Mére" ("Their mother's three daughters"). I can't say that i liked it, but till today it's the most "unique" book i have read ;) .
And it deals with rather taboo subjects..

hey, those French lesbians sound fun :D
unfortunately, the German title translates back into English as "Three daughters and their mother into the bargain", which sounds less fun :(
my univ's library has got a German translation, but you can't order it, have to pick it up yourself from the German Studies departmental library...
hehe, I don't wanna be caught taking out a book with such a title :)

[Bakiryu]

hehe, I don't wanna be caught taking out a book with such a title :)

:lol: That WOULD BE rather awkward :lol:

[hedbanger]

http://hedbanger.atspace.com/Writing/webst.html

Not exactly a book, but I'd reccomend it anyway. =)

[suju]

I would suggest Twilight, if you like it, continue with other series as well.:yawnb:

[Bakiryu]

I would suggest Twilight, if you like it, continue with other series as well.:yawnb:

Yeah, try NEW MOON and the third book is coming out soon *falls in love with Edward and Isabella*

[Demian]

I've done this to many people; trying to make Phillip K. Dick disciples one soul at a time. Valis is unlike anything I've ever read. And if the cross -homogenization of the world's religions and philosophies is too overbearing, The Man in the High Castle is a pretty good one to start with.

[Anne Teak]

Well, if you're looking for weird and taboo I can think of no better author than William S. Burroughs. Seeing as he was practically on every single drug available to man whenever he wrote his books, they are a little hard to read and are very confusing at times. But his book Naked Lunch is one of the best books I have ever read... it's also the book where the band Steely Dan got their name. :D

I also highly suggest the Illuminatus! Trilogy and Schrodinger's Cat by Robert Anton Wilson. Those books changed my entire perspective on life!

[syiah]

Hmm...taboo topics are interesting. :D

The afore-mentioned Nabokov's Lolita is wonderful!

Also, any title by Anthony Burgess is highly recommended. Clockwork Orange is his best known book. It's protagonist is a juvenile deliquent who accidentally commits murder. Maybe also try The Wanting Seed? It deals with an overpopulated universe where homosexuality is openly advocated by the goverment...

If you're in the mood for something darker try a title by De Sade. Maybe Juliette would be good for starters? All of his works deal with the concept that the "good guy" is completely crushed, and that it's more profitable to succumb to evil temptations...(Hence derived from his name, "sadism")

[Anthony Furze]

Try "Still She Haunts Me" by Katie Roiphe. It deals very delicately with the relationship between Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) and his real-life Alice, Alice Liddell.

[the silent x]

brave new world - aldous huxley,

And if starcraft doesn't take skill, then I have none. I've been playing that game for about four years and last at most two minutes, then I get slaughtered.

[Sally Slingshot]

Einstein's Dreams - Alan Lightman
Narrative meditations on the nature of time.

Golden Gate - Vikram Seth
A novel in verse about love and friendship.

Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace
Stylistic tour de force on addiction.

The World Doesn't End - Charles Simic
Surreal prose poetry.

[Dark Star]

And if starcraft doesn't take skill, then I have none. I've been playing that game for about four years and last at most two minutes, then I get slaughtered.

It damn sure takes skill, but I don't think anyone believes it takes more skill than being a general in a real army, which was my point.:p

[paleika]

I recommend A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. The characters talk in a made up slang and there is tons of violence. The book also poses questions about good, evil, and human freedom. It's one of my favorites :thumbs_up

[ReynardtheFox]

I'm going to wholeheartedly recommend you Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins.
He talks about the secret of eternal youth, The King of the Bean, the god Pan, perfume, beets, one-eyed Irishmen, New Orleans, and what to do when surrounded by a gaggle of golden-thighed nymphs. Pick it up and read the first 2 pages - if you like them, you'll love the rest of it.

[Starving Buddha]

Well, if you're looking for weird and taboo I can think of no better author than William S. Burroughs. Seeing as he was practically on every single drug available to man whenever he wrote his books, they are a little hard to read and are very confusing at times. But his book Naked Lunch is one of the best books I have ever read... it's also the book where the band Steely Dan got their name. :D

I also highly suggest the Illuminatus! Trilogy and Schrodinger's Cat by Robert Anton Wilson. Those books changed my entire perspective on life!

Nova Express by Burroughs is absolute genius. He lays out the nature of reality from a Buddhist/Hindu perspective perfectly in his concept of "Clip Clap"...

[THX-1138]

Anything by George Orwell you won't regret reading them.

[Scheherazade]

John Fowles' books make very interesting read, too.

[aswelch]

Well, when I think weird and obscure, I think of underappreciated works or works that are only read in certain groups. As such, I would like to recommend some great books I have recently read.

"Nine Stories"- by J. D. Salinger. Actually, I would love to recommend anything by him that is NOT "Catcher in the Rye". Honestly I hated that book. I don't want to get on a soapbox about that, but I will emphasize that the other things he wrote were amazing and are *seldom* read. You can follow this link to a great site with almost everything he ever wrote linked in full text. http://www.freeweb.hu/tchl/salinger/ (I don't see how this can be legal but I love it!)

"Dune"- Frank Herbert. This is a great Sci-fi series that incorporates politics, government, political intrigue...the list goes on and on. Unfortunately I have not quite finished the first book but my boyfriend agrees with my statements in reference to the entire series. I have never encountered a tone and style that is so comfortable and easy for me. I fall right into his world everytime I pick it up.

I can't think of anymore books right now. I am sure I will be posting again.

[jdadler]

Hello, new to the forum. like what I see.

this summer I read 'Life of Pi' by Yann Martel. Its a first person narrative being retold by a first person narrator with an ending you will not see coming.

I would also recommend 'Lamb, the gospel according to Bif" by Cristopher Moore (how's that for a pen name) its the missing years of jesus's life as told by his best friend Levi aka Bif. brilliant and hysterical.

[Nossa]

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.
I agree on Middlesex as well, it's really good.
You might wanna try A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. It's a bit big, but it's one of the best books I've ever read.