# Great book titles....that made you pick up the book. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 10, 2005, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-book-titles-that-made-you-pick-up-the-book/330381 "2005-11-10T12:55:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-book-titles-that-made-you-pick-up-the-book/330381/21 "2005-11-11T00:59:27Z")
[Bring Me the Head of Prince Charming](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553354485/102-2770609-1953705?v=glance&n=283155&n=507846&s=books&v=glance), by Roger Zelazny It never caught me as a book, but I loved the title. ---
**Author:** ![lizardling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f4b2a3/32.png) [@lizardling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lizardling)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-book-titles-that-made-you-pick-up-the-book/330381/22 "2005-11-11T01:20:24Z")
\*\*Starship and Haiku \*\* by… I think. Somtow Suchartikul (if I spelled that right, I will be flat out amazed). I got through half of it, then wandered off to do something else, and never finished. Still have it, though, for when my brain finally stops buzzing around. It’s the kind of book you want focus to read. The plot wasn’t much, but the way the book talked about beauty was eye-catching. **The Last Whales** by Lloyd Abbey. The story of the whales after the nuclear winter arrives. Mutation, starvation, and loneliness. Was trying to be lyrical like that seagull book, but it didn’t work too well. It made me sad, and reposes in the used bookstore-bound pile. **Stiff** , the book about what our US society does with cadavers. Fascinating read if you don’t get icked out. **Beasts** , by John Crowley. Amazing book. I keep meaning to pick up more books of his, but the 80’s color pencil cover of that one was amazingly dated, so I didn’t expect much. Silly Liz. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-book-titles-that-made-you-pick-up-the-book/330381/23 "2005-11-11T01:34:03Z")
_Get Your Tongue Out of My Mouth, I’m Kissing You Goodbye!_ by Cynthia Heimel. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-book-titles-that-made-you-pick-up-the-book/330381/24 "2005-11-11T04:21:43Z")
> [@lizardling](#): > > \*\*Starship and Haiku \*\* by… I think. Somtow Suchartikul (if I spelled that right, I will be flat out amazed). I. Not too bad – you just reversed two letters: Sucharitkul. He tends to write as SP Somtow to avoid problems like that. Some other great book titles: **Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand** by Samuel R. Delany **What Entropy Means to Me** by George Alec Effinger **Towing Jehovah** by James Morrow **It Came from Schenectady** by Barry Longyear **The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Age 13 3/4** by Sue Townsend **The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test** by Tom Wolfe ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-book-titles-that-made-you-pick-up-the-book/330381/25 "2005-11-11T04:42:38Z")
I remember as a kid picking up and loving **The Snark-Out Boys and the Avacado of Death** Also, I can remember running across **Fat Men from Outer Space**. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-book-titles-that-made-you-pick-up-the-book/330381/26 "2005-11-11T05:04:26Z")
**Buddy Holly Is Alive And Well On Ganymede** by Bradley Denton. I think that was the title. An okay book, Denton’s short fiction is better than his novels, I think. I got started reading him after flipping through a copy of F&SF and seeing his novella title, _The Calvin Coolidge Home For Dead Comedians_. Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-book-titles-that-made-you-pick-up-the-book/330381/27 "2005-11-11T07:39:07Z")
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, by Dave Eggers. It wasn’t. Catchy title, though. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-book-titles-that-made-you-pick-up-the-book/330381/28 "2005-11-11T11:26:50Z")
_Bimbos of the Death Sun_ by Sharyn McCrumb. It’s a mystery set at a science fiction convention. When I saw the title, I figured it was either really good, or hilariously bad. It was very good. Readers who have gone to cons should really enjoy this book. I highly recommend it, though it’s old…I read it in Las Vegas, and I moved to Fort Worth in 88, so it must be almost 20 years old. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-book-titles-that-made-you-pick-up-the-book/330381/29 "2005-11-11T11:47:55Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, by Dave Eggers. It wasn’t. Catchy title, though. Me too but I thought it was - loved it. _In The Electric Mist With Confederate Dead_ got me started on James Lee Burke. _Kitchen Confidential_ by Anthony Bourdain was displayed so that I could see the direputable photo on the cover, which helped set the mood. Can’t think of any others that I knew **nothing** about. ---
**Author:** ![GraceTX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c4cdca/32.png) [@GraceTX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GraceTX)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-book-titles-that-made-you-pick-up-the-book/330381/30 "2005-11-11T11:49:13Z")
> [@Sir Rhosis](#): > > **Buddy Holly Is Alive And Well On Ganymede** by Bradley Denton. I think that was the title. An okay book, Denton’s short fiction is better than his novels, I think. I got started reading him after flipping through a copy of F&SF and seeing his novella title, _The Calvin Coolidge Home For Dead Comedians_. > > Sir Rhosis Hey, I bought that one for the title alone too! I’ve not had chance to read it yet though. **Quite Ugly One Morning** by Christopher Brookmyre comes to mind, as does **Snow White & The Seven Samurai** by Tom Holt. The former was better than the latter, but I enjoyed both immensely. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-book-titles-that-made-you-pick-up-the-book/330381/31 "2005-11-11T12:37:39Z")
> [@](#): > > Bimbos of the Death Sun by Sharyn McCrumb. It’s a mystery set at a science fiction convention. When I saw the title, I figured it was either really good, or hilariously bad. It was very good. Readers who have gone to cons should really enjoy this book. I highly recommend it, though it’s old…I read it in Las Vegas, and I moved to Fort Worth in 88, so it must be almost 20 years old. I agree. The book has been reprinted many times, and IIRC, is still in print. I don’t think the wonderful pictures ar still in it, though. There’s a sequel with an equally-compelling title (and it had a great 1950’s horror comic cover), **Zombies of the Gene Pool**. Not quite as good, but not bad. Unfortunately, I think this one _is_ out of print. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-book-titles-that-made-you-pick-up-the-book/330381/32 "2005-11-11T12:39:05Z")
> [@amaranta](#): > > Assassination Vacation, by Sarah Vowell. And it turned out to be an awesome book. FYI, this woman is also the voice of Violet in the Incredibles. ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-book-titles-that-made-you-pick-up-the-book/330381/33 "2005-11-11T13:31:57Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I agree. The book has been reprinted many times, and IIRC, is still in print. I don’t think the wonderful pictures ar still in it, though. > There’s a sequel with an equally-compelling title (and it had a great 1950’s horror comic cover), **Zombies of the Gene Pool**. Not quite as good, but not bad. Unfortunately, I think this one _is_ out of print. Amazon says it’s in print, and more copies are on the way. They’re even selling them [together](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345483022/104-7175090-8588749?v=glance&n=283155&s=books&v=glance). (I expected a discount, but the bundle price is the same as the individual books, after considering the discounted ZotGP.) I’m sure I’ve picked up lots of books because of the title, but I can’t think of any offhand except _Microserfs_, which was already mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-book-titles-that-made-you-pick-up-the-book/330381/34 "2005-11-11T13:39:18Z")
**Life of Pi**. It was okay. The title of **The Little Prince** , on the other hand, practically convinced my 10-year-old self _not_ to read it, and what a loss that would have been. ---
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-book-titles-that-made-you-pick-up-the-book/330381/35 "2005-11-11T13:57:41Z")
_Waiting for the Galatic Bus_ by Parke Godwin. Quite amusing, and I’m glad I bought it (along with the sequel). The “About the Author” part at the end has a sort of disclaimer from the editor saying that the author has been told repeatedly that he should keep his funny remarks out of the bio and and keep them for the book itself. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-book-titles-that-made-you-pick-up-the-book/330381/36 "2005-11-11T14:19:27Z")
[Our Sister Killjoy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0582308453/104-7626902-7311933?v=glance&n=283155&s=books&v=glance) [Get Off the Unicorn](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345349350/104-7626902-7311933?v=glance&n=283155&%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance) I haven’t read it, but I want to: [The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060976241/104-7626902-7311933?v=glance&n=283155&n=507846&s=books&v=glance) ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-book-titles-that-made-you-pick-up-the-book/330381/37 "2005-11-12T04:23:53Z")
**SpazCat** , I read _The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven_. It’s a collection of stories about Spokane rez life, with a grudge. This is the book that earned Sherman Alexie the reputation of angry young man. It formed the basis for the movie _Smoke Signals_. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-book-titles-that-made-you-pick-up-the-book/330381/38 "2005-11-12T06:35:59Z")
ditto on: Bimbos of the Death Sun & Zombies of the Gene Pool by Sharyn McCrumb A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, by Dave Eggers Also by McCrumb, who just has a genius for titles, **If I’d Killed Him When I Met Him**. Then there’s **When Christ and His Saints Slept** by Sharon Kay Penman, **Running With Scissors** by Augusten Burroughs, \*\*Practical Demonkeeping \*\* by Christopher Moore, \*\*The Dogs of Babel \*\* by Carolyn Parkhurstand, **The Martian Child** by David Gerrold and **The Disapparation of James** by Anne Ursu. The ranged from excellent (Penman & Gerrold) to not too shabby (Moore). ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-book-titles-that-made-you-pick-up-the-book/330381/39 "2005-11-12T07:39:44Z")
I work in an Oxfam second-hand bookshop and a few months ago we had the 1948 best-seller **A History of Cheese-Making in South Africa**. We actually sold it after a couple of weeks for £8! ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-book-titles-that-made-you-pick-up-the-book/330381/40 "2005-11-12T14:54:33Z")
**Skinny Legs And All**. Worth it. Still my favorite book by Robbins. **Those About To Die**. Never really bought it, but I checked it out of the school library many, many times. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-book-titles-that-made-you-pick-up-the-book/330381.md?page=1)