What's the Name of That Book??? discussion
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How *NOT* to write your thread title:
So, the *BEST* thread title (that I've come up with so far) would be:What's this book called? Please HELP find this forgotten book! I'm looking for a forgotten book that maybe I read a long time ago (while waiting in an airport, but that I didn't buy in an airport) that I can't remember - it's maybe about a guy and a woman he meets.
Maybe I could repeat myself a couple more times in there, to bulk it out?
Credit to this for inspiring an additional 8 characters: ' - it's '
Credit to David for some cleanup /changes.
Yes, amusing.But really, its still just the internet. How picky do we really wanna get over every little thing? Remember, America is a country which couldn't even adopt the metric system when asked to; and its a land where drivers apply make-up while steering their vehicle using their shin; and its where people walk around not knowing who Washington or Lincoln even were or what the Constitution is.
Mod
But yeah, it's annoying.
Yes here in America we may drive with our shins (not me!!!!) but at least we don't have this driver...
Justanotherbiblophile wrote: "So, the *BEST* thread title (that I've come up with so far) would be..."::dies laughing::
REALLy thought it was funny. Wish we could just delete the impossible thread titles or at least edit them to something useful.
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Mod
I joined this site just to ask the name of a forgotten book. I thought it was common sense to read the posting rules of the group before I asked the question so that I didn't look like a fool. It SHOULD be the first thing you do. I mean, it's not like you're in a rush.Though I like this group. People ask questions about books they're looking for, and the details they give make the book seem interesting. It's a great way to find book suggestions.
This group is awesome... to everything except your books-to-buy list / budget.
As a recent joiner, the popup is working. Now users just need to read it...Justanotherbiblophile wrote: "So, the *BEST* thread title (that I've come up with so far) would be: "
Too much information to be the very best. It was "a long time ago", and "a girl and a guy" *might* hint at a YA-range book? You need to edit those out. Throw in a few "or maybes".
Sorry. Couldn't resist.
Mod
Thanks for the confirmation. Because sometimes when you ask people to go back and put details in their header they respond, "Sorry, I'm new!" Uh....yes. So you saw the pop-up...
This made me go back and check the title of the thread I once created. It wasn't too bad, thankfully.
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I suppose it would be futile to define what is and is not a "spoiler."It seems perfectly obvious to me, but for every header that says (something to the effect of) ". . . Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker's father" there's a post that says (view spoiler).
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SamSpayedPI wrote: "I suppose it would be futile to define what is and is not a "spoiler."It seems perfectly obvious to me, but for every header that says (something to the effect of) ". . . there's a post that says (view spoiler)."
It bothers me that perhaps the first kind is more widespread and not much can be done about it (some posters edit it after being asked, but others are neither seen nor heard again). What harm can the other one do? Probably just decreasing the OP chances of having the book recognized.
My un-favourite cliche of bad thread titles (and request text in the Recommendation Request section of the site) is use of abbreviations, the more obscure the "better". So stuff like this: -"Looking for HEA M/F romance book where the H was a billionaire and the h was also a billionaire but lost all her money"
-"I read this HEA romance book with nb chars"
-"Want romance with HEA where the h is a BBW and the H is a BAM"
-"mmf bb-H/ng-H/vbbw-h bdsm hea <500pp kthnxbai"
(I find the romance-reader convention of calling the "hero" "the H" and the "heroine" "the h" really strange - maybe it isn't meant to come across as misogynistic and patriarchal, but it sure does to me.)
Lobstergirl wrote: "David wrote: "As a recent joiner, the popup is working. Now users just need to read it..."Thanks for the confirmation. Because sometimes when you ask people to go back and put details in their he..."
I've been a member for a couple years and I'm still getting the pop-up, so yeah, no excuse for being new.
Keith wrote: "My un-favourite cliche of bad thread titles (and request text in the Recommendation Request section of the site) is use of abbreviations, the more obscure the "better". That's why I made this:
Abbreviations (Acronyms & Initialisms) you may run into
Keith wrote: "come across as misogynistic and patriarchal"
It's the simplest way to condense information to a very short encapsulation. Could be put to M & W, but then you're going to exclude a certain subset of literature with minority genders. But that would clear up the lesbian/gay novels, where you could have 'M' & 'm' and 'W' & 'w'. Of course, with any change like that - you're going to have to convince the whole world to quit doing what they're doing, and do it a different way.
And, when people are describing the hero and heroine doing *anything*, it makes it a much better title for a post - as you can rule out any novels where they're not doing the thing. So, all-in-all, I *much* prefer people using H and h vs. those who don't say anything about their book in their title.
I don't think people realise their headers are effectively their 'posters'. Or maybe they think 'no details' will encourage people to look into it...?If someone lost a dog and put up posters saying 'lost dog', or had a concert and put up posters saying 'concert'... and that's it... How many people do they think are actually going to get off their ass and think about, let alone ask about, or look for those missing details on a strangers behalf?
No, at the very least, a lost dog would include a description and probably last seen details. A concert would have details on who's playing, where and when.
As for this site, everyone's looking for a book, so a straight generic 'looking' means squat... and basic details like HR, Contemp, H is an asshole, h where's a dress etc, just leave the field so far open that it's not really worth looking for what could be one of hundreds of thousands that the 'looker' has never even heard of.
Now if the header includes further details like h runs a bar or is a lawyer, or there is a scene like this etc, every detail just makes it that much more enticing for 'lookers' to give it a go. And if the added details end up cancelling the lost book out of someone's already read list, it just might spark an interest in them wanting to read the book, so you get even more people keeping an eye out, if not actively looking for your book.
Sorry, preaching to the choir right?
I still remember reading a reply from a thread owner to a few suggestions thrown their way, at how rude it was for 'lookers' to suggest options for their new book request (or maybe it was a missing book?)... WITHOUT HAVING THE DECENCY TO TAKE THE TIME TO CLICK THROUGH TO THE OWNERS GR PROFILE AND FAMILIARISE THEMSELVES WITH THEIR CURRENT LISTS...?!? Perhaps some people somehow don't see or take notice of just how many threads there are in this group?
Sorry, I think I woke up on the wrong side of the soap box 🙄
I read every query, no matter how generic the header. However, if someone doesn't follow the directions, chances are she or he is barely literate, doesn't use punctuation, won't understand further instructions or answer questions, and may not check back.But I have to admit, my very first query here was generically titled. I don't remember what it was, but someone changed it for the better.
I don't like the pop-up.
By the way, I still don't understand how knowing the author's gender would help find a book.
Rosa wrote: "By the way, I still don't understand how knowing the author's gender would help find a book."The poster may remember something else while thinking of that, or if they remember part of the title, that can be searched on worldcat and it might help reduce the search results to look at. Those are the uses I can think of.
What does the author’s gender have to do with the title?
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It was only a few years ago I ‘really opened up’ to make authors. Before that, I’d read a few, but outside Dean Koontz, James Patterson and a couple of others, I found I generally didn’t like male authors. It was the way they either sexualised things that didn’t seem to need it or the way they referred to things. Sometimes they would ‘see’ a situation in such a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT way from the way I was viewing their scene, I found it hard to relate and adjust to their style. I noticed quite a few indi’s who don’t go in for the whole professional edit would give me trouble. Maybe there wasn’t the balance I could find??
Anyway, saying that, until a few years ago, knowing the author would have been female / male would def have helped me sort from either the look-ee or the look-er side of things.
I’ve eased up heaps of the years, and have only found one recently that kept slapping me in the face with ‘male author’.
The weirdest combo I’ve seen is a middle age(?) male author, writing a teen girl lead... I couldn’t get my head around how he was going to pull that off. In the end, I loved the book and there was really not many problems with it.
Do you know how to add neat links? Just click "add book/author" above the text box.Skyward
The Mind's Eye
I’m on the app and it’s from the dinosaur age and has none of the good stuff :/
Oh, I'm sorry. Thank you for sharing the titles with me.
Something that annoys me is when people put "LGBT-themed" in the title instead of specifying whether it's L, G, B, or T. If the book is about more than one, fine. But usually it's just about one.
The rockabilly werewolf from Mars wrote: "I'm not even talking about the titles. Most of the time they describe them in such broad terms ("it's about a girl and she falls in love with a biker" or something similar) ..."And in the description only few words, as if the poster was exhausted by the effort to write the title 🙂
I don’t think most people realise that most users won’t see anything other than the title of the thread. They all assume we’ll see more in the description... but most of us (I’m assuming) generally don’t bother to go into a thread that’s a) well described, but nothing’s ringing a bell or interest for me, or b) generic help or girl falls in love...I only click into the generic ones by accident or a very rare... I’m bored enough to bother. Safely, I’m pretty sure I’ve solved a few generic ones, but would have seen them months or years ago if they had a better thread title... and been bumped more often.
One of the mods literally just put (1 book - Genre + Plot) in the literal name of the Unsolved folder, and people are still posting vague titles. It's hopeless, lol. People will not read the rules no matter what.
I do confess... I rarely add genres... mainly because I am HOPELESS at deciding which one it belongs to. I tend to over share with details because I usually find that the ones I solve are because if ‘that tiny little detail’, so I figure anything might help jog someone’s memory. Tbh tho, they probably get bored reading it all and wander off before they get to the end 🥺
I personally don't like the kilometric titles either.
MJ wrote: "Tbh tho, they probably get bored reading it all and wander off before they get to the end ..."No, I don't believe that anyone in this group who'll read a thread thinking they may help solve it would get bored by a long description.
I wish there were a way to "hide" threads. Some titles are disturbing and I'd rather not see them continue to pop up on the front page.And the barely literate titles are just plain annoying.
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Some mods will also delete the 2nd and 3rd exclamation points in your header, if you've put in three. While we like enthusiasm, there does seem to be a correlation between the posters who use the most exclamation points, and the ones who post an initial comment and then never return to the thread.
Oh, none of yours, rockabilly. There are a few sexually explicit subjects I don't like to see pop up, as they're rather triggering.
Ayshe... what’s a kilometric title mean?And RBG... I agree. Not so much that they disturb me, but I KNOW I’ve never read a book anything like what they are hunting, so seeing it forever more when we have SO MANY on the go bugs the b-g-b’s out of me. I’m almost always on my app, and for the most part, I only click on my notifications button to see what’s new (in all my threads)... so when the mods are on a rampage, my available list of 30 threads gets smashed and I miss any others that were updated too. It will show me a number up to 50, but only lets me see the last 30 updated. Occasionally I’ll go into the groups I have to see if I’ve missed anything there, but more often not. Makes me happy & sad when I solve a 2 year old post that I know at a glance, but it’s obviously only been bumped when I’ve missed the 30 mark!
It’s a slippery slope tho... how to decide what and how users can hide threads. If people aren’t getting looks, that becomes a problem. Maybe another button that shows ‘your hidden threads’? (and yes I know I’ve probably asked for a dozen extra buttons by now). That way there’s a way you can go and find that one you kind of remember hiding, and have now seen a book that might match.
MJ wrote: "Ayshe... what’s a kilometric title mean?..."I meant like one that is miles and miles (more like 8-9 lines, yes), I dislike them, it should be possible in most cases to make that shorter and yet descriptive enough?
Oh, yeah. Easy. 😣 mine are probably some of the ones that bug you! Lol, sorry.
Tho I admit, I often MEAN TO edit and refine and title and the content... but by the time I’m finished listing (ALL those) details, I usually JUMP on POST before I can have a crash and lose everything. Then it’s impossible to edit on the app and I never get around to logging in.
What's the Name of That Book???
Books mentioned in this topic
Skyward (other topics)The Mind's Eye (other topics)
Here are some AMAZING thread titles!:
Can't remember (this book)
Looking for a book!
(Please) Help!?
all of these are breaking this rule: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Forgotten (book)
What's this book called
I can't find this book
Help! Can't remember name of book
I really need help (yes, yes you do /snark)
I'm looking for a specific novel/series
I can't remember the author or title. (On the plus side, you've finally made it to the right corner of the internet)
For any title, feel free to add any of this useless filler text, in order to take up reader's time:
A book about (a|an|the) / It's about a
Help looking for
I read a long time ago
I forgot it while waiting for the sequel
I think / I believe
Here are some "awesome" thread titles, because of overly-broad descriptors:
Girl gets pregnant. (Because, that's women's biological role : This: Teen girl pregnant, "bad boy" boyfriend is a better title.)
Guy knocks-up girl. (And this is men's biological role.)
Guy gets job, and pays bills. (Or he doesn't...)
Boy meets girl, boy loses girl. (Because this is how relationships work.)
Woman gets in accident, but survives. (Typically, we don't read the books by those who don't survive...)
Girl in love triangle, can't decide. (Because this is how relationships work.)
Woman gets a divorce. (Or she dies...)
Guy buys a car. (Or he walks...)
Child discovers a secret. (What else are you going to discover?)
Woman gets married. (Because people tend to do that...)
Old guy dies. (Or he lives forever!)
Thread titles that're closer to good:
YA-teen - (has a genre)
Fantasy/Adventure Book (PLEASE HELP!) - (has a genre)
I am trying to find an old fantasy novel. - (has a genre)
A historical Novel - (has a genre)
Teen Romance Book - (has a genre)
Gothic romance - (has a genre)
historical highland romance - (has a genre)
werewolf book - (has a genre (kinda; pnr? fant? scifi? hist? NF?))
Paranormal book series, YA, - (has a genre)
ya paranormal maybe - (has a genre)
military-techno thriller - (has a genre)
Looking for a funny teen novel! Really desperate! - (has a genre)
Historical Romance - (has a genre)
werewolf book - (has a genre (kinda))
historical romance - (has a genre)
Murder mystery - (has a genre)
Unsolved YA-MG Novel Published around 1993-1995, most likely 1994 - (has timeframe and general type)
1960's Young Adult Suspense - (has decade and genre)
Contemporary Romance, perhaps as much as 10 to 25 years old... - (has time-frame (well, kinda) and genre)
Arranged marriage - (has a bad descriptor: many books are written about arranged marriages)
Fiction - abused wife - (general classification ie: not non-fiction and a medium-good descriptor: many wives are not abused in fiction)
Mystery/Suspense/Half Native American Man - (has genres and a descriptor)
YA - story about an overweight girl... - (has a genre and a fairly overly broad (heh) descriptor)
Girl who gets kidnapped - (good descriptor; most people don't get kidnapped - but not quite enough info, a genre might push this over into being a good thread title, or a couple other descriptors, or a timeframe, or physical book details, or...)
And here's an example of a great title using only 2-3 words:
Crippled Ballerina...