Books Your Mom Will Hate
For this month’s feature, we’re encouraging readers to take a step back from all the Mother’s and Father’s day festivities and discover books that they will enjoy with these 10 Books That Your Mom Will Hate.
Cocaine smuggling, stalker sharks, serial killers, incest, and hard-living hooligans—these ten books sure aren’t mom’s cup of tea. But they’re the perfect companion for that eternal bad boy, the literary explorer, or even the hidden rebel in you. So go on, give it a try…you won’t be able to put it back down again.
The Zero by Jess Walter
Hero cop Brian Remy wakes up to find he’s shot himself in the head. From then on, we’re up for a ride to a harrowing world lead by a mayor known as “The Boss” and peopled by gawking celebrities, anguished policemen, and pink real estate divas hyping the spoils of a terrorist attack. A disturbingly frank look at human behaviour, and our willingness to forgive ourselves, whether we deserve it or not.
Already Dead by Denis Johnson
Nelson Fairchild Jr. has tried (and botched) it all. Desperate for some quick cash, he agrees to smuggle $90,000 worth of cocaine for drug lord Harry Lally. But then he chickens out and flushes the powder down the drain. The rest, as you might guess, is not pretty, as Nelson frantically searches a way out with Lally’s goons hot behind his trail. And if you just can’t get enough of Denis Johnson’s antics, check out his latest: Nobody Move. It’s got bullet holes on the cover — what more could you ask for?
Kockroach by Tyler Knox
In a seedy New York motel, Kockroach awakens to discover that he’s been transformed into a human. Unfortunate, yes, but cockroaches are awesome coping machines, so Kockroach copes. Step by step, he learns how to walk, talk, and wear a jaunty brown fedora, as he navigates through the bizarre human realms of crime, business, politics, and sex. But will this critter find success or be squashed flat from above?
The Average American Male by Chad Kultgen
The average American male likes sex. A lot of it. He also likes videogames, online porn, and parties. Chad Kultgen’s particular male is also into Alyna’s “perfect ass” and not so into his marriage-enforcing girlfriend and her “fat ass.” A brutally hilarious, no-holds-barred look into the male mind by an infamous liar.
The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall
Eric Sanderson wakes up not knowing who and where he is. All he knows are the stacks of letters surrounding him, warning not to be opened. And yet, as he tears them open, he discovers he is being relentlessly pursued by a shark that may exist only in his mind. Intrigued yet? Steven Hall’s debut novel is an astounding and fiercely original puzzle waiting to be solved.
The Cheese Monkeys by Chip Kidd
Already a legendary book designer, Chip Kidd apparently knows a thing or two about inner (cover) beauty, too. Having never held a paintbrush before, Kidd’s protagonist enrols in a fine arts program purely out of satirical pleasure. Once there, he meets students and teachers from all walk of life, some agonizingly unbearable, others as enchanting (and as taken) as can be. “A novel told in two semester,” The Cheese Monkeys is every bit as original as the man behind it.
Colors Insulting To Nature by Cintra Wilson
Just like any American girl with big dreams and a pretty smile, aptly-named Liza Normal wants to be famous. Like, Madonna-style famous. Now, if only she had the teeniest bit of talent, she’d be all set. An uproarious coming-of-age novel, Colors Insulting To Nature is now available in P.S. edition, with plenty of author interviews, insights and more.
Watch your Mouth by Daniel Handler
Set as a four-act opera complete with music and stage directions, this melodramatic satire is as quirky as it sounds. Add a few summer flings, incest, murder and a 12-step program, and you have the perfect family unfriendly novel, and an eccentric follow-up to The Basic Eight. And did we mention that Handler’s pen name is a certain Lemony Snicket?
Down to the Dirt by Joel Thomas Hynes
Hynes’ debut novel won the Percy Janes First Novel Award while still in manuscript form. Anti-hero Keith Kavanagh lost his virginity at 13, met his girlfriend while pissing on her father’s truck, and almost burnt down the North Side of his Newfoundland hometown. Booze, drugs, sex and violence have kept this hooligan’s world from falling apart and shielded him from the vicious realities of life. But when his girlfriend leaves him, Keith must finally face his demons.
The Seven Days of Peter Crumb by Jonny Glynn
Peter Crumb is a man who suffers two personalities, only one of which is capable of remorse.
His own life destroyed by a single, devastating act of violence, Peter now intends to spend his last week on earth roaming the streets of London and leaving his mark on humanity— randomly, unjustly, and with infinite attention to detail. Try as you might, Crumb’s insatiable appetite for carnage is impossible to put down.
