This post was inspired by a comment over at It Starts At Midnight- I made a crack about weird book titles and how that could be a post, and after that conversation I got to thinking. There have been so many book titles lately that just... I don't know, mystify me? Or make me curious. YA titles in particular can be interesting at times. So here we're going to talk a bit about book titles- the good, the bad, and the WTF-ery.
Now weird is subjective. My weird may not be your weird, but for purposes of this discussion I want to look at not only weird titles but titles that seem pretentious or whatever. This is all in the spirit of fun, so if I mention a favorite title please don't be offended- I'm just talking about titles that I find funny or whatever.
So I'm just going to show a few that have caught my eye or I've been like, what?? These could be great books for all I know- but the titles are... interesting.
You get the idea. Again, these might all be great- but the titles are just kinda weird. Or vague or not really clear what the book is about. They probably make perfect sense once you've read the book. Does anyone else get annoyed at titles like these though? Maybe it's just me... and once I look at the synopses often a book like this has a message or explores a theme that's actually pretty important.
Veronica Mars meets William Shakespeare... so says the synopsis. Actually it sounds like this could be a very moving book- and I don't want to make light of it because it covers a serious topic. But it's one of those titles that if I saw it on a bookshelf I would have no idea (I mean, presumably cheerleading) but other than that...
So... what do YOU think? Weird or vague titles- like or dislike? Or don't care either way?
Obviously I love weird titles since I just did a post about them the other week lol (albeit not a discussion). Weird titles definitely do draw me in and make me curious.
ReplyDeleteHowever I am getting really tired of seeing [blank] of [blank] and [blank] titles. And all the titles that just seem to randomly have words like "smoke" and "ash" in them. I don't know if it was Daughter of Smoke and Bone that started the craze or what book it was, but it's become a plague.
I'm fairly certain "Exit, pursued by a bear" is a legitimate line in one of Shakespear's plays? So I guess that's why I've never found that one super weird, though I have no idea what that actually has to do with the book.
Someone happened to mention I Woke Up Dead at the Mall to me on my post, and I really liked the title lol and the premise sounds cool too, so it's on my TBR. Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies is a great title too. So yeah, I like weird titles!
Oh yeah you did have a titles post, didn't you? That was a good one as I recall. :) Titles are so interesting, especially some of the YA ones. I just shake my head sometimes. And I totally agree, all the something of something and something titles are just irritating.
DeleteSee I didn't know that about Exit, pursued by a bear so that's good to know. Just goes to show knowing a little Shakespeare is a good thing. :) That makes more sense now. And I Woke Up Dead at the Mall- I do like that one!
I'm not sure about weird titles. I mean, I haven't read a ton of books with weird titles (they seem to be mostly contemporaries?) but I think I prefer them to some of the dramatic YA one-word titles like INSPIRE and INFLICT or something similar.
ReplyDeleteA couple more to add to your collection: The Solitude of Prime Numbers, The Elegance of the Hedgehog - I haven't read either of those but I like the names. :)
That's a good point- I had not thought of all the one word titles out there but yeah those can be silly too. :) And I love your additions- The elegance of the Hedgehog? Seriously??? lol
DeleteHuh - I guess a lot of the strange titles appeal to me as quite a few of these are on my TBR list!
ReplyDeleteI think in the right situation a weird or abstract title is a great attention getter. When browsing through books I'll always look at the cover first and foremost and if it's nice then the book immediately has my attention. Then I will read the title and if it's not appealing to me I will probably never read it unless someone highly recommends it to me. I'm not entirely sure what makes the title appealing - I guess it's a combination of both the cover and the words and personal preference.
I can remember spending long hours perusing books at my local library and eventually after picking out the first few I would take home using the cover/title method and then eventually title/blurb method. So it seems that, for me in any case, the title is always pretty important.
Are they? That's neat. I know several of these are quite popular, and didn't want to upset anyone by ripping on the titles... :) but some of these titles I just don't get.
DeleteI agree though a title is so important- a a certain title and/ or the cover art/ design plays a huge role in which books I pick out too!
I never really thought about titles as being weird before. But now I'm going to have to look at some of them closer from now on. Apparently the Rocks Fall Everyone Dies one is a reference to Dungeons and Dragons from what I've been told.
ReplyDeleteI only don't like "weird" titles when I've read the book and don't understand the connection to the story.
That's good to know about Rocks Fall.
DeleteAnd that's a good point- I suppose if a title makes sense after reading.
I like weird titles. They get my attention and I make me more aware of finding the connection as I read the book. If there is no apparent connection, I will be stumped but it nevertheless got me reading the book!
ReplyDeleteI sometimes like them- depends on the book I guess. I guess the cynical side of me thinks there's a bit of a trend towards vague or over the top titles, but then again maybe not. And I think you're right- making that connection between the story and the title can be satisfying, I have to admit.
DeleteWeird titles can spark my curiosity immediately--or be a turn off, depending. I think you chose some good ones (I haven't read any of the books). Christopher Moore's titles come to mind when I think of weird--or maybe creative is a better word. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, for example. Oh, and one of my favorite childhood books, Tarantulas on the Brain. Such a good book, but a title that probably makes some people cringe instead of want to read it.
ReplyDeleteSame here. They can pique my interest or irritate me, depending. :) YA especially seems rife with all these long belabored titles or vague titles... may just be my pet peeve lol. And yes those examples! :)
DeleteI love a good title! Weird, funny, mysterious and all of the above. I read a lot of cozies so my titles are always puns.
ReplyDeleteI love cozy titles. They're always so funny... and some of the YA titles sometimes seem a bit much but there are some good ones too!
DeleteYes!! There are so many books with weird titles. I like weird titles as long as it's not too weird lol. There's one about a pterodactyl boyfriend that just turns me off on that book completely lol!
ReplyDeleteI know! And I think I know which one you're talking about- I saw a book about a pterodactyl boyfriend somewhere and I was like really???
DeleteAs you know, I LOVE me some weird titles! But only if they fit! Otherwise I get cranky. Like- The Last Boy and Girl in the World? Not at ALL about the last boy and/or girl in the world. Totally misleading! A History of Glitter and Blood... tbh, the title should have been even weirder, that was one of the strangest books I have ever read, and I'll be damned, I liked iT! And I won't lie, a "Night of Cake and Puppets" just sounds like a good time if you ask me ;)
ReplyDeleteSome weird ones though definitely make me roll my eyes- like I Woke Up Dead at the Mall. Like... no, you didn't actually, because that isn't a thing that is possible. Love this post!!
Same here! If the title is eventually vindicated then fine- but if it's weird just to be weird- hello! And a Night of Cake and Puppets- that's awesome. I have no idea what's going on in that one but it has to be entertaining w/a title like that!
DeleteI do roll my eyes at some of the titles- like sometimes they're trying to be as weird or vague as possible?
Strange titles do catch your attention at least. Daughter of Smoke and Bone makes more sense as a title if you read the book. I do know that Exit, Pursued By a Bear is a line from The Winter's Tale by Shakespeare. The book is not a retelling by any means but the main character's name is Hermione and there are some other similarities with character names, etc.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite unusual titles is Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse. I came across a copy of it once when my job involved shelving books. Another memorable title I found at the same library was "Sometimes I Wake Up Grumpy...and Sometimes I Let Him Sleep".
You're the second person to point out to me the Exit, pursued by a bear link, so I've learned something. Maybe I'm being too hard on the books, after all I'm sure MOST of these make sense once you're read it.
DeleteThat Chocolate Bunnies title is a riot! I have to say that would get my attention!!
I tend to like weird, but some of these are a bit above and beyond. Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies and the Homo Sapien one have caught my eye recently especially. I have read Daughter of Smoke & Bone and that series' novella Night of Cake & Puppets and I have to say: yes, the titles do make sense once you read the book! LOL! That's one of my favorite series too :D
ReplyDeleteI saw Ricks Fall and I was just like, what is that even about? But it must make sense? And I knew Smoke and Bone would get some attention since it's so popular. It's good to know the title makes sense in the end. :)
DeleteI actually wouldn't consider most of those titles especially weird. Well, okay, Porcupine of Truth is weird, but it's definitely explained in the book. I'm trying to think of what would be a straight-forward title. Love Story? The Mystery of the Old Clock? David Copperfield?
ReplyDeleteA lot of weird titles make sense to us because we know what they are about now. The Clockwork Orange. Cloud Atlas. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Far From the Madding Crowd.
I think I'm maybe MORE likely to pick up a book to check the description if the title is a little mystery to solve.
Yeah I thought Porcupine of Truth was different. And good point about older titles- we do now know but when they came out they may have been a bit mystifying as well! Maybe if I think of it as a mystery to solve it won't irritate me so much. And I guess better a mysterious title than a boring one!
DeleteI've thought about this, too! Another thing I noticed is that, coincidentally, the weird titles are usually 1) longer and 2) usually on the humorous side (at least the contemporaries). Titles are just as important to a book as the cover. It's purpose is to capture readers's attention while also giving a little insight. For example, "Simon Vs. Homosapiens" tells me it's probably someone who is an outsider and his name is Simon. I tend to like weird titles!
ReplyDeleteJess @ POB!
Yes they are longer usually- the Daughter of this or that or the like. And you're right- between the title and the cover that's pretty much all we have to go on on a bookshelf, and it has to grab our attention. So maybe a title that is a little out of the ordinary is a good thing for authors. Hadn't thought of that. Thanks for sharing- great comment!
DeleteI totally understand your frustration/confusion towards weird titles. On one side, I think it makes the premise of the book seem more interesting, and once you read the book, the title makes sense, which is cool. However, on the other hand, I think it makes people less likely to remember the title or have a lasting memory of the particular book because of how strange it is. Nonetheless, great discussion! :)
ReplyDeleteI o. I only see this post now on your Sunday Post! Great idea. I tend to be drawn to weird titles more than good covers. Have you read: The extraordinary journey of the Fakir who got trapped in an IKEA wardrobe? Now that's a title.
ReplyDeleteThey doin't bother me, in fact I kind of like the weird titles. They make me go to Goodreads to read the synopsus to see what the connection to the story. My question is what was with all the hanging upsidedown girls book covers over the last year. Ha ha. :)
ReplyDeleteI like some strange titles, but others just baffle me like they do you. Exit, Pursued by a Bear might make sense if you know the Shakespeare play, but otherwise it's complete nonsense and seems really odd with that cover. I agree that I would NEVER have picked that book up to even discover what it was about because of that.
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
I like strange titles, but not the ones that just flat-out weird. I only read Daughter of Smoke and Bone series, and the title really attracts me. It just sounds mysterious and intriguing. And we do know why it's titled that after reading the book :D There are titles that doesn't seem really weird, but makes me don't want to read the book. The Serpent King of example. I hate snakes, so I just won't read that book ever, even though everyone said it's amazing. There has to be a reason why it has "serpent" on the title right?? I guess titles are pretty subjective :) This is such an interesting post!
ReplyDeleteTasya // The Literary Huntress
Oh I woke up dead at the mall wins at everything. that has got to be the most unique title!
ReplyDeleteI have never seen some of these titles, but I got a good laugh out of them.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I totally love weird book titles. (But there is such a thing as too weird, if you know what I mean). Unusual titles are great since they stick out in your mind. I mean, you are never going to forget a title like Exit, Pursued by a Bear. Instead of having the same kind of titles and covers over and over again, authors are getting creative and trying something new.
On the other hand, I really don't like vague and cliche titles. A title has to be related to the book somehow with some kind of creativity.
Daughter of Smoke and Bones is a great book. The title does make sense once you read the book.
ReplyDeleteApocalypse Now Now is another weird title. The book intercepts a lot of South African mythology. The title start to make sense as you read the book.
Titles can be weird as much as possible but they has to make sense within the contacts of the book.
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