The best books with off tangent stories

Why am I passionate about this?

Fiction is oftentimes a difficult genre to recommend, as we are in the area of storytelling. Fiction though is also an important genre as it opens the reader to another perspective. I chose off-tangent books because we crave the mystery and fresh perspective these books have to offer. The books I have recommended are books that will lead you to another place you’ve never been to before.


I wrote...

Evolution of Insanity

By Haresh Daswani,

Book cover of Evolution of Insanity

What is my book about?

It’s a book containing short stories that I’ve written over time. My writing is poetic, and stories often off-tangent. I have been inspired by many amazing writers whose books I truly recommend.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Ghosts of a Tired Universe

Haresh Daswani Why did I love this book?

One of the rare books I have found close to my heart, Jonas Samuelle’s book is poetic, melancholic, but an amazing read. His stories resonate the type of flow I find with Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Jonas Samuelle has an amazing flow with his story, and you can feel the emotion of each character. It is a book I still truly treasure to this day. 

By Jonas Samuelle, Vasily Kafanov (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Ghosts of a Tired Universe as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

When a heart-broken sculptor seeks justice, he finds himself trapped between two immortals. Soon, their feud becomes his, and everyone around them becomes a casualty.


Book cover of The Elephant Vanishes: Stories

Haresh Daswani Why did I love this book?

His short stories have their own strange endings. I love how he brings the reader into a believable make-believe, and a snapshot of life many of us have oftentimes overlooked. Haruki Murakami has indeed become a popular novelist, and has written many beautiful books. But I believe The Elephant Vanishes is a hidden gem less read by many. He has made me see life from a completely different, and refreshing perspective.

By Haruki Murakami,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Elephant Vanishes as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A dizzying short story collection that displays Murakami's genius for uncovering the surreal in the everyday, the extraordinary within the ordinary

*Featuring the story 'Barn Burning', the inspiration behind the Palme d'Or nominated film Burning*

When a man's favourite elephant vanishes, the balance of his whole life is subtly upset. A couple's midnight hunger pangs drive them to hold up a McDonald's. A woman finds she is irresistible to a small green monster that burrows through her front garden. An insomniac wife wakes up in a twilight world of semi-consciousness in which anything seems possible - even death.

In every…


Book cover of Choke

Haresh Daswani Why did I love this book?

I’ve read this book before I’ve even watched Fight Club. Choke was the reason I opted to see the movie in the first place. Chuck Palahniuk brings his story to you as if he’s guiding you through a dark, risky alleyway that you’ve always been advised not to visit. He brings information, psychological disorders, and more into a strange normality that is scary to find relatable. It has indeed widened my perspective and brought me to see the absurdity, and observe closely.

By Chuck Palahniuk,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Choke as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Victor Mancini, a medical-school dropout, is an antihero for our deranged times. Needing to pay elder care for his mother, Victor has devised an ingenious scam: he pretends to choke on pieces of food while dining in upscale restaurants. He then allows himself to be “saved” by fellow patrons who, feeling responsible for Victor’s life, go on to send checks to support him. When he’s not pulling this stunt, Victor cruises sexual addiction recovery workshops for action, visits his addled mom, and spends his days working at a colonial theme park. His creator, Chuck Palahniuk, is the visionary we need…


Book cover of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Haresh Daswani Why did I love this book?

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a landmark book. Douglas Adams brought his voice to narrate the story and its sarcasms. He is humorous, intelligent, and imaginative in his narration. It is a thick book that was difficult to put down. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was also a book that made me addicted to reading. I remembered wanting to read another book of his after 5 hours with the previous chapter. It was light and mesmerizing,

By Douglas Adams,

Why should I read it?

32 authors picked The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This box set contains all five parts of the' trilogy of five' so you can listen to the complete tales of Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect, Zaphod Bebblebrox and Marvin the Paranoid Android! Travel through space, time and parallel universes with the only guide you'll ever need, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Read by Stephen Fry, actor, director, author and popular audiobook reader, and Martin Freeman, who played Arthur Dent in film version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He is well known as Tim in The Office.

The set also includes a bonus DVD Life, the Universe and…


Book cover of One Hundred Years of Solitude

Haresh Daswani Why did I love this book?

Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a fantastic story writer whose roots make his books even more poetic. One Hundred Years of Solitude is indeed a timeless classic to me as is Breakfast of Champions. Mr. Marquez brought us in length through a magical story through the generations, with each generation also showcasing the changes in the community. It was seamless, theatric, dramatic, and largely humorous. It is a book I always do cherish

By Gabriel García Márquez, Gregory Rabassa (translator),

Why should I read it?

15 authors picked One Hundred Years of Solitude as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One Hundred Years of Solitude tells the story of the rise and fall, birth and death of the mythical town of Macondo through the history of the Buendía family. Inventive, amusing, magnetic, sad, and alive with unforgettable men and women -- brimming with truth, compassion, and a lyrical magic that strikes the soul -- this novel is a masterpiece in the art of fiction.


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Conditions are Different After Dark

By Owen W. Knight,

Book cover of Conditions are Different After Dark

Owen W. Knight Author Of The Visitors

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Visionary Compassionate Imaginative Conspiracist Apophenia (or apophenic)

Owen's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

In 1662, a man is wrongly executed for signing the death warrant of Charles I. Awaiting execution, he asks to speak with a priest, to whom he declares a curse on the village that betrayed him. The priest responds with a counter-curse, leaving just one option to nullify it.

Over four centuries later, Faith and James move to the country to start a new life and a family. They discover their village lives under the curse uttered by the hanged man. Could their arrival be connected? They fear their choice of new home is no coincidence. Unexplained events hint at threats or warnings to leave. They become convinced the village remains cursed despite their friends’ denials. Who can they trust, and who are potential enemies?

Conditions are Different After Dark

By Owen W. Knight,

What is this book about?

In 1660, a man is wrongly executed for signing the death warrant of Charles I. While awaiting execution, he asks to speak with a priest, to whom he declares a curse on the village that betrayed him. The priest responds with a counter-curse, leaving just one option to nullify it.
Over four centuries later, Faith and James move to the country to start a new life and a family. They learn that their village lives under the curse uttered by the hanged man. Could their arrival be connected?
Faith and James fear that their choice of a new home is…


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