Wonderland Wednesdays*: 5 Strange Books

I've always randomly had a liking for strange books; now, by strange books I don't mean stories of fantasy, magic, mysticism and all that- I mean strange as in different, random, out of the blue, works of genius that make you stop, think and ponder things anew through a series of unbelievable and strange events that are ridiculous in their simplicity, yet profound to those of us who somehow relate to them. :P Here are 5 that I particularly enjoy:

I'll bet you saw this one coming! ;)

Alice in Wonderland will always be one of my all-time favorite books. I've read it countless times and enjoy each new visit as much as I did the first time.

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to."
"I don't much care where –"
"Then it doesn't matter which way you go.” 

 

This is what I'm talking about. The best word to describe this book is random. It's wonderful! 

“Remember, lad," said the newt, "If it's going to be tommorow, it might as well be today. And if it is today, it could have been yesterday. If it was yesterday, then you're over and done with it, and can write your own book. Think about that.” 

(Yes, all of these are YA books. ;))

James and the Giant Peach is such an adventure! Lots of fun characters and crazy happenings! Gotta love it. 

Random tidbit: my favorite illustrations in this book are the ones of the cloud men. :)

“The walls were wet and sticky, and peach juice was dripping from the ceiling. James opened his mouth and caught some of it on his tongue. It tasted delicious.” (What to do when you find yourself inside a giant peach? Taste it, by all means. :))

After Alice in Wonderland, this really must be one of the most brilliant works of literature ever. It doesn't get much more strange than this. (But don't watch the movie- it's rubbish!)

“Once upon a time," he said out loud to the darkness. He said these words because they were the best, the most powerful words that he knew and just the saying of them comforted him.” 

~*~

“Fairy tales dont tell you that dragons are real, but that they can be defeated!” 

More pictures than words, Hugo is a delightful tale that captures your attention and finds a little place in your heart to call it's own, and- I should tell you- once it's there, it doesn't really ever leave. (Once again, don't bother with the movie; the book is far more beautiful- reading the pictures is part of what makes it so wonderful anyway.)

“I like to imagine that the world is one big machine. You know, machines never have any extra parts. They have the exact number and type of parts they need. So I figure if the entire world is a big machine, I have to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason, too.” 

If you have never read a strange story, I hope one of these classics catches your eye - I know you'll fall in love with at least one, if you give them a try!

"Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures."

*For those of you who may still be wondering what Wonderland Wednesdays is, it's a new series of blog posts I'm doing, posting 5 random things on Wednesdays. I think it's going to be fun. ;)

A jolly Wednesday to you!