Crazy Reads by S.W. Lauden

Crazy Reads

Crazy.

That’s one word I’ve been hearing from people who have read my latest novella, Crossed Bones. Elizabeth White, talented editor, reviewer and hostess of this fine blog, said I had “…cranked up the crazy (in a great way) for Tommy and Shayna this time.” And Steph Post, accomplished author of A Tree Born Crooked and Lightwood, said “Lauden has written one of the craziest, wildest novels I’ve read this year…”

Those are very kind words coming from two amazing people, but it got me thinking about that word: crazy. To be honest, I’m not exactly sure that’s what I was going for when I wrote this book.

In my eyes, Crossed Bones is a violent love story disguised as a modern day treasure hunt with a cast of deeply flawed characters including warring tribes of drug-dealing pirate impersonators and ultra-violent bikers.

Okay, maybe it is a little crazy. Whatever.

I guess it comes down to what we mean by “crazy” when we use that word to describe things that people have created. It could mean unhinged, unpredictable, challenging or mind blowing. On the flip side, it might also mean incoherent, disjointed or irrational. There are almost as many definitions for the word “crazy” as there are songs with the word in the title.

Go ahead and count. I’ll wait…

While you were thinking of songs by Patsy Cline, Pink Floyd, Gnarls Barkley, Aerosmith and Beyoncé featuring Jay Z (among many others), I was busy making a few book lists.

All writers start out as readers, so sometimes it’s fun to think about the novels that left you scratching your exploded head. I’m not making any comparisons to my own writing here (that would be, well, crazy), and I’m not saying these books directly influenced Crossed Bones. What I am saying is that I have read some pretty crazy books.

Here are a handful that I would highly recommend.

Five crazy books that I’ve read in the last few years:

Five crazy books that have stuck with me for many years:

And here are five books with crazy reputations that are on my TBR pile:

Looks like I’ve got my work cut out for me. What are some of your favorite “crazy” reads?