Out of ideas? Sure you are, otherwise I wouldn’t have the pleasure of seeing you again. We all love to read and reread established, popular works. Point to me a person who dislikes reading the Lord of the Rings in winter with a warm cup of tea and I will point you to a psychopath.
But once we go through our beloved bookshelf a few times over, we hate to go over it again, lest we spoil the incredible stories which grew so dear to us. So might I present to you: a list of stand-alone, unique, engrossing, and sometimes challenging titles to try out this fall? Who knows, it might open a door you never knew was there in the first place. All set? Let’s go.
Source: Shutterstock
South of the border, West of the sun - Haruki Murakami
This is for all my giga macho brothers out there. Not all romance is tacky and girly. This is a short novel by one of Japan’s greatest authors ever. One about forgotten love, infidelity, internal conflicts, and incredible nostalgia. That is a feeling I mostly associate with Haruki (yes, we’re friends now) - the gut twisting, bittersweet, rain-on-the-highway type of longing for the past. It’s a quick read and it will get even the toughest of hides to ponder on their emotions. By virtue of being on this list, you can surely expect some quirky elements of Murakami's writing.
Additionally, it’s a great starting place for one of literature’s titans.
“For a long time, she held a special place in my heart. I kept this special place just for her, like a "Reserved" sign on a quiet corner table in a restaurant. Despite the fact that I was sure I'd never see her again.”
Source: Shutterstock
House of leaves - Mark Z. Danielewski, Zampano
This is not for you. The first words of the book. That’s how you know you have to read it. Like a big red button without a case, only a sign that says ‘DO NOT PRESS’. And much like that button, if you recklessly disregard the warning, you might hurt yourself.
This is by far one of the most confusing, flabbergasting, original books that inspired countless worlds to come.
A horror story about a research paper which may of may not exist, about a documentary which does not exist, about a family who moved into a house that changes every day. One day, they open a door on the wall which leads to a hallway. Thing is, on the other side of that wall is the outside.
Full of these curious impossibilities, morbid moral and emotional questioning, and hints and clues that will keep you hunting for years. This is not a book to read passively and set back down. This one requires investment and investigation. And if you are ready to face your minotaur, I suggest you pick it up and start your own journey in the House on Ash Tree Lane.
“This much I'm certain of: it doesn't happen immediately. You'll finish [the book] and that will be that, until a moment will come, maybe in a month, maybe a year, maybe even several years. You'll be sick or feeling troubled or deeply in love or quietly uncertain or even content for the first time in your life. It won't matter. Out of the blue, beyond any cause you can trace, you'll suddenly realize things are not how you perceived them to be at all. For some reason, you will no longer be the person you believed you once were.”
Source: Shutterstock
If on a winter’s night a traveler - Italo Calvino
This book is about you. You, reading this book. You are reading it and being constantly interrupted. You found the book in a bookstore, since you heard that a new book by this established writer is out, and now that you sat to read it, you cannot.
It’s an incredibly unique and charmingly frustrating piece. It’s a celebration on how we stumble upon new stories when we least expect them, and how we should cherish each of these misdirections in life instead of brooding over them. I think that’s a warm thought, something we are in a dire shortage of.
“In the shop window you have promptly identified the cover with the title you were looking for. Following this visual trail, you have forced your way through the shop past the thick barricade of Books You Haven't Read, which were frowning at you from the tables and shelves, trying to cow you. But you know you must never allow yourself to be awed, that among them there extend for acres and acres the Books You Needn't Read, the Books Made For Purposes Other Than Reading, Books Read Even Before You Open Them Since They Belong To The Category Of Books Read Before Being Written. And thus you pass the outer girdle of ramparts, but then you are attacked by the infantry of the Books That If You Had More Than One Life You Would Certainly Also Read But Unfortunately Your Days Are Numbered.”
There you go, there’s at least three good reads. What are you waiting for? Finish them, maybe I’ll have more once you come back.