Literary theme analysis, by a book like {foo}
Books about Unconventionality
Sabbath's Theater
by Philip Roth
A scandalous and provocative novel about the life of a 64-year-old puppeteer, Mickey Sabbath, who is struggling with his own mortality and past mistakes.
Winner of the National Book Award for Fiction Sabbath's Theater is a comic creation of epic proportions, and Mickey Sabbath is its gargantuan hero. At sixty-four Sabbath is still defiantly ... (Goodreads)
The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
by Douglas Adams
An offbeat detective story set in a surreal, supernatural world.
Dirk Gently, who calls himself a " holistic detective", has happened upon what he thinks is a rather comfortable situation. A wealthy man in the record industry has retained him, spinning a story ... (Wikipedia)
You Get So Alone at Times That it Just Makes Sense
by Charles Bukowski
A collection of poems exploring the depths of human emotion and the beauty of life.
Charles Bukowski examines cats and his childhood in You Get So Alone at Times , a book of poetry that reveals his tender side. He delves into his youth to analyze its repercussions. ... (Barnes & Noble)
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
by Douglas Adams
An eccentric detective's surreal journey through time and space to solve a mysterious case.
Richard MacDuff attends the Coleridge dinner at his old college St Cedd's , where he witnesses his former tutor, Professor Urban "Reg" Chronotis , perform an inexplicable magic trick in which he ... (Wikipedia)
Broken Monsters
by Lauren Beukes
A detective investigates a series of gruesome murders in Detroit, uncovering a dark and twisted world of art and obsession.
A criminal mastermind creates violent tableaus in abandoned Detroit warehouses in Lauren Beukes's genre-bending novel of suspense. Detective Gabriella Versado has seen a lot of bodies. But this one ... (Barnes & Noble)
I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence
by Amy Sedaris
A hilarious guide to entertaining and living with style, grace, and a generous spirit.
The inspiration for the TV show, At Home with Amy Sedaris,, here is a hilarious, helpful, and informative guide on how to entertain.,Are you lacking direction in how to whip up a swanky soiree for ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Moon and Sixpence
by W. Somerset Maugham
A man's pursuit of a life of art, challenging societal conventions and expectations.
The novel is written largely from the point of view of the narrator, a young, aspiring writer and playwright in London. Certain chapters entirely comprise accounts of events by other characters, ... (Wikipedia)
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
by John Berendt
A journalist's exploration of a mysterious murder in Savannah, Georgia.
A sublime and seductive reading experience. This portrait of a beguiling Southern city was a best-seller (though a flop as a movie). ~ Shots rang out in Savannah's grandest mansion in the misty, ... (Goodreads)
Inherent Vice
by Thomas Pynchon
A comedic crime story set in a strange, surreal world of 1970s California.
The setting is Los Angeles in 1970; the arrest and trial of the Manson Family is featured throughout the novel as a current event. Larry "Doc" Sportello, private investigator and pothead, receives a ... (Wikipedia)
The Crying of Lot 49
by Thomas Pynchon
A surreal journey of uncovering the truth of a mysterious organization.
In the mid-1960s, Oedipa Maas lives a fairly comfortable life in the (fictional) northern Californian village of Kinneret, despite her lackluster marriage with Mucho Maas, a rudderless radio jockey , ... (Wikipedia)
Anno Dracula
by Kim Newman
Vampires take charge of the British Empire, with a vampire detective uncovering a conspiracy.
It is 1888 and Queen Victoria has remarried, taking as her new consort Vlad Tepes, the Wallachian Prince infamously known as Count Dracula. Peppered with familiar characters from Victorian history ... (Goodreads)
The Pillowman
by Martin McDonagh
A darkly comic tale of a writer accused of murder, testing the limits of storytelling.
Ariel and Tupolski interrogate Katurian in a police room, adopting a good cop/bad cop routine with Ariel happily playing the bad cop. At first Katurian does not know why he is being questioned, and ... (Wikipedia)
Role Models
by John Waters
A collection of humorous essays about unconventional role models, from Johnny Mathis to Leslie Van Houten.
Here, from the incomparable John Waters, is a paean to the power of subversive inspiration that will delight, amuse, enrich–and happily horrify readers everywhere.,, Role Models, is, in fact, a ... (Goodreads)
Homo Zapiens
by Victor Pelevin
A satirical novel exploring the nature of reality and identity through the eyes of a young man navigating the world of advertising in post-Soviet Russia.
The collapse of the Soviet Union has opened up a huge consumer market, but how do you sell things to a generation that grew up with just one type of cola? When Tatarsky, a frustrated poet, takes a ... (Goodreads)
Molloy
by Samuel Beckett
A fragmented narrative of a man's journey to find his mother and his own identity.
On first appearance the book concerns two different characters, both of whom have interior monologues in the book. As the story moves along the two characters are distinguished by name only as their ... (Wikipedia)
Hopscotch
by Julio Cortázar
A surrealist journey of self-exploration and imaginative play.
Horacio Oliveira is an Argentinian writer who lives in Paris with his mistress, La Maga, surrounded by a loose-knit circle of bohemian friends who call themselves "the Club." A child's death and La ... (Goodreads)
In the Miso Soup
by Ryū Murakami
A tour guide leads a mysterious foreigner through the neon-lit nightlife of Tokyo.
Twenty-year-old Kenji is a Japanese "nightlife" guide for foreigners—he navigates, gaijin, men around the sex clubs and hostess bars of Tokyo . On December 29 he receives a phone call from an ... (Wikipedia)
Convenience Store Woman
by Sayaka Murata
A darkly comic story of a woman's search for acceptance and belonging in a society that doesn't fit her.
Keiko Furukura is a 36-year old woman who has been working part-time at a convenience store , or konbini , for the last 18 years. She has known since childhood that she is "different" and that ... (Wikipedia)
Against Nature
by Joris-Karl Huysmans
A decadent exploration of art and beauty, challenging the conventions of society.
The epigraph is a quotation from Jan van Ruysbroeck ('Ruysbroeck the Admirable'), the fourteenth-century Flemish mystic: Jean des Esseintes is the last member of a powerful and once proud noble ... (Wikipedia)
The Suicide Shop
by Jean Teulé
A family runs a shop that sells everything needed for a successful suicide. The youngest son, however, has a different outlook on life.
Has your life been a failure? Let's make your death a success With the twenty-first century just a distant memory and the world in environmental chaos, many people have lost the will to live. And ... (Goodreads)
I Served the King of England
by Bohumil Hrabal
A young waiter in pre-WWII Czechoslovakia rises through the ranks to become a wealthy hotelier, but his past catches up with him.
The novel is narrated in the first person and follows the life of Dítě (a name meaning "child" in Czech), an aspiring hotelier. He is rather short, which causes him to have an inferiority complex ; ... (Wikipedia)
The Philosophy of Andy Warhol
by Andy Warhol
An exploration of the life, works, and philosophy of the iconic Pop-Art figure.
A loosely formed autobiography by Andy Warhol, told with his trademark blend of irony and detachment In The Philosophy of Andy Warhol —which, with the subtitle "(From A to B and Back Again)," is less ... (Goodreads)
Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America
by John Waters
Cult filmmaker John Waters hitchhikes from Baltimore to San Francisco, chronicling his wild and hilarious adventures on the road.
John Waters is putting his life on the line. Armed with wit, a pencil-thin mustache, and a cardboard sign that reads "I’m Not Psycho," he hitchhikes across America from Baltimore to San Francisco, ... (Goodreads)
Post Office
by Charles Bukowski
A poetic and darkly humorous narrative about a man's struggles with poverty and loneliness.
In Los Angeles, California , down-and-out barfly Henry Chinaski becomes a substitute mail carrier ; he quits for a while and lives on his winnings at the race track, then becomes a mail clerk. ... (Wikipedia)
The Umbrella Academy, Vol. 2: Dallas
by Gerard Way
The Hargreeves siblings travel back in time to 1963 Dallas to prevent the apocalypse and encounter a new set of challenges.
The team is despondent following the near apocalypse created by one of their own and the death of their beloved mentor Pogo. So it's a great time for another catastrophic event to rouse the team into ... (Goodreads)
Baudolino
by Umberto Eco
A medieval tale of adventure, deception and the search for truth.
In the year of 1204, Baudolino of Alessandria enters Constantinople , unaware of the Fourth Crusade that has thrown the city into chaos. In the confusion, he meets Niketas Choniates and saves his ... (Wikipedia)
The Saturdays
by Elizabeth Enright
Four siblings pool their allowances to take turns exploring New York City every Saturday. Adventures and lessons ensue.
The four Melendy children live with their father, a widowed professor of economics, and Cuffy, their beloved housekeeper, in a brownstone in New York City. There's thirteen-year-old Mona, who has her ... (Wikipedia)
Ice Haven
by Daniel Clowes
A graphic novel about the disappearance of a young boy in a small town, told through the perspectives of various eccentric characters.
Welcome to Ice Haven! “It’s not as cold here as it sounds,” declares Random Wilder, our reluctant guide to this sleepy Midwestern town. He’s also its would-be poet laureate. Would-be, that is, were ... (Goodreads)
Squee's Wonderful Big Giant Book of Unspeakable Horrors.
by Jhonen Vásquez
A collection of dark and twisted comics featuring the misadventures of Squee, a young boy who encounters unspeakable horrors.
Squee's Wonderful Big Giant Book of Unspeakable Horrors collects together the four issues of the Squee comic book series from SLG Publishing. It also contains reprints from the popular Jhonny the ... (Goodreads)
Tender Buttons
by Gertrude Stein
A collection of abstract prose poems that challenge traditional language and syntax, exploring the essence of everyday objects and experiences.
Before becoming the patron of Lost Generation artists, Gertrude Stein established her reputation as an innovative author whose style was closer to painting than literature. Stein's strong influence ... (Goodreads)
I Hate Fairyland, Vol. 1: Madly Ever After
by Skottie Young
A young girl is transported to a magical world and becomes trapped there for 27 years, unable to escape. She becomes bitter and violent, determined to find a way home.
From superstar writer and artist Skottie Young ( Rocket Raccoon , Wizard of OZ , Fortunately, The Milk ), comes the first volume of an all-new series of adventure and mayhem. An Adventure Time/Alice ... (Goodreads)
Sprig Muslin
by Georgette Heyer
A young woman runs away from home and enlists the help of a gentleman to pose as her fiancé. Hijinks ensue.
Sir Gareth is a noted Corinthian and has been a confirmed bachelor ever since his betrothed died prematurely, seven years ago. He decides for practical reasons to marry an old friend, Hester, who is ... (Wikipedia)
Paradise Kiss, Vol. 2
by Ai Yazawa
High school student Yukari is drawn into the world of fashion design by a group of eccentric designers.
Yukari has got big problems. She used to be a normal school girl with classes and homework just like everyone else. But, ever since she met the fashion-forward posse known as Paradise Kiss, her life ... (Goodreads)
End of the Game and Other Stories
by Julio Cortázar
Final del juego es una de las colecciones de cuentos más importantes de la segunda mitad del siglo XX. Empeñado en transgredir las leyes de la narrativa convencional, en estos dieciocho relatos Julio ... (Goodreads)
Dead Babies
by Martin Amis
A group of hedonistic friends gather for a weekend of drugs, sex, and debauchery, leading to a shocking and violent climax.
If the Marquis de Sade were to crash one of P.G. Wodehouse's house parties, the chaos might resemble the nightmarishly funny goings-on in this novel by the author of London Fields . The residents of ... (Goodreads)
Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All
by Jonas Jonasson
A hitman, a receptionist, and a priest team up to start a revenge-for-hire business. Chaos ensues.
A madcap new novel from the #1 internationally bestselling author of, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window, and, The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden, Hitman Anders, recently out of ... (Goodreads)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: No Future for You
by Brian K. Vaughan
Buffy and Faith team up to take down a rogue Slayer, but their conflicting personalities threaten to derail the mission.
Faith sits atop the Art Deco Hope Memorial Bridge in Cleveland , smoking. After somewhat cynically reminiscing that her mother used to read, Oh, The Places You'll Go!, to her as a child, she receives ... (Wikipedia)
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