13 Intruiging Book Titles

from my nearly 800-item books-read list. 

For those who prefer just the titles, voilà a list: 

1.       A House Called Awful End

2.      The Schwa Was Here

3.      Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie

4.      The Man Who Was Thursday

5.      My Darling, My Hamburger

6.      The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things

7.      The Sweet, Terrible, Glorious Year I Truly, Completely Lost It

8.      The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat

9.      The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker

10.   How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe

11.    The Fine Wisdom and Perfect Teachings of the Kings of Rock and Roll

12.   A Short Stay in Hell

13.   Amity and Sorrow

For those who want some of my rambles to go along with the titles, voilà some rambles: 

A House Called Awful End by Philip Ardagh. This is the first in a trilogy, given my non-traditional genre “Weird Brit.” I quite liked it at the time: there were some sparse line drawings and a lot of rigmarole about stoats. Strange, in a sort of Charles Addams/Edward Gorey sort of way. Recommend if a fan of Douglas Adams or Lemony Snicket.

The Schwa Was Here by Neal Shusterman. I have no recollection of what happened in this book (I think a kid disappeared? Hence the “schwa”), but gave it my highest rating at the time. Included for the schwa, because letters-with-names are awesome. 

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick. Again, no idea what happened. Thought it “meh” at the time. But I mean, c’mon. This is almost as good as the title of Lakoff's book, “Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things.” Don’t you just want to know why those three things are put together?

The Man Who Was Thursday by G. K. Chesterton. Anarchy, poets, Christianity (maybe? It's Chesterton, so probably). Some really strange cover art. How can a man be a day of the week? Book got highest marks.

My Darling, My Hamburger by Paul Zindel. I disliked this book; only kept reading it so I could say that I finished a book with such a ridiculous title. Don’t ask me why I disliked it, it has been too long ago.

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things by Carolyn Mackler. We expect things in threes, and this title delivers. Liked it at the time.

The Sweet, Terrible, Glorious Year I Truly, Completely Lost It by Lisa Shanahan. Quite liked it at the time. Provided us with this wonderful phrase to describe having an emotional fit: “chucking a Birkett.”

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sachs. Highly recommend, non-fiction, reviews of clinical cases of brain malfunctions. And yes indeed, you do learn about the man who mistook his wife for a hat.

The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Heiber. This gaslight/fantasy/semi-steampunkish books was meh. But say that title aloud to yourself; isn’t it delicious?

How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu. Loved it. Loved it loved it loved it. It was surreal and trippy and fantastic.

The Fine Wisdom and Perfect Teachings of the Kings of Rock and Roll by Mark Edmundson. A good memoir. And what a title – I sure wanted to know those perfect teachings.

A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck. Read it. Feel things. Convert to Zoroastrianism.

Amity and Sorrow by Peggy Riley. Taken along with its cover, this is one heckuva creepy title. (But the ampersand is nice.) Genre? “Cults.”

xo, 

Devo