Top Ten Tuesday: Unique Book Titles

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and Bookish where we get a new topic for a top 10 list.

I love a good book title. I love discovering the underlying meaning of the title and how it relates to the story or the characters. Some of the titles in this list might not sound very unique, but the I’m chosing them because they sounds interesting and are significance to the story.

1. Gemina by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff: Before reading the book it’s hard to understand the significance of the title. However, after consulting my good friend, Google, I learned that Gemina derives from the Greek word for a twin. If you’ve read this book you’ll understand why this makes sense and how the word is significant to the events of the book.

2. The Piper’s Son by Melina Marchetta: Every time I read the word Piper, I think of the Pied Piper. I knew that this book was a companion to Saving Francesca and I was curious to understand why Tom was referred to as the Piper’s Son. 

3. Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee: How do you Outrun a Moon? That’s literally the first thing that popped into my head when I saw this book. After reading the book, the title made a lot more sense. To Outrun the Moon would be to defy the very nature of our world. In the book, our main character, Mercy, is determined to defy the laws and expectations of society. As a Chinese born American in the 1900’s, your options were limited, but Mercy’s determination to be more than societies expectations took center stage.

4. Nevernight by Jay Kristoff: What is a Nevernight, and why does it sound so foreboding? In the literal sense, this title means that these characters live in a world where nighttime is scarce. So, how do assassins navigate this world without darkness? It’s an interesting concept and the book does a great job at expanding on the intricacies of this world.

5. The Hard Count by Ginger Scott: Prior to this book I had no knowledge of American Football, so I was really curious about the meaning of the title. However, since then, I have taken it upon myself to learn more about the mechanisms of the game. Again, the title has several symbolical meanings to it as well as the book explores the hardship of living in a sporting community.

6. Half a King by Joe Abercrombie: So many questions came to mind when I saw this book. Who is half a king? What makes a person half a king? These were questions that demanded answers, fortunately, we were given them. Yarvi was never meant to be king, but following his father and brother’s death, this new position is thrust upon him. The Half a King title refers to many things, most of these relating to the way the people within this kingdom thought lesser of Yarvi and didn’t deem him a fit ruler, and with that, we get a lot of betrayals, death, and destruction.

7. The Weight of Feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore: A whimsical title for a whimsical book. The Weight of Feathers tells you everything you need to know about the book. Magic is at the heart of this Rome and Juliet inspired book, and the title serves as an introduction to this magical world.

8. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater: A Maggie Stiefvater book is never straight-forward. The Scorpio Races is a clear example of that. When you think of horses, you don’t typically think of the kind that can rip you to shreds in the blink of an eye. Much like the title, The Scorpio Races is filled with eccentric characters.

9. Pipe Dreams by Sarina Bowen: Not the most unique book title, but there’s a double meaning behind it. A Pipe Dream relates to that idea of wanting an unattainable dream, something our characters are forced to fight. However, this is also a hockey book, and in hockey talk, the pipes refer to the goalpost, which relates to our character as he is the goaltender for the Brooklyn Bruisers.

10. The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay: The significance of this title to our characters was a lot more emotional than I expected it to be. It’s one that packs the punches, especially when you understand the hardships the characters face in the book.

What’s your most uniquely titled book?

24 thoughts on “Top Ten Tuesday: Unique Book Titles”

  2. Oh I really love it when I discover a title’s meaning while reading the book – it’s just the best thing ever. That happened to me with An Ember in the Ashes lately, and I really liked seeing the reference to that title in the pages 🙂
    I so want to read The Weight of Feathers, it sounds like the kind of book I could love – and that title is so pretty already ahah ❤
    Great choices for this week, Lois! ❤

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It’s like a puzzle waiting to be solved. My favourite thing is seeing the way a title fits in with the actual story.
      The Weight of Feathers is such a dream. This time of year is perfect for magical realism books and I think you should read this one so we can gush about it together haha.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. THANK YOU ahah, I’ve been asking myself the question “which of McLemore’s book should I start with”… and you just answered that?! 😛 I have been wanting to read her books for so long, I can’t wait to be able to buy new books. I feel like I’d love them all. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Half a King is such a good book. It’s the definition of an underdog story and the book is great at exploring the variations of strength in both male and females. I hope you give the book a shot.

      Liked by 1 person

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