List Challenges
Movies Books Travel Food Other
Sign In
Trending
New
Popular
Sign In
 Make a List Browse Lists Search Lists Leaders Help / Contact Newsletter

Weird Books That Are Difficult to Explain but Totally Worth Reading

Has this ever happened to you, book-lovers? You're sitting there, minding your own business, reading a book. A well-meaning friend or loved one walks over and asks you what your book is about (although honestly they can't be that much of a loved one, because if they loved you they'd let you read in peace). You start trying to explain, but by the time you've told them that, "The structure is kind of a... non-linear, post modern thing?" or that, "The main character has a dog that's nonexistent, but ontologically valid," they're backing away slowly. Some books are just plain weird. So here are a few utterly, deeply weird books that are totally worth reading, anyway.
1,124 users · 7,293 views
 
from bustle.com
avg. score: 6 of 101 (6%)
required scores: 1, 2, 3, 5, 9 
type to search

How many have you read?

Page 1 of 3
1
1Q84 (Haruki Murakami)
1Q84
Haruki Murakami
2
2666 (Roberto Bolaño)
2666
Roberto Bolaño
3
Ada or Ardor (Vladimir Nabokov)
Ada or Ardor
Vladimir Nabokov
4
The Aleph and Other Stories
The Aleph and Other Stories
5
Alphabetical Africa
Alphabetical Africa
6
Bear (Marian Engel)
Bear
Marian Engel
7
Blankety Blank (D. Harlan Wilson)
Blankety Blank
D. Harlan Wilson
8
Blood and Guts in High School (Kathy Acker)
Blood and Guts in High School
Kathy Acker
9
Bloodchild (Octavia Butler)
Bloodchild
Octavia Butler
10
The Bloody Chamber (Angela Carter)
The Bloody Chamber
Angela Carter
11
The Bone Clocks (David Mitchell)
The Bone Clocks
David Mitchell
12
Breakfast of Champions (Kurt Vonnegut)
Breakfast of Champions
Kurt Vonnegut
13
C (Tom McCarthy)
C
Tom McCarthy
14
The Castle (Franz Kafka)
The Castle
Franz Kafka
15
Chronic City
Chronic City
16
The City and the City (China Mieville)
The City and the City
China Mieville
17
Cloud Atlas (David Mitchell)
Cloud Atlas
David Mitchell
18
Coin Locker Babies
Coin Locker Babies
19
The Crying of Lot 49 (Thomas Pynchon)
The Crying of Lot 49
Thomas Pynchon
20
Dance Dance Dance (Haruki Murakami)
Dance Dance Dance
Haruki Murakami
21
The Dark Tower
The Dark Tower
22
Dhalgren (Samuel R. Delany)
Dhalgren
Samuel R. Delany
23
Duplex
Duplex
24
Elect Mr. Robinson for a Better World
Elect Mr. Robinson for a Better World
25
Ella Minnow Pea (Mark Dunn)
Ella Minnow Pea
Mark Dunn
26
Eunoia (Christian Bok)
Eunoia
Christian Bok
27
Eva Luna (Isabel Allende)
Eva Luna
Isabel Allende
28
The Eyre Affair (Jasper Fforde)
The Eyre Affair
Jasper Fforde
29
Faces in the Crowd (Valeria Luiselli)
Faces in the Crowd
Valeria Luiselli
30
The Female Man (Joanna Russ)
The Female Man
Joanna Russ
31
Ficciones (Jorge Luis Borges)
Ficciones
Jorge Luis Borges
32
Finnegans Wake (James Joyce)
Finnegans Wake
James Joyce
33
Gadsby (Ernest Vincent Wright)
Gadsby
Ernest Vincent Wright
34
Geek Love (Katherine Dunn)
Geek Love
Katherine Dunn
35
Get in Trouble (Kelly Link)
Get in Trouble
Kelly Link
36
Ghostwritten
Ghostwritten
37
Gravity's Rainbow (Thomas Pynchon)
Gravity's Rainbow
Thomas Pynchon
38
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (Haruki Murakami)
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
Haruki Murakami
39
Hopscotch (Julio Cortázar)
Hopscotch
Julio Cortázar
40
House of Leaves (Mark Z. Danielewski)
House of Leaves
Mark Z. Danielewski
Page 1 of 3
Click books you've read
Lists Similar to 'Weird Books That Are Difficult to Explain but Totally Worth Reading'
25 Weird Horror Movies That Are Totally Worth Watching
25 Weird Horror Movies That Are Totally Worth Watching
364
25
Complex, Difficult Books That Are Worth the Effort It Takes to Read Them
Complex, Difficult Books That Are Worth the Effort It Takes to Read Them
2,616
60
Kids Lit That's Totally Worth Reading at Any Age
Kids Lit That's Totally Worth Reading at Any Age
2,595
100
Difficult Books That Aren't Actually That Difficult
Difficult Books That Aren't Actually That Difficult
9,332
80
Difficult but Worth It
Difficult but Worth It
818
32
Difficult but Worth It 2
Difficult but Worth It 2
365
13
25 Movies With Weird, Wordy, or Difficult-To-Understand Titles
25 Movies With Weird, Wordy, or Difficult-To-Understand Titles
287
25
Books From Your High School Required Reading List That You Should Totally Read
Books From Your High School Required Reading List That You Should Totally Read
1,028
30
50 Box Office Bombs Totally Worth Watching (Lifehacker)
50 Box Office Bombs Totally Worth Watching (Lifehacker)
435
50
The Best High-Concept Horror Movies That Are Totally Worth a Watch According to CBR
The Best High-Concept Horror Movies That Are Totally Worth a Watch According to CBR
180
12
19 Famous U.S. Attractions That Are Totally Worth the Hype According to Wander With Alex
19 Famous U.S. Attractions That Are Totally Worth the Hype According to Wander With Alex
161
19
17 Hallmark Movies That Are Totally Worth Watching According to "Best Life"
17 Hallmark Movies That Are Totally Worth Watching According to "Best Life"
130
17
Books That Are Difficult to Finish Reading
Books That Are Difficult to Finish Reading
686
19
I'm Sure You Haven't Read These Most Difficult Books?
I'm Sure You Haven't Read These Most Difficult Books?
620
10
Books G Found a Difficult Read
Books G Found a Difficult Read
489
35
Difficult Books to Read
Difficult Books to Read
486
10
Markd9528's Difficult to Access Icons - Score Multiple Points for Each Book You've Read!
Markd9528's Difficult to Access Icons - Score Multiple Points for Each Book You've Read!
202
280
Oxford World Classics: Worth Publishing, Worth Reading?
Oxford World Classics: Worth Publishing, Worth Reading?
612
236
Books Read in 2020 Worth Re-Reading
Books Read in 2020 Worth Re-Reading
206
29
Books Hannah Has Read That Are Worth Reading
Books Hannah Has Read That Are Worth Reading
183
23
Totally Amazing Books That Should Be Read by Everybody!
Totally Amazing Books That Should Be Read by Everybody!
1,943
101
Weird Movies Worth Watching
Weird Movies Worth Watching
1,864
43
Weird and Surreal Movies That Are Worth Your Time
Weird and Surreal Movies That Are Worth Your Time
1,848
65
25 Weird Animated Movies That Are Worth Your Time According to the Taste of Cinema
25 Weird Animated Movies That Are Worth Your Time According to the Taste of Cinema
387
25
100 Books That I'm Totally for Sure Going to Read Today
100 Books That I'm Totally for Sure Going to Read Today
379
100
30 Books That I'll Totally Read *Later*
30 Books That I'll Totally Read *Later*
315
30
YA Books You Should Totally Read!!!
YA Books You Should Totally Read!!!
168
17
Louise Erdrich's the Sentence: Totally Biased List of Tookie's Favorite Books - Pandemic Reading
Louise Erdrich's the Sentence: Totally Biased List of Tookie's Favorite Books - Pandemic Reading
113
12
36 "Mostly" Modern Non Fiction Books That Explain the Modern World
36 "Mostly" Modern Non Fiction Books That Explain the Modern World
421
36
Books That Are Hard to Explain
Books That Are Hard to Explain
336
24
All Similar Lists
Newsletter · Help/Contact · Privacy · Copyright Claim   © 2025 App Spring, Inc. · This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb.
Seen It - Movies & TV 
Android & iOS
Seen It is a new app from the creators of List Challenges. You can view movies and shows in one place and filter by streaming provider, genre, release year, runtime, and rating (Rotten Tomatoes, Imdb, and/or Metacritic). Also, you can track what you've seen, want to see, like, or dislike, as well as track individual seasons or episodes of shows. In addition, you can see the most watched/liked stuff amongst your friends. Learn more at SEENIT.FUN