anyone knows a good, absurd, quirky, outrageous book really worth reading?

Answer 1

First thought: anything by Gordon Korman. The Twinkie Squad, The War with Mr. Wizzle, I Want to Go Home, The Chicken Doesn't Skate, etc. I would also suggest Artemis Fowl, Eragon/Eldest, and Javakosh by Jeanette Mirll.

Answer 2

The best books that I've read that fall in those adjectives are:

Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
The World According to Garp by John Irving

Especially the first one. It's three different narratives tied together: the first is about the hero, Jonathan Safran Foer, who goes to Ukraine to try and find the woman who saved his ancestor from the Nazis in the village of Trachimbrod. The second narrative is letters from Alex, the Ukrainian translator that showed Jonathan around Ukraine, even though his English isn't too great. And the third is about the history of Trachimbrod. It's laugh out loud funny at times, and touching, and very random at points as well. There was recently a movie made from the book, but the book is by far the best.

As for Garp...trust me, you have to read it. Have fun!

Answer 3

What Mr. Bait said.

The Ultimate Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. It contains all 5 books. It is absolutely absurd and quirky and outrageous and so so good. You will love it. Trust me.

Answer 4

Torture the Artist by Joey Goebel is a nice little gem I read a few months back...What's Not to Love? by Jonathan Ames, Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski.....although they were already mentioned, Confederacy of Dunces and Running with Scissors are both worth reading

Answer 5

Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book by Walker Percy. It's a parody of the self-help genre. Though it's a bit dated, having been written in the early '80s, it's a real trip.

Also check out Jorge Luis Borges' short stories. His "The Library" is very short and on-line, linked below.

Answer 6

Kitchen, by Banana Yoshimoto, is great, quirky, and outrageous from the point of view of at least 2 cultures.

A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole, is a great and truly outrageous novel.

Answer 7

Allen Sherman the singing comedian of the 60's wrote a book called " Rape of the A.P.E. " which stood for American Puritan Ethnic. Fantastically quirky and funny book.

Answer 8

Yup. I know three, as a matter of fact.

' Keep A Lid On It ' - By Donald Westlake

' What's The Worst That Could Happen? ' - By Donald Westlake

' Mr. Stupid Goes To Washington ' - By Jamie Malanowski

Answer 9

Free eBooks

There are 19,000 free ebooks in the Project Gutenberg Online Book Catalog.

http://www.gutenberg.org/

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/

http://www.baen.com/library/

http://www.ebooks3.com/

http://www.bookyards.com/

http://www.redbirdstudio.com/E_Books/

http://www.free-online-novels.com/

http://www.bibliomania.com/1/frameset.html

http://www.starry.com/novel/authors.htm

http://www.bygosh.com/features.htm

http://www.bygosh.com/thebestnovels.htm

http://www.bookspot.com/ask/

http://www.bookspot.com/

http://www.online-literature.com/

http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/

http://www.infomotions.com/alex/

http://www.pagebypagebooks.com/

http://www.literature.org/

http://www.literature.org/authors/

The Celebration of Women Writers.

A Vast Collection of Works.

The Celebration of Women Writers recognizes the contributions of women writers throughout history. Women have written almost every imaginable type of work: novels, poems, letters, biographies, travel books, religious commentaries, histories, economic and scientific works. Our goal is to promote awareness of the breadth and variety of women's writing.

http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/writers.html#B_Section

Good luck.

Kevin, Liverpool, England.

Answer 10

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy