Day 78: Ten Out There Books

I told @melstodd that I would think of some good “out there” or experimental books. Here is a list of ten I have read and recommend:

Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life. A memoir told in the format of an encyclopedia. Along the same lines, Sheila Heti’s Alphabetical Diaries and Vladimir Nabokov’s Pale Fire also have unique ways of organizing the text.

An Immense World. A science book about the ways that non-human creatures experience or sense the world very differently than humans.

We’re Not From Here. A middle grade novel where a boy and his family move to a different planet where things are very different. Humorous and touching.

The Counterlife. Up there with Rashomon in terms of, wow, now that’s a unique way of telling a story.

Axe Cop. A 29 year old artist writes stories based on the odd ideas his five year old brother came up with.

Less. Perhaps the most traditional book on this list. But it was such an oddly funny story.

Ishi in Two Worlds. Perhaps the only book focused on what American Indians lives were like before colonization. Mind blowing.

Hell of a Book. A book tour and a story about race. Creative.

Convenience Store Woman. If the television show Severance asked how different we are at work and at home this book asks what would happen if your whole life was your workplace.

Processed Cheese. A bag of money falls out of the sky and a character named Graverobber picks it up. A story about how money affects people’s thinking.