Weird Books for Weird Boys
Jackson Hyde
Weird Librarian
Lowville Academy
What works at my library:
● Rating system (separates books by intended audience)
○ Red - R : 6th grade and up
○ Yellow - Y : YA, 8th/9th grade and up
○ Green - G : Upper high school
● Complementary English department (specifically
requests adult titles)
●
High readership (If You Build It, They Will Come)
What kinds of books am I talking about?
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Zombies
Horror
Books not in the mainstream
A few forgotten favorites
Books for senior boys who ‘hate’ reading
Books a 31-year-old male librarian would like
Zombies
The Reapers
Are the
Angels by
Alden Bell
G
Zone One by
Colson
Whitehead
G
World War Z
by Max
Brooks
Y/G
Boneshaker
by Cherie
Priest
Y
Cell by
Stephen
King
G
This Dark
Earth by
John Hornor
Jacobs
Y/G
Feed by Mira
Grant
(Newsflesh Trilogy)
Y/G
Ex-Heroes by
Peter Clines
(also Ex-Patriots, ExCommunication)
G
The Return
Man by V.M.
Zito
G
Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Ready Player
One by
Ernest Cline
Y
You by
Austin
Grossman
?
The Name of
the Wind by
Patrick
Rothfuss
(also The Wise Man’s
Fear)
Y/G
The
Magicians by
Lev
Grossman
Y/G
Neverwhere
by Neil
Gaiman
Y
The Black
Company by
Glen Cook
Y/G
A Game of
Thrones by
George R.R.
Martin (A Song
of Fire and Ice
series)
Epic by
Conor
Kostick
(also Saga and Edda)
R/Y
Jonathan
Strange &
Mr. Norrell
by Susanna
Clarke
Y/G
Titus Groan
and
Gormenghas
t by Mervyn
Peake
Y/G
The City and
the City by
China
Mieville
G
Perdido
Street
Station by
China Mieville
G
Advent by
James
Treadwell
Y
The Office of
Mercy by
Ariel
Djanikan
G
Hero by
Perry Moore
Y
Theft of
Swords by
Michael J.
Sullivan (Riyria
Revelations, Book
1)
Y
Starship
Troopers by
Robert A.
Heinlein
Y/G
Dune by
Frank
Herbert
G
Soon I Will
Be
Invincible
by Austin
Grossman
Y/G
Horror
The Six Gun
Tarot by R.
S. Belcher
Y/G
The Devil
You Know
by Mike
Carey
G
Sandman
Slim by
Richard
Kadrey
G
Johannes
Cabal: The
Necromance
r by
Jonathan
Howard
The Dante
Club by
Matthew
Pearl
G
H.P.
Lovecraft
Y/G
Last Days by
Adam Nevill
G
The Ritual
by Adam
Nevill
G
HeartShaped Box
by Joe Hill
G
Child 44 by
Tom Rob
Smith
G
Those Across
the River by
Christopher
Buehlman
G
13 Bullets by
David
Wellington
Y/G
Your House is on
Fire, Your
Children All
by
Stefan
Kiesbye
Gone
G
The
Vanishing of
Katharina
Linden by
Helen Grant
Y/G
Cabinet of
Curiosities by
Douglas
Preston and
Lincoln Child
Y/G
Still Life with
Crows by
Douglas
Preston and
Lincoln Child
Y/G
Something
Red by
Douglas
Nicholas
Y/G
Blockade
Billy by
Stephen
King
G
Post-Apocalyptic
After London
by Richard
Jeffries
Y
Alas,Babylon
by Pat Frank
Y/G
The Children
of Men by
PD James
G
The Dog
Stars by
Peter Heller
G
The Road by
Cormac
McCarthy
G
Robopocalyps
e by Daniel
H. Wilson
Y/G
Wool by
Hugh Howey
G
Earth Abides
by George
R. Stewart
G
The Passage
by Justin
Cronin
G
On the
Beach by
Nevil Shute
G
I Am Legend
by Richard
Matheson
G
Far North by
Marcel
Theroux
Y/G
Realistic Fiction
Mr.
Penumbra’s
24-Hour
Booksore by
Robin Sloan
Y/G
The Boy Who
Couldn’t Sleep
and Never Had
To by DC
Pierson
Y/G
City of
Thieves by
David
Benioff
G
Carter
Finally Gets
It by Brent
Crawford
Y
I Love You,
Beth Cooper
by Larry
Doyle
G
True Grit by
Charles
Portis
Y/G
The Sisters
Brothers by
Patrick
Dewitt
G
Deadwood
by Pete
Dexter
G
Night
Soldiers by
Alan Furst
G
The
Starboard
Sea by
Amber
Dermont
The Family
Fang by
Kevin Wilson
G
Blind Sight
by Meg
Howrey
Y/G
An
Abundance
of
Katherines
by John
Green
No Country
For Old Men
by Cormac
McCarthy
G
The Rook by
Daniel
O’Malley
G
Empire of
the Sun by
J.G. Ballard
Y/G
The Brief
Wondrous
LIfe of Oscar
Wao by Junot
Diaz
G
Skippy Dies
by Paul
Murray
G
The Art of
Fielding by
Chad
Harbach
G
A
Confederacy
of Dunces by
John
Kennedy
Toole
Billy Lynn’s
Long
Halftime
Walk by Ben
Fountain
G
Sons of the
613 by Mike
Rubens
Y
Then We
Came to the
End by
Joshua Ferris
G
Nickel
Plated by
Aric Davis
Y
Elliot
Allagash by
Simon Rich
Y
The Wettest
County in
the World by
Matt
Bondurant
G
The Pleasure
of My
Company by
Steve Martin
G
Winter’s
Bone by
Daniel
Woodrell
Y
G