National Read a Book Day: These 6 Books Will Make You Think, “What the hell did I just read?” | The Express Tribune

Celebrated every year on 6th September, Read a Book Day is a day that invites everyone to slow down, disconnect from their daily hustle, and indulge in the simple yet profound pleasure of reading. Whether you’re curled up solo on the couch or sharing a story with family and friends, this day serves as a reminder of the joys and benefits of getting lost in a good book. 

Beyond entertainment, books are essential for expanding our horizons, sparking creativity, and improving cognitive function. Reading has been proven to reduce stress, improve mental health, and even boost empathy by allowing us to see the world through different perspectives. It’s a gentle nudge to reconnect with stories, learn something new, or revisit a beloved classic.

And if you’re looking to push your boundaries this Read a Book Day, why not dive into something a little mind-bending? Some books leave us in a daze, challenging our thinking, defying logic, and making us question everything we just read. Ready to take that plunge? Here are 6 books that will make you think, “What the hell did I just read?”

1. Come Closer by Sara Gran

Originally published in 2003, this first person demon possession book is almost impossible to put down. This possession horror will make you want to crawl out of your own skin. It is no wonder it is captivating audiences two decades later. 

2. Blind Owl by Sadegh Hedayat

The Blind Owl, Sadegh Hedayat’s masterpiece, is a key work of 20th-century Iranian literature. Told by an unnamed pen case painter, the story unfolds through his dark confessions, which he shares with an owl-shaped shadow on his wall. The book is an existential fever dream of loss, obsession and the blurring of despair and desire. 

3. We Have Always Lived In a Castle by Shirley Jackson

A dark and eerie novel about a twisted, murderous and secluded family and the chaos that follows when a cousin arrives at their estate. Your jaw will be on the floor while reading this – that’s a guarantee.  

4. Lapnova by Ottessa Moshfegh

In a village ravaged by natural disasters, a young shepherd boy without a mother becomes entangled in a fierce power struggle that pushes the community’s faith to its breaking point. This book is disgusting, harrowing and raw (in the best kind of way.)

5. Paradise Rot by Jenna Hval 

Paradise Rot, translated from Norwegian by Marjam Idriss, follows Jo, a Norwegian student studying abroad. She moves into a converted warehouse where she shares an apartment with Carral, a young woman who has been living there alone. Jo experiences a heightened sensory awareness, particularly when it comes to sound. It’s an uncanny and yet deeply moving reading experience. 

6. The Stranger by Albert Camus 

The 1942 novel tells the story of Meursault, an emotionally detached settler in French Algeria, who, just weeks after his mother’s funeral, kills an unnamed Arab man in Algiers. The Stranger is a classic example of absurdist literature that might just send you down an existential rabbit hole (good luck reading this for the first time.)

What is the strangest book you have ever read? Let us know in the comments below!