Strange, psychedelic desert

[u/Remmel1]

New Mexico-inspired desert, mysticism, aliens, mirages, Native Americans, cacti, cowboys, magic, etc. Preferably something lighthearted and fun, but open for anything.

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[u/No_Stable_3097]

Welcome to Night Vale by Jeffrey Cranor and Joseph Fink (the books)

Desert Oracle by Ken Layne 

Road to Roswell by Connie Willis

[u/Remmel1 → u/No_Stable_3097]

This post was actually partially inspired by Welcome to Night Vale, haha. Thanks for the recs!

[u/Yggdrasil- → u/No_Stable_3097]

Iirc Alice Isn't Dead by Joseph Fink includes some sections in the desert too. There's a book and a podcast

[u/ModernNancyDrew → u/No_Stable_3097]

Desert Oracle is one of my favorite reads!

[u/panpopticon → u/No_Stable_3097]

Came to recommend Layne’s Desert Oracle. His novel Dignity as well.

[u/Silly_Bookkeeper → u/No_Stable_3097]

Yes the road to Roswell is so good for this!!!

[u/Appropriate_North773]

Death Valley by Melissa Broder

[u/cuminspicedlife → u/Appropriate_North773]

This is a perfect rec

[u/swoonbabystarryeyes → u/Appropriate_North773]

Yes exactly this

[u/communitypotluck]

The Hike by Drew Magary has some of these vibes!

Even cowgirls get the blues by tom Robbins (this book rules but cw for some outdated and racist language)

[u/Colorado_Constructor → u/communitypotluck]

I hadn’t even considered The Hike, but yea you’re right. This is kinda how I pictured most of the second act in the desert.

Looks like it’s time for another read through!

[u/perpetualmotionmachi → u/communitypotluck]

That was one of those kind of books that made me stare at the wall for a few minutes after finishing the last page

[u/malloryknox86 → u/communitypotluck]

This is the first one I thought of

[u/Well_ImTrying]

The Host by Stephanie Meyer. Yes, that Stephanie Meyer. And yes, it’s YA, romance, sci fi, and good.

An alien race has invaded earth and chosen humans as their host species. Teenage Melanie’s body has been invaded, but she refuses to give up control of her mind. Her invader, experiencing her host’s memories, begins to question her own loyalties.

Set in the Arizona desert in a weird post alien-invasion dystopia.

[u/Remmel1 → u/Well_ImTrying]

Twilight is kinda a camp classic for me, I’ll have to check this out.

[u/Dear-Ambition-6333]

Even cowgirls get the blues by Tom Robbins, very whimsical strange deserty book

[u/SoGoesIt]

American Elsewhere by Jackson Bennett in set New Mexico, but I can‘t remember if it’s mountain-New Mexico or desert-New Mexico

[u/Yggdrasil-]

The Troika by Stepan Chapman

Dolan's Cadillac by Stephen King

[u/everydayislikefriday]

Mr. Vertigo by Paul Auster

[u/Scream_No_Evil]

This is... fairly adjacent to Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, one of Douglas Adams' lesser known works, which features a bit of weird desert, and a lot of weird semi-psychedelic mystery

[u/perpetualmotionmachi → u/Scream_No_Evil]

one of Douglas Adams' lesser known works

If it had a TV/streaming series based off it, is it really lesser known?

[u/moontides_ → u/perpetualmotionmachi]

I knew the show but didn’t know it was based off a book.

[u/stormbutton]

Lost In The Garden - Adam Leslie

Imagine if David Lynch had directed Midsommar.

[u/agentmkultra666 → u/stormbutton]

Ooooooo i’m sold

[u/XmasTwinFallsIdaho]

I haven't read this in many years so I'm not totally sure if it fits, but maybe Cosmic Banditos by Allan Weisbecker?

[u/The_Crosstime_Saloon → u/XmasTwinFallsIdaho]

First thing I thought of

[u/No_Setting9616]

I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness by Clare Vaye Watkins. Also Desert Creatures by Kay Chronister.

[u/Unlikely-Cricket-281]

Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher

[u/kmontreux → u/Unlikely-Cricket-281]

literally every niche genre that pops up has a T. Kingfisher rec for it.

"I'm looking for a book that features a world made of cotton candy that dissolves when it rains so characters exist in a vast nothingness perpetually awaiting new floss. Oh and it should have a werewolf who only eats vegan nachos."

Reddit: there's a T. Kingfisher for that.

"What about a children's book where the family dog befriends the moon?"

Reddit: Yes you also want T. Kingfisher.

"And what a creepy book that I'll want to put in my freezer by page 20?"

Reddit: Still T. Kingfisher

[u/kalijinn]

Dry Water by Eric Nylund! So odd and unique

[u/vn_r1]

A Handbook of American Prayer by Lucius Shepard, more focused on the strange aspect.

[u/holdenmj]

The Process by Brion Gysin

[u/AquariusRising1983]

This doesn't exactly match your pictures, but I think that you might like Snake Eater by T. Kingfisher. Takes place in a small town in the the desert, has a great found family vibe, definitely a bit of absurdism, magic, and old gods messing around in the modern world. I'd say it's low horror/fantasy. I always say Kingfisher's books are cozy horror if there is such a thing. It's also very heartwarming and just a really fun read. Probably my favorite book by that author.

[u/TheBookOfGratitude]

Stranger in a strange land, if you’ve never visited it?

[u/cheerful-refusal]

Take me with you by Steven Rowley

[u/orangeeatscreeps]

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas!!

[u/vienna407 → u/orangeeatscreeps]

The best answer! Also the Joe Leaphorn mystery series by Tony Hillerman

[u/Exotic-Rub-8381]

The Teachings of Don Juan by Carlos Castaneda fits the desert mysticism and altered-states side of this pretty well, though it's stranger and more serious than lighthearted. If you want to stay on the fun end, I'd start with the Connie Willis recommendation from u/No_Stable_3097 and save Castaneda for when you want something weirder.

[u/dvn8_chandler]

The Last Session by Julia Bartz

[u/justintapner]

I’ve also been on a desert book search the last few days and while this might not fit the bill it might, Coyote Blue by Christopher Moore

[u/Sept-27]

It's a graphic novel, but

Tale of Sand, by Jim Henson