Cooking with Poo and Estonian Sock Patterns All Around the World are just two of the bizarre books up for the prize of the oddest book title of the year.
However, in its native Thailand the title of the cook book by Saiyuud Diwong is not as strange as it sounds, as ‘Poo’ means ‘Crab’ and is also the chef’s nickname.
Aino Praakli’s book on socks is also shortlisted alongside The Great Singapore Penis Panic: And the Future of American Mass Hysteria by Scott D Mendelson, which details the ‘Koro’ psychiatric epidemic that hit the island of Singapore in 1967.
Mr Andoh’s Pennine Diary Memoirs of a Japanese Chicken Sexer in 1935 Hebden Bridge by Stephen Curry and Takayoshi Andoh is also in the running for the odd accolade.
The book tells the story of Koichi Andoh, who travelled from Japan to Yorkshire in the 1930s to train workers at a hatchery business the art of determining the sex of one-day-old chicks.
A Taxonomy of Office Chairs, The Mushroom in Christian Art and A Century of Sand Dredging in the Bristol Channel: Volume Two are also among the favourites.
Horace Bent, The Bookseller’s diarist and the custodian of the prize, said: ‘Never has the debate raged so fiercely as to which books should be put forward for the shortlist.’
He revealed that this year’s titles were so strong that a shortlist of seven was named, rather than the traditional six.
Related Reading:
Some of the weird stories that did not make the website, or the Facebook page this week:
Insurance claims woman is dead, when she’s not
Mass. toy store gets liquor license
Teenager spots parents at sex club in TV show about swingers
Group calls for closure of Heart Attack Grill
Old bill gets paid in Murray, business closed, money goes to hospice fund
Australian chef Andy Wrobel batters world record for tallest pancake stack
Dirty surgical instruments putting patients at risk
Will Chatham has been saving all his toenail and fingernail clippings since 1983
Woman attacks ex-husband on eBay
Faster Than Light, Or Just A Faulty Cable?
Poll: Tooth Fairy leaves an average of $2.10
Bookmaker criticised over ‘transgendered ladies’ ad
Ninja cat survives being shot between the eyes
35 percent of British adults sleep with bear
Woman sends dog for euthanization, learns dog is alive with new owner
Lucky the penguin gets custom-made shoe
Ad: ‘Nurses wanted, must be hot’
Homer Simpson’s favourite drink Duff beer goes on sale in the UK
98-Year-Old Woman Fights Off Eviction from Her Own Son
Five-year-old boy lives as girl in youngest case of Gender Identity Disorder
Temporary home needed for 30,000 books
Farmer offers to take in unwanted peafowl
Three fundraisers to cross India in rickshaws – dressed in Spandex suits
Is There a New World’s Shortest Man?
Passport problem strands family in Dallas
Why Are so Many Kids Changing Sexes?
‘Boobs for Beads’ contest not tacky: Organizer
“New Car Smell” Could Be Bad For You: Study
Futuristic dome home pops up at the bottom of rural Romanian mountains
World’s largest dog fur ball
Fed Up With Menu, Students Stage Lunchroom Boycott
Girls with College Degrees Tricked Into Sex Work
Britain’s smallest calf sleeps indoors in basket and has two dog best friends
Related Reading:
Some of the weird stories that did not make the website, or the Facebook page this week:
Going vegan makes you so good you’ll injure your girlfriend
Bird rescuer forced to give up aviary after developing allergy
Woman gets kidney from hubby’s mistress
Airline passengers ride in toilet
Boss’ dog uses building as a toilet
Irish farmer uses buried Ford Cortina as septic tank
Researchers identify hottest chile pepper
Happy ending for Elvis the elk
The Chimpanzee that can solve puzzle in blink of an eye, remember numbers Faster than you
Fight Breaks Out During Church Funeral
Multimillionaire taken to mental hospital after blowing $20MILLION on trinkets at New York gift fair (including $1.6millon on SOAP)
New TV channel is strictly for the dogs
Couple wed at local Walmart
Sweeper truck becomes stuck in tree
Manitoba denies memorial for dead cows
Student quits choir over Islamic song praising ‘Allah’
Thousands of crows invade town
Electric cigarette explodes in man’s mouth
Bank tells credit rating firms man is dead
Drake rescues duck from plastic beer can holder
UK politician walks long way for Olympic truce
Valentine’s gift blamed for Calif. power outage
Hello Kitty restaurant, theme park, hotel and maternity suite
Ken Livingstone says gay bankers who go to Dubai risk having their penis chopped off
13 Feet Tall Alien Makes Big News In Italy
Men shout their love in Tokyo park for Valentine’s Day
Man makes tank out of egg cartons
Woman sends coherent texts while asleep
Dog adopts six wild boar piglets
Ohio high school paying kids to show up, do work
‘Woolly Mammoth’ Video a Hoax, Original Footage Proves
Florida only state in US with an official chef
High School Football Coach Resigns After Accidentally Posting Inappropriate Picture On Facebook
Bear hibernates in drain tunnel
Dormouse saved after walking into tea shop
Duck feathers and human hair in fast food
Big sister helps deliver baby on way to hospital
Carol visits mum’s plot…and finds funeral party about to bury someone on top of her
NYC newsstand inches too close to building
On Valentine’s day, a museum for broken hearts
Wedded bliss for penguin couple
Car Crashes Through Home For The Fifth Time
Thailand Airlifts Condoms to Monsoon Victims
Dad shoots daughter’s laptop
Girl plays tag and takes walks with six-foot moose
Pillow Fight Held Outside SJ City Hall
Man in underpants criticised for crawling over frozen river to rescue dog
Turn your house into a billboard
Israeli fans beg PM to hold off Iran attack over Madonna show
Rapunzel number helps scientists quantify ponytails
Fame hungry cat becomes an online sensation as he reinvents film scenes
Woman sets underwear world record
Ky school officials say bedbugs at school a hoax
Going Bald? Get Your Head Tattooed
Related Reading:
Some of the weird stories that did not make the website, or the Facebook page this week:
Rhino Dies During Anti-Poaching Demo
Labrador eats plastic frog and plastic cow in space of six weeks
Time capsule contents disappoint some
Restaurant sells Valentine’s ‘Salamigrams’
Kindergarten homework pictured gun
Panda Poo: World’s Most Expensive Tea
Storm over video of boy made to run near-naked through New York snow
Plane crashes into house on Rubby Duck
Don’t try this at home — or elsewhere!
Nutty Family Plans Frugal February
Six-foot leopard-type-creature caught on camera in Gloucestershire
Bull testicles pie to give couples the horn on Valentine’s Day
Huge-breasted model’s 38KKK chest acts as airbag
Repairman saves choking baby
Chinese zoo announce special cross-species Valentine’s Day wedding
Mom in central China gives birth to 15 pound baby
Nuns angry about new strip club neighbor
Woman learns to love giant pet pig
Runners race to top of Empire State Building
“Simpsons” Dolls Banned in Iran, But Spider-Man Okay
University Sells Morning After Pill In Vending Machine
Iceland Is So Inbred It Needs a Website to Avoid Incest
Neighbors’ garage door openers all quit
Scratch and sniff jeans smell of raspberries and can be worn for months without washing
Farmer marches hundreds of ducks along motorway
Swastika flowerbed leaves council of sleepy Somerset village red-faced
Buggsy the tortoise found stuck in fence after five-month search
In the dog house: Drop your pooch off at the locker before you shop
Ship with stomach virus outbreak sets sail
George Clooney lookalike winner looks nothing like George Clooney
TV news anchor bitten by dog during live broadcast
Swift And Cheap: Welcome To The Divorce Hotel
Mustache film festival to be held in Maine
Man learns casino losses not deductible
Lovers Turn to DNA Underwear Test to Uncover Cheating
New Yorker Seeks $900,000,000,000,000 Settlement Over Placement Of Her Kids In Foster Care
Baby has lucky escape after pram rolls onto train tracks in Australia
Ice not thick enough for Dutch skating marathon
Indian snake charmers ‘held photographer captive’
Mum tells Westwood to say sorry for swearing
Lizard survives 3,500 miles in suitcase and full cycle in washing machine
Man steals Airplane, takes it for a joy ride, what could possibly go wrong?
Britons too cynical to accept genuine offer of goodwill
Army’s New Weight-Loss Plan: Transplant Soldiers With Extra Fat
Little fella squeezed inside vending machine and shared out all the toys
Indonesian train roof riders to face gauntlet of putrid goo-soaked brooms
Councils say revealing their top earners would be ‘too expensive’
US paper fires photographer for manipulating pictures of herons
Werewolf sisters afflicted by rare genetic mutation
Related Reading:
Some of the weird stories that did not make the website, or the Facebook page this week:
Two-faced kitten born in Florida
Man To Fight 50 People In One Night
Students at a number of schools around Massachusetts recognized “No Name Calling Day.”
Recycling workers recover lost wallet
Brewing formula from 1825 lets you make your own beer for just 11p
Texting bans not limited to cars anymore – bike texting now banned too
City crews uncover Cold War fallout shelter
UK woman finds dirty false fingernail in Supermarket sandwich
Teen Dies After Jumping From Mother’s Moving Car
Elderly couple have oldest toaster in U.K.
Chernobyl tours offered to Euro 2012 fans
President Obama Invited to Perform on American Idol
Second ‘Sunken UFO‘ Claim Doesn’t Hold Water
Lady tells the future by looking at asparagus tips
Deer Runs Into School, Knocks Student Down Before Escaping
Congressional investigators pretend to be pale teenage girls
Bad Economy Forces Welfare Agency Hiring Spree
Student goes 90 days without cellphone
China bans toddler palm-reading assessments
Nintendo-playing centenarian says video games are secret to youth?
Pair in third naked pedalo Atlantic crossing bid
Sex shop delivers toys within an hour
Monkey Owners hiding out in Texas
‘Moose emergency‘ concern in Alaska
Albatross found in LA freed to fly home to Hawaii
Top Totty beer removed from Parliamentary bar after complaint
Taiwan creates stamps with flower smells
Lose fat for Jesus, pastor urges
Forest Service to Jesus: You can stay — for now
Bill would make Toto’s breed, cairn terrier, Kansas state dog
Rescuers pull deer out of well
Peru doctors to remove “parasitic twin” from boy
Man who became unwitting amputee in health ad’s altered photo worried it may affect his acting career
Wedding traffic jam as married couples rush to park to take picture
Woman offers kidney to get son a job
Record executive leaves $1.5 million to driver, doorman
Actor commits suicide after dog’s euthanasia
‘Breading‘: The bizarre new internet cat craze causing a stir online
“I’ve slept with 1,000 men so far – I don’t care if people judge me!”
Snakes wintering in wine chiller
Pub landlord suspended for serving pints too full of beer
Woman buys two rats, soon has 71
Children set new world record by dressing up as Mahatma Gandhi
Related Reading:
Some of the weird stories that did not make the website, or the Facebook page this week:
Woman with Two Vaginas Gets $1 MILLION Porn Offer
Zebra Bites Girl at Texas Safari Park
Muslims Rescue Bagel Shop And Keep It Kosher
Solar panels fitted facing away from the sun
Chinese blogger rescues 1,137 dogs intended to be killed for food from back of truck
Zoo cleaner knits woollen dolls based on colleagues
Radio Times forced to apologise after soldier has his private on parade
Dwarf-tossing contest at strip club not illegal
Storage unit held grandma’s remains
Donations pour in for evicted 101-year-old
Unidentified haggis causes security meltdown in Scottish railway station
Church gets $12K to fix former strip club
Moby Dick toilet paper goes up for auction on eBay for a whopping £650
Man fighting to regain his 22 cats after seizure
World’s Largest Island-in-a-lake-on-an-island-in-a-lake-on-an-island Seen on Google Earth
Bizarre skin disease causes ‘great deal’ of suffering
Good Samaritan Electrocuted After ‘Alcohol-Related’ One-Car Accident
Poachers threaten rare wild-growing Venus flytrap
Doctors: breast implant prevented stabbing death
Donkey Semen and urine makes NBC execs hot
Mom tells daughter, 7, she’ll grow up to be a stripper
Unruly bar patron left kids home with ‘God’
Husband and wife married 73 years die within hours of each other
Mexican Police Engage in UFO Chase
High School Coaches Fired After Team Photographed In Bar Wearing Bras, Panties
Man ‘spots dead mother’s ghost‘ in guesthouse photo
Divers find large, unexplained object at bottom of Baltic Sea
Sex-ed game featuring penis-armed ‘Sperminator’ sparks controversy
Hong Kong Residents Are Dogs and Thieves
Mounties tackle case of mystery headstone
Elephant gets contact lens
TV Magician Saws Off Finger
Man jokes after nail removed from his brain
Abused three-legged dog learns to surf
