Recs if you like The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman...

Based on the list/book published in 2006, general editor Peter Boxall.

If we are going to do Qwordy's the Hardest Reading Challenge You'll Ever Do 3.0 - we should probably get some Pagebound badges along the way! I'm specifically going to be adding books from Quests and readalongs that go past the July start date and match at least one of these title prompts: Periodic Table, Familial Terms, Rainbow of Words (also Joseph's coat), Numerical Titles, Titular Counting 5+, Pun in the Title, and First & Last Name in the Title. Recommendations welcome!

I’ve seen lists, but not one strictly about Ergodic/odd formatting where it’s vital to read the e/physical because of the formatting and/or text —non inclusive of illustrated versions, and just adding non-vital images, etc.

These are the books where if you don’t read the physical (maybe the ebook) you’re MISSING something VITAL to the experience.

I often read audiobooks and don’t know I’m missing out 🫠

PLS recommend W/ explanation (& avoid spoilers) & feel free to argue cases!!

Examples & notes in comments!!!

Inspired to create a list by a post from @mmyth, I thought it would be nice to have a list of quest books you can download and read for free via Internet Archive. Recommendations gladly accepted. Happy reading ya'll!

(Please note this will ONLY contain books found through Internet Archive and no other sources, I don't want to run into possible mistakes and copyright headaches.)

Update: This list will also include books you can borrow through Open Library, a part of Internet Archive. In addition, this will only show English-language availability.

books with an experimental structure or narrative choices, metafiction, oulipo, postmodernism, etc.

These books are mentioned in the book The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop

A list published by The Guardian on 5/16/2026, as voted on by authors, critics, and academics worldwide.

The Guardian Top 100 Best Novels

Unconventional and experimental novels that play with syntax, style, narrative and structure Tristram Shandy - the grandfather of experimental Pale Fire - intertwines a poem and commentary Dictionary of the Khazars - in the form of a dictionary Man Eating typewriter - written in Polari Exercises in style - 99 retellings of the same story Hopscotch - designed to be read in multiple ways If on a winter’s night a traveller - a story within a story within a…

Books that were featured on an episode of Backlisted.

This is the compendium of books from the 2012 edition.

In May 2026 the Guardian published a list of the 100 greatest novels published in English of all time. The list was created based on votes from authors, critics, and academics.

Due to an error, the list originally included The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley instead of The Stranger by Albert Camus. Both are included here, as an unofficial 101 best novels

Narration interrupted by the narrator, bawdy humor, irreverence, plot development prioritized over content, genre failure, parody... If you can think of other titles, they are welcome to the list!

All of the books featured or seen in the “The punisher” show

On August 9, 2026, The Telegraph published a list of “The 50 greatest books of all time” by Jake Kerridge

books that I hear about in another book. possibly classics; probably those