What do titles mean to you? Do they play any role in your reading at all? Do they impact the story, or just give you a slight glimpse into it? Do you have any that particularly stick out to you? If you're an author, why did you choose yours, and was it a hard decision? Here are a few I've made note of recently.
Because I Am Furniture by Talia Chaltas. To me, this title is as catching as the cover. It grabs me, intrigues me, and makes me think. Before I even open the freaking book!
In the Serpent's Coils by Tiffany Trent. I can guarantee you Mrs. Trent is the most gifted titler on this side of the universe. I dare you to find one better. By Venom's Sweet Sting? Between Golden Jaws? Seriously? They make me swoon.
The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King. This one's mainly just mysterious. And it has an aura, doesn't it?
A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth Bunce. Doesn't this one just roll off your tongue? Go ahead. Say it. Out loud.*
How to Build a House by Dana Reinhardt. Misleading, yet subtly perfect. It almost seems bland, at second glance, but the first one is what counts. Compelling, to say the least.
Share yours!
*vampire
That little *vampire was the best part of this whole post!
ReplyDeleteI think "A Curse Dark as Gold" has a GREAT title. Plus, it's a great book.
oh gosh, i'm glad you put the "vampire" b/c i'm slow and didn't get it...sheesh. funnyy..
ReplyDeleteI love the title for Because I Am Furntiture. Definitely makes me interested.
But let's see...titles are good b/c if I'm looking around at the store, titles and covers are the things I first see and use to pick up a book, you know? I can't really think of a specific one though that is awesome.
-lauren
That so made me laugh :)
ReplyDelete<3 Chelsie
bookluverreviews@hotmail.com
Haha, vampire.
ReplyDeleteI read this twice and just got it...
Hehe.
Titles totally matter. :o) LOVE Dust of 100 Dogs.
ReplyDeleteI love interesting titles!
ReplyDeleteSome of my favorites include:
A Great and Terrible Beauty.
The Sweet Far Thing.
Both by Libba Bray
Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott
Titles are the bane of my existence. At least for my own work. I usually think of one on the spur of the moment and it just sticks throughout the process.
ReplyDeleteMost authors know not to get too attached to their titles because when their book sells, the chances of the title changing is pretty high. Publishers have their own people, just like their own cover artists, that do this stuff and they're really good at pinpointing good titles. Not all the time, but most of the time.
As for standout titles, Generation Dead was good even though I wasn't too fond of the book itself.
A title in justice is Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side. I so fought that one. I just don't think it fit the tone or theme of the book even though I loved the book itself.
Title definately influence whether or not I read a book. Something like Ghostgirl is more likely to catch my attention than something like Gulliver's Travels. Ugh... :(
ReplyDeleteAnother one I like is Just Listen by Sarah Dessen!
Titles are part of the work. They aren't afterthoughts or decoration. Yes, they matter a great deal.
ReplyDeleteThank you so very much for the kind compliment! I struggled for a long time with those titles, so I appreciate that someone loves them that much!
ReplyDeleteI love A.S. King's title. Another one I've loved recently has been The Glass Books of the Dream-Eaters by Gordon Dahlquist. I think anime series often have some of the greatest names: Record of Lodoss War, Charcoal Wing Confederacy, and Escaflowne, for example. ;)
Best,
Tiffany Trent
Woah! Hi, Tiffany. Kind of awed that you read this & commented.
ReplyDeleteAnywaaay, all the titles you mentioned I'm now in love with, too, although I haven't heard of any of them. I haven't gotten into much anime - I'd like to! I just don't know where to start.
Donna - I agree with you on your thoughts about Generation Dead. I thought that book was lacking something.
And Megan, Libba Bray's titles are great. Her latest, Going Bovine, I like too.
No need for awe. I'm always interested in good ideas, especially when it comes to titles. :)
ReplyDeleteFor anime, I highly recommend starting with films by Miyazaki like "Spirited Away" or "Howl's Moving Castle," if you haven't seen them. Good stuff!
I love titles a lot too. Of the ones you mentioned, I like The Dust of 100 Dogs and How To Build A House the best. They're mysterious, subtle, and just plain perfect. I would hate to be an author and have to come up with a title. It seems like it would be extremely hard to catch the essence of your novel in a few short words...
ReplyDeleteTitles definitely make me take notice. I just saw Khy's post about INTO THE WILD NERD YONDER by Julie Halpern. I hadn't heard of it before that, but I will totally check it out based on name alone. Anything that has that fun of a title is likely to be right up my alley. Same goes for all the Gallagher Girls books by Ally Carter. Great titles, one and all.
ReplyDeleteLet's see (I love this game. I love titles to death):
ReplyDeleteWeedflower
Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall
A Mango-Shaped Space
House of the Scorpion
A Great and Terrible Beauty
Waiting for Normal
Ransom the Dawn
The Reformed Vampire Support Group
The Order of the Odd Fish
Frozen Fire
Outside Beauty
I'm Exploding Now
The Loser's Guide to Life and Love
Child of Dandelions
Wintergirls
The Hunger Games
That's off the top of my head. Cool titles rock.
By the way Chelsea, Miyazaki is a good start for dipping your toes into anime. I fell into anime with Spirited Away, but you have to have a very open mind to enjoy the show, but it is fantastic.
Gankutsuou is a good one. It is a sci-fi retelling of the Count of Monte Cristo. Very pretty, very cool.
But for me, hands down, the best anime ever is Fullmetal Alchemist. Nothing has topped that series for me. It is absolutely brilliant, in every way imaginable.