Booking Through Thursday

What was the most unusual (for you) book you ever read? Either because the book itself was completely from out in left field somewhere, or was a genre you never read, or was the only book available on a long flight… whatever? What (not counting school textbooks, though literature read for classes counts) was furthest outside your usual comfort zone/familiar territory?

And, did you like it? Did it stretch your boundaries? Did you shut it with a shudder the instant you were done? Did it make you think? Have nightmares? Kick off a new obsession?


This is a hard one. I read a lot of strange and "unusual" books. :)

I will go with one of the hubby's science fiction books. He reads "hard" science fiction, not quite sure what that means but I think it has to do with the fact that there is a lot of actual science. Yup, physics, nanotechnology, etc...you get the idea. The hubby never really tries to get me to read his books, but every now and then he reads one that he thinks I will like. He gave me 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke, which I surprisingly enjoyed. I even read all the books that came after. He also gave me The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin. I don't think either of these would be considered "hard" but they are definitely more scifi than I usually read.

I have yet to finish Left Hand. The people on the planet, where the story takes place are all basically sexless/genderless except for short periods of time when they take on a male or female role to procreate.

So, yeah to all the questions listed above, except for kicking off a new obsession. Well, who knows, once I finish it maybe I will be hooked.