Books With the Most Memorable Titles

Description: The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter... The Unbearable Lightness of Being... Very Far Away from Anywhere Else... Sometimes, a title just stands out. Our List of the Month this August is devoted to the most striking, most memorable book titles we have encountered. Each participant may vote on ten titles. Given the subjective nature of the list, please do not downvote titles.
Members: 147 participating members
Aquila, susanbooks, DoomLuz, stevejapel73, KeithChaffee, paradoxosalpha, Porua, velvetdex, mwdolls, hipdeep, rarm, sturlington, jannon, gypsysmom, noveltea, saskia17, Tosta, kara.shamy, EMS_24, perennialreader, cpg, miller.max, msjudy, Tess_W, Michael.Rimmer, mldg, RBeffa, ahef1963, CarolynBurke7, rhbouchard, Rommert, tommi180744, asiralh, dewasus1, CarltonC, dale01, Karen74Leigh, al.vick, tardis, merrystar, cleed, Hope_H, charl08, haydninvienna, slimikin, Pathug50, abbottthomas, Delameyo, Time2Read2, muumi, ManWithAnAgenda, scampus, EerierIdyllMeme, amanda4242, jemmatcf, ReneeGKC, rfl22338, Euryale, NoPlanetB, Yuki-Onna, katemcangus, igorken, terran, kleo, karenb, vwinsloe, barefootsong, kaixo, kleh, lizzy50usa, JadrankaCuculovic, WaltNoise, ijustgetbored, VenusofUrbino, Ann_R, dara85, Cecrow, gmathis, Bookish59, elahrairah, msemmag, Stewdar, Micheller7, elkiedee, yoyogod, raidergirl3, valentina_pelli06, olegalCA, anglemark, Dilara86, masterdeski, Luke.w, vallis-salutis, Fartomic, tealadytoo, Tea58, nenasfilla, bjappleg8, AbigailAdams26, princessgarnet, souloftherose, tina1969, Eavans, LinnyNatei, bluemama, cameronl, Kathaleen, Julie_in_the_Library, MM_Jones, LDVoorberg, tshorrom, Moloch, arethusarose, nrmay, Morphidae, AndreasJ, ReadHanded, vancouverdeb, AnnGoraczko, cheryl_bannerman, ThinklingsBooks, Jak_Z, oldtimers, KCGordon01, c_why, RaeCreated, -Pia-, banriona, djriave, KaCatte, Milda-TX, puabi, Verkruissen, jeanie0510, spyrunner, lestrond, melorafaelas, biscuits, Ling.Lass, Doey, Sethgsamuel, laytonwoman3rd, VivienneR, LibraryCin, charlottem, Capybara_99, SkateGuard

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Rank Title Author Added

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

by Douglas Adams

38,182 members

711 reviews

4.2

22 Members: tardis, scampus, kaixo, charl08, abbottthomas, amanda4242, CarltonC, merrystar, Pathug50, Stewdar, kleh, igorken, kara.shamy, msemmag, barefootsong, JadrankaCuculovic, asiralh, Julie_in_the_Library, DoomLuz, cleed, Delameyo, valentina_pelli06
Explanations: Delameyo: Who wouldn't want to know how to jettison oneself far away from the troubles of Earth?

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

by Mark Haddon

43,618 members

1,312 reviews

3.9

20 Members: dara85, mwdolls, charl08, raidergirl3, LDVoorberg, CarltonC, Pathug50, kleh, igorken, jemmatcf, Verkruissen, jeanie0510, msemmag, barefootsong, JadrankaCuculovic, ManWithAnAgenda, Tosta, velvetdex, valentina_pelli06, rfl22338

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

by Philip K. Dick

18,730 members

466 reviews

18 Members: karenb, anglemark, charl08, CarltonC, Pathug50, kleh, igorken, Porua, al.vick, msemmag, barefootsong, Karen74Leigh, asiralh, DoomLuz, cleed, Luke.w, velvetdex, rfl22338

The Left Hand of Darkness

by Ursula K. Le Guin

15,414 members

369 reviews

15 Members: Euryale, charl08, saskia17, CarltonC, Pathug50, sturlington, igorken, Dilara86, kara.shamy, ManWithAnAgenda, asiralh, elahrairah, DoomLuz, Luke.w, melorafaelas
Explanations: elahrairah: From the moment I heard of this book I was captivated. What did it mean? I read it expecting magic and wizards and stuff, what I got was a schooling.

I Could Pee on This and Other Poems by Cats

by Francesco Marciuliano

1,069 members

53 reviews

3.8

11 Members: laytonwoman3rd, mwdolls, muumi, masterdeski, Tea58, ReneeGKC, Bookish59, al.vick, Hope_H, stevejapel73, Fartomic
Explanations: stevejapel73: Well, because cats.

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

by Carson McCullers

10,509 members

237 reviews

12 Members: puabi, kaixo, CarltonC, Tea58, katemcangus, AbigailAdams26, NoPlanetB, JadrankaCuculovic, ManWithAnAgenda, Karen74Leigh, Tosta, slimikin
Explanations: NoPlanetB: Here in the heart of Summer, sweet is life to me still - But my heart is a lonely hunter that hunts on a lonely hill.

1066 and All That: A Memorable History of England, Comprising All the Parts You Can Remember Including One Hundred and Three Good Things, Five Bad Kings, and Two Genuine Dates

by W.C. Sellar

2,553 members

51 reviews

11 Members: tardis, scampus, anglemark, EerierIdyllMeme, haydninvienna, merrystar, Pathug50, Stewdar, kleh, djriave, Karen74Leigh

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values

by Robert M. Pirsig

18,475 members

276 reviews

3.8

11 Members: abbottthomas, dewasus1, haydninvienna, CarltonC, Stewdar, kleh, igorken, perennialreader, Karen74Leigh, asiralh, rfl22338

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

by Douglas Adams

14,011 members

117 reviews

3.9

12 Members: scampus, kaixo, Euryale, jannon, Pathug50, Bookish59, vwinsloe, gypsysmom, noveltea, asiralh, Julie_in_the_Library, cleed

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

by Mary Ann Shaffer

18,910 members

1,231 reviews

4.2

10 Members: raidergirl3, merrystar, Pathug50, perennialreader, tina1969, gypsysmom, msjudy, Tosta, Ann_R, rfl22338

If on a Winter's Night a Traveler

by Italo Calvino

12,274 members

252 reviews

4.1

10 Members: anglemark, kaixo, lizzy50usa, saskia17, CarltonC, lestrond, susanbooks, Dilara86, msemmag, Delameyo
Explanations: lestrond: The title is open-ended - as should be the description of any story.

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making

by Catherynne M. Valente

3,736 members

255 reviews

4.1

9 Members: rarm, muumi, haydninvienna, merrystar, Bookish59, vwinsloe, Hope_H, barefootsong, asiralh

We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families: Stories from Rwanda

by Philip Gourevitch

3,408 members

66 reviews

½ 4.4

7 Members: Moloch, Pathug50, AndreasJ, jemmatcf, Hope_H, LinnyNatei, elahrairah
Explanations: elahrairah: This was the first one I thought of for this list. A title that stabs you in the heart straight away.

A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking

by T. Kingfisher

880 members

66 reviews

4.1

7 Members: tardis, charl08, haydninvienna, masterdeski, merrystar, Doey, al.vick

The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul

by Douglas Adams

12,004 members

120 reviews

3.9

8 Members: tardis, scampus, kaixo, Pathug50, kleh, barefootsong, cleed, slimikin

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead

by Olga Tokarczuk

2,525 members

131 reviews

3.9

8 Members: Euryale, CarltonC, Milda-TX, Bookish59, vwinsloe, miller.max, Hope_H, cleed

We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea

by Arthur Ransome

964 members

11 reviews

½ 4.3

6 Members: tardis, scampus, arethusarose, abbottthomas, c_why, bluemama

Catch-22

by Joseph Heller

39,202 members

514 reviews

4.1

7 Members: vallis-salutis, mwdolls, Cecrow, sturlington, igorken, vwinsloe, Karen74Leigh
Explanations: vallis-salutis: Now a ubiquitous catchphrase.

I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream: Stories

by Harlan Ellison

1,690 members

47 reviews

3.8

7 Members: Hope_H, tealadytoo, msemmag, Karen74Leigh, asiralh, DoomLuz, Fartomic

To Kill a Mockingbird

by Harper Lee

76,559 members

1,419 reviews

½ 4.4

7 Members: sturlington, jemmatcf, kara.shamy, Karen74Leigh, Tosta, DoomLuz, valentina_pelli06

My Family and Other Animals

by Gerald Durrell

5,138 members

146 reviews

4.2

6 Members: tardis, arethusarose, charl08, muumi, Stewdar, Delameyo
Explanations: muumi: Most of Gerald Durrell's titles are extremely memorable. A Zoo in My Luggage? The Overloaded Ark? This title can stand in for the entire oeuvre of a master title-maker.
Delameyo: This title came across my radar because the author Gerald Durrell not only spent time in Corfu, but also travelled to my native country, Guyana and described the biodiversity and wonder he encountered. It definitely makes me wonder what kind of people did such journeys around the globe, and appreciate his contributions to wildlife conservation.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

by Judith Viorst

13,901 members

644 reviews

½ 4.3

5 Members: dara85, spyrunner, Time2Read2, Delameyo, stevejapel73
Explanations: spyrunner: I only read this because of the title.
stevejapel73: Haven't we all had these days?

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales

by Oliver Sacks

11,292 members

203 reviews

3.9

6 Members: Euryale, abbottthomas, Micheller7, EMS_24, al.vick, asiralh

My Sister, the Serial Killer

by Oyinkan Braithwaite

3,338 members

241 reviews

3.8

5 Members: souloftherose, noveltea, DoomLuz, Delameyo, Fartomic
Explanations: Delameyo: Last name is similar to mine. Young African female author talking about a sensitive, yet poignant relationship in an unexpectedly sardonic way. And the cover!

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone

by Benjamin Stevenson

768 members

44 reviews

3.8

5 Members: souloftherose, Bookish59, olegalCA, Hope_H, RaeCreated

A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments

by David Foster Wallace

4,720 members

73 reviews

4.1

5 Members: cpg, muumi, vwinsloe, kara.shamy, Karen74Leigh

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

by Milan Kundera

22,111 members

266 reviews

5 Members: haydninvienna, CarltonC, katemcangus, AbigailAdams26, cleed

Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat

by Bill Watterson

4,176 members

24 reviews

½ 4.6

5 Members: charl08, merrystar, Pathug50, al.vick, LinnyNatei

Slouching Towards Bethlehem: Essays

by Joan Didion

4,026 members

82 reviews

4.1

5 Members: charl08, abbottthomas, CarltonC, katemcangus, stevejapel73

Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? Big Questions from Tiny Mortals About Death

by Caitlin Doughty

1,001 members

43 reviews

4 Members: VivienneR, LibraryCin, Hope_H, Ann_R

How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming

by Mike Brown

757 members

35 reviews

4.1

4 Members: muumi, raidergirl3, Time2Read2, Hope_H

Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch

by Rivka Galchen

496 members

23 reviews

½ 3.7

4 Members: rarm, miller.max, kara.shamy, Tosta

Interview with the Vampire

by Anne Rice

22,507 members

325 reviews

3.8

4 Members: tina1969, Karen74Leigh, DoomLuz, Luke.w

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe

by Fannie Flagg

8,715 members

184 reviews

4.1

4 Members: Hope_H, Karen74Leigh, Tosta, Kathaleen

How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe

by Charles Yu

2,192 members

131 reviews

½ 3.4

4 Members: karenb, ReneeGKC, asiralh, KeithChaffee

The Celery Stalks at Midnight

by James Howe

2,276 members

23 reviews

3.8

4 Members: EerierIdyllMeme, muumi, al.vick, ManWithAnAgenda
Explanations: muumi: I've always liked this title. Not enough to read a children's book about vegetarian vampire bunnies, but enough to smile about it.

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

by Gail Honeyman

8,237 members

513 reviews

4.1

4 Members: Micheller7, olegalCA, Tosta, Ann_R

A Wrinkle in Time

by Madeleine L'Engle

38,334 members

936 reviews

4 Members: scampus, jannon, tshorrom, stevejapel73

1984

by George Orwell

79,878 members

1,246 reviews

4.2

4 Members: Cecrow, sturlington, velvetdex, valentina_pelli06

If I'd Killed Him When I Met Him

by Sharyn McCrumb

756 members

12 reviews

½ 3.6

4 Members: tardis, dara85, Time2Read2, Hope_H

No Country for Old Men

by Cormac McCarthy

10,802 members

286 reviews

4 Members: abbottthomas, katemcangus, kara.shamy, DoomLuz

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

by Becky Chambers

5,079 members

344 reviews

3 Members: biscuits, msjudy, barefootsong

The Fellowship of the Ring

by J. R. R. Tolkien

53,014 members

468 reviews

½ 4.4

4 Members: scampus, kleo, kara.shamy, Ann_R

Their Eyes Were Watching God

by Zora Neale Hurston

18,593 members

337 reviews

4 Members: hipdeep, rarm, sturlington, rfl22338

When Breath Becomes Air

by Paul Kalanithi

5,296 members

304 reviews

4.2

4 Members: mwdolls, katemcangus, Tess_W, kara.shamy

Just One Damned Thing After Another

by Jodi Taylor

1,957 members

140 reviews

3.8

4 Members: tardis, amanda4242, igorken, stevejapel73

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

by Sherman Alexie

11,278 members

787 reviews

½ 4.3

3 Members: VenusofUrbino, Tosta, Eavans

A Psalm for the Wild-Built

by Becky Chambers

1,868 members

108 reviews

4.2

3 Members: Morphidae, saskia17, barefootsong

A Cat's Guide to Bonding with Dragons

by Chris Behrsin

26 members

1 review

½ 3.6

3 Members: masterdeski, al.vick, KaCatte

Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand

by Samuel R. Delany

1,341 members

22 reviews

3 Members: karenb, paradoxosalpha, amanda4242
Explanations: paradoxosalpha: Who couldn't love this title?

Life: A User's Manual

by Georges Perec

3,705 members

54 reviews

½ 4.3

3 Members: kaixo, EMS_24, bluemama

On Being Told That Her Second Husband Has Taken His First Lover and Other Stories

by Tess Slesinger

60 members

3 Members: elkiedee, susanbooks, KCGordon01

For Whom the Bell Tolls

by Ernest Hemingway

18,526 members

177 reviews

3.9

3 Members: RBeffa, jemmatcf, rfl22338

The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse

by Louise Erdrich

1,948 members

62 reviews

4.1

3 Members: mwdolls, perennialreader, msjudy

Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

by Robin Sloan

8,097 members

705 reviews

3.8

3 Members: muumi, VenusofUrbino, ReneeGKC

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

by Ken Kesey

23,722 members

295 reviews

4.1

3 Members: mwdolls, tshorrom, Delameyo

Leaf by Niggle

by J. R. R. Tolkien

207 members

3 reviews

4.2

3 Members: scampus, saskia17, stevejapel73

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse

by Charlie Mackesy

2,841 members

118 reviews

½ 4.3

3 Members: perennialreader, Luke.w, Kathaleen

From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

by E. L. Konigsburg

15,752 members

273 reviews

4.2

3 Members: gmathis, jannon, ManWithAnAgenda

Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone

by Diana Gabaldon

1,344 members

30 reviews

4.2

3 Members: rarm, Tess_W, cleed

Books Do Furnish a Room

by Anthony Powell

421 members

14 reviews

3.9

3 Members: charl08, abbottthomas, Time2Read2

Like Water for Chocolate

by Laura Esquivel

11,722 members

252 reviews

3.8

3 Members: mldg, jemmatcf, Delameyo

The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea

by Yukio Mishima

2,892 members

56 reviews

3.8

3 Members: rarm, amanda4242, Michael.Rimmer

The Coyote Kings of the Space-Age Bachelor Pad

by Minister Faust

253 members

10 reviews

½ 3.7

3 Members: tardis, karenb, KeithChaffee

Ella Minnow Pea

by Mark Dunn

3,804 members

252 reviews

3.9

3 Members: VenusofUrbino, msjudy, cleed

A Confederacy of Dunces

by John Kennedy Toole

20,979 members

462 reviews

3.9

3 Members: jemmatcf, NoPlanetB, kara.shamy

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

by C. S. Lewis

44,320 members

737 reviews

4.1

3 Members: scampus, dewasus1, jannon

Special Topics in Calamity Physics

by Marisha Pessl

6,505 members

303 reviews

½ 3.6

3 Members: EMS_24, ReneeGKC, katemcangus
Explanations: EMS_24: I have no idea what the book is about, but the title has always been intriguing to me

If This Book Exists, You're in the Wrong Universe

by Jason Pargin

200 members

8 reviews

4.1

2 Members: paradoxosalpha, olegalCA
Explanations: paradoxosalpha: Um, well, don't you think so?

Something Under the Bed Is Drooling

by Bill Watterson

3,990 members

17 reviews

½ 4.6

3 Members: cpg, Time2Read2, ManWithAnAgenda

Of Human Bondage

by W. Somerset Maugham

8,272 members

143 reviews

4.1

3 Members: charl08, jemmatcf, Tess_W

Bimbos of the Death Sun

by Sharyn McCrumb

1,065 members

34 reviews

3.8

3 Members: noveltea, ManWithAnAgenda, cleed

Pride and Prejudice

by Jane Austen

78,352 members

1,347 reviews

½ 4.4

2 Members: sturlington, susanbooks

In Search of Lost Time

by Marcel Proust

3,793 members

44 reviews

½ 4.5

2 Members: ReneeGKC, susanbooks

Far from the Madding Crowd

by Thomas Hardy

11,093 members

189 reviews

3 Members: susanbooks, rhbouchard, Tess_W
Explanations: rhbouchard: This has to be among the top ten. We all have experienced a "Madding Crowd".

Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives and Broken Hearts

by Julian Rubinstein

707 members

27 reviews

2 Members: VenusofUrbino, jemmatcf

The Lady's Not for Burning

by Christopher Fry

445 members

7 reviews

½ 4.5

2 Members: haydninvienna, merrystar

My Life in the Bush of Ghosts

by Amos Tutuola

243 members

7 reviews

½ 3.7

2 Members: rarm, Michael.Rimmer

Once Is Not Enough

by Jacqueline Susann

464 members

5 reviews

3.2

2 Members: mwdolls, Tess_W

Love in the Time of Cholera

by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

27,244 members

399 reviews

2 Members: rhbouchard, rfl22338
Explanations: rhbouchard: Well, no better interesting title.

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

by Haruki Murakami

17,585 members

365 reviews

4.2

2 Members: miller.max, NoPlanetB
Explanations: NoPlanetB: “Anyway Mr Wind-Up Bird, did you notice that the ladder’s gone?”

Get Off the Unicorn

by Anne McCaffrey

2,200 members

14 reviews

½ 3.7

2 Members: muumi, masterdeski
Explanations: muumi: This one is not just an unusual title, it's a hilarious editorial mistake. McCaffrey wanted "Get OF", ie progeny of ,"the Unicorn" and it got stupidly changed -- and it made her laugh and agree to keep it because it's funny in its own right.