Dont crucify me for this but i do not care to read a book where a white woman is the main character. Or the writer. Sorry but I just dont relate or enjoy reading a book by a white female author or of a white female character. I already spent all my school years doing so and it sucks that i can only seem to get reccomendations for weird girl lit books of BIPOC writers when its Black History month, Latino Heritage Month, etc. That and adding "by Black female authors" or "Brown main character" behind every search gets exhausting.

Grievances aside, please recommend me your fav BIWOC books and writers, I crave weird Black and Brown girl lit!!!!!!

EDIT: OH MY GOSH I did NOT expect this to blow up the way it did but THANK YOU!!!!! Im so so so excited by all the recommendations, and im so glad that others have found their little space here relating with my post. May all the Black and Brown people reading this get as weird as they wanna be!

I’ve read many of them and enjoyed many of them…. But how boring to see the same titles on repeat.

I just read one that’s no where to be found.
Evil Genius- Claire Oshetsky and it’s fantastic.

Ok had to stop the carousel to come over to my new favorite sub and see what book this is bc I need it; just assuming it’s gotta be weird!

I know this is a book rec sub, but it feels like you all share my tastes in media more than anyone IRL

I currently have on repeat, anything by Florence and the Machine but especially all of Everybody Scream

Paris Paloma

Fiona Apple, everything except Criminal

Lily Allen

Erykah Badu

It's been controversial everywhere for obvious reasons, but I love an aggressively transgressive book, especially with a female protag. It's been one of my “favourite” books in the sense that it made me feel genuinely interested and uncomfortable because of the premise. The overarching message stayed with me personally as a law school graduate and I still think about it today, althoug uph I read it two years ago.

So I suppose I'm saying, has anyone else read it and know what I mean when I say I enjoyed it for what it was?

No good genuine discource on it anywhere

Like, it gives portrayal of a female predator , the psychological dissociation and disconnect between someone being driven by pure pleasure while completely failing to comprehend the lifelong terror and consequences they're inflicting on someone else , ive never seen anything else like it . That contrast was honestly what stuck with me most. Is it weird girl or am i just weird ? 😭

Been looking at this sub for a while and all of the discussions and recommendations have been so inviting and exciting! I love stories driven by female protagonists and anything that explores the dark side of the feminine. It really speaks to me. I hope this collection of some of my favorites will spark some conversation and I am going through and furiously writing down new recs and authors. Happy reading everyone!

I’d love to hear your recs. They could be written by a trans author or just feature trans characters. I’ve included a grid with a few I’ve read and loved.

I have Casey Plett, Emily St. James, Torrey Peters, and Grace Byron, and Saskia Nislow on my list. Who am I missing? Which books did you love?

EDIT: Y'all really came through. 🥲 My TBR is enormous, but my heart is happy. As a thank you, I've compiled a list of everything that I saw included and my own books mentioned (as of 11:55am EST on Aug 5th). Apologies if I missed one. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but I hope this shows up on Google for all the trans folks and anyone questioning out there.

Books By Authors and/or About Trans Characters: 

• Trash by Sylvia Aguilar Zéleny
• For the Love of April French by Penny Aimes 
• Chef's Choice by TJ Alexander
• Patricia Wants to Cuddle by Samantha Leigh Allen
• Plastic, Prism, Void: Part One by Violet Allen 
• A Natural History of Transition by Callum Angus
• The Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
• Nightwood by Djuna Barnes
• Valid by Chris Bergeron
• Nevada by Imogen Binnie
• Black Magic by Marjorie Bowen
• The Pervert by Remy Boydell
• Herculine by Grace Byron
• We Are Green and Trembling by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara
• The Membranes by Chi Ta-wei
• Homesick by Nino Cipri
• Persona by Aoife Josie Clements
• Perverts by Mac Crane
• Blutbuch by Kim de l'Horizon
• I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver
• OKPsyche by Anya Johanna DeNiro
• Transmutation by Alex DiFrancesco
• Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan
• Best Woman by Rose Dommu
• Ponyboy by Eliot Duncan!
• Godly Heathens by H. E. Edgmon
• The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi
• Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
• Darryl by Jackie Ess
• Black Flame by Gretchen Felker-Martin
• Cuckoo by Gretchen Felker-Martin
• Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin
• Dead Collections by Isaac Fellman
• Notes From a Regicide by Isaac Fellman
• Meanwhile, Elsewhere: Science Fiction and Fantasy from Transgender Writers edited by Cat Fitzpatrick and Casey Plett
• Spread Me by Sarah Gailey
• Bound In Flesh: An Anthology of Trans Body Horror edited by Lor Gislason
• Kimmy by Alyson Greaves
• Welcome to Dorley Hall by Alyson Greaves
• Hell's Heart by Alexis Hall
• Some Strange Music Draws Me In by Griffin Hansbury
• Low Kill Shelter by Porpentine Charity Heartscape
• Psycho Nymph Exile by Porpentine Charity Heartscape
• Serious Weakness by Porpentine Charity Heartscape
• Torture Works by by Porpentine Charity Heartscape
• Open Throat by Henry Hoke
• How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures by Sabrina Imbler
• The Default World by Naomi Kanakia
• Moonflow by Bitter Karella
• Tiny Pieces of Skull: Or, a Lesson in Manners by Roz Kaveney
• The Dead Take the A Train by Cassandra Khaw and Richard Kadrey
• The Sapling Cage by Margaret Killjoy
• What Moves the Dead (Book 1) by T. Kingfisher
• What Feasts at Night (Book 2) by T. Kingfisher
• What Stalks the Dark (Book 3) by T. Kingfisher
• The Honeys by Ryan La Sala
• Future Feeling by Joss Lake
• Paul Takes the Form of a Modern Girl by Andrea Lawlor
• Uncanny Valley Girls by Zefyr Lisowski
• Queen of Faces by Petra Lord
• The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo
• Love/Aggression by June Martin
• Fifth Wound by Aurora Mattia
• Unsex Me Here by Aurora Mattia
• Walking Practice by Dolki Min
• Hot Girls with Balls by Benedict Nguyen
• Root Rot by Saskia Nislow
• When the Harvest Comes by Denne Michele Norris
• Outlawed by Anna North
• In Universes by Emet North
• Sea-Witch by Never Angeline Nørth
• Chouette by Claire Oshetsky 
• Poor Deer by Claire Oshetsky
• Invisible Monster by Chuck Palahniuk
• Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
• Stag Dance by Torrey Peters
• The Worm and His King by Hailey Piper
• Little Blue Encyclopedia (for Vivian) by Hazel Jane Plante
• A Dream of a Woman by Casey Plett
• Little Fish by Casey Plett
• A Safe Girl to Love by Casey Plett
• The Seep by Chana Porter
• LOTE by Shola von Reinhold
• Night Night Fawn by Jordy Rosenberg
• Confessions of the Fox by Jordy Rosenberg
• Brainwyrms by Alison Rumfitt
• Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt
• If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo
• Public Access Afterworld by Jane Schoenbrun
• Rivers Solomon (all books—just the author mentioned!)
• Woodworking by Emily St. James
• Again, Harder by Alice Stoehr
• Sketchtasy by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore
• Docile by K.M. Szpara
• Sour Cherry by Natalia Theodoridou
• Fierce Femmes by Kai Cheng Thom
• Notorious Liars by Kai Cheng Thom
• Idlewild by James Frankie Thomas
• A/S/L by Jeanne Thornton
• Summer Fun by Jeanne Thornton
• Rainbow Black by Maggie Thrash
• House of Day, House of Night by Olga Tokarczuk
• They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran
• Bad Girls by Camila Sosa Villada
• Bad Boy by Elliot Wake
• Black Iris by Elliot Wake
• Cam Girl by Elliot Wake
• These Fragile Graces, This Fugitive Heart by Izzy Wasserstein
• Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White
• Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White
• The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White
• You Weren’t Meant To Be Human by Andrew Joseph White
• Small Beauty by Jia Qing Wilson-Yang
• Frankissstein by Jeanette Winterson
• Orlando by Virginia Woolf
• Girlfriends by Emily Zhou

Other Media:

• Kill James Bond! (podcast)
• Orlando, My Political Biography (movie)
• The People’s Joker (movie)

Not Explicitly Trans:

• What Am I, a Deer? by Polly Barton
• Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett
• Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell

i REALLY want to read something where the main character is a pos and tries to justify their actions. currently loving perverted woman lead characters but open to all! :)

Weird girls! I recently picked up two nonfiction books from a little shop specializing in surreal, short, and female centric literature and am already itching for recommendations. Is there a sub like this one but for nonfiction?? The two books are Lovebug by Daisy Lafarge and The Second Body by Daisy Hildyard (maybe it’s an authorship of only Daisys and not a genre of its own, who’s to say). I’m talking cerebral, literary nonfiction that challenges similar themes present in your standard weird girl lit book: women, the body, the shocking, the introspective, the animalistic, maybe obsession, consumption, culture— all the good stuff!

Does anyone know if a sub like this exists, have any non-fic recommendations of this sort, or would be interested in seeing if a sub like this could take off?

<3 a budding strange non-fic girly

Edit: Thank you all for such great suggestions so far! I’m wondering if we can steer away from the memoir a little though and look at more informative or journalistic writing?

Title says it all! Looking to be wowed. The book doesn’t have to be new!

from romance to splatterpunk and everything in between what stuck with you?

What are your recs for decent reads about complicated mother/daughter relationships that DON'T resolve neatly? I've been no contact for years and need to see something accurate to real life for once.

Anyone else just not interested in this? I think it tries to be subversive but just ... isn't. I Love Dick came out in the 90s! Weird women who aren't obsessed with a man are the books I want. I like Sayaka Murata, Shirley Jackson, Kathy Acker, Ryu Murakami, Bret Easton Ellis.

Hi all! I love the genre! But unfortunately all of the books I read within this genre usually have white women as the protagonist. I am happy to have read a few where Asian women were the protagonist like: The Eyes Are The Best Part. And I just added one to my Barnes and nobles cart called: Your Driver Is Waiting and Julia Chan Is Dead.

But as a black woman it be nice to find at least one novel where a weird black girl is the protagonist. I’m also open to other weird girl lit recs that have non black woc as the protagonist. Thank you in advance for any recs you might give!

I am a naturally androgynous woman and most people do not believe me to be conventionally attractive. I’ve noticed in “weird girl” media there’s still a subtle gaze expecting its protagonist to be beautiful, feminine, and ethereal, if a little cooky or uncanny. I don’t feel bad about myself (womanhood doesn’t necessarily require beauty) but I would like to try to find representation.

I am also open to books about women who are attractive but masculine, especially if they are heterosexual, as I am not exposed to this narrative as much. (Lesbian books are also fine, it’s just more common for them to have butch characters) I am trying to avoid books that romanticize feminine beauty.

Plot and genre can be anything as long as it’s interesting.

I need help to process old clogged up trauma. So a “bad feeling laxative” type of book. Feel free to include any kind of media as long as it creates the same effect. Please and Thanks!

Edit: I fixed my typos sorry about them. And thank you for the recs so far!

I love creepy nature/something in the woods/pagan/witchy fiction. Anyone else into this? Any suggestions other than The Bog Wife? My friend recommended it and it’s next on my list but I’ve heard it’s hit-or-miss.

And yes, I read Nightbitch and loved it, but it was still a bit too domestic for me!

I just found her entire collection at the thrift for FIVE DOLLARS. Who’s read them? Where do I start? Just dive right in to Flowers in the attic?

I need your recommendations for books you couldn’t put down. I am in such a massive reading slump right now.

Bonus points if it’s an ‘easy read’, I’m a very sleep deprived parent and anything too verbous or pretentious will be DNFed.

Hi all, title says it all. Going through a very hard time and would love to get lost in something captivating and quirky. Fortunately/unfortunately, Libby has gifted me The Lamb and The Hill in the Dark Grove all at once. Don’t quite know if I’m in the mood for horror.

My Year of Rest and Relaxation and Bunny did also come through, as well, which may be good options??

I have a Spotify credit I can use, so I have options of what to listen to / can place new holds on Libby.

For reference, I have loved the main heavy hitters like big Swiss, sky daddy, fruit fly, she’s a lamb, best offer wins, the guest, all fours, the compound, my husband, yellow face, the award, a good person, piglet… any other suggestions? The kookier the better.

TIA! This community has brought me so much joy through all of the wonderful recs.

Edit: THANK YOU ALL! This is such a beautiful community and I appreciate all of your time and effort in weighing in, sharing your stories and opinions, and I’m grateful for all of us rallying together to keep this community weird. Sending love!! Trying to get to every comment :)

Hi hello!! I’m just getting more into reading after a long hiatus and I’m loving everyone’s suggestions for “weird girl” books, big fan of Big Swiss.

I want to keep up my reading momentum and I think joining a book club would be fun but not really sure where to find or where to start.

Does anyone live in Chicago and know of any book clubs that revolve around these types of books? Would love to connect :)
UPDATE
Join the Discord! https://discord.gg/vpHzFqjwW

Has anyone read any good weird girl lit that explores sex work? Especially full-service or escorts, I know there are a few out there about cam girls and strippers (but totally open to recommendations about them as well). And also not an anti-sex work perspective, either neutral or positive. I run a marginalised perspectives book club focused on weird girl lit and our theme for this quarter is Sex Worker Pride. Thanks for any help!

Just devoured The Compound. Read The New Wilderness a few years ago and it's one of my favorites of the last five years. What else would you all suggest?

Also read + enjoyed Cloud Cuckoo Land, How High We Go in the Dark, Sharks in the Time of Saviors. Could not get into The Terraformers (read about 35% before DNF), California, or Gold Fame Citrus (but could try the last two again, didn't get far. Thanks all!

Should I finish Lolita? I’m only 1/4 through and it’s just so nasty, I’ve read a lot of really nasty thriller/horror books but this one tops everything. His thoughts feel too real, says good about the book, but I’m not sure if I should continue. Is it worth finishing?

Edit: just so I don’t have to respond to this multiple times. I enjoy disturbing themes, I have a masters in psychology and dark psychological themes fascinate me. I posted this here because if I posted it in a group like classic literature I would get responses from people who are more likely to like it and I wanted to hear opinions from a demographic that I fit into.