Every person at a circulation desk can tell you a story or thirty about a patron who can’t remember a title but remembers part of the cover. Sometimes we can find it, sometimes we can’t. We’ve all been there, truth be told. I can’t tell you now many times I have been thinking of a book but I have NO IDEA the title, just a vague memory of the color scheme and location on the shelf.
Over the last year or so I’ve seen a few patterns emerge. Is there any correlation between the titles? Not at all! But hey, it’s been fun staring at them. (I’ve even read a few!) Treat yourself now by looking through my specifically curated unusual book lists. Maybe you’ll find a new favorite!
Pattern 1: Pink and blue together
Now, to be fair, sometimes the word pink is used roughly, but I’m sure you get the idea.
- Untamed by Glennon Doyle
- The Son of Mr. Suleman by Eric Jerome Dickey
- Popisho by Leone Ross
- Molly Falls to Earth by Mariah Mutch
- Bride of the Sea by Eman Quotah
- The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M. Masood
- Light Perpetual by Francis Spufford
- Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa
- Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala
- Forever My Own by Tracie Peterson
- Count the Ways by Joyce Maynard
- Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
Pattern 2: Women walking or looking away
This is the biggest group, honestly. I had to stop myself from finding more because THERE ARE JUST. SO. MANY!!
- Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan
- Strongheart by Jim Pergus
- Annie and the Wolves by Andromeda Romano-Lax
- Once Upon a Sunset by Tif Marcelo
- The Whispers of War by Julia Kelly
- The Mountains Wild by Sarah Stewart Taylor
- The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba by Chanel Cleeton
- Silence for the Dead by Simone St. James
- The Cellist by Daniel Silva
- Home for Erring and Outcast Girls by Julie Kibler
- A Comedy of Terrors by Lindsey Davis
- The Heirloom Garden by Viola Shipman
- The Invisible Woman by Erika Robuck
- The Vatican Princess by C. W. Gortner
- The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
- The Fortune Hunter by Daisy Goodwin
Pattern 3 (last but not least!): Guys who have lost their shirts
This one was just for fun, and as you can tell has a joke entrenched. (I know dogs don’t wear shirts but it was for giggles, okay?)
- The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare
- The Duke Goes Down by Sophie Jordan
- Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs by Jennifer Finney Boylan
- Prince and the Parade and Sign O’ the Times Era Studio Sessions: 1985 and 1986 by Duane Tudahl
- Lie With Me by Philippe Besson
- Leopard’s Wrath by Christine Feehan
- Jaylin: A Naughty Aftermath by Brenda Hampton
- Gay Bar: Why We Went Out by Jeremy Atherton Lin
- Angel in a Devil’s Arms by Julie Anne Long
- Fever by Donna Grant
- A Warm Heart In Winter by J. R. Ward