Listmania!
Books to Make You Think...
By an Amazon.com customer
Kafka on the ShoreKafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
Buy new: $10.17 / Used from: $4.85
All of Murakami's works belong on this list, but Kafka I think is one of his lesser-known goodies. Blending everything from speculative fiction to mythology to Wester culture, Kakfa... will leave an imprint on you for years to come.
DhalgrenDhalgren by Samuel R. Delany
Buy new: $12.89 / Used from: $2.82
This book is a puzzle, simply put. I think of it more as a long rambling, or a memoir, but it is definitely a must-read for anyone with a brain.
Finnegans Wake (Penguin Modern Classics)Finnegans Wake (Penguin Modern Classics) by James Joyce
Buy new: $22.94 / Used from: $33.02
I couldn't have made my list without this one. Be sure to check out Joseph Campbell's Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake; you'll need all the help you can get.
The ComaThe Coma by Alex Garland
Buy new: $11.90 / Used from: $0.57
Think Jacob's Ladder, only without the supernatural horror twist. It's short and often contrived, but I think that's what makes it a staple to this list.
H. P. Lovecraft: Tales (Library of America)H. P. Lovecraft: Tales (Library of America) by H. P. Lovecraft
Buy new: $23.10 / Used from: $19.18
Lovers of traditional classics will disagree with this pick, but Lovecraft developed "cosmicism," a subgenre that has influenced everyone in the world of writing.
Into the DeepInto the Deep by Ken Grimwood
Buy used from: $0.25
I tried to read this novel as a kid, and failed. I picked it up at a discount sale years later, only knowing it by the front cover. I had no clue what I was getting into, but I had a lot of fun along the way. It may not be the best story out there, but I think it's a bit underrated.
Purity of Heart Is to Will One ThingPurity of Heart Is to Will One Thing by Soren Kierkegaard
Buy new: $11.69 / Used from: $14.34
This one's not fiction, but I have to include something from SK. The way he utilizes paradoxes and seemingly contradicting phrases is enough to confuse anyone.
American Supernatural Tales (Penguin Classics)American Supernatural Tales (Penguin Classics)
Buy new: $10.88 / Used from: $6.88
This book has one story that EVERYONE should read: Karl Edward Wagner's "Endless Night." It will take a few reads before you start to unravel what it's all really about, but it's necessary.
The IntrudersThe Intruders by Michael Marshall
Buy new: $16.47 / Used from: $0.24
This is a new book that really confused me. Starting out as a crime novel, Marshall quickly begins hinting towards sci-fi, horror, and speculative fiction. This book is a "mainstream" summer read that is worth picking up.