Nell Zink’s experimental writing (and her unlikely friendship with Jonathan Franzen) made headlines last year—and created a new audience of readers who are curious about avant-garde fiction.

You don’t need a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature to enjoy it, either. Books that play with language or toss aside linear plots can be creative, lighthearted, and fun. Here are a few good places to begin your investigation.

Start simple (and short) with a classic story from Jorge Luis Borges: “The Library of Babel.” Imagining the universe as a library with an infinite number of books, the Argentinian author set the tone for many daring authors who followed him.

Wandering Mexican poets traversing the globe—from Mexico City to the Sonoran Desert, Guatemala, Barcelona, Paris, Israel, Congo, and Liberia—match the wandering style of The Savage Detectives, Robert Bolaño’s masterwork translated from Spanish. Banish any expectations of a linear narrative and you’ll just enjoy the ride.

The First Bad Man, the first novel from avant-garde artist Miranda July, has a first-person narrator who’s haunted by a baby and chasing a man she’s convinced she’s slept with in previous lifetimes. July’s signature style from her films and short stories makes her debut novel fresh and surprising.

Snapshots of marriage and parenthood make up Jenny Offill’s Dept. of Speculation. Its nontraditional format allows the author to select only her choicest cuts, making her musings incisive and sharp.

Tao Lin is one of the most visible—and creative, and accessible—experimentalists writing today. Try Eeeee Eee Eeee (which includes a dinner with a dolphin, a moose, an alien, and the President of the United States) or Shoplifting from American Apparel (an autobiographical novel the author calls “2 parts shoplifting arrest, 5 parts vague relationship issues”).

Choose your own adventure in Million Little Mistakes. Author Heather McElhatton updated the children’s book format for adults, asking readers to make a decision and turn to a different page at the bottom of each section. It’s written in second person—as in, “you win $22 million dollars”—and it’s a fun take on plot and narrative.

And check out Flavorwire’s list of 10 experimental novels that are worth the effort and a New Republic story on avant-garde fiction coming into its own.

Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!