I READ A WEIRD BOOK RECOMMENDATION FROM REDDIT 📚 READING VLOG
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ส.ค. 2024
- Today I'm starting my journey of finding the weirdest book out there! If you have a recommendation for me.. drop it in the comments!
Join this channel to get access to perks:
/ @jessethereader
2ND CHANNEL // / jessegeorgevlogs
IG // / jessethereader
FB // / jessethereader
GR // / jessethereader
TR // / jessethereader
SC // jessethereader
Thanks for all your support!
In case you didn't find it, there is a r/weirdlit subreddit! I didn't know I liked weird until I read Light by M John Harrison; that book absolutely blew my mind. Sometimes that book/trilogy (The "Kefahuchi Tract" trilogy) gets recommended on Reddit posts, and sometimes it doesn't, so here's me recommending it :) So excited for the rest of your "finding the weirdest book" series!
I'm really not sure what brings me more joy --- the super aesthetic b-rolls or the cute creative collage moment 💜
I'm really excited for more of this series!
thanks beth!!
You have to read House of Leaves!! For sure the weirdest book I’ve ever come across!
And fairly sure it qualifies all of your criteria
do NOT read house of leaves at all costs it's soooo bad omfgggg. if you hate having to struggle through things to get an idea of what's happening you'll esp hate it
That mood board is a mood
🖤🖤🖤
I’d like to recommend Neil Gaiman’s Ocean at the End of the Lane. It has a weird-creepy-what-is-even-happening-is-this-real-or-a-hallucination sort of weirdness.
I second this recommendation!
I recall Slaughterhouse Five being fairly weird book, but I can't recall if it really fits all your criteria.
"Weird" books are my favorite! I want to read stories with a strange atmosphere, unusual characters, and/or unexpected twists. I especially enjoy these types of stories when tge author plays around with language and structure in creative ways. Make it book about reading, writing, and/or using imagination then I am doubly happy! I will be following this series with a pen in hand to write down all these new "weird" books to enjoy in the future!
I saw the library at Mount char pop up in your search. That gets a +1 from me. Definitely a weird book from me in that the weird comes pretty thick and fast. I recall every few pages I'd be greeted by a new scene of unprecedented weirdness. 👀
Loved this one. It’s weird but easy to read. A page turner
7:22 i love that quote about audiobooks
This is going to be such a fun series! The weirdest books I’ve ever read are The Lost History of Dreams by Kris Waldherr and Charles Williams’ books (a buddy of CS Lewis). I read History of Dreams on a bit too much Benadryl for an allergic reaction and the book felt like a fever dream…went back and reread some parts I had marked after I was recovered, and it was NOT the Benadryl. The book was THAT weird (although the Benadryl didn’t help!). I had to read Charles Williams’ books for a class, and they are also very weird, especially Many Dimensions and Descent into Hell. Sci fi, mystery, plus religion and philosophy.
i usually skip over montages in reading vlogs but the way u edit is so engaging and unique, really loved this video
thank you! 🥺🫶
This was such a lovely vlog!! The collage was such a great idea and I died when you wore that cat mask 💀 Very unexpected 🤣
The Last Tale of the Flower Bride. My friend and I read it together and it was like experiencing a lucid dream while reading!
Thank you for being open to this quirky book, and for providing a clear account of your reading experience.
I had made this list before because I wanted more weird books
-The library at Char by Scott Hawkins ( this one is my favorite maybe because it’s the most readable)
-Vita Nostra by Mariana Dyachenko ( most of this book i didn’t know what’s happening but I couldn’t stop reading, some people just didn’t finish it)
-House of leaves ( Ithis is the most challenging read because of its size and complex structure, it’s a commitment . If you like it u will disappear from everyone u love for at least a week or two reading it, then you will get obsessed and search all soacial media for answers for a whole month later ) (709 pages, this one is the longest)
-Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka ( I was always fascinated by it after watching the movie “ the fly”)
-Perfume by Patric Suskind ( I read this one a long long time ago but I can still remember certain things in it and the ending. The ending was incredible)
-Earthling by sayaka murata ( just weird)
-The vegetarian by Han Kang ( I think this is the least weird on this list, when I first read it a long time ago I wasn’t impressed and didn’t understand it, but later on I kept on thinking about it.) (188 pages, I think that’s the shortest on my list)
Aw man I love Italo Calvino. If you ever want to try him out again, Cosmicomics is a short story collection that's bite-sized enough that the confusion is kept to a minimum.
I will always rep House of Leaves and S. for weird book recs!
I love the mood board 😍
you could read the sasquatch hunter's almanac by sharma shields, which is literally about a woman who dates bigfoot. other possibilities are pod by laline paull, which is about a spinner dolphin, or convenience store woman by sakaya murata, about a woman who works at a convenience store and wants to be the perfect employee!
I read a book by Junji Ito and would recommend him for his weirdness. I read The Liminal Zone, which seems to be hit or miss with people. He definitely has more well-known pieces that are just as eccentric. There is even a Netflix show based on his works!
Also a fun one I'm reading right now is The Husbands by Holly Gramazio! It's a new concept, at least to me.
Junji Ito is weird but you have to admit he actually is original.
@kissofarose100 Completely agree with you! Very weird and very original. His weird is a good weird that makes you think, at least in my experience. I just know The Liminal Zone is probably not the best recommendation of it for this challenge.
Here's a weird book suggestion from me.
Things have gotten worse since we last spoke by Eric LaRocca. It is weird. I've never read anything like this in my life. It was abhorrently disgusting. I absolutely loved it!
Have you read You've Lost A Lot of Blood also by him?
I liked it better, but it is a little more psychological than bizarre
@@citlalialvarado666 I haven't read that.
Martin Amis' "Time's Arrow" really has an unusual structure because the plot happens in reverse. But not just the plot - the characters actions are in reverse too (for example, eating is described as taking the food out of a person's mouth and putting it on the plate where you get the finished meal). Trigger warning: the book deals with the Holocaust. One of the most intriguing reads that gives a different perspective on a serious topic.
Two weird books I’ve read in the last year : first is weird as in trippy, reality bending, what-the-heck’ish would by Maplecroft - about Lizzie Borden as a monster hunter. Second is weird as in quirky, goofy, fun and outlandish would be Hollow Kingdom by Kira Braxton about a domesticated crow and a zombie apocalypse. You’re welcome for that brain seed! lol Fun concept! Looking forward to more.
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov was a weird book and hilarious, I laughed so hard while reading this one.
The Drowning Girl by Caitlin Kiernan. It was the first book I read this year and I can't stop thinking about it.
I can't wait to see more from this series maybe there will be some hidden gems
that’s what i’m hoping for!!
Okay,Jesse! I see you with that nice teacher handwriting!😂😻
I’ve been following you for years and had no idea you lived in my hometown! I wrote the majority of my dissertation in that library.
making a mood board to explain what you mean is a WHOLE mood
I'm obsessed with weird books and I think my favorites are Sun City by Tove Jansson, Cheese by Willem Elsschot, The Employees by Olga Ravn, All Families Are Psychotic by Douglas Coupland, and More Than This by Patrick Ness
I love Calvino, but this is a strange and difficult book, not because of the language, but the structure etc. If you'd like to try something else by him that's less weird, but perhaps more whimsical, I'd recommend Invisible Cities, which is my favourite of his works I've read so far. It's more of a collection of vignettes, so very easy to read just a bit at a time (I loved reading it just before going to sleep).
A book I read which was a bit "weird" for me was Buried Treasure by Sven Axelrad. I was so grossed out and uncomfortable with the book.😅
Another recommendation I have is The Eyes Are the Best Part, by Monika Kim.
This is such a cool series idea, and I can't wait to see how this pans out!
S by Doug Dorst and JJ Abram’s! ( also know as Ship of Theseus) is the weirdest book I’ve read for sure! It’s a book within a book and a mystery and comes with a bunch of clues and newspaper clippings and stuff. Highly recommend but it is a long read and you need all your brain power for it!
Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi I think might be by far the most peculiar book I have ever read. She keeps you at arms length the entire time where you don’t white understand what’s going on but you’re so intrigued you have to keep reading to find out what’s going to happen next!
I really love this idea, can't wait for another video! Wierd books I would recommend are anything by Amelie Nothomb, I don't know though which of her books were translated to english, I read them in different language and on goodreads all titles are in french 🤷♀
If you like the Power Rangers and want to read chunkier volumes you might like the Go! Go! Loser Ranger! Manga series by Negi Haruba. I believe there are only 13 volumes so it’s not a particularly long series compared to One Piece or the likes of Bleach and Yona of the Dawn.
365 Samurai and a Few Bowls of Rice. I read on a recommendation and did not regret it. it's not like any other comic i read.
The invention of morel made my head 🤯
i wonder if the translation was an element. good job sticking to it!
the Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins hits all your requested pinpoints. Happy Reading! 📚
I very highly recommend Piranesi 🥰
i think diving into Ergodic Literature will have the kinds of books you're looking for. things like House of Leaves, S. (ship of theseus), Multiple Choice, etc. these kinds of books are all about pushing the boundaries of what the written storytelling method can do!
Ergotic books like S by JJ Abrams and House of Leaves or weird like Jeff Vandermeer and the mind enhanced stuff from the 70s like In Watermelon Sugar? Maybe Biting the Sun by Tanith Lee or Osamu Tezuka's sci fi Manga. Those use the absurd to dig into the essence of humanity. Should be interesting.
Another super fun video!!!! Keep crushing it
thank you!
One of the strangest/worst books I've read was called "Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer" by Katie Alender. It was extremely strange and perfect for this series!
Almost all of Calvino is "weird." Try THE BARON IN THE TREES, THE CLOVEN VISCOUNT, or THE NONEXISTENT KNIGHT. Or anything by Ryu Murakami, the author of AUDITION (from which the film was made).
I love this! A book that that fits your criteria is ‘Organ Meats by K-Ming Chang’ it’s chaotic and switches POVs in different chapters. It is wild. It also has a very lyrical / poetic writing.
Another one that doesn’t fit as much is a short story collection that I find surreal. Its ’lizard by banana yoshimoto.
FLUX BY JINWOO CHONG! I was in the mood for something very different, saw the striking cover in a NYTimes review and gave it a shot. Strange, in the best way possible and hit emotionally whilst also going on a weird and unexpected journey. Highly recommend!!!
We need your list!
👍🏾
One of my favorite weird books is The Hike by Drew Magary!
Weird book recommendation: Y/N by Esther Yi. I recommend going into it completely blind, don't read any blurbs or reviews first! Just jump in and go on a wild ride, haha.
Omg where did you get that baymax mug? I didnt know i needed this in my life but i need it 😅🥰
Isnt this Kayla's wheelhouse? You could try a collab with her where you read all the weird books she recommends for a vlog
I would suggest Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell. Probably the weirdest but sweetest book I’ve ever read!
one more if you want something kinda eerie and also real: i await the devil's coming by mary maclane
I think the weird books I like are books where the reader can't be sure what's real or not because the narrator isn't either.
A weird book I just finished, and loved, is Same Bed Different Dreams by Ed Park. It is a speculative and disjointed alternate history of the Korean War. It is also a meditation on the question What is history? There is absurdity and humor, despite the darkness of some of the themes and events explored.
Organ Meats by K Ming Chang was one of my favorite books last year, it is surreal but very beautiful and deep. I loved it
Abarat by Clive Barker
I spied the John Dies At The End series in your list... This. THIS! SO MUCH THIS! Wierdest series I ever read. The best way I can explain it is I was constantly wanting to know what was going to happen next while simultaneously having NO IDEA what tf was going on!
If you want weird, it's the correct choice. WEIRD.
I didn't enjoy If On A Winter's Night (⭐️⭐️). BUT I see you have The Library at Mount Char in your list and I think you will love it! Completely Bonkers 😂
I’m current reading Oryx and Crake and it pretty weird, but the weirdest book I’ve ever read is a middle grade book - Man From Mundania by Pierce Anthney. He is my favorite author and this is my favorite book from my childhood. It’s set in our world and a parallel world called Xanth, where Puns are literal. It has weird animals and people with magic but not normal magic. It has zombies and shapeshifters. It has a computer virus that is sentient and wants to take over the world and a hero named Gray that has no magic - or does he? 🤔. I hope you read it it’s about 200 pages and like I said it’s a middle grade so it’s sweet and funny and just cosy fun.
I humbly nominate my own novel, A GOOD HAPPY GIRL, a weirdo lesbian throuple literary fiction book, comps are kristen arnett, melissa broder, ottessa moshfegh, halle butler !
Okay but… hang the mood board on the wall… it actually looks so cool 😂
One of the weirdest books that I LOVE is An Archive of Brightness by Kelsey Socha! It's a bunch of tales about heartbreak and the end of the world told from the perspective of archivist crows
the trippiest book I have ever read is called Troyan Horse: Jerusalem and like it is about an army veteran who tells his life to a reporter in which he was part of a secret government program that sent him through time, back to the death and resurrection of Jesus and it heavily implies that Jesus was an alien. It is originally in spanish, but an english translation does exist.
I love watching you have new experiences, maybe you should've given that book a 3!🥉xxx
I want to like Calvino. I'm into psychogeography, and it feels like everyone recommends Calvino's "Invisible Cities", so I've tried several times to tackle it. I end up DNFing it every time. It's just too opaque and overwritten, and I feel like I'm reading a different book than all the people who recommended it. :/
It seems like there are two kinds of books: one where the story is the point, and telling it well includes making sure the reader understands the story...and the other is written for its own sake. It's a crafted object, and whether or not a reader gets it isn't the point. Story is inconsequential to the structure and the language. There's nothing wrong with either, obviously, but I'm not interested in going ten rounds with a book to try and figure out where the story is inside a construct.
Calvino is very clearly the latter.
Kafka on the Shore by Murakami is weird, very good but very weird and I'm still not sure what is actually about
The hitchhikers guide to the galaxy by Douglas Adams is a fun kind a weird
Robert Repino's Mort(e) about a house cat that after ants take over the earth and change all of the animals into bipeds and he becomes a freedom fighter. so good and so werid and so fun.
The dream merchant by Isabel hoving is by far the weirdest book I've read. It's about this corporation that recruits children to try and achieve time travel. They do this by trying to access different parts of time through dreams, but it goes off on the weirdest literary road I have ever been on
The weirdest books I've read this year are Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter and Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca
I unfortunately dnfed this one, but it is very much a weird book!
Wetlands by Charlotte Roche is bizarre..
It sure is 🥑
@@ellendodd496 I read it over 10 years ago, and I STILL think about it every time I get organic avocados!
This was an excellent video! I'm looking forward to this series. Although I think "weird" novels begins and ends with Finnegan's Wake, I read three pages in a bookstore once, and I have no idea what the hell Joyce was saying.
Pretty sure that puts you on par with everyone else.
I remember hearing about a project where a group of people analyzed Finnegan's Wake over an extended period and were able to come to the conclusion that it definitely had a plot. They didn't know what the plot was, just that it existed.
Haha Reddit is the HQ for the WEIRD
True!
I've read that!
Didn't like it, but I suspect my main issue may have been the fault of the translator.
All the book excerpts felt like they'd been written by the same author. They obviously were, but I don't think they were supposed to read like they were.
This was very fun!
Suggestion for title: Weird Works Search
I don't think weird books are for me, so can't recommend anything
thank you! i love me some weird books haha
OH YEAYYY I'm early!!
thanks for being here! ☀️
I read this recently, but i should have dnfed it. It was not even remotely entertaining and took me forever to suffer through.
understandable!! I kept going back & forth on if I should quit it, but for some reason I just couldn’t push myself to drop it’s
Weirdest books I've read lately:
Woom by Duncan Ralston
This Is Where We Live by Kate Hardie
Paradise Rot by Jenny Hval
The Hike by Drew Magary
White Is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains by Neil Gaiman
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
All's Well by Mona Awad
And one I haven't read but everyone always recommends when it comes to weird: House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski.
Booksandlala also reads a lot of weird fiction; her latest video she read a whole slew of eyeball-themed books, for example 😂 so perhaps check out her videos for inspiration!
My favorite weird book is All the Animals on Earth by Mark Sampson. It takes place in a world where most couples decide that they don't want to have children and as a result the population numbers are declining. To try and solve this problem, scientists come up with a way to turn the animals into humans.