21st Century Literature discussion

Are there books you've read solely because of the title? Are there books you dislike but whose title you adore or vice verse? Does (title) size matter? Should a title make sense before one has read the book? What would you say makes a title noteworthy or memorable?

Yes and Yes. I have read books because of the title and also, I have loved books but disliked the title because it sounded silly or like some cliché.

What makes a title noteworthy, I am not sure, but it should be something that sticks in mind. And mostly, I prefer shorter titles than those which are several lines long. A title should not give too much away from the content of the book and thus I think I like it better if it starts to make sense throughout the reading process.

Titles -- Ban the colon!!!

I think most title neither help nor hurt. There is a style of titling series books that drives me crazy though. Here is an example:
C. S, Harris's Sebastian St. Cyr mysteries (which I love) all have three word titles and I cannot for the life of me remember which order they go in. They start this way:What Angels Fear, When Gods Die, Why Mermaids Sing, Why Mermaids Sing.

I would say the best titles hint at some theme without giving too much away. Two recent examples The Weight of Ink, Once Upon a River

Of course a book can also tell you exactly what it's about and that can be great too. For example: We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea

Xan Shadowflutter wrote: "Titles -- Ban the colon!!!"

"There's Nothing 'Semi' About it: One Man's Private Crusade to Purge the Colon"

Coming soon to a bookstore near you

Xan Shadowflutter wrote: "Titles -- Ban the colon!!!"

My curiosity is piqued by titles with punctuation, (ex: If, Then, Everything Matters!). I'd draw the line at colons in academic articles, except that making fun of them can be entertaining.

Bryan "goes on a bit too long" wrote: "Xan Shadowflutter wrote: "Titles -- Ban the colon!!!"

"There's Nothing 'Semi' About it: One Man's Private Crusade to Purge the Colon"

Ok, I'd make an exception for this one too ;)

I just finished reading Behind a Mask, Or, a Woman's Power I think it hints at the love/hate relationship the reader is going to have with the protagonist. Huh, just saw that my link doesn't make sense with what I said. In my edition it has a colon. "Behind a Mask: or, A Women's Power." Different capital letters as well as that semi-colon.

A book title (like a dusk jacket) can influence me to buy or not to buy, if I know nothing else about the book. And sometimes books that I buy for a reason will sit on the shelf for a very long time if I do not like the title or the dusk jacket. With respect to book titles, the title I hated and so avoided the book, even though I wanted to read it because it was the first novel by one of the New Yorker's 20 under 40 authors identified in 2010 as authors who would shape the future of American literature, was The History of Love by Nicole Krauss. When I finally read it, I loved it.

Many years ago I used to browse in bookstores looking for books to buy. Usually I was looking through assortments of books by authors I had was not familiar with. Interesting sounding titles or cover art certainly played a role in which books I picked up to give a closer look.

But now most books I read are by authors I have read before, books I have heard of because they have been listed for awards, books other readers have recommended, or books that are by well-known authors I am just getting around to reading. The titles rarely, if ever, have an influence on my reading decisions now.

More broadly, I have an aversion for titles that try to be clever, especially if it involves some sort of double meaning. I prefer very simple titles that, for the most part, don't try to do much at all. Titles strike me as mostly a necessary evil. You need them so the book has some way of being identified, but sometimes people can view them as something that is supposed to be an important statement about the book (and even more so for short stories).

Nadine wrote: "Bryan "goes on a bit too long" wrote: "Xan Shadowflutter wrote: "Titles -- Ban the colon!!!"

"There's Nothing 'Semi' About it: One Man's Private Crusade to Purge the Colon"

Ok, I'd make an except..."


Indeed!