11 Best Books to Read While High, According to Jon Gabrus

The acclaimed director James Cameron is known for his world-building (and mind-bending) visuals. He’s also a lifelong artist who got his start in the entertainment industry by painting movie posters for indie films. This coffee table book is full of Cameron’s artwork, sketches, journal entries, and more. “His propensity for sci-fi lends itself to some mind-bending reading,” says Gabrus. “But sometimes it’s nice to just look at pretty pictures.”

For anyone still finding their weed sea legs, this guide by Vice weed columnist and former High Times editor David Bienenstock will prove helpful. With chapters like “Indica vs. Sativa” and “What to Do (And Not Do) If You’re Too Damn High In Public,” this guide may well become your new bible. “Dave is a friend of mine. I don’t need this entry-level book anymore, but newbies to weed culture will gain a lot,” says Gabrus.

Bold graphics, fantastical storylines, and organized panels. This is what the comic book genre was made for. Gabrus is currently passionate about Adam Warlock, a being genetically engineered to become the next evolution of humanity. Warlock first appeared in Marvel Comics in 1967 and enjoys frequent story arcs as a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. “If there’s a comic author and character combination that better lends itself to mind-expanding consumption, I don’t know about it yet,” Gabrus says.

This collection of essays marks Saunders’ first foray into non-fiction. The Booker Prize-winning author of Lincoln in the Bardo turns his certified genius-level talents to the worlds of literature, politics, and travel, with stories about his trips to Nepal, Dubai, and the Mexican border, among others. “It’s highbrow, funny writing that’s perfect for some stony reading,” Gabrus says. “And chopping it up into short stories to fight THC-induced ADHD is clutch.”

“At this point, you should be detecting a pattern,” Gabrus says. “Funny, wild visuals go a long way when trying to stay focused while reading and smoking.” And this comic series dreamed up by cartoonist Johnny Ryan definitely fits the bill. Just reading the log line sends you on a wild trip: “Welcome to Prison Pit: home of repugnant intergalactic criminals, drug-filled slugs, and now Cannibal Fuckface, a barbarian antihero who has been damned to this barren negative-zone.”

Getting stoned is the perfect time to dive into someone else’s 20-year obsession with one of the most notorious murder sprees in modern memory. Chaos takes a second look at the infamous Manson murders, as depicted in the best-selling book Helter Skelter. It starts with author Tom O’Neill’s 1999 assignment to write a retrospective about those two notorious nights in LA, then follows him as he falls down an investigation rabbit hole of conspiracy theories about CIA misconduct, government cover-ups, and more. “O’Neill gets deep into all these conspiracy theories that surround the Manson murders, which is right in my wheelhouse,” says Gabrus.

Take a hit or two (or more) and fire up your fantasies of living the surfer life with this beach-themed crime noir. In The Dawn Patrol, ex-cop turned reluctant private eye Boone Daniels, who wants nothing more than to spend the rest of his days out amongst the breakers, has to choose between solving the biggest case of his career and missing the biggest swell of his life. “Yes, that’s the actual premise, and it’s executed perfectly by the legend Don Winslow,” Gabrus says.