05. A book with a weird or intriguing title

[Jackie, Solstitial Mod]

Sometimes when you're browsing the (bookstore, library, or virtual) shelves, a title will stop you in your tracks. This week, you're reading a book whose title caught your eye and made you want to pick up this book.

From the 2021 ATY challenge: "You Read WHAT?!"
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

ATY Listopia: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

What are you reading for this prompt? What attention-grabbing titles do you have on your shelves?

[Kathy]

These titles are more on the "intriguing" line, not weird.

Trilby - George du Maurier
Sweet Bean Paste - Durian Sukegawa
A Nun in the Closet - Dorothy Gilman

[Charlsa]

I laughed out loud so many times when I read the first book in this series in 2023, Killers of a Certain Age. I'm excited to read the second book in the series when it releases next year, Kills Well with Others by Deanna Raybourn.

[Denise]

These are on my TBR:

[LeahS]

I'm going for How to Find a Black Cat in a Dark Room (especially when there is no cat) for weird and A Life Discarded: 148 Diaries Found in a Skip for intriguing.

[Marie]

Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellmann was added to my TBR because I was looking at library books and thought "that's a weird title", so it really had to be my only choice for this prompt.

[Denise]

Marie wrote: "Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellmann was added to my TBR because I was looking at library books and thought "that's a weird title", so it really had to be my only choi..."

I just bought that book when I stumbled across it at an indie bookshop. I was attracted to its size but you're right it was also the strange title that drew me to it

[Marie]

Denise wrote: "I just bought that book when I stumbled across it at an indie bookshop. I was attracted to its size but you're right it was also the strange title that drew me to it"

It is intimidatingly huge! It would fit the monster prompt as well as this one.

[Donna]

I’ll read The Secret Life of Sunflowers by Marta Molnar?Its been on my tbr a long time now.

[Dixie]

Someone in the Wild Discussion mentioned Ulrich Haarburste's Novel of Roy Orbison in Clingfilm, I can't resist going for that one. I also have Slapstick, or Lonesome No More! on my TBR list.

[Pam]

I may use this prompt to read The Lost Pianos of Siberia. The topic is intriguing to me. People don't typically associate Siberia with pianos.

[Book Concierge]

Have always loved this title:

The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts

[Angie]

My options:

How to Sell a Haunted House
The Warm Hands of Ghosts

[Chrissy]

I just heard about a book that’s perfect here: I Make Envy on Your Disco

[John]

One of the books I am thinking about is The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers, probably more intriguing than weird.

[Adam]

Working my way through the 1632 series, so my book for this entry is A Diogenes Club for the Czar. Part four of 17th century Russian Sherlock Holmes solving mysteries in the new universe.

[Misty]

I read The Loving and the Dead: Tales of the Supernatural by Catherine Lim for this prompt. It is a collection of spooky stories, and they were pretty good.

[Robin H-R]

I read:
The Old Buzzard Had It Coming by Donis Casey

REJECT: A book related in some way to parenting a child of any age

Finished: 01/17/2025
Rating: 4 stars

What does a mother with 9 children and a farm do with her "spare" time? She investigates a murder! First in a series, set in 1912 Oklahoma. Very enjoyable!

[Ciara]

For this one, I read Venomous Lumpsucker by Ned Beauman. There were some good jokes & I always like a near-future cli-fi dystopia, but for all the action packed into this book, the story felt a little thin. I give it 6.5 out of 11 lab-grown cow faces.

[Michelle E]

I'm planning on reading for this prompt.

[Phil]

I read The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break by Steven Sherrill for this topic (Read Jan 26th; 4*)

[Amy]

I read The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches for this prompt. A delightful and cozy read perfect for a cold winter weekend!

[Sherri]

I read Waiting for Tom Hanks

[Kathy]

I read How to Keep House While Drowning by K.C. Davis.

[Pamela, Arciform Mod]

I read The Marrow Thieves (I hate prompts like this cause they're so abstract you can choose anything)

[Tracy]

I have a very long list of "weird or intriguing titles", but some I've already read, and some are hard to find. One of my favorite titles Ciara read (Venomous Lumpsucker), with what sounds like middling results (but love your rating systems Ciara!)

What I ended up reading was Shit Cassandra Saw by Gwen E. Kirby. With this being a collection of short stories, my feelings about it wavered as I moved from story to story — some I loved, some were so-so, as that goes. I'm hoping that my choice for the actual "collection of short writings" prompt turns out better, as it is a "connected collection of short stories", and one of my favorite books last year was this sort of connected collection. That said, I still gave this 4 Stars, with a little nudge upword based on the theme of the collection — short stories of varying length on feminist themes: imagining more power over our own bodies and threats (by men mostly).

One of the reasons I chose this book over the other weird titles on my lists included the fact that it also has a standout/weird cover:

[♞ Pat]

I read How to Solve Your Own Murder. I mean, how is that possible if you're dead??? But it turns out it WAS.

[Severina]

I read The Monks of Appalling Dreadfulness by John Connolly, a story set in the Samuel Johnson universe.

[LeahS]

I read Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone and for my 2016 round A Life Discarded: 148 Diaries Found in a Skip.

I liked the style of Everyone and its take on golden age crime - there is the closed circle of family marooned in the snow for a starter. A little confusing at times and a bit too dark to be a 'cosy crime' book. A book I wanted to read again when I'd finished to pick up all the clues!

148 diaries was also a bit of a mystery, as the author tried to make sense of the life of the person writing those diaries. A rather sad, but ultimately a somewhat positive read. I was certainly as interested as the author in discovering the truth.

[Joy D]

For this prompt, I read:
The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse by Louise Erdrich - 4* - My Review

[Rora]

I read One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

[Anastasia]

Safecracker: A Chronicle of the Coolest Job in the World
4⭐
This is not the weirdiest title, but it did catch my attention. Being a safecracker does seem like a cool job. He was the one who opened Prince's safe after he died. That is pretty cool.

[Kristin]

For this prompt I read

While yes, the title to this book is intriguing. There were some flaws. This book started out extremely slow, started getting really good in the middle, and fell flat at the end. I was so disappointed because there were several ways this book could've played out, and they just.. well.. didn't. I would've originally gave it 3 stars. However, I gave it 4 simply because it was the first book I finished this year. So, it has a special place.

Another title that I have heard that is extremely weird, vulgar, but not on my list of TBR is

like WHAT!? Someone will have to tell me how this one is hahaha

[Hannah]

[Anne]

I am reading Dry Rot and Daffodils by Mary Mackie. Two unusual titles I have are The Orchard of Lost Souls by Nadifa Mohamed and Utterly Dusted by Pauline Manders.

[Deborah]

When the Moon Hits Your Eye and Roctogenarians: Late in Life Debuts, Comebacks, and Triumphs

[Dubhease]

I read Mother-Daughter Murder Night which was a fun mystery.