Aug 26 2010 10:35 AM ET

Better Book Titles: The blog that tells you what the books are really about

still-not-worse-thanThey say never to judge a book by its cover, but no one said anything about its title. And when the title of the book I’m about to read tells me absolutely nothing, I judge. If only I had discovered Better Book Titles sooner! Dan Wilbur, a comedian and writer, started his Better Book Titles blog to “cut through all the cryptic crap” and tell the readers what the books are really about. Genius, right?

Examples: Still, Not Worse Than Child Touching AKA The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. My personal favorite? Way Easier to Watch Than Read which is, of course, A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. But you’re now warned. Some titles are NSFW.

I keep thinking this blog could have been useful when I read Wise Blood by Flannery O’Connor. I’d like to suggest Grotesquely Confusing to Wilbur’s repertoire. And as a matter of fact, I can. Wilbur posts a new title every weekday and a reader submission each Friday. So get to rewriting history, people. And maybe with a new title, you’ll inspire someone to NOT read a literary classic.*

What improved book titles would you suggest? Head to the comments with your best ideas.

*Note: Here on Shelf Life we are NOT recommending that you quit reading. Instead, we are insisting you get a good laugh out of these silly, new titles.

Comments (7 total) Add your comment
  • jessica

    How Racism and Prejudice Lead to Broken Arms aka To Kill A Mockingbird

  • me

    Not a mystery book aka The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

  • Katja

    Spoken as a fan of all these books…

    Lord of the Flies: Kids are Dumb, Murderous Creeps
    Sense & Sensibility: Life of Relative Poverty & Life as Sexual Reward for Old Guy
    The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe: Jesus Saves

  • sheila

    Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Whale Blubber – Moby Dick
    He’s Just Not That Into You (Until the End of the Book) – Jane Austin Collection
    I Promise You Will Be Confused – Slaughterhouse Five

  • Stormy

    Teen Angst Leads To Double Suicide = Romeo & juliet

  • sochi-2014

    А! Je veux juste dire que c’est un super blog vous êtes arrivé ici! J’ai fait le tour de pas mal de temps, mais a finalement décidé de montrer mon appréciation de votre travail! Thumbs up, et continuer!

  • производство металлоконструкций

    Ние малку тешко да се претплатите на RSS, во секој случај јас сум книга е означена овој интересен сајт, е доста корисно плус полни со информации.

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