Books With the Most Memorable Titles

List of the Month
August 2023 (see all)
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.
1
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
by Douglas Adams
43,862 members
804 reviews
4.2
27 Members
tardis, scampus, kaixo, ReshiBec, charl08, abbottthomas, konallis, amanda4242, CarltonC, merrystar, Pathug50, Stewdar, kleh, igorken, kara.shamy, SF_fan_mae, msemmag, barefootsong, JadrankaCuculovic, asiralh, Julie_in_the_Library, DoomLuz, Valeriew012, cleed, mombot, Delameyo, valentina_pelli06
Explanations
Delameyo: Who wouldn't want to know how to jettison oneself far away from the troubles of Earth?
4
The Left Hand of Darkness
by Ursula K. Le Guin
18,854 members
455 reviews
4.1
17 Members
Euryale, charl08, saskia17, CarltonC, Pathug50, sturlington, igorken, Dilara86, kara.shamy, ManWithAnAgenda, asiralh, elahrairah, DoomLuz, KaCatte, Luke.w, melorafaelas, margaretirene
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.
6
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
by Carson McCullers
11,940 members
271 reviews
4
14 Members
puabi, kaixo, CarltonC, katemcangus, AbigailAdams26, NoPlanetB, JadrankaCuculovic, ManWithAnAgenda, Karen74Leigh, Tosta, Valeriew012, slimikin, mombot, hikimore
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.
7
I Could Pee on This and Other Poems by Cats
by Francesco Marciuliano
1,353 members
62 reviews
3.8
12 Members
laytonwoman3rd, mwdolls, lahochstetler, muumi, masterdeski, ReneeGKC, Bookish59, al.vick, Hope_H, KaCatte, stevejapel73, Fartomic
Explanations
stevejapel73: Well, because cats.
9
1066 and All That
by W. C. Sellar
2,836 members
56 reviews
4
12 Members
tardis, scampus, anglemark, EerierIdyllMeme, haydninvienna, merrystar, Pathug50, Stewdar, kleh, djriave, Karen74Leigh, margaretirene
11
A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking
by T. Kingfisher
1,705 members
104 reviews
4.1
10 Members
tardis, charl08, haydninvienna, masterdeski, merrystar, elkiedee, MDGentleReader, Doey, al.vick, KaCatte
12
If on a Winter's Night a Traveler
by Italo Calvino
14,234 members
283 reviews
4
11 Members
anglemark, kaixo, lizzy50usa, saskia17, CarltonC, lestrond, susanbooks, Dilara86, msemmag, mombot, Delameyo
Explanations
lestrond: The title is open-ended - as should be the description of any story.
13
We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families: Stories from Rwanda
by Philip Gourevitch
3,848 members
70 reviews
½ 4.4
8 Members
Moloch, ReshiBec, Pathug50, AndreasJ, jemmatcf, Hope_H, GrimFiend1977, elahrairah
Explanations
elahrairah: This was the first one I thought of for this list. A title that stabs you in the heart straight away.
16
The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
by Douglas Adams
13,210 members
129 reviews
3.9
8 Members
tardis, scampus, kaixo, Pathug50, kleh, barefootsong, cleed, slimikin
17
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead
by Olga Tokarczuk
4,339 members
183 reviews
3.9
8 Members
Euryale, CarltonC, Milda-TX, Bookish59, vwinsloe, miller.max, Hope_H, cleed
18
Catch-22
by Joseph Heller
44,287 members
578 reviews
4.1
8 Members
vallis-salutis, mwdolls, ReshiBec, Cecrow, sturlington, igorken, vwinsloe, Karen74Leigh
Explanations
vallis-salutis: Now a ubiquitous catchphrase.
19
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream: Stories
by Harlan Ellison
2,194 members
71 reviews
3.8
8 Members
Hope_H, tealadytoo, msemmag, Karen74Leigh, asiralh, DoomLuz, Fartomic, hikimore
20
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
by Judith Viorst
17,964 members
671 reviews
4.2
7 Members
dara85, ReshiBec, spyrunner, Time2Read2, Delameyo, stevejapel73, margaretirene
Explanations
spyrunner: I only read this because of the title.
stevejapel73: Haven't we all had these days?
21
To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee
89,809 members
1,560 reviews
½ 4.4
8 Members
sturlington, jemmatcf, kara.shamy, Karen74Leigh, Tosta, DoomLuz, valentina_pelli06, margaretirene
22
We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea
by Arthur Ransome
1,143 members
17 reviews
½ 4.3
6 Members
tardis, scampus, arethusarose, abbottthomas, c_why, bluemama
23
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
by E. L. Konigsburg
19,540 members
300 reviews
4.2
7 Members
Morphidae, ReshiBec, gmathis, jannon, SF_fan_mae, ManWithAnAgenda, Red-Hawk
24
Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone
by Benjamin Stevenson
2,909 members
120 reviews
½ 3.7
6 Members
souloftherose, Bookish59, olegalCA, Hope_H, RaeCreated, mmsommer25
25
Their Eyes Were Watching God
by Zora Neale Hurston
22,249 members
384 reviews
4
7 Members
hipdeep, rarm, lahochstetler, sturlington, sqr3cls3, rfl22338, hikimore
26
My Family and Other Animals
by Gerald Durrell
5,926 members
178 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.
27
My Sister, the Serial Killer
by Oyinkan Braithwaite
4,620 members
293 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!
28
A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments
by David Foster Wallace
5,337 members
83 reviews
4.1
5 Members
cpg, muumi, vwinsloe, kara.shamy, Karen74Leigh
29
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
by Charlie Mackesy
5,285 members
170 reviews
½ 4.3
5 Members
perennialreader, MDGentleReader, Luke.w, Kathaleen, mmsommer25
30
Just One Damned Thing After Another
by Jodi Taylor
2,507 members
175 reviews
3.8
6 Members
tardis, Morphidae, ReshiBec, amanda4242, igorken, stevejapel73
31
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
by Milan Kundera
24,847 members
305 reviews
4
5 Members
haydninvienna, CarltonC, katemcangus, AbigailAdams26, cleed
32
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
by Fannie Flagg
9,987 members
213 reviews
4.1
5 Members
Morphidae, Hope_H, Karen74Leigh, Tosta, Kathaleen
33
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel
by Robin Sloan
9,423 members
757 reviews
3.8
5 Members
muumi, VenusofUrbino, ReneeGKC, Red-Hawk, hikimore
34
Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat
by Bill Watterson
4,829 members
29 reviews
½ 4.6
5 Members
charl08, merrystar, Pathug50, al.vick, GrimFiend1977
35
Slouching Towards Bethlehem: Essays
by Joan Didion
5,085 members
101 reviews
4.1
5 Members
charl08, abbottthomas, CarltonC, katemcangus, stevejapel73
36
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
by Ken Kesey
26,660 members
320 reviews
4.1
5 Members
mwdolls, tshorrom, Valeriew012, mombot, Delameyo
37
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
by Becky Chambers
7,826 members
439 reviews
4
4 Members
biscuits, MDGentleReader, msjudy, barefootsong
38
A Wrinkle in Time
by Madeleine L'Engle
45,452 members
1,039 reviews
4
5 Members
scampus, jannon, tshorrom, KaCatte, stevejapel73
39
How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming
by Mike Brown
885 members
37 reviews
4.1
4 Members
muumi, raidergirl3, Time2Read2, Hope_H
40
Nineteen Eighty-Four
by George Orwell
94,069 members
1,449 reviews
4.2
5 Members
ReshiBec, Cecrow, sturlington, velvetdex, valentina_pelli06
41
When Breath Becomes Air
by Paul Kalanithi
6,821 members
338 reviews
4.2
5 Members
mwdolls, katemcangus, Tess_W, kara.shamy, Red-Hawk
42
Ella Minnow Pea
by Mark Dunn
4,560 members
280 reviews
3.9
5 Members
Morphidae, VenusofUrbino, MDGentleReader, msjudy, cleed
43
Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch: A Novel
by Rivka Galchen
819 members
34 reviews
½ 3.6
4 Members
rarm, miller.max, kara.shamy, Tosta
44
Interview with the Vampire
by Anne Rice
25,534 members
360 reviews
3.8
4 Members
tina1969, Karen74Leigh, DoomLuz, Luke.w
45
How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe
by Charles Yu
2,562 members
151 reviews
½ 3.4
4 Members
karenb, ReneeGKC, asiralh, KeithChaffee
46
The Celery Stalks at Midnight
by James Howe
2,740 members
24 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.
47
Get Off the Unicorn
by Anne McCaffrey
2,442 members
17 reviews
½ 3.7
4 Members
Morphidae, muumi, masterdeski, SF_fan_mae
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.
48
If I'd Killed Him When I Met Him
by Sharyn McCrumb
835 members
14 reviews
½ 3.6
4 Members
tardis, dara85, Time2Read2, Hope_H
49
Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? Big Questions from Tiny Mortals About Death
by Caitlin Doughty
1,557 members
67 reviews
4
3 Members
VivienneR, LibraryCin, Hope_H
50
No Country for Old Men
by Cormac McCarthy
12,699 members
322 reviews
4
4 Members
abbottthomas, katemcangus, kara.shamy, DoomLuz
51
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
by Shirley Jackson
10,279 members
502 reviews
4.1
3 Members
lahochstetler, konallis, sturlington
52
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
by Sherman Alexie
13,247 members
823 reviews
½ 4.3
3 Members
VenusofUrbino, Tosta, Eavans
53
A Psalm for the Wild-Built
by Becky Chambers
4,187 members
228 reviews
4.2
3 Members
Morphidae, saskia17, barefootsong
54
Bimbos of the Death Sun
by Sharyn McCrumb
1,138 members
37 reviews
3.8
4 Members
noveltea, SF_fan_mae, ManWithAnAgenda, cleed
55
I'm Glad My Mom Died
by Jennette McCurdy
6,108 members
213 reviews
½ 4.3
3 Members
dara85, sqr3cls3, velvetdex
56
Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand
by Samuel R. Delany
1,509 members
23 reviews
3.9
3 Members
karenb, paradoxosalpha, amanda4242
Explanations
paradoxosalpha: Who couldn't love this title?
57
Life: A User's Manual
by Georges Perec
4,251 members
66 reviews
½ 4.3
3 Members
kaixo, EMS_24, bluemama
59
For Whom the Bell Tolls
by Ernest Hemingway
21,539 members
221 reviews
3.9
3 Members
RBeffa, jemmatcf, rfl22338
60
The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse
by Louise Erdrich
2,203 members
70 reviews
4.1
3 Members
mwdolls, perennialreader, msjudy
61
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle: A Novel
by Haruki Murakami
19,682 members
405 reviews
4.2
3 Members
miller.max, NoPlanetB, mombot
Explanations
NoPlanetB: “Anyway Mr Wind-Up Bird, did you notice that the ladder’s gone?”
62
The Dangers of Smoking in Bed
by Mariana Enríquez
1,128 members
24 reviews
½ 3.7
3 Members
Yuki-Onna, sqr3cls3, DoomLuz
63
It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It
by Robert Fulghum
1,860 members
11 reviews
3.9
3 Members
gmathis, MDGentleReader, stevejapel73
64
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
by Jonathan Safran Foer
17,757 members
490 reviews
4
3 Members
Moloch, dale01, mombot
65
Leaf by Niggle
by J. R. R. Tolkien
310 members
7 reviews
½ 4.3
3 Members
scampus, saskia17, stevejapel73
66
Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone
by Diana Gabaldon
2,481 members
45 reviews
4.2
3 Members
rarm, Tess_W, cleed
67
The Man Who Was Thursday
by G. K. Chesterton
7,885 members
192 reviews
3.8
3 Members
bjappleg8, konallis, mombot
68
Bring on the Empty Horses
by David Niven
782 members
8 reviews
3.9
3 Members
abbottthomas, dewasus1, MDGentleReader
69
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
by Gail Honeyman
11,370 members
605 reviews
4.1
3 Members
Micheller7, olegalCA, Tosta
70
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
by Dave Eggers
2,568 members
33 reviews
½ 3.5
3 Members
cpg, Micheller7, mombot
71
Books Do Furnish a Room
by Anthony Powell
475 members
10 reviews
3.9
3 Members
charl08, abbottthomas, Time2Read2
72
Like Water for Chocolate
by Laura Esquivel
13,233 members
270 reviews
3.8
3 Members
mldg, jemmatcf, Delameyo
73
The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea
by Yukio Mishima
3,669 members
67 reviews
3.8
3 Members
rarm, amanda4242, Bookwomble
74
The Coyote Kings of the Space-Age Bachelor Pad
by Minister Faust
278 members
9 reviews
½ 3.7
3 Members
tardis, karenb, KeithChaffee
75
A Confederacy of Dunces
by John Kennedy Toole
23,530 members
508 reviews
3.9
3 Members
jemmatcf, NoPlanetB, kara.shamy
76
The Phantom Tollbooth
by Norton Juster
20,270 members
472 reviews
½ 4.3
3 Members
vallis-salutis, dewasus1, mombot
Explanations
vallis-salutis: Title and author together make for an intriguing combination.
77
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
by C. S. Lewis
53,954 members
854 reviews
4.1
3 Members
scampus, dewasus1, jannon
78
Special Topics in Calamity Physics
by Marisha Pessl
6,940 members
311 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
79
The Eagle of the Ninth
by Rosemary Sutcliff
3,648 members
72 reviews
4
3 Members
jannon, konallis, ahef1963
80
If This Book Exists, You're in the Wrong Universe
by Jason Pargin
491 members
11 reviews
4
2 Members
paradoxosalpha, olegalCA
Explanations
paradoxosalpha: Um, well, don't you think so?
81
Something Under the Bed Is Drooling
by Bill Watterson
4,535 members
23 reviews
½ 4.6
3 Members
cpg, Time2Read2, ManWithAnAgenda
82
The Fellowship of the Ring
by J. R. R. Tolkien
63,610 members
574 reviews
½ 4.4
3 Members
scampus, kleo, kara.shamy
83
Of Human Bondage
by W. Somerset Maugham
9,397 members
165 reviews
4.1
3 Members
charl08, jemmatcf, Tess_W
84
Pride and Prejudice
by Jane Austen
93,802 members
1,510 reviews
½ 4.4
2 Members
sturlington, susanbooks
85
In Search of Lost Time
by Marcel Proust
4,358 members
50 reviews
½ 4.6
2 Members
ReneeGKC, susanbooks
86
Far from the Madding Crowd
by Thomas Hardy
12,979 members
211 reviews
4
3 Members
susanbooks, rhbouchard, Tess_W
Explanations
rhbouchard: This has to be among the top ten. We all have experienced a "Madding Crowd".
87
Watership Down
by Richard Adams
27,898 members
513 reviews
4.2
2 Members
konallis, velvetdex
89
The Lady's Not for Burning
by Christopher Fry
494 members
7 reviews
½ 4.5
2 Members
haydninvienna, merrystar
90
My Life in the Bush of Ghosts
by Amos Tutuola
313 members
9 reviews
3.8
2 Members
rarm, Bookwomble
92
Once Is Not Enough
by Jacqueline Susann
518 members
5 reviews
3.2
2 Members
mwdolls, Tess_W
93
Love in the Time of Cholera
by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
30,883 members
445 reviews
3.9
2 Members
rhbouchard, rfl22338
Explanations
rhbouchard: Well, no better interesting title.
94
In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin
by Erik Larson
8,966 members
367 reviews
3.8
2 Members
tommi180744, kara.shamy
95
Cry, the Beloved Country
by Alan Paton
10,577 members
194 reviews
4
2 Members
hipdeep, mwdolls
96
Stand Back, Said the Elephant, I'm Going to Sneeze!
by Patricia Thomas
1,188 members
21 reviews
4.2
2 Members
VenusofUrbino, al.vick
97
Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village
by Maureen Johnson
639 members
46 reviews
4
2 Members
saskia17, noveltea
98
Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language
by Gretchen McCulloch
1,399 members
54 reviews
4
2 Members
jemmatcf, noveltea
99
Tarzan of the Apes
by Edgar Rice Burroughs
5,532 members
129 reviews
½ 3.7
2 Members
kleo, RBeffa