Punny Titles

By Campbell Sharpe

This past week I was trying to rent out a parking space and the lessor backed out of the deal. Frustrating, right? I had put a lot of time into the contract and was looking forward to concluding the project. However, when I serendipitously described to a friend that the person had backed out of the deal, I couldn’t help but giggle. The accidental pun made the situation a little brighter. 

I have always been a fan of wordplay. It comes with the book-loving territory. From Shakespeare to contracts, puns are a way for us wordsmiths to flash our craft, to flex our literary muscles. Grocery shopping becomes un-beet-lievable as you rice to find new puns. Flouring the shelves as you try to pepper more foods into the conversation. However, be sure not to milk it too much. Puns are not for everyone. They can be overbearing and take away from the task at hand, but as with the parking deal, they alleviate tension from stressful situations and add humor to dull ones.  

There is a certain kinship among pun enthusiasts. For as many times as someone has roll-ed their eyes at my bread puns, I have shared a smile with another overbearing wordsmith ready to rye-se to the challenge. In literature, too, separated by time and space, a good pun creates a sidelong wink between reader and author. There is a connection made in a shared love of this covert comedy. That is why I enjoy so many of the Cozy Cat Press titles. Corpse and Robbers. Don’t Cry Over Killed Milk. Gone with the Winfield. These titles are clever. They imply a well-read and nerdy author who knows how to cut heavy topics with a slice of humor. If you share my pun preferences, check out the abovementioned novels or go on a hunt through Cozy Cat's publications for more titular wordplay.