Wednesday 21 January 2015

World's Weirdest Book Titles

Thinking up a title for your magnum opus is easily one of the hardest parts of writing - right after, you know, the actual writing bit. Being original, enticing, fitting and discernable are difficult enough feats on their own without all being part of one massively important decision.

Don't worry, though. Because if authors can get away with some of these zingers, you can get away with anything.



THE DINOSAUR THAT POOPED CHRISTMAS

Kids sure do love their scatological humour, but of the things that are probably better off not being involved with it, Christmas is probably top of the list.

After all, an occasion on which a fat man in a red suit creeps into your house to leave unmarked parcels at the end of your bed is suspicious enough already, isn't it?




SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE FLYING ZOMBIE DEATH MONKEYS

Possibly my favourite part of this (apart from Sherlock's rockin' moustache on the cover) is the fact that Conan Doyle despised the success of this character and his adventures. Quite possibly to the extent that he probably would have written this book himself if he could have done.




SHATNERQUAKE

You heard it, people. Earthquakes, and William Shatner.

I, personally, am very much of the opinion that almost everything can be improved with the addition of good ol' Captain Kirk . . . mostly. Natural disasters? Maybe not.

Or should I say ... Shatnaah.






HOW TO WRITE A HOW TO WRITE BOOK

Excellent tongue-twister doubling as slightly mind-boggling meta-textual instruction manual. What's not to love?

Just goes to show that fiction books don't get to have all the fun.





ASS GOBLINS OF AUSCHWITZ

This is probably what your nightmares would look like after a few too many rounds of Cards Against Humanity.

And yes, this book is for real. It exists. Has reviews and everything. Mostly four-star from fans of the author's previous work.

There, I've saved you the trouble of looking any closer. Now run. Run and don't look back. Trust me on that.



-*-

Over to you, readers. Have you ever seen a book title weird enough to contend with this lot? If so, please share it! And, if you're writing a book yourself, what's the weirdest possible title you would be willing to give it? Leave a comment, and let me know!

~ Charley R

6 comments:

  1. I haven't seen titles (except one where the title was an entire page long) but I've got plenty of covers to rival those. Have you seen the Tumblr blog "wtfbadromancecovers"? It is ... astonishingly awful.

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    1. Yes ... but none of them compete with "The Ass Goblins of Auschwitz". NOTHING will ever compete with that.

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  2. I am crying. I am actually crying.

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    1. Hoping for your sake that those are tears of laughter and not of the result of looking up the thing I told you not to look up!

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  3. Oh gosh, I think the As Goblins of Auschwitz takes the cake for weirdest title and weirdest cover. O.o

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  4. "The Female Eunuch"
    Found as decoration in a furniture store in the Americas.

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