I have fallen into the weird lit world, but have merely dipped my toes into the amazing novels out there. I'm hoping to discover more books and authors as it seems like a weird genre to pinpoint. I've read and loved Bunny and Rouge by Mona Awad (looking at her other books, too!) and am looking for more books like this. I've started My Year of Rest and Relaxation and McGlue by Otessa Moshfegh and they're good but aren't quite meeting the weird, dark, and sometimes magical elements I'm looking for while also being quite humorous. Other books I've loved: Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth and My Husband by Maud Ventura. I'd appreciate any recommendations!
by ladypenmann
10 Comments
*All My Friends are Superheroes* by Andrew Kaufman
Just read *Jonas Jonasson*, he’s freaking funny😂. I have 3 books him, finished read 2. _100 Years Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window and Disappeared_ , and _The Girl Who Saved The King of Sweden_. I like the first one more. It really was absurd and funny!
Not magic realism but Big Swiss is funny and weird and has some of the vibe you might be looking for
*Earthlings* by Sayaka Murata is ultimate weird girl book, some other recs that are on the magical realism side of things:
*Chlorine* by Jade Song
*A* *Touch of Jen* by Beth Morgan
*The Pisces* by Melissa Broder
*Nightbitch* by Rachel Yoder
*Natural Beauty* by Ling Ling Huang
A Touch of Jen (by Beth Morgan)!!!
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman is excellent for the weird and magical, but doesn’t really have much in the way of comedy
John Dies at the End and sequels by Jason Pargin is ‘weird, absurd, and funny’ to a tee but it’s not magical realism
I’m reading Kraken by China Mieville right now and I think it fits really well
This only has tinges of dark, but it’s certainly weird, absurd and funny. Not to mention impossible to describe.
The Hike by Drew Magary
A guy shows up early to an out of town business meeting and decides to go on a short hike. That’s the last of the book that can be easily described. Well, I can also say that there’s a potty-mouthed talking crab name Crab and a very satisfying ending.
NOFX: The Hepatitis Bathtub and Other Stories
I never listed to them but wow what a ride
Christopher Moore. Pretty much all his books take place in a shared world, so publication order is generally the best order, but there’s a few more-or-less standalones. *Practical Demonkeeping* is his first book, but you could also start with *Fluke (or I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings)* or *Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal*.
Something different and laugh out loud funny…
Dungeon Crawler Carl