Bam! Books With One-Word Titles
Published on January 02, 2024
By Catherine L.
The dark, slushy stretch between the end of December's holidays and the arrival of spring can feel like an eternity. It's demoralizing. The light at the end of the (bitterly cold) tunnel is so far away. Couldn't there be a Christmas, Part II toward the end of February to pull us through?
I don't have the power to command the magical holiday season to keep going until I say when, but there is a bright spot in the sluggish early months of the new year. Get cozy with a soft blanket, hot beverage, and a good book: it's Winter Reading Program season!
If you haven’t yet, sign up or have a look at the bingo sheet here. If you’re seeking books to satisfy that ever-helpful corner square of “Read a book with a one-word title,” I’m here to assist.
Many books by big-name authors such as James Patterson, Danielle Steel, and Catherine Coulter will fit the bill; their titles tend toward the supremely succinct. Maybe it’s because you can only fit so many letters on a cover in the requisite size-177+ font.
However, this list will give you one-word titles by authors a little less known.
At the time of writing, all these titles are on the shelf somewhere with zero holds, so there should be nothing stopping you.
Shy by Max Porter
A recounting of a few hours in the life of a troubled teenage boy, named Shy. This is by the author of Grief is the Thing with Feathers, which is an odd book that I personally loved. Porter’s writing style is lyrical, almost like poetry, so give it a try if you’re up for something a little out-of-the-box.
A generation-spanning family saga beginning in 1910 Boston, when a socialite abandons her status and abusive husband for a brilliant Bohemian glassblower.
This one is difficult to sum up, as it’s a story within a story within a story, but it’s one of the best-reviewed books of 2022. Expect a multifaceted tale of wealth, love, power, and truth. Word has it a limited series on HBO is in development.
All the hygge in the world not enough to warm you up to winter? Take a literary trip to a beach town on Fire Island, NY for a family drama-filled wedding weekend.
Frangipani by Celestine Hitiura Vaite
Another that will please the mental-snowbird crowd, Frangipani was published in 2004 but acquired for our library this year. It’s been touted as an excellent Own Voices book by a Pacific Islander. Set in Tahiti, this is a whimsical story that follows the relationship between a mother and her headstrong daughter.
A single thirtysomething woman’s late coming-of-age. Nina and her app-made match enjoy three months of romance, but after she falls hard, he “ghosts.” It’s a funny tale of modern heartbreak and the various ways people can leave us.
Hide by Tracy Clark
The first in a gripping mystery series featuring Chicago detective Harriet Foster. Detective Foster is paired with a new partner to catch a serial killer who seems to like redheads. Fans of writers like Michael Connelly and Lisa Gardner, take a look.
Astrobiologist widower Theo Byrne is struggling. He’s looking for alien life in remote corners of the universe, and here on earth he’s struggling to raise his behaviorally challenged 9-year-old son. Then, he finds an experimental neurological therapy that will connect them both with their recently lost wife and mother.
Even more one-word titles can be found here in our catalog.
Keep your books open and your spirits up this season. *Raises cup of hot tea* Happy winter reading!
