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35 Weird But Brilliant Books If You Are Seeking To Read Something Different, As Shared Online
We all have different tastes when it comes to many things – from food to music, art, and books. The reasons behind it can be complicated, but we’re not here to discuss them. Instead, we’re here to appreciate how these differences make our world diverse, interesting, and a little odd.
To celebrate said oddness, today we’re also serving you a full list of weird books. Well, at least according to netizens in various online threads. Whether these books are strange due to their storylines, structures, characters, or whatever else – they are perfectly tip-toeing the line between being too bizarre to enjoy and being very captivating. So, let’s take a look at what’s on the list and maybe we’ll find our next must-read!
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#1
A Dirty Job - Christopher Moore - a delight.
RELATED:
#3
The Eyre Affair by Jasper fforde.
Bill Swallow 3 months ago
*ALL* of the Thursday Next books, and all of his other works. Well chosen! Seeing the audience in a live stage performance of 'Richard III' do audience interaction a la 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' was sheer comedic genius!
We probably don’t have to tell you that books are good for us, do we? From improving our vocabulary and enhancing critical thinking to building imagination and developing empathy – it’s one of the most beneficial pastimes a person can do.
Yet, there are quite a lot of people who don’t like reading. Some of them even despise it. As with everything else in life, this hatred (or at least simple dislike) has its own reasons. For instance, some people struggle with dyslexia, which makes it harder for them to enjoy reading, while others simply have poor reading comprehension.
Then there are those who get scared away from reading in school, where they had to study books that were boring to them, so now they imagine all books are this way. At the same time, there are folks who are simply wired to not enjoy books and prefer other forms of entertainment – it’s no secret that everyone likes different things.
#6
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch is an interesting read. Not sure if it’s weird enough for your criteria but it’s a ride.
Luke Branwen 3 months ago
One of my favorite books ever. Idk if I'd call it "weird" but it's definitely a mindfuck.
The latter sentiment also applies to the book-reading community itself. While they’re united by a love for literature, they might clash due to things like contrasting book interpretations or liking different genres.
After all, genres themselves are very open to interpretation and the exact number of them isn’t agreed upon. In some places, they’re put under 50 divisions, and with the subgenres, the number is increased to more than 110, but in other places, like Amazon, there are over 16,000 of them.
So, you see, very flexible when it comes to the numbers. It also suggests there’s a genre for everyone, but it might take a while for a person to discover it.
#7
If on a winter’s night a traveler by Italo Calvino. It’s postmodern with an inventive structure and multiple narrative threads.
The City & the City by China Mieville. Fantastical detective fiction in two overlapping cities.
#9
Confederacy of Dunces
Geek Love.
Today we will talk about only one of the genres, the so-called “weird fiction” genre. We got such an idea after witnessing people online asking for suggestions for “weird” books. We looked at what people offered and compiled the most interesting answers into this list. So, if you’re looking for some odd but good books to read, you’re in the right place.
And if you want to learn what “weird fiction” is, you’re also in the right place. What we have to mention first is that the books in this list do not necessarily fall under this genre; they can be put under various categories, but their structures, narratives, and anything else made people feel like they were reading an odd book.
#10
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr is very strange but lovely. I think there are five main characters across several timelines.
Multa Nocte 3 months ago
It was a lot of work to read, but I received it as a birthday gift and felt morally obligated to read it.
#12
Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu is probably the most unique structure for a book I have ever read (and a good story/theme).
So, when someone asked for suggestions online, they recommended it. The weird fiction genre (in fact, it’s more of a subgenre) is a bit more specific than that.
Still, it’s not the easiest thing to define, so bear with us. Basically, it’s a subgenre of speculative fiction (an umbrella of genres that depart from realism). It avoids or at least radically reinterprets traditional antagonists of supernatural horror fiction (ghosts, vampires, and such). Instead, it tries to instill fear and awe by evoking unnerving feelings of the ever-present sense of inescapable dread.
In the books, the antagonists can be something outside the power and understanding of man, the law of nature, or something that lurks beyond the world we know. If it sounds pretty confusing, we warned you it was something hard to define.
#13
**I Who Have Never Known Men** is probably the most unique book I’ve ever read.
**Homegoing** is an amazing book with a structure I’ve never seen anywhere else before.
Forrest Hobbs 3 months ago
"Story of a girl locked in a cage with 39 women in an underground bunker on a nameless world". More here: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/feb/01/i-who-have-never-known-men-lost-dystopia-new-readers-after-buzz-on-tiktok "The narrator is the youngest of 40 captives and too young to remember her past. “All the guards are men,” Brown said, “and that’s all the women know about gender. They never really understand why they are there or how long they would be kept for.” Or any sense of time at all."
#14
Pretty much anything by Alfred Bester. He actually makes use of typography and white space, so beware ebook editions.
#15
-Library at Mount Char (one of my favorites)
-Annihilation (the whole trilogy is dreamy, trippy, and uniquely well written)
-John Dies at the End (really weird, silly, and just plain fun)
-Vita Nostra (like a trippier Russian version of Harry Potter)
-The Hike (a short, odd, and fun adventure).
To fully comprehend what this subgenre is about, you have to read it. Wikipedia offers a full list of writers whose creations can be categorized as “weird fiction” – from H. P. Lovecraft to Ray Bradbury – and even within this subgenre, you have plenty of options.
And if you don’t feel like reading books that instill a feeling of inescapable dread, hopefully, you’ll find what to read from today’s list!
#17
Chuck Palahniuk has some weird strange good reads. The Survivor, Lullaby, Rant, all come to mind. I enjoyed the survivor the best but it’s been a bit. (He’s also the author if fight club if anyone did t know already.).
#19
Chouette by Claire Oshetsky!! One of my absolute favorite books. Bizarre plot, intensely resonant, haunting prose. Definitely check it out.
#24
The Castle of Crossed Destinies by Italo Calvino, in which stories are told through tarot cards.
Roland Barthes’ S/Z, which breaks down Balzac’s story, “Sarrasine.”.
#25
334 by Thomas M Disch. It has a sort of map you need to reference to tell which character and time they are in.
#27
Anything by Ottesa Moshfegh. I really liked My Year of Rest and Relaxation.
Chris the Bobcat 3 months ago
The cover painting is 'Portrait of a Young Woman in White' by Jacques-Louis David, painted ca. 1798. Just in case you were interested.
#29
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
Outer Dark by Cormac McCarthy
Child of God by Cormac McCarthy.
#30
*The Perfume* by Patrick Süskind.
#31
The Last Window-Giraffe by Peter Zilahy. It's a memoir about the political turmoil in 90s Belgrade, Serbia. The twist? The book is written and structured like a children dictionary, A to Z, complete with picture and illustration.
#32
The Urantia Book.
Lyone Fein 2 months ago
So, this book claims to be authored by numerous angelic writers. These angels transmitted the texts of the chapters to a human recipient during the early to mid twentieth century. It presents itself as a religious text, like the Bible, with five major sections. One is devoted to the history and structure of universal creation. One is devoted to the creation of our planet. Then an history of humanity. Etc. It is a powerful book, with surprising spiritual views regarding the identity of Jesus, the reason why there is so much suffering on Earth, what happens after we each die, etc.
#33
Bunny by Mona Awad was weird. In fact, I think it was more weird than good… but it was an addictive and fast read. Glad I read it because it was so weird… weirdest book I’ve ever read really.
#34
The Briefcase by Kawakami, Hiromi
Jagannath by Tidbeck, Karin
The Hole by Oyamada, Hiroko
Soonchild by Hoban, Russell.
#35
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata is a really interesting and "weird" book that I absolutely loved, it's very short so if you read it and don't like it it won't have taken much of your time. Super interesting book!
Poll Question
What's your favorite type of unconventional story theme?
Fantasy epics
Dystopian futures
Alternate histories
Meta-fiction
What do you think ?
Trillian 3 months ago
That list would be waaay more helpful and interesting if they added a short summary what each book is about
Forrest Hobbs 3 months ago (edited)
The list certainly could be improved with short summaries, but with at least some of the listed books, it's not so easy to say what they're actually about as such. Top of the list currently is Illuminatus! - and, well: https://illuminatus.fandom.com/wiki/Main_Page
Captive 3 months ago
What's the point of this without a summary? Should we look up each book ourselves?
Tyranamar Seuss 2 months ago
The MADD Addam trilogy by Margaret Atwood. Way better than handmaid’s tale in my opinion. I love it. It’s just so weird. And it all comes back together.
Chris the Bobcat 3 months ago
"The Guns of the South" by Harry Turtledove. An absolute romp of alternate history based on the question "What if the Confederate States had AK-47's" Lots of fun here. Another is the 1632 series by Eric Flint. Here, a modern West Virginia working class town is transported to 17th century Germany during the Thirty Years War and must figure out how to survive and adapt... and fight. Fun stuff based on unusual premises.
Forrest Hobbs 2 months ago
While it's not a central theme of the book, "A Rebel in Time" by Harry Harrison deals with "What if the Confederates had Sten guns?" They probably couldn't have mass produced AK-47s back then, but Sten guns are simple enough. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Rebel_in_Time. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sten
Load More Replies... Trillian 3 months ago
That list would be waaay more helpful and interesting if they added a short summary what each book is about
Forrest Hobbs 3 months ago (edited)
The list certainly could be improved with short summaries, but with at least some of the listed books, it's not so easy to say what they're actually about as such. Top of the list currently is Illuminatus! - and, well: https://illuminatus.fandom.com/wiki/Main_Page
Captive 3 months ago
What's the point of this without a summary? Should we look up each book ourselves?
Tyranamar Seuss 2 months ago
The MADD Addam trilogy by Margaret Atwood. Way better than handmaid’s tale in my opinion. I love it. It’s just so weird. And it all comes back together.
Chris the Bobcat 3 months ago
"The Guns of the South" by Harry Turtledove. An absolute romp of alternate history based on the question "What if the Confederate States had AK-47's" Lots of fun here. Another is the 1632 series by Eric Flint. Here, a modern West Virginia working class town is transported to 17th century Germany during the Thirty Years War and must figure out how to survive and adapt... and fight. Fun stuff based on unusual premises.
Forrest Hobbs 2 months ago
While it's not a central theme of the book, "A Rebel in Time" by Harry Harrison deals with "What if the Confederates had Sten guns?" They probably couldn't have mass produced AK-47s back then, but Sten guns are simple enough. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Rebel_in_Time. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sten
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