# Literary Trivia Challenge - Come Join In



## geoffthomas

OK,
Here is the plan:
Anyone can post the trivia question about a novel/novelist.
And anyone can post the answer.
When the name of the novel or novelist is revealed or guessed, the question poster should post a link to encourage readers to pick it up.

Here is an example:
Q: In what classic English novel does spontaneous combustion play a significant part?

A: Bleak House is wonderful, and also daring. Dickens switches 2/3rd through from 3rd person POV to 1st person POV.



Ok, now let's get going.

As of August 11th I am adding the books and authors that have been used.
I suggest that they can be used again, but one should attempt to look at the prior use and find different clues. Best of course to find a book that has not yet been used. Don't limit yourself to Kindle books - just try. So here is the list.

Bleak House Charles Dickens
Martin Chuzzlewit Charles Dickens
Travels with Charley John Steinbeck
SlaughterHouse Five Kurt Vonnegut
Where the Wild Things Are Maurice Sendak
Jude the Obscure Thomas Hardy
A Journey to the Center of the Earth Jules Verne
Dracula Bram Stoker
Anne of Green Gables Lucy Maud Montgomery
Wizard's First rule Terry Goodkind
Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen
The Alienist Caleb Carr
In Cold Blood Truman Capote
She H. Rider Haggard
The Waste Lands Stephen King
The Screwtape Letters C. S. Lewis
The Picture of Dorian Gray Oscar Wilde
Moby Dick Herman Melville
Wuthering Heights Emily Bronte
The Canterbury Tales Geoffrey Chaucer
Decameron Boccacio
Billy Budd Herman Melville
Lord of Light  Roger Zalazny
The Princess Bride S. Morgenstern
A Bear Called Paddington Michael Bond
Make Way for Ducklings Robert McCloskey
Out of the Silent Planet C. S. Lewis
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus Frank L. Baum
Good Omens Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaimen
The Great Santini Pat Conroy
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain
Paul Clifford Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Snoopy Charles Schultz
Where Angels Fear to Tread E. M. Forster
Taking Woodstock Elliot Tiber
Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats T. S. Eliot
God Game Andrew Greeley
Spoon River Anthology Edgar Lee Masters
To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee
The Jewel of Medina Sherry Jones
The Adolescence of P-1 Thomas J. Ryan
Make Room! Make Room! Harry Harrison
The Island of Dr. Mereau H. G. Wells
The Jesus Factor Edwin Corley
The Historian Elizabeth Kostova
The Sea Wolf Jack London
Catch-22 Joseph Heller
War and Peace Leo Tolstoy
Water for Elephants Gruen
The Diary&#8230;. Anne Frank
The Two Towers J.R.R. Tolkien
The Count of Monte Cristo Alexandre Dumas
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz E.L. Baum
The Stolen Child Keith Donohue
Foundation Isaac Asimov
Lord Jim Joseph Conrad
Cranford Elizabeth Gaskell
Vanity Fair William Makepiece Thakaray
Temeraire Naomi Novik
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan Lisa See
The Feast of Roses Indu Sundaresan
The House of Mirth Edit Wharton
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society	Mary Ann Shaffer
A Handmaid's Tale Margaret Atwood
The Weight of Water Anita Shreve
The House of Pooh Corner A.A. Milne
Confederacy of Dunces O'Toole
Kidnapped Robert Lewis Stevenson
Cherry Ames Student Nurse Helen Wells
Christie Catherine Marshall
The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne
Our Mutual Friend Charles Dickens
Scaramouche Sabatini
The Brothers Karamazov Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Midnight's Child Rushdie
Fun With Dick and Jane Wm. S. Gray
The Hunt for Red October Tom Clancy
Loving Frank Nancy Horan
Room With A View E.M. Forster
Love Story Erich Segal
Valley of the Dolls Jacqueline Susann
Tender is the Night F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Onion Field Joseph Wambaugh
The Hotel New Hampshire John Irving
Lost on a Mountain in Maine Donn Fendler
Harriet the Spy Louise Fitzhugh
Where the Sidewalk Ends Shel Silverstein
The Giver Lois Lowry
The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents	Terry Pratchett
The Case for Christ Lee Strobel
Griffen Correspondance Bantock
Moll Flanders Daniel Dafoe
The World According to Garp John Irving
Foundation Isaac Asimov
Starship Troopers Robert Heinlein
Lonesome Dove Larry McMurty
Angels and Demons Dan Brown
The Sum of All Fears Tom Clancy
Cities in Flight James Blish
The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling Henry Fielding
Spellsinger Alan Dean Foster
Eragon Chris Paolini
Wicked Gregory Maguire
The Stand Stephen King
The Princess Bride William Goldman
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War Max Brooks
Crack-Up Eric Christopherson
Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat and Obsession Jolie Powell
Decked (Regan Reilly) Carol Higgins Clark
Beloved Toni Morrison
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Betty Smith
Wizard and Glass Stephen King
The Tommyknockers Stephen King
Different Seasons Stephen King
Small Gods Terry Pratchett
The Fifth Elephant Terry Pratchett
What is the What Dave Eggers
Seventeenth Summer McGivern
Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book Terry Jones and Brian Froud
The Eyre Affair Jasper Fforde
The Good Earth Pearl S. Buck
Farenheit 451 Ray Bradbury
2001: A Space Odyssey Arthur C. Clarke
Crocodile on the Sandbank Elizabeth Peters
Equal Rites Terry Pratchett
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe C.S. Lewis
The Poisonwood Bible Barbara Kingsolver
Saturday Ian McEwan
Survivor: A Novel Chuck Palahniuk
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Phillip Dick
Tales of The City Armistead Maupin
Dombey and Son Charles Dickens
The Frogs Aristophanes
Middlemarch George Eliot
84, Charing Cross Road Helene Hanff
A Bridge Too Far Cornelius Ryan
Gone With The Wind Margaret Mitchell
Because a Little Bug Went Ka-Choo! Dr. Seuss
Amphigorey Edward Gorey
Lord of the Flies Sir William Golding
Ragtime E. L. Doctorow
Candide Voltaire
Dune Frank Herbert
The Lovely Lady Hamilton Alexandre Dumas
Lord Valentine's Castle Robert Silverberg
The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage Clifford Stoll
Burmese Days George Orwell
The Fountains of Paradise Arthur C. Clarke
The Redwall Series Brian Jacques
A Spell for Chameleon Piers Anthony
and as of September, 2009:
Night Ellie Wiesel
Where's My Cow Terry Pratchett
Flatland Edwin A. Abbott
The Surgeon Tess Gerritsen
Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare
The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul Douglas Adams
Scruples Judith Kranz
Aunt Dimity's Death Nancy Atherton
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Ambrose Bierce
The Decameron Giovanni Boccaccio
The Odyssey Homer
Elric: The Stealer of Souls Michael Moorcock 
Charybdis KA Thompson 
Northanger Abbey Jane Austen
The Mayor of Casterbridge Thomas Hardy
The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckel and Mr. Hyde Robert Louis Stevenson
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil John Berendt
The Song of Roland Anonymous
The Bhagavad Gita Vyasa
Wind in the Willows Kenneth Grahame
The Simarillion Tolkien
Old Nathan David Drake
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Traven Trosvan
The Painted Veil Somerset Maugham
Dog on It: A Chet and Bernie Mystery Spencer Quinn
Uncubicled Josh McMains
The Earthsea Trilogy Ursula Le Guin
Lysystrata Aristophanes
Needful Things Stephen King
Alas, Babylon Pat Frank
Earth Abides George Stewart
How Few Remain Harry Turtledove
Call of Cthulhu H.P. Lovecraft 
A Prayer for Owen Meany John Irving
Where the Red Fern Grows Wilson Rawls
The Troll Bridge Terry Pratchett 
The Gilgamesh Sage Anonymous
Much Ado About Nothing William Shakespeare
Airframe Michael Crichton
David Starr, Space Ranger Paul French (a.k.a. Isaac Asimov)
Wyrd Sisters Terry Pratchett
Blood Engines T.A. Pratt 
Booked to Die John Dunning
Beekeeper's Apprentice Laurie R. King
Bee Season Myla Goldberg
Crime and Punishment Dostoyevsky
Hawaii James Michener
A Woman of Substance Barbara Taylor Bradford
As I Lay Dying William Faulkner
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal Christopher Moore
The Courtship of Miles Standish Henry Wadesworth Longfellow
Maurice E.M. Forster
The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne
Scarlet Pimpernel Baroness Emmuska Orczy
Gone With the Wind Margaret Mitchell
Murder with Peacocks Donna Andrews 
At Play in the Fields of the Lord Peter Matthiessen
Frankenstein Mary Shelley
The Dark is Rising Susan Cooper 
The Red Pony John Steinbeck
Blood Meridian  Cormac McCarthy
Ordinary Wolves Seth Kantner
The Bridge on the Drina Ivo Andric 
Life of Pi Yann Martel
Daddy-Long-Legs Jean Webster
Inferno Niven and Pournelle
Player Piano Kurt Vonnegut
The Sirens of Titan Kurt Vonnegut
The Deipnosophistae Athenaeus of Naucratis
Washington's Spies Alexander Rose
The Pushcart War Jean Merrill
China Bayles Susan Wittig Albert
The Grand Complication Allen Kurzweil
La Religieuse (The Nun) Denis Diderot
The Last Man Mary Shelley
Ralph 124C41+ Hugo Gernsback
The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon's Washington Irving
The Light That Failed Rudyard Kipling 
A Study in Scarlet Arthur Conan Doyle
Have Space Suit- Will Travel Robert Heinlein
Scoop Evelyn Waugh
Sarum Edward Rutherfurd
Roadmarks Roger Zelazny
Alice in Wonderland Lewis Carroll
Mayday Thomas Block and Nelson DeMille
A Scanner Darkly Philip K. Dick
Off on a Comet (or Hector Servadoc) Jules Verne
The Phoenix Guards Steven Brust 
Cancer Ward Solzhenitsyn
Burr Gore Vidal 
The Killer Angels Michael Shaara
Boys and Girls Together William Goldman
The Invention of Hugo Cabret Brian Selznick 
The Most Dangerous Game Richard Connell 
The Heretic's Daughter Kathleen Kent
A Voyage to Arcturus David Lindsay
The Little Giant of Aberdeen County Tiffany Baker
The White Company Arthur Conan Doyle
The Gunslinger Stephen King
Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman Richard P. Feynman
Who Moved My Cheese Spencer Johnson
At the Back of the North Wind George MacDonald
Heart-Shaped Box Joe Hill
Cat's Cradle Kurt Vonnegut
2001: A Space Odyssey Arthur C. Clarke
End of the Spear Steve Saint
Carrie Stephen King
A Child's Garden of Verses Robert Louis Stevenson
Don Quixote Cervantes
The Eagle Has Landed Jack Higgins
The Odyssey Homer
The Atrocity Archives Charles Stross
Starship Troopers Robert Heinlein
Poor Richard's Almanack Benjamin Franklin
Misery Stephen King
Between a Rock and a Hard Place Aron Ralston
Command Decision and 12 O'Clock High William Wister Haines 
The Bridge on the River Kwai Pierre Boulle
Frankenstein Mary Shelley
Pirate Latitudes Michael Crichton
Ghost Soldiers Hampton Sides
The Mouse That Roared Leonard Wibberly
Rebecca Daphne du Maurier
The Fairy Godmother Mercedes Lackey
Still Life Louise Penny
Septimus Heap -Magyk Angie Sage
The Gargoyle Andrew Davidson 
Running With The Demon Terry Brooks
Band of Brothers Stephen E. Ambrose
A Night in the Lonesome October Roger Zelazny
Borrower of the Night Elizabeth Peters
The Other Boleyn Girl Philippa Gregory 
A Series of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning Lemony Snicket
Sophie's Choice William Styron 
Jonathan Livingston Seagull Richard Bach
Green Grow the Lilacs Lynn Riggs
The Boy Scout Handbook

This list is partial right now - I will keep adding until I get it current.


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## Edward C. Patterson

Oooo! This looks like great fun.  

Let me start with an easy one. What novel begins with a man blown off his front door by the wind!

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson

Has everyone given up on this one. Here's another clue. 

This book featues the most famous "Night Nurse" in literary history, one whose duck handle "brollie" has given a hallmark stamp to that entire profession.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Susan in VA

Martin Chuzzlewit  --  and I only figured it out from the clue you gave in another thread.


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## luvbooks

Which mid 20th century novel is centered around  a famous American author who takes a road trip with his dog?


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## Edward C. Patterson

Susan:

Whew! I was beginning to worry that no on ever read Martin Chuzzlewit, which is one of Dicken's masterpieces. The blown away character is, of course, Mr. Pecksnip, that vilest of coniving villains, and the "Night Nurse" is Sarah Gamp, who made her duck handled umbrella famous when "cowcumbers were in season." It has been reported that Dicken's readings of Chuzzlewit and his impersonation of Sarah Gamp was renown.

Here's a link to it for the literary hungry.



And for $1.59 you can get the Complete Works of Dickens:



As for the second question, would that be Steinbeck's Travels with Charley in Search of America??

Edward C. Patterson


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## Susan in VA

Edward C. Patterson said:


> And for $1.59 you can get the Complete Works of Dickens:


Wow. Do you have this, and if so, how is the formatting?


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## Neekeebee

luvbooks said:


> Which mid 20th century novel is centered around a famous American author who takes a road trip with his dog?


 First assigned book we read in high school. Alas, not Kindle-ized? Also, I know somebody out there on KB has a quote from this book in his/her signature! 

N


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## NogDog

What 20th Century novel ends simply with a bird saying: "Poo-tee-weet"?


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## Leslie

NogDog said:


> What 20th Century novel ends simply with a bird saying: "Poo-tee-weet"?


Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut.



Okay, here's one: what book was the 1964 Caldecott Medal Winner for the most distinguished picture book of the year?


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## Edward C. Patterson

Susan in VA said:


> Wow. Do you have this, and if so, how is the formatting?


Yes, Susan. I do. All the MobileReference library books have great formatting and full linked TOC's. When I bought this one, it was $4.79, so I guess it's on sale.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson

Leslie said:


> Okay, here's one: what book was the 1964 Caldecott Medal Winner for the most distinguished picture book of the year?


That would be Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, which is coming out as a major film soon.



My turn?

A gruesome theme for it's time, which novel deals with infanticide in a fictional English countryside setting. The killer is a child. The answer is a spoiler, but hey - it's a classic.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Leslie

This is a guess....Adam Bede by George Eliot?


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## Edward C. Patterson

Leslie said:


> This is a guess....Adam Bede by George Eliot?


Guess again. Later. Another little hint. Masonry.

Edward C. Patterson


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## LauraB

Neekeebee said:


> First assigned book we read in high school. Alas, not Kindle-ized? Also, I know somebody out there on KB has a quote from this book in his/her signature!
> 
> N


It is available on kindle here is a link:
http://www.amazon.com/Travels-Charley-Search-America/dp/B001BC6GN6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1247066701&sr=1-3
$4.70
He is one of my favorite writers.
Sorry to but in here, but is it if you answer the question correctly you ask the next question? I just noticed this thread this morning, and it is interesting.


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## Edward C. Patterson

Red you can ask a question, but try to answer the one trivia bit that's still unanswered.

Ed P


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## LauraB

Sorry, I was thinking The old Curiosity shop, but it has been years since I read it.


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## Edward C. Patterson

Nope. I'll give one more hint. WESSEX. (That's a big one).

Ed P


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## Tip10

Hardy's Jude the Obscure??


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## Edward C. Patterson

Tip got it. Jude the Obscure was Hardy's last novel after a string of failed works, the work was so poorly recieved he turned away from writing novels and only wrote poetry after it. Although the work is dark (and the turn of events gruesome), the work is one of the masterpieces of early 20th Century British literature.



or get 200 of Thomas Hardy's works including his entire Novel output for $ 4.79:



Up for another one?

Here we go. The Bestselling book of the 20th centure as of course, The Bible - number 3 was Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Which book holds the # 2 spot, which would mean it was the best selling novel of the 20th Century?

Edward C. Patterson


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## Leslie

Ed, I thought the person who answered the question got to ask the next one, so technically it is Tip's turn to throw up a trivia challenge.

L


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## Edward C. Patterson

Oh Tip. It's your turn.

Ed


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## Tip10

Okay -- let's go with this one... a reminder that to make mistakes is to learn....


Science, my lad, is made up of mistakes, but they are mistakes which it is useful to make, because they lead little by little to the truth.



Although i suppose its not strictly trivia, but rather a quotation.  Have at it Ed -- I'll pass (although I'll leave this here for any who want a shot at it).


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## Tip10

I'd much much rather answer the questions than post them!!  

Ed -- as to your last -- would it not be All Quiet on the Western Front?


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## Edward C. Patterson

Tip Nope. Earlier. And no more "bloody" hints.  

Ed P


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## Leslie

Tip10 said:


> Okay -- let's go with this one... a reminder that to make mistakes is to learn....
> 
> Science, my lad, is made up of mistakes, but they are mistakes which it is useful to make, because they lead little by little to the truth.
> 
> Although i suppose its not strictly trivia, but rather a quotation. Have at it Ed -- I'll pass (although I'll leave this here for any who want a shot at it).


Jules Verne

L


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## Tip10

Leslie said:


> Jules Verne
> 
> L


Yes -- In ?


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## Edward C. Patterson

Journey to the Center of the Earth





Am I correct

Edward C. Patterson


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## Tip10

Yep!


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## Neekeebee

Red said:


> It is available on kindle here is a link:
> http://www.amazon.com/Travels-Charley-Search-America/dp/B001BC6GN6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1247066701&sr=1-3
> $4.70
> He is one of my favorite writers.
> Sorry to but in here, but is it if you answer the question correctly you ask the next question? I just noticed this thread this morning, and it is interesting.


Thanks for the link, Red!



Edward C. Patterson said:



> Up for another one?
> 
> Here we go. The Bestselling book of the 20th centure as of course, The Bible - number 3 was Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Which book holds the # 2 spot, which would mean it was the best selling novel of the 20th Century?
> 
> Edward C. Patterson


I'll take a shot, Ed. Is it ?

N


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## Forster

Neekeebee said:


> First assigned book we read in high school. Alas, not Kindle-ized? Also, I know somebody out there on KB has a quote from this book in his/her signature!
> 
> N


 

And there is a kindle version.

http://www.amazon.com/Travels-Charley-Search-America/dp/B001BC6GN6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1247082301&sr=1-1


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## Neekeebee

Forster said:


> And there is a kindle version.
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Travels-Charley-Search-America/dp/B001BC6GN6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1247082301&sr=1-1


Ah, it's you, Forster! I knew I had been reading that quote somewhere recently! 

N


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## Edward C. Patterson

Neekeebee. I love Gone With Wind, but . . . nope. Here's a hint for all. GARLIC.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Aravis60

Dracula?


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## Edward C. Patterson

Believe it or not, excluding the Bible, Bram Stoker's Dracula was the biggest bestseller of the 20th Century.



or the whole Bram Stoker pot:


Arivis60, it's your turn. We eagerly await.


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## Leslie

Actually, Ed, I am going to challenge you on that. According to the Internet Public Library, the number 2 book is Chairman Mao's Book of Quotations. Dracula isn't even on the top ten list for best selling books or best selling fiction books.

http://www.ipl.org/div/farq/bestsellerFARQ.html

Do you have a source for your claim?

L

PS, this is all in friendly trivia you realize...


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## Ann in Arlington

I tried to look it up. . .didn't spend a lot of time on it. . .but I am with Leslie. ..I didn't see Dracula on any of the bestseller lists I could find, let alone one for the whole century. . . . .so, may we have your source?


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## Edward C. Patterson

I got it from the History Channel's special on Dracula (not the Vlad the Impaler one, but the one focsing on Bram Stoker). Do you mean we can't believe every thing that you hear on TV?  

Does that mean Arivis60 losses a turn (or do I need to sit in the corner for an hour).    

Miss Chatty
Three snaps and your out


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## Leslie

Let's give Aravis a chance to throw up a question and Ed, I'll give you a slap with wet noodle.  

Aravis, you have the stage.

L


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## Edward C. Patterson

I'm watching my carbs. Can you throw a steak at me?

Ed P


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## Aravis60

Ok, here's my question:
Which classic children's book features a bout of accidental drunkenness and a heroine who would like to be called Cordelia?


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## Leslie

Aravis60 said:


> Ok, here's my question:
> Which classic children's book features a bout of accidental drunkenness and a heroine who would like to be called Cordelia?


Up A Road Slowly by Irene Hunt

one of my favorites, I loved that book.


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## Aravis60

I've never read that one, but it isn't the one that I was talking about.


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## Leslie

Aravis60 said:


> I've never read that one, but it isn't the one that I was talking about.


Well then you should because it has drunkeness and Cordelia! LOL

Okay...someone else can guess the answer...


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## Aravis60

The main character in the book is not actually named Cordelia, her name is something much plainer, but she says that she would like to be called Cordelia. Sorry if I was confusing.


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## Forster

Aravis60 said:


> The main character in the book is not actually named Cordelia, her name is something much plainer, but she says that she would like to be called Cordelia. Sorry if I was confusing.


Would her name be Anne?


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## Aravis60

Forster said:


> Would her name be Anne?


  Yes, it would!


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## Forster




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## Aravis60

I just got this  earlier today. It was a really good bargain at 3.99. 
Your turn, Forster.


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## Forster

Ok, got to think of one.


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## Forster

Here's a quote:

"People are stupid; given proper motivation, almost anyone will believe almost anything. Because people are stupid, they will believe a lie because they want to believe it's true, or because they are afraid it might be true. People’s heads are full of knowledge, facts, and beliefs, and most of it is false, yet they think it all true. People are stupid; they can only rarely tell the difference between a lie and the truth, and yet they are confident they can, and so are all the easier to fool."

What is this?  Who is the Author?


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## 1131

Forster said:


> Here's a quote:
> 
> "People are stupid; given proper motivation, almost anyone will believe almost anything. Because people are stupid, they will believe a lie because they want to believe it's true, or because they are afraid it might be true. People's heads are full of knowledge, facts, and beliefs, and most of it is false, yet they think it all true. People are stupid; they can only rarely tell the difference between a lie and the truth, and yet they are confident they can, and so are all the easier to fool."
> 
> What is this? Who is the Author?


Terry Goodkind. Wizard's 1st rule?


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## Forster

imallbs said:


> Terry Goodkind. Wizard's 1st rule?


Correct.


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## Leslie

Good job. imallbs, your turn to throw up a trivia question.

L


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## Ann in Arlington

Leslie said:


> Good job. imallbs, your turn to throw up a trivia question.
> 
> L


Perhaps just posting one would be less messy and. . .uh. . . . gross.


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## 1131

Hey I just got here!  

From one of my favorite books

"Theodore is in the ground.  The words as I write them make as little sense as did the sight of his coffin descending into a patch of sandy soil near Sagamore Hill, the place he loved more than any other on earth"


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## Edward C. Patterson

Yep, times up. So I'll post one (since I'm out of the corner, brusied by the noodle).

What novel began life as a manuscript called "First Impressions."

Ed P


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## Edward C. Patterson

Simul-posted. whoops.

ECP


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## 1131

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Simul-posted. whoops.
> 
> ECP


That's probably a good thing cus I'll be going back to work as soon as lunch is over.
Sorry, didn't mean to grind this thread to a halt.


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## Danny Relic

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Yep, times up. So I'll post one (since I'm out of the corner, brusied by the noodle).
> 
> What novel began life as a manuscript called "First Impressions."
> 
> Ed P


Pride and Prejudice?

What is the name of the main character's pet bird in the book, My Side of the Mountain?


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## LauraB

Danny Relic said:


> What is the name of the main character's pet bird in the book, My Side of the Mountain?


Frightful. But Should we wait to see if Ed says your right before I post next question?


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## Leslie

imallbs said:


> Hey I just got here!
> 
> From one of my favorite books
> 
> "Theodore is in the ground. The words as I write them make as little sense as did the sight of his coffin descending into a patch of sandy soil near Sagamore Hill, the place he loved more than any other on earth"


It's obviously Theodore Roosevelt, since his home was Sagamore Hill on Long Island, NY, but I don't know the book.

L


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## LauraB

Sorry, I'm new at this, was I supposed to try and answer lalibs or Danny's ?


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## Leslie

Red said:


> Sorry, I'm new at this, was I supposed to try and answer lalibs or Danny's ?


We are not completely organized in terms of rules. The general idea is...

If you get a question right, post a new trivia question.

The person who answers it correctly gets to post the next question. It seems that if the answerer is 100% sure s/he is correct, s/he can go ahead and post a question without waiting for confirmation from the original question-asker that the answer is right. However, if the answerer has any doubt, s/he should probably wait for confirmation.

It would be helpful if we could only have one question at a time....but we have two right now.

L


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## Edward C. Patterson

Pride and prejudice was 100% correct.

Ed P


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## Leslie

Okay, so we have Pride and Prejudice is correct, and I suspect Frightful the bird is correct, so we are just waiting on the Teddy Roosevelt book. 

Maybe once we get the answer to that, Red can post the next question...but wait, that leaves the TR person out...

Oh, never mind. This is like herding cats. Have at it, everyone...


L


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## LauraB

Leslie said:


> We are not completely organized in terms of rules. The general idea is...
> 
> If you get a question right, post a new trivia question.
> 
> The person who answers it correctly gets to post the next question. It seems that if the answerer is 100% sure s/he is correct, s/he can go ahead and post a question without waiting for confirmation from the original question-asker that the answer is right. However, if the answerer has any doubt, s/he should probably wait for confirmation.
> 
> It would be helpful if we could only have one question at a time....but we have two right now.
> 
> L


K. Thanks for helping me. I know I had the right answer, because I read that book every year to my class. Which is sort of cheating  , I'll bow out and let who ever answers lmalibs ? correctly put a new question out there.


imallbs said:


> Hey I just got here!
> 
> "Theodore is in the ground. The words as I write them make as little sense as did the sight of his coffin descending into a patch of sandy soil near Sagamore Hill, the place he loved more than any other on earth"


----------



## 1131

Here's a hint on the Teddy Roosevelt one.  The book is a novel about psychological profiling


----------



## 1131

Well I have to go to work but here's another hint on the Teddy Roosevelt quote.  The book was written by the author of The Lessons of Terror: A History of Warfare Against Civilians: Why It Has Always Failed and Why It Will Fail Again.


----------



## Leslie

Ah, that hint helps.

The Alienist by Caleb Carr. I never read it but my husband liked it a lot.



I get the next question. Let me think...

L


----------



## Leslie

November 15, 2009 will be the 50th anniversary of the event that is the centerpiece of this book.

L


----------



## Aravis60

Leslie said:


> November 15, 2009 will be the 50th anniversary of the event that is the centerpiece of this book.
> 
> L


In Cold Blood by Truman Capote?


----------



## Leslie

Aravis60 said:


> In Cold Blood by Truman Capote?


Yes!



Your turn for a question...

L


----------



## Aravis60

Just got back from my walk. Thinking of a question now.


----------



## Aravis60

Which book, published in 1887, was dedicated to Andrew Lang (author of the Fairy Books), was mentioned by Freud in his _Interpretation of Dreams_ and was at least partly inspired by a doll that the author was afraid of as a child.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Doyle's "A Study in Scarlet"


----------



## Aravis60

Ann in Arlington said:


> Doyle's "A Study in Scarlet"


Nope


----------



## Tip10

Clementina by Alfred Mason?


----------



## Aravis60

Tip10 said:


> Clementina by Alfred Mason?


Nope. Here's another hint: The author spent 6 years in South Africa and was fascinated by it. Several of his books are set in Africa, including this one.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

_Allan Quatermain_ by H. Rider Haggard. . .sequel to _King Solomon's Mines_


----------



## Aravis60

Ann in Arlington said:


> _Allan Quatermain_ by H. Rider Haggard. . .sequel to _King Solomon's Mines_


Getting warmer. 1887 was the date of the publication of the book in novel form, it was published as a serial a year earlier.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

The Answer is She (thanks for the big hint Ann) 

And I'm sure, because I verified it


for free

or the Complete (which I have for $4.79) but couldn't find the Kindle link to it.

My turn:

It begins with a battle with a bear and ends of a psychopathic train.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Leslie

Edward C. Patterson said:


> My turn:
> 
> It begins with a battle with a bear and ends of a psychopathic train.
> 
> Edward C. Patterson


It sounds like a Stephen King book and since I don't read Stephen King, I have no idea which one. So, someone else will have to answer this.

L


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

You got the author . . . but the book?

Ed P


----------



## mwvickers

Edward C. Patterson said:


> You got the author . . . but the book?
> 
> Ed P


The Dark Tower series. Um. The Waste Lands?


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Yes indeedy. Your answer is well met, Hallelujah God Bomb! It is the Third Book of The Dark Tower Series - The Waste Lands. Only Stephen King can have a 50 foot mechanical bear and a pschyzoid manaical momrail "Blane the Pain" and make it all work. This is also the famous cliff hanger book in the series, where King left his readers on that train for years before writing the next book (IV) the great romace classic, and pivotal masterpise of the series, *Wizard and Glass*.



Your turn mwickers, thankee sai


----------



## mwvickers

This book is a collection of letters from a demon to his nephew.


----------



## geoffthomas

The screwtape letters by cs lewis.


----------



## mwvickers

geoffthomas said:


> The screwtape letters by cs lewis.


Correct!

So apparently I'm not so good at coming up with challenging ones. LOL

Your turn.


----------



## Leslie

mwvickers said:


> Correct!
> 
> So apparently I'm not so good at coming up with challenging ones. LOL
> 
> Your turn.


Well it was certainly challenging to me as I didn't have a clue!

Awaiting Geoff's question...

L


----------



## geoffthomas

A book in which a portrait in the attic plays a major role.


----------



## LauraB

The Picture of Dorian Grey, By Oscar Wilde


----------



## geoffthomas

Absolutely,



Your turn, Red.


----------



## LauraB

This story is told by the soul survivor of a sunken ship. One could argue the first line is one of the most famous in American literature.


----------



## Forster

Red said:


> This story is told by the soul survivor of a sunken ship. One could argue the first line is one of the most famous in American literature.


Old Man and the Sea

Edit: Nevermind, I don't think his boat sunk.


----------



## LauraB

I don't recall the first line of that book. But I love Hemingway, but no. This book was written a little over a century earlier.
Hint:  The author's grandson is named after a character in this book. The grandson is a (relatively) famous pop/rock singer/song writer. Espically in the 90's.


----------



## Forster

Red said:


> I don't recall the first line of that book. But I love Hemingway, but no. This book was writte a little over a century earlier.


He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish.


----------



## Tip10

Red said:


> This story is told by the soul survivor of a sunken ship. One could argue the first line is one of the most famous in American literature.


Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe?


----------



## NogDog

_Moby Dick_ ("Call me Ishmael.") ?


----------



## LauraB

NogDog said:



> _Moby Dick_ ("Call me Ishmael.") ?


Yes! we must have been typing at the same time. Melvilles grandson is Moby, BTW.

Your turn Nogdog!


----------



## NogDog

This 19th century novel is the only one by this author, originally published under the pseudonym Ellis Bell.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Wuthering Heights


----------



## NogDog

Ann in Arlington said:


> Wuthering Heights


Winner, winner, chicken dinner! 

PS: Here's a link to one of the many Kindle editions (this one's a Mobi $0.99 edition):


----------



## Ann in Arlington

o.k. . . . the tale begins in April at the Tabard in in Southwark


----------



## Figment

Ann in Arlington said:


> o.k. . . . the tale begins in April at the Tabard in in Southwark


Possibly Chaucer's Canterbury Tales?


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Clearly it was too easy. . . or, I guess, I shouldn't be surprised that a community of readers would come up with it so fast!

Your turn. . . . .



This is the MobileReference version. . . usually decent formatting and linkage, only 99 cents.

Incidentally, Canterbury is called that because it's one day's ride at a canter from London. . . .


----------



## Figment

Chaucer was first with Canterbury Tales.  The format was, however, copied, first in Italy and later in France.  Who were the authors, and what were the names of their works?


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Hmmmm. . . .if we're talking of the framing device of a group of stories within a larger gathering or situation, there's the _Thousand and One Nights_. I feel certain that was earlier than Chaucer. Also Boccaccio's _Decameron_ but I thought that was earlier too. . . . .


----------



## geoffthomas

Ann - yeah Wikipedia lists the Decameron as being an influence on Chaucer for the Tales.
So not likely there.
perhaps:

Science Fiction writer Dan Simmons wrote his Hugo Award winning novel Hyperion based around an extra-planetary group of pilgrims.

Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins used The Canterbury Tales as a structure for his 2004 non-fiction book about evolution - The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution.

Just wonderin......


----------



## Figment

Mea culpa; mea culpa, mea maxima culpa!

I always did screw up the centuries...13th, 14th, 15th.  I always try to do them in reverse.

You, of course, are correct:  Decameron by Boccacio influenced Chaucer rather than the other way round.

But how about the French one?  It should help to know that it wasn't published until after the death of its author.  (Hmmm....maybe not.  OK, how about the fact the author was female?)

And with that I gave it away...expiation for the sin of leading you astray on the Bocaccio part of the answer.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Who's up?

Ed P


----------



## Leslie

Why don't you go ahead, Ed?


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

He's beautiful, he stutters and he's hung. Who is he and whote wrote him?


Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Leslie

Edward C. Patterson said:


> He's beautiful, he stutters and he's hung. Who is he and whote wrote him?
> 
> Edward C. Patterson


I don't have a clue. Mr. Ed? 

L


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Another clue, y'all need, eh? He was hung on the yard arm. His story is short nd his author's last wrok. 

Ed P


----------



## NogDog

Edward C. Patterson said:


> He's beautiful, he stutters and he's hung. Who is he and whote wrote him?
> 
> Edward C. Patterson





Edward C. Patterson said:


> Another clue, y'all need, eh? He was hung on the yard arm. His story is short nd his author's last wrok.
> 
> Ed P


I was just getting ready to guess _Billy Budd_ by Herman Melville before this 2nd clue appeared, which confirmed it.


----------



## NogDog

Considered by many to be its author's finest work, this novel includes an unexpected pun which could send the unwary reader into a _fit_ of laughter.


----------



## NogDog

Hint: The main character goes by many names, including "Sam."


----------



## NogDog

Final hints that should be a dead give-away for anyone who's read it:

1. The pun is "That's when the fit hit the shan."

2. Some of Sam's other names/titles are Mahasamatman, Buddha, and the book's title.


----------



## NogDog

Stuff to Google on:

1. The book won a Hugo award, and was nominated for a Nebula award.

2. The author is probably best known for a 5-book series, which he later followed up with a second 5-book series centered around the son of the first series' main character.

3. In 1979 it was announced that **** ** ***** would be made into a 50 million dollar film. It was planned that the sets for the movie would be made permanent and become the core of a science fiction theme park to be built in Aurora, Colorado. Famed comic-book artist Jack Kirby was even contracted to produce artwork for set design. However, due to legal problems the project was never completed. Parts of the unmade film project, the script and Kirby's set designs, were subsequently acquired by the CIA as cover for an exfiltration team posing as Hollywood location scouts in Tehran in order to rescue six US diplomatic staff who escaped the Iranian hostage crisis by virtue of being outside the Embassy building at the time.


----------



## Aravis60

Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny?


----------



## NogDog

Aravis60 said:


> Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny?


Winner (finally)!


(No Kindle version yet, unfortunately)

PS: Congrats on your 500th post.


----------



## Aravis60

NogDog said:


> PS: Congrats on your 500th post.


Thank you!

Here's my question:
The first line of this book is "This is my favorite book in all the world, though I have never read it."


----------



## Figment

Aravis60 said:


> Thank you!
> 
> Here's my question:
> The first line of this book is "This is my favorite book in all the world, though I have never read it."


The Princess Bride


----------



## Aravis60

Yep.  Your turn.


----------



## Figment

Leaving behind his Aunt Lucy, this character went to live at 32 Windsor Gardens.

Who was he, and who was the author?


----------



## Leslie

A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond

Aunt Lucy was in darkest Peru.

L


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Gee, I need to read more children's book or I'll never get another turn.  

Ed P


----------



## Leslie

I am just waiting for Figment to confirm that my answer is correct. I am 99% sure I am...

L


----------



## Figment

Leslie said:


> I am just waiting for Figment to confirm that my answer is correct. I am 99% sure I am...
> 
> L


You are, of course, absolutely correct.


----------



## Leslie

Let's have a visual trivia question, shall we?










Book, author, and location of this sculpture will win you the honor of posting the next question.

L


----------



## geoffthomas

Ugly duckling, hans christian anderson, copenhagen?


----------



## Leslie

geoffthomas said:


> Ugly duckling, hans christian anderson, copenhagen?


Sorry, no.

Next guesser?


----------



## Aravis60

Title and Author: Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey Location: Boston?


----------



## Leslie

Yes, yes, and yes.

Your turn!

L


----------



## Aravis60

Name the sci-fi novel (and its author) set on Earth and Mars which features philologist Elwin Ransom.


----------



## marianneg

Aravis60 said:


> Name the sci-fi novel (and its author) set on Earth and Mars which features philologist Elwin Ransom.


Ooh, ooh! It's _Out of the Silent Planet_ by C.S. Lewis!


----------



## Aravis60

marianner said:


> Ooh, ooh! It's _Out of the Silent Planet_ by C.S. Lewis!


You got it! Your turn.


----------



## marianneg

The author of this book about a legendary figure beloved by children also wrote a series of books that are much more well-known.  Name the book and author.


----------



## marianneg

marianner said:


> The author of this book about a legendary figure beloved by children also wrote a series of books that are much more well-known. Name the book and author.


Hint: I read this book every Christmas, and I have mentioned it on Kindleboards before.


----------



## NogDog

Possibly: _The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus_ by Frank L. Baum?


----------



## marianneg

NogDog said:


> Possibly: _The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus_ by Frank L. Baum?


That's it! Your turn, NogDog.


----------



## NogDog

The coauthors of this book first met in 1985 at a Chinese restaurant in London so that one of them could interview the other for a free-lance magazine article.


----------



## Figment

Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaimen, authors of Good Omens?


----------



## NogDog

Figment said:


> Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaimen, authors of Good Omens?


Affirmative.

No image for Kindle version, so here's the text link: Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch

PS: It was Gaiman interviewing Pratchett, who had just published the first of his "Discworld" novels:


----------



## Figment

When his mother filed for divorce, after 33 years of marriage, she handed a copy of this author's third novel to the judge as evidence.

Novel and author?


----------



## NogDog

Figment said:


> Whenhis mother filed for divorce, after 33 years of marriage, she handed a copy of this author's third novel to the judge as evidence.
> 
> Novel and author?


I have no idea, but I'm really curious to find out who (and why).


----------



## Leslie

I don't have a clue, either.

Hint?

L


----------



## Figment

Four of his novels were made into movies, only three of which (including the subject of this question) bear the same name as the book.


----------



## NogDog

I did some Googling and figured out the answer, but that would be cheating, right?...


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Google is our friend. Go for it. I'm curious too.

Ed P


----------



## Figment

And I am intrigues what, from the questions I asked, you would have put into Google to give you the answer.  (I figured I had a least two questions to go before there'd be enough there to search on Google.)

Go for it.


----------



## NogDog

_The Great Santini_ by Pat Conroy



FYI, I Googled on "book used as evidence in divorce trial" and near the top of the 3rd page of results found this page: http://www.randomhouse.com/resources/bookgroup/beachmusic_bgc.html

I told you I was curious.


----------



## Figment

Very good.  

Your turn!


----------



## NogDog

In this American novel, the author's name is mentioned in the 2nd sentence of the 1st chapter.


----------



## NogDog

Going to be away from the 'puter for a little while, so I'll add this hint now:

The name mentioned above is the author's pseudonym.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

That's easy (I hope). That would be Hucklberry Finn by Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens

"YOU don't know about me without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; but that ain't no matter. That book was made by Mr. Mark Twain, and he told the truth, mainly. There was things which he stretched, but
mainly he told the truth."



So it's my turn. Yeah.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

The opening lines: "It was a dark and stormy night," has been long referred to as the worst novel opening in the media. Which Novel? What author?

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Leslie

*Paul Clifford* by Edward Bulwer-Lytton


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

You're quick! Who here has ever read that book? Or Bulwer-Lytton? (That's not trivia, it just a curiosity). I started Quo Vadis and fell off the end of the chariot.

Ed P


----------



## Leslie

I haven't read it, myself.

Okay, following on that theme, what other author started a book with the same opening sentence?

L


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

It can't be Charles Schultz and Snoopy Could it?

Ed P


----------



## Leslie

Edward C. Patterson said:


> It can't be Charles Schultz and Snoopy Could it?
> 
> Ed P


Yes, it could. I know it was easy but I couldn't resist.

Your turn!


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Opening on dingy Charing Cross station in London, this frantic tale of a ex-patriate Brit, her Italian amour and her xenophobic sister is one of the towers of Edwardian lit.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I guess it's hint time. The author was a member of the Bloomsbury group.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

More of a hint needed? The author spent many years in India and has another novel set there.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Edward C. Patterson said:


> I guess it's hint time. The author was a member of the Bloomsbury group.
> 
> Edward C. Patterson


That one gave it away for me after I Googled on "bloomsbury group," but I'm not going to take credit for another one in that manner, so I'll leave it to someone else. (Besides, I've never read the book, I've only seen the BBC mini-series -- oh, is that another hint?  )


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I don't think it was ever a mini-series - so you might have the wrong Bloomsbury person. Now I'll give the biggest hint. This author is famous for writing about places, houses in particular and in one book, not this one, a misplaced umbrella is a key article. This book has a carraige crash in it.

Ed Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Maybe I was guessing the "another novel set there [India]"?


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

He had one set in India, two in italy and three in Britain. This one is italian.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Gertie Kindle

Edward C. Patterson said:


> He had one set in India, two in italy and three in Britain. This one is italian.
> 
> Ed Patterson


A Room With A View


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Gertie You are close, but here's the original question: "Opening on dingy Charing Cross station in London, this frantic tale of a ex-patriate Brit, her Italian amour and her xenophobic sister is one of the towers of Edwardian lit."

(I love Room with a View also) and you have the correct author.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## NogDog

OK, so we've eliminated _Room With a View_ and _A Passage to India_, which leaves us with only a few choices left. (I'm trying to make someone other than me pose the next question.  )


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Final Hint. Helena Bonham Carter starred in 3 films based on E.M. Forster novels. _Room With a View_, _Howards End _ and . . . the answer is . . .

Going to bed, now.


----------



## Leslie

Helena was in *Maurice* but it was a small, uncredited role...so I think the correct answer to this trivia question is *Where Angels Fear to Tread*.

L


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Leslie:

Yes. All of E.M. Forster is available on the Kindle, except _Maurice_.

Your turn.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Leslie

This book has been made into a movie -- the movie opens in the US on August 28, 2009. It has already been screened at the Cannes Film Festival (not in competition).

Name of book and author, please. NB: The book and movie have the same title.

L


----------



## geoffthomas

Taking Woodstock by Elliot Tiber.


----------



## Leslie

Yes! Your turn Geoff !


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Are we waiting

Ed the Impatient


----------



## Leslie

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Are we waiting
> 
> Ed the Impatient


I think he was off hob-nobbing today with the DC folks.

L


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

BTW, Leslie,


Spoiler



my new book is of "Ennis" magnitude as far as hankies go.



Ed P


----------



## Leslie

Edward C. Patterson said:


> BTW, Leslie,
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> my new book is of "Ennis" magnitude as far as hankies go.
> 
> 
> 
> Ed P


From the way you described it, I had a feeling that was the case.

L


----------



## geoffthomas

This book had "hairy" characters and was made into a musical.


----------



## Figment

geoffthomas said:


> This book had "hairy" characters and was made into a musical.


Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot.


----------



## NogDog

_Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats_ by T. S. Eliot (basis of the musical "Cats")? 
Eh...Figment posted while I was typing this.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I was too late. Why not both of you post a quetion and keep us all busy.

Ed P


----------



## Figment

Written by a man said to be one of the most influential Catholic thinkers and writers of our time, this book begins:

"It was Nathan's fault that I became God.
It was, as I would learn, hell to be God."


----------



## NogDog

Alternate question:

While strictly speaking this is not a novel, it _is_ an extended work of fiction. The one line that has stuck in my mind since I read it in high school so many years ago is:



> When I felt the bullet enter my heart
> I wished I had staid at home and gone to jail


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

God Game by Andrew Greeley



I shall default my turn to Nog Dog so we don;t gum up the works. 

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## NogDog

NogDog said:


> Alternate question:
> 
> While strictly speaking this is not a novel, it _is_ an extended work of fiction. The one line that has stuck in my mind since I read it in high school so many years ago is:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> When I felt the bullet enter my heart
> I wished I had staid at home and gone to jail
Click to expand...

One hint before I go to bed:

The title of the book is the name of a town (though you might not think so at first).


----------



## Leslie

NogDog said:


> Alternate question:
> 
> While strictly speaking this is not a novel, it _is_ an extended work of fiction. The one line that has stuck in my mind since I read it in high school so many years ago is:


Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters

The town is Spoon River, Illinois


----------



## NogDog

Leslie said:


> Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters
> 
> The town is Spoon River, Illinois


Bingo.


----------



## Leslie

This book was published by J.B. Lippincott on July 11, 1960 and has never been out of print.

L


----------



## Tip10

To Kill a Mockingbird?


----------



## Leslie

Tip10 said:


> To Kill a Mockingbird?


Yes! Your turn.

L


----------



## Tip10

An easy one -- this author had annual number ones for 5 of the 10 years of the 1990's


----------



## Leslie

Tip10 said:


> An easy one -- this author had annual number ones for 5 of the 10 years of the 1990's


John Grisham


----------



## Tip10

Yes -- as I said -- easy


----------



## Leslie

This book was scheduled to be published by Random House in August 2008 but its publication was cancelled when a University of Texas professor said that publication would expose Random House employees to terrorist acts.

L


----------



## Tip10

The Jewel of Medina by Sherry Jones?


----------



## Leslie

Tip10 said:


> The Jewel of Medina by Sherry Jones?


Very good!

As a postscript, when it was finally published by Beaufort Books, it got lousy reviews, such as this from the New York Times: "An inexperienced, untalented author has naïvely stepped into an intense and deeply sensitive intellectual argument."

Ouch!

Your turn...

L


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Would that be _The Jewel of Medina _ by Sherry Jones?

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Tip10

Okay -- let's ratchet it up a notch.....

This 1970’s Science Fiction work is about a computer program that goes rogue and in its desire to survive it becomes sentient and later seeks out its creator.


----------



## NogDog

Tip10 said:


> Okay -- let's ratchet it up a notch.....
> 
> This 1970's Science Fiction work is about a computer program that goes rogue and in its desire to survive it becomes sentient and later seeks out its creator.


Argh! I think I know the one you're talking about, but I'm not stirring up any recollection at all as to the title or author--not even enough for a decent Google.


----------



## Tip10

Okay a hint -- Published in 1977 by MacMillian.....


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Did I miss my turn

Ed P


----------



## Leslie

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Would that be _The Jewel of Medina _ by Sherry Jones?
> 
> Edward C. Patterson


Yes, it would, Ed, but Tip10 had already answered. I was just providing a little extra trivia.

L


----------



## Tip10

Tip10 said:


> Okay a hint -- Published in 1977 by MacMillian.....


Second hint -- in 1984 it was adapted into a Canadian made for TV Movie.


----------



## Tip10

Tip10 said:


> Second hint -- in 1984 it was adapted into a Canadian made for TV Movie.


Name of the Canadian TV Movie was Hide and Seek


----------



## NogDog

Nope: not the one I was thinking of (I think I was vaguely remembering _Demon Seed_).

I did figure it out though after Googling, but had never heard of it before, so I'm not going to guess.


----------



## Tip10

Go ahead -- not many have heard of it -- it was a very good read in its time -- kind of still is but technology has outstripped it a bit...


----------



## Tip10

Last hint then I'll give up -- 

The author (who shares a last name with a Tom Clancy hero) apparently was a one hit wonder -- I've  never seen nor heard of any other work by this author.


----------



## NogDog

_The Adolescence of P-1_ by Thomas J. Ryan

(no Kindle version that I could find)


----------



## Tip10

Correct

The Adolescence of P-1 by Thomas J. Ryan

To be honest I thought it was completely out of print...

Could not get the picture link to work -- doesn't matter the picture on Amazon is of a re-printing sometime along the way -- not of the original cover art....


----------



## NogDog

OK, we'll keep it in the sci-fi genre.

This novel, which was the basis for a movie with Charlton Heston, has two exclamation marks in its title.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

That would be _Make Room! Make Room! _ by Harry Harrison, which became Soylent Green.

Let me know.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Correctamundo!


----------



## Leslie

Good job, Ed! Your turn!


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Edward Pendrick is washed ashore in the dingy from the Lady Vain onto Noble's Island.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## kevindorsey

This is a fairly hard contest.  I will never guess anything right


----------



## geoffthomas

kevindorsey said:


> This is a fairly hard contest. I will never guess anything right


LOL.
You are right Kevin.
I just wait around until I "happen" to know something, or can quickly google it.
And you will notice that my items are so easy that someone answers almost immediately.
The easier trivia was asked back at the beginning also.
Keep trying, we need some new players.
But you gotta have a quick keyboard.
Just sayin.....


----------



## Tip10

HG Wells - The Island of Dr. Moreau?


----------



## geoffthomas

Tip10 said:


> HG Wells - The Island of Dr. Moreau?


I think you must be right.
The character's name sounds right, but I don't remember the Lady Vain or it being called Noble's Island - been a Looooooonnnnnnngggggg time since I read this one.
Let's see if Ed confirms it.


----------



## Tip10

I remember the ship name Lady Vain and the character name but not the island -- am guessing that it might be this one versus another Wells.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

You're correct. I misspelled "dingy" paronne - sb dinghy of the Lady Vain. The narrator refers to the isaldn in the opening as a volcanic place called Noble's island (but of course it is after the fact at that point).



Go forth and trivialize oh mighty Tip10. 

(I've been reading Wells this week - some short stories from 1895, and just started The Time Machine, which I haven;t read since 1959).

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Tip10

Early 1970's conspiracy novel.  Nukes don't work when dropped -- only when stationary.


----------



## Tip10

Not to be confused with a religious book by the same name (but definitely not the same subject) by Roxanne Trotter


----------



## Tip10

Nor a Frontline piece about George Bush using the same title.

Nor, for that matter, several other books of the same title -- Dr. Jessie (no definitely not Jessica) Simpson for one.


----------



## Tip10

Maynard! Don't want to kill this thread.....

This author's first novel, in 1969, made it to the top of the NYT Best Seller list
He's also written under the pseudonyms of William Judson, David Harper, Patrick Buchanan, and Will Collins.
He passed away in 1981.

I'll let this sit a while then punt the answer out there.


----------



## Figment

The Jesus Factor by Edwin Corley


----------



## NogDog

I figured it out from Googling after the first or second clue, but refused to answer any more for books I've never read or even heard of--just doesn't seem right some how.

One suggestion: let's try to limit further questions to books that are available for the Kindle, in order to keep it Kindle-related while also making it easier for anyone to read any of the books should their interest be piqued.


----------



## Figment

This book was set in four historical periods:  the 1930's, the 1950's, 1973 and the present, and was written by the author over the period of 10 years.

And, yes, it is available for Kindle...one of my first re-purchases.


----------



## Tip10

Figment has it.

Sorry about that -- I'm showing my age -- this book had something of a cult following in years gone by.

Have at it Figment.


----------



## Figment

See the above...


----------



## Figment

Time for another clue?

Some of the locations in the book are Amsterdam, Istanbul, Budapest, Bulgaria, France and England.


----------



## Figment

And another...

About 40% of the book is done in epistolary format.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

l8tr folks. HP calls and  go!!

ECP


----------



## NogDog

Sounds like it must be:


----------



## Aravis60

Argh! This book has been in front of me all day. My hubby is reading it right now in DTB.


----------



## NogDog

Since I'm 99% sure I was correct, here's another:

This novel is an "attack on [Nietzsche's] super-man philosophy," according to the author. Perhaps that's why my 7th grade teacher asked me if I was sure when I said I was reading it for our next book report assignment, but I found it to be an exciting and engrossing adventure story I could hardly put down (and I had no idea who Nietzsche was let alone his philosophies). One could also say it's a _Ghost_ story.


----------



## Figment




----------



## Figment

Oh, and if the above guess is correct, I'll defer to someone else on the next questions.  I have to get to bed...have to be up by 4:30 a.m. to drive down to Columbus to do a mediation.


----------



## NogDog

Figment said:


> Oh, and if the above guess is correct, I'll defer to someone else on the next questions. I have to get to bed...have to be up by 4:30 a.m. to drive down to Columbus to do a mediation.


_The Sea-Wolf_ by Jack London is correct.

Hey, Aravis60, do you have a book you'd like to quiz us on?


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Back from HP . . . great  . . to bed.

Ed P


----------



## koolmnbv

just wanted to say this is a fun thread.


----------



## NogDog

koolmnbv said:


> just wanted to say this is a fun thread.


Got a question you want to post? (We seem to be "between quizzers" here at the moment.)


----------



## Leslie

I'll post a question.

This author was born in Minneapolis but lives in Baltimore, which is the setting for most of her 18 novels. She has not given a sit-down interview or gone on a book tour since 1977.

L


----------



## Leslie

Four of her eighteen books are available in Kindle format.

L


----------



## NogDog

Anne Tyler?


----------



## Leslie

NogDog said:


> Anne Tyler?


Yes, that's correct.

Your turn...


----------



## NogDog

A visual clue, of a sort:

Take the name of the album shown below, transpose two of the characters in it, and you have something that plays an important role in this novel.


----------



## NogDog

I decided to add my second visual (and silly) clue before someone guesses this, so I won't have wasted my time finding and uploading the image. 

The following image could be said to represent either of two characters in this novel:


----------



## NogDog

This man wrote the screenplay for the movie:










PS: He also acted in the movie


----------



## NogDog

In the movie, these two actors played the two "M&M" characters referenced above.


----------



## NogDog

The result of solving the first clue:


----------



## NogDog

The final clue is in the form of a Rebus:


----------



## geoffthomas

catch 22  Joseph Heller


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

What the "Hell"er.  

Ed P


----------



## NogDog

geoffthomas said:


> catch 22 Joseph Heller


Correct, of course.

And I unwittingly violated my suggested guideline of only doing books available for Kindle. For some reason I thought I'd seen it listed in one of my Kindle Books searches. 



The movie was quite good, too:


----------



## Leslie

So it looks like it is Geoff's turn for a question...

L


----------



## geoffthomas

Published in 1869, it had been serialized in a magazine.


----------



## NogDog

geoffthomas said:


> Published in 1869, it had been serialized in a magazine.


Just a stab in the dark: since many of Charles Dickens' novels first appeared as serials, I'll say _Great Expectations_.


----------



## Leslie

NogDog said:


> Just a stab in the dark: since many of Charles Dickens' novels first appeared as serials, I'll say _Great Expectations_.


The date is wrong for that. I thought of Dickens, too, but he died in 1870 and was sick for the last months of his life. His serialized books were more in the 1840s-1850s.

L


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

That would be _Voyna i mir _ (War and Peace) by Leo Tolstoy.

Da?


Edward C. Patterson

And here's the next question, because I'm sure of this one.

Young man runs away with the Circus? Old man runs away with the Circus?


----------



## geoffthomas

Ed,
You are exactly correct.
serialized between 1865 and 1867 in the magazine The Russian Messenger

And I draw a blank on the circus.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Let's give some more hints. First, it's not one of those arcane classics that I seem to know and love.   It was a NYT best seller (which I usually don't read, but Uncle Stevie recommended it). The protagonist is a Polish-speaking veterinarian during the depression.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Figment

Water for Elephants by Gruen?


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

You got it your turn.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Figment

A quote:    "There is an urge and rage in people to destroy, to kill, to murder, and until all mankind, without exception, undergoes a great change, wars will be waged, everything that has been built up, cultivated and grown, will be destroyed and disfigured, after which mankind will have to begin all over again." 


Who wrote it and in what book?


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I'm not sure, but isn't that Anne Frank from her Diary? (out on a limb)

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Figment

Bingo!  Got it in one (and I thought I had selected one of the less well known quotes).

Your turn.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

A portion of this work reflects the rain filled trenches from the Battle of the Somme, an indelible memory never forgotten by its author.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Figment

The only book of that era I can recall is All Quiet on the Western Front by Remarque.

Seems to me that was WWI'ish.


----------



## Figment

Figment said:


> The only book of that era I can recall is All Quiet on the Western Front by Remarque.
> 
> Seems to me that was WWI'ish.


Although it could be Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms. Other than that, I'm tapped out. I really don't know any more WWI books.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Nope and Nope. Here's another hint - - - and I must be careful - - - This author describes the campfires glimmering between the water filled battle craters. He calls them . . . (nope, won;t tht far).



Edward C. Patterson


----------



## NogDog

No bells tolling for me on this one, but then I don't recall ever reading any WWI novels, only a handful of non-fiction works.

Only other title I can think of beyond the ones already mentioned is _Paths of Glory_ by Humphrey Cobb just because it was made into a movie by Stanley Kubrik, but I don't think it fits the bill here.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Okay . . . .this author was on the battlefield, but the book is not about WWI at all. In the book (here we go giving it away, lock,stock and barrel) this author calls the campfires "tricksy lights."

(Ed ducks now that the answers will fly in)

Going to listen to the new DVD of Puccini's _La Rondine_.

Ed Patterson


----------



## NogDog

So WWI turned into a sort of red herring for us? A nice, juicy, crunchy, tasty fish, my precioussssss?


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Yassir! I'm the King (or Queen) of the Red herrings or at least my readers regard me as such. Yes, Ron Tolkien recalled the aweful horror of the aftermath of the battle of the Soame when he create the Dead Marshes. The dead in the flooded craters and trenches were real and the campfires as they twinkled in the mists became the tricksy lights. 

"Don't look at he tricksy lights, or you become like them. Dead! The Dead Marshes. That's whats we call them. Yes. Gollum. Gollum."

The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien

It's your turn.

Edward C. Redherringbone


----------



## NogDog

In Roger Zelazny's _Nine Princes in Amber_, Dworkin's unexpected appearance in Corwin's dungeon brought back memories for this reader of a somewhat similar scene in this classic book, written over a century before Zelazny's "Amber" series saw the light of day.


----------



## NogDog

I am also often reminded of this book while reading a menu.


----------



## NogDog

Last clue before bedtime:

The author, best known for his fiction (and possibly considered the father of his genre), also wrote an encyclopedic book on cooking, one of his great passions.


----------



## Susan in VA

That would be Alexandre Dumas.  And the book is The Count of Monte Cristo.


----------



## NogDog

Susan in VA said:


> That would be Alexandre Dumas. And the book is The Count of Monte Cristo.


Alexandre Dumas, _pere_, to avoid ambiguity. 

Randomly selected Kindle version (there are many):


Your turn....


----------



## Susan in VA

Too funny, I woke up at four in the morning thinking _I bet he's going to say "pere ou fils" because the answer was incomplete._

OK...hmmm....

When this book was made into a movie, a characteristic of a key feature was changed in order to showcase a new technology.


----------



## Figment

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by E.L. Baum.


----------



## Susan in VA

Too easy.    Your turn.


----------



## Figment

This book was inspired by poem by romantic poet W. B. Yeats.


----------



## Figment

The author, who holds a Ph.D. in English from The Catholic University of America, worked as a speechwriter for the National Endowment for the Arts.


----------



## Figment

A coming of age story told from the perspective of two boys whose first encounter, at the age of seven, involved a chestnut tree.


----------



## Figment

One of the two protaginists spends winter evenings at the town library reading (and writing an autobiographical book of his own).


----------



## Figment

OK, last clue, and then I give up:  The name of one of the protaginists, Aniday, is a corruption of the other's, Henry Day.

(I cannot believe this, one of my very favorite books, has not yet been identified.  While I do tend to like some pretty obscure stuff, this one was a NY Times best seller.)


----------



## geoffthomas

I admit to cheating to find the answer.



Spoiler



The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue?



Somebody else post without cheating......


----------



## Leslie

That book is not ringing a bell at all!


----------



## NogDog

Leslie said:


> That book is not ringing a bell at all!


Nothing here, either. 



geoffthomas said:


> I admit to cheating to find the answer.
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue?
> 
> 
> 
> Somebody else post without cheating......


Only way I could guess this one is via Google, so whenever you get tired of waiting, I'd say award this one to Geoff (if he's correct).


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Drawin a cmplete blank.

Ed P


----------



## Figment

Wow! That truly does surprise me.

Geoff is correct. It is 

I most heartily recommend this book. I think it is magical!


----------



## Leslie

Okay, Geoff's turn...!


----------



## geoffthomas

In this book, Salvor Hardin said "Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent".


----------



## NogDog

I know it's one of Isaac Asimov's "Foundation" series, though not for sure which one, so I'll just guess it was _Foundation_?


----------



## Figment

Asimov's Foundation?


----------



## geoffthomas

NogDog got it first.

Your turn.


----------



## NogDog

This novel begins with events upon the S.S. _Patna_, which is believed to be based on actual events that happened on the S.S. _Jeddah_.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Finally one that I know. That would be Joseph Conrad's *Lord Jim*. One of my favorites (I love Conrad)



I'll wait for the green light, but I'm also heading for beddy bye.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Yep. _Lord Jim_ is one of the few novels I was forced to read in H.S./college that I was actually very glad to have done so. I quite liked the movie with Peter O'Toole, too. (Hmmm...I may have to put it on the TBR list: it's been a _long_ time since I read it.  )


----------



## Ann in Arlington

You know that's one I never read. . . .I guess our HS had a different reading list. . . .I may have to check it out. . . .


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

A contemporary of Charles Dickens, her novels have recently sparked interest with three BBC mini-series.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

No response - need a hint. Okay. Dench, Staunton, Gambon and Atkins.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Ann in Arlington

The only thing that pops into my head is Jane Austen. . . .but that seems way too obvious. . . .


----------



## Carolyn Kephart

Edward C. Patterson said:


> A contemporary of Charles Dickens, her novels have recently sparked interest with three BBC mini-series.
> 
> Edward C. Patterson


Mary Anne Evans, aka George Eliot.

Edited to note that there exist five BBC productions (_Middlemarch, Daniel Deronda, Silas Marner, Adam Bede, The Mill on the Floss_), but I've only seen the first.

CK


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

No. Kep tying. In fact, this author contributed a chapter to a book co-authored by Charles Dickens. She is now considered an early voice for women's rights. He most famous book is about a town almost entirely dominated by women. (one of the 3 BBC mini-series)

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Carolyn Kephart

Edward C. Patterson said:


> No. Kep tying. In fact, this author contributed a chapter to a book co-authored by Charles Dickens. She is now considered an early voice for women's rights. He most famous book is about a town almost entirely dominated by women. (one of the 3 BBC mini-series)
> 
> Edward C. Patterson


Aha. Those details certainly help narrow it down. It has to be Elizabeth Gaskell, whose 'Cranford' I read a few years back.

Judi Dench voices Eliot in the BBC 'Middlemarch,' so that threw me off.

CK


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Bravo Craolyn. is Elizabeth Gaskell. The three books of course are Cranford, Wives and Daughters and North and South.

  

And MobileReference has all her novels here:


Your Turn

Edward . Patterson


----------



## Carolyn Kephart

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Bravo Craolyn. is Elizabeth Gaskell. The three books of course are Cranford, Wives and Daughters and North and South.
> Edward . Patterson


Thanks, Ed.  I'll eventually get around to reading the other two.

My question: What character in a book that describes itself as 'A Novel Without a Hero' unabashedly asserts "I'm no angel"?

CK


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

That is by one of my mentors, William Makepiece Thackaray and would be Vanity Fair.

Am I correct?

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Carolyn Kephart

Edward C. Patterson said:


> That is by one of my mentors, William Makepiece Thackaray and would be Vanity Fair.
> 
> Am I correct?
> 
> Edward C. Patterson


Edited:

Right author, but who is the character in question?

CK


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Why that would be Becky Sharp.

Ed P


----------



## Carolyn Kephart

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Why that would be Becky Sharp.
> 
> Ed P


Just so! My role model in so many respects. 

Your turn.

CK


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I'm a five book series and I start in France and I go to China, Prussia, Africa,and England. If it were not for my aerial twist, I could have been written by Jane Austen. Who wrote me and what's my name?

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Figment

I'm not altogether certain of this, but it sounds like the Temeraire Series by Naomi Novik.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

It IS the Temeraire series, one of the finest IMHO in print. 

Your turn.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Figment

This historical, set in 19th century China, was a departure for its author who had previously been nominated for an Edgar Award.

(This is, by the way, the single best book I've ever read about female friendship.  That, however, is editorial content.)


----------



## Figment

It is believed as many as 20 million people perished during the Taiping Revolution.  The characters in this book survived...physically at least.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

It was nearer 40 million deaths in the wake of the T'ai-p'ing rebellion (which ironically means Heavenly Peace); and the court needed to retreat North. Our history books assert that the Ch'ing Dynasty's fall was precipitated by the Opium war and Western encroachment. Nothing could be further than the truth. It was this little Christian inspired (I guess the West influenced this) rebellion that so severely weakened the Empire, it never recovered. The streets of Nan-jing ran blood and would not harvest such tragedy again until the Japanese repeated the atrocities during the Rape. Of course, nearly 200 million Chinese died during the Japanese occupation.

Now after all that, I still don't know the answer, but since this is my field, through I'd step up to the lectern.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Aravis60

Is it Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See?


----------



## Figment

It is...a wonderful book.  (I have probably gifted it 5 times.)


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Congrats Aravis60. I'll need to look that one up. Was it ever listed on your thread?

Ed Patterson


----------



## Aravis60

This follow up to a 2002 debut novel ends with the construction of one of the most famous buildings in the world.


----------



## geoffthomas

The link for the prior book Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See is:


----------



## Aravis60

Here's a hint: The real events that inspired this historical novel happened in the early 17th century.


----------



## Aravis60

Another hint: The author of this book currently lives in the US but was born in India. She won a Washington State Book Award in 2003 for the first novel about the same characters.


----------



## Aravis60

Hint: One of the main characters in the book is the Mughal Emperor Jahangir.


----------



## Sparkplug

Aravis60 said:


> Hint: One of the main characters in the book is the Mughal Emperor Jahangir.


Is it The Feast of Roses?


----------



## Aravis60

Sparkplug said:


> Is it The Feast of Roses?


Yea, Sparkplug, that's it!  Your turn for a question.


----------



## Sparkplug

This 1905 novel about a New York socialite attempting to secure a husband is one of the first "novels of manners" in American literature.


----------



## Sparkplug

A hint: The saying "Keeping up with the Joneses" is said to refer to the family of the author's father.


----------



## Leslie

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Sorry I've been gone, buy I've been really sick. Getting on a bit better today.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Sparkplug

Leslie said:


> The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton


That's right! Your turn...


----------



## Aravis60

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Sorry I've been gone, buy I've been really sick. Getting on a bit better today.
> 
> Ed Patterson


Glad you are feeling a little better, Ed. Make sure you get plenty of rest.


----------



## Leslie

This book was published in the summer of 2008. It has two authors; for the lead author, it was her first novel. Unfortunately, she never got to see it in print as she died in February 2008.

L


----------



## Sparkplug

Leslie said:


> This book was published in the summer of 2008. It has two authors; for the lead author, it was her first novel. Unfortunately, she never got to see it in print as she died in February 2008.


Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society? (This is my book club's selection for November.)


----------



## Leslie

Sparkplug said:


> Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society? (This is my book club's selection for November.)


Very good! Your turn....

L


----------



## Sparkplug

A dystopian tale where women are given titles (such as Aunts, Marthas, Daughters and Jezebels) based on the roles given to them by the totalitarian theocracy that overtakes the United States.


----------



## Leslie

Sparkplug said:


> A dystopian tale where women are given titles (such as Aunts, Marthas, Daughters and Jezebels) based on the roles given to them by the totalitarian theocracy that overtakes the United States.


A Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood? (It's been awhile since I read that so working off memory here...)


----------



## Sparkplug

Leslie said:


> A Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood? (It's been awhile since I read that so working off memory here...)


You got it!


----------



## Leslie

Sparkplug said:


> You got it!


Wow! That was completely a guess...

Okay, give me a minute to think for the next one....

L


----------



## Leslie

The narrative of this book moves between the present and the past. In the historic section, the story centers around a brutal double murder that occurred in 1873.

L


----------



## Figment

I think it is: 

Same author wrote:


----------



## Leslie

Absolutely, Figment. Well done! Your turn...

L


----------



## Figment

Chapter 6 of this 1928 publication, second in the two book series by the author, describes a game, the World Championships of which have been held in Dorchester-on-Thames since 1984 as a fund raising event for the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institute).

Book and Author...extra points for naming the game.


----------



## Sparkplug

Figment said:


> Chapter 6 of this 1928 publication, second in the two book series by the author, describes a game, the World Championships of which have been held in Dorchester-on-Thames since 1984 as a fund raising event for the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institute).
> 
> Book and Author...extra points for naming the game.


The House of Pooh Corner by AA Milne? The World Poohsticks Championships?


----------



## Figment

Got it in one.  Your turn.


----------



## Sparkplug

A tale of a slovenly hot dog street vendor who has a post-graduate degree in medieval philosophy.


----------



## Sparkplug

The book was published eleven years after the author's suicide.


----------



## Figment

O'Toole's Confederacy of Dunces...(The advantage of going to college in the South is that you read all these really obscure authors who wind up published by various University Presses).

(The disadvantage is that you wind up writing papers on some really sucky stuff!  I was a French major and so wound up writing comparing this to Rabelais' Gargantua.  I think the Spanish majors went for Don Quixote.)


----------



## Sparkplug

Figment said:


> O'Toole's Confederacy of Dunces...


Yup that's it -- one of my favorite books. Your turn...


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Hope the next one is one that an old Yankee can get correct, Heavens to Faulkner.  
Ed Patterson


----------



## Sparkplug

Figment said:


> O'Toole's Confederacy of Dunces...(The advantage of going to college in the South is that you read all these really obscure authors who wind up published by various University Presses).


Is _A Confederacy of Dunces_ considered obscure? It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

No, considering I offered up _Jude the Obscure_  But Pulitzer prize books are prominent in that no one reads them.   

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Figment

A Scottish author of a number of books, this one was written while the author was bedridden with tuberculosis.


----------



## Leslie

Figment said:


> A Scottish author of a number of books, this one was written while the author was bedridden with tuberculosis.


Oh, let's have a wild guess: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.

L


----------



## Figment

Close...


----------



## Leslie

Figment said:


> Close...


Right author? Wrong book?


----------



## Figment

Right author, wrong book.


----------



## Leslie

A Child's Garden of Verses? (I am thinking of The Land of Counterpane).

L


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Kidnapped


----------



## Figment

Leslie got it.  Most of the novels post date his illness.

Good job.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I knew that one. It's a shame I'm sick in bed.  

Oh well, timing is everything.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Figment

The Land of Counterpane
by Robert Louis Stevenson

When I was sick and lay a-bed, 
I had two pillows at my head, 
And all my toys beside me lay, 
To keep me happy all the day. 

And sometimes for an hour or so 
I watched my leaden soldiers go, 
With different uniforms and drills, 
Among the bed-clothes, through the hills; 

And sometimes sent my ships in fleets 
All up and down among the sheets; 
Or brought my trees and houses out, 
And planted cities all about. 

I was the giant great and still 
That sits upon the pillow-hill, 
And sees before him, dale and plain, 
The pleasant land of counterpane.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Thank you Figment. I appreciate it.

Ed P


----------



## Leslie

I am sometimes amazed at the remarkable recesses of my mind, and coming up with that, was truly a recess.

Okay, let me think.....I'll have a trivia challenge in a minute...

L


----------



## Leslie

While I am thinking, let me share my favorite poem in A Child's Garden of Verses:


In winter I get up at night
And dress by yellow candle-light.
In summer quite the other way,
I have to go to bed by day.

I have to go to bed and see
The birds still hopping on the tree,
Or hear the grown-up people's feet
Still going past me in the street.

And does it not seem hard to you,
When all the sky is clear and blue,
And I should like so much to play,
To have to go to bed by day?


----------



## Leslie

Name this heroine who is the central character in a series of 27 mystery novels published by Grosset & Dunlap between 1943 and 1968.

L


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Nancy Drew? Perhaps? A huess, 'cause I've never read one.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Sparkplug

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Nancy Drew? Perhaps? A huess, 'cause I've never read one.


Nancy Drew was first published during the Great Depression, so i don't think it's the answer. My guess is Cherry Ames.


----------



## Leslie

Sparkplug said:


> Nancy Drew was first published during the Great Depression, so i don't think it's the answer. My guess is Cherry Ames.


Bingo!










Your turn...


----------



## Sparkplug

This historical novel where a young girl from a well-to-do family moves to an Appalachian village to teach the impoverished children was inspired by the author's mother.


----------



## marianneg

_Christie_ by Catherine Marshall?


----------



## Sparkplug

marianner said:


> _Christie_ by Catherine Marshall?


Yup! Your turn...


----------



## NogDog

OK, enough of these girl-books I've never read.

Just kidding, you ladies are entitled to your books every bit as much as I'm entitled to my testosterone books. Just don't expect me to have any guesses on most of these, even if my current forum status is "Jane Austen."


----------



## marianneg

The last line of this classic quotes the inscription on the main character's grave marker.


----------



## marianneg

The author of the book changed his last name slightly to dissociate himself from his relatives, particularly one who was a judge at the Salem witch trials.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Ah, my relative, Nathaniel Hawthorne - (My grandmother was Hilda Herrick of Salem Ma, descendant from Robert Herrick - you know the "gather ye rosebuds" guy), and they were related through the Marblehead crew to Nathaniel and the brutal judge in your clue. The novel in question is The Scarlet Letter.



Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Ann in Arlington

So _that's_ why all the darn rosebuds in the Jade Owl. 

(And, I thought that might be the answer but have no trivia to try you all with so I just shut up and let one of you with more random facts at hand take it. . . . .)


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Ann - So you got the homage I pay to Great-great-great grand undle Herrick.    

I guess it's my turn, so here goes:

A young man feigns his own death in order to test the virtues of his intended bride.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## marianneg

Ann in Arlington said:


> (And, I thought that might be the answer but have no trivia to try you all with so I just shut up and let one of you with more random facts at hand take it. . . . .)


Pssst....I just look stuff up on Wikipedia.


----------



## NogDog

Edward C. Patterson said:


> ...
> 
> A young man feigns his own death in order to test the virtues of his intended bride.
> 
> Edward C. Patterson


Sort of sounds like Dickens' _Our Mutual Friend_.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

It is Dickens - and one of his best, and certainly his last complete great work - _Our Mutual Friend_. There has always been a question as to who the Mutual Friend was - of course, most likely the body found floating in the Thames or Mr. Harmon. But most Dickens scholars agree, that _Our Mutual Friend _ is MONEY, to which the mobile reference kindle version makes cler on their cover.



You turn NogDog

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Oh, drat...I thought I was wrong. Now I have to think of a question.

I'll be back in a few minutes.


----------



## NogDog

This historical novel of revolutionary France was _not_ written by someone named Dumas. It's first sentence also appears on the author's tombstone.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Well that tosses my mentor Dickens out of the running.  

Ed P


----------



## NogDog

You've probably heard the one-word title of this book hundreds or thousands of times in your life in an oft-played song by a British rock group, and if you have, then you've heard it an even number of times.


PS: Edited to add "one-word".


----------



## NogDog

The copy I have (the 14th impression) was printed in 1923, the same year the first of two film adaptations was released, though the later (non-silent) version is probably more famous. Rather interestingly, this printing is:

ILLUSTRATED WITH SCENES
FROM THE PHOTOPLAY
A REX INGRAM-METRO
PRODUCTION WITH ALICE TERRY,
RAMON NOVARRO AND LEWIS STONE​


----------



## NogDog

The author's mother was English and his father Italian, and both were opera singers. He grew up living in a number of countries and became fluent in several languages, but chose to write in English because, as he said, "All the best stories are written in English."


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Scaramouche by Sabatini (Your Navarro hint gave it away), although I had to search out the author. 

Ed Patterson


----------



## NogDog

"Scaramouche! Scaramouche! Will you do the Fandango?" 

PS: The opening sentence and eventual epitaph: "He was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad."


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Okay my turn:

In the film version of this classic, William Shatner plays the youngest of four sons.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Sparkplug

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Okay my turn:
> 
> In the film version of this classic, William Shatner plays the youngest of four sons.


The Brothers Karamazov?


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Very good. I tried to be as arcane as I could, but I guess only wabbit can be weally wery twicky.   BTW, this was Shatner at his youngest, playing Alyosha (Alexei) and, back then, he could act.   Beam me up Scotty.

Your turn.


----------



## Sparkplug

The only Indian novel on _Time's_ list of the 100 best English-language nocels since 1923.


----------



## Sparkplug

The protaganist was born at the exact moment that India becomes independent from Great Britan and has telepathy.


----------



## Figment

Midnight's Child by Rushdie


----------



## Sparkplug

Figment said:


> Midnight's Child by Rushdie


That's right!


----------



## Figment

The teddy bear was named Tim.


----------



## Figment

The Target commercials are an homage to one of the principle characters.


----------



## NogDog

Figment said:


> The Target commercials are an homage to one of the principle characters.


Wow...that means absolutely zero to me since the only thing I can think of from any barely noticed Target commercial is their logo.

Wait...could it be William Tell?


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

The Rossini Overture of the play by Schiller?    

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Figment

Not even close...   

Time for another clue  

Hmmm...It's a little known fact that from the first publication, way back in the 1930's, there was talk of possible plagerism by the author.


----------



## NogDog

Got a youtube link to the commercial in question.


----------



## Figment

That would absolutely give you the answer, and I truly have a couple more GREAT clues...

1.  The movies of the same name (released in 1977 and 2005) have absolutely nothing to do with their literary predecessor.

2.  In an early attempt at multiculturalism, there were Adventist and Catholic versions issued in the 1960.  In the latter of these, the main characters were renamed Judy, Jean and John.


----------



## Figment

NogDog said:


> Got a youtube link to the commercial in question.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLlYzjKLoCU


----------



## NogDog

Must be _Fun With Dick and Jane_ by Wm. S. Gray?

PS: I posted this while you were posting the link, so now I'll go view it and see if I'm right....


----------



## Figment

Absolutely.  Your turn...


----------



## NogDog

This novel was the first work of fiction ever released by its original publisher, and became its most successful publication to date.


----------



## NogDog

This book was the start of a very successful writing career, spurred in part by a recommendation from Ronald Reagan.


----------



## Leslie

The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy

(I have an original first edition, signed by TC, published by the Naval Institute Press)


----------



## Ann in Arlington

It was published by NIP because none of the traditional publishers would touch it. . . .too afraid it was too realistic and it'd be squelched for letting out secrets.


----------



## NogDog

Aye aye, cap'n.


----------



## Leslie

Okay, thinking....give me a second....

L


----------



## Leslie

I am in Chicago right now, so I selected a book that prominently features Chicago as a location (although it is not exclusively in this city)....

Historical fiction, it tells the story of a torrid and tragic love affair that took place in the early 20th century (1904-1914).

L


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I'm guessing - An American tragedy by Theodore Dreisser.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Leslie

Sorry, no. 

The story, while fictionalized, is based on true people and true incidents. The lovers met when they were both still married to other people. She has the same last name as our most recent former vice president.

L


----------



## Sparkplug

Leslie said:


> Sorry, no.
> 
> The story, while fictionalized, is based on true people and true incidents. The lovers met when they were both still married to other people. She has the same last name as our most recent former vice president.


Loving Frank?


----------



## Leslie

Sparkplug said:


> Loving Frank?


That's it! Your turn...


----------



## Sparkplug

In this Edwardian novel, the heroine has her Baedecker taken away from her, and then finds herself lost in Florence, Italy.


----------



## Figment

E. M. Forster's Room With a View?


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

See, if you nod off, you miss out.    That's one of my favorite novels. (I'm a big Bloomsbury fan).

Ed P


----------



## Sparkplug

Figment said:


> E. M. Forster's Room With a View?


Yup!


----------



## Figment

This novel was released on Valentine's day 1970.


----------



## Leslie

*Love Story* by Erich Segal

L


----------



## Figment

Oh Darn!  And my next clue was going to be:  "If possible the sequel released in 1977 was even more insipid!"

Your turn...


----------



## Leslie

This instant hit and bestseller was published in 1966 and has sold more than 30 million copies, and is one of the best selling novels of all time.

L


----------



## Sparkplug

Leslie said:


> This instant hit and bestseller was published in 1966 and has sold more than 30 million copies, and is one of the best selling novels of all time.


The Valley of the Dolls?


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Figment

I was going to echo Ed.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I hope I got it. My dinners getting cold. I monitoed it on my Blackberry (nodding off too much).  

Ed P


----------



## Leslie

Sparkplug got it...*Valley of the Dolls*, by Jacqueline Susann.

(NB: I played *In Cold Blood* several rounds ago....I am not at the point of needing to repeat books...yet! LOL)

Sparkplug, your turn!

L


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

And alas, I have never had a compelling reason to read The Valley of the Dolls, but hey - I can't get passed/past Chapter One of Twilight either.  

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Sparkplug

I've never read "Valley of the Dolls", but there are few books that can claim 30 million copies.

This novel was originally published in 1934 and used flashbacks to tell the story. In 1951, it was published again after the author had died and had been revised so that the story unfolds chronologically.


----------



## LauraB

sparkplug, this book sounds really interesting, but how aout a clue, because I dion't have one


----------



## NogDog

Red said:


> sparkplug, this book sounds really interesting, but how aout a clue, because I dion't have one


Here's a clue.


----------



## Sparkplug

NogDog got it.


----------



## LauraB

NogDog said:


> Here's a clue.


Thanks, sampled and bought it, it would be really interesting (to me) to read both versions. Guess I'm odd.


----------



## NogDog

This is not a novel, though for me it almost read like one and was emotionally powerful. It contains many of the ingredients of a good crime novel: kidnapping, murder, courtroom drama, and a disgraced cop. None of that, however, is immediately evident from the title.


----------



## Leslie

NogDog said:


> This is not a novel, though for me it almost read like one and was emotionally powerful. It contains many of the ingredients of a good crime novel: kidnapping, murder, courtroom drama, and a disgraced cop. None of that, however, is immediately evident from the title.


So if it's not a novel, I presume you mean it's non-fiction, true crime?

L


----------



## NogDog

Leslie said:


> So if it's not a novel, I presume you mean it's non-fiction, true crime?
> 
> L


Affirmative.

The actual crime was committed in the 1960's.


----------



## NogDog

If it were not for a missing rear license plate light, this book probably would not exist.


----------



## davem2bits

The Onion Field    Joseph Wambaugh


----------



## NogDog

davem2bits said:


> The Onion Field Joseph Wambaugh




Your turn...


----------



## davem2bits

This novel tells the story of the Berry family, a New England family in the hospitality business.


----------



## davem2bits

And the bear, State O' Maine


----------



## davem2bits

The author was originally born John Wallace Blunt Jr in 1942, but was renamed after his mother's divorce and remarriage.


----------



## Leslie

davem2bits said:


> The author was originally born John Wallace Blunt Jr in 1942, but was renamed after his mother's divorce and remarriage.


That I know is John Irving, but I am not sure which book of his you are referencing.

L


----------



## Leslie

Oh, wait...duh....

*The Hotel New Hampshire* by John Irving

L


----------



## davem2bits

That's the one.  I didn't mean to break the book available on Kindle rule.  I thought it was.

Your turn  L


----------



## Leslie

This book was published in 1939 so this year is the 70th anniversary of the events described in the book, which occurred when the author was 12, right here in the great state of Maine. While not "required" in the Maine public school curriculum, pretty much every fourth grader in Maine has read it, since it is standard in the classroom for the past 70 years.

L


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I cheated and found it by luck. So I won't say, especially since I have never heard of it, not being from Maine.  

Ed Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Edward C. Patterson said:


> I cheated and found it by luck. So I won't say, especially since I have never heard of it, not being from Maine.
> 
> Ed Patterson


Are there still [normal] people in Maine? I thought it had been taken over by moose and assorted supernatural beings.


----------



## Leslie

NogDog said:


> Are there still [normal] people in Maine? I thought it had been taken over by moose and assorted supernatural beings.


Um, personal attacks aren't allowed at KindleBoards...    

Okay, back to the book. The author is still alive and spends his summers and falls in Maine, and uses the time to visit schools and talk about his experience. My son saw him in 4th grade. My brother-in-law, who read the book (in 4th grade, in Massachusetts) was so excited, he almost snorted his Moxie out of his nose.

The author has a fairly common first name, but it has an unusual spelling.

L


----------



## Leslie

When the author was rescued, after his nine day ordeal, the story made it to the front page of the New York Times: July 26, 1939.

L


----------



## NogDog

Leslie said:


> Um, personal attacks aren't allowed at KindleBoards...


I'm just jealous. I'm in the most densely populated state in the union (NJ), which means we're all a bunch of lunatics now. 

(Surprisingly enough, we've actually gotten an influx of coyotes during this decade. My parents even saw one in their back yard earlier this year.)

Anyway, I feel like I know what book you're talking about, but can't think of a title or author yet; and I'm trying not to cheat by Googling until I at least have a guess at one of them.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

When I went to Salem to visit my Aunt (the author), and took my 85 year old Dad home to visit his birth place, they talked about Moxie. They presented me with a bottle (2 bottles) and one we cracked open. It tasted like Dr. Pepper. The other bottle I have on my China shel, beside such oddities as a hand carved Jade Owl.   Talk about moxie.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Leslie

Okay, another hint...the experience, episode, event, whatever you want to call it, that the 12 year old boy went through occurred on Mt. Katahdin, the highest mountain in Maine. 

Reading the New York Times article from July 26, 1939, I learned the boy was from Rye, NY. Who knew? That was new info for me.

L


----------



## NogDog

Guess I was thinking of something else. Looks like someone from Maine needs to flesh out the Wikipedia entry for it, though.


----------



## Leslie

Are people giving up on this one? I really didn't think it was that hard!

*Lost on a Mountain in Maine* by Donn Fendler

http://www.donnfendler.com/

The website has all the New York Times articles and other info. It's interesting to look at.

~~~

Okay, let's try another visual trivia question. Haven't had one of those for awhile.

This is the main character in a greatly beloved children's book and it is one of my all time favorites -- although I will admit, I never thought of getting her tattooed on my back!










Title of book and author, please.

L


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

BTW, I found the Maine answer easily on Google (but of course, that doesn't count). As for the tattoo hint, I'm stumped already. I think I started reading with Kirkegaard and skipped most of the childrens lit, then backtracked into that world through Kipling, Stevenson and Twain. Since Potter, I've been reading more and more kiddie lit, but now as a sextogenarian. I just opened The Dark is Rising.


Ed Patterson


----------



## Leslie

The author wrote and illustrated the book, although it is not a picture book. There are just a few drawings throughout. It was published in 1964.


----------



## Figment

It looks like Harriet the Spy...author Louise Fitzhugh.  (And I'm getting that impression from her hoodie).


----------



## Leslie

Figment said:


> It looks like Harriet the Spy...author Louise Fitzhugh. (And I'm getting that impression from her hoodie).


Yes, it is. Your turn!

L


----------



## Figment

If you are a dreamer, come in,
If you are a dreamer,
A wisher, a liar,
A hope-er, a pray-er,
A magic bean buyer . . .


----------



## Aravis60

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein


----------



## Figment

You are correct...lamentably not yet available for the Kindle.


----------



## Leslie

Your turn, Aravis...

L


----------



## Aravis60

This 1993 book was inspired by a visit to the author’s ailing father who was losing his memory. In the book, the community has eliminated the memory of their society’s collective history from the minds of the ordinary citizens in order to live in peace and harmony.


----------



## NogDog

Leslie said:


> Are people giving up on this one? I really didn't think it was that hard!
> 
> *Lost on a Mountain in Maine* by Donn Fendler
> ...


Yeah, I figured it out from Googling, but since I'd never heard of it or the author before now, I disqualified myself from guessing.


----------



## Aravis60

The futuristic society presented in this novel has very little technology.


----------



## Aravis60

Some say that this YA book echoes _Brave New World_.


----------



## NogDog

Hmmm....could it be:


----------



## Aravis60

NogDog said:


> Hmmm....could it be:


Yep, NogDog!  Your turn!


----------



## NogDog

OK, here's another novel that won an award for being an outstanding book for children (though I promise you any adult -- or at least this supposed adult -- can enjoy it). It is obviously based upon a legend popularized by both the Brothers Grimm and Robert Browning.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

The Eye of the Dragon by Stephen King (my hero and from Maine) ?

"Daddy why can;t I read any of your books," his daughte of Daddy King.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Edward C. Patterson said:


> The Eye of the Dragon by Stephen King (my hero and from Maine) ?
> ...


Negative.

Next clue: This was the author's first book to win a major literary award. However, I'm pretty sure that the oft-referenced book within this book would win no such awards.


----------



## NogDog

Time to give you lots of Google ammo:

The award: the Carnegie Medal
The fairy tale: "The Pied Piper"


----------



## Figment

Found it on Google in one...haven't progressed that far with my reading, so hadn't yet run across it.

I'm not guessing, because it would be cheating.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

I'd figured it was a Pied Piper tribute/takeoff/spoof from the Brothers Grimm + Robert Browning Hint. . . .but got no farther than that.  Like Figment, Google worked well for me. . . .


----------



## NogDog

OK then, I'll throw out a couple clues that should cement it for anyone who's actually read it (if anyone besides me has?):

The book within the book: _Mr Bunnsy Has an Adventure_
The only main character not mentioned in the novel's title: Keith (the "Pied Piper" in this story)


----------



## NogDog

Figment said:


> Found it on Google in one...haven't progressed that far with my reading, so hadn't yet run across it.
> 
> I'm not guessing, because it would be cheating.





Ann in Arlington said:


> I'd figured it was a Pied Piper tribute/takeoff/spoof from the Brothers Grimm + Robert Browning Hint. . . .but got no farther than that. Like Figment, Google worked well for me. . . .


Well, if no one else guesses before the evening is out and either of you has a book you'd like to quiz us on, I won't complain if you give the answer. Maybe the book is too much of a trivia question itself, let alone trying to ask trivia questions about _it_.


----------



## Scheherazade

This'll teach me not to look in here more often.  "The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents" - Terry Pratchett of course.


----------



## NogDog

Scheherazade said:


> This'll teach me not to look in here more often. "The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents" - Terry Pratchett of course.


But of course. (I knew you'd know it.  ) What I love best about T.P.'s "young adult" books is that he's not afraid to make them think (see sig).



Your turn...


----------



## Scheherazade

Okay it's been a while since I read this one and I need to again so don't make me dig for too many details!

A journalist digs deep and interviews experts for supporting evidence of something that is a myth to some and a certainty to others, yet both cannot deny having questions... it is just how they choose to ask them and how they accept or deny the answers.


----------



## Figment

Perhaps Anne Rice's Interview with The Vampire?  (And I base this guess solely on the movie, as I have never read the books).


----------



## Scheherazade

Sorry, nope


----------



## Scheherazade

Okay, guess we need some more hints. The journalist is actually the author, so it's not a story _about_ a journalist like Interview With a Vampire (though that was a good guess!). It's not Fiction though it does read like a novel and I suppose you could say the whole thing was spurred on by the best selling book of all time.


----------



## marianneg

Scheherazade said:


> Okay, guess we need some more hints. The journalist is actually the author, so it's not a story _about_ a journalist like Interview With a Vampire (though that was a good guess!). It's not Fiction though it does read like a novel and I suppose you could say the whole thing was spurred on by the best selling book of all time.


Hmmm, I have a pretty good guess at the subject matter now , but I can't think of anything that quite fits your description. Another hint?


----------



## Scheherazade

Hmm... okay.  The journalist author comes from a background of atheism and presents his case very systematically by first examining the historical record with everything from eyewitnesses accounts to more modern scientific evidence.  He presents a well balanced case by also looking into dissenting views and interviews scholars from various ivy league schools with hard-hitting to the point questions.  He recreates those interviews in his book and presents us with them so that we can make our own judgments along with him as he makes his journey toward the verdict at the end of the book.


----------



## Figment

Lee Strobel's The Case for Christ?


----------



## Scheherazade

Yep, that's it! I figured the atheist bit might give it away


----------



## Figment

An epistolary trilogy, it inspired a CD ROM game, a stage play, and a second trilogy 10 years later.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Would that be Bantock's Griffen Correspondance?

Ed P


----------



## Figment

It would, indeed.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

This ribald classic has a sister inadvertantly marrying her brother (oh my).

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## NogDog

The first thing that comes to mind for me is Daniel Dafoe's _Moll Flanders_.

PS: Here's a link to a free version:


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Well that's the first thing that came to my mind - and you would be correct! Your turn.

Ed P


----------



## NogDog

The story of this novel essentially begins when the title character's mother decides she wants a child without the needless encumbrance of a husband.


----------



## Susan in VA

The World According to Garp, by John Irving


----------



## NogDog

Susan in VA said:


> The World According to Garp, by John Irving


Made it too easy, eh?

I also forgot to see if it was Kindle-ized.  Here's one of the DTB versions:


----------



## Susan in VA

NogDog said:


> Made it too easy, eh?


If_ I_ got it, it was definitely too easy!


----------



## Susan in VA

In this story, the sound of a musical instrument can have a life-or-death impact.


----------



## Susan in VA

There are seven books in the series, though there are decades between publication of the first and last.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Susan:

This is a stab, but are we talking about The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King (7 volumes over  decades with a Horn that can sound both life and destruction)?

Ed Patterson


----------



## Susan in VA

Nope.


----------



## Susan in VA

The first three books were originally all there was to the series.


----------



## Susan in VA

According to the author, these first three were inspired by Edward Gibbon's The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.


----------



## Susan in VA

Of the four written later, the first two were sequels to the original three, the last two were prequels.


----------



## NogDog

It sounds like Asimov's "Foundation" series in every respect except for the musical instrument part. But since it's been so long since I read them, maybe I forgot that aspect of it?


----------



## Susan in VA

You're right, and I had a few more fun obscure clues like that lined up!  

The musical instrument was what the Mule used to take power and maintain control, but the details aren't disclosed until pretty late.  (The darn thing had a name too, but I'm too lazy to go check what it was.)

Your turn!


----------



## NogDog

This classic sci-fi novel's title is also the title of a classic prog-rock song. I was disappointed that the movie did not find somewhere to use that song (or at least some of it; it's a long song).


----------



## NogDog

This novel was apparently written in part to state/clarify the author's political beliefs in conjunction with his activism in support of continued nuclear testing. Its writing interrupted the writing of another of his novels, which later became probably his most popular novel.


----------



## NogDog

A major prop in the book that was missing from the movie was "powered armor".


----------



## davem2bits

Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

When I saw that film, Starship Troopers, the entire threater was in an uproar with joke after joke after joke. And when Dougie Howser showed . . . 

Ed Patterson


----------



## NogDog

davem2bits said:


> Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein


Yes, sir.


----------



## davem2bits

This novel tells the story of a group of men, formerly in law enforcement, that decide to relocate their current endeavor more than 1000 miles to the north.


Title and author


----------



## davem2bits

The author won the Pulitzer Prize for this novel.  He followed up with several sequels and prequels.


----------



## davem2bits

The relocation included several thousand cattle and two pigs moving from Texas to Montana.


----------



## geoffthomas

I want to guess Lonesome Dove by .....McMurphy(?) - went to amazon and looked him up, Larry McMurtry


----------



## davem2bits

You are correct.



Your turn.


----------



## geoffthomas

Published in 2000, it tells of an old brotherhood and the modern quest against a deadline for destruction.


----------



## geoffthomas

the location of the novel is in europe.


----------



## NogDog

_Angels and Demons_ by Dan Brown?


----------



## geoffthomas

I think that was pretty good.
With just a little info.



Yes indeed. Your turn.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Hey that was good, 'cause it could have been a host of things.

Ed P


----------



## NogDog

geoffthomas said:


> I think that was pretty good.
> With just a little info.


And all I used Google for was to check its publication date. 

OK, now I'm off to see if I can think of a novel that is widely known, available for Kindle, hasn't been used yet in this thread, and which I have both read and enjoyed.

This may take awhile....


----------



## NogDog

Published in 1991, it tells of an old antagonism and the modern quest against a deadline for destruction.


----------



## NogDog

The location of the novel is mainly in the Middle East and the United States.


----------



## NogDog

One of the important locations in the US is Denver CO, and there are also important events which take place in East Germany.


----------



## NogDog

And now for the give-it-away clue: Ben Affleck plays the main character in the movie version, and in my opinion is the least appropriate casting of any of the three men who have played this character in a film.


----------



## geoffthomas

Not Sum of all Fears by Tom Clancy


----------



## NogDog

geoffthomas said:


> Not Sum of all Fears by Tom Clancy


You got it. (Alec Baldwin was by far my favorite Jack Ryan. Too bad he only did it in the first movie.  )



(Sorry it's my second Tom Clancy novel, I'm really not that big of a fan; but it fit so will with the first clue for _Angels and Demons_.  )


----------



## geoffthomas

Pittsburg gets spindizzies and looks for work.


----------



## geoffthomas

Ok the book we are looking for was published in 1962.
The first city to look for work was Scranton, PA.


----------



## NogDog

Is that _Cities in Flight_ by James Blish?

I'd almost forgotten that book. (I'll bet it's been at least 30 years since I read it!) If it's on Kindle and reasonably priced, I might have to download it for a "flash from the past."


----------



## geoffthomas

You got it right.
Not in Kindle format yet.



your turn.


----------



## NogDog

This novel contains what must surely be the longest dedication I've ever seen in a book, in this case to George Lyttleton, Esq.


----------



## Scheherazade

I cheated and googled it ><  That's a crazy long dedication.


----------



## NogDog

Perhaps in scale to the book itself, the dedication is not too terribly long, as this book would probably be a candidate for the thread here looking for good "long reads". Even the title is fairly long, though it's most often referred to by just two words from that title.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I googled too, but never found the book, only his student novelist. Oh, well - I guess I'll wait for wither the answer or better googling lessons.  

Edward C. Patterson

BTW: Here's a piece of trivia (not literary, but historical). What is the etymological derivation of the word TRIVIA It's a fun one - almost as keen as the word SALT.


----------



## NogDog

The author's name could also be considered as a description of one of Atlanta's sports teams' all-time greatest athletes when playing defense.


----------



## NogDog

Final clue:

At no point in the novel does any woman throw her bra or panties at the title character, although that may only be because woman did not wear those particular items back then.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

"It's not unusual to be loved. . . . ."


----------



## NogDog

Ann in Arlington said:


> "It's not unusual to be loved. . . . ."


Are you contributing another clue, or shall I consider you the winner?


----------



## Ann in Arlington

I don't do questions. . . . . .   You may consider it a clue.  

Anyway, I googled the answer and have never read the book, so I'm not eligible.


----------



## geoffthomas

From the  clues I am going to guess Tom Jones?


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

If that's so, my google skills suck, because my searched led me to Mr. Huxley, but I know that's wrong because of othr clues.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Ann in Arlington

I Googled "george lyttleton dedication".  It wasn't the first hit, but was on the first page.


----------



## geoffthomas

Yeah I just did the google thing and found the third entry to be tom jones by fielding.
Of course my guess was based upon the throwing of personal garments (room keys also I thought I remembered) for the singer and that in the time of the character these garments would not be worn.

?


----------



## NogDog

Yep. _The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling_ by Henry Fielding.


----------



## Susan in VA

Only minimally off-topic, I can confirm that women do indeed throw all sorts of unmentionables (plus keys) onto the stage. It's not a myth. 

(I took my mom to one of his concerts for Mother's Day, years ago. Another year we went to see Rod Stewart, and then compared their relative hip swivels stage presence.)


----------



## geoffthomas

Ok, NogDog, you need to declare a winner (if there is one).
Scheherazade made the first entry from googling.
Ed apparently googled.
Ann found hers.
And I stumbled onto the obvious clues finally between you and Ann.
And I keep on offering too arcane picks.
so how about someone else picking up the thread?

Just beggin......


----------



## NogDog

OK, I'll declare Scheherazade the winner since she was the first, I like her user name, and she likes Terry Pratchett.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Susan:

When my sainted mother was 79 years old, we took her to her first Rod Stewart concert. She loved him, and only in the last decade of her life, so much so, in


Spoiler



The Jade Owl,


 when the character Minister Ch'en is asked whether he still listened to Beethoven, he says: "Beethoven? No, Rod Stewart - Maggie May. Forever Young." My mother was always Forever Young, and she loved that touch in the novel.

Edward C. Patterson

No one picked up the trivia about the word Trivia. So I'll reveal it. (I'm just surprised that my head is filled with such


Spoiler



shit


).

When the Romans wanted to assure that an edict would not be missed (that is, ironically, that the proclamation is not trivial  ), the edict would be nailed to a post at the confluence of THREE ROADS, where the traffic was highest. THREE ROADS in Latin is . . . Tri Via. Yuk yuk yuk.


----------



## Carol Hanrahan

Good heavens! The things I learn on this board! 
Ed, you are a fountain of trivia knowledge!


----------



## Scheherazade

Doh!  I won by googling? ><  Okay um... gimme a second to think.


----------



## Scheherazade

Okay... powerful wizard needs to save the world but needs the help of an other-worldly wizard to do it.  After casting and casting for one without success, he finally manages to pull one from 1970s-ish California with his very last effort in a spell that takes years to prepare.  He didn't quite get what he was looking for.


----------



## Susan in VA

Edward C. Patterson said:


> My mother was always Forever Young, and she loved that touch in the novel.


Finding out the origins of authors' personal touches in novels is one of the really neat things about Kindleboards. I'm glad your mom got to see her son be a successful author.



Edward C. Patterson said:


> THREE ROADS in Latin is


Really?? Wonder at what point the meaning got reversed....


----------



## Scheherazade

I thought that'd give it away...  Hm, okay.  It's a series of books featuring a world of talking animals (along with humans) which is on the verge of being destroyed by an evil group of giant, intelligent insects who have gotten hold of a strange and secret weapon from our world that will finally give them the edge they need.  When the wizard I mentioned above was casting for an other worldly wizard he was looking for what we call an engineer and grabbed the one that he got off the campus of UCLA... but there are quite a few different types of engineers and this type wasn't really what he wanted.  The wizard's target was more easily pulled to his world due to the engineer's predilection to the mind enhancing recreations that were so popular in the 70s.


----------



## NogDog

Gordon R. Dickson's _The Dragon and the George_?


----------



## Scheherazade

Nope.  Let's see... the "engineer" he got was a student at UCLA like I said but he was in prelaw.  His big thesis he was working on at the time of his departure that he was so proud of was called "Manifestations and prefiguring of democratic government in the Americas, as exemplified by the noble-sun king relationships of the Inca, 1248-1350".  The reason the turtle wizard's spell mistook him for an engineer was due to his job.  He was a sanitation engineer.  He did prove useful, however, when he found that a hobby of his proved to be magical in this new world with the right accompaniment.


----------



## Scheherazade

One more just for kicks.  The author is probably best know for Sci-Fi but has proven he has a fair hand at Fantasy as well with this series of eight books, the first of which was first published in 1983 and the last in 1994.  They are not on the Kindle yet, unfortunately.


----------



## NogDog

_A California Hippie in King Arthur's Court_? 

Seriously, I figured it out via Google, but I've never read any of them (though I had certainly _heard_ of them). I think I've only read a couple books by the author, and I can't say he ever really grabbed me as a fan for whatever reason.


----------



## Scheherazade

That's actually not it, but it sounds like it very well could fit!  I put some small, easily read over details in my last two... here's some more Google fodder.  The race of insects is called The Plated Folk and they despise The Warmlanders and have fought pitched battles for years at the gates of Polastrindu, but now they have a secret weapon to turn the tide of the endless losses.  When our high custodial hero first enters their world he is stabbed by an otter, whisked away to meet a turtle wizard and his bat famulus who see no use in him and plan to send him home.  He goes to see the sites with the otter and falls for a raven haired human on the run for a murder she very nearly committed and also nearly trips over the item as they flee that leads him to be this first book of the series' namesake.

The wizard tries for another engineer and ends up with a cheerleader from UCLA who our hero has had a crush on for years and the whole lot of them go on an adventure to reach the gates and warn the free world of the impending doom.  Along the way they run into a gentleman's gentleman gambling rabbit, call down a fiery stallion from the heavens, and ride upriver on the back of a Marxist water dragon who is all too happy to have them for lunch if he figures out they don't really share his ideals.  If this isn't enough to at least Google it up I give up


----------



## Tip10

The Hour of the Gate, by Alan Dean Foster 

Had to definitely resort to Google for this one.


----------



## Scheherazade

Heheh, that's not quite it but that _is_ the second book in the series so I'll give it to you


----------



## Tip10

Okay -- now for a easy one.....

In this recent fantasy offering a storyteller/wizard leads his young *orphaned* son on a journey to try and save the world from the nasty king.


----------



## Tip10

The young son's "partner" is reportedly the very last of its kind in existence.


----------



## Tip10

The young son's "partner" is sapphire blue.

The beginnings of the story were offered up when the author was a mere 15 year old,


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Eragon by Chris Paolini. I was just discussing this one in the Author support thread.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Whoops. Here's the linkydoo:

Eragon

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Tip10

Bingo


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

This book is based on an earlier fantasy book and the protagonist's first name is created from the full name of the original author's?

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## NogDog

NogDog said:


> _A California Hippie in King Arthur's Court_?
> ...





Scheherazade said:


> That's actually not it, but it sounds like it very well could fit! I put some small, easily read over details in my last two...


That was a joke, not an actual guess.  (Based on Twain's _A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court_, upon which my other (serious) suggestion of _The Dragon and the George_ was loosely based).


----------



## Scheherazade

Heh, here I thought I had a satire of the original to look for


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

No takers yet. I thought it was so easy.

Ed P


----------



## NogDog

Edward C. Patterson said:


> No takers yet. I thought it was so easy.
> 
> Ed P


Well since I don't happen to know it off the top of my head, nor do I know either the first book's title nor it's author's name, it's pretty difficult for me to try my anagram skills (assuming I've read the 2nd book and would recognize the character's first name when I saw it).


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Then I give anuder leetle hint.   This author distinguishes between two orders of creatures by spelling their names with either a small letter or a capital depending on a certain capability.

Ed P


----------



## Sparkplug

Wicked?


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Absolutely. The difference between Animals and animals are that Animals talk (like their arnian inspiration). My next clue was going to involve the robotic murder of an old goat. Of course, The Wicked Witch of the West did NOT have a name, so Gregory Macguire gave her a name derived from L. Frank Baum's name (Elfaba). Where he got the Throop from is a mystery to me. I was never enthralled with this book (which is significantly different than the musical, especially as there are no explicit sex scenes in the musical and they twist the plot into logic, which the book does not). However, I DID enjoy both sequels, Son of a Witch and A Lion Among Men.

  
Th last book is on the Kindle, but I couldn't find the picture link.

Your turn Sparkplug

Ed Patterson


----------



## Ann in Arlington

My son, the theatre geek, thought _Wicked_ the musical was great. So he got the book. I was going to borrow it but he told me not to bother as it wasn't really very good. . . . .


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Ann,


Spoiler



from an author's point of view


, Maguire's book is a train wreck IMNSHO, and I almost put it aside. But then again, I can't get through Meyer's Twilight. However, Maguire returns to the craft in the second book, although I almost didn't pick it up. I read the 3rd book only because it was the


Spoiler



Booz Allen Hamilton May Selection of the Month (while my own No Irish Need Apply was June's), so there was a good chance I might meet him. However, he declined to attend a reading, because, in the words of my acolite: "We couldn't afford him." "I'm cheap," I replied, although I couldn't imagine what he asked for, because I did well and in Febraury a Pulitzer Prize winner accepted their honorarium.


 Anyway, I do not recommend anything in the seires highly, BUT it was good for a trivia question.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Sparkplug

In this novel, "Captain Trips" is not a name of a military officier, but a deadly illness.


----------



## Scheherazade

The Stand, Stephen King


----------



## Sparkplug

Scheherazade said:


> The Stand, Stephen King


Yup... your turn


----------



## Scheherazade

I promise an easier one this time... In this "abridgment" of an original novel that doesn't actually exist, the author saves us from having to read fifty-six pages detailing the packing and unpacking of a royal wardrobe for a trip.


----------



## Ty Johnston

The Princess Bride, William Goldman



My first time playing, so if I'm jumping in, please forgive me.


----------



## Scheherazade

That's right.  You're up.  And not jumping in at all, free for anyone to answer.  You gotta pose a question for us now though


----------



## Ty Johnston

Okay, here goes.  Hope it's not too difficult nor too easy. 

This book is a collection of fictional recorded tales by war survivors, one of whom initially had no special love of pets but grew to love and train dogs during the war.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

We need more hints.  

Ed Patterson


----------



## Scheherazade

I've heard of it and remember reading about it on this board but I can't find the title.


----------



## Ty Johnston

Okay, here's another hint:

The author is the son of a well-known figure in the movie industry.

Does that help?


----------



## Scheherazade

I still have no idea and this is probably wrong but I'll throw it out there... is it "Dogs at War: True Stories of Canine Courage Under Fire" by Blythe Hammer?


----------



## Ty Johnston

Nope, that's not it. Here's another hint (because I feared the "war" part may throw some folks off):

The book is speculative fiction about a war that has not happened in the real world.


----------



## gurkie

Hi, havent posted before... And not sure if I am on the right track but how about?

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks

http://www.amazon.com/World-War-Oral-History-Zombie/dp/0307346617/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1249920501&sr=8-1

I dont see any references to animals but the rest of the clues seem to fit... If Max is Mel's kid which I have no idea if he is... Also how am I supposed to get the book cover to show up rather than just adding a URL?


----------



## Scheherazade

Go to the top menu with the orange letters and you'll see the third option is Link-Maker.  Just plug the book into that and use the code it gives you for the image link and you're set!


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I hope that's the correct answer. Forward motion.  

Ed Patterson


----------



## Ty Johnston

Gurkie, you got the answer correct! 

Now it's your turn to post a question.


----------



## gurkie

Fun! I am assuming we dont have guide lines on what sorts of books can be included (other than that it should be available for the Kindle), forgive me if I create one that is too easy...

Recently a mover and shaker this book gained popularity due to an amazon review by a prolific kindle reviewer.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Would it be Crash?

Ed Patterson


----------



## gurkie

Not Crash.

Ill add a hint - there were threads created by the reviewer both here and on Amazon's kindle forums to let readers know of the book.


----------



## Leslie

Crack-up by Eric Christopherson


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

That's it, I bet. Crack-Up. I knew it began with a C and it had to be a RedAdept review. I think you beat me, Leslie. We'll see.

Ed P


----------



## gurkie

Leslie said:


> Crack-up by Eric Christopherson


Yes! Your turn!


----------



## gurkie

Edward C. Patterson said:


> That's it, I bet. Crack-Up. I knew it began with a C and it had to be a RedAdept review. I think you beat me, Leslie. We'll see.
> 
> Ed P


I was wondering if you were thinking of the right book; I searched Crash on Amazon and thought you might have had the right book in mind but had the name mistaken...


----------



## Leslie

Okay....

The correct answer to this challenge is the title of this author's *second* book, which is due to come out in December of this year. This author's first book was published in 2005 and resulted from from a blog which she wrote over the course of one year.

L


----------



## Andra

Cleaving:  A Story of Marriage, Meat, and Obsession 
by Julie Powell


----------



## Leslie

Andra said:


> Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat, and Obsession
> by Julie Powell


Bingo! Your turn.

L


----------



## Andra

I answered before I thought of a good question - give me a few minutes...


----------



## Andra

OK, here goes:
This character is the main character in a series of books by an author whose mother is a bestselling suspense author.


----------



## Andra

Clue #1
Each book mentions a Castro Convertible sofa.


----------



## Andra

Clue #2
The character's mother is a mystery writer.


----------



## Andra

Clue #3
The character's father is a mortician.


----------



## Andra

Clue #4
The character is a private investigator.


----------



## Andra

I didn't mean to bring the thread to a halt - sorry about that.
Let's see if I can come up with a better clue.
Clue #5 
The author and her mother have written several books together.  The last few collaborations have been Christmas stories.  They feature this character and Alvirah Meehan (a former cleaning lady who won the lottery.)


----------



## Kristan Hoffman

Regan Reilly?


----------



## Andra

Yes!
Carol Higgins Clark and her mother Mary Higgins Clark are two of my favorite authors.
Regan Reilly's adventures begin in _Decked_ and continue through this year's _Cursed_. Linkmaker is not finding all of them, but all 12 are available for Kindle as are some of the collaborations with Mary.
http://www.amazon.com/Decked-ebook/dp/B0011UGMFU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1250004537&sr=1-2
http://www.amazon.com/Cursed-A-Regan-Reilly-Mystery/dp/B001NLL8WO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1250004537&sr=1-1

You're next.


----------



## Kristan Hoffman

Sweet! I have to confess, I haven't read anything by Carol Higgins Clark, but I immediately knew which mother-daughter team you were talking about because I used to love Mary Higgins Clark. Then it was just a matter of looking up the main CHC protagonist.
Anyway, okay, tag I'm it...

Gimme a minute to root around this thread and see what's already been done!


----------



## Kristan Hoffman

Okay, this might be too easy (especially if someone Googles it, so don't!), but...

This book's first line is "124 was spiteful."

(PS: Maybe we should create a post at the beginning of the thread that lists all the questions & answers so far?)


----------



## geoffthomas

kristanhoffman said:


> Okay, this might be too easy (especially if someone Googles it, so don't!), but...
> 
> This book's first line is "124 was spiteful."
> 
> (PS: Maybe we should create a post at the beginning of the thread that lists all the questions & answers so far?)


The PS: was a good idea. I have gone back to the first post in this thread and added a list of books used. It is not complete yet, but I am adding to it until it is current. Enjoy.


----------



## Kristan Hoffman

AWESOME, thanks!

Okay, time for clue #2? The author of this book currently teaches at Princeton University.


----------



## davem2bits

Beloved by Toni Morrison

Beloved


----------



## Kristan Hoffman

davem2bits said:


> Beloved by Toni Morrison


Correct! You're it!


----------



## davem2bits

This novel tells the story of a girl and her family as she grows up in a large eastern US city in the early 20th century.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith.

One of my favorites. I hope that's the answer.

Edward C. Patterson (from Brooklyn)


----------



## davem2bits

You are correct.



Your turn.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I can't believe I names that tune in one note, but it one of my favorite books.

Thinking . . . 

The book begins in Kansas and is mostly a flashback to a seaside town.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I guess I should give anothe hint.

This book is part of a series and surprises the readers in the series by suddenly turning into a passionate romance story.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Okay. Here's the hint that will give it away. It had ruby slippers, an emerald city, a hideaos witch, a three legged cat and a monstrous snake, not to menthod a sex scene in an oil field.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Kristan Hoffman

The Wizard of Oz?! HAD SEX?!


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Actually the book Wicked by Macguire and based on The Wizard of Oz has explicit sex scenes and lots of cursing. BUT that's not it.

Another Hint: Come reap.
(Oh, now eveyone's gonna get it).

Ed Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Actually the book Wicked by Macguire and based on The Wizard of Oz has explicit sex scenes and lots of cursing. BUT that's not it.
> 
> Another Hint: Come reap.
> (Oh, now eveyone's gonna get it).
> 
> Ed Patterson


Well, a bit of Googling has pointed me to the novel, but since I've never gotten past the first chapter or two of anything I've tried reading by this author* (believe it or not!), I've never read this one.

*


Spoiler



_Monsieur Etienne Roi, n'est'ce pas?_


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I don't believe it.

Ed P


----------



## Leslie

NogDog said:


> Well, a bit of Googling has pointed me to the novel, but since I've never gotten past the first chapter or two of anything I've tried reading by this author* (believe it or not!), I've never read this one.
> 
> *
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> _Monsieur Etienne Roi, n'est'ce pas?_


You and me both and I think we've already had this discussion earlier in this thread! LOL

L


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Okay, now I'll give it ll away in this hint. After Lord of the Rings (which was tis author's inspiration for the series) this is my favorite book in this 7 book series, thankee sai. And I say that "if God  wants it, there shall be water."

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I'm a bit stunned that no one has gotten this one yet, so I'll give ONE more BIG BIG hint, and if not, I'll divulge the answer tomorrow, but will start pushing this series on Kindleboards as it is one of the very best series written in recent years, and as an author, I look to it for every imaginable writing solution.

Here's the HINT:

The story is told around a campfire to the Ka-tet during an almost never ending night, and the flashback take us to the storyteller's teenaged love affair when his father sent him and his two friends (ka-tet) in Mid-World to the safety of a seaside town that raises horses. 

I have read this entire series 3 times and listened to it twice on audio books. Wow.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Susan in VA

If you look to this series for writing solutions, I'd venture a guess that it's something by


Spoiler



Stephen King


. But since I'm not a fan of his books, I have no idea which it might be.


----------



## Scheherazade

Okay... that gave it away.  I haven't read the books in like 15 years, but I can't forget the lobstrosities.  It's The Dark Tower series by Stephen King.  I want to say the specific book is "Wizard and Glass"?


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Thank you Susan for knowing enough of my work to know that Uncle Stevie is one of my mentors (along with Austen, Dickens, Gilbert, melville and Hardy - and little bit of Woolf).

And Yes Scherazade. It is Wizard and Glass and I strongly urge anyone who hasn't read The dark Tower Series, because 'they don't like Stephen King." reconsider as this work is unlike his others, his true magnus opus.



Your Turn.


----------



## Scheherazade

Yes, The Dark Tower series is pretty amazing.  He surprised me with it since it totally doesn't go with his whole horror schtick.

But that being said... keeping in that same vein I'll even tell you that this one is another Stephen King book.  Though this novel was not set in Derry, it contains a very easily overlooked cameo by Pennywise.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I believe it's Salem's Lot (which preceeds IT). My first guess would be Insomnia, but that is set in Derry.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Scheherazade

Nope, at least that's not the one I'm thinking of.  I can't remember a Pennywise cameo in Salem's Lot, but not saying their might not be one.  Okay another hint to narrow it down a bit just in case...  It all starts, and forgive me if I'm vague on details because it's been even longer since I read this one than it was with The Dark Tower series, but it all starts with a guy tripping over something shiny in the woods.  I may have made this one too easy ><


----------



## Scheherazade

We must not have many Stephen King fans around.  The object that this person begins to dig up starts affecting the people in town, making several psychotic but also giving them a strange sort of genius when it comes to inventing things, particularly when it involved electrical wiring.  The trip to Derry that I mentioned before was for batteries since the town ran out of them.  The central protagonist is the only one left unaffected due to a metal plate in his head from a childhood accident.  If I recall correctly the book begins with a poem directly related to the title.  There... plenty of hints!


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

The Tommyknockers.

Edwrd C. Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Edward C. Patterson said:


> ... It is Wizard and Glass and I strongly urge anyone who hasn't read The dark Tower Series, because 'they don't like Stephen King." reconsider as this work is unlike his others, his true magnus opus....


So, last night I downloaded the sample for _The Gunslinger_ to see if there is anything Mr. King has done differently in it to make me want to read this work. What do I find when I read it this morning? _By the end of the sample I'm still in the introduction!_ I still have absolutely no idea if I want to read this book.


----------



## Susan in VA

NogDog said:


> So, last night I downloaded the sample for _The Gunslinger_ to see if there is anything Mr. King has done differently in it to make me want to read this work. What do I find when I read it this morning? _By the end of the sample I'm still in the introduction!_ I still have absolutely no idea if I want to read this book.


I had the same thought, and now have the same question!


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Go for it. The Gunslinger is the most literary work King has ever penned and it is the shortest book in the series. If you hate it and put it aside, I'll give you a $9.00 credit on any of my own books.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Susan in VA

Considering Amazon currently sells it for $6.39, that's a good deal...


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I forgot, that's the cheap one.

Ed


----------



## Scheherazade

And you got it right with The Tommyknockers. Your turn 



I also found "The Eyes of the Dragon" to be pretty good and another odd diversion from his usual genre into fantasy. Even The Tommyknockers was a lot more SciFi than he normally gets into with his horror books.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

And Dreamcatchers was written in long hand because of his accident. 

I'm going to continue with Stephen King. This book and its 4 parts is so un-Stephen King-like (except for the last part) that people are surprised when they find out he wrote. Name the book, the four constituent parts and three of the motion pictures (and their altered titles, if appropriate) based on 3/4's of the work. Also name at least two stars from each of the films. And then, go read the book.  

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Scheherazade

I can only figure you mean "Four Past Midnight". With one of my absolute favorite novelettes from him "The Langoliers" (only second to "The Mist"). We also have "Secret Window, Secret Garden", "The Library Policemen", and "The Sun Dog".

"The Langoliers" was a made for TV movie starring Dean Stockwell and Mark Lindsay Chapman.
"The Secret Window" starred Johnny Depp and John Turturro.
"Needful Things" is sort of an extension of "The Sun Dog" and starred Ed Harris and Max Von Sydow.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

You're good, but NO, which only proves the "Did Stephen Write That?" syndrome for this book best known for the 3 constituents. On of the parts is, in my humble opinion, teh best work Stephen King ever penned.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Scheherazade

Yeesh... okay, was any of that right or is this a totally separate work?


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Totally seperate work.  

Ed P


----------



## Scheherazade

Hah I got it!  This was one of the first works I read from him...


----------



## Scheherazade

"The Bachman Books" which would include "Rage", "The Running Man", "Roadwork", and "The Long Walk". Written under his early pseudonym Richard Bachman. I knew it was him when I read them, but my mom had the actual books under the pseudonym before they were all "Hey! He's STEPHEN KING!!!" on the cover which was fun and also why I forgot they got stuck in a collection together ><

"The Running Man" starred the Governator Arnold and Maria Conchita Alonso.
"The Rage" was touted as "Carrie 2" and starred Emily Bergl and Jason London.
Is "Falling Down" the third one based on "Roadwork"? That starred Michael Douglas and Robert Duvall.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Wow. You missed again. You're going to kick yourself. Hint - these are all part of the same volume.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Scheherazade

<whimper> Okay, thinking again. Gotta admit I've totally met the question standards twice now though... sort of anyway


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Look at it this way, maybe some of the King haters will read one of these books too.   And I'm positive you must of read the book in question.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Scheherazade

Okay finally got it... "Different Seasons" which includes "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption", "Apt Pupil", "The Body", and "The Breathing Method". And yeah... I got this one the day it hit the shelves. Heck, this is making _me_ want to go back and read a lot of these. I kind of stopped reading Stephen King around the time of "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon".

"The Shawshank Redemption" starred Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman.
"Apt Pupil" starred Ian McKellen and Brad Renfro.
"Stand by Me" (The Body) starred Wil Wheaton and River Phoenix.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Yes, you did, and don't you agree with me that these are wonderfully written works especially Rite Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption. The four novella (actually a novelette) however is one of the worst things he ever wrote. He would have been better by including The Mist here, and the set would have been perfect.



Not on the Kindle - My Bad. Whoops.

YOUR TURN

Ed Patterson


----------



## Lynn

I have no idea what the answer is since I have not read much by King, because I didn't think I would like what he wrote. The first I had ever read was Cujo and didn't really care for it. Recently though I read the Stand and UR and liked them quite a lot. So I would like to read more, but there are so many out there! What would you recommend I try next?

Lynn L

You all answered before I got this posted so it will seem a bit out of place- sorry. And see I learned something - I had no idea he had written those!


----------



## Scheherazade

I really liked The "Tommyknockers".  "Cujo" isn't one of the best books to base your like or dislike of him on.  It was a decent book, but not his best and certainly not his usual.  I don't think you can go wrong with some of his short story/novella collections... several of which I just posted here.  I really loved "The Skeleton Crew" mostly because "The Mist", but several others are really good in that one.  "The Dark Tower" series is also really excellent as covered above.  I remember enjoying "Hearts in Atlantis" and  "Dreamcatcher"... "Insomnia" was also good and "Night Shift" is another short story collection... those are some good ones to start looking out without listing the obvious like "Salem's Lot", "Carrie", "It", etc.


----------



## Lynn

Thanks, I think I will start with some of the story collections, though I do have Hearts of Atlantis on my wish list.

Lynn L


----------



## Scheherazade

Okay, I'm jumping the tracks on the Stephen King Ombibus here and throwing out something from another author.  This novel is a bit of a satire on religion, especially its role in the political machine and how both of them react to the other.  In the story, a god comes down to the world in physical form on the verge of the time of a new prophet.  Once he arrives on our mortal plane, however, he realizes he has lost all of his followers and with them nearly all of his divine powers.


----------



## NogDog

Sounds like...


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Lynn said:


> Thanks, I think I will start with some of the story collections, though I do have Hearts of Atlantis on my wish list.
> 
> Lynn L


Lynn, my recommendation would be *Everthing is Eventual*


Ed P


----------



## Ann in Arlington

(There was a Stephen King thread here a while back. . . .y'all might want to resurrect it. . . .)


----------



## Scheherazade

Awww... shoulda known that was too much of a hint for you NogDog. And here I was going to do my first visual clue! Yup that's right. Your turn!


----------



## NogDog

This novel includes a laugh-out-loud (at least for me) malapropism based on the cliché "a mystery wrapped in an enigma."

The complete answer for this will be the novel _and_ the malapropism.

Hint: Stephen King is *not* the author.


----------



## NogDog

Speaking of malapropisms, the title of this book could be considered to be one from the title of a Bruce Willis movie (which otherwise has nothing to do with this book).


----------



## Scheherazade

I think I know the book, trying to figure out the exact malapropism. Okay...

Is it "The Fifth Elephant" by Terry Pratchett and the malapropism is Uberwald?


----------



## NogDog

Scheherazade said:


> I think I know the book, trying to figure out the exact malapropism. Okay...
> 
> Is it "The Fifth Elephant" by Terry Pratchett and the malapropism is Uberwald?


Close enough: it's about Uberwald.

[Sergeant Colon says,] "Nasty place, Uberwald. I heard where it's a misery wrapped in an enema. That doesn't sound too good."

OK, that's my petty revenge against the chain of Stephen King books. Your turn again.


----------



## Scheherazade

> Vimes and Vetinari exchange flabbergasted looks at his naiveté, and Vetinari adds dryly that "Until that joysome day Uberwald remains a mystery inside a riddle wrapped in an enigma."


I found that bit, too  I like your quote from it better, though, I clearly need to reread these books it's been so long.

Okay... going to try to go outside of the fantasy/horror genre box here. This novel is considered an autobiography though it is written by someone else retelling the story of the person in question and fictionalized to a certain degree. The title of the book comes from a Sudanese creation myth told to the person when he was a boy. The story is set in Atlanta where this man is retelling his story to anyone who will listen, even going so far as to tell it to the neighbors upstairs who he hopes will hear him as he lies bound on the floor of his recently robbed apartment.


----------



## Scheherazade

Okay more hints.  Thinking his mother and friends and his whole village really are dead after an attack, he flees and joins a group of Sudanese Lost Boys who make their way across the country to Ethiopia where they hope to find sanctuary.  The story is full of death and betrayal and gruesome scenes with lions, land mines, disease, starvation and trusted people who turn out to be killers without compassion for these young Sudanese refugees.  It really hits home just what these boys had to go through.

The story is not all sad, though, and is even funny and touching at times... it has a lot of heart and you feel compelled to keep reading even past the violence.  The man who the book is about made it to America, of course, which you find out in the first pages due to him being in Atlanta and retelling it, but it's no less harrowing.  He has since turned into quite the speaker and travels the U.S. telling his story to packed theaters and auditoriums.


----------



## Scheherazade

Okay... time for Google fodder.  At the end of the book he is quoted as saying "How blessed are we to have each other.  How can I pretend that you do not exist?  It would be almost as impossible as you pretending that I do not exist."  Which is of course his point because many of us do.  It is a cry for help and recognition and a reminder for us to realize that yes, this is happening to people in Africa every day.  We may try to ignore it, but it is happening and it is important.


----------



## Leslie

What is the What by Dave Eggers


----------



## Scheherazade

That's it.  Your turn!


----------



## Leslie

Okay, give me a minute to think...

L


----------



## Leslie

This book, published in 1942, is thought to be the first young adult novel. The author started writing it when she was 17 and finished it in college.

L


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Gee, I wasn't a young adult until 1962.   And then I was reading Tropic of Cancer under the sheets with a flashlight.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Leslie

The author submitted her manuscript to Dodd, Mead and Company in the firm's first contest for an intercollegiate literary fellowship and won first prize.

The story takes place in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.

L


----------



## Figment

Seventheenth Summer by McGivern


----------



## Leslie

Figment said:


> Seventheenth Summer by McGivern


Right title but wrong author.

Are there two Seventeeth Summers?

L


----------



## Ann in Arlington

McGivern is her real name but she published under Daly, according to Google.


----------



## Leslie

Ann in Arlington said:


> McGivern is her real name but she published under Daly, according to Google.


All right then...

Figment, it's your turn!

L


----------



## Figment

Jointly written by a Python and a Hugo Award winning illustrator, this book is celebrating the 12 3/4 anniversary of its publication.


----------



## NogDog

Could it be...



...? Not sure if it's old enough nor if either illustrator won a Hugo.


----------



## Figment

Not it...

Numerous lives were lost in the preparation of this book.


----------



## Scheherazade

I think I know the pair but I can only find one book published around that time from them.  I am pretty sure this can't be it but... Is it "The Knight and Squire" by Terry Gilliam and Michael Foreman?


----------



## Figment

Not that...

While presumably a work of fiction, the book is loosely based upon a scam pulled off in 1917 by two girls, ages 16 and 10.


----------



## Scheherazade

Aha, I did see this one but didn't see how it could be it. But now I do since I see the edition that's out now.... "Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book: 10 3/4 Anniversary Edition" by Terry Jones and Brian Froud.



I actually have the original but haven't done much more than flip through it.


----------



## Figment

Very good...your turn.


----------



## Scheherazade

One of my favor'-ite & one of the more humor-ous sec'tions of this, novel includes a mach-ine that digests, works of... fiction which allows for, the main plot dev-ice of the book.  "The waste from this digest-ion mani'fests itself in... the text through ex-cess punc-tu-ation as seen here.  The ma'n who invent-ed. this machine is named after the smart-er & less-er known old-er brother of a fam'ous literary detec''tive.


----------



## Scheherazade

This book takes place in an alternate reality where people named after characters in novels and famous literary greats are so common that they need to be given numbers to differentiate them from one another.  Having 75 Charles Dickenses living in Liverpool could get pretty confusing after all if they didn't.  The machine mentioned above allows the protagonist to travel into a classic novel to chase down a manuscript thief and while there she accidentally changes the plot of their alternate version to the one that we know and love.  This classic novel was written in the first person so she was able to move around freely in their world so long as the character from whose point of view the book was written never met her.


----------



## Scheherazade

Time for a visual hint... The name of the book in question contains one of the two words from the title of the novel from which a famous scene has been illustrated, though somewhat cryptically, below.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Jasper Fforde's _The Eyre Affair_

but, if correct, I donate my turn at asking a question to whomever wants it. . . . .

Though. . . .I would suggest that there isn't a need for additional hints more often than every 12 hours or so. . . .I mean, some people might have gotten it from the first clue (I did) but are simply not on line at the time it's posted (around 12:30 a.m. on the east coast) and (in my case) are not likely to be for another 7 or 8 hours. Sleeping, you know! LOL The further clues, just solidified my guess -- assuming, I'm right, of course. 

Still, as I said, I have no desire to offer a question.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Then I'll take the turn, thank you Ann:

This trilogy opens on the protagonist's wedding, when he first prepares his old father's tea and then walks to the great house to claim his bride.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Scheherazade

And yes, that was it. I try to watch the number of views and give hints when they go up a lot with no replies. I don't like the thread languishing and it makes me feel like I'm ruining it when my questions sit there forever!


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Well enough time has ellapsed for a second clue.

The protgonist eats his ox and dirt soup. His aunt and uncle had been said to eat toher things.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

In thought this ne would be easy as It's assigned read in High School. Ok, Hint number three will do it. The protagonist becomes a wealthy man with two sons and a daughter, and a concubine. His fields are eaten by locusts.

Ed Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Edward C. Patterson said:


> In thought this ne would be easy as It's assigned read in High School....


Doesn't sound like anything I was ever assigned to read in high school (assuming it was even published way back then?  ).


----------



## intinst

The Good Earth?


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Here's a big hint - It won a pulitzer for novel and was made into a movie in 1937 starring Paul Lukas and Louise Rainer (Louise Rainer won for best actress). I figured this hint will allow for the googlers to get gooling.  

Ed Patterson


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Okay Intinst:

We simultaneously posted, but you are corret. The book is part of a trilogy by Pealr S. Buck, and is her best known book, although some of her depictation of Chinese life and culture was filtered through her missionary daughter's eyes, but no matter. It is a splendid work and always moves me to tears when


Spoiler



Ou-lan


 dies.

Your turn.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## intinst

Here goes:
A man who loves his job begins to question it and himself after meeting new people.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Spoiler



Sounds like one my books.



ECP


----------



## intinst

It is a bit older than your books.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Older than 1974?   Just kidding


----------



## intinst

That would be a third clue.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Is it bigger than a breadbox?  

Miss Chatty, Queen of Denial. Get it De Nile?


----------



## geoffthomas

uncubicled?
Never mind - book older than Ed's would not be this one.


----------



## intinst

The first time we read about the Protagonist coming home, he finds his wife overdosed on sleeping pills.


----------



## intinst

Next clue:
The dog where he works does not like him


----------



## geoffthomas

would this be a mechanical dog?


----------



## intinst

Yes it would.


----------



## Susan in VA

Looks like Geoff got it...  but he keeps Sensible Hours and won't know that until morning.


----------



## NogDog

Susan in VA said:


> Looks like Geoff got it... but he keeps Sensible Hours and won't know that until morning.


Unlike we insomniacs, eh?


----------



## Susan in VA

NogDog said:


> Unlike we insomniacs, eh?


All it takes is a good mystery novel, and I'll watch the sun come up.


----------



## Figment

Sounds like Bradbury's "Farenheit 451"...the only book I can remember where a mechanical dog plays a large role.

And, if correct, the win should go to Geoff, since he's the one who gave the clue (confirmed by Intinst).  Besides which I"m not going to be around for the day so can't start a new round.


----------



## geoffthomas

No no go run with it.
I am sooooo busy with this proposal work that I can't think straight.
Just asked the question because it sounded like farenheit 451.
Please go ahead.


----------



## intinst

It was Ray Bradbury's book _Fahrenheit 451_...Next!


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Somebody go!


----------



## NogDog

I'll throw out an easy one in the interim:

In this novel the ratio 1:4:9 (the first 3 integral squares) plays an important role.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Arthur C. Clarke: _2001: A Space Odyssey_


----------



## NogDog

Ann in Arlington said:


> Arthur C. Clarke: _2001: A Space Odyssey_


Yep. Told you it was easy.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Very well:  the first of one of my favorite series of semi-fluff.  The heroine is a Victorian spinster just the wrong side of 30 who has a sizable inheritance and uses it to visit Egypt.  A mummy goes missing. . . .the (male) archeologist on site isn't keen on her 'meddling' . . . . . etc., etc.


----------



## Andra

Crocodile on the Sandbank
by Elizabeth Peters
The Amelia Peabody series


----------



## Ann in Arlington

yeppers. . . .incidentally, there's a new one in the series due out next spring.

The series is apparently not yet Kindled. . . .at least the first one is not.


----------



## Andra

It looks like the later ones are available. I do have most of her Vicky Bliss books on Kindle, though. I also have _Die for Love_ which has to be one of the funniest books I've ever read. (Reader's Digest plot summary: Librarian attends Romance Writer's Convention so she can take vacation and have a tax write-off.)

OK, here's my challenge:
Name the book, the author and the main character.
Everyone knows that the eighth son of an eighth son is always a wizard. What if you have an eighth daughter instead?


----------



## Figment

"Equal Rites", Terry Pratchett, Eskarina Smith was the 8th daughter, but Granny Weatherwax was the "main character".


----------



## Andra

Perfect!
This was the first book I purchased for my first Kindle. Your turn!


----------



## Figment

Please, someone, jump in here with a new clue.  (I have got to stop guessing, when I don't have my next book chosen and at least three clues prepared for it!)

SORRY to have dragged the game to a halt.


----------



## Andra

Hah!  Why do you think my last one was so obvious?  I can't usually get in when Ed gives the clues because my reading tastes are so different.  So I have to jump when I know one.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I'll jump in.  

Easy one. In this book, a brother betrays his siblings for a plate of candy.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Kristan Hoffman

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Easy one. In this book, a brother betrays his siblings for a plate of candy.


The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis?

Kristan


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

YEP. You see, I'm not as obscure as people think.   Of course, I, like Tolkien, dislike the Narnia series, but that's another story . . . 

Your turn kristanhoffman


----------



## Kristan Hoffman

Crud, haha. I wasn't ready. Um...

This book tells the story of a missionary, his wife, and four daughters in Africa.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Ths is a guess - The Flame Trees of Thika by Elsperth Huxley?

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Kristan Hoffman

Nope, but good guess! After looking it up I wonder if it served as inspiration for this novel.

Clue #2: The story is told primarily from 4 different POVs - 1 for each daughter - 1 of whom is paralyzed and mostly mute.

Kristan


----------



## Sparkplug

kristanhoffman said:


> This book tells the story of a missionary, his wife, and four daughters in Africa.


The Poisonwood Bible?


----------



## Kristan Hoffman

YUP!



Your turn, Sparkplug!


----------



## Andra

Edward C. Patterson said:


> I'll jump in.
> 
> Easy one. In this book, a brother betrays his siblings for a plate of candy.
> 
> Edward C. Patterson


OK, I would have gotten that one! Maybe a better thing is to say that I'm not as well-read as you


----------



## Sparkplug

kristanhoffman said:


> Your turn, Sparkplug!


Ok... let me think of one...


----------



## Sparkplug

The events in this novel takes place on only one day -- February 15, 2003.


----------



## Ty Johnston

Is it Saturday, by Ian McEwan?


----------



## Sparkplug

darkbow said:


> Is it Saturday, by Ian McEwan?


Yes... your turn...


----------



## Ty Johnston

Okay.

In this novel, the main character records his tale in first person while flying an airplane to his own doom.

Here's a small hint: The author has several novels available for the Kindle, but this isn't one of them (at least not last I checked).


----------



## Sparkplug

darkbow said:


> Okay.
> 
> In this novel, the main character records his tale in first person while flying an airplane to his own doom.
> 
> Here's a small hint: The author has several novels available for the Kindle, but this isn't one of them (at least not last I checked).


Looks like we need another hint.


----------



## Ty Johnston

The main character was born into a religious cult and tossed out into the "mundane" world where he becomes quite famous.


----------



## NogDog

I haven't read it, so don't know if this matches in all details, but it sounds like it might be _Survivor: A Novel_ (DTB link) by Chuck Palahniuk, perhaps?


----------



## Ty Johnston

NogDog, you are correct. 

Now it's your turn to pose a stumper.


----------



## Kristan Hoffman

Not related, but NogDog, I LOVE your icon! Genius, having the pup's ear stick out over the frame.


----------



## NogDog

This sci-fi book's title is a six-word question, but the movie was released with a two-noun title.



kristanhoffman said:


> Not related, but NogDog, I LOVE your icon! Genius, having the pup's ear stick out over the frame.


Thanks.


----------



## NogDog

The author won a Hugo Award, a John W. Campbell Memorial Award, and a British Science Fiction Association Award, each for a different novel, though none of them for this novel (though it was nominated for a Hugo). Unfortunately, he died in his early fifties, just at the point where he could actually start making some decent money (mainly from the several films derived from his works).


----------



## NogDog

OK, it's off to bed for me now (and if I'm lucky actually getting some sleep), so here are a couple more clues to hold you through until some time after sunrise....

People in this version of the future use a device called the Penfield Mood Organ to help them cope with life.

This book is currently in the process of being released as a 24-volume "graphic novel".


----------



## Figment

"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Phillip Dick


The film was "Blade Runner".


----------



## Ty Johnston

Agh! You beat me to it!


----------



## geoffthomas

What a wonderful job you are doing.

I have been buried under a bunch of work but will get back to getting the list of previously used works in the first post updated this weekend.

Keep it going - this is fun.

Just sayin......


----------



## Figment

Five of the seven books of this "series" comprise writings that appeared in seriel form prior to novelization.


----------



## Figment

The first three books of the series, published in 1978, 1980 and 1982, were made into television miniseries(es) which debuted in 1994, 1998 and 2001.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

This is Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin.

How thick could I get.  

Ed Patterson


----------



## Figment

Well done!


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I love those book, so much so I have a scene in


Spoiler



The Dragon's Pool


 on Barbery Lane. Even got the joints taped to the door.

Okay - This Victorian novel is a study on parental favoritism and the estrangement of father to his daughter. It was once one of its author's most popular works, but has fallen out of favor in the 20th Century.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Perhaps Jane Austen's _Persuasion_?


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Nope. Victorian not Regency.  

Ed P


----------



## Scheherazade

I didn't see it as a study in parental favoritism but it was definitely there in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.  I can't say as how it's fallen out of favor lately either but I'll throw it out there in case I'm out of loop in terms of Bronte bashing.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Nope. Another hint, mayhap. This novel contains one of the most heart rending child death scenes in the annals of literature.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Susan in VA

Edward C. Patterson said:


> This novel contains one of the most heart rending child death scenes in the anals of literature.


It's not often you find tragedy and comedy in the same sentence...


----------



## NogDog

Susan in VA said:


> Edward C. Patterson said:
> 
> 
> 
> This novel contains one of the most heart rending child death scenes in the anals of literature.
> 
> 
> 
> It's not often you find tragedy and comedy in the same sentence...
Click to expand...

I was going to say something about how maybe some day spell-checkers will be more context-sensitive, but then I realized that mine doesn't recognize "anal" as having a plural form, anyway.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

What. I spelled it correctly. Go look.   Just don;t tell Peg of the Red Pencil. It's late. Everyone think of the clue and I'll see y'all in the morning. 

Ed P


----------



## Susan in VA

Ed, you're a spoilsport, fixing your funny typos instead of letting everybody giggle about 'em.


Spoiler



Good thing NogDog and I quoted you. Ha!


----------



## NogDog

Don't sweat it, Ed. I'm continually surprised/annoyed by how many times I have to edit my posts to fix typos in spite of the fact that Firefox's spell-checker underlined them. I'll just blame it on my poor eyes not noticing that little squiggly red underline. It does serve to make authors like Roger Zelazny even more remarkable in my eyes: he always used a typewriter and was known for typing up page after page without a mistake, even in initial drafts.

Anyway, g'night all. Hope someone guesses this one before I start Googling tomorrow. (I read Victorian romances even less often than I read Stephen King.  )


----------



## Scheherazade

Aha, "North and South" by Elizabeth Gaskell... I can see this one having fallen out of favor, especially with me when I had to read it last semester.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Nope. You are very close though (as these authors knew each other) and (BIG HINT) the author in question published North and South.

Ed Patterson

BTW, I am currently reading North and South and Mrs. Gaskell is one of the most incredible reads and I intend to continue on to some of her other books - Cranford may be next in my Stack 2 TBR. I hope that Gaskell gets the same Renaissance treatment now that Melville received in the 1920's and 1930's. We ll know that the great American novel, Moby Dick, was virtually unknown during his lifetime, and at his death slipped into oblivion  - but thanks to an astute reader and some publishing connection, suddenly Moby Dick broke through the waves and charged on to prominent place in American Literature, bringing many of its Melville novel sisters with it. (I speak of Billy Budd, here - and Redburn).


----------



## Scheherazade

I just couldn't get into North and South at all... I'll have to keep thinking.  I'm seeing a famous author who edited it but the publisher is eluding me.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

It appeared in Household Words. Now does the publisher come to mind - and thus the author in this clue.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Scheherazade

Okay, so the editor and publisher are the same.  I forgot he actually published the magazine it serialed in as well.  I'm not a huge Charles Dickens fan, I really only like "A Christmas Carol" from him (which I actually -really- like), but I'm going to guess "David Copperfield"?


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Well you got the Author, but not the Novel. Hint - the Novel begins at a deathbed and is perhaps as different from any other novel Dickens ever wrote (except maybe the history tale Barnaby Rudge).

Ed Patterson


----------



## Scheherazade

I'm gonna leave this one to a Dickens aficionados out there since at this point I would just be throwing out guesses of titles one after another.  My only other thought is that it could be "Oliver Twist" but not sure it really fits all the criteria.


----------



## Ty Johnston

Been forever since I read it, but didn't "Little Dorrit" begin with a deathbed scene?

Okay, that's my guess. Final answer: Little Dorrit.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Nope - Little Dorrit is later than the book in question. Hint: Jo March in Litle Women states that no one could be without this book. Guess she was wrong. There's a sea-captain in it, and the building of the railroad in London (and even a section taking place in France). Although not my top favorite Dickens work (that goes to Nicholas Nicleby) this one is up there.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Scheherazade

"Dombey and Son"?


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Yeah! I'm so glad someone got this one. Dombey & Son it is. It's a shame that this book has lost so much ground over the years. It is wonderfly written , a near non-Dickensian story and the death of Paul Dombey is one of the most heart renching scenes in English literature. (When I first read it I was on a plane to California and the other pssengers must have thought there was something amiss with my eyes - severe cold and all that).

Your next.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Scheherazade

It took all my googling prowess to unearth that one... and of course several clues from you.  The sea captain finally got it for me. ><

Okay, I'm going back a bit further than Victorian literature on this one.  Bemoaning the state of modern entertainment, the main character in this play is given the options of poisoning himself, being strung up by a rope or leaping to his death when he consults his half-brother on the best course to take to restore his favorite playwright.


----------



## Scheherazade

According to most translations, this play must have one of the earliest (if not the first) recorded use of the "Is there a doctor in the house?" gag.  I can find nothing saying it is or is not the first, but it was a surprise when I first read it.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Are we talking Moliere here?

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Are we talking Moliere here?
> 
> Edward C. Patterson


Heh...I was taking "going back a bit further than Victorian literature" to much greater extremes, and searching my (very, very limited) recollections of ancient Greek or Roman plays as to any matches -- and coming up completely blank; not that that really means anything, mind you.


----------



## Scheherazade

Nogdog is closer   This play is named after the "singing" chorus and is usually sold together with another of a more arboreal nature.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

The Frogs of Aristophanes.

"I know the croaking chorus from The frog of Aristophanes."

    - WS Gilbert
    - The Major-General Song


----------



## Scheherazade

Hehe, you got it! It's probably my favorite Greek play and definitely the best comedy I've read yet. It tells the story of Dionysus dressing up like Hercules and going to the underworld to rescue Euripides since he is so tired of the modern poets and playwrights. The first clue I gave were some of Hercules's suggestions for how he go about getting there after he got over laughing at how ridiculous Dionysus looked trying to dress up like him. His servant Xanthias tends to come off smarter than he does throughout the play even though he is comic relief and you'd be surprised at just how modern the humor seems (as I noted in my second clue). Definitely worth reading! It's fast and very entertaining and free!

On a completely unrelated but sort of related side note... I work for an online text-based RPG set in Ancient Greece on the side just for fun, and I actually converted "The Major General Song" into "The Delphic Oracle Song" that people sing sometimes when they sniff too many vapors ><

Your turn  Brekekekekex koax koax!


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

A bookish woman marries a sruffy scholar in the hopes of bettering her intellectual prospects only to find that he has trpped her in a loveless, sterile marriage. This novel is its authors most epic, a one word title - the name of a town.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Figment

Middlemarch by George Eliot


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

You got it Figment. Good show and your turn.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Figment

This book has been adapted for film, television (twice) and the stage...kind of interesting when one considers that it consists of a 20 year collection.


----------



## geoffthomas

I have now updated the list of previously used titles/authors in post #1 of this thread.


----------



## Figment

Following the author's death, in 1997, the apartment building where she had lived was renamed in honor of this, her most famous work.


----------



## NogDog

Pretty sure it's:


----------



## Figment

You are correct, sir.  Your turn for a question.


----------



## NogDog

OK, I'm going to jump back into the world of non-fiction for this one.

The name of the stadium where the "Immaculate Reception" occurred could be a hint, though this book has nothing to do with football or Pittsburgh.

The movie "The Full Monty" could be another clue, though this book had nothing to do with male strippers.


----------



## NogDog

Figured I'd throw in one more clue before I go to bed....

This book is generally recognized as having made the events it describes known to the general English-speaking public for the first time. Up until its publication, these events were generally not widely known and were referred to more or less as being a not too important "partial success." The book paints a rather different picture of what ended up as a major failure.


----------



## NogDog

This was the author's third book concerning the same general subject matter, describing events which took place over a few weeks during a period between that of the first (and his most famous) book and the second book. This book was finished while the author knew he was dying of cancer, and was published just 2 months before he died while on tour to promote it.


----------



## NogDog

OK, time for the easy clues...

The movie version's cast included this pretty impressive list of actors:

Dirk Bogarde 
James Caan 
Michael Caine 
Michael Byrne 
Sean Connery 
Edward Fox 
Elliot Gould 
Gene Hackman 
Anthony Hopkins 
Ryan O'Neal 
Robert Redford
Hardy Krüger
Maximilian Schell
Wolfgang Preiss
Laurence Olivier
Liv Ullmann


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

A Bridge to Far by Cornelius Ryan

Ed Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Edward C. Patterson said:


> A Bridge too Far by Cornelius Ryan
> 
> Ed Patterson


Yep.

 (paperback, no Kindle  )


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Easy one. This novel (and the movie based on it) begins with an invitation to attend a party. In the film, the invitation comes from Superman.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

That last hint was easy, BUT . . . here's another. The protagonist owns a lumber yard and gets up in the drapery.

Ed Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Edward C. Patterson said:


> That last hint was easy, BUT . . . here's another. The protagonist owns a lumber yard and gets up in the drapery.
> 
> Ed Patterson


It's only "easy" if you've read it (or seen the movie, maybe).


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Well let me think. I mean I can give this one away so easily because it is a household read. The protagonist delivers a baby and, in the movie, chokes on a turnip. She steals her sister's boyfriend and she's in love with a man who doesn't love her, and marries one that dumps her in the end. She commits murder and marries a man who dies of camp fever, and dances while in mourning. "Hmm! Hmm! Hmm!"

If this doesn't give it away, I'll give the award to the Munchkins.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## crebel

Too funny on the hints, Ed !  This book was under discussion in the Chat Room last Saturday night.  I don't want to answer because I am not any good at coming up with a new challenge.


----------



## Figment

Duuh!  

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.

Very clever clues, Edward.  My hat is off to you.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Thank you. I hope everyone got the Superman Clue with the Tarleton Twin (George Reeve being one).    This one was fun, because the novel and movie are so well known with so many iconic scenes and quotable quotes, that the trick was not to mention the Civil War, Tara, Georgia or anything Irish.

Ed Patterson

YOUR TURN


----------



## geoffthomas

Do you realize that we have worked our way through at least 135 works in this thread.
What a literate bunch!

I hope that everyone has been having a good time.

Just sayin....


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

WooHoo!

Hoot! Hoot!

Ed P


----------



## Figment

Written under one of this author's three pseudonyms, this book attempts a response to the question posed about the butterfly effect.


----------



## NogDog

Figment said:


> Duuh!
> 
> Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.
> 
> Very clever clues, Edward. My hat is off to you.


I was sort of wondering if this might be it, but believe it or not, I have never read the book or seen the movie. It simply has never piqued my interest at all (possibly in part due to my contrarian nature).


----------



## Figment

Another clue:  Although the majority of this author's works are known for their anapestic tetrameter, this book is not.

(Chaos Theory and anapestic tetrameter....Does it get any better than this?)


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I'm thinking Pratchett, but he's on my TBR list, so I'm on shaky ground here.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Figment

Not even close...This, the least known of the author's three pen names, is taken from an object discovered by the French.


----------



## Scheherazade

"Because a Little Bug Went Ka-CHOO!" by Rosetta Stone AKA Dr. Seuss. This was a fun one >< My AIM screen name is actually a variant on "Star Bellied Sneetch".


----------



## NogDog

Edward C. Patterson said:


> I'm thinking Pratchett, but he's on my TBR list, so I'm on shaky ground here.
> 
> Ed Patterson


Pratchett's _Interesting Times_ does include the Quantum Weather Butterfly as one of its plot devices (or characters?).


----------



## Figment

Congratulations, Scheherazade!  (I am constantly amazed by the really obscure stuff we collectively know!)

Your turn.


----------



## Scheherazade

This collection of small illustrated "books" has a title that's root is a nonsensical sort of word in which the author has punnily included their last name.


----------



## Susan in VA

Catching up on this thread, and just wanted to say  --  Ed, those clues for GWTW were inspired!!


----------



## Scheherazade

One of these short "books" details the deaths of 26 children in a sort of morbid nursery rhyme with dactylic couplets and complete with very Victorian inspired illustrations.


----------



## Figment

Amphigorey by Edward Gorey?


----------



## Scheherazade

Yup, that's it!  Your turn


----------



## Figment

OK, an easy one...The first novel of a Nobel Prize Winning author, this book was listed as one of Time Magazine's 100 best English Language Books.


----------



## NogDog

There may be others that also fit the bill here, but my guess is Sir William Golding's _Lord of the Flies_.


----------



## Figment

You got it in one.  Your turn.


----------



## NogDog

While the author's name might lead you to believe him to be a Russian novelist, perhaps in the tradition of Tolstoy, this book is, in fact, every bit American as Tolstoy's were Russian -- as American as the genre of music named by the novel's title.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow

Ed Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow
> 
> Ed Patterson


Too easy? Oh well, at least I don't have to think up more clues. 

 (paperback)


----------



## Scheherazade

I didn't know it    And El Doctorow sounds more like some evil Mexican super villain with a PhD. than a Russian to em... or maybe one of those wrestlers... or even a Mexican super villain wrestler.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Okay, my turn. Pie-eyed optimist take a whirlwind tour of Europe and South America. Loses girl, gains girl, losses girl, gains girl and in the end, no longer pie-eyed. 

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## NogDog

_Candide_ by Voltaire? (I watched Bernstein's opera not too long ago.)


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

"The best of all possible worlds."

Well, your right and that was quick.  

Your turn.

Ed P
PS: The Scottish National Opera House version on DVD is the best.


----------



## NogDog

Edward C. Patterson said:


> "The best of all possible worlds."
> 
> Well, your right and that was quick.
> 
> Your turn.
> 
> Ed P
> PS: The Scottish National Opera House version on DVD is the best.


I watched this one with the New York Philharmonic supplying the "pit orchestra". I thought Paul Groves was marvelous in the title role. It was performed almost as an oratorio, with costumes for the principals, suggestions of costumes for the chorus, and no scenery to speak of other than a few props. (It's an excellent introduction to opera for those of you who don't think you like opera.)



Anyway, I'm off to think of another book some of you may know....


----------



## NogDog

This "speculative fiction" classic was first published by Chilton Books -- best known for their line of automotive repair manuals -- after the manuscript was rejected by numerous traditional publishers of novels, showing once again how little the so-called experts really know when it comes to such things.


----------



## Susan in VA

Frank Herbert's _Dune_ -- and the only reason I know is because someone mentioned a similar string of rejections for Clancy's first novel in another KB thread just recently, and that became a topic of discussion at dinner, and _Dune_/Chilton came up as the _other_ bestselling novel with that history.


----------



## NogDog

D'oh! And there I was reading the afterword of the 40th anniversary edition to try and find some new piece of trivia.


----------



## Susan in VA

But you got to browse through it in the process....    I read it so long ago that I don't remember anything, so I sampled the Kindle version a few months ago and now it's on my TBR list.


OK, let's see...

This novel tells the story of a woman who was born poor and died penniless, although her life included some years as one of the most powerful and popular women of her time.

Although she did marry, the man with whom her name is usually associated was not her husband.


----------



## Susan in VA

I'm going to bed, so here are more clues.


The woman in question was also the muse of a well-known portrait painter.

The author wrote many other novels.  Some of the titles are almost universally recognized.  This particular novel, however, is not well-known.  

The author's name has been mentioned in this thread before.


----------



## Susan in VA

The painter whose muse she was shares a last name with a modern-day U.S. politician.

The man with whom her name is usually associated died in the service of his country, and there are a number of monuments to him in Britain and elsewhere.


----------



## Susan in VA

The man with whom she is usually associated was her lover, even though both were married to others.  The long-term affair began and continued with the full approval of her husband.  The lovers were a popular and influential pair at court for several years, due to his professional successes and her charm.

The author of the novel was 13 years old when this woman died in the early 1800's.


----------



## Susan in VA

The author actually wrote three books (separate ones, not a series) about this woman,  and the one I'm looking for here is the first one.  (The second is even less known.   The third, while focusing more on the woman and less on her historical surroundings, is the only one that has never been translated into English.)  

The woman was named Amy at birth.  She later changed both her first and last names to something similar but, in her view, more cosmopolitan.  The original title of the book is her self-chosen maiden name.  The title of the novel's English translation is her married name and her title, and the word "lovely".

Oh, in case it's not clear, the people mentioned in the clues are all real historical figures.   The book is not technically a biography, since conversations and other details are made up, but the events described are well-documented.


----------



## Susan in VA

Uh-oh.

Small problem.

I was just looking for the Amazon link, so that I'd have it ready when someone got this, and find that Amazon only has links to two USED copies. The edition they describe is from 1903, which would explain why both of the used ones are listed at over $ 200.

But I have a hardback copy here from 1984, so obviously there's at least one (and probably more) later editions. For some reason Amazon doesn't have any of those listed. Perhaps there are publishers that don't want to work with Amazon?

Soooo... is there a rule that books in this thread have to be available _new_ on Amazon?


----------



## NogDog

Susan in VA said:


> Soooo... is there a rule that books in this thread have to be available _new_ on Amazon?


I don't think there's any "rule." I suggested we try to use books that are available for Kindle, but I've already broken that pseudo-rule a number of times, as it seems many of my favorite books have yet to be Kindle-ized.


----------



## Susan in VA

Okay.  In that case...  


Her husband was a British Envoy.  

While at court, she was the best friend of Marie Antoinette's sister, who was also a queen.

During his career, her lover suffered two major physical disfigurements.


----------



## Susan in VA

As a big clue, I was going to post the original title of the _third_ book, the one that is not available in English. But checking for the precise name, I found that that one IS available new on Amazon, in a 2000 edition.

So the clue instead is....

When he wasn't living with her and her husband, the woman's lover spent most of his time here:










(And for the Star Trek


Spoiler



and Google


fans: There is an Ambassador-class starship named after him.)


----------



## Susan in VA

Is anyone out there?  Hellooooo....  See, this is why more people should show up in Saturday night chat  --  we discussed this book last week  


(I'm going to bed.  If nobody guesses by noon tomorrow, I'm throwing in the towel.)


----------



## NogDog

Well...it sounds a lot like the real story of Horatio Nelson and Emma Hamilton, so I've done some searching and see that there is a historical fiction trilogy on them by David Donachie, and the first book is _On Making Tide_. So that's my guess.


----------



## Susan in VA

That's not the book I was thinking of, but you win because you have the characters right!

The author is Alexandre Dumas _pere_.

The first book was called _Emma Lyonna_, translated into English as _The Lovely Lady Hamilton, or the Beauty and the Glory_. Available used on Amazon for a mere $ 237.65.

(The third book, the one that's available new on Amazon, is _Souvenirs d'une favorite_, but it's only in French.
http://www.amazon.com/Souvenirs-dune-favorite-4-French/dp/0543854469/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251729522&sr=1-1
Somewhat confusingly, there is a German translation of this third book called simply _Lady Hamilton._)


----------



## NogDog

I've got a rather full plate of things to deal with this afternoon; so if anyone else has a book he or she would like to quiz us on, please feel free to take my turn.


----------



## NogDog

OK, since there were no takers:

In spite of what one might assume from this novel's title, it is neither a romance nor a medieval fantasy. Instead it is a science fiction novel taking place on a planet larger than Earth, though it does have a certain medieval flavor.


----------



## NogDog

The story not only involves the juggling of its characters and plot, but the juggling of other things, as well.


----------



## NogDog

Last clues before I hit the sack:

This novel was the first in a related series of novels, novellas, and a short story or two. While it won a Locus award and was nominated for a Hugo, none of the others in the series were so honored. One of the other books shares the "romantic" name of its protagonist in its title. The series' title is the name of the planet, and a meaningless anagram of it is "moo pi jar".


----------



## Susan in VA

The anagram did it -- the Majipoor series, by Silverberg.

_Lord Silverberg's Castle_.


----------



## Susan in VA

Since I'm 99% sure of that answer, I'll go ahead and post the next one now before I go to bed, without waiting for confirmation.

Last time I picked something too obscure, so this time it's something a bit more modern.

Computers feature prominently in this true story, but it can be easily understood by those who are not computer-literate.

Though it deals with a potentially serious crime, there is no bloodshed or other physical violence.  There is no sex or romance in this book either. 

In the course of the book, the protagonist solves a mystery, and the (real-life) perpetrator of the crime happens to be from the town in which I was born.


----------



## NogDog

Susan in VA said:


> The anagram did it -- the Majipoor series, by Silverberg.
> 
> _Lord Silverberg's Castle_.


Bit of a typo there. I'm sure you meant: _Lord Valentine's Castle_.


----------



## Susan in VA

NogDog said:


> Bit of a typo there. I'm sure you meant: _Lord Valentine's Castle_.


Geez, that goes to show what happens when I don't get enough sleep. 

Sorry. Thanks for your tactful understatement.


----------



## Susan in VA

Now wondering what other nonsensical things I said last night.  I'm afraid to go back through my posts to look.


Anyway...

The mystery in the book in question begins with a very small amount of money.

This is a good time to read (or reread) this book, since this month it will be exactly 20 years old.

The book's title refers to an unfortunate practice seen in the animal kingdom.


----------



## Susan in VA

The author's original recordkeeping about the events in the book was the first instance of detailed documentation of the type of crime in question. 

It turned out later that the perpetrator of the crime was selling the results of his efforts to the KGB.

The author, who was originally an astronomer, wrote at least one other book in which computers also feature prominently.


----------



## Susan in VA

No takers??  

The very small amount of money mentioned earlier is at first thought to be an accounting error.  Luckily for everyone, the author's boss is very particular, and wants the source of the error found.


----------



## Scheherazade

Throwing out a guess here...

The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage by Clifford Stoll?


----------



## Susan in VA

That's the one.


----------



## Scheherazade

Woot!  Google-fu wins again... that was a hard one   Okay, gimme a bit to think one up.


----------



## Scheherazade

Boy hates his life and is stuck in a place he cannot escape. Boy meets girl, boy saves girl, boy falls for girl. Girl really doesn't like boy, but girl's uncle likes girl so girl intends to marry boy to escape uncle's advances. New boy arrives and girl's mother tells girl that first boy has another girl among people whom she cannot stand. Girl falls for new boy. New boy leaves and girl settles for first boy once more. Boy's former girl is hired to make a scene with boy in front of girl. Girl hates boy. Boy is devastated.


Spoiler



Boy shoots dog. Boy commits suicide.


----------



## Scheherazade

One more clue before I go to bed...  Due to the British author's close relation to the events of the story and previous issues with libel, many publishers refused to deal with the book.  One publishing house finally picked it up but only after alterations and extensive reviews of the characters to be sure they did not have any real life counterparts.  Since then it has been found that several names did in fact match those of real people.


----------



## Scheherazade

In a sub plot, or perhaps it could be considered the main plot, of this novel a corrupt magistrate is trying to ruin a high ranking official's reputation.  This person whose reputation is being ruined is a close friend of the main character of the novel who is stationed there away from his home country.  It is his love of the foreign (to him and the girl mentioned above) natives that causes the girl he has fallen for so much distaste in him as a suitor.  She is still interested in marrying him despite this due to her fears of growing up a financially destitute spinster and to avoid the advances of her uncle as mentioned above.


----------



## NogDog

I have no idea what it is and am sure I've never read it. Based on your description, this may be a good thing, as it sounds way too depressing.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Sounds like my kind of Victorian/Dickensian novel. Can't wait to find out and where to buy it.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Ann in Arlington

It does sound Dickensian. . . .or M. M. Kayesian. . . .


----------



## Scheherazade

It was actually really enjoyable.  I had to read it for one of my first classes back to college and I really got caught up in the story and was seriously MAD at the end when he did the bit I spoilered above.  I don't think I've ever thrown a book in anger, but I did with that one.  Just goes to show how into the story I got.

And no, this isn't a Victorian novel or Dickens   It was based on the author's experiences as a police officer stationed abroad in the 1920s.  It was after contracting a tropical fever on the job that he returned to England and reevaluated his life, deciding to become a writer.  He is a very well known author under his pen name, though perhaps not quite as well known for this work apparently.


----------



## Susan in VA

Aaack!  That last post told me the author, but I have NO idea which book it is....    I know that there was one that I was supposed to read for one of my first college classes too and somehow managed to avoid, so that's probably the one.


----------



## Scheherazade

You should have read it!  It's rare that a professor assigns you enjoyable books.

Okay, the corrupt magistrate has set about ruining this other official's life for the sole purpose of gaining admittance into the "white man's" gentleman's club in his district.  He does this after finding out that the club has been all but forced to allow a native member for the sake of keeping up appearances.  Their choice is obviously the man he has set about to ruin, a local doctor with whom the main character is very close friends, so the magistrate feels that by shaming the doctor that he will have a better chance of being the one they choose.


----------



## Susan in VA

I just went downstairs and hunted up the old text....  college bookstore price sticker still on it, and quite obviously unread.      (Actually I think that was a professor who gave us a list of ten books and we had to pick eight, or something like that.  At least that's my story. )

But since I haven't read it, I'm not posting the answer.


----------



## Scheherazade

You figured it out so you're allowed to post it.  If I only posted books I read I'd never get to pose questions   And yeah, this was one of about 6 or 7 he assigned us... but we didn't get to pick, we read them all.  I think it was an Intro to European History course.  And this was like 7 books over an accelerated Summer semester.


----------



## Scheherazade

As part of the main character's courting of the girl that he has fallen for he takes her on a hunting trip where she manages to hit something almost immediately and he kills a leopard that he promises to have skinned for her.  When she goes after the other man that I mentioned above, the main character makes a pitiful attempt to rush the preparation of the skin and it is improperly cured, leaving it mangy and smelling horribly.  Never-the-less he delivers on his promise which makes her see him as even less of a proper suitor due to the horrid condition of the pelt.


----------



## Scheherazade

Yeesh, I thought this one would be guessed pretty quickly.  Okay, here are some more random bits to throw into the mix.  I'll have told the entire story before long!  The central character's mistress was one of the locals and she sets about blackmailing him as soon as he pushes her away which he does in order to court the new girl from England.  For her, dating a European gives her prestige with the locals.  This new girl arrived from England only after being orphaned to stay with her aunt and uncle but she hates her new home.  Not only does she dislike the main character's love for the native people, but she is put off by his interests in art and literature because she is angry with her mother who lived as a Bohemian artist in Paris and died by poison from exposure to her own paints.


----------



## Scheherazade

Time for hints concerning the author.  The well known author of this book has long been the source of much High School English reading fodder.  I will attempt to allude to other novels of his that I have not read, so forgive me if my facts aren't straight.  One of his novels based on a Russian revolution was originally "A Fairy Tale" but its better known title and most subsequent publications do not include this bit.  Another of his well known works shows a glimpse into a future where mankind lives under the rule of a totalitarian government.  The book in question is of course neither of these works, but now maybe someone has some Google terms to work with at least.  If this doesn't give it away I'll give in and post the answer I guess


----------



## NogDog

Well, once I guessed an author and eliminated the two books of his I _have_ read, I've narrowed it down to _Burmese Days_ by George Orwell.


----------



## Scheherazade

That's it!  Your turn


----------



## NogDog

In this multiple-award-winning novel, the author altered Earth's geography a bit so that there was a place on the Equator which closely resembled his adopted homeland, which is in actuality a bit to the north of the Equator. This more southerly location was important to the plot.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I want to read Burmese Days. That sounds _sehr gut_.

Ed P


----------



## NogDog

One clue before bedtime:

If a movie were made of this book, perhaps this song could be included in the soundtrack:


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

OHHHH and I'm getting Burmese Days back on the Kindle, because of the Amazon apology letter. I would have taken the $30 if it weren;t for this thread and Orwell.

Ed Patterson


----------



## NogDog

This book's title sounds like it could be an orchestral work composed by Ottorino Respighi, if he'd lived in Heaven instead of Italy.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

_I Pini ossia la fontane di Roma?? _ 

Eduardo Pattersona


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Edward C. Patterson said:


> OHHHH and I'm getting Burmese Days back on the Kindle, because of the Amazon apology letter. I would have taken the $30 if it weren;t for this thread and Orwell.
> 
> Ed Patterson


Well. . . .now. . . if you took the $30. . . .couldn't you get that book . . .and tons of others as well? Or is it not available at all unless you get back the 'complete works' edition. . . .just a thought. . . .


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Well, I have almost all the Mobireference librariezs and the Orwell book is needed, especially since the Mobireference libraries have been (temprarily?) discontinued for the Kindle. (Public Domain issues)

Ed Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Hey, you two, get a room...I mean...your own thread.    

Anyway, another silly clue: perhaps another song we could use in the hypothetical film version of this book would be "Stairway to Heaven," though "Elevator to Heaven" would be more precise. (Hmmm...three musical clues so far on this one. Can you tell I was a music major?)


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Big Brother is watching.  

Ed P


----------



## NogDog

Unlike the author's most famous book, the central monolithic object in this one was human-made.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

oh oh oh. . .there's an Arthur C Clarke book about an elevator that goes up miles. . . . . to a space station in orbit I think.  I remember significant discussion about why it works. . . .

Sorry, no clue what it's called. . . .but I have actually read it. . . . .actually, I thought it was a short story in one of his collections. . . . 

O.K.  just exhausted all my thoughts on the subject.


----------



## NogDog

Ann in Arlington said:


> oh oh oh. . .there's an Arthur C Clarke book about an elevator that goes up miles. . . . . to a space station in orbit I think. I remember significant discussion about why it works. . . .
> 
> Sorry, no clue what it's called. . . .but I have actually read it. . . . .actually, I thought it was a short story in one of his collections. . . .
> 
> O.K. just exhausted all my thoughts on the subject.


I'm going to declare you the winner, since you've actually read it (as opposed to waiting for someone to Google it  ).











_The Fountains of Paradise_ by Arthur C. Clarke


----------



## Ann in Arlington

So. . . you want _me_ to think something up to ask? . . . .I'm totally not good at this. . .give me a few minutes to come up with something.

"I'll be baaack. . . . " 

(O.k. going to be more than a few minutes: DH just got home so it's supper time first.

"suppertime, suppertime, sup sup suppertime. . . . ."

Meanwhile, you can identify the musical that's from.  )


----------



## Scheherazade

Summertime Summertime by The Jamies


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Nope. . . . . 

Actually. . .here's a more accurate quote:
IT'S SUPPERTIME.
YEAH IT'S SUPPERTIME.
OH, IT'S SUP-SUP- SUPPERTIME,
VERY BEST TIME OF DAY.

IT'S SUPPERTIME
YEAH, IT'S SUP-PER-TIME
AND WHEN SUPPER TIME COMES,
CAN SUPPER BE FAR AWAY?

And while you're cogitating on that. . . .my book trivia:

The village of Long Piddleton and Old Peculiar Ale feature prominently in this series.


----------



## Figment

I think the song sounds like something sung by Snoopy in "Happiness is a Warm Puppy"...probably not, but it could be.

The author of the books is Grimes, and they are the Richard Jury mysteries...much more certain of the books than the song.


----------



## NogDog

Figment said:


> I think the song sounds like something sung by Snoopy in "Happiness is a Warm Puppy"...probably not, but it could be.


Close ("You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown"):


----------



## Figment

NogDog said:


> Close ("You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown"):


See, there's the problem. When it's about a show, I always think theater rather than movies...not an "age thing", and certainly nothing about being a "theater snob". The reality is that movies and TV make me fall asleep! (Which pretty much is an "age thing". We lived in an area of the country that had no TV when I was a kid...didn't really have much contact with it until I had finished college.)


----------



## Ann in Arlington

"You're a Good Man Charlie Brown" was also a stage production. . . .my brother did it in high school. . . there's a script you can get and everything. It is taken from various bits of the Peanuts comics, books, and TV shows over the years.

Yes, the books are the Richard Jury books by Martha Grimes. . . .I told you I was no good at this. 

Incidentally, Old Peculiar Ale. . . .is _really_ good. . . .not sure you can get it in the US -- possibly in some "English Pub" type establishement or the more out of the ordinary Supermarket/Liquor stores. . . .

Someone else's turn now: Figment -- you're up!


----------



## Figment

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was 'Hey, you!'"


----------



## Figment

Oh goodness, I thought that would be picked up right away.  (Nog Dog must not be here the afternoon!)

How about:  "The turtle moves..."


----------



## Scheherazade

Hehe, got it from the first one but hadn't been logged on... it's "Small Gods" by Terry Pratchett.


----------



## NogDog

Figment said:


> Oh goodness, I thought that would be picked up right away. (Nog Dog must not be here the afternoon!)
> 
> How about: "The turtle moves..."


Been busy slinging code today. (Horrible way to spend a Saturday.)

While I would've thought the first clue _sounded_ like Terry Pratchett, I wouldn't have gotten this until the 2nd clue.



> WHO KNOWS WHAT EVIL LURKS IN THE HEART OF MEN? The Death of Rats looked up from the feast of potato. SQUEAK, he said. Death waved a hand dismissively. WELL, YES, OBVIOUSLY _ME_, he said. I JUST WONDERED IF THERE WAS ANYONE ELSE.
> 
> -- (Terry Pratchett, The Truth)


----------



## Scheherazade

I'll assume I got it 

At first glances this series of books may seem to be aimed at younger audiences and they definitely have a sort of "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" quality to them, but mere pages into this book a rather graphic death scene shatters that illusion.  The anthropomorphic peace-loving denizens who are the central characters in this book, the first in the series by which name the series as a whole is known, find themselves at the mercy of a conquering horde at their doorstep led by a one-eyed rat warlord.  It comes down to one of the most unlikely of heroes to emerge from within their ranks to step forward and claim his birth right, a legendary sword passed down for generations and lost to the ages.


----------



## Figment

The Redwall Series by Brian Jacques?


----------



## Scheherazade

That's it   Your turn.


----------



## Figment

A possible inspiration for this book was a work of Robert Browning.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

The Gunslinger by Stephen King, the first book of the Dark Tower series (my bible) based on Childe Roland Passes by Robert Browning.

Did I get it! Did I get it! Did I get it! Did I get it! Did I get it! 

Ed Patterson


----------



## Figment

Sorry.  It wasn't the book to which I was referring.  (I've never read the Dark Tower series...nor Childe Roland Passes, for that matter).

We shall give it to you, however, since it appears you want it so badly.  (And since your clues for Gone with the Wind were INSPIRED, and I want to see what else you'll do).  We'll come back to this one another time.

Your turn...


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I'll take it.  

This book is a sequel of sorts to an earlier book that involved underwater exploration.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Susan in VA

Verne's _Mysterious Island_?

And I'm almost hoping that's NOT it, because I want to see more of your clues too.


----------



## NogDog

Susan in VA said:


> Verne's _Mysterious Island_?
> 
> And I'm almost hoping that's NOT it, because I want to see more of your clues too.


That's what I was going to say...you beat me by 2 minutes.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Susan in VA:

That's it. So now I'm clueless.   Of course I was going to say something about balloons, the civil war, giant crabs and an Indian sahib in a funny looking submersible (Is that spelled right?). But, now --- y'all are so schmart.  

Your turn.

Ed the P Patterson
Ed the Deeeeep (submiersible -  or however you spell it). Ann of Arlington has given me a new nickname.


----------



## Susan in VA

It's still Figment's turn, there was an un-guessed book on the previous page....


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Susan - Figment passed by giving me a correct answer since my answer fit the clues. So it's your turn.

Ed Patterson
aka Sung Yi-di


----------



## Susan in VA

Yes, but....



Figment said:


> We'll come back to this one another time.


 

Is this "another time", Figment?


----------



## Scheherazade

Yeesh, I went away for like 4 days and expected all sorts of new trivia to slog through... somehow I didn't miss a single one


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Whose turn is it?

Ed P


----------



## geoffthomas

I invoke thread administrator privilege:
Susan is right, Figment has an unanswered question on the floor.
So that you don't have to look it up, here is the info:
From Figment:
Reply #920 on: September 05, 2009, 07:15:57 PM » Quote  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A possible inspiration for this book was a work of Robert Browning.

From Edward C. Patterson:
Reply #921 on: September 05, 2009, 07:28:38 PM » Quote  

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Gunslinger by Stephen King, the first book of the Dark Tower series (my bible) based on Childe Roland Passes by Robert Browning.

Did I get it! Did I get it! Did I get it! Did I get it! Did I get it! 

Ed Patterson

From Figment:
Reply #922 on: September 05, 2009, 08:08:30 PM » Quote  

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sorry.  It wasn't the book to which I was referring.  (I've never read the Dark Tower series...nor Childe Roland Passes, for that matter). We'll come back to this one another time.

So I declare this "another time".

Ok, Figment? Susan? Ed?
Ok I will take silence for agreement.

So folks start to work on Figment's clues.......


----------



## Figment

Figment here...

First clue was:  "A possible inspiration for this book was a work by Robert Browning."

A possible adjective for the characters is "soi-disant".


----------



## Figment

OK...a third clue before I go off to bed:

In a climactic scene the role of the woodwind is played by a brass.


----------



## Figment

[Oh goodness...I'm hating the feeling that I may have killed the game.]

Prototypes or archetypes, this book has them: the seer, the scribe, the warrior, the leader, and all being led by a con with a shameful secret.


----------



## NogDog

Hmmm...this looks like it might be a repeat of one I posted a while back: _The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents_ by Terry Pratchett?


----------



## Figment

OK, OK, so I didn't look at what had already been used.

You are, of course, correct.  Your turn to come up with something new.


----------



## NogDog

It might seem surprising that this book started a very successful series, considering how mundane many parts of it are.


----------



## NogDog

Looked at in one way, this book might be considered to perpetuate the myth that a woman's intelligence is inversely proportional to her physical beauty.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

O.K.  I totally know this. . . . .but I'll let others guess as I hate coming up with a new book to guess.


----------



## NogDog

Ann in Arlington said:


> O.K. I totally know this. . . . .but I'll let others guess as I hate coming up with a new book to guess.


Heh...I spent quite a few minutes last night trying to come up with something that (a) I had read, (b) I felt pretty sure at least some of you had read, and (c) is available for Kindle.

Another clue: the name under which this book's author publishes is actually only the first half (in words) of his full name.


----------



## Figment

A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony?


----------



## NogDog

Figment said:


> A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony?


Correct.











(FYI, the author's full name is Piers Anthony Dillingham Jacob, but he publishes under Piers Anthony.)


----------



## Figment

The first (and most famous) book of this author's trilogy, it is considered one of the top two or three classics of this literary genre.


----------



## geoffthomas

Right off the bat I want to say Foundation by Isaac Asimov.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

I'd go with that Geoff. . . .


----------



## NogDog

It could as easily be LeGuin's _A Wizard of Earthsea_ or Dumas' _The Three Musketeers_, just to sample two other of the many possible genres and the many trilogies out there.


----------



## davem2bits

How about Dune by Frank Herbert


----------



## Figment

Not even close...sorry.

How about:  The events in this novelized memoir took place 10 years before the author wrote about them.


----------



## Figment

Written as an 862 page manuscript, the first edit reduced the book to a 245 page volume published as Volume 117 in a 176 volume series.  The present form of the book is 120 pages long.


----------



## Figment

Site of a very famous (infamous) arrest in 1960, this book was published there five years earlier...kind of an odd coincidence.


----------



## Figment

It was when the book was translated to French in 1960 that it gained its current title.  It was published in English in the same year.  By March 2006, it had been translated into 30 languages, and in February of the same year was #1 on the New York Times Best Seller List.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

I think I found it by Googling. . .but I've never read it. . . . .


----------



## Figment

This is probably the best known of this author's 57 novels, and his most powerful.


----------



## Figment

The author received a Nobel Prize, but not for literature.


----------



## Scheherazade

Is it "Night" by Ellie Wiesel?


----------



## Figment

It is.  And it's your turn (HOORAY!).


----------



## Scheherazade

Okay... this illustrated children's book for people of all sizes is a book about reading a book that turns into a different book by the end of the book.


----------



## NogDog

_Where's My Cow_ by Terry Pratchett (illustrated by Melvyn Grant).

(One of 3 picture books I own, the others being an autographed 2-book set by Roger Zelazny.)

PS: Figured I'd add a link (hardback):


----------



## Scheherazade

That would be it.  I was wondering if I could slip that one past you for at least a couple hints... obviously not   Your turn!


----------



## NogDog

It's a sociological satire. It's a mathematical tutorial. It's _two_ books in one!


----------



## NogDog

Some more trivia/clues before bed time:

This novella's author's middle name is the same as his last name.

The basic description of the story's narrator might lead one to believe this book was written in the 1960's, but it was actually written in the late 19th century.


----------



## NogDog

This morning's clue: this book was mentioned by Carl Sagan in is "Cosmos" TV series, and by Brian Greene in his book The Elegant Universe.


----------



## marianneg

Is it _Flatland_?


----------



## NogDog

marianner said:


> Is it _Flatland_?


Yes it is. Your turn!


----------



## marianneg

NogDog said:


> Yes it is. Your turn!


Hey, I got one! Give me a bit to think of something clever....


----------



## marianneg

This thriller was a Kindle freebie about a year ago.


----------



## marianneg

The author has 11 books available for the Kindle.


----------



## marianneg

It's a medical thriller.


----------



## geoffthomas

The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton?


----------



## Figment

I thought it might by "The Surgeon" by Tess Gerritsen.


----------



## marianneg

Figment said:


> I thought it might by "The Surgeon" by Tess Gerritsen.


We have a winner!


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Whose turn is it??

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## marianneg

It's Figment's turn.


----------



## Scheherazade

Someone wanna kick start this thread again?


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Two families tear up the town, but ultimately tear out two hearts.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Depending on how metaphorical that clue is, it could be _Romeo and Juliet_.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Exactly and now we are back on track. Hoepfully.  

Ed Patterson

Your turn Nog Dog


----------



## NogDog

Doh! I thought it was going to be something more obscure. Now I'll have to think a bit....


----------



## NogDog

This novel is not [yet] available for Kindle.  
This novel could be considered one of a 2-book series, not nearly as well known as this author's most famous series of books.
This novel shares at least two characters with Neil Gaiman's _American Gods_ (which _is_ available for Kindle, but IMO not as good as this book).


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Noprse gGods, eh? Let me think.

Ed P


----------



## NogDog

This book's title was first used by the author in the text of one of the books from his more famous series, and is a sort of paraphrase of a title by Juan de Yepes Alvarez.


----------



## NogDog

One of this book's main characters -- and title character of the preceding book in the "mini-series" -- has a name which, if viewed as a verb followed by an adverb, would seem to be an oxymoron, sort of like "shoot kindly" or "pummel pleasantly."


----------



## NogDog

This may be the only book I've read where a beverage vending machine played a significant role. For that matter, the aforementioned oxymoronic character's refrigerator plays a role, too.

Oh well, enough clues for now. I'll leave you for a longer while now, at least until it gets dark, letting you think about this over your favorite hot beverage until the spirit hits you and you guess this one.


----------



## Susan in VA

_The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul_, by Douglas Adams? Not having read _American Gods_, I'm not sure about the shared characters, but the rest fits...


----------



## NogDog

Susan in VA said:


> _The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul_, by Douglas Adams? Not having read _American Gods_, I'm not sure about the shared characters, but the rest fits...


Yep. Thor and Odin appear in both books.


----------



## Susan in VA

The author's first novel, this one is not exactly high-brow literature... it's an entertaining read though, intelligently written and fun, unless you really _loathe _chick lit. (The novel predates that term by a few decades, though.)

Near the beginning of the book, the main character, an American, goes to live in Paris and is appalled at the lack of food.


----------



## Susan in VA

Her luck doesn't improve quite yet...  her first suitor is convinced she's rich and is only after her money, even though she doesn't have any.

Then she goes back to America, gets an office job, and eventually marries her boss.

(The novel really isn't as banal as all that sounds.)

A mini-series of this story was so successful that an attempt at a weekly series was made, but lacking the charm and chemistry of the actors in the original mini-series, the weekly one fell flat.


----------



## Susan in VA

The book's title is the name of the business which she opens after the (much older) wealthy boss dies.

Two people assisting in the new venture become her closest friends.


Despite much negative criticism for being trivial and escapist, the novel became a runaway bestseller and stayed at the top of the bestseller lists for months.  As a result, a then-record amount was paid as an advance for the author's second novel.


----------



## Andra

Scruples by Judith Kranz?
If I'm right, it will be later today before I can get back into posting range.


_edit to add link - no Kindle version found_


----------



## Susan in VA

That's it!


----------



## Andra

The first books in this cozy mystery series are not available for Kindle, but later ones are.
Stuffed animals are given names and personalities.  The main character has a pink bunny rabbit named Reginald.


----------



## Scheherazade

I haven't actually read these but I recognize the pink rabbit because of a friend.  I guess you'd call it the Aunt Dimity series written by Nancy Atherton.


----------



## Andra

Yup. Your turn.
The first one is _Aunt Dimity's Death._ I think it's still my favorite. Around Book 3 or 4 they start showing up on Kindle.

Please don't ask why I am up at 3:00-ish AM my time. This is very unusual for me. Trying to get back to sleep.


----------



## Scheherazade

People ask why I'm -not- up at 3am   Okay...

This satirical reference book is the product of a weekly column in a small San Franciscan newsletter aimed at local businessmen.  The sinister sounding name comes from the nickname given to the author of the compilation while writing this column.


----------



## Scheherazade

The author of this work is probably best known for his short stories by the general public.  One in particular, a chilling story with a famous twist ending, is fodder for literature classes from high school to college.  Nobody is sure how or why he died.  He just disappeared.


----------



## Scheherazade

Hm... okay, I'll try to give some hints on the time period we're talking here.  The author of this work was sent to Washington to expose the Railroad Financing Bill which would have allowed the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroad companies to not be required to pay back over a million dollars in loans made by the government due to corruption in Congress by members who had stakes in the venture.  They tried to do this without the public ever hearing about it and this author made enough noise that the plot ended up in newspapers the next day.


----------



## Susan in VA

_The Devil's Dictionary_ by Ambrose Bierce?

He's the only one I can think of who just disappeared. But I can't think of what short story of his is used in HS/college lit classes... ??


----------



## Scheherazade

That's the one  And the short story I was thinking of and have read in no less than 4 classes across my academic career is "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge". It's pretty chilling, at least to me, and if you haven't read it you can probably find it online somewhere. It's a quick read. Your turn!


----------



## Susan in VA

How odd, not only have I not read it, I've never even _heard_ of it (despite not only HS and college lit classes but also tutoring kids overseas who were studying American short stories -- whatever I missed


Spoiler



or avoided


 the first time around I had to read then in order to help them through their classes ). Guess I'll have to go read it now...

Give me a few minutes to browse my bookshelves and come up with a new one....


----------



## Susan in VA

This book, not available on Kindle but available as an audiobook, describes in great detail the effects (both physical and on society) of the Black Death.

Many later authors and playwrights stated that they used parts of this book as inspiration for some of their own works; however, most of this book was itself taken from older sources.


----------



## Susan in VA

One more clue, since I'm heading off to bed.

The book contains 101 stories.


----------



## Scheherazade

I should know this one.  Despite -wanting- to focus on ancient studies I've found that I've fallen into being more of a Middle Ages historian, especially as it concerns the plague.  So this sounds like one I want already... is it fictionalized accounts based on primary source material or is it an actual study of the plague?  Actually... it sounds like one I'm so familiar with already that I didn't even consider it to begin with, but there's Kindle versions so I'm confused.  I'll throw it out there anyway...

"The Decameron" by Giovanni Boccaccio?


----------



## Susan in VA

Yes, that's it!  Sorry to confuse with the non-availability for Kindle; I did a search on Amazon and it just said "click here if you want this book on Kindle", so I assumed it wasn't.


----------



## Scheherazade

Hehe, I was about to say... I have this -on- my Kindle as we speak and had trouble picking which version I wanted  Okay hrm... thinking.

Known by most people for events that occur in only a very small portion of its text (and those events are even then only being retold rather than experienced), this tale has much more to it than that. One clue might be that the protagonist put himself into the stew by pulling the wool over someone's eyes, but this would not be _quite_ accurate.


----------



## Scheherazade

Another well known saying that might have originated from an event in this work would be "Stuck between a rock and a hard place."


----------



## Susan in VA

A third clue is your own field of interest.


----------



## Scheherazade

Heh.  Why yes, that would be a third clue.  I'll give a fourth as I celebrate my 1000th post!  While the saying "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts." would be more fitting to a sort of prequel to this tale, the opposite might be true of over one hundred of the characters in this one.


----------



## Aravis60

Hm... I think that I know this one, but I'm not sure and I don't want to guess in case I'm wrong... btw- happy 1000th post, Scheherazade.


----------



## Scheherazade

Thanks!  And there's no shame in guessing wrong.  I've done it more times than I can remember in this thread


----------



## NogDog

Well, an earlier clue made me think of _The Odyssey_, but the latest sounds more like the _The Iliad_, so now I'm just confused. 

PS: Had to post something, just to keep ahead in the post count. 

PPS: Removed "spoiler" tags.


----------



## Scheherazade

Well your first guess was right. The fourth clue hinted at the Iliad being more suited to the phrase for obvious reasons, but the suitors in The Odyssey would be being aware of Greeks taking gifts I guess. It was a little bit of a stretch  Of course Penelope also took gifts from them, so they were sort of bearing gifts... just not really of their own accord. Then there was the sheep skins to get past Polyphemus who had only one eye to pull the wool over and then Scylla and Charybdis.

Anyway, I think three of you guessed it, though Nogdog was the first to put it in text so I suppose it's his turn?









(It's not the cheapest Kindle version but it's arguably one of the best and most accurate translations next to Fitzgerald, if not better. Be warned of odd formatting for the Kindle version though.)


----------



## NogDog

Rather than a specific book, I'll ask you to guess the character, since different publication runs have had this collection of stories under different titles and even different groupings.

This character could be considered to epitomize the satirical t-shirt/bumper-sticker slogan, "Join the Army, visit exotic lands, meet interesting people, and kill them" (_sans_ the "Join the Army" part).


----------



## NogDog

This character is amongst the ultimate in anti-heroes: an addict, a devil-worshiper of sorts, and a killer of hundreds himself while abetting the killing of many times that number; yet the reader will likely find him- or herself on his side.


----------



## NogDog

While this character is conflicted and would never be confused with a traditional "white hat" hero, he's not nearly so bad as another character who is at his side almost all of the time (and is the title character of one of the books).


----------



## geoffthomas

Just for giggles, it isn't fafhrd and the gray mouser, is it?


----------



## NogDog

geoffthomas said:


> Just for giggles, it isn't fafhrd and the gray mouser, is it?


No, but the right genre and published roughly in the same general time frame (within a dozen years or so).

Oh, and this character's other sidekick (not with him as much as the aforementioned one) might well remind the reader of the Gray Mouser.


----------



## NogDog

In several of this character's stories, he meets other incarnations of himself, usually in a situation where they need to work together. The first time he meets one of those incarnations is the _second_ time they've met from the other's perspective.


----------



## NogDog

Deep Purple has an album (and title track) with the same name as this character's evil sidekick, though there seem to be contradictory stories as to whether they (Deep Purple) were aware of this until after the album was released.


----------



## NogDog

No takers yet? That's OK, I've got lots more clues....

The British band Hawkwind had an entire album about this character and his evil "sidekick".


----------



## geoffthomas

You know I almost want to say Elric or one of the other incarnations of the "Champion Eternal" that Michael Moorcock wrote.
But I think that is wrong, right?


----------



## NogDog

geoffthomas said:


> You know I almost want to say Elric or one of the other incarnations of the "Champion Eternal" that Michael Moorcock wrote.
> But I think that is wrong, right?


Yes, Elric of Melniboné, and his *side*kick who *hangs* around with him, the sword (


Spoiler



and demon


) Stormbringer.

Free Kindle book:










PS: Some of the other incarnations of the Eternal Champion: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_Champion#Incarnations_of_the_Eternal_Champion.


----------



## geoffthomas

Yeah.
I once had the entire Moorcock collection.
Loved Count Brass.
But the last of the books when he met himself, etc. (just like Heinlein) got too weird for me.
So I discarded the whole mess.
However I enjoyed them while I was reading them.

And love the concept.

One can read the idea in shorter detail in 3 Hearts and 3 Lions by Poul Anderson.

Just sayin.....


----------



## geoffthomas

Ok, let's have some more fun.
This book's author is a registered member of KindleBoards.
This book is the first of a set of 4 (thus far).


----------



## NogDog

When I first read the Elric saga in the late '70s, it was very captivating in its raw imagery and the uniqueness of its anti-hero at a time when Frodo and Aragorn dominated the field, plus it blurred or even ignored the difference between good and evil (spending more time on the difference between law and chaos). I also enjoyed the "Corum" and "Hawkmoon" series, though they did not have the save visceral impact of Elric. These many years later, however, I do not find them as captivating, either due to my evolution as a reader and/or the evolution of the genre.

Anyway...your turn, Geoff.

PS: Oops, guess you posted while I was typing.


----------



## Tip10

geoffthomas said:


> Ok, let's have some more fun.
> This book's author is a registered member of KindleBoards.
> This book is the first of a set of 4 (thus far).


Al Past -- aka Brassman?


----------



## geoffthomas

The setting for these books (first one's title is what we are looking for) is on this planet.
And in modern times.


----------



## Tip10

OOPS need to learn to read the question better -- perhaps Distant Cousin, by Al Past


----------



## geoffthomas

The main character is an operative for an agency in the first book.


----------



## geoffthomas

The first book's title is the name of a place.


----------



## geoffthomas

The book's title and the place are named after a mythological being.


----------



## Aravis60

Charybdis by KA Thompson (Thumper)?


----------



## geoffthomas

Yes indeed.
I will add the link to this post shortly.

but it is now your turn.


----------



## Aravis60

Yeah! I finally got one.   It's been a while last time I posted a question. Let me think for a second...

Written when the author was in her 20s, this novel was bought by a publishing company but not published. The rights to the novel were eventually sold by the original purchaser to the brother of the author. It was finally published after the author's death.


----------



## Aravis60

Here's another hint:
The heroine of this novel has a fondness for gothic novels that gets her into some trouble.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Sorry, I haven't been here in a while. The novel you are describing was written by one of my mentors, Jane Austen, and is called Northanger Abbey. Am I not correct?

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Edward C. Patterson said:


> ...The novel you are describing was written by one of my mentors, Jane Austen...


Hmmm...are you really, _really_ old, or was this in a past life?


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Most of my mentors are dead, and Austen is the Father of the Modern novel.

Did I get it correct??  

(and yes, I am very very old)

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Most of my mentors are dead, and Austen is the Father of the Modern novel....


I guess I think of a mentor as an active participant in the, well, mentoring process -- not only a good example and inspiration (thus my lame attempt at humor, suggesting you were somehow around when Jane Austen was alive).

Anyway, I'm 95% sure you are correct, for whatever that's worth. I thought I recalled reading something about one of her novels fitting that description while Googling one of the other questions here.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

But I was around then.  

Ed P


----------



## Aravis60

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Sorry, I haven't been here in a while. The novel you are describing was written by one of my mentors, Jane Austen, and is called Northanger Abbey. Am I not correct?
> 
> Edward C. Patterson


You got it, Ed.  Your turn.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

This rags to riched and then back to rags yarn begon with a man auctioning off his wife and child.

Ed Patterson


----------



## jrector

Is it 'The Mayor of Casterbridge' by Hardy?


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Yes it is. I knew when I mentioned the selling of wife and child, it would give it away. It's so nice to know that others read Thomas Hardy. Hardy is a tragic figure in the world of authoring - rejected during his lifetime, he finally stopped penning novels and resorted to poetry (good poetry, that). Little did he now that his works would be standards in HS curricular from the 19030's on. (I I'm not sure if he's still assigned in HS today as I haven't seen the inside of a HS since 1964)

Ed Patterson

YOUR TURN


----------



## jrector

It's been a lot of years since I read that book.  I kept starting it and putting it down then starting it again, which is probably why the beginning was familiar.


Ok, I wasn't prepared for a question of my own, so here's an easy one (I think):


What novel had to be rewritten from scratch after the author burned the first draft of the manuscript.


----------



## geoffthomas

John,
I think you are going to need to give us some more hints.

Just sayin......


----------



## Figment

It might be "The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckel and Mr. Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson.  (I thought, however, that it was pretty well agreed that it was his wife who burned the story.)


----------



## davem2bits

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov


----------



## Scheherazade

<pokes thread> Just making sure it's still alive.


----------



## geoffthomas

I think John Rector needs to come back and indicate if someone has guessed correctly.

Just sayin.....


----------



## jrector

Whoops...  Sorry.

Figment got it right.  

From what I've read, RLS burned the manuscriprt after witnessing his wife's reaction, then had a change of heart and rewrote the book in 3 days.

You're up, Figment


----------



## Figment

This book, one of the best selling non-fiction works of all time, is based on events occurring in the 1980's.


----------



## geoffthomas

1984 by George Orwell?


----------



## Figment

Wow!  1984 is non-fiction?  I never knew.

Anyway that's not the right book.

A second clue:  Two years after its publication, this book was made into a film which was neither critically well received, or particularly popular with its readers...the latter believed to be due to the multiple consolidations (characters and facts) from the book.


----------



## NogDog

Figment said:


> Wow! 1984 is non-fiction? I never knew.
> 
> Anyway that's not the right book.
> 
> A second clue: Two years after its publication, this book was made into a film which was neither critically well received, or particularly popular with its readers...the latter believed to be due to the multiple consolidations (characters and facts) from the book.


_Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil_?


----------



## Figment

NogDog said:


> _Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil_?


BINGO!!! Your turn...


----------



## NogDog

Figment said:


> BINGO!!! Your turn...


OK, just got back from a doctor appt., so it'll be a bit before I get around to the next question....


----------



## NogDog

This story originated as a historical account, but over the many years of it's existence before being committed to the written versions we now have, it became more of a historical novel. Now the title character has been "promoted" to nephew of the Emperor, and the "bad guys" have somehow been converted from being Christians to Muslims.


----------



## NogDog

Perhaps a few of the reasons I like this tale, even if I usually do not go for pre-20th-century writings very much, is that it includes a Charles, lots of trumpets, and olifants.


----------



## NogDog

One of this story's characters shares his name with another deceitful character in Roger Zelazny's first "Amber" series. Both die toward the end of their respective tales, though the one in this story in a much more ignominious manner. (I'm not sure, but I think that's the first time I ever typed "ignominious" in a web forum post.  )


----------



## NogDog

I know, too many clues too fast, but it's my favorite part of participation in this thread.

Anyway, here's a painting which illustrates 8 separate phases of this epic, and probably appears on the cover of more than one printing of its assorted versions and translations:


----------



## Susan in VA

_The Song of Roland_ ?


----------



## Scheherazade

You beat me to it by like two minutes   

Edit: Okay so it was ten minutes.


----------



## NogDog

Yes, my favorite epic poem.

As there are a number of versions/translations available for the Kindle, here's a link to an Amazon search page: The Song of Roland


----------



## Susan in VA

Scheherazade said:


> You beat me to it by like two minutes
> 
> Edit: Okay so it was ten minutes.


Maybe that makes up for the fact that you have the KB name I wanted.  (I joined just to ask a few questions... by the time I figured out that I was staying, and thought about changing my KB name to what it's been on other sites, you had joined and nabbed it! oh well...)


----------



## Susan in VA

ok then....

This lengthy work describes a war and the fates of two branches of a ruling family.  But it is much more than a straightforward account; there are many layers and stories within stories.  

Several Kindle versions exist.  Portions of the tale have also been made into a film.


----------



## Susan in VA

Even though not many people will have read this work in its entirety, the name of one section in particular is much better known.  This section is a conversation in which one participant guides and instructs the other.


----------



## Scheherazade

It's not _The Bhagavad Gita_ is it?


----------



## Susan in VA

That's it! Part of the MUCH longer _Mahabharata_...

(btw the film is fantastic!)


----------



## Scheherazade

You beat me with a second clue that time!  I figured with that added bit it had to be.  Okay, thinking...


----------



## Susan in VA

Scheherazade said:


> You beat me with a second clue that time!


You mean you would have known that from the_ first_ one?


----------



## NogDog

Susan in VA said:


> You mean you would have known that from the_ first_ one?


I came up with the Mahabharata from some googling just on the first clue, but wasn't going to guess it since I would never have guessed it on my own regardless of the number of clues.  (Not that I was _sure_ that was it, but it certainly seemed to fit.)


----------



## Scheherazade

Susan in VA said:


> You mean you would have known that from the_ first_ one?


Heh yeah, I was posting it from the first clue and got the "Another post has been made in this topic!" message. But I wasn't completely sure since it could probably fit other things, hence the question mark at the end. I've studied it several times now, in a Religion course I took, a couple History courses, and just recently (read: last week) in my History of the English Language course so it was on my mind. Okay...

This story has been adapted for stage by another famous literary figure of whose work I adored as a child and still do. I would have used a screen name from his stories instead of "Scheherazade" if I knew it was available when I joined, which apparently it was. Anyway, this isn't about him but about a story, part of which he adapted into a play. It involves a rather rich character with a self destructive obsession which drives his friends to have a sort of intervention to save him from himself.


----------



## Scheherazade

One more hint before bed... When the intervention didn't work they put him under a sort of house arrest... the events of which led to his actual arrest and a sentence of 20 years in prison.


----------



## Figment

NogDog said:


> I came up with the Mahabharata from some googling just on the first clue, but wasn't going to guess it since I would never have guessed it on my own regardless of the number of clues.  (Not that I was _sure_ that was it, but it certainly seemed to fit.)


That's OK, I was thinking the two clues posted applied perfectly well to "The Bible"...


----------



## Scheherazade

Okay, another clue!  The character in the novel in question who was sentenced to 20 years in prison was helped to escape in the guise of a washer woman.  Portions of this book have been made into plays as I mentioned before, movies, cartoons and even amusement rides.


----------



## Archer

Wind in the Willows?


----------



## Scheherazade

Yup, your turn!


----------



## Archer

This five-part 'prequel' was rejected by publishers; the rejection diverted the disappointed author to finish the work for which he is best known. The 'prequel' was finally published after the author's death.


----------



## NogDog

Tolkien's _The Simarillion_


----------



## Archer

Naturally! The one book I would take to prison if I could only take one book.


----------



## NogDog

This novel is also in five parts. It is very unlike the majority of this author's better-known works, and instead of taking place where and when they do, this one takes place in a rural America of the past.


----------



## Scheherazade

You're not talking about _The Fallon_ Series by Robert Jordan are you? I only remember three of those but it sorta fits and I seem to remember something where they were all one book at one point


----------



## NogDog

Scheherazade said:


> You're not talking about _The Fallon_ Series by Robert Jordan are you? I only remember three of those but it sorta fits and I seem to remember something where they were all one book at one point


Nope.

Two of this book's five parts first appeared in _Whispers_ magazine.

The first bit of dialogue in the book is by a cat.


----------



## Susan in VA

Figment said:


> That's OK, I was thinking the two clues posted applied perfectly well to "The Bible"...


Funny you should say that -- that's what I intended to use for my next turn, even had a few clues already thought out, then changed my mind because the previous one reminded me of the one I did choose.


----------



## NogDog

While the author's experiences in Vietnam had an obvious influence on his most famous series of books, this book would appear to me mainly influenced by his degree in history (Phi Beta Kappa). The only thing vaguely military about these stories is the main character's skill with a flintlock rifle, which is often a better answer than his supernatural skills.


----------



## NogDog

OK, it's past midnight here, so now I start the silly clues....

This book does *not* have anything to do with hot dogs that are past their sell-by date.


----------



## NogDog

I knew this was probably too obscure, but I was just curious to find out if anyone besides me had read it. After all, there are only two reviews for it on Amazon, though at least it got a 4-1/2 start rating. It is not available from Amazon in any format, but you can get the e-book for free at http://www.baen.com/library/. Some more Google fodder: some people have compared the book in question to the writings of Manly Wade Wellman. The title character is also known as "...the Cunning Man--the man who claimed the Devil was loose in the world but that he was the Devil's master...."

Off to bed now....


----------



## Scheherazade

It always feels like cheating when it gets made this obvious   and nope, haven't read it.


----------



## NogDog

The author is (apparently) _much_ better known for his series of military sci-fi centered around a character whose first name is Alois; a name which sort of sounds like it would fit right into the backwoods, pre-Civil-War America of this book. If one were inclined to silly punning, one might say that the more famous series' (and first book's) title could be about a bunch of over-actors dancing in a mosh pit. 

PS: If no one guesses soon, I may have to award this to Scheherazade (and apologize for picking such an unknown book).


----------



## NogDog

Final clue:

Not only does the author share his initials with a famous Disney Duck, but his last name is also a duck. In the book in question, however, the duck may be one of the few types of animals found on a farm that does _not_ talk to the title character at some point or other (at least not that I recall, so don't hold me to that).


----------



## Kristan Hoffman

Oh goodness, that's some clue!

Just for fun I Googled Disney ducks. Did you know there's a whole family tree?!

www.geocities.com/disneyducks/tree.jpg

Kristan


----------



## NogDog

kristanhoffman said:


> Oh goodness, that's some clue!
> 
> Just for fun I Googled Disney ducks. Did you know there's a whole family tree?!
> 
> www.geocities.com/disneyducks/tree.jpg
> 
> Kristan


Heh...OK: the _most_ famous Disney duck.


----------



## NogDog

Buzzzzzzzz. Time's up.



*Free download* (Mobi/Palm/Kindle format) from the Baen Free Library

Whoever has a (more well known) book in mind can start a new quiz.


----------



## Scheherazade

Nothing wrong with obscure books, that's part of the fun of the thread.  It actually looks kind of interesting and worth a free download even... in fact, I think I might even have the book rolling around here somewhere, just never read it.


----------



## NogDog

Scheherazade said:


> Nothing wrong with obscure books, that's part of the fun of the thread. It actually looks kind of interesting and worth a free download even... in fact, I think I might even have the book rolling around here somewhere, just never read it.


It's fairly different from anything else of his I've read. It did a decent job of making me feel like I was in that location and time, with stories/characters that were more "homey" feeling than his war stories. In fact, as I think of it, Old Nathan is sort of a male version of Granny Weatherwax (though not quite as humorous).


----------



## geneven

Red said:


> It is available on kindle here is a link:
> http://www.amazon.com/Travels-Charley-Search-America/dp/B001BC6GN6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1247066701&sr=1-3
> $4.70
> He is one of my favorite writers.
> Sorry to but in here, but is it if you answer the question correctly you ask the next question? I just noticed this thread this morning, and it is interesting.


Travels is not a novel, alas.


----------



## geneven

Since I busted a question (The trivia question for Travels with Charlie asked for a novel, and it isn't one), do I get to ask a trivia question?


----------



## geoffthomas

We have no winner for the last one, so sure go ahead and get a new one started, please.


----------



## geneven

I wrote a book that was turned into one of Humphrey Bogart's most famous movies.

The most prominently appearing child in that film was acquitted of murder in 2005.

The Wikipedia article about me lists the main theories about my real identity and then lists six other people I might have been.

The anti-capitalist tone of my books probably indicates that I was a wobbly.

In addition to my identity being in question, my first book is about a sailor who loses his identity papers and is left without a country.

What name is on my books, or failing that, what is the name of the book that was turned into one of my novels that was made into a movie?

"We don't need no stinking badges."


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

That would be B. Traven (Traven Trosvan) - The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. (Robert Blake was the child).

Ed Patterson


----------



## Scheherazade

Are we stuck in neutral again?


----------



## geoffthomas

Ed, I think (actually I am sure) that it is your turn now.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Okay - A doctor with a death wish travels to a colera epidemic in China.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Figment

Somerset Maugham's "The Painted Veil"?


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Absolutely. Unfortunately, not on Kindle yet. 

Your turn.

Ed P


----------



## Figment

In his review of this book, Stephen King, praises the author's bilingualism.


----------



## Figment

The book's narrator is a drop out.


----------



## Figment

Although told from the perspective of one of the book's non-human characters, rather than a "paranormal", one would probably characterize this book as a "noir" in the tradition of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler.


----------



## Figment

While stylistically similar to the works of Hammett and Chandler, this book also has similarities to those written by Brown and Braun.


----------



## Figment

Already an award winning author of adult psychological suspense and young adult mysteries using his real name, this is the first book published using this pen-name.  The author stated that he found the use of humor in the novel "liberating".


----------



## Figment

This is NOT an obscure book.  It actually rose to #7 on the NYT Best Seller List in 2009.  (It was on the list for a total of 7 weeks).


----------



## Figment

The book's principle setting is an unnamed western state...possibly Arizona or California.  There is a part in which the major characters go to Las Vegas.


----------



## NogDog

Sounds interesting from your clues. I can't wait to find out what it is.


----------



## Figment

The narrator's tendency toward easy distractability, particularly by food left on the floor (Cheetos, anyone?) or a squirrel in a bush, can lead to some holes in the reader's knowledge of what could be important information.


----------



## Aravis60

I think I figured it out, but I Googled it with the clues.


----------



## Figment

The narrator has a friend named Iggy and lusts after a b**ch who he knows only as a voice...


----------



## Figment

As Watson was to Sherlock so to is this narrator to his partner.


----------



## Kristan Hoffman

ARGH I SO get the schtick of this (great hints, btw ) and have heard of the book, but I don't know the title!

I need someone to solve it so I can stop this "on the tip of my tongue" feeling.

Kristan


----------



## Figment

The book has been optioned by Universal Studios for a six-figure sum.


----------



## Figment

One of the narrator's favorite past times is to ride shotgun in the Porsche.


----------



## Kristan Hoffman

The Art of Racing in the Rain?


----------



## Figment

Nope...Sorry.  You are, however, on the right track species-wise.

How about this?  Stephen King said the author had invented a new genre...called it "canine noir".

(Or how about:  What is the book that I am, apparently, the only person in the world to have read?  No, that can't be right.  It was a NY Times Best Seller.  Y'all so totally have to read this book; it was WONDERFUL...great fun!)


----------



## Kristan Hoffman

Lol it's okay, it's the only book I could think of that might fit the clues, but I haven't read it so I wasn't sure.

Kristan


----------



## Susan in VA

I just found it through Googling too  --  and downloaded a sample, it looks like such fun.    

(I had never heard of it, though.)


----------



## Scheherazade

Oh!  I think I have a sample of this book downloaded as a "Want to read later." thing.  Is it "Dog on It: A Chet and Bernie Mystery" by Spencer Quinn?  I heard about it on this board and it sounded really fun.  Maybe I'll have to make it next on my list.


----------



## Figment

Hooray!  You got it.  (Just in time, too, because I was running out of clues, and because I have to leave tomorrow for Iowa to attend a Monday hearing).

This is truly a fun book (not the deepest, most intriguing mystery in the world, but FUN)...one which I would recommend to anyone.  (BTW, there is a sequel due in January, I believe.  Spencer Quinn has been contracted to write at least a 5 book series).


----------



## Scheherazade

I'll definitely move it up in my to read queue... hm okay, clues...

This book could be considered to be a techno-thriller, but the "author" does a really good job not making the technology too techie for non-techie folks.  Two brand names feature so prominently throughout the book that people think he is a shill for these companies, but I personally believe it's just a personal love (or could it be hate in one case?) of the products.


----------



## NogDog

_Uncubicled_ by Josh McMains? (I remember that Dr. Pepper played a major role, anyway.)


----------



## Scheherazade

Knew that one was probably too easy. Your turn  And yeah, the Toyotas were the other one I was thinking of, which could possibly be one he disliked since they were


Spoiler



EEEEVIILLL!


 or something. Glad to see you did end up reading it though!


----------



## NogDog

This fantasy trilogy takes place in a realm which has a name that sounds like an oxymoron.


----------



## NogDog

One of the main character's names also sounds like an oxymoron.


----------



## NogDog

Somewhat like Paul Muad'Dib, the main character also has a shorter name that is only known to a few. Somewhat like Harry Potter (many years later), he spends some time attending a wizard's school, though his time in school is comparatively short and only occupies part of one of the books.


----------



## NogDog

In addition to attending a school of magic, the main character is also "imitated" in a way by Harry in that his nemesis inflicts a scar upon his face.


----------



## NogDog

Many years after this trilogy was published, the author returned to its world with two novels and a short story centered mainly on a female character who appeared in the 2nd of the original 3 books.


----------



## NogDog

Each of the 3 books won an award: the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award for the first, the Newbery Honor for the second, and the National Book Award for Children's Books for the third.


----------



## NogDog

The main character becomes one of the few people to ever be a "dragonlord." He explains that a dragonlord is not someone with a mastery of dragons, but one the dragons will speak with rather than eat. At the other end of the spectrum in terms of creature size, he acquires an _otak_ as a familiar, a small furry animal that only lives on a handful of islands in this realm.


----------



## Scheherazade

I've never even heard of this (Google wins again so not posting yet to give folks a chance) but it sounds really interesting.  Boo for it not being on Kindle or I'd have downloaded a sample by now!


----------



## NogDog

Scheherazade said:


> I've never even heard of this (Google wins again so not posting yet to give folks a chance) but it sounds really interesting. Boo for it not being on Kindle or I'd have downloaded a sample by now!


Definitely read this. As far as I'm concerned this wonderful little trilogy is the progenitor of all the currently popular novels about young people learning to become magic-users, while being so much more than most of them. The author is more famous for her "Hainish Cycle" sci-fi novels, a number of which were Hugo and Nebula winners, but these three fantasy novels which take place on islands and at sea of just one world are my favorites of her books I've read.


----------



## NogDog

The Sci-Fi channel created a mini-series adaptation of the first two books. The author had no participation in the development, and to judge by the following quote was not impressed by the result:



> I can only admire Mr [Executive Producer Robert] Halmi's imagination, but I wish he'd left mine alone... I wonder if the people who made the film of The Lord of the Rings had ended it with Frodo putting on the Ring and ruling happily ever after, and then claimed that that was what Tolkien "intended..." Would people think they'd been "very, very honest to the books?"


----------



## NogDog

OK, I know my last one was a bit obscure, but nobody here reads classic fantasy from the late '60s / early '70s?

Bueller? Bueller? Bueller? [That is not a clue.]


----------



## intinst

NogDog said:


> OK, I know my last one was a bit obscure, but nobody here reads classic fantasy from the late '60s / early '70s?
> 
> Bueller? Bueller? Bueller? [That is not a clue.]


It sounds like an interesting read, but I don't know it at all.


----------



## NogDog

Images of the main character's two names:


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Why that's a peregrine Falcon (I have a novel with part of that in the title). Hmmmm.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Scheherazade

Okay fine... _The Earthsea Trilogy_ by Ursula Le Guin. Now I have to think up a book


----------



## NogDog

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Why that's a peregrine Falcon (I have a novel with part of that in the title). Hmmmm.
> 
> Ed Patterson


Actually, it's a European *Sparrowhawk*, and beneath it is a *Ged*. 

Go get 'em, Scheherazade

 (the first in the series)


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Ooops! Now I'll need to change the name of my novel to the Third Sparrowhawkification.    

Ed Patterson


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Uh. . . .no. . . . . you don't. . . .


----------



## Scheherazade

Hmm... okay.  This story of sorts involves a group of women removing access to their husbands' finances in order to fight an unjust system that keeps them from remaining happily married or having any say in what goes on with their lives.


----------



## Scheherazade

When the men start bewailing their own burdens upon the women most of the women hold strong, but many of them begin to fail in their own resolve and make up thinly veiled pretenses to rush home to take care of their husbands.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

I think it's by some ancient Greek guy. . . .but that's all I've got.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Would that be _Lysystrata_ by Euripides??

Ed Patterson

Loved Kaherine Hepburn in it as Hecuba.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

That's what popped into my mind just before I read your post, Ed.  Seriously. . . I know you don't believe, me but, really, it did.     

Now, why I have that bit of trivia still in my brain, I have no idea.  I guess my unconscious self kept thinking after I came up with "some ancient Greek guy" earlier this afternoon.    I'm sure I've not read it since high school and tend to get the various Greek plays mixed up. . .. . .


----------



## Scheherazade

Edward got it... except it's Aristophanes   Your turn.  I tried to not be too obvious or um... lewd ><


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

As Ann said - one of the Greek Guys.

The villain in this book will sell you the object of your dreams for a small fee and a prank.

Ed Patterson


----------



## marianneg

Edward C. Patterson said:


> As Ann said - one of the Greek Guys.
> 
> The villain in this book will sell you the object of your dreams for a small fee and a prank.
> 
> Ed Patterson


_Needful Things_ by Stephen King


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Wow. I forgot we have King fans here. he he    Correct. Your turn, Marianner.

Ed p


----------



## Figment

Marianner  Woo-hoo.....you there


----------



## marianneg

Argh, sorry, everyone, I had class last night and didn't get back over here.

Let's see...This book is unfortunately not available on Kindle.  It's the story of a family that lives through a nuclear apocalypse.


----------



## marianneg

The title of the book is a biblical reference.


----------



## NogDog

_Alas, Babylon_ by Pat Frank?


----------



## marianneg

NogDog said:


> _Alas, Babylon_ by Pat Frank?


You got it!


----------



## NogDog

This post-apocalyptic novel predates _Alas Babylon_ by several years, but in this case the apocalypse is a disease.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Shot in the dark. _The Stand _ by Stephen King.

Ed Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Shot in the dark. _The Stand _ by Stephen King.
> 
> Ed Patterson


Nope...Stephen King was a toddler when this book was first published. It would not surprise me if he'd read it at some point in time before he wrote _The Stand_, as this book was critically quite well received and has been more or less continuously in print since its first publication.


----------



## NogDog

Just as with _Alas, Babylon_, this book's title comes from _The Bible_, in this case from _Ecclesiastes_.


----------



## NogDog

While the following have nothing in particular to do with the novel in question, they _are_ trivia. 

Among other books by this professor of English are a history of Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg, a history of place names in the US, and a novel which was both the inspiration for the song "They Call the Wind Maria" as well as contributing to the now standard practice of naming tropical cyclones.


----------



## Elmore Hammes

After finding it via some googling, I have no idea why I haven't read it before - but I certainly will be doing so now... I will leave the naming to someone who has. FYI, doesn't appear to be available on Kindle yet.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Waiting to hear which this one it. Sould interesting.

Ed Patterson


----------



## NogDog

It is suggested that the main character's name Ish[erwood] and that of his eventual wife Em[ma] are from the Hebrew words for "man" and "mother", and thus are references to Adam and Eve. Additionally, Ish could also be associated with Ishi, believed to be the last member of his native American tribe and who lived at Berkley CA, where the author later was a professor.

Ish was Caucasian while Em was African-American, which would have been quite controversial in the US at the time this was written.


----------



## Geoffrey

_Earth Abides_ by George Stewart. I read that for the first time when I was 13 or so and fell in love immediately.


----------



## NogDog

Geoffrey said:


> _Earth Abides_ by George Stewart. I read that for the first time when I was 13 or so and fell in love immediately.


That's the ticket. Your turn.


----------



## Geoffrey

Hurray!    This novel is set in the early 1880's and ends with Abraham Lincoln joining the Socialist Party.


----------



## Geoffrey

It is a prequel to a trilogy of trilogies that span the period from the beginning of the Great War through the end of World War II.


----------



## NogDog

I don't know the book, but I'm guessing it's by an author whose last name sounds like something from a (long) Christmas carol?


----------



## Geoffrey

heh - .... and a partridge in a pear tree ....  

You got that part, NogDog.  He's considered one of the Masters of alternate history.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Did King Wenceslas write a book?  

Ed Patterson


----------



## NogDog

OK, since I knew the author, I'll only call it half cheating to Google the title:


----------



## Geoffrey

Ta-Da!!!  You Win.  

This and the following 9 novels are a world where the Confederacy allies with France and Germany and the US allies with Germany and Austria-Hungary in WWI .... they are great fun to read.


----------



## NogDog

This short story's title character is mentioned in a number of other stories by its author, but this is the only one in which he makes a significant appearance.


----------



## mwvickers

NogDog said:


> This short story's title character is mentioned in a number of other stories by its author, but this is the only one in which he makes a significant appearance.


I want to say "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil" by Tolkien, but I'm sure that's not right.


----------



## NogDog

mwvickers said:


> I want to say "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil" by Tolkien, but I'm sure that's not right.


Afraid not. The title character in this story is probably the last "person" in the world, perhaps even the universe, you would ever want to meet. (Even Tom Bombadil would probably find an excuse to be somewhere else.  )


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I smell a King character - but my brain is so fried I'm bouncing all over His Universe. I'll wait for the next clue before I go to Atlantis or things Eventual or folliwing the Sun-dog.

Ed Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Edward C. Patterson said:


> I smell a King character - but my brain is so fried I'm bouncing all over His Universe. I'll wait for the next clue before I go to Atlantis or things Eventual or folliwing the Sun-dog.
> 
> Ed Patterson


Nope. (Remember, I don't read King.  ). However, Mr. King has been quoted in regard to this author, "He struck with the most force, and I still think, for all his shortcomings, he is the best writer of horror fiction that America has yet produced."


----------



## Elmore Hammes

Now I know WHO, but not which story - I've read a number of them but don't have that deep a recollection of specifics.


----------



## NogDog

Elmore Hammes said:


> Now I know WHO, but not which story - I've read a number of them but don't have that deep a recollection of specifics.


Probably his best-known story, a role-playing game of the same title was created many years later based on it and the author's many related stories. Mentioned in this and several of those stories is the mysterious grimoire _The Necronomicon_, parodied in Terry Pratchett's "Discworld" series as the _Necrotelecomnicon_ (it allows you to speak with the dead).


----------



## Elmore Hammes

hmmmm, best known? Without searching for my collection, I would guess that would be "Call of Cthulhu"?


----------



## NogDog

Elmore Hammes said:


> hmmmm, best known? Without searching for my collection, I would guess that would be "Call of Cthulhu"?


That would be it. 

This is a link to just one of many H.P. Lovecraft collections available for the Kindle:


----------



## Elmore Hammes

I guess I am up.

In this novel, a baseball proves fatal.


----------



## Aravis60

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving?


----------



## Elmore Hammes

Aravis60 said:


> A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving?


Well, that didn't last long. I didn't get to use my "Main character talks in CAPS" or "Movie 'inspired' was so far off track it was given a different name" clues.

Sadly, not available on Kindle, here's a link to the modern library edition:


----------



## Aravis60

Okay, here's my clue...
In this book, a boy saves money in an old K.C. Baking Powder can to buy his heart's desire.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I love Lovecraft, and haven't red that one - BUT one needs a geiger counter to keep pace with him - sort of a male Virginia Woolf. Very exhilerting and much to admire, and unque in style, with wonderful touch of the archaic.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Scheherazade

It's been like 25 years since I read this for school but it caught something in my brain.  Is it "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls?


----------



## Aravis60

You got it, Scheherazade! Your turn!

Unfortunately, it's also not available on Kindle...


----------



## Scheherazade

Just a quick post to say I'm thinking!  Been a rough day.


----------



## Scheherazade

Okay, kind of playing off Nogdog's earlier clue.  This is a short story that centers around a character that is usually only mentioned in the periphery of the author's other works.  It begins and ends with the same five sentences.


----------



## Scheherazade

The main character of this story buys a horse at an auction and checks out everything, its hooves, its teeth... but he failed to listen to it at the time and thus ended up with a talking horse which is only explained by an offhand comment about a group of people that the reader should be familiar with from the author's other works.


----------



## Scheherazade

This short story's character is presumably at the end of a very long life full of adventure, though he should have presumably been at the end of that very long life for a very long time now, and he has lived to a very old age considering his occupation.  He is on his way to face an adversary that is the title character of the story at a place the makes up the only other word of substance in the title.  His father told him that defeating one of these creatures meant that you could do anything... then kicked him out of the tribe when he was only eleven.


----------



## NogDog

I'm pretty sure I've figured it out, but as I've not read it, I'll wait awhile to see if anyone else gets this (plus delay me having to figure out another book/story to quiz y'all on). The clues led me to the character in question, but I hadn't even realized there was such a short story about him, and apparently a movie may be in the works -- assuming I'm right, of course.


----------



## Scheherazade

Sounds like you might be right... and I was going to be surprised if even you got it (until the character in question became more obvious), so we'll see if someone else does!  I don't want to spoil it now in case you do read it...  Hm, okay.  The story first appeared in a collection of short stories written by various authors to honor one of fantasy's literary greats.


----------



## Scheherazade

Okay another clue... once he gets there and faces the creature, the creature reacts quite differently than one might expect from reading fairy tales.  The short story is in fact a sort of lampooning of fairy tales with a heavy dose of the "back in the good ole days" sort of philosophy that many older folks tend to live by.  The main character certainly fits the bill when it comes to being one of these older folks.


----------



## Scheherazade

I'll have told the whole story here in a minute... the creature turns out to have a family and two kids who he wants to have follow in his footsteps, but his wife hates the old fashioned life he's chosen for them and wants him to be more progressive like her brothers, one of which has set up a toll run by dwarves rather than continue with the older methods we would be familiar with from fairytales.


----------



## Scheherazade

Really sick so going to call Nogdog the winner. Anymore and I'd have the whole story here anyway. It's "The Troll Bridge" by Terry Pratchett and it first appeared in "After the King: Short Stories in Honor of J.R.R. Tolkien" and yes going to be a movie. Good story, but so many others I'd like to see as a movie first.


----------



## NogDog

OK, time's about up, so I'll chip in with my guess: "Troll Bridge" by Terry Pratchett.


----------



## Scheherazade

Your turn.


----------



## NogDog

This story's main character is 2/3 god and 1/3 man.


----------



## Geoffrey

My brain is telling me I know this - but isn't giving up any useful clues.


----------



## NogDog

Geoffrey said:


> My brain is telling me I know this - but isn't giving up any useful clues.


Maybe this will help:

When the gods send a "wild man" to punish our protagonist, he confounds them with a rather interesting solution: he sends a prostitute to "tame" that man. (They just don't write stories like that any more.  )


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

This sound a bit like American Gods by Gaiman, which I finished just recently.

Ed Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Edward C. Patterson said:


> This sound a bit like American Gods by Gaiman, which I finished just recently.
> 
> Ed Patterson


This is a bit older than _American Gods_, though to some degree it might have served as an inspiration for that later work. Then again, it's old enough that it's been claimed by some to have provided inspiration for some of the stories in the Bible.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Well, if it's older than the Bible, it has to be The Gilgamesh Sage.

Ed Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Well, if it's older than the Bible, it has to be The Gilgamesh Sage.
> 
> Ed Patterson


Yep...there aren't many older. 

Link to several versions available for Kindle


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Did I really get it. I haven't read that thing since my minor in Egyptology (and I know, I know, it ain't Egypt, but UR), but that was the curriculum. Is it my turn
BTW, I love the pronunciation of Gilgamesh, which is GIL-ga-mesh, so much so, I named a character in


Spoiler



The Jade Owl, Gilgamesh Muffin, which the Chinese mispronounce . . . Mewfin.



Ed Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Did I really get it. I haven't read that thing since my minor in Egyptology (and I know, I know, it ain't Egypt, but UR), but that was the curriculum. Is it my turn...


Yes, it's your turn.

I read the Gilgamesh epic for the first time a couple years ago purely out of curiosity. It did a good job of reminding me that the people a few thousand year ago, while not having our level of technology still had a level of imagination and creativity no different than ours.


----------



## Scheherazade

It's funny reading ancient texts and seeing how much they are like us too, not just in imagination but in the jokes they use and the situations they put their characters in.  I almost fell out of my chair when one of the characters in "The Frogs" turned to the audience and asked if a doctor was in the house.  It's also kind of sobering to see just how much they enjoyed toilet humor when we tend to think of regal monuments and the like... of course those sparkling white edifices weren't sparkling white either but painted a multitude of garish colors like a clown car.

I know a lot of it may be in the translation, but I also find it fun that they tried to write in different dialects for different people too.  Scholars have taken the equivalents based on stereotypes presented in the works and assigned dialects to certain regions that we would be familiar with.  Like Spartans typically sound Scottish, Boeotians speak in deep southern drawls, there's others but my mind is half gone with delusional flu thingies... it took me forever to even make this coherent


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

A Play. The main story time is neither here nor there as the stars are always the secondary, friction filled love clash.

Ed patterson


----------



## NogDog

I was going to wait for another clue before taking a stab, but since it's almost bed time I'll flip a coin and throw out _Romeo and Juliet_.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Correct author. Wrong play. Another clue. Dante's sweetheart and a poached egg.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Susan in VA

How about _Much Ado About Nothing_?


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Hey Nonny Nonny, Susan's got it right. Perhaps the best comedy in the English language, for a treat, watch the Branagh version (scene moved to Italy and a prolog of naked bucks splashing in the moat) with his ex-wife Thompson as the incomperable Beatrice and Eggs BenedicK. There's also some surprising cast anomolies - Keeanu Reeves as John, Denzel Washington as the Prince and Keaton as Dogberry, which make this a delightful take on Shaespeare's best comedy (I know others will say Twelfth Night has that honor, but . . . close match).



Susan, Your turn.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Susan in VA

You made it easy with that second clue.

OK, this mystery/suspense starts in the first two (very short) chapters with an accident which results in deaths and severe injuries to dozen of people.


----------



## Susan in VA

It turns out that the initial accident was largely due to a man's misplaced confidence in the skills of another.


----------



## Susan in VA

This book was mentioned here on KB within the past week, and one of our members commented favorably upon its technical accuracy.


----------



## Susan in VA

Life is made difficult for a quality assurance investigator by an attempt on her life as well as by "competition" from the sensationalist media.


----------



## Susan in VA

The author's first books were written under a pseudonym because at the time it was seen as a bit frivolous to be penning books when engaged in the field of study that said author was pursuing.


----------



## Susan in VA

Note to self:  Do NOT answer the trivia question unless there is going to be time in the following day or two to spend more time on KB.  

Sorry about the delay, folks.


Over a dozen of this author's novels have been turned into films, several of which were extremely successful.


----------



## Susan in VA

I come back after 48 hours offline to find....  NOTHING??

Another book by this author is coming out in two weeks...  please don't take that long to guess this one!


----------



## geoffthomas

Airframe by Michael Crichton?


----------



## Susan in VA

Thank goodness.  

You're it!


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I thought he was dead. I guess the upcoming book's posthumus.

Ed P


----------



## geoffthomas

I am guessing very few people other than you and I read this book.

A darned good one too.











And yes, Ed the new book is one that was "discovered" after his death.

I entreat all who have not read this book to read it - it was a great story.

And if you like Dan Brown you will get an idea where he must have gotten some of his inspiration from.

Just sayin....


----------



## intinst

geoffthomas said:


> I am guessing very few people other than you and I read this book.
> 
> A darned good one too.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And yes, Ed the new book is one that was "discovered" after his death.
> 
> I entreat all who have not read this book to read it - it was a great story.
> 
> And if you like Dan Brown you will get an idea where he must have gotten some of his inspiration from.
> 
> Just sayin....


You are right it is a darn good book. It is also one of the few that actually gets the way an airplane works right! I started reading it with trepidation, most books and movies are so bad when it comes to aircraft, but this one has it's facts straight AND is a great story!


----------



## geoffthomas

Ok now for the next challenge:

We are looking for the book title and author.
Oh yes, also the author's real name (bonus question).

This was the first of a series of six "juvenile" books.




More hints later unless someone is intuitive........


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Gee I wish I read more juvenile books when I was a juvenile. But I started out on Tolstoy.  

Ed Patterson


----------



## geoffthomas

Well Ed this one is a possibility because it was published originally in 1952.


----------



## Scheherazade

Nevermind, missed the originally published clue


----------



## geoffthomas

The book is famous for the use of the "force blade" which may have inspired the light saber.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Well, I was 5 years old and was still reading Babar the Elephant.  

Ed Patterson


----------



## geoffthomas

The book was to be the basis for a television program which is why the author did not use real name.


----------



## Susan in VA

geoffthomas said:


> I am guessing very few people other than you and I read this book.


Sure looks that way... but that surprised me.


----------



## intinst

Susan in VA said:


> Sure looks that way... but that surprised me.


Hey, I said I had read it.


----------



## Susan in VA

intinst said:


> Hey, I said I had read it.


Yes, and one of the clues even mentioned YOUR comment in another thread, so I thought you must not have been reading this one, else you would have posted!


----------



## geoffthomas

And I am really worried about a world where only Intinst, Susan and I have read Airfram by Chrichton.
It was one of his best, I believe.

Oh yeah I am supposed to give more clues for the current thingy.

The main character's name is in the title of each of the six books.
But only the first has his real name while the other five have his nickname in the title.


----------



## geoffthomas

Ok,
The novel is set in 2100, when humanity has spread among the worlds of the Solar System as well as planets orbiting other stars.


----------



## NogDog

Googling *science fiction "force blade"* found this quite easily. While the author is certainly well-known and I've read several of his books, I'd never heard of this series. If no one else guesses (or wants to "cheat" like I did), I'll answer this later tonight, perhaps?


----------



## geoffthomas

the book was unabashedly based on the Western hero the Lone Ranger.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

NogDog, love the Poppy.

Ed Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Edward C. Patterson said:


> NogDog, love the Poppy.
> 
> Ed Patterson


Thanks...it's a British (and Candadian?) Armistice Day tradition* that I rather like, as it seems to me less political, nationalistic, or specidic to any one religion than any other symbol I can think of to memorialize _everyone_ and _anyone_ who sadly had to lose his or her life due to mankind's inability to get along. It's therefore a tradition I wouldn't mind seeing catch on here in the US.

_______________
* See "In Flanders Fields"

PS: Sorry for hijacking the thread a bit, now back to your regularly scheduled quiz....


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

My Dad used to sell the Poppies (he's a WWII Vet). He's 85 now and a bit shaky on his feet, so he won;t e selling them this year. But he's going to try to make the morning services on a bridge over the South Rive, where the wreath is thrown.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Ann in Arlington

I haven't seen folks selling poppies here. . . . .they were all over the place when we lived in England.  I kept a paper one for the longest time but it eventually became worn out. . . . .


Oh, and, sorry, no clue on what the book is. . . .


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Selling the Poppies is a program for the VFW. very year I've worn one in my lapel.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Hmmm. . . .may have to wander past the post here in Arlington tomorrow. . . . .


----------



## NogDog

_David Starr, Space Ranger_ by Paul French (a.k.a. Isaac Asimov)


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Ann, I just retrieved my poppy (to wear omorrow). It says "Assembled by Disabled Veterans" for Veterans Assistance Programs - Veterans of Foreign Wars. The othe side of the label says "Buddy Poppy."

Ed Patterson


----------



## geoffthomas

Yes indeedy.
And not yet available for Kindle.

The series is really worth a read and especially because of it's place in Asimov and SF history.

Your turn.


----------



## NogDog

This story centers around a regicide.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Hamlet by Willy the Bard.

Ed Patterson

(or Macbeth by Willy the Bard)


----------



## NogDog

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Hamlet by Willy the Bard.
> 
> Ed Patterson
> 
> (or Macbeth by Willy the Bard)


Neither, but this story is strongly influenced by one of those and written by another English "bard." In this case, instead of being written to be performed on stage by actors, the actors and stage are an integral part of this novel.


----------



## Elmore Hammes

I want to guess "Fool" by Christopher Moore (a novel from the perspective of Lear's jester) but he isn't an English bard.

So I won't guess that.


----------



## NogDog

Elmore Hammes said:


> I want to guess "Fool" by Christopher Moore (a novel from the perspective of Lear's jester) but he isn't an English bard.
> 
> So I won't guess that.


No, but a fool plays a major role in this novel, too.


----------



## Figment

I was thinking it might be Terry Pratchett's Lords and Ladies, which has the "bard" (Hwel...or Pratchett, for that matter), the "fool" (Verence...who used to be a fool), and the actors and play.  I can't remember a regicide, however.


----------



## Geoffrey

I think Figment is close but hasn't gone back far enough ... I say it's Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett.


----------



## NogDog

Geoffrey said:


> I think Figment is close but hasn't gone back far enough ... I say it's Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett.


That's the one. Its first spoken words are the same as that of _MacBeth_: "When shall we three meet again?", in both cases spoken by one of three witches.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Aha. I have never read a Pratchett book. He's on my future list.

Ed P


----------



## NogDog

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Aha. I have never read a Pratchett book. He's on my future list.
> 
> Ed P


As a Shakespeare fan, you might find _Wyrd Sisters_ to be an excellent entry into his world.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

That's one thing that has kept me hesitant. Pratchett's world is a Universe - and I know once in, it will knock out my TBR list which current has 235 books, mostly world by my Indie colleague. Whew!


Ed Patterson


----------



## Andra

Edward C. Patterson said:


> That's one thing that has kept me hesitant. Pratchett's world is a Universe - and I know once in, it will knock out my TBR list which current has 235 books, mostly world by my Indie colleague. Whew!
> 
> 
> Ed Patterson


Ed, Pratchett doesn't usually do chapter breaks either. So once you start, his books are hard to put down because there are no good stopping places.


----------



## Scheherazade

Though he does have page breaks, they just don't have chapter headings.  Still, sometimes you can go two paragraphs and get a break or go fifty pages without one.  He just puts in a double carriage return whenever the scene/characters changes... I guess it's like a literary fade/wipe thingy... I don't really know my movie camera terms.  He does have a fun quote about it in an interview he gave though... "life does not happen in regular chapters, nor do movies, and Homer did not write in chapters", adding "I'm blessed if I know what function they serve in books for adults."

Anywho... whose turn is it?


----------



## geoffthomas

I believe that it was Geoffrey that got the correct book.

Now he needs to give us some clues........


----------



## NogDog

I'll throw one out there while were waiting (hopefully pretty easy?)....

The term "urban fantasy" may be more applicable to this series than just about any other. It is available on Kindle, and centers around a protagonist who prefers being called a sorcerer rather than a sorceress, just as many women would prefer to be called an actor rather than an actress.


----------



## Scheherazade

I haven't read it, but it sounds like it might be "Blood Engines" by T.A. Pratt based on the reviews and synopsis I read.  Just a wild stab in the dark.


----------



## NogDog

Scheherazade said:


> I haven't read it, but it sounds like it might be "Blood Engines" by T.A. Pratt based on the reviews and synopsis I read. Just a wild stab in the dark.


You got it. _Blood Engines_ is the first in the "Marla Mason" series by T.A. Pratt.


----------



## Scheherazade

I'll try to get something posted after class!


----------



## davem2bits

I'll jump in because I have no class.

The main character is a bookman.  The author is a bookman.

First book in series and author.


----------



## LaRita

"Booked to Die" by John Dunning?


----------



## davem2bits

You are correct.



Your turn, I think?


----------



## Geoffrey

I fail.  I just came in and realized I left everyone hanging.    

Glad you carried on without me, though.


----------



## LaRita

Ok..........A teenaged girl is mistaken for a boy when she meets her future mentor in the English countryside.


----------



## LaRita

Another clue......The mentor has retired to the country from London where he often assisted law enforcement agents.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Laurie R. King.  Beekeeper's Apprentice


----------



## LaRita

Bingo! Your turn.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Somebody else can go. . . . . .I'm not good at clues. . . . . .


----------



## Geoffrey

oooh ... me me me .... since I messed up last time it was my turn.



This is the story of a 9-year old girl and how her family begins to fall apart when she shows an unexpected spark of brilliance.


----------



## Nathan

Bee Season


----------



## Geoffrey

Hurray for Nathan!











Now your turn to give a harder one than I did.


----------



## Nathan

in this story the protagonist is told, by his prostitute confidante,  to kiss the ground as a sign of penance for the acts he committed against the city


*I hope this story hasn't already been used...52 pages of thread is a LOT to skim through*


----------



## geoffthomas

To check if a book has already been used check the first post.
I occasionally update it, so it is close to being correct.

Just sayin.....


----------



## Nathan

Nathan said:


> in this story the protagonist is told, by his prostitute confidante, to kiss the ground as a sign of penance for the acts he committed against the city


Hint #2: after killing a pawn broker, the protagonist doubles down on his conscience by unexpectedly killing the pawn broker's sister.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky

Ed Patterson


----------



## geoffthomas

That sounds like one that would fit the clues, Ed.
But we will have to see if your are correct.


----------



## Nathan

correct


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Yeah! My turn.

One of the principle characters in this book is over 400 lbs, while another checks her feet every night in the lamplight before going to bed.

Ed Patterson


----------



## LaRita

Hawaii by James Michener


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Ooo. And I had so many cute clues.   Yor're correct - the bigh character being the Hawaiian Ali Nui, and the foot checker (checking for leprosy - in fact found dead with the lamp at her feet) is Wu T'ai's Auntie. One of my favorite epic novels and alas not on the Kindle.

Your turn.

Ed Patterson


----------



## LaRita

Ok, here goes.....

A rags to riches story: a servant girl overcomes adversity and rises to retail magnate.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Sounds like Cookson to me.

ECP


----------



## LaRita

Nope....sorry.

Our heroine is seduced and pregnant at the age of 15.  Her seducer is the son of the squire, her employer.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Wow that still sounds Cookson, but it could be Hardy or even Bronte.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Yeah, my first thought seeing the second clue was Tess of the D'Urberville's. . . .but that "retail magnate" thing in the first clue doesn't exactly fit. . .


----------



## Carol Hanrahan

A Woman of Substance, by Barbara Taylor Bradford?


----------



## LaRita

You've got it, Carol!  Your turn.


----------



## Carol Hanrahan

Yipeee!
Oh jeezzz, now i have to come up with something?  Ok, first I'll go over the list so I don't repeat...


----------



## Carol Hanrahan

Okay, easy peasy..... at least I didn't see it on the list.....

In the opening chapter, Cash is making a box for his mother, just outside her bedroom window.  A very unusual box.


----------



## Figment

William Faulkner:  As I Lay Dying?


----------



## Carol Hanrahan

Yes!  Well done, Figment.  Your turn!


----------



## Figment

As good an explanation as you're likely to find for why it is Jewish people eat Chinese Food for Christmas dinner.


----------



## Figment

It's not, but could have been titled: _The Tale of the Missing Thirty Years_.


----------



## Carol Hanrahan

The Fortune Cookie Chronicles by Jennifer Lee?


----------



## Figment

No...sorry.

How about this:  This book explains how (and where) judo got its name.


----------



## Carol Hanrahan

Jeeezzzz, I'm clueless.  Maybe a Chinese version of The Old Farmer's Almanac....


----------



## Carol Hanrahan

Ok, I'll try again.  Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, by Lisa See.


----------



## Figment

Not it...Sorry.

How about this memorable ditty?

_Oh, I would while away the hours, 
Wanking in the flowers, my heart all full of song, 
I'd be gliding all the lilies as I waved about my willie, 
If I only had a schlong._


----------



## Susan in VA

This book has to be either side-splittingly hilarious or a total piece of trash.      Since you picked it to showcase here I'd guess the former...  so I'm sampling it...  but I'm not posting the answer because I don't have time tonight to start the next round.


----------



## Figment

Susan,

I guarantee you the former.


----------



## Figment

"...I believe that this was the first time that Joshua's little sister Miriam had ever seen a man's privates.  She was only six at the time, but the experience so frightened her that she never married.  The last time anyone heard from her she had cut her hair short, put on men's clothes, and moved to the Greek island of ******...."


----------



## NogDog

Is it _Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal_ by Christopher Moore.


----------



## Figment

You are correct, sir!

(BTW, like the hat!...and a Happy Thanksgiving to you too.)


----------



## NogDog

OK, here's (an easy?) one sort of in honor of Thanksgiving. It is not a novel. Most famous line: "Speak for yourself, John..."


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

*The Courtship of Miles Standish* by Hebry Wadesworth Longfellow.

Ed Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Edward C. Patterson said:


> *The Courtship of Miles Standish* by Hebry Wadesworth Longfellow.
> 
> Ed Patterson


Thou art correct, good sir.











(Just one of many enKindled™ collections.)


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

My turn eh?

Written by a closeted gay authors, this novel remained in the closet until after his death.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Edward C. Patterson said:


> My turn eh?
> 
> Written by a closeted gay authors, this novel remained in the closet until after his death.
> 
> Edward C. Patterson


Any more clues? It sort of rings a bell with me, as I'm thinking I read something about this recently, but as of now they're pretty ambiguous bells.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Yes, the author was a member of the Bloomsbury group.

Ed Patterson


----------



## NogDog

_Maurice_ by E.M. Forster, I believe? (I haven't read it, but it came up in a conversation - or maybe a thread here - fairly recently.)


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Correct, the only E.M Forster book not available on the Kindle. BUT, that's because it was published differently than the rest of his output and the copyright is still ticking. Great film too.

Your turn.

Ed Patterson


----------



## NogDog

The first name of this novel's protagonist is a derivation of a Biblical queen's name, which came from the Persian for "star."

(Is that trivial enough?  )


----------



## Nathan

NogDog said:


> The first name of this novel's protagonist is a derivation of a Biblical queen's name, which came from the Persian for "star."
> 
> (Is that trivial enough?  )


hmmm...could be a bunch

Hadassah?


----------



## The Hooded Claw

NogDog said:


> The first name of this novel's protagonist is a derivation of a Biblical queen's name, which came from the Persian for "star."
> 
> (Is that trivial enough?  )


I'm gonna guess that it is "Esther" by Henry Adams....That comes from googling, I never heard of the novel, though I do vaguely know of Henry Adams.


----------



## NogDog

The Hooded Claw said:


> I'm gonna guess that it is "Esther" by Henry Adams....That comes from googling, I never heard of the novel, though I do vaguely know of Henry Adams.


Nope, but closer than the preceding guess. 

The novel starts with what I'm pretty sure the protagonist would not have recorded in her journal or diary (if she kept one) to be a red letter day.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

NogDog said:


> Nope, but closer than the preceding guess.
> 
> The novel starts with what I'm pretty sure the protagonist would not have recorded in her journal or diary (if she kept one) to be a red letter day.


Okay, The Scarlet Letter and Hester!  Too easy a clue!


----------



## NogDog

The Hooded Claw said:


> Okay, The Scarlet Letter and Hester!  Too easy a clue!


I know, but I couldn't resist. Besides, you did so well on the first clue.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

I'm just barging in here and don't know the rules, but I assume anybody can post a trivia "question".  If I'm outa line, moderators can feel free to do their worst to this post!    


This Revolutionary story was written by a noblewoman whose name might make you think of The Lord of the Rings....


----------



## NogDog

The Hooded Claw said:


> I'm just barging in here and don't know the rules, but I assume anybody can post a trivia "question". If I'm outa line, moderators can feel free to do their worst to this post!
> ...


That's the idea: you answer correctly, you then post the next question(s).


----------



## The Hooded Claw

NogDog said:


> That's the idea: you answer correctly, you then post the next question(s).


Wow, I do the right thing even when I have no idea what I am doing! Cool!

The trivia question remains:

This Revolutionary story was written by a noblewoman whose name might make you think of The Lord of the Rings....


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Too obscure, maybe?  The story is very well-known, and many of us read it in school.  For the LOTR fans out there, Ugluk is an example of the LOTR connection in the author's name.


----------



## kevindorsey

The Hooded Claw said:


> Too obscure, maybe? The story is very well-known, and many of us read it in school. For the LOTR fans out there, Ugluk is an example of the LOTR connection in the author's name.


Sounds familiar,but I will need to think this over...some more time please.


----------



## Sparkplug

Maybe it's time for another clue?


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Sparkplug said:


> Maybe it's time for another clue?


Your wish is my command....










That's the clue!


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Remember that in addition to the image just above (which is a clue to the title of the book), the other clues are:

This Revolutionary story was written by a noblewoman whose name might make you think of The Lord of the Rings....

and

For the LOTR fans out there, Ugluk is an example of the LOTR connection in the author's name.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

The Scarlet Pimpernel. . . .Baroness Orczy

Gotta say. . . .I had a strong suspicion this was it from the first clue. . . .subsequent clues haven't made me think I'm wrong. . . .though I'm not feeling any LoTR vibe. .. .unless it's Orcs/Orczy. . . . .


----------



## telracs

Ann in Arlington said:


> The Scarlet Pimpernel. . . .Baroness Orczy
> 
> Gotta say. . . .I had a strong suspicion this was it from the first clue. . . .subsequent clues haven't made me think I'm wrong. . . .though I'm not feeling any LoTR vibe. .. .unless it's Orcs/Orczy. . . . .


Yes, Ann you're right. And the Orcs/Orczy was Hooded Claws idea, while the Revolutionary story written by a noblewoman was mine.

So, you get to post the next question....


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Ann in Arlington said:


> The Scarlet Pimpernel. . . .Baroness Orczy
> 
> Gotta say. . . .I had a strong suspicion this was it from the first clue. . . .subsequent clues haven't made me think I'm wrong. . . .though I'm not feeling any LoTR vibe. .. .unless it's Orcs/Orczy. . . . .


And Ann in Arlington is the WINNAH!!!!!

Yep, it is Scarlet Pimpernel, and I did have Orcs/Orczy in mind. Ugluk was an Orc Captain (I may not have the title exactly right) in LoTR. And for Evil Overlords, Orcs/Orczy is pretty similar.

So Ann will post the next trivia question.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

scarlet said:


> Yes, Ann you're right. And the Orcs/Orczy was Hooded Claws idea, while the Revolutionary story written by a noblewoman was mine.
> 
> So, you get to post the next question....


And I should give credit to my Evil Henchperson for inspiring this whole trivia question!


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Somebody else can take a turn. . . . .I'm no good at clues. . . . . .


----------



## The Hooded Claw

And the new clue is....

This epic saga has been made into two musicals, each running over three hours.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Nickleas Nickleby by Dickens (but that was 15 hours wasn't it)

Ed Patterson


----------



## Figment

The first thing that came to my mind was _Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes_ by Tony Kushner. It was done as two plays: Millennium Approaches and Perestroika. I think both of them were over 3 hours.

However, I also believe this was original as a play (two plays, actually) rather than being adapted from a novel. (I'm not certain that disqualifies it from this game, but there you have it.)


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Angels of America was an original play. 

Ed P


----------



## Figment

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Angels of America was an original play.


Uh...yeah...as is indicated in the second paragraph above...


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Just certifying the fact, as a card carrying Gay man.   (and a keeper of the angels)

Ed Patterson


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Nickleas Nickleby by Dickens (but that was 15 hours wasn't it)


Interesting, I hadn't heard of this. Wikipedia says it was actually "only" eight hours in stage adaption, and only shows one stage adaption. This isn't the one I have in mind. I hope you can get this one, or you might have to eat turnips!


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Wikipedia's wrong (which is frequently is) - I have the 14 hours of Nicholas Nickleby in a big ass box and on DVD (The Old Vic). It's my favorite Dickens work, although not his best - because it is a cross-section of the author at his best and foreshadows much of the rest of his output.

Ed Patterson


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Wikipedia's wrong (which is frequently is) - I have the 14 hours of Nicholas Nickleby in a big ass box and on DVD (The Old Vic). It's my favorite Dickens work, although not his best - because it is a cross-section of the author at his best and foreshadows much of the rest of his output.


WHAT!!!! An encyclopedia that brags that anyone can edit it, and with no significant screening of contributors having incorrect information in it? I'm shocked, shocked I say!!

I like Wikipedia for looking up non-controversial topics I'm merely curious about, but this justifies the idea of never depending on it for anything important. The original clue is still out there, waiting to be answered.


----------



## angelad

OH wow, I really suck at literary trivia. Only could answer a few questions on the last few pages


----------



## telracs

Please note that the clue says "musical" not play.  Nicholas Nickelby was not a musical, it was a play, and it was actually one play broken into multiple parts, not multiple adaptations as this clue is for.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Well, it wasn't a musical, but it had several songs and even one sung finale.

I am the guardian of the Elijah Wood Wikipedia pages (all 36 of them).  

Ed P


----------



## The Hooded Claw

If you're hungry again for more clues, here is the original:

This epic saga has been made into two musicals, each running over three hours.


Despite the discussion of Nicholas Nickleby, Dickens and the English have nothing to do with this novel, which was written in the US in the 20th Century.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

The Hooded Claw said:


> If you're hungry again for more clues, here is the original:
> 
> This epic saga has been made into two musicals, each running over three hours.
> 
> Despite the discussion of Nicholas Nickleby, Dickens and the English have nothing to do with this novel, which was written in the US in the 20th Century.


I should add that the rather long original novel is available on Kindle for only $7.19! Margaret would be proud, I'm sure.


----------



## Andra

Gone With the Wind?

If I'm right, I'll have to start a new one in the morning.


----------



## telracs

Andra said:


> Gone With the Wind?
> 
> If I'm right, I'll have to start a new one in the morning.


*DING, DING*

Yes, Andra, you are correct. Looking forward to your clue tomorrow!


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Andra said:


> Gone With the Wind?
> 
> If I'm right, I'll have to start a new one in the morning.


Andra is Da Man! Errr, Da Woman! No doubt she was paying attention to the other hints in some of my comments today. Way to go Andra!


----------



## Andra

Andra just had a blinding flash that turned out to be correct...

This author's main character is a blacksmith.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Andra said:


> Andra just had a blinding flash that turned out to be correct...
> 
> This author's main character is a blacksmith.


Mark Twain--A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court?


----------



## The Hooded Claw

(If I'm right, I'm probably being tacky right now....Oh well, that never stopped me before!)


----------



## Andra

The Hooded Claw said:


> Mark Twain--A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court?


Sorry, that's not it.


----------



## Andra

This author won a Lefty Award and an Agatha Award.


----------



## Nathan

Murder with Peacocks


----------



## Andra

Nathan said:


> Murder with Peacocks


OK, I'm being nitpicky  author name please?


----------



## Nathan

Donna Andrews


----------



## Andra

Yup. Donna Andrews won a Lefty and an Agatha for _*Murder with Peacocks*_ - unfortunately not available for Kindle, but I think it's still the funniest murder mystery I've every read. I still bust out laughing every time I read it.


She does have have three more recent titles available for Kindle and the first two are just over $5 each.


























Nathan, it's your turn.


----------



## Nathan

In this modern story, two Americans with opposing worldviews affect devastating change on the jungle inhabitants


----------



## telracs

Nathan,

You might want to wait a day between clues to give people a chance to see if they can get it just from the first one.  Some folks don't get on to the board until late night.


----------



## Nathan

scarlet said:


> Nathan,
> 
> You might want to wait a day between clues to give people a chance to see if they can get it just from the first one. Some folks don't get on to the board until late night.


gotcha


----------



## Nathan

Nathan said:


> In this modern story, two Americans with opposing worldviews affect devastating change on the jungle inhabitants


In the film adaptation of this story, Kathy Bates did everyone a favor by keeping her clothes *ON*...(About Schmidt still makes me shudder)


----------



## The Hooded Claw

At Play in the Fields of the Lord, by Peter Matthiessen


----------



## Nathan

The Hooded Claw said:


> At Play in the Fields of the Lord, by Peter Matthiessen


that would be correct


----------



## The Hooded Claw

New Clue:

This novel might never have been written if a volcano hadn't ruined the author's holiday.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

The Last Days of Pompeii by Pliny 

Ed Patterson


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Edward C. Patterson said:


> The Last Days of Pompeii by Pliny


LMAO!!!! (in a morbid way)

A volcano certainly ruined Pliny's day, didn't it?  But that's not correct.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

And he WAS on vacation.  

Ed P


----------



## The Hooded Claw

The Hooded Claw said:


> New Clue:
> 
> This novel might never have been written if a volcano hadn't ruined the author's holiday.


Above is the current clue. The author was only 21 years old when this book was first published.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

The Hooded Claw said:


> This novel might never have been written if a volcano hadn't ruined the author's holiday.
> 
> Above is the current clue. The author was only 21 years old when this book was first published.


The book is extremely well-known, other authors have come up with their own versions, and it has been made into movies and other forms. I'm confident nearly every ten year-old in the Western world has at least a rudimentary knowledge of the book. Though very few people, adults or children, have actually read the original.


----------



## angelad

I'm still empty for answers


----------



## The Hooded Claw

The author was a young English woman.  She was on vacation in Switzerland when the original draft of the book was written.  The latest scientific developments (of that time) were a core part of the story.


----------



## Chad Winters

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein?


----------



## telracs

Chad Winters (#102) said:


> Mary Shelley's Frankenstein?


I don't think Hooded Claw will be upset if I say, YES, YOU'RE RIGHT!

so, Chad, post the next challenge.


----------



## Chad Winters

Oh Crap!!


----------



## The Hooded Claw

That's correct Chad!

I received a PM with the correct answer, but I'm going to assume that since it was sent in a PM, she doesn't want to "play" here. So you are Da Man.

The background:

Mary Wollstonecroft Godwin, and her lover Percy Shelley, were visiting their friend, Lord Byron in the Summer of 1816. Because the eruption of Mount Tambora the previous year had disrupted the climate in the Northern Hemisphere, things were cold, wet and dark, and the outdoor frolicking they'd expected to do wasn't much fun. After enjoying telling each other ghost stories, Lord Byron suggested they have a contest to write the best supernatural story. Mary wrote her book Frankenstein, incorporating the latest scientific researches of Galvani (he was using electricity from a primitive battery to stimulate the leg muscles of dead frogs). She originally envisioned a short story, but with help and encouragement from Shelley and Byron, it was published as a novel in 1818.

So Chad gets to pose the next question!

Added later....Eventually Percy made Mary an honest woman <hee hee> and she is mostly known to the world today as Mary Shelley.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

scarlet said:


> I don't think Hooded Claw will be upset if I say, YES, YOU'RE RIGHT!
> 
> so, Chad, post the next challenge.


And yep, it was Scarlet who PM'd me the correct answer. But Chad is Da Man!


----------



## telracs

Chad Winters (#102) said:


> Oh Crap!!


Is that an exclamation or a clue?

Oh, and just in case anyone cares, it was me who PM'd Claw with the answer, but I'm going to be away for the next few days and don't want to hang you guys up.


----------



## Chad Winters

a dark book written by a female author, in her spare time, while she worked as a reporter for the The Sunday Times of London under Ian Fleming


----------



## The Hooded Claw

No nibbles, maybe you should try another clue?


----------



## Sparkplug

Chad Winters (#102) said:


> a dark book written by a female author, in her spare time, while she worked as a reporter for the The Sunday Times of London under Ian Fleming


The Dark is Rising?


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

How is that book. It it kiddie or is it good. Ihave the three of them on the Kindle and wonder whether to start them

Ed Patterson


----------



## Chad Winters

Sparkplug is right!!

It's YA, but it was my favorite when I was 9-10. I think they are very good. Several in the series won the Newberry Award way back. The Dark is Rising is the best of the bunch I think and should be read first even though its technically the second in the series. The first book is distantly connected and only interesting when you are already hooked. Kinda like the first Narnia book. I liked this series much better than Lewis' at the time also.

The movie "The Seeker" was ridiculous, it was a terrible rendition of the book and worse than that it was a terrible movie. Don't judge it by the movie, please!


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Thanks Chad.

Ed

PS: Although a great admrer of CS Lewis, I can't abode Narnia.


----------



## Chad Winters

They aren't really similar, except the most popular book is the 2nd in the series. (most people never read the Magician's Nephew, or whatever that first Lewis book was called. I think the first Dark book was "Under Sea, Under Stone"?) I just mean the Dark is Rising is a better introduction to the series. 

There's not much allegory in Cooper's book, just the Light vs the Dark (Good vs Evil, Law vs Chaos). Much closer to a kinder, gentler Moorcock (way, way gentler!!)


----------



## Sparkplug

This episodic novella features a boy, a pony and a pack of buzzards.


----------



## Nathan

"The Gift" by Steinbeck


----------



## Sparkplug

Nathan said:


> "The Gift" by Steinbeck


Close -- That's the name of the first chapter of the novella....


----------



## Nathan

The Red Pony


----------



## geoffthomas

I am going to sneak in here and offer my opinion.
I think the answer: The Red Pony is the correct one, right Sparkplug?











In which case it is Nathan's turn to pose a question.


----------



## kevindorsey

Red pony is correct then?


----------



## Sparkplug

Red Pony is correct.


----------



## Nathan

oops...sorry for the delay

In this gritty novel, a kid learns the violent methods used to tame the southwest.


----------



## Nathan

one of the main characters considers himself Judge, jury, and executioner in dealing with the Apache and his own posse of cohorts


----------



## The Hooded Claw

The Searchers, by Alan LeMay?  (guessing)


----------



## Nathan

The Hooded Claw said:


> The Searchers, by Alan LeMay? (guessing)


nope


----------



## Nathan

Clue #3, this author's writings usually walk down The Road of exploring the nature of violence


----------



## davem2bits

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy



Not available on Kindle.


----------



## Nathan

davem2bits said:


> Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
> 
> 
> Not available on Kindle.


Correct, thank you! 

You're up


----------



## davem2bits

This novel tells the story of a boy growing up in a sod igloo on the Alaska Tundra with his father, brother and sister.


----------



## davem2bits

The author won the Milkweed National Fiction Prize for this novel


----------



## Liam

Hi --

Ordinary Wolves, Seth Kantner



(No Kindle version available)


----------



## davem2bits

That is correct.


You  are up.


----------



## Liam

Woo-hoo  

This classic novel from Eastern European literature explores over four centuries of Balkan history, with a manmade object as the anchor to all of the stories that are told in the work.


----------



## Liam

Clue #2 (this is a pretty big clue):

The manmade object referred to in clue #1 is a bridge.


----------



## Liam

Clue #3: The Bosnian author of this novel was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.


----------



## Liam

Clue #4:

The Bridge referred to in clue #2 spans the Drina river.


----------



## angelad

davem2bits said:


> The author won the Milkweed National Fiction Prize for this novel


I coudln't help myself, but I chuckled when I read that. Milkweed?


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Liam. . . . .I figured it out using the Googly. . . . . . .never actually heard of the work before. . . . .do you want me to say?  Only, I don't like giving clues. . . .but you're obviously good at stumping people, so maybe you could go again?


----------



## Liam

Thanks, Ann, I'll take your advice and try another . . . (it looks like you Googled "Bridge Drina" to come up with the answer, The Bridge on the Drina by Ivo Andric  You are correct!)



(No Kindle version)

Okay, let me try again with a new book:

The author of this highly acclaimed novel was born in Spain in 1963 to Canadian parents and grew up in Costa Rica, France, Mexico, and Montreal, Canada, where he currently lives.


----------



## Elmore Hammes

Hey, finally one I have not only heard of but read!

If I am correct, then a very interesting read which I recommend:


----------



## Liam

You are correct  

It's to you.


----------



## Elmore Hammes

Okay... here's the first clue:

This novel is written as a series of letters.


----------



## geoffthomas

The Screwtape letters by C.S. Lewis?


----------



## Elmore Hammes

Good guess but that isn't it.


----------



## Liam

Persian Letters (Lettres Persanes) -- Montesquieu?


----------



## davem2bits

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrow


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Liam said:


> Thanks, Ann, I'll take your advice and try another . . . (it looks like you Googled "Bridge Drina" to come up with the answer, The Bridge on the Drina by Ivo Andric  You are correct!)


Actually, I googled Bosnian + Nobel Prize for Literature. . . .got to the same place!


----------



## Elmore Hammes

It is neither Persian Letters (Lettres Persanes) -- Montesquieu nor The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrow, although I just read the Potato Peel Society Book so I expected someone to guess that (and it is a wonderful book).

The particular book I am thinking of was published a little under a hundred years ago.


----------



## NogDog

_Daddy-Long-Legs_ by Jean Webster?


----------



## Elmore Hammes

NogDog said:


> _Daddy-Long-Legs_ by Jean Webster?


NogDog is correct:










An amusing tale which was also a movie starring Fred Astaire.

You are up, NogDog.


----------



## NogDog

This is probably a bit obscure, but I gave up trying to find anything else that was available for Kindle.

This novel by a pair of sci-fi writers has the same title and general plot as another, much older literary work of the same name.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I've heard of the Guernsy book. An author friend of mine, Libby Cone wrote a book called _War In the Margins _ that takes place in Guernsey and she told me about it. Didn't read it. (Her book, yes).

Ed Patterson


----------



## The Hooded Claw

NogDog said:


> This is probably a bit obscure, but I gave up trying to find anything else that was available for Kindle.
> 
> This novel by a pair of sci-fi writers has the same title and general plot as another, much older literary work of the same name.


Easy one!

Inferno, by Niven and Pournelle


----------



## NogDog

The Hooded Claw said:


> Easy one!
> 
> Inferno, by Niven and Pournelle


I suppose it's pretty easy if you've read it. I was hoping to get the Benito Mussolini clue in, which I figured would be the give-away to anyone who'd read it.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

NogDog said:


> I suppose it's pretty easy if you've read it. I was hoping to get the Benito Mussolini clue in, which I figured would be the give-away to anyone who'd read it.


I read it waaaaayyyyy back. Haven't got around to reading the sequel yet. I guess in addition to all the valuable prizes I win, and the fact that supermodels will now speak to me because I've won this, I get to figure out a new clue....Hmmmm.....


----------



## The Hooded Claw

New novel, here's the clue:

This 1950s novel is a satire on the negative effects of "progress".  Even the hero's last name can be used to represent change.


----------



## davem2bits

Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut


----------



## The Hooded Claw

davem2bits said:


> Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut


Whoops, I'd been intending to post another clue tonight and had completely forgotten! But clearly I didn't need to. Davem2bits is correct! The hero's name was Paul Proteus.


----------



## davem2bits

In this novel it is discovered that the reason for the existence of human civilization is to get a spare part to a stranded space traveller.


----------



## Scheherazade

The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut?  I haven't read it, but it's one of the sci-fi books I have on my list to read.  It's not a genre I am usually much into, but this sounded fun.


----------



## davem2bits

You are right.


----------



## Scheherazade

Okay... time to go back a bit and shake things up.  This fifteen volume series is part cookbook, part red shoe diaries and everything else in between.  Written as a history, it is more a work of fiction, yet it has taught us a lot about an ancient culture regardless of it being fictitious in its use of events and dialogue.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

don't know what that is scher, but it sounds intriguing. . . . .


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Plutarch's Lives?  Shooting in dark here....


----------



## Scheherazade

Nope, I'll give another clue.  The name of it is very literal, but it is definitely one of those SAT words you won't hear very often in every day conversation.  Three of the books have been lost to us, but thanks to some Medieval scribes we do have summaries of them still available.


----------



## Scheherazade

One more clue before I go to bed... Plutarch was actually a guest of the event that is being related by the "historian" author, so your shot in the dark wasn't too far off the mark Hooded Claw.  The entire work is composed mostly of conversations between dozens of different people over dinner, though some of these conversations are so lengthy that one might wonder if they hadn't moved through dinner on to breakfast, then lunch, and dinner again several times over the span of just one topic.


----------



## Scheherazade

And another clue upon waking up... Within the enormity of this work, you will find the oldest recipe ever written (that we have found anyway) that we can attribute to an actual author.  Some of the characters in the work are definitely people who we might recognize, but there are some small details that don't match up with their actual lives and the book is presumed to have been written after their deaths.  While this does not bode well as a biography of any sorts for these folks, there is still plenty of truth in what these men are talking about around the table and that is what makes it an exciting piece of historic literature.  He even goes so far as to make citations of a sort for some of his facts.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Petronius' The Satyricon??

Ed Patterson


----------



## Scheherazade

Newp, ya'll are on the right track though.  It was written around 3rd century AD in Rome by a Greek grammarian who was born in Egypt.  Like I mentioned in the first clue with the red shoe diaries thing... an entire book is dedicated to conversations about the men's wives... well, for a couple pages anyway.  After that the bulk of it is about prostitutes and their ilk.  So not only do you get recipes, but you also get humorous anecdotes about hetaerae and flute girls.

Though interestingly, prostitutes had more rights than women who were destined to be wives and mothers at the time and several of them held quite a lot of political power.  In fact, a man would rather been seen at a function as detailed in this work with a hetaera on his arm than his own wife.  Wives weren't even allowed to attend.  Another fun fact, women were expected to hide themselves when men brought guests home, but having a hetaera was fine.  The less his wife was seen, the more power and prestige her husband wielded.  It was shameful for a man's wife to even go out shopping for vegetables.


----------



## angelad

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Petronius' The Satyricon??
> 
> Ed Patterson


Very good guesses,I woudl say.


----------



## Scheherazade

Hm, I thought I at least threw out plenty of Google fodder.  Lessee...  The author was likely named for the patron goddess of Athens.  This collection of books is also one of our biggest sources for literature at the time, making mention of many plays and playwrights who are now lost to us.  The root word of the six syllable title of the collection is defined as the following: "a person who is an adept conversationalist at table."  And the origin of this word is actually from the title of this work.


----------



## NogDog

Scheherazade said:


> Hm, I thought I at least threw out plenty of Google fodder....


Some days I don't feel like cheating.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

I used Google for this the first time or two that I "played", but am trying to do it fair and square now--This is the "Literary Trivia Challenge", not the "Google Searching Skill Challenge" after all!


----------



## Malweth

The Hooded Claw said:


> I used Google for this the first time or two that I "played", but am trying to do it fair and square now--This is the "Literary Trivia Challenge", not the "Google Searching Skill Challenge" after all!


Ha... yes, one of these I would win. The other I don't stand a chance at.
I've been monitoring this game since I found the board, and haven't had a chance at it yet!


----------



## Susan in VA

This one is driving me nuts.  I thought I knew it twice, and then the next clue contradicted something.  Aaaack!


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Susan in VA said:


> This one is driving me nuts. I thought I knew it twice, and then the next clue contradicted something. Aaaack!


Me too! I decided to disqualify myself and use Google. I did find it, and I'd never heard of the word, the book, or the author! Scheherazade, your knowledge of Roman culture is impressive. I have a sneakin' hunch that you've stumped the chumps here. If you aren't familiar with David Drake, you might want to ogle some of his books. His books are often sent in this culture and period, or the Byzantine period, and he has an extensive knowledge of the era that you might like.

My suggestion is that Scheherazade be honored as a chump-stumper, and that she ask us another question. I'm willing to bet that if anyone doesn't recognize this book with the clues she's given, I don't think they're going to recognize it.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

My thought was Boccaccio's Decameraon. . . . . .but I admit to not having read the clues very closely. . .and might have missed a couple.


----------



## Susan in VA

^^^ We had that one earlier already.  My first thought was Plato's Symposium, but that doesn't fit either.


----------



## geoffthomas

Scheherazade you have stumped all of us.

Please put us out of our misery and tell us - and start a new book.....please?


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

My thinking was Epicurius, but now I'm just plain "curious."  

Ed Patterson


----------



## Scheherazade

Answer to the last clues:  I just realized that the answer to my previous one got cut into the other thread, so anyone reading this years down the road may not make the connection.  It was The Deipnosophistae by Athenaeus of Naucratis.

New Clue: This book gives us a rather fascinating look at a world full of espionage, counterfeiting, gun-running and piracy through the eyes of a group of five life long friends who banded together against a common enemy.


----------



## Scheherazade

Reposting my clue and another in case it got lost 

This book gives us a rather fascinating look at a world full of espionage, counterfeiting, gun-running and piracy through the eyes of a group of five life long friends who banded together against a common enemy.

The ring operated in New York and was named after the codename given to one of the members who infiltrated the enemy by working as a store owner in New York City.  He also wrote for the newspaper which meant people came to him with very valuable information which he could then turn over to the people with which his true loyalties laid.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

I split out the discussion on Scheherezade's Stumper to a thread of it's own:

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,17665.0.html


----------



## geoffthomas

Thank you Ann.
It is incredible how the mods manage to tidy up behind up with such a delicate touch.
That line of posts did indeed deserve its own thread.
Just another example of why I like it here.

Just sayin.......


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Thanks Geoff! If it had been just a post or two I might not have bothered, but it was definitely taking on a life of it's own  . . .which is not a bad thing at all!

Now. . .back to the current clues:



Scheherazade said:


> This book gives us a rather fascinating look at a world full of espionage, counterfeiting, gun-running and piracy through the eyes of a group of five life long friends who banded together against a common enemy.
> 
> The ring operated in New York and was named after the codename given to one of the members who infiltrated the enemy by working as a store owner in New York City. He also wrote for the newspaper which meant people came to him with very valuable information which he could then turn over to the people with which his true loyalties laid.


----------



## Scheherazade

Yes, by the time I figured it needed its own post it was already to the point where it was winding down.  Thanks for that!  And a third clue...

This book is an actual history of the events which the author was careful to present just the facts but still kept it fast-paced and compelling.  It's set during a war which it can be said was won in no small thanks to the efforts of the five men in this spy ring.


----------



## Scheherazade

I thought I was doing something easier!  I know I've seen people talking about it around here.  Okay, next big clue.  This spy ring was most prolific between 1778 and 1781 but they did continue operations for a few more years beyond that.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Since it was won by the side of the people in the spy ring, I guess you aren't talking about Benedict Arnold and Major Andre!


----------



## Scheherazade

Okay one more clue and then I'm tempted to just reveal it so someone else can give this a go.  I've dominated the thread for long enough.  It was during the Revolutionary War, in New York, the spy ring worked for George Washington and was named after Robert Townsend's codename... or perhaps his codename was more named after the spy ring since his was a Jr.


----------



## Tip10

That would be the Culper Ring but I still don't know the book....


----------



## Scheherazade

Okay someone else's turn


----------



## Ann in Arlington

I actually thought of that book. . . . .but I thought it was non-fiction and we were doing fiction so I didn't bother to post. . . .anyway, I didn't know who wrote it.  Guess maybe I'll check it out.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

I'm gonna leap into the void here.....Because I have another book that takes place in New York City in mind.

This book has been compared to "The Monkey Wrench Gang" as a story of how little guys can take on and defeat big guys.  When a group known as The Big Three plans to dominate New York City, they are opposed by a group of independent small business people.  Among the heroes in this story are General Anna and Harry the Hot Dog.  Unlike Scheherazade's book, this is purely fiction.


----------



## Andra

The Pushcart War by Jean Merrill...


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Correct! Too bad we'll miss the clue about the 'Large Object Theory of History'!   The book was written for kids about age 12, but still a lot of fun for adults.  Over to you Andra!


----------



## Andra

Why do I only know the answers when I am going to be away from my computer for a while??
(I'll be offline again until later this evening.)
Here is your first clue:  The main character in this mystery series is a former lawyer.


----------



## kevindorsey

This thing would be more fun if points were awarded for right guesses, that way we know who is the King of Trivia.


----------



## Susan in VA

There are plenty of other forums with a more competitive spirit.  I think it's fun that we all try to guess, but nobody here takes it too seriously if they don't know the answer or guess completely wrong.


----------



## davem2bits

V. I. Warshawski


----------



## Andra

davem2bits said:


> V. I. Warshawski


Nope.

Clue #2
The main character's best friend is a new-age-type person.


----------



## geoffthomas

Counting correct guesses might be fun, though.
No prizes or anything.
I will attempt to go back and make an unscientific count.
Soon.
Kinda.


----------



## Andra

Clue #3:  The author is a Texas resident.  By some strange coincidence, the setting for the books is also Texas.


----------



## kevindorsey

geoffthomas said:


> Counting correct guesses might be fun, though.
> No prizes or anything.
> I will attempt to go back and make an unscientific count.
> Soon.
> Kinda.


Dunke very much, I had fun in mind, more than anything.


----------



## Andra

Clue #4:  The main character owns an herb shop.


----------



## davem2bits

China Bayles series by Susan Wittig Albert


----------



## Andra

I figured that would push it over the edge - you are correct.  Her earlier books are not available on Kindle, but starting with the third book, they are available.  She has a new book coming out in April.


----------



## davem2bits

This novel tells the story of a librarian hired to determine what is missing from the unoccupied compartment of a cabinet and then to try and locate the item.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

I read that. . . . . . .

Is it Preston/Child _The Cabinet of Curiosities_?

But there's another one too, that I read. . . . . . . . . .


----------



## davem2bits

Sorry, not the one.

Clue # 2

The hero's marriage to an author/creator of pop-up books is not going well.


----------



## davem2bits

Clue # 3

The missing item turns out to be an elaborate timepiece.


----------



## Figment

Allen Kurzweil's _ The Grand Complication _?


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Yes!  That's the other one I was trying to think of. . . . . . .


----------



## davem2bits

That's right, you are up, Figment.


----------



## Figment

A novel, which started as a series of practical jokes on a devout friend, the components were reworked by its author, one of the leaders of the Enlightenment, over the next 25 years, and was first published in its present form two years after his death.

(And I think that qualifies as three clues in one...)


----------



## Figment

Possessing Encyclopedic knowledge, the author chose to employ an epistolary format, and placed his prefatory remarks at the end of the novel.

(Another three clues in a single sentence...)


----------



## Figment

Surprisingly, given its subject matter, the book itself was never placed on the list of banned reading material.  The film version released in 1965, however (an adaptation which most felt was surprisingly true to the original material), became the first film ever banned by its government for showing both domestically and abroad.


----------



## loca

This has peaked my curiosity..


----------



## Figment

As is stated above, the series of letters forming the basis of this novel started as a practical joke by the author.  When it became apparent the situation was spinning out of control, the jokester/sender terminated the correspondence by the simple means of killing off his protagonist.


----------



## Elmore Hammes

Since this has been going on a couple days, I don't feel bad resorting to internet searches to discover...
La Religieuse (The Nun), an 18th century French novel, by Denis Diderot.











From what I have unearthed, it meets the clues. But since I haven't read it, I will wait for confirmation!


----------



## Figment

You are correct, and it is your turn to start a new book.


----------



## Elmore Hammes

Okay, the first couple books I thought of have already been done... I believe this one has not.

This book is set in the future. It is not the author's most famous book.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

A guess. Erewon by Samuel Butler.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Elmore Hammes

That's not the one I am thinking of.

This novel was out of print for over a hundred years. Of the main characters, one is based the author's deceased husband, one on an associate and one on herself.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

The Last Man by Mary Shelley?


----------



## Elmore Hammes

The Hooded Claw said:


> The Last Man by Mary Shelley?


And we have a winner (there are several Kindle editions of this public domain work - this is one of the free ones):


----------



## The Hooded Claw

This author was born in Luxembourg.  He's not primarily known for novels, but did write three novels.  The title of one of his novels advised the reader that this was "one to foresee".  Who was the author and novel?


----------



## NogDog

That has to be...


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Wow Nog, I thought you might know this one, but that was fast!

Yep, Hugo Gernsback (born in Luxembourg, but adult life in USA)  is often known as The Father of Science Fiction.  His greatest accomplishments were as an editor and publisher of pulp science fiction magazines, but he also did some writing.  As you have shown us.  I read about the title years ago and have always thought it was clever.  I've not read the book, but I understand it is considered a ponderous bore by most modern readers!   

Even so, science fiction's Hugo award is named after him.

Go for it Nog!


----------



## The Hooded Claw

NogDog said:


> That has to be...


Hey Scarlet, you were urging me to read a romance....If I read it, would this count?


----------



## Susan in VA

Elmore Hammes said:


> Since this has been going on a couple days, I don't feel bad resorting to internet searches to discover...
> La Religieuse (The Nun), an 18th century French novel, by Denis Diderot.


Hmmmm.... for some reason this isn't giving me an option to sample. I've never seen that with a Kindle book. Is there some glitch with this book at Amazon, or is this common and just unknown to me?


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Susan in VA said:


> Hmmmm.... for some reason this isn't giving me an option to sample. I've never seen that with a Kindle book. Is there some glitch with this book at Amazon, or is this common and just unknown to me?


Well, if you are a dummy, we are both dummies....I don't see an option to sample either. And I see a $15.99 price, yowee!


----------



## NogDog

This collection of stories (of which I'm sure almost everyone here knows at least two) was written under a pseudonym which also appears in the book's title.


----------



## NogDog

The Hooded Claw said:


> Well, if you are a dummy, we are both dummies....I don't see an option to sample either. And I see a $15.99 price, yowee!


I believe when an author/publisher submits an ebook to the Amazon system, they have to specify if a sample is to be made available (and also how long the sample is, too).


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Sketches by Boz by Charles Dickens.

Ed Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Sketches by Boz by Charles Dickens.
> 
> Ed Patterson


Excellent guess, but he must have stolen the idea from been inspired by the one I'm thinking of. (Actually, I have no idea if he was aware of this book from an author in another nation.)


----------



## geoffthomas

The Hooded Claw said:


> Wow Nog, I thought you might know this one, but that was fast!
> 
> Yep, Hugo Gernsback (born in Luxembourg, but adult life in USA) is often known as The Father of Science Fiction. His greatest accomplishments were as an editor and publisher of pulp science fiction magazines, but he also did some writing. As you have shown us. I read about the title years ago and have always thought it was clever. I've not read the book, but I understand it is considered a ponderous bore by most modern readers!
> 
> Even so, science fiction's Hugo award is named after him.
> 
> Go for it Nog!


It is a short book, so it is not to arduous to read it - does not take long.
And no, it does not have today's level of excitement, sex, lively banter, etc.
But what it does have is an incredible amount of fairly accurate predictions of the future for a book from 1920.

Just sayin.......


----------



## NogDog

NogDog said:


> This collection of stories (of which I'm sure almost everyone here knows at least two) was written under a pseudonym which also appears in the book's title.





Edward C. Patterson said:


> Sketches by Boz by Charles Dickens.
> 
> Ed Patterson





NogDog said:


> Excellent guess, but he must have stolen the idea from been inspired by the one I'm thinking of. (Actually, I have no idea if he was aware of this book from an author in another nation.)


Upon further review, as this book was written while the author was in England, plus my research indicates that Dickens was an acquaintance and admirer of this author, I would not be surprised at all if Dickens' _Sketches..._ were inspired to some degree by the book in question.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

How about _The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon's _ by Washington Irving.

I know the 2 stories also - _The Ledgend of Sleepy Hollow_ and _Rip Van Winkle_.

Ed Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Edward C. Patterson said:


> How about _The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon's _ by Washington Irving.
> 
> I know the 2 stories also - _The Ledgend of Sleepy Hollow_ and _Rip Van Winkle_.
> 
> Ed Patterson


Winner!









(Just one of many Kindle versions)


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

A lesser known Edwardian novel by oneof the period's mainstays, it tells of an artist whose going blind.

Ed Patterson


----------



## kevindorsey

NogDog said:


> Winner!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (Just one of many Kindle versions)


that guy looks like PUshkin.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

geoffthomas said:


> It is a short book, so it is not to arduous to read it - does not take long.
> And no, it does not have today's level of excitement, sex, lively banter, etc.
> But what it does have is an incredible amount of fairly accurate predictions of the future for a book from 1920.
> 
> Just sayin.......


If you've read it and I haven't, you're clearly more qualified to pass judgement on it....I may have to get that sucker on my Kindle and read away!


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Next clue: The work takes plae (in part) in the Sudan.

Ed Patterson


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Edwardian gentleman to sweet young lady:  "Tell me darling, do you like Kipling?"


Sweet young lady:  "I don't know, you naughty boy!  I've never Kipled!"



The Light That Failed by Kipling


----------



## telracs

The Hooded Claw said:


> Hey Scarlet, you were urging me to read a romance....If I read it, would this count?


No.


----------



## R. M. Reed

The Ring of the Niebelung?
If I'm spelling that right, and if operas can called musicals.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

The Claw got it. _*The Light That Failed * _ by Rudyard Kipling - the soapy book about the prostitute and the near-sighted, eye-damaged artist, who gets her to perform for his masterpiece, and then she (not liking the results - some peole are so picky) defaces it. But he's blind and no one wants to tell him about it (except the model, who does so with delight). Then it's off on a horse charge in the Sudan - blind as a bat and dead a doornail. But the book has survived the theatrical ending and a performace by Ida Lupino in one of the 2 film versions. (Give me Kim and Captains Courageous, Specer tracy be saved).

Your next Hooded Claw.

Ed Patterson


----------



## R. M. Reed

I answered a question about a saga that was made into two three-hour musicals. What happened to that question?

Later: This is weird, I can't find it with the search function. It was at the end of this thread a few hours ago, I swear.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

R. Reed said:


> I answered a question about a saga that was made into two three-hour musicals. What happened to that question?


That was my question (actually with behind the scenes help from Scarlet). The answer I was looking for was Gone With the Wind. Doing a quick search, it looks like this is in the vicinity of reply #1347 of this topic, on page 54. I responded to your guess of "Nicholas Nickleby" in reply 1352 (also slipping in a mention of turnips in an attempt to give a clue on GWTW).


----------



## The Hooded Claw

This English author wrote four novels about his best-known character.  Although the character was also English, two of the four novels feature extensive "flashback" scenes that take place in the United States.  So...

1)  What is the name of the author?

2)  What is the name of the character?

3)  What are the names of the two novels that had American flashbacks?


----------



## R. M. Reed

The Hooded Claw said:


> That was my question (actually with behind the scenes help from Scarlet). The answer I was looking for was Gone With the Wind. Doing a quick search, it looks like this is in the vicinity of reply #1347 of this topic, on page 54. I responded to your guess of "Nicholas Nickleby" in reply 1352 (also slipping in a mention of turnips in an attempt to give a clue on GWTW).


Thanks HC, but it was E. Patterson who guessed Nick Nickleby. When I looked at this thread earlier today that was the last question. I don't know why the later pages weren't there at that time.

And...I wasn't aware that GWTW was ever made into a musical. What a horrible thought.


----------



## R. M. Reed

The Hooded Claw said:


> This English author wrote four novels about his best-known character. Although the character was also English, two of the four novels feature extensive "flashback" scenes that take place in the United States. So...
> 
> 1) What is the name of the author?
> 
> 2) What is the name of the character?
> 
> 3) What are the names of the two novels that had American flashbacks?


Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes, and one of them was the first, A Study in Scarlet.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

R. Reed said:


> Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes, and one of them was the first, A Study in Scarlet.


I'll buy that even without the other novel (it would be easy enough to look up!). The other novel was "The Valley of Fear". Both had extended segments in the US.

Good job, it didn't occur to me that anybody would actually figure it out from that initial clue, I thought it was too vague! Maybe my unwitting mention of Scarlet as my accomplice helped--That wasn't intended as clue! 

R. Reed has the floor...


----------



## R. M. Reed

I don't think I have read "The Valley of Fear." I enjoy Holmes, but the sameness of the stories gets to me after a while and I stop. I should get out my complete collection paperbacks and start in the middle this time.

Let's see...

A high school student wins a chance for adventure when he enters a jingle writing contest for a soap company.

This is the book, borrowed from the school library when I was in third grade, that made me a life long reader of this type of fiction. Looking at its entry in Wikipedia just now, I realized there is a lot more to it than I remembered. I should read it again.


----------



## Elmore Hammes

I believe this is (many editions of this, but no Kindle, I just picked one of them to link to):



One of my favorite authors, and one of my favorite stories by him. While I like his more adult-oriented books, I think his best was when he wrote for the teenage market.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I haven't read Heinlein. I have his books in my TBR stack as "before I die," reads.  

Ed Patterson


----------



## R. M. Reed

Correct, Elmore. You're on.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Way to go, Elmore. Have mercy on us.  

Miss Chatty


----------



## Elmore Hammes

Ed, my entries tend to get guessed fairly quickly, so I don't think I need to show any extra mercy.

This satiric novel has a case of mistaken identity that initiates the plot. 

Since that probably applies to thousands of books, I will add the additional clue that I do not believe any of this author's books have been featured on this thread. 

Oh, see, a bonus clue within the bonus clue - this is not the author's only book! How's that for mercy?


----------



## Figment

Mark Twain's _ The Prince and the Pauper _?


----------



## Elmore Hammes

Figment said:


> Mark Twain's _ The Prince and the Pauper _?


Sorry, that isn't the one I am thinking of, but nice try.


----------



## Elmore Hammes

The primary settings for the novel are England and a fictional country.


----------



## geoffthomas

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court?


----------



## Figment

Evelyn Waugh's _ Scoop _? (Probably not, but I think it fits your clues.)


----------



## Elmore Hammes

Figment said:


> Evelyn Waugh's _ Scoop _? (Probably not, but I think it fits your clues.)


It fits the clues because you are right! Waugh is near the top of my list of literary classics that are very readable and accessible to modern readers. No Kindle version for this one, here's the paperback:


You are up, Figment.


----------



## Figment

The first novel by this British born author set a pattern he was to follow in the five books which followed.


----------



## Figment

This novel spans a period of approximately 10,000 years.  It is the longest of the author's novels, but only by 5 pages.


----------



## kevindorsey

Figment said:


> This novel spans a period of approximately 10,000 years. It is the longest of the author's novels, but only by 5 pages.


gotta be harry potter?


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Nah. . . .10,000 years. . . .something by Michener. . . .I'm guessing _Hawaii_


----------



## NogDog

Nah...I'm pretty sure it's _Sarum_ by Edward Rutherfurd.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Oh, yeah. . . . .he's another one that starts his novels at the beginning of time.


----------



## Figment

You are correct, NogDog.  Your turn, sir.


----------



## NogDog

OK, off into the obscure corners of my (not available for Kindle) book collection, as Figment's last offering made me think of a novel which spans a much greater amount of time than does _Sarum_ -- in a way.


----------



## NogDog

This novel has what must be one of the most unusual literary romantic pairings: a dragon and a tyrannosaurus.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Shot in the dark, Dinosaur Beach by Keith Laumer?  I don't remember it well enough....


----------



## NogDog

The Hooded Claw said:


> Shot in the dark, Dinosaur Beach by Keith Laumer? I don't remember it well enough....


I'd never seen that one, but it's an interesting guess. However, the dinosaur in this novel is actually a minor, if entertaining, "character." Another unusual supporting character is a combat robot which (who?) has taken up pottery.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Thrnton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth  ?

Ed Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Thrnton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth ?
> 
> Ed Patterson


Nope...this was published almost 4 decades after that.

A few years ago, a collection of short stories by this author was published under a title which was the text on the road sign on the cover of this book.


----------



## NogDog

This novel answers the Zen question, "What is the sound of one hand clapping?"

(It's a butterfly.)


----------



## telracs

NogDog said:


> This novel answers the Zen question, "What is the sound of one hand clapping?"
> 
> (It's a butterfly.)


Roger Zelazny's "Roadmarks" (which I usually call "Last Exit to Bablyon" which is actually the name of the short story collection NogDog mentioned).


----------



## NogDog

scarlet said:


> Roger Zelazny's "Roadmarks" (which I usually call "Last Exit to Bablyon" which is actually the name of the short story collection NogDog mentioned).


w00t!

Sorry for choosing a book that besides not being enKindled™ is not currently even in print. It's Figment's fault for reminding me of it and making me dig it out of a box so I could start re-reading it.  (Besides, Zelazny is my all-time favorite author, so it's hard for me to miss any chance to promote him. I just wish his estate -- or whoever owns his copyrights now -- would get on the e-book bandwagon soon.)


(Wikipedia link -- there are several used versions available at Amazon.com if you can't find it in your library.)


----------



## telracs

I will post a new question later... As soon as I figure out something good....


----------



## telracs

Okay... between November of last year and March of this year, you can catch a) a cable TV, b) a big screen and c) a musical version of this classic.


----------



## boydm

scarlet said:


> Okay... between November of last year and March of this year, you can catch a) a cable TV, b) a big screen and c) a musical version of this classic.


Alice in Wonderland?


----------



## geoffthomas

Hey Literary Trivia thread posters - it is Scheherezade's  birthday today.

Happy Birthday.

Ok, Now resume the merriment.


----------



## telracs

boydm said:


> Alice in Wonderland?


we have a winner!


----------



## boydm

Guess I have to think of one now. Let me noodle on it.


----------



## boydm

This thriller novel co-authored by a number one NY Times bestselling author was originally released in 1980 without his name on the cover.


----------



## NogDog

boydm said:


> This thriller novel co-authored by a number one NY Times bestselling author was originally released in 1980 without his name on the cover.


I was thinking of guessing Clancy's _Red Storm Rising_ (with Larry Bond), but that was published in '86.


----------



## boydm

NogDog said:


> I was thinking of guessing Clancy's _Red Storm Rising_ (with Larry Bond), but that was published in '86.


Nope. The novel I'm thinking of was re-released with the bestselling co-author's name on it in 1998.


----------



## Andra

The Regulators?


----------



## boydm

King is a good guess, but it's not him.

Much of this novel's action takes place on an airplane.


----------



## boydm

boydm said:


> To summarize and add another clue:
> 
> This thriller novel co-authored by a number one NY Times bestselling author was originally released in 1980 without his name on the cover.
> 
> The novel I'm thinking of was re-released with the bestselling co-author's name on it in 1998.
> 
> Much of this novel's action takes place on an airplane.
> 
> The bestselling co-author of this novel was born in Jamaica.


----------



## kevindorsey

Snakes on the Plane.....



edit:  image removed per forum guidelines. . . . you may repost a link. . .


----------



## cheerio

Might want to sensor that pic


----------



## loca

boydm said:


> King is a good guess, but it's not him.
> 
> Much of this novel's action takes place on an airplane.


This is a best selling novel?


----------



## Ann in Arlington

If you read through the thread you'll see that the answers are frequently somewhat obscure. . . . .at least to some of us. . . .I supposed it's not obscure to the person presenting the trivia.


----------



## NogDog

I'll throw in a clue. (I figured it out via Google, but since I've never read it, I thought I'd give someone else a chance, hopefully preventing me from having to think of another book.  )

*SOS*​


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

It's about Creamed Chip beef on Toast  

Ed Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Edward C. Patterson said:


> It's about Creamed Chip beef on Toast
> 
> Ed Patterson


Only if eating it while Morris dancing after a good Walpurgisnacht celebration the night before.


----------



## boydm

loca said:


> This is a best selling novel?


I don't know if it was a bestseller, but I'm assuming it was because the co-author was huge by the time it was re-released.

Nogdog's clue is apt.

This novel's bestselling co-author currently lives on Long Island.


----------



## NogDog

Time's up.

_Mayday_ by Thomas Block and Nelson DeMille.


----------



## boydm

NogDog said:


> Time's up.
> 
> _Mayday_ by Thomas Block and Nelson DeMille.


Correct! Maybe this novel is a little too obscure. It's a great read though, and it was a bestseller. My misdirection may have thrown people off. DeMille was born in Jamaica, Queens.


----------



## NogDog

In this award-winning Sci-Fi novel (and later an animated movie), set in the future (when written) 1990's, has a protagonist who goes by three different names.


----------



## NogDog

NogDog said:


> In this award-winning Sci-Fi novel (and later an animated movie), set in the future (when written) 1990's, has a protagonist who goes by three different names.


The novel is considered to be highly autobiographical, particularly in its dealing with the world of drug abuse.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Phillip K. Dick's Valis Trilogy ? or perhaps 

Ed Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Phillip K. Dick's Valis Trilogy ? or perhaps
> 
> Ed Patterson


Oooh...close! You've got the right author. To the best of my knowledge this was a stand-alone novel. The drug around which it centers was called "Substance D" and was derived from a small, blue-flowered plant.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

must admit I never read this one, but since i got as far as the author, I'll give the title - A Scanner Drkly. My favorite Dick is Do Andorid Dream about Electric Sheep.

Ed Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Your turn, Ed.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

One of this SciFi's authors most popular works during his lifetime, this two part series novel has fallen into disfavor because of an under-current of anti-semetism.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I guess _oui_ need _une peu _ meat on these clues. The protagonist is a legionaire, who discovers that his world has shrunk. Most of the first novel take place on board a ship that assembles an unlikely crew of characters.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I guess it's time for another clue. When I read this book back in the '50's, I wish I had read it in an English translation. I also read this author's non SciFi Russian coureir book. This duo-part novel, however, caught my attention, especially the parts when they sail to an Arctic-like coastline.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Correct author - _oui, oui _ - wrong novel. Another hint, since this work has fallen out of favor, although not in my book - it takes place, in part, on Gallia.

Ed Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Same here: I initially figured it was either H.G.Wells or Verne, then narrowed it down to Verne with the French clue; but after googling/wiki-ing and finding the book, it's one I'd never heard of -- but then I've not actually read much Verne, mostly I've just seen the movie adaptations.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Well, this novel is classified as one of Verne's "Space" novels, the other one being "From the Earth to the Moon - All Around the Moon." BTW I love Michael Strogoff. Whe somebody comes up with the correct title(s), I highly recommend a read.

Ed Patterson


----------



## The Hooded Claw

I've figured out the correct book (with some help from my evil henchperson and a LOT of help from Google).  I'd run across the title a few weeks ago when I researched Verne before reading Robur the Conqueror, but had never heard of it beforehand.  I may try reading it now, myself.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Everybody seems to have tripped across the title, but nobody seems to have read the book, so no one wants to take the next turn. So here's the last clue.

Although generally titled after the protagonist, this book was marketed under a title of which the following is an anagram:

FACET OF MOON

Ed Patterson


----------



## kevindorsey

It doesn't make it nearly as much fun when you google/wiki for this challenge.  But even if I do, I'm still not very good at finding the title.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

However, if we wait for a reader of this book, other than me . . . to come along and put this question out of its misery, I fear we shall wait until 2012.

Ed Patterson


----------



## NogDog

_Off on a Comet_ (or _Hector Servadoc_) by Jules Verne.

Assuming that is correct, if anyone is raring to go with a quiz on some book, be my guest. Otherwise I'll be back in a few hours with one.

(Good clues, Ed, but for whatever reasons, Verne has never really caught my interest, so I think I've only read one or two of his books.)


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I'm glad I could stump people (not google or Wikipedia, 'togh). Yes. The whole title is

Hector Servadac

Book I: Off on a Comet
Book II: To the Sun

And it's a wild book and was one of his best sellers. But unlike 20,000 leagues, From the Earth to the Moon, Arounnd the World in Eighty Days and fabulous Journey to the Center of the Earth, thisone like joined the fifty or so novels we never hear about. Glad however it made the translation cut and is available once again in the Mobilerefernece Library.

Your turn NogDog.

Ed Patterson


----------



## NogDog

This novel is about 3 youngish, skilled swordsmen who meet, form a friendship, and are soon joined by another, similar new friend. Together they become involved in royal intrigues, duels, chases, and other excitement.


----------



## Malweth

If it's not Dumas' _The Three Musketeers_ it could also be _Romance of the Three Kingdoms_.

Sorry for having two guesses... the clue seemed to fit both books.


----------



## NogDog

Malweth said:


> If it's not Dumas' _The Three Musketeers_ it could also be _Romance of the Three Kingdoms_.
> 
> Sorry for having two guesses... the clue seemed to fit both books.


<evil laugh> You fell into my trap. It is neither of those, but the author has referred to this book as a conscious rip-off of one of them.


----------



## NogDog

Going to throw in one more clue now, as I think I'll be hitting the hay early (for me, anyway).

The author's latest novel includes some "deleted scenes" at the end. This one is a parody of the subject book's style, which in itself is a parody/homage of the author he's "ripping off".



> "I have something to tell you."
> "How, you have something to tell me?"
> "You have understood me exactly."
> "Well, I am listening."
> "Listening? Then, you wish me to tell you?"
> "Yes, that is it. I am listening, and therefore I wish you to tell me."
> "Shall I tell you now?"
> "No."


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Their Majesties' Bucketeers by L. Neil Smith?

I read it looooong ago and no longer have my copy so I don't honestly know if this is right or not.  It's certainly an obscure book if correct!


----------



## Susan in VA

Catching up on this thread and wanted to say that _Mayday_ had been my pick for if I ever won a turn again... read it probably 25 years ago and couldn't put it down.... one of those read-until-4-a.m. books.


----------



## NogDog

The Hooded Claw said:


> Their Majesties' Bucketeers by L. Neil Smith?
> 
> I read it looooong ago and no longer have my copy so I don't honestly know if this is right or not. It's certainly an obscure book if correct!


No, but I like that title. 

The four main characters in this book are again featured in the sequel. The fact that the sequel takes place several hundred years after the first -- just as they're entering the primes of their lives -- should give you some idea that "we're not in Kansas any more."


----------



## NogDog

The author presents himself as the English translator of this book, originally (and fictionally) authored by Paarfi of Roundwood.


----------



## NogDog

If you haven't guessed this yet, then I'm pretty sure you've not read it, so I declare open season on Googling this one. 

This book and the rest of this series -- which are inspired by and somewhat mirror Dumas' "d'Artagnan Romances" series of books -- go a long way to show how the world reached its current state in what is probably the author's better known series, which centers on a human who is much more like us than the "humans" in the book in question (except that he's a witch.)


----------



## NogDog

kinbr said:


> OK - then my Wikipedia answer is: The Phoenix Guards by Steven Brust


You're turn.

 (Firt book of the "Khaavren Romances" -- not available for Kindle, unfortunately)


----------



## davem2bits

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey


----------



## davem2bits

Cancer Ward by Solzhenitsyn


----------



## davem2bits

In this historical novel, the main character, a former Vice President of the US tells his life story to a young journalist.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Burr, by Gore Vidal (never read it, but a hopefully shrewd guess).


----------



## davem2bits

That's the one.


----------



## loca

The Hooded Claw said:


> Burr, by Gore Vidal (never read it, but a hopefully shrewd guess).


wow, you are fast.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

loca said:


> wow, you are fast.


I happened to log in late at night after my usual bedtime--Insomnia pays! Now I have to think of a question. Back in a moment....


----------



## The Hooded Claw

This Pulitzer Prize winning novel opens with a description of the movements of a spy, yet most of the characters who dominated in rest of the novel despised spies.


----------



## davem2bits

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara


----------



## The Hooded Claw

davem2bits said:


> The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara


Wow, that was it!!!

Killer Angels isn't available on Kindle, though the related novel, Gods and Generals, by the son of Michael Shaara is available.

You're up, sir....


----------



## davem2bits

This novel tells the story of five young people growing up across America and then meeting in New York City in the 1960s.


----------



## davem2bits

The author is better known for his screen plays and his children's story and thrillers that he adapted for the screen.


----------



## davem2bits

The five are Branch, Walt, Rudy, Aaron, and Jenny.


----------



## davem2bits

Robert Redford and Paul Newman starred in one of the movies where the author won an Academy Award for his screenplay.  Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman starred in his other Academy Award winning screenplay.  Peter Falk played his alter ego in the screen version of the childrens story.


----------



## Elmore Hammes

Since this is the third day on this book, I don't mind revealing the answer I got via the web.

Doesn't appear to be available on Kindle, here's the print version:


I loved his "The Princess Bride", but haven't actually read this one.

I will wait for confirmation before posting a new book clue.


----------



## davem2bits

You are correct.

The movies are:

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
All the President's Men
The Princess Bride


----------



## Elmore Hammes

This novel's illustrations are equally important to following the story.


----------



## NogDog

Elmore Hammes said:


> This novel's illustrations are equally important to following the story.


I highly doubt this is it, but I couldn't resist: _Breakfast of Champions_ by Vonnegut.


----------



## Elmore Hammes

NogDog said:


> I highly doubt this is it, but I couldn't resist: _Breakfast of Champions_ by Vonnegut.


That's not the one I'm thinking of


----------



## Malweth

_Goodnight Moon_?


----------



## Elmore Hammes

Malweth said:


> _Goodnight Moon_?


No, this novel is considerably longer.


----------



## Scheherazade

Long novel with important pictures... I'll guess The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño.


----------



## Elmore Hammes

Scheherazade said:


> Long novel with important pictures... I'll guess The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño.


That isn't the one. This novel is aimed at a younger audience, although not as young as the Goodnight, Moon guess.


----------



## Andra

Where's My Cow? by Terry Pratchett


----------



## Elmore Hammes

Andra said:


> Where's My Cow? by Terry Pratchett


Nope. This novel is a bit different, in that it is almost split between text pages and illustrated pages, with the storyline actually continuing from a text page to a picture page - so the story won't make sense if you aren't closely following both. The illustrated pages in general don't have captions, but tell their part of the story solely through the pictures. In printed form, it is over 500 pages.


----------



## Thalia the Muse

That has to be The Invention of Hugo Cabret.


----------



## Elmore Hammes

Thalia the Muse said:


> That has to be The Invention of Hugo Cabret.


Winner! No Kindle edition (it would certainly be a challenge given the use of illustrations), so here's the hardcover:


It is a very interesting read from both the text and the illustrations, young adult audience but I enjoyed it myself.

Thalia the Muse, your turn.


----------



## crazyguy510

A man falls off a steamboat and swims to a mysterious nearby Island named "Ship-Trap Island." He is later forced into playing a game where he is hunted by a General.

I don't hear of many people who had read this book. We'll see who guesses it!


----------



## geoffthomas

I remembered the plot but could not remember any names, nor the title nor the author.
So I will not answer this because I had to look it up.
But I am sure that others could answer if they were to scratch their heads real hard.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

I read it, and watched the old movie from 1935 or  so awhile back , but I'll let someone else grab this one. Typing on cell phone, forgive typos!


----------



## Figment

Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game" comes to mind, but that's a short story...not a book, so I'm out.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Figment said:


> Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game" comes to mind, but that's a short story...not a book, so I'm out.


That's what I was thinking of....I hadn't thought about the short story issue.

I wouldn't assume that the people asking the questions ALWAYS follow the exact original rules, though!


----------



## Susan in VA

I wonder whether there's also a full-length book with the same plot. Because the clue also mentioned that probably not many people had read it... and that short story is required reading in _many_ high school English classes. So is there another version?


----------



## Ann in Arlington

I am in agreement with Susan et al. . . . ."The Most Dangerous Game" is a standard short story in many US curricula. I do seem to recall, however, a longer length work with a similar conceit. . . .maybe. . ._The Island of Dr. Moreau_?


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

The only ShipTrap Island tht I can recall is in th short story "The Most Dangerous Game." 

Ed Patterson


----------



## geoffthomas

While we wait for crazyguy510 to come and tell us,
I would point out: 
The Most Dangerous Game is a first person narrative novel by English author Gavin Lyall, first published in 1964. The plot of the novel is _*totally different*_ from the Richard Connell short story The Most Dangerous Game.
And there is no ShipTrap Island in the novel.

And yeah The Island of Dr. Moreau comes the closest from a different author.

The short story was apparently adapted for films more than once, made for TV things and anthologized a lot.

But I don't really think it can be any other work.


----------



## crazyguy510

It was "The Most Dangerous Game" I'm sorry if it did not meet the Criteria for the quiz, and I believe "Ship Trap Island" is the name sailors gave it. I did not know by what other name to call it. Sorry for the confusion.


----------



## crazyguy510

I will have to read "The Mysterious Island" it is in my collection but I have not had a chance to read it. I'll have to read it and compare the two.


----------



## geoffthomas

Ok,
So it looks to me (correct me if I am wrong) that Figment got the correct answer first.

so go for it Figment.


----------



## Figment

Although written as historical fiction (a novel), this book tells the story of the author's ancestors.


----------



## davem2bits

Roots by Alex Haley


----------



## Figment

Sorry...  Fits the clue, but not the book I was referencing.

The narrator ages from 9 to 11 over the majority of the book, with the 10 or so pages (DTB pages) devoted to telling what became of the various characters.


----------



## geoffthomas

I was going to guess Gone For A Soldier by Jeff Hepple.
'cause he was writing about his ancestors.
But the main character gets older than 9-11, so that's not it.


----------



## Figment

The author is currently at work on a prequel which will deal with the events and characters only alluded to in "the red book".


----------



## NogDog

Figment said:


> The author is currently at work on a prequel which will deal with the events and characters only alluded to in "the red book".


I doubt this is right, but could it be _Wild Ginger_ by Anchee Min?


----------



## Figment

No, sorry...

The events described in this book resulted in the execution of 20 and the deaths of at least 4 others.


----------



## Figment

The events described in the book are more generally considered tied to a city located 17 miles southeast.  In reality, the events are tied to three counties:  Essex, Middlesex and Suffolk.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Gee, my ancestors are from there - Salem, Mass.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Figment

Now all you have to do is to name the book and author.  To assist you in that regard:

This was a debut novel for its author, and hit the New York Times extended hardcover fiction best-seller list in September 2008.


----------



## Figment

The book was originally written as told from the point of view of the protagonist mother.  Later, the dominant voice was changed to that of the child.


----------



## Figment

Although the book's focus is on the narrator's mother, Martha (labled by Cotton Mather "The Queen of Hell"), the father, Thomas, a Welsh immigrant who was said to be over 7' tall (and who lived to age 109), has his own interesting history.  He was rumored to have been the executioner of Charles I of England.


----------



## NogDog

I unilaterally decided I've waited long enough to Google it. 

_The Heretic's Daughter_ by Kathleen Kent


----------



## Figment

Hooray!  

I too was about to give up on this one.  The book truly isn't that obscure...rose to #26 on the NYT best seller list, is going to be made as a movie, rates as a 4.4 out of 5 on Amazon (based on 110 reviews).  Anyway, I enjoyed it (but am really looking forward to the author's prequel when she deals with Thomas' time in England), and would recommend it to you.

Your turn, NogDog.


----------



## NogDog

This sci-fi novel takes place on earth and then on a planet in a double-star system, which in reality is a single-star system. It has been described by one prominent author/philosopher as the "greatest novel of the twentieth century", yet is seldom mentioned in such lists, even in sci-fi circles.


----------



## Thalia the Muse

Is this Slaughterhouse Five? Or Carl Sagan's Contact? Not sure about the double-star bit.


----------



## NogDog

Thalia the Muse said:


> Is this Slaughterhouse Five? Or Carl Sagan's Contact? Not sure about the double-star bit.


Afraid not on both cases.

This novel was a major influence on C.S. Lewis, which should help you date it a bit. It is probably as much philosophical fiction as it is science fiction, if not more so.


----------



## Figment

Lindsay's _A Voyage to Arcturus_?


----------



## NogDog

Figment said:


> Lindsay's _A Voyage to Arcturus_?


Now you've done it. You have to try to think of another book with which to stump us. 

Free version:



A favorite quote:



> "What is greater than Pleasure?"
> 
> "Pain."
> 
> "What is greater than Pain?"
> 
> "Love. Because we will accept our loved-one's share of pain."


----------



## kevindorsey

Figment said:


> Lindsay's _A Voyage to Arcturus_?


That's a great play.


----------



## Figment

The narrator/protagonist of this book suffers from acromegaly, which goes untreated due to her father's anger with the town doctor.


----------



## Figment

Rather than northwest Scotland, as might be assumed from the title, this book is set in upper New York State.


----------



## Figment

While the plot is driven by the pairing of deception and betrayal, the book's theme of what it means to be different the the importance of acceptance is driven home by the struggles of three of the primary characters as they struggle to come to terms with themselves.


----------



## Figment

The book begins and ends with a death...both of them caused by the protagonist.

ADDITION:  And much of the action is driven by a third death that never really happened.


----------



## Figment

The witch's 'shadow book' was sewn into the heirloom quilt, and provided the means by which the protagonist/narrator found her calling (being to heal the sick by naturopathic techniques).


----------



## Figment

For much of the book, the trio of outcasts is comprised of Truly, Amelia and Marcus.  Later these three help Bobbie come to terms with what he is.


(Google the names, and you'll have it!  Again, I'm amazed to apparently be the only one who has read the book.  Hmmm, either that or I'm just terrible with my clues...always a possibility).


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Google is good.  I never read it. . . . .so I can't speak to whether your clues are good or not!


----------



## Figment

Truthfully, I think my clues were fairly good for this book.  In fact, I thought there was a chance the whole thing would be given away by the reference to acromegaly in the first clue.

Guess I just need to accept the fact I read weird books (a constant charge by the folks with whom I share the Kindle account...of course, they are not taking into account I was the purchaser of ALL of the Terry Pratchett books).


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I still need to read Pratchett, but now I'm in the middle of Riordon, Chin and Hicks, not to mention a 1,000 page Cambridge tome on the Han Dynasty.

Ed Patterson


----------



## geoffthomas

Figment,
I have a very eclectic reading list but admit that I have never heard of this book or the author.
However I don't read any Prattchett and have not gotten into Jordan.
I consume Cherryh, Feist, Brooks, Lackey, Donaldson, Foster, Goodkind, Carey (Jacqueline) and a bunch of KB resident authors.

Hopefully Nog or Scheherezade will come by - they seem to have read more of the books you have.
How much did you like this one?
Should I pick it up - do you recommend it?


----------



## NogDog

geoffthomas said:


> ...
> Hopefully Nog or Scheherezade will come by - they seem to have read more of the books you have.
> ...


Not me. I think it mainly shows that (a) there are a lot of good books to choose from out there, and (b) we don't have a large enough sampling of readers actively participating in this thread.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

I've read a lot of science fiction, including some older "classic" science fiction, but am only average (for a reader) on the classics.  A lot of my reading is nonfiction that isn't "eligible" here!


----------



## Figment

Recommend it: Probably not. It's an odd book, and totally a "chick book" (or so I am assured by some of those who draw from my same Kindle account). And I note none of you have "guessed" it...probably indicative of the fact you don't have anything at the ready for the next book. I'm going to just post it here. Then whoever wishes to do so can jump in with the next book:



It is, by the way available for Kindle (which is how I read it). I've just not spent the time learning the steps to make a Kindle link here.


----------



## intinst




----------



## Andra

Are we letting this thread die??


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Andra said:


> Are we letting this thread die??


Quick! Perform CPR and post a clue!

Actually, The Hooded Claw will do emergency surgery (practicing medicine without a license, tsk, tsk.....I'll post something in a bit.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

This colorless novel was one of two connected historical novels set in the mid-1300s.  Though it was the first one published, it is chronologically the second book of the two.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Pillars of the Earth and World Without End?

Did I get those titles correct? I loved them both.

Ed Patterson


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Pillars of the Earth and World Without End?
> 
> Did I get those titles correct? I loved them both.
> 
> Ed Patterson


They definitely aren't the ones I have in mine, published much later than the book I'm thinking of. Are they from the mid-1300s? Could one of them be described as colorless?


----------



## The Hooded Claw

A boor could have entitled this novel:

"The association of persons gathered together for some enterprise, radiating photons uniformly throughout the human visual spectrum"


----------



## Elmore Hammes

The Hooded Claw said:


> They definitely aren't the ones I have in mine, published much later than the book I'm thinking of. Are they from the mid-1300s? Could one of them be described as colorless?


Your clue indicated they were SET in the mid-1300s, not that they were published then. With that clarification, it certainly narrows the field of eligible books. Unfortunately, that isn't in my own reading zone, so I can't even hazard a reasonable guess.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Elmore Hammes said:


> Your clue indicated they were SET in the mid-1300s, not that they were published then. With that clarification, it certainly narrows the field of eligible books. Unfortunately, that isn't in my own reading zone, so I can't even hazard a reasonable guess.


Sorry, I wasn't clear, the books are indeed set in the mid-1300s, but the first one was published in 1891. So it is elementary that it would be available as a Gutenberg Project book for the Kindle.


----------



## Elmore Hammes

No problem, if there wasn't a bit of mystery they wouldn't be clues! Now I know the author, but since I haven't read those particular books I will give others a chance.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

The books dealt with a group of English mercenaries in the mid-1300s.  The second book was actually a prequel to the first one.  Second book title was "Sir Nigel".


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I know it now, but only because, like others I'm sure, Googled it. Of course, I'll defer naming it to someone who has read it and came up with it legally (although suspect that might be in 2012 ). I will say that is among the lesser known of _that_ authors books. Amd I get the colorless pun now (well, near-pun - a pun of sorts, because in most cultures, that color is a color).

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Edward C. Patterson said:


> I know it now, but only because, like others I'm sure, Googled it. Of course, I'll defer naming it to someone who has read it and came up with it legally (although suspect that might be in 2012 ). I will say that is among the lesser known of _that_ authors books. Amd I get the colorless pun now (well, near-pun - a pun of sorts, because in most cultures, that color is a color).


I winced when I did the "colorless" thing, 'cause it is arguably wrong in a number of ways, and I even contradicted it in one of my later clues--Technically white is the presence of all colors in equal amounts (or at least that's the way I remember being taught in physics years ago, and if I'm wrong now I don't want to know!). But despite the problems, I thought it was a clever idea, and I wanted to use it!

I'll go ahead and reveal the book, it sounds like it is not one anyone has read:

The White Company by Arthur Conan Doyle

As Edward says, this is not a well-known book. Sadly, it is one of the words of which Doyle was most proud, he didn't really think much of his Sherlock Holmes creation (though he loved the checks!). I did think that it was better known than it evidently is. If this crowd can't recognize it without googling, then it must be invisible to the general public!

One clue was that the book could be titled: "The Association of Persons gathered together for some enterprise, radiating photons uniformly throughout the human visual spectrum." Keeping in mind the technical definition of white I mentioned above, that does indeed mean "The White Company".

Edward, why don't you have a go....Maybe you can come up with a title that is interestingly difficult to guess, but is well-known enough that some of us will have read it!


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Above is the obligatory link to the book. There are definitely cheaper versions available for the Kindle, but I'm using this 'cause it has the coolest cover!


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

This title character kills an entire town before finds an adolescent in the middle of nowhere?

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## NogDog

Knowing you're a S.King fan, I would guess _The Gunslinger_?


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I knew it was way too easy.   

Your turn.

Ed Patterson


----------



## NogDog

If the title of this autobiography had come up for some reason in the movie "Airplane!", the reply would almost certainly have included, "...and don't call me 'Shirley'."


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman? by Richard P. Feynman


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Edward C. Patterson said:


> This title character kills an entire town before finds an adolescent in the middle of nowhere?


I almost guessed "The Andromeda Strain" for this, but it wouldn't have been right! Close in some ways....


----------



## NogDog

The Hooded Claw said:


> Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman? by Richard P. Feynman




Guess I don't get to give my next clue, which would've been: "If Daniel Craig were to play the title role in a movie adaptation, it could be called 'Quantum of Bongos'."


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Since I was a show-off and popped off with the answer, I need to come up with another book.....Gimme a minute, I'll try to do better this time.

Isn't it weird how we either get the book minutes after posting the first clue, or nobody's ever heard of the book?  Not every time, but happens quite often.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

This well-known business book on dealing with change consisted mostly of parables dealing with four characters (It's not a novel, I'm shamelessly flouting the rules here).


----------



## Aravis60

Is it Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson?


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Aravis60 said:


> Is it Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson?


Three minutes and fourteen seconds! This may be a record.....In any case, Aravis has the floor!


----------



## Aravis60

I had to read that one for work a couple of years ago. 


Here's my clue:
The young boy who is the main character of this book goes on an incredible journey and is named after a horse.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

A Horse and his Boy by CS Lewis. (Just a guess)

Ed Patterson


----------



## Andra

Ed, that's the book that popped into my head too...


----------



## Aravis60

Edward C. Patterson said:


> A Horse and his Boy by CS Lewis. (Just a guess)
> 
> Ed Patterson


Nope, although that is a good guess (especially given my love of C.S. Lewis and the fact that my screen name comes from that book ).


----------



## Aravis60

Clue time: 
The author of this book was considered an inspiration for many kiddie lit authors, including C.S. Lewis and Lewis Carroll. In fact, it was the enthusiasm of this author's children for the story that encouraged Lewis Carroll to try to get Alice's Adventures in Wonderland published.


----------



## Aravis60

Here's another clue:
This book was originally published as a serial in a magazine, Good Words for the Young, in 1868.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

I have a suspicion that this is (like my "White Company" recently) another stumper.


----------



## Figment

_At the Back of the North Wind_ by MacDonald?


----------



## Aravis60

Figment said:


> _At the Back of the North Wind_ by MacDonald?


That's it! Your turn, Figment.


----------



## Figment

This book sounds a warning about making impulse purchases from online auction sites.


----------



## Figment

The author's "pedigree" is at least as good as that of two of his characters:  Angus and Bonnie.


----------



## Figment

New York, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana...the characters (most of them anyway) just keep moving.


----------



## Figment

The book is divided into four parts, each of which is named for a rock song.  The groups represented are Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Nine Inch Nails and Pearl Jam.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

"Online auction sites, Led Zeppilin, and Pearl Jam.....Holmes, I don't think we're dealing with one of the Classics here!"


----------



## Figment

The Hooded Claw said:


> "Online auction sites, Led Zeppilin, and Pearl Jam.....Holmes, I don't think we're dealing with one of the Classics here!"


Ahhh, but the books we know as "the classics" started out as the popular fiction of their respective eras. Give this one a hundred years or so, and who knows? (Naah, much fun as it was...and even given the fact it did make it to #8 on the New York Times Best Seller List...don't think it'll ever make it to "classic" status.)


----------



## Figment

The book's title, too, comes from the name of a rock song...the song by a group the leader of which has much in common with the protagonist.


----------



## Figment

The author's pen name is derived from his first and middle names.


----------



## Figment

Part of the action takes place in Florida, and part of it in Georgia...both literally and figuratively.  (I am so going to go to hell!)


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Are those names of States or girls?

Ed Patterson
(I already have a seat on the aisle in hell)


----------



## Figment

Yes...

The title object (It'd be an eponym if it were a person, which it is not!) appears twice in the book...once in black, once in yellow, but functions as a portal both times.


----------



## Figment

Although this author's debut novel, it was not the first book he had published.  In fact, a prior volume, previously released in only a limited edition has been re-released since the success of this novel.  Additionally, this author very recently released his second novel.


----------



## Guest

no idea!


----------



## Figment

(Sometimes I get the feeling that I'm the only one out here reading this stuff...)

The author's father has the same job.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Figment said:


> (Sometimes I get the feeling that I'm the only one out here reading this stuff...)


I'm reading it, but I'm out of the loop on this particular book (as everyone is on some of the books here, which is fine).


----------



## Figment

Parents and their children...examined on two levels and existing (albeit hidden) in three.


----------



## Figment

The book shares its title with a song by Nirvana.

The author shares his gene pool with the 18th best selling author of all time.

The genre is, quite probably, as old as man and shares its name with a novel by Peter Straub.


----------



## NogDog

OK, I'll end the suspense (I'm pretty sure):


----------



## Figment

Hooray!  Your turn.

(And, by the way, this really is a pretty good book!)


----------



## NogDog

My Google skills are awesome. 

Give me a few hours to see if I can think of a book that I've read, is available on Kindle, hasn't been used here yet, and likely has been read by someone here besides me. (Hmm...this may take awhile.)


----------



## NogDog

This book served as the author's thesis for his masters degree in anthropology.


----------



## geoffthomas

Figment,
I think that there are a lot of members who read this thread.
But we are beginning to use pretty obscure tomes and I suspect that most of us have either not read the books being presented or don't remember the details.
But I think it is still exciting.
Because I learn stuff that I never knew.

And I believe that we could branch out to DTBs more often (not all books _have to _ be available on Kindle).

And we could even repeat some books that have been used - my only suggestion would be to try to not use the hints used before.

And, right now I don't think I know the book being referenced.


----------



## Tip10

Would it be Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle?


----------



## NogDog

Tip10 said:


> Would it be Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle?


Well, dang it, I thought that would be an obscure enough first clue to make this one last a little longer than that.


----------



## Tip10

Hey its one of the few that I've known lately....

Okay, this one probably won't take long at all.....



This Sci-Fi classic novel was written concurrently with the development of the film version.

Note, many of this author’s works are available on Kindle but this novel is not I don't believe.


----------



## Elmore Hammes

Hmmm. This is the first one I thought of, and a quick google seems to confirm my guess. I've read it and seen the movie so I don't mind posting it. Doesn't seem to be on Kindle so here's a link to a DVD edition:


----------



## Tip10

That would be the one.

Your up!


----------



## Elmore Hammes

Okay, I do not believe this true story has been featured before, and it is available in a Kindle edition.

The book does have a matching movie, although I am not aware they were written / developed at the same time. 

The author's last name is fitting given the nature of the book. 

That's three clues in one, albeit none of them are too exclusive. Guess away!


----------



## Elmore Hammes

Figment said:


> Kurt Vonnegut's _Cat's Cradle_?


No, that's not the one 

While some of the events happen decades earlier, this book was published within the last ten years.


----------



## Figment

_In Cold Blood_ by Truman Capote? Naah...not likely. (Besides which you'd have to stretch the "Capote" to "Kaput" to tie in with the third clue.)


----------



## Elmore Hammes

Figment said:


> _In Cold Blood_ by Truman Capote? Naah...not likely. (Besides which you'd have to stretch the "Capote" to "Kaput" to tie in with the third clue.)


No, not the one. I'll give it a little while longer before dropping another hint.


----------



## Elmore Hammes

I'm off-line for a couple hours, so here's a clue while I am gone:

His father is murdered.


----------



## Elmore Hammes

Okay, it's been twelve hours, time to bump the thread with a new clue.

The son comes to love the very people who killed his father.


----------



## Carol Hanrahan

I'm stumped.


----------



## Elmore Hammes

The murder weapon is part of the title.

And a bonus clue, there is another book based on the same event (which also inspired a movie).


----------



## angelad

Don't think I've read this book...


----------



## Elmore Hammes

I picked this one because I recently got back from a mission trip to Mexico. (although Mexico is not the destination in this book, and I promise no murders happened on my own trip).

Both the victim and the author are missionaries, in case that wasn't clear.


----------



## Elmore Hammes

Hmmmm. This should narrow it down: the tribe calls themselves the Waodani - which means "the True People".

It's been going on for a while, so fair game to Google!


----------



## Figment

You're right, a quick Google search will identify this book and author.  I had never heard of it, however, so will not put in the answer.


----------



## marianneg

Tip of the Spear?


----------



## Elmore Hammes

marianner said:


> Tip of the Spear?


You missed one word, but I will call that close enough:


You are up, marianner!


----------



## marianneg

Duh, should have looked it up.

OK, my book is one of many that have been mentioned on Lost, and it also centers around the relationship between a parent and child.


----------



## Figment

_Carrie_ by Steven King?


----------



## marianneg

Frak, I thought I'd at least get to give two clues!  You're up, Figment!


----------



## Figment

Proving that some people have WAY too much time on their hands, in 1923 this work was translated into Latin, and printed with the English on the facing pages.


----------



## Figment

First published in 1885, this book was originally published two years earlier under a different name.


----------



## Figment

The author of this collection, a Scot, is probably better known for his novels and novellas, one of the latter of which has been filmed 123 times.


----------



## Figment

How do you like to go up in a swing...?


----------



## 1131

Normally I just lurk here because I'm not around enough to post clues, but this was one of my favorite books.

A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson

And my favorite poem in the book

*The Swing*

How do you like to go up in a swing, 
Up in the air so blue? 
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing 
Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall, 
Till I can see so wide, 
Rivers and trees and cattle and all 
Over the countryside-

Till I look down on the garden green, 
Down on the roof so brown- 
Up in the air I go flying again, 
Up in the air and down!

If I'm right, somebody else might want to take my turn because I won't be able to get back online until maybe tomorrow night or even later.


----------



## Figment

You are absolutely correct.  Very good!


----------



## 1131

Oh, no!  I seem to have brought this thread to a screeching halt.  I won't be around enough in the next few days to post clues for a book so, please, somebody take my turn.


----------



## loca

imallbs said:


> Oh, no! I seem to have brought this thread to a screeching halt. I won't be around enough in the next few days to post clues for a book so, please, somebody take my turn.


May be some of us need a few days to investigate your clues...


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Anyone out there?


----------



## 1131

So nobody wanted to take my place?  After this I promise never to post here again, don't want to be blamed for closing down a very popular thread.

This Booker nominated historical novel tells the story of the life of a half aboriginal half white man at the turn of the 20th century.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

imallbs said:


> So nobody wanted to take my place? After this I promise never to post here again, don't want to be blamed for closing down a very popular thread.


Don't worry, I don't think any of us are "good" enough to close down the thread, but interest ebbs and flows like in anything else. I haven't a clue about your clue though! But someone will come along.


----------



## 1131

I just realized this book is not available for Kindle but the clues have started so I’m going with it.  While it may not be available for Kindle, there is a used paperback copy for sale for a mere $95.67 at Amazon; or you can get a copy for a buck at Abe Books.  I'll check back in tomorrow and, if needed, post more clues.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Clueless. (Book sounds like a bargain to my usual paper purchase - volumes of Cambridge History fo China at $220.00 a flip).  

Ed Patterson


----------



## 1131

A clue before work

The title character grew up in the aboriginal culture where he is given preferential treatment because of his light skin.  When he moves into the white culture, he is patronized cheated and cheated on by his white wife.


----------



## Figment

_Remembering Babylon_ by Malouf?


----------



## kevindorsey

Your avatar goes great with that poem.



imallbs said:


> Normally I just lurk here because I'm not around enough to post clues, but this was one of my favorite books.
> 
> A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson
> 
> And my favorite poem in the book
> 
> *The Swing*
> 
> How do you like to go up in a swing,
> Up in the air so blue?
> Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
> Ever a child can do!
> 
> Up in the air and over the wall,
> Till I can see so wide,
> Rivers and trees and cattle and all
> Over the countryside-
> 
> Till I look down on the garden green,
> Down on the roof so brown-
> Up in the air I go flying again,
> Up in the air and down!
> 
> If I'm right, somebody else might want to take my turn because I won't be able to get back online until maybe tomorrow night or even later.


----------



## 1131

Figment said:


> _Remembering Babylon_ by Malouf?


No that's not it

Here's another clue
When Jimmie's wife has a baby, he realizes she cheated on him. After that he goes on a murderous rampage.


----------



## 1131

kevindorsey said:


> Your avatar goes great with that poem.


Thank you. I hadn't realized it, but then I think George goes with everything.


----------



## 1131

Since I won't be around much tomorrow, here's another clue

The book, (published in 1972) was adapted into an award winning movie in 1978.  The move was nominated for 10 AFI (Australian Film Institute) awards, and won 3.

Another of this author’s historical novels was adapted into a popular movie in the US.  It won 7 1993 academy awards including best picture.


----------



## Figment

Thomas Keneally (who wrote _Schindler's List_): _The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith_.

Both books were based on real events.


----------



## 1131

That's the one.  Unfortunately neither The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith or Schindler's List are available for Kindle.


----------



## Figment

This work was originally published as two volumes, issued a decade apart.


----------



## NogDog

Not sure if they were a decade apart, but perhaps _Don Quixote_ by Cervantes?


----------



## Figment

Very good!  I am truly impressed that you got this in a single clue.

Your turn.


----------



## NogDog

Figment said:


> Very good! I am truly impressed that you got this in a single clue.
> 
> Your turn.


D'oh! I didn't think that was going to be it (but it's sitting next to my bed waiting for me to finish it some day). For no particular reason I know of I sort of assumed it was actually something more recent. Now I have to go think of a book....


----------



## NogDog

The title of this best-selling novel might incorrectly lead one to think that it is a nonfiction work about a very long historical journey.


----------



## R. M. Reed

Exodus by Leon Uris?


----------



## NogDog

R. Reed said:


> Exodus by Leon Uris?


Ooh...excellent guess!

Incorrect, however. 

(The journey I'm thinking of -- which the subject book is _not_ about -- was much longer in terms of distance.)


----------



## Figment

How about _Journey to the Center of the Earth_ by Jules Verne?


----------



## Figment

Or it could be Celine's _Journey to the End of Night_, but I'm not so certain (important as this work may be) that the book was a best seller.

Of course, I'm also unaware of sales figures for the Verne book.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Figment said:


> Or it could be Celine's _Journey to the End of Night_, but I'm not so certain (important as this work may be) that the book was a best seller.
> 
> Of course, I'm also unaware of sales figures for the Verne book.


I also don't think Verne's book was a historical journey!


----------



## NogDog

While the title of this novel might remind one of a very long historic journey, probably the most significant trip of importance to the plot of this story is a C-47 flight from Holland to England.


----------



## kevindorsey

The Hooded Claw said:


> I also don't think Verne's book was a historical journey!


No, it wasn't. This doesn't sound like Jules.


----------



## R. M. Reed

If you mentioned an airplane flight before, I wouldn't have guessed the trip was thousands of years ago. I am a blank about any book that does have a flight like that.


----------



## NogDog

R. Reed said:


> If you mentioned an airplane flight before, I wouldn't have guessed the trip was thousands of years ago. I am a blank about any book that does have a flight like that.


After spending an hour or so trying to think of a book that (a) I have read, (b) I think has a reasonable chance of having been read by someone else reading this thread, and (c) has not yet been used in this thread, I didn't want to make it too easy to guess right away.


----------



## NogDog

Nazis, the IRA, British Intelligence, US Rangers...what more could you want in an action thriller? No wonder it was made into a movie barely a year after the novel's release.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

The Eagle Has Landed by Jack Higgins.  The plane flight from Holland to Englad  plus mention of the intelligence agencies were key.  I even read it, back when it was first released!


----------



## NogDog

The Hooded Claw said:


> The Eagle Has Landed by Jack Higgins. The plane flight from Holland to Englad plus mention of the intelligence agencies were key. I even read it, back when it was first released!


Yep. Unfortunately, not on Kindle.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Incidentally NogDog, a good choice, and an excellent clue about the title causing confusion with a historic journey!

And here is our first new clue:

This story describes ten years in the life of a war hero who commits multiple murders at the climax as part of a plan to save his marriage.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

This is very well-known, I read it in a college literature class.  I'm confident that everyone here is at least familiar with the name.


----------



## NogDog

At the risk of having to think of another book, it suddenly struck me that it could be _The Odyssey_.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

NogDog said:


> At the risk of having to think of another book, it suddenly struck me that it could be _The Odyssey_.


Oooh, bad risk! Yep, you are right, and it is The Odyssey, not by Homer, but by another man with the same name! 

I was trying to take an unconventional approach to describing it that would fool y'all, but NogDog is too smart for me. We'll miss out on the clues about the hero falling in with narcotics users and being imprisoned for seven years, too bad!


----------



## NogDog

Just like my last entry (_The Eagle Has Landed_), this book includes British secret agent types and Nazi Germans. Beyond that, though, it starts getting really different, and these secret agents are _really_ secret and these Nazis are -- or were -- _really_ dangerous.


----------



## NogDog

The author credits the horror novels of Len Deighton as one of the influences for this book.


----------



## NogDog

In case that last clue sounded confusing, he also credited the influence of H.P. Lovecraft's spy thrillers.


----------



## NogDog

This book and its sequel each contains a novella followed by a short story (all in 1st person by the same character) followed by an afterword by the author. The short story in this book starts out with a stoned bovine.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Lots of interesting clues.  I'll be curious to find out what this book is!


----------



## NogDog

The Hooded Claw said:


> Lots of interesting clues. I'll be curious to find out what this book is!


Another clue: I thought the probability was at about 50/50 that The Hooded Claw would have read this already.


----------



## Elmore Hammes

Google has revealed this to me (or so I believe), but I have not read the book so I will give someone who has a chance to answer. Your clues already had me interested, however, and now I know I want to read it!


----------



## NogDog

Elmore Hammes said:


> Google has revealed this to me (or so I believe), but I have not read the book so I will give someone who has a chance to answer. Your clues already had me interested, however, and now I know I want to read it!


If no one gets it from this clue, then it probably should be open season on Googling. 

Our hero might at times find it difficult to choose which of the following aspects of his "chosen" career is the greater threat to his well-being: demonic possession, Pinky and The Brain's latest project, or the dreaded ISO 9000 audit.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

NogDog said:


> If no one gets it from this clue, then it probably should be open season on Googling.
> 
> Our hero might at times find it difficult to choose which of the following aspects of his "chosen" career is the greater threat to his well-being: demonic possession, Pinky and The Brain's latest project, or the dreaded ISO 9000 audit.


Pinky and the Brain! I see I am definitely gonna have to read this. Poof! No more llamas!


----------



## NogDog

The author of this book has an excellent first name.


----------



## R. M. Reed

NogDog said:


> In case that last clue sounded confusing, he also credited the influence of H.P. Lovecraft's spy thrillers.


I wasn't aware that Lovecraft wrote spy thrillers.


----------



## NogDog

R. Reed said:


> I wasn't aware that Lovecraft wrote spy thrillers.


You will therefore have to read this book so you can find out in the author's afterword what he's referring to (including the fact that most people probably aren't aware that Len Deighton wrote horror stories). 

Yet another hint: Perhaps somewhat ironically in this case, a company called "Cubicle 7" is producing a role-playing game based on this book and its sequels, this game fittingly being based upon Chaosium's "Call of Cthulhu" system.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

It isn't "Bureau 13" by Nick Polotta, is it?  Weirdly, Scarlet mentioned that book to me recently.  I read the original release in DTB form in the early 1990s, I think (I believe they call it "Bureau 13: Judgement Night" now).  I don't even remember anything about it except that it was weird enough to possibly qualify.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Ah, I looked up Cubicle 7.  I hadn't heard of these books.


----------



## NogDog

The Hooded Claw said:


> Ah, I looked up Cubicle 7. I hadn't heard of these books.


The author is apparently better known for his "Singularity" stories.


----------



## loca

Last few trivia questions are pretty tough


----------



## NogDog

I sure wish that someone would guess the subject of these atrocious clues so that I could go do something else, such as the laundry, or archiving some CDs, or something else more concrete, perhaps. You guys are really strossing me out on this one.

Sincerely,
Charles


----------



## The Hooded Claw

The Atrocity Archives, by Charles Stross.    (I found it by looking up Cubicle 7 games).


----------



## NogDog

Thank you. 











Now I actually do need to go do the laundry.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

This award-winning novel follows the exploits of a Filipino soldier.


----------



## Figment

Heinlein's _Starship Troopers_?


----------



## NogDog

Figment said:


> Heinlein's _Starship Troopers_?


I was thinking Rico was South American, but Wikipedia confirms that he was Filipino, so I'll second your guess.  (Apparently I was remembering the Arachnid attack on Buenos Aries and associating that city with him?)


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Figment is correct!  That was even shorter than I thought it would be!


----------



## The Hooded Claw

NogDog said:


> I was thinking Rico was South American, but Wikipedia confirms that he was Filipino, so I'll second your guess.  (Apparently I was remembering the Arachnid attack on Buenos Aries and associating that city with him?)


He did say his Mother was visiting an aunt or something in BA and was killed in the attack. But he was very specific that the language spoken at home in his parent's house was Tagalog (spell?). The above is from memory, but I'm pretty sure it is right. Oddly enough, I first read this book in a plane flight to South America (true!) so there is another SA connection!


----------



## Figment

This author became a gift given by Louis XV! to John Paul Jones.


----------



## Figment

And since that clue tells you absolutely nothing of the book...  (DUUH!)

This all American book was first published before America was.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Poor Richard's Almanack (I believe that's how he spelled it) by Benjamin Franklin?


----------



## Figment

You got it...


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Me and my big mouth!  

I'll see what I can come up with.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

One of the plot threads in this book involves the hero, who is a novelist himself, writing a novel which he completes in the course of the story.

NOTE:  I suspect that many books fit this clue, but more will come of course.  In the meantime, feel free to take a guess if you know one you think it fits.


----------



## Elmore Hammes

More of a reluctant "hero", but I will take a stab (or perhaps more appropriately a hammer) at it with Stephen King's _Misery_.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

That's it!  Elmore has the floor.


----------



## Elmore Hammes

Okay, this non-fiction book is an incredible survival story.


----------



## NogDog

Well, that could be any of lots of books. Here's just one possibility:

_Shackleton's Valiant Voyage_ by Alfred Lansing


----------



## Elmore Hammes

NogDog said:


> Well, that could be any of lots of books. Here's just one possibility:
> _Shackleton's Valiant Voyage_ by Alfred Lansing


While I love the story of Shackleton and The Endurance, that isn't the one I am thinking of.
This one is more recent - within the decade.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Mountains of the Moon?

Ed Patterson


----------



## Elmore Hammes

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Mountains of the Moon?


That's not the one.

This one's title is not only very appropriate to the book, but a very familiar phrase that I expect most people have heard before.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Between a Rock and a Hard Place, by Aron Ralston.  I haven't read it, but I'm aware of it, and watched a special about his experience on Discovery Channel or somesuch recently.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Krakauer . .  .Into Thin Air. . . .

and if that's correct I cede my clue giving to whomever wants it.  . . . .if it's not correct, well, then, move along. . . .nothing to see here. . .these are not the droids you're looking for. . . . . . .


----------



## Elmore Hammes

The Hooded Claw said:


> Between a Rock and a Hard Place, by Aron Ralston. I haven't read it, but I'm aware of it, and watched a special about his experience on Discovery Channel or somesuch recently.


That is the correct one. The Hooded Claw takes the podium once more!


----------



## The Hooded Claw

These two novels covering similar subjects were both published shortly after World War 2, and both were promptly made into movies.  Both movies are still shown periodically on cable tv, but the novels aren't as well known nowadays.  To get full credit, you must name both novels.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

One of the novels was performed as a successful stage play soon after it was published and before becoming a movie.  The other eventually became the basis for a television series, but not till many years later.


----------



## davem2bits

The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk Book - Play - Movie

From Here to Eternity by James Jones Book - Movie - TV Series


----------



## The Hooded Claw

davem2bits said:


> The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk Book - Play - Movie
> 
> From Here to Eternity by James Jones Book - Movie - TV Series


Good guess, but not the novels I have in mind. Both my novels deal with the same branch of the military. Both mainly focus on high-ranking officers, and one of them has no combat scenes at all, despite being a bona fide war novel focusing on problems of military leadership.


----------



## NogDog

I'll take a stab:

_Mister Roberts_ by Thomas Heggen
_Tales of the South Pacific_ by James Michener

I like the fit of _Mister Roberts_ with the clues, but not so much _South Pacific_ -- I just couldn't think of anything else.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

I didn't know there was a novel of Mister Roberts! Interesting, it was a good movie  The officers in these novels are mostly a bit higher ranking than Mister Roberts, and were serving in the Army in both novels. Both novels are very serious works, nothing lighthearted about them.


----------



## NogDog

Which Army? If the US Army, does it include the US Army Air Corps? If so, it could possibly be _Command Decision_ and _12 O'Clock High_.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

NogDog said:


> Which Army? If the US Army, does it include the US Army Air Corps? If so, it could possibly be _Command Decision_ and _12 O'Clock High_.


It could possibly be, and it is!

Twelve O'Clock High and Command Decision. Both well-known as movies, not as well known as books (though I am lucky enough to own and have read both in dead tree form).

To my surprise, Command Decision is in print, and Twelve O'Clock High is not (I'd expected the opposite if only one is in print. Here's the Amazon Link for Command Decision:

http://www.amazon.com/Command-Decision-William-W-Haines/dp/0822202336/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268863266&sr=1-2

A bargain at only $7.50 in DTB form, and eligible for the 4-for-3 promotion!

I thought I was being clever by mentioning the Army (intended to mean US Army, of course-I was typing on my Palm Pre during lunch is my only excuse), but I couldn't get that past our readers here! There was no US Air Force till after World War II (1947 or '48, I think). During the war the "Air Force" was the US Army Air Force, or the US Army Air Corps up till the beginning of the 1940s. As explicitly mentioned in Command Decision, a conscious goal of the generals managing the strategic bombing campaign was to get a separate Air Force service as a result of success during the war.

NogDog has the floor. Glad I had one that wasn't either impossible or else answered in fifteen minutes!


----------



## NogDog

As a result of this historical novel and especially of the ensuing movie, the country where the action took place renamed a geographic feature.


----------



## NogDog

A clue before bedtime:

Though the main character is supposedly based on some French men the author knew, he decided to make the character British in this story.


----------



## NogDog

I cannot think of this story without wanting to whistle.


----------



## Thalia the Muse

Well, this is certainly making me think of The Bridge on the River Kwai!

(Edit) I guess the book is The Bridge OVER the River Kwai."


----------



## NogDog

Thalia the Muse said:


> Well, this is certainly making me think of The Bridge on the River Kwai!
> 
> (Edit) I guess the book is The Bridge OVER the River Kwai."


Affirmative.

 (not on Kindle)

PS: If you've only seen the movie, the ending of the book may surprise you \(or vice versa).


----------



## Thalia the Muse

It's so funny -- this was fresh in my mind (and I thought it might be the one after your second clue) because I just saw the movie for the first time a couple of weeks ago! So amazingly good, but I wasn't prepared for that ending at all.

Shoot, I'm up, aren't I? I got nothin'.


----------



## Thalia the Muse

Um, OK. First hint: 

This book resulted from a teenage girl swapping ghost stories at a slumber party.


----------



## loca

Thalia the Muse said:


> Well, this is certainly making me think of The Bridge on the River Kwai!
> 
> (Edit) I guess the book is The Bridge OVER the River Kwai."


Quick work there


----------



## Thalia the Muse

Another clue: The character everyone remembers from this book is named Adam according to the author, but tends to be remembered under the wrong name.


----------



## Thalia the Muse

One more obscure clue, and then I'm going to start making  them easier:

That same character is a self-professsed vegetarian.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley


----------



## Thalia the Muse

The Claw has it!


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Adam was the clue that did it!   

In a few hours I'm going to watch the five o'clock news and use the weather report to decide whether to drive to Dallas this weekend for (among other things) the Kindle meetup there tomorrow.  If the snow we're expected to get tomorrow (yuck) doesn't look too bad, I'll drive to Dallas tonight and museum hop and socialize with fellow Kindlers this weekend--And I'll pass my turn.  If I decide to stay home (which is looking very possible) I'll post a clue early this evening....

Added later:  I should have thought of all this before I shot off my "mouth" and answered about Frankenstein!


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Many books begin with someone getting dressed in the morning, but this book distinguishes itself by beginning with a Governor getting dressed.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

The novel is filled with danger, mostly human-inflicted, but the characters are also endangered by a poisonous snake and a giant squid at different points in the story.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

This book has an international tone, the hero is imprisoned by Spanish authorities, betrayed by a French assassin, then arrested by the English government, in that order.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

An epilogue to the novel reveals that two characters in the book died in a fire about a year afterward.


----------



## geoffthomas

I suppose that we will hate ourselves when this one is revealed.
But it is not making any connections for me yet.

Arrrgh.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

geoffthomas said:


> I suppose that we will hate ourselves when this one is revealed.
> But it is not making any connections for me yet.


The book is very well-known. I'm confident everyone participating in this thread will recognize the title and author, and 95% of the people participating in KB will know them. I know the book has at least been mentioned here on KB.

NEW CLUE:

The book was discovered in the author's papers after his death, and was published posthumously.

In an effort to move this along, I'll post another clue later this evening (unless someone guesses it before then of course).


----------



## Ann in Arlington

_Pirate Latitudes_ by Michael Crichton


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Ann in Arlington said:


> _Pirate Latitudes_ by Michael Crichton


Ka-Ching!

Too bad, now I can't use the clue about "the description of the Governor getting dressed went into great detail about the makeup and hair products he used!" 

Ann has the floor!


----------



## Ann in Arlington

I got nothing. . . .someone else can take a turn.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Ann in Arlington said:


> I got nothing. . . .someone else can take a turn.


Give it some thought, look back over well-known books you've read recently, I'll betcha you can come up with something!


----------



## Ann in Arlington

You mis-understand:  I can come up with a ton of books. . . .I'm abysmal at making up clues. 

So I pass. . . .I betcha there's someone else who's got some clues lined up and is aching to quiz us. . . .


----------



## The Hooded Claw

I've at least had two in a row that were neither impossible nor guessed immediately, so I'm resting on my laurels for awhile.  The podium is available, folks!


----------



## angelad

I'm going to think about this one..


----------



## Tip10

I'll take a stab at one to get us back on track -- mine usually go pretty quick.


There have been a number of books written on the events that comprise this book.

The events took place during time of war and are quite often described as being one of the greatest rescues ever.

This narrative history was written by a Journalist and American historian.


----------



## Tip10

The war was World War II


----------



## Tip10

The events took place in the Pacific Theater


----------



## The Hooded Claw

I'm guessing you're talking about the Los Banos raid, but I'm not specifically aware of any books about it!


----------



## NogDog

The Hooded Claw said:


> I'm guessing you're talking about the Los Banos raid, but I'm not specifically aware of any books about it!


Or the Cabanatuan raid that preceded it, perhaps? E.g.:


----------



## Tip10

I'll give the nod to NogDog

Actually the one I was referring to was:










Same subject...

You're up NogDog


----------



## NogDog

This Cold War era novel speculated on a hypothetical war resulting from unfair trade practices by the USA.


----------



## Thalia the Muse

I am going to jump in and guess that this is The Mouse That Roared -- such a hilarious book!


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Thalia the Muse said:


> I am going to jump in and guess that this is The Mouse That Roared -- such a hilarious book!


Good book, and I think you are right!

I'm going to have to pop open about of Grand Pineau (or whatever it was) in celebration if you're correct!


----------



## NogDog

Thalia the Muse said:


> I am going to jump in and guess that this is The Mouse That Roared -- such a hilarious book!


Correctamundo...and a fun movie, too. 

PS: I thought for sure I'd be able to get at least one more clue in, trying to fake y'all out with a serious-sounding clue to start.


----------



## Thalia the Muse

I don't really have one teed up for my turn -- if anyone else has one, please go ahead!


----------



## NogDog

Thalia the Muse said:


> I don't really have one teed up for my turn -- if anyone else has one, please go ahead!


But that's the "challenge" part of the game: thinking of a book to test us on.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Give it some thought, Thalia! Coming up with a book and with clues (especially accurate but slightly diverting ones) is all part of the fun!


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Waiting with baited breath. The last twenty have stumped me. And here I thought I was well-read.   

Ed Patterson


----------



## Figment

"...baited breath."  I love it!!!    

OK, I re read that, and was concerned it could be (mis)interpreted as a mean comment.  I truly didn't mean it that way...just loved the image of Ed with a worm hanging from the corner of his mouth.

Love you, Ed.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I'm a master at the bait.  

Ed P


----------



## Thalia the Muse

OK, let's see.

We never learn the narrator's first name.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

That would be Wuthering Heights - Yes?

Ed Patterson


----------



## Thalia the Muse

Not the book I'm thinking of. 

"I return" is both a plot point and a theme in the book.


----------



## Andra

Rebecca?


----------



## Thalia the Muse

You've got it!


----------



## Andra

Why do I only get these when I don't have any clues lined up??
Let me think a bit and I'll post back.


----------



## Andra

This book is a twist on the Cinderella story.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

_Confessions of an Ugly Step Sister _ by Greg maguire.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Andra

That's a good one, Ed.  But it's not the one in my head.  Keep thinking.


----------



## NogDog

_Witches Abroad_ by Terry Pratchett?


----------



## Andra

NogDog, that's not it either, but I could have gotten some great clues from it!

Here's clue #2
Although our heroine has the requisite wicked stepmother and two horrible stepsisters, she does not get to marry the prince because he is only 11 years old.


----------



## angelad

Why is the last post so big?


----------



## Ann in Arlington

angelad said:


> Why is the last post so big?


It's not any more. . .I betcha something accidentally held down the return key. . .a Kindle, a cat, a kid. . . .anyway. . .I deleted the extraneous carriage returns.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Andra said:


> Here's clue #2
> Although our heroine has the requisite wicked stepmother and two horrible stepsisters, she does not get to marry the prince because he is only 11 years old.


Oooh! Oooh! I know! I know!

The movie novelization for "The Phantom Menace"!!!!

(just kidding, I am clueless on this one)


----------



## Andra

Thanks for fixing my earlier post Ann, must have had a kitty on the keyboard.

Clue #3
The book begins with the stepmother and stepsisters leaving town to avoid their creditors.  Once they are gone, Ella obtains a position with a strange little lady whose house is larger on the inside than on the outside.


----------



## NogDog

I've not read it or seen the movie, so I'm not sure how well it fits the clues, but the name "Ella" reminded me of _Ella Enchanted_ by Gail Carson Levine.


----------



## Andra

Nogdog, that's not it either.  I've seen the movie, but not read the book.

Clue #4
Ella discovers that unicorns aren't all they're cracked up to be - they are rather fluffy-headed and determined to ruin her garden - well, the males anyway.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

The last unicorn, by Peter s. Beagle?  I never read the book, so taking a wild guess.


----------



## Andra

Apparently I picked a weird one this time - wild guess are acceptable, but that's not it.
Time for some Google fodder...

Clue #5
The author is perhaps better known for her series of books that feature special individuals who team up with spirit guides (in the guise of white horses).


----------



## geoffthomas

This sounds like Mercedes Lackey and the Valdemar series (what she is better known for that is).

If this is true, does it help anyone?


----------



## Andra

And geoffthomas is getting warmer...

Clue#6
The Tradition is strong in the five hundred kingdoms.  Ella uses the Tradition to help in her work.  Actually, the Tradition IS her work.  During one adventure, she turns a failed questor (Prince Alexander) into an ass.


----------



## 1131

Somebody guess this one, please.  I want to read it but I can't until I know what it is


----------



## tlrowley

The Fairy Godmother (Book 1 of the 500 Kingdoms - Mercedes Lackey)?


----------



## Andra

Ding - Ding - Ding - we have a winner!!











Current price is $5.04. She has four books in this series out now - all available for Kindle in the $5-6 price range. These were re-purchases for me. I owned the paper versions and got the Kindle ones once they came out. The fifth book is due out this summer.

tlrowley, your turn!


----------



## tlrowley

Oh, no, I guess I should have read the rules....   Can I give it some thought?


----------



## Andra

I think that happens to most of us - I never seem to know the answer when I have clues for a book picked out.  And when I know the answer, I'll have a hard time a) picking a book b) gettting to the computer to keep up...
Take a little time and then start posting clues.


----------



## Margaret

Andra, Thank you for that last title.  It sounds like something I would enjoy reading.  I just bought it.


----------



## Andra

Margaret, I hope you enjoy it.


----------



## angelad

the last few puzzles were very interesting


----------



## tlrowley

Okay, I think I finally thought of one that hasn't been done yet (assuming the forum search is working)  I seem to have the same taste as a lot of folks on the board, everything I came up with had already been done before.

This novel introduces us to a peaceful, friendly village that has many dark secrets.

Tracey


----------



## Figment

Almost anything by Stephen King...I'm thinking _'Salem's Lot_ or _Needful Things_, although there would be a lot of others to fit the clue.


----------



## tlrowley

Yeah, it's a lousy clue.  

How about clue 1(a) - it the first novel in a series.


----------



## marianneg

I was thinking the first of the Castle Rock books (I don't know which one was first), but, from the second clue, I guess that's not it.


----------



## tlrowley

Good guess on the Stephen King, I've never really considered just how many books (and movies) are set in Castle Rock, but that's not what I was thinking.

Am I supposed to give another clue now?


----------



## NogDog

tlrowley said:


> Good guess on the Stephen King, I've never really considered just how many books (and movies) are set in Castle Rock, but that's not what I was thinking.
> 
> Am I supposed to give another clue now?


There are no hard and fast rules. I typically try to give at least 2 clues a day, and if I have some in mind already I'll often give another clue following an incorrect guess; but not necessarily.

That probably didn't help much, eh?


----------



## Andra

As NogDog said, there are really no rules about how often to post clues.  Generally speaking, if we've gone 24 hours with no guesses after a clue, it's probably a good idea to post the next one.  We do have people on here from all different time zones so that gives everyone a chance...


----------



## tlrowley

Clue #2  Although first thought to be a hunting accident, the Sûreté du Québec quickly determine that Jane Neal has been murdered.

( I like guessing a whole lot more, I suck at clues, forgive me)


----------



## Ann in Arlington

I totally read that book. . . .blanking on what it's called though. . . .first in a series, as I recall about a detective with the Quebec police force.  . .takes place in a small town well outside of Quebec, however. . . .it was quite good. . . . .


----------



## Andra

I Googled it and then got a sample, but I'm not going to be around, so I don't want to guess.


----------



## Andra

OK, I'm back and no one else has guessed, so here's mine:
Still Life (A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel) (Three Pines Mysteries) by Louise Penny


----------



## Andra

All right, I'm declaring that I was right on the last title, so here's a new one.

Clue #1
This book begins with a wizard finding a baby in the snow.


----------



## geoffthomas

Hmmm.
I must go re-read the beginning of a couple of books to try to restore my memory.

Hopefully someone else will "get it" while I am doing research.
Or maybe we will get some further clues.

Just sayin.....


----------



## Andra

Sorry Geoff, I've only got a few clues worked out so I need to space them out a bit...
I'll give you another one around 4:00pm when I am getting ready to leave the office.


----------



## Figment

It's _ Magyk _, the first of the Septimus Heap books by Angie Sage.

(It may also be some other book, wizards being so frequent these days. It is, however, definitely the start of _Magyk_.)


----------



## Andra

Yeah Figment - now I don't have to think of any more clues!


----------



## Figment

This first-time author's "hero" was a drug-addicted pornographer.


----------



## Figment

There are several (love) stories told within the main story, elements of all of which come together at the end.


----------



## Figment

It's another of those books wherein the protagonist is unnamed.


----------



## Figment

Speaking of "elements":  The author incorporates the four Greek classical elements of the physical world when writing the four love stories legends: One character lives as a glassblower (Air) and dies by being buried alive (Earth). Another lives as a farmwoman (Earth) and dies by drowning (Water). A third lives as a Viking (Water) and dies in a burning longhouse (Fire). The fourth lives as an ironworker (Fire) and dies by breathing in the Plague (Air).

And thus is the full circle formed.


----------



## Andra

No clue, but I'm curious to find the answer - maybe I need to read it.


----------



## Figment

In addition to the four legends which span time and space, the narrative follows two different time lines:  one in the present and one in 14th century Germany.  It is up to the reader to decide how many of these six stories to believe.


----------



## Figment

OK, so you're probably not going to guess the book based on first of the following clues. It is, however, information just too cool not to share, and I'm afraid if I let it go too much longer the book will be guessed, and I'll never get to use the clue.

There are two acrostics in the book. When read in order, the first letter of every chapter spells out "ALL THINGS IN A SINGLE BOOK BOUND BY LOVE", which quote is derived from Dante's _Paradiso_, Canto XXXIII: "I saw within Its depths how It conceives / all things in a single volume bound by Love / of which the universe is the scattered leaves." The last letter of every chapter spells out "DIE LIEBE IST STARK WIE DER TOD, MARIANNE", meaning "Love is as strong as death, Marianne."

As is mentioned above, the main character is nameless. His love interest is Marianne.

(OK, so perhaps I'm the only one who found this a cool feature of the book. I am a total geek!)

******

For a clue you might find more useful: Rather than _Paradiso_, the book has a whole lot more in common with _Inferno_ by the same author. Not only does it start with a horrific fire, but the main character is age 35 when he starts his voyage (in a forest on Good Friday).


----------



## Figment

Its author being Canadian, the book  was eligible for nomination for a Sunburst Award, an honor which it received the year after the first publication.


----------



## Figment

Question:  Is the title of this work a tribute to what Marianne makes or to what the hero has become?


----------



## geoffthomas

This is a lovely book.
Andrew Davidson shot to fame with his debut novel The Gargoyle.
One of the best new books I have read.
I hope the author keeps it up.









Am I right?

I came back and fixed the link.
Even though this is a $9.99 kindle book, I believe it is worth it.


----------



## Figment

No, it is available in Kindle.  That is where I first read it.  (I have just ordered a used DTV to keep.  This is one of those books you want to go back and re-read in sections, and Kindle just doesn't lend itself to that so much).

I totally share your sentiments.  I think this was the best thing I read in 2009.  It was the book I gave as gifts (over and over and over again).

(BTW, did you know that stuff about the two acrostics?  I thought that was so cool when I learned of it.)


Your turn, by the way!


----------



## geoffthomas

Ok,
My turn, sorry to have taken so long.

This book is by a well-known author.
It is a tale of struggle between good and evil.


----------



## geoffthomas

The hero (kinda main character) has dreams at night.
They aren't so nice.


----------



## geoffthomas

The book was published in 1997.


----------



## geoffthomas

This was the first book of a trilogy that turned out to be a prequel to many other books.


----------



## geoffthomas

Much of the action occurs in a city named Hopewell.


----------



## geoffthomas

the dreams that the "hero" has - when he wakes up he has to try to keep them from coming true.

And he is fighting a losing battle.


----------



## geoffthomas

The main events of the story take place around the Fourth of July.


----------



## geoffthomas

Early in the book, the "hero" learns that he is the descendant of Owain Glyndŵr, a great Welsh  "patriot and warrior"


----------



## geoffthomas

Our hero is visited by a Native American named O'olish Amaneh who provides him with "guidance".


----------



## loca

this sounds very familiar.


----------



## geoffthomas

The author is perhaps best known for writing about 4 races, focussing on elves.


----------



## geoffthomas

Now I know that several of you can google a couple of these hints and find the title.
Is no one looking at this thread anymore?
Or are my hints that bad?


----------



## Andra

I'm looking, but I have limited internet connectivity right now so I don't want to guess.


----------



## Tip10

I'm pretty sure I know the Author and the Series but since I've never read any of his works am not wanting to jump in.  If nobody else does soon I'll ponder a guess.


----------



## geoffthomas

Actually the author is a "Best Selling Author" usually on the NYT list.
Most of his books (and there are a lot of them) are about one of two main story lines that do not intersect.
This book (and the rest of the trilogy) make up what was thought to be a third story line but has proven to be a prequel to his best-known works.

If you google on Hopewell, IL or the strange names in one of the hints, you should unerringly find the work.

Just sayin.....


----------



## Tip10

Okay Author is Terry Brooks

Series is The Word and the Void trilogy

And the book is Running With The Demon?


----------



## geoffthomas

Yes you are correct.











I guess either no-one else has read this book, or I am a terrible hint maker.

Your turn now.


----------



## Tip10

This non-fiction work is by a renowned historian and author who also was instrumental in creating a southern US museum commemorating the subject matter.


----------



## Figment

geoffthomas said:


> I guess either no-one else has read this book, or I am a terrible hint maker.


No, actually you are just a fine "hint maker". The minute you said "Hopewell", I was able to Google and find the book. Since I had just had a turn (with _The Gargoyle_), and since it was not anything I ever would have gotten without use of Google, I thought it best to sit back and give someone else a chance. And it worked. Now we have someone else to bring us yet another book to guess.

(I do, by the way, think it's way more difficult to make up the clues than it is to guess the books.)


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

The Civil War by Shelby Foote

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Tip10

Good guess but not the one I'm after.

Next clue:

Although the individuals changed the central “family” cast of characters of this book remained the same.


----------



## Tip10

This book was made into a very successful mini-series.


----------



## Tip10

This shouldn't be that hard -- should be pretty "Easy"


----------



## Tip10

101 but no Dalmatians.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

North and south?  Just a guess, I never read it but remember the series vaguely.


----------



## Andra

geoffthomas said:


> Yes you are correct.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I guess either no-one else has read this book, or I am a terrible hint maker.
> 
> Your turn now.


I've read the Magic Kingdom books and the Shanarra books, but not this one... so I think your clues were good


----------



## Tip10

The Hooded Claw said:


> North and south? Just a guess, I never read it but remember the series vaguely.


Nope -- not the one I was after either.

The setting for the book is WW II.

A lot of the source material was drawn from extensive interviews with the "family" members.


----------



## NogDog

Got to be Ambrose's _Band of Brothers_, I think?


----------



## Tip10

NogDog said:


> Got to be Ambrose's _Band of Brothers_, I think?


That would be the one.











If you ever get a chance the National D-Day Museum in New Orleans is a great place to spend a day.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Tip10 said:


> That would be the one.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If you ever get a chance the National D-Day Museum in New Orleans is a great place to spend a day.


I saw it several years ago, and I concur!


----------



## NogDog

This author's final novel has both an unconventional protagonist and an unconventional narrator.


----------



## NogDog

NogDog said:


> This author's final novel has both an unconventional protagonist and an unconventional narrator.


Before I go to bed, rather than a brand new clue, I'll elaborate a bit on the first clue: the protagonist is an infamous killer, and the narrator is a domesticated animal.


----------



## NogDog

To give you some idea as to some of the characters and situations in this novel, the author's introduction gives thanks to Mary Shelley, Edgar Allen Poe, Bram Stoker, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, H.P. Lovecraft, Ray Bradbury, Robert Bloch, and Albert Payson Terhune.


----------



## NogDog

I believe this was the last "solo" novel published by this author, with the exception of one that was written many years earlier and published posthumously by his son; plus there were a few collaborations with other authors that were finished by those collaborators, mostly after he passed on to the great publisher in the sky.


----------



## NogDog

One more clue before bedtime:

Each chapter in the book corresponds to one day in the month during which the story takes place. Heck, I'll even cut the possibilities roughly in half: there are 31 chapters (not counting the prologue).


----------



## NogDog

The final chapter fittingly takes place on All Hallows Eve.


----------



## NogDog

Much of the story concerns the interactions between the narrator (a dog) and the other abnormally intelligent animals, each being associated with one of the human characters.


----------



## NogDog

You can find the source of the book's title in this poem by Poe.


----------



## loca

NogDog said:


> You can find the source of the book's title in this poem[url] by Poe.




Let's try.


----------



## Andra

Nog, this still isn't ringing any bells for me.


----------



## NogDog

OK, give-away clues if you've read it, plus good Google fodder:

The human protagonist is Jack (the Ripper) and the narrator is his somewhat appropriately named dog Snuff.


----------



## Andra

OK, I found it, but I'll give someone else a chance since I've never read it.  I should have guessed - he IS one of your favorite authors, isn't he?  But this is one I haven't heard of and neither has DH.


----------



## NogDog

Andra said:


> OK, I found it, but I'll give someone else a chance since I've never read it. I should have guessed - he IS one of your favorite authors, isn't he? But this is one I haven't heard of and neither has DH.


Yes, he's probably my favorite author, though some days I might pick Terry Pratchett, instead. I'm not even sure what reminded me of this book to make me want to use it here, but now I have to figure out which box it's in since it's not on a book shelf (and hopefully I didn't "lend" it to someone, as it is, unfortunately, not available for Kindle along with the rest of his books.  )


----------



## The Hooded Claw

Duh! I know this, but Im traveling and can't reliably post right now. I read it back in early 90s when it was first published. A friend of mine lost his copy from loaning out, and was stressed to replace it. Used copies are pricey on Amazon, or at least used to be, and he never saw it in a used bookstore.


----------



## NogDog

Hmm....I didn't realize it was out of print, or I wouldn't have chosen it. Now I really hope I can find my copy. (What I really, really hope is that the author's estate will get their act together and at least publish his works in e-book form. *sigh*)


----------



## Figment

Duuh!  Then I have found the wrong book, because the one I found (through a Google search, since none of the clues did anything for me) is not only available for Kindle, but also in Mass Market Paperback.


----------



## geoffthomas

Nog,
does this narrative relate to this book?

It seems that Jack is in fact a sorcerer and his gruesome exploits were perpetrated in the service of his magic. But the Ripper's killings are tangential to the tale of an upcoming struggle between magical personages. In a rare occurrence, the cosmic forces are in alignment, permitting an opening for the Elder Gods to return to Earth. "Openers" are contending with "closers," who want to keep the Elder Gods shut out. 

If so, Amazon is showing a new hardback/paperback price of $65.00 and used prices but no Kindle copy.

I really don't want to guess this one because I googled to find it and I am so bad at providing hints.


----------



## loca

Figment said:


> Duuh! Then I have found the wrong book, because the one I found (through a Google search, since none of the clues did anything for me) is not only available for Kindle, but also in Mass Market Paperback.


I'm trying to avoid google searching...Seems it is a lot more challenging that way.


----------



## NogDog

geoffthomas said:


> Nog,
> does this narrative relate to this book?
> 
> It seems that Jack is in fact a sorcerer and his gruesome exploits were perpetrated in the service of his magic. But the Ripper's killings are tangential to the tale of an upcoming struggle between magical personages. In a rare occurrence, the cosmic forces are in alignment, permitting an opening for the Elder Gods to return to Earth. "Openers" are contending with "closers," who want to keep the Elder Gods shut out.
> 
> If so, Amazon is showing a new hardback/paperback price of $65.00 and used prices but no Kindle copy.
> 
> I really don't want to guess this one because I googled to find it and I am so bad at providing hints.


Yep, that's the one.


----------



## Andra

OK, I'll do it...
It's _A Night in the Lonesome October_ by Roger Zelazny.

Give me a little bit to think of a good book to use.


----------



## geoffthomas

Here is the link for the DTB.


----------



## Andra

Well, Nog hasn't officially said that I got the correct book...
But I'm pretty sure, so here's Clue #1 for the next book:
This suspense novel stars a blond art historian.


----------



## Andra

Clue #2
Most of the action in the book takes place in a castle (schloss) in Germany.


----------



## 1131

Borrower of the Night  by Elizabeth Peters?


----------



## Andra

Yup. This is the first of her Vicky Bliss stories - I think I enjoy them more than the Amelia Peabody books.
This is a Harper Collins book, so the price for the e-book is a little high now (in my opinion) at $7.99 - but they are selling the MMP at $9.99... I got it shortly after receiving my first Kindle and I think I paid about $3.50 for it. The link is the older cover - I don't think the new one has anything to do with the story.


----------



## 1131

Andra said:


> Yup. This is the first of her Vicky Bliss stories - I think I enjoy them more than the Amelia Peabody books.


I also enjoy these more than the Amelia Peabody books. I've been getting the audio books from the library; just finished the 3rd. 
And now I have to think of a book, crap.


----------



## 1131

This is a historically inaccurate novel set in the court of Henry VIII


----------



## 1131

The main character is not one of Henry's wives


----------



## The Hooded Claw

The Prince and the Pauper. By Mark Twain?


----------



## 1131

The Hooded Claw said:


> The Prince and the Pauper. By Mark Twain?


No that isn't the one. But this reminded me that The Prince and the Pauper was on my TBR many, many years ago and I never got to it. It is now sitting on my Kindle, waiting to be read.

Another clue
One of the reasons this writer's lack of attention to historical accuracy is particularly egregious is that she is a historian with a self professed interest in the Tudor period. In fact on her web site she writes her "love for history and commitment to historical accuracy are the hallmarks of her writing".


----------



## Andra

OK, I can probably guess the author from the last clue, but I haven't read many of her books...


----------



## Figment

OK, so there are a TON of books in this author's _oeuvre_ which would fit the bill. I'll start the guessing with _The Boleyn Inheritance_ by Phillipa Gregory. (Main character was Jane Boleyn.)


----------



## 1131

Sorry, I keep getting kicked off when I try to post

The Boleyn Inheritance isn't the one I was think of.  The book I'm thinking of is a tale of two sisters.


----------



## 1131

This is pobably obvious but one of the sisters loses her head.


----------



## 1131

Bumping this up

One sister wins the King the other one gets to keep her head.


----------



## marianneg

Must be


----------



## 1131

That's the one Marianner.
Your turn now.


----------



## marianneg

This book is also about siblings, but this time there are three.


----------



## Figment

Which, when you think about it, could also apply to _The Other Boleyn Girl_...Mary, Anne and George.

However, since I don't think you'd immediately repeat a book title, I'll guess _Sing them Home_ by Stephanie Kallos, which probably isn't it, but is an odd little book centering on three siblings.


----------



## marianneg

Figment said:


> Which, when you think about it, could also apply to _The Other Boleyn Girl_...Mary, Anne and George.


Doh!



Figment said:


> However, since I don't think you'd immediately repeat a book title, I'll guess _Sing them Home_ by Stephanie Kallos, which probably isn't it, but is an odd little book centering on three siblings.


Nope, sorry. Like the Boleyns, the sibs in my book are two girls and a boy.


----------



## marianneg

The antagonist of the book is the siblings' guardian.


----------



## 1131

There are two series that I can think of that fit this; though I'm sure there are more.
I'll guess Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events


----------



## marianneg

imallbs said:


> There are two series that I can think of that fit this; though I'm sure there are more.
> I'll guess Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events


I'm gonna need a book title.


----------



## marianneg

Imallbs - I know I've seen you today - come and take your turn!


----------



## 1131

I'm going to guess the 1st book

A Series of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning


----------



## marianneg

imallbs said:


> I'm going to guess the 1st book
> 
> A Series of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning


Of course! Your round!


----------



## 1131

This book centers on the relationship between 3 people who live in a boarding house in Brooklyn.


----------



## Figment

_Sophie's Choice_ by William Styron comes immediately to mind.


----------



## 1131

Yup, Sophie's Choice is it. One of the best books of the last century. Actually one of the best books of all time.


----------



## Figment

A really stupid book, which nevertheless somehow managed to spend 38 weeks atop the New York Times Bestseller List (Ahh, but it was a simpler time then...), it spawned an even stupider movie, which managed to get itself nominated for two academy awards.  Not only does the book remain in print, but its been Kindlized!  Who would have guessed?


----------



## NogDog

Figment said:


> A really stupid book, which nevertheless somehow managed to spend 38 weeks atop the New York Times Bestseller List (Ahh, but it was a simpler time then...), it spawned an even stupider movie, which managed to get itself nominated for two academy awards. Not only does the book remain in print, but its been Kindlized! Who would have guessed?


You know, it's sad to say that the above description does not really narrow the field all that much for me.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Peyton Place?

Ed Patterson


----------



## Figment

Film critic Roger Ebert, commenting on the book from which the film was derived, commented to the effect that _The Little Engine that Could_ had greater depth.

By the way, you know a movie is truly bad when the sound track grosses more than did the movie. Sadly that is the case here.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I got it right? It was a guess. I remember when I was a teenager everyone in my family was reading that book - Grace Matropolis all over the place. Then I guess it's my turn (been a long time).

hmmmm. let me think .........

Okay. Okie-dookey. This play was popular in the 30's, so much so, it was made into the mostly unlikely muscial which was forecasted to be a flop, but turned out to be a hit. Hint (a personal hint), it was written by my fellow tribesman.

Edward C. Patterson
Nv-wo-di A-gi-lv s-gi


----------



## NogDog

Not sure PP was correct, Ed, as Wikipedia has it on the NYT best-sellers list for 59 weeks and the movie receiving 9 Academy Awards nominations.


----------



## Figment

Sorry, Ed, PP was not the book.

New Clue:  There were two recordings:  one the soundtrack from the film and one the recording of the book.  One won a Grammy.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I'll put my native American clue back on the shelf. (We're used to it).

Ed Patterson


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

How about _Jonathan Livingston Seagull?_

Ed Patterson


----------



## Figment

You are correct, sir.  

Now you can go with your native American clue.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

O-see-yo t'o-hi-tsu



Okay. Okie-dookey. This play was popular in the 30's, so much so, it was made into the mostly unlikely muscial which was forecasted to be a flop, but turned out to be a hit. Hint (a personal hint), it was written by my fellow tribesman.

Edward C. Patterson
Nv-wo-di A-gi-lv s-gi


----------



## Figment

Strictly because of your use of "Okie-Dokey", I'm thinking of "Oklahoma", which is based on the book/play _Green Grow the Lilacs_ by Lynn Riggs.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

U-huh! (yes, in Cherokee).

Ed Patterson


----------



## Figment

Before the First Edition (1911), there was an Original Edition (1910).  This book is now on its 12th Edition (2009).


----------



## Figment

Soar like an Eagle!


----------



## Figment

But first you must start as a Wolf or a Bear or some other pack animal.  This book will tell you what and how.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

The Boy Scout Handbook. . . . .

But if that's right someone else can have a go. . . . . .


----------



## Figment

That is, indeed, correct.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I'm waiting for the 19th edition (the PC one).  

Ed Patterson


----------



## geoffthomas

Ok, A bunch of days ago, Ann guessed correctly.
But Ann does not wish to test us.
So it is open for anyone to do it.

By the way, I have updated the list of books that have already been used (in the first post).


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

He takes his unfaithful wife on a dangerous trip into the interior as punishment.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

No takers. The action takes place in Republican China ( under the Guo-min-tang).

Ed Patterson


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Sorry, Ed. . . .the only books about China I've read are yours and I _know_ you wouldn't be using one of your own here. . . . .


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Ann in Arlington said:


> Sorry, Ed. . . .the only books about China I've read are yours and I _know_ you wouldn't be using one of your own here. . . . .


Nope, I wish I did write this one - which was made into 2 films - one quite recently and . . . decently. (Think Henry VIII).

Ed Patterson


----------



## davem2bits

I think I saw that movie.


Don't remember any Henry, maybe an Ed.


And King Kong's girl friend.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Okay. She's a Edwardian society girl and he's a bacteriologist.

(Don;t know about King Kong)

Ed Patterson


----------



## 1131

I know I've read this book but I can't think of the name (it was a long time ago).  I'll go bang my head against a wall untill it comes to me.  Or maybe I'll force myself to eat chocolate until I remember.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Todays' clue: Cholera.

Ed Patterson


----------



## 1131

This morning I woke up with title The Painted Veil screaming to me.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Yes, and unfortunately it is not on Kindle, as I so wanted to read it again and couldn;t find my copy. I ordered a DTP version (It's still under copyright). But it's a wonderful read, and a real great Somerset Mauham work. It depicts the hinterlands of China under the Republican regime to the Tee, and the love story that evolves is typical Maugham (who one of my ilk).

It's your turn.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## R. M. Reed

A great uncle of mine was a dentist to the last Emperor of China. Or some Emperor near the end. Early 20th century. No one has written a book about him, so don't mind me, I just thought it was a fun fact to throw out.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

It would have to be the last Emperor, because P'u-yi (the last Emperor) came to the throne in 1908 (he promsed not to wet it - he was 2 years old). His predecessor was kpt a prisoner in the Summer Palace by the Empress Dowager Tzu-xi and died a few hours before her - what a coicidence. So Pu-yi was the only 20th Century Emperor.   I like fun facts.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## 1131

I didn't realize Painted Veil had been made into even one movie.  It has been a long time since I read the book but I remember it as being interesting and well written.

This book was first published in 1954 but the story had been previously published, as a serial, the year before.


----------



## 1131

The detective in the mystery is asked by his boss to solve a high profile murder.  Failure to find the murderer could destroy his career, but solving the crime could result in a big promotion and the accompanying improvement in life style.  The detective is assigned a new partner to help him solve the crime.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

No idea. . . .but it sounds like a book I'd like. . . . . .


----------



## 1131

The action in this book takes place in two cities; a very large New York City and a nearby settlement.  Medievalists and a dupe play a prominent role in the story.


----------



## 1131

I'm not going to be around for a few days so here are a few more clues.  If you think you have the right book, you don't need to wait for me to confirm it

New York is a domed city and the nearby city is a settlement for "Spacers"

The dupe in this story is a robot as is one of the detectives

The story was written by a prolific writer in response to a statement that mystery and science fiction are not compatible because the world the author creates can have facts the reader isn't aware of

While the 3 laws of robotics did not make their 1st appearance in this story, they do make several appearances here


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Isaac Asimov. . . . . lead character is Daneel Olivaw. . . a robot. . . ."The Caves of Steel"


Yep. . . .here's my clue. . . . .it's the next one in the same series.


----------



## geoffthomas

Wasn't the next one The Naked Sun?


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Yep. . . .I guess it's your turn. . . . .if . . . ..you know. . . . .people are still playing. . . . . .I think they all got distracted trying to get a Kindle update.


----------



## Andra

Well, we're getting some new folks so if this thread is more visible we might get some more players.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I'm still playing - just draine bed - I mean brain dead.   It's that banana peeling over in the Jargon thread.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Well, it's Geoff Thomas' turn for a clue. . . . .


----------



## geoffthomas

I know - I was working real hard today and tired tonight - promise one tomorrow morning.


----------



## geoffthomas

Ok, this book was published in 1960.
The author was an American journalist, war correspondent, and historian.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

I'd had a hunch that you were talking about The Longest Day, but Wikipedia says that was published in 1959.


----------



## Figment

And I thought it might be _The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich_ by Shirer, but am going to reserve judgment pending another clue.


----------



## geoffthomas

It IS a very big book.


----------



## geoffthomas

You know it really isn't fair of me.
Figment got it right.



And I do apologize that it is not available in Kindle format - I just assumed that it was.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

geoffthomas said:


> You know it really isn't fair of me.
> Figment got it right.
> 
> 
> 
> And I do apologize that it is not available in Kindle format - I just assumed that it was.


I was in High School when this one came out and read it in 1962. I shold have got it. It was the first big book I read. Next was Gone With the Wind and then War & peace. perhaps that's why I like writing Big Books. 

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## geoffthomas

Alright I know it is hard to try to find a book that we have not yet used - even though I have updated Post #1 in the thread.
So here is an alphabetical list of those books.

2001: A Space Odyssey	Arthur C. Clarke
2001: A Space Odyssey,                              Arthur C. Clarke
84, Charing Cross Road                                  Helene Hanff
A Bear Called Paddington	Michael Bond
A Bridge Too Far                                          Cornelius Ryan
A Child's Garden of Verses,                            Robert Louis Stevenson
A Handmaid’s Tale Margaret Atwood
A Journey to the Center of the Earth	Jules Verne
A Night in the Lonesome October,                                        Roger Zelazny
A Prayer for Owen Meany,                                John Irving
A Scanner Darkly,                                        Philip K. Dick
A Series of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning,    Lemony Snicket
A Spell for Chameleon                                    Piers Anthony
A Study in Scarlet,                                      Arthur Conan Doyle
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn	Betty Smith
A Voyage to Arcturus,                                  David Lindsay
A Woman of Substance,                                  Barbara Taylor Bradford
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn	Mark Twain
Airframe,                                                      Michael Crichton
Alas, Babylon,                                                Pat Frank
Alice in Wonderland,                                    Lewis Carroll
Amphigorey                                                Edward Gorey
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge                  Ambrose Bierce
and as of September, 2009:	
Angels and Demons	Dan Brown
Anne of Green Gables	Lucy Maud Montgomery
As I Lay Dying,                                              William Faulkner
At Play in the Fields of the Lord,                      Peter Matthiessen
At the Back of the North Wind,                      George MacDonald
Aunt Dimity's Death                                        Nancy Atherton
Band of Brothers,                                        Stephen E. Ambrose
Because a Little Bug Went Ka-Choo!                Dr. Seuss
Bee Season,                                                  Myla Goldberg
Beekeeper's Apprentice,                                  Laurie R. King
Beloved	Toni Morrison
Between a Rock and a Hard Place,                  Aron Ralston
Billy Budd	Herman Melville
Bleak House Charles Dickens
Blood Engines,                                                T.A. Pratt
Blood Meridian,                                            Cormac McCarthy
Booked to Die,                                                John Dunning
Borrower of the Night,                                                          Elizabeth Peters
Boys and Girls Together,                                William Goldman
Burmese Days                                              George Orwell
Burr,                                                          Gore Vidal
Call of Cthulhu,                                              H.P. Lovecraft
Cancer Ward,                                              Solzhenitsyn
Candide                                                      Voltaire
Carrie,                                                      Stephen King
Catch-22	Joseph Heller
Cat's Cradle,                                              Kurt Vonnegut
Charybdis                                                    KA Thompson
Cherry Ames Student Nurse	Helen Wells
China Bayles,                                              Susan Wittig Albert
Christie	Catherine Marshall
Cities in Flight	James Blish
Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat and Obsession  Jolie Powell
Command Decision and 12 O'Clock High,          William Wister Haines
Confederacy of Dunces	O’Toole
Crack-Up	Eric Christopherson
Cranford	Elizabeth Gaskell
Crime and Punishment,                                    Dostoyevsky
Crocodile on the Sandbank	Elizabeth Peters
Daddy-Long-Legs,                                        Jean Webster
David Starr - Space Ranger,                              Paul French (a.k.a. Isaac Asimov)
Decameron	Boccacio
Decked (Regan Reilly)	Carol Higgins Clark
Different Seasons	Stephen King
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?	Phillip Dick
Dog on It: A Chet and Bernie Mystery,              Spencer Quinn
Dombey and Son	Charles Dickens
Don Quixote,                                              Don Miguel Cervantes
Dracula	Bram Stoker
Dune                                                          Frank Herbert
Earth Abides,                                                George Stewart
Elric: The Stealer of Souls                              Michael Moorcock
End of the Spear,                                      Steve Saint
Equal Rites	Terry Pratchett
Eragon	Chris Paolini
Farenheit 451	Ray Bradbury
Flatland                                                        Edwin A. Abbott
Foundation	Isaac Asimov
Foundation	Isaac Asimov
Frankenstein,                                              Mary Shelley
Frankenstein,                                                Mary Shelley
Fun With Dick and Jane	Wm. S. Gray
Ghost Soldiers,                                            Hampton Sides
God Game	Andrew Greeley
Gone With The Wind                                    Margaret Mitchell
Gone With the Wind,                                      Margaret Mitchell
Good Omens	Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaimen
Green Grow the Lilacs,                                                          Lynn Riggs
Griffen Correspondance	Bantock
Harriet the Spy	Louise Fitzhugh
Have Space Suit- Will Travel,                        Robert Heinlein
Hawaii,                                                        James Michener
Heart-Shaped Box,                                      Joe Hill
How Few Remain,                                          Harry Turtledove
In Cold Blood	Truman Capote
Inferno,                                                      Niven and Pournelle
Jonathan Livingston Seagull,                                                Richard Bach
Jude the Obscure	Thomas Hardy
Kidnapped	Robert Lewis Stevenson
La Religieuse (The Nun),                                Denis Diderot
Lady Cottington’s Pressed Fairy Book	Terry Jones and Brian Froud
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff - Christ's Childhood Pal,  Christopher Moore
Life of Pi,                                                    Yann Martel
Lonesome Dove	Larry McMurty
Lord Jim	Joseph Conrad
Lord of  Light	Roger Zalazny
Lord of the Flies                                          Sir William Golding
Lord Valentine's Castle                                  Robert Silverberg
Lost on a Mountain in Maine	Donn Fendler
Love Story	Erich Segal
Loving Frank	Nancy Horan
Lysystrata,                                                    Aristophanes
Make Room! Make Room!	Harry Harrison
Make Way for Ducklings	Robert McCloskey
Martin Chuzzlewit	Charles Dickens
Maurice,                                                      E.M. Forster
Mayday,                                                    Thomas Block and Nelson DeMille
Middlemarch	George Eliot
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil              John Berendt
Midnight’s Child Rushdie
Misery,                                                      Stephen King
Moby Dick	Herman Melville
Moll Flanders	Daniel Dafoe
Much Ado About Nothing,                                William Shakespeare
Murder with Peacocks,                                  Donna Andrews
Needful Things,                                              Stephen King
Night                                                          Ellie Wiesel
Northanger Abbey                                          Jane Austen
Off on a Comet (or Hector Servadoc),              Jules Verne
Old Nathan                                                  David Drake
Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats	T. S. Eliot
Ordinary Wolves,                                          Seth Kantner
Our Mutual Friend	Charles Dickens
Out of the Silent Planet	C. S. Lewis
Paul Clifford	Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Pirate Latitudes,                                          Michael Crichton
Player Piano,                                                Kurt Vonnegut
Poor Richard's Almanack,                              Benjamin Franklin
Pride and Prejudice	Jane Austen
Ragtime                                                      E. L. Doctorow
Ralph 124C41+,                                            Hugo Gernsback
Rebecca,                                                  Daphne du Maurier
Roadmarks,                                                Roger Zelazny
Romeo and Juliet                                            William Shakespeare
Room With A View	E.M. Forster
Running With The Demon,                            Terry Brooks
Sarum,                                                      Edward Rutherfurd
Saturday	Ian McEwan
Scaramouche	Sabatini
Scarlet Pimpernel,                                          Baroness Emmuska Orczy
Scoop,                                                      Evelyn Waugh
Scruples                                                      Judith Kranz
Septimus Heap –Magyk,                                Angie Sage
Seventeenth Summer	McGivern
She	H. Rider Haggard
SlaughterHouse Five	Kurt Vonnegut
Small Gods	Terry Pratchett
Snoopy	Charles Schultz
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan	Lisa See
Sophie's Choice,                                                                    William Styron
Spellsinger	Alan Dean Foster
Spoon River Anthology	Edgar Lee Masters
Starship Troopers	Robert Heinlein
Starship Troopers,                                      Robert Heinlein
Still Life,                                                    Louise Penny
Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman,                  Richard P. Feynman
Survivor: A Novel	Chuck Palahniuk
Taking Woodstock	Elliot Tiber
Tales of  The City	Armistead Maupin
Temeraire	Naomi Novik
Tender is the Night	F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Adolescence of P-1	Thomas J. Ryan
The Alienist	Caleb Carr
The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents	Terry Pratchett
The Atrocity Archives,                                  Charles Stross
The Bhagavad Gita                                        Vyasa
The Boy Scout Handbook,	
The Bridge on the Drina,                                Ivo Andric
The Bridge on the River Kwai,                        Pierre Boulle
The Brothers Karamazov	Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Canterbury Tales	Geoffrey Chaucer
The Case for Christ	Lee Strobel
The Count of Monte Cristo	Alexandre Dumas
The Courtship of Miles Standish,                      Henry Wadesworth Longfellow
The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage      Clifford Stoll
The Dark is Rising,                                        Susan Cooper
The Decameron                                            Giovanni Boccaccio
The Deipnosophistae,                                    Athenaeus of Naucratis
The Diary….	Anne Frank
The Eagle Has Landed,                                Jack Higgins
The Earthsea Trilogy,                                      Ursula Le Guin
The Eyre Affair	Jasper Fforde
The Fairy Godmother,                                  Mercedes Lackey
The Feast of Roses	Indu Sundaresan
The Fifth Elephant	Terry Pratchett
The Fountains of Paradise                              Arthur C. Clarke
The Frogs	Aristophanes
The Gargoyle,                                            Andrew Davidson
The Gilgamesh Sage,                                      Anonymous
The Giver	Lois Lowry
The Good Earth	Pearl S. Buck
The Grand Complication,                                Allen Kurzweil
The Great Santini	Pat Conroy
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society	Mary Ann Shaffer
The Gunslinger,                                          Stephen King
The Heretic's Daughter,                                Kathleen Kent
The Historian	Elizabeth Kostova
The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling	Henry Fielding
The Hotel New Hampshire	John Irving
The House of Mirth	Edit Wharton
The House of Pooh Corner	A.A. Milne
The Hunt for Red October	Tom Clancy
The Invention of Hugo Cabret,                        Brian Selznick
The Island of Dr. Mereau	H. G. Wells
The Jesus Factor	Edwin Corley
The Jewel of Medina	Sherry Jones
The Killer Angels,                                        Michael Shaara
The Last Man,                                              Mary Shelley
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus	Frank L. Baum
The Light That Failed,                                  Rudyard Kipling
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe	C.S. Lewis
The Little Giant of Aberdeen County,                T	iffany Baker
The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul                  Douglas Adams
The Lovely Lady Hamilton                              Alexandre Dumas
The Mayor of Casterbridge                              Thomas Hardy
The Most Dangerous Game,                            Richard Connell
The Mouse That Roared,                              Leonard Wibberly
The Odyssey                                                Homer
The Odyssey,                                            Homer
The Onion Field Joseph Wambaugh
The Other Boleyn Girl,                                                          Philippa Gregory
The Painted Veil,                                            Somerset Maugham
The Phoenix Guards,                                    Steven Brust  
The Picture of Dorian Gray	Oscar Wilde
The Poisonwood Bible	Barbara Kingsolver
The Princess Bride	S. Morgenstern
The Princess Bride	William Goldman
The Pushcart War,                                        Jean Merrill
The Red Pony,                                              John Steinbeck
The Redwall Series                                        Brian Jacques
The Scarlet Letter	Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Scarlet Letter,                                        Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Screwtape Letters	C. S. Lewis
The Sea Wolf Jack London
The Simarillion                                              J.R.R. Tolkien
The Sirens of Titan,                                      Kurt Vonnegut
The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon's,              Washington Irving
The Song of Roland                                        Anonymous
The Stand	Stephen King
The Stolen Child	Keith Donohue
The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckel and Mr. Hyde      Robert Louis Stevenson
The Sum of All Fears	Tom Clancy
The Surgeon                                                Tess Gerritsen
The Tommyknockers	Stephen King
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre                    Traven Trosvan
The Troll Bridge,                                            Terry Pratchett
The Two Towers	J.R.R. Tolkien
The Waste Lands	Stephen King
The Weight of Water	Anita Shreve
The White Company,                                    Arthur Conan Doyle
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz E.L. Baum
The World According to Garp	John Irving
To Kill a Mockingbird	Harper Lee
Travels with Charley	John Steinbeck
Uncubicled,                                                  Josh McMains
Valley of the Dolls	Jacqueline Susann
Vanity Fair	William Makepiece Thakaray
War and Peace	Leo Tolstoy
Washington's Spies,                                      Alexander Rose
Water for Elephants	Gruen
What is the What	Dave Eggers
Where Angels Fear to Tread	E. M. Forster
Where the Red Fern Grows,                              Wilson Rawls
Where the Sidewalk Ends	Shel Silverstein
Where the Wild Things Are	Maurice Sendak
Where's My Cow                                            Terry Pratchett
Who Moved My Cheese,                                Spencer Johnson
Wicked	Gregory Maguire
Wind in the Willows                                        Kenneth Grahame
Wizard and Glass	Stephen King
Wizard's First rule	Terry Goodkind
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War      Max Brooks
Wuthering Heights	Emily Bronte
Wyrd Sisters,                                                Terry Pratchett


----------



## geoffthomas

And here is the list by author:

A.A. Milne	The House of Pooh Corner
Alan Dean Foster	Spellsinger
Alexander Rose	Washington's Spies,                                      
Alexandre Dumas	The Count of Monte Cristo
Alexandre Dumas	The Lovely Lady Hamilton                              
Allen Kurzweil	The Grand Complication,                                
Ambrose Bierce	An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge                  
Andrew Davidson	The Gargoyle,                                            
Andrew Greeley	God Game
Angie Sage	Septimus Heap –Magyk,                                
Anita Shreve	The Weight of Water
Anne Frank	The Diary….
Anonymous	The Song of Roland                                        
Anonymous	The Gilgamesh Sage,                                      
Aristophanes	The Frogs
Aristophanes	Lysystrata,                                                    
Armistead Maupin	Tales of  The City
Aron Ralston	Between a Rock and a Hard Place,                  
Arthur C. Clarke	2001: A Space Odyssey
Arthur C. Clarke	The Fountains of Paradise                              
Arthur C. Clarke	2001: A Space Odyssey,                              
Arthur Conan Doyle	A Study in Scarlet,                                      
Arthur Conan Doyle	The White Company,                                    
Athenaeus of Naucratis	The Deipnosophistae,                                    
Bantock	Griffen Correspondance
Barbara Kingsolver	The Poisonwood Bible
Barbara Taylor Bradford	A Woman of Substance,                                  
Baroness Emmuska Orczy	Scarlet Pimpernel,                                          
Benjamin Franklin	Poor Richard's Almanack,                              
Betty Smith	A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Boccacio	Decameron
Bram Stoker	Dracula
Brian Jacques	The Redwall Series                                        
Brian Selznick	The Invention of Hugo Cabret,                        
C.S. Lewis	The Screwtape Letters
C.S. Lewis	Out of the Silent Planet
C.S. Lewis	The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
Caleb Carr	The Alienist
Carol Higgins Clark	Decked (Regan Reilly)
Catherine Marshall	Christie
Charles Dickens	Bleak House 
Charles Dickens	Martin Chuzzlewit
Charles Dickens	Our Mutual Friend
Charles Dickens	Dombey and Son
Charles Schultz	Snoopy
Charles Stross	The Atrocity Archives,                                  
Chris Paolini	Eragon
Christopher Moore	Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff - Christ's Childhood Pal,  
Chuck Palahniuk	Survivor: A Novel
Clifford Stoll	The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage      
Cormac McCarthy	Blood Meridian,                                            
Cornelius Ryan	A Bridge Too Far                                          
Dan Brown	Angels and Demons
Daniel Dafoe	Moll Flanders
Daphne du Maurier	Rebecca,                                                  
Dave Eggers	What is the What
David Drake	Old Nathan                                                  
David Lindsay	A Voyage to Arcturus,                                  
Denis Diderot	La Religieuse (The Nun),                                
Don Miguel Cervantes	Don Quixote,                                              
Donn Fendler	Lost on a Mountain in Maine
Donna Andrews	Murder with Peacocks,                                  
Douglas Adams	The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul                  
Dr. Seuss	Because a Little Bug Went Ka-Choo!                
E.L. Baum	The Wonderful Wizard of Oz 
E.L. Doctorow	Ragtime                                                      
E.M. Forster	Where Angels Fear to Tread
E.M. Forster	Room With A View
E.M. Forster	Maurice,                                                      
Edgar Lee Masters	Spoon River Anthology
Edit Wharton	The House of Mirth
Edward Bulwer-Lytton	Paul Clifford
Edward Gorey	Amphigorey                                                
Edward Rutherfurd	Sarum,                                                      
Edwin A. Abbott	Flatland                                                        
Edwin Corley	The Jesus Factor
Elizabeth Gaskell	Cranford
Elizabeth Kostova	The Historian
Elizabeth Peters	Crocodile on the Sandbank
Elizabeth Peters	Borrower of the Night,                                                          
Ellie Wiesel	Night                                                          
Elliot Tiber	Taking Woodstock
Emily Bronte	Wuthering Heights
Eric Christopherson	Crack-Up
Erich Segal	Love Story
Evelyn Waugh	Scoop,                                                      
F. Scott Fitzgerald	Tender is the Night
Frank Herbert	Dune                                                          
Frank L. Baum	The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
Fyodor Dostoyevsky	Crime and Punishment,                                    
Fyodor Dostoyevsky	The Brothers Karamazov
Geoffrey Chaucer	The Canterbury Tales
George Eliot	Middlemarch
George MacDonald	At the Back of the North Wind,                      
George Orwell	Burmese Days                                              
George Stewart	Earth Abides,                                                
Giovanni Boccaccio	The Decameron                                            
Gore Vidal	Burr,                                                          
Gregory Maguire	Wicked
Gruen	Water for Elephants
H. Rider Haggard	She
H.G. Wells	The Island of Dr. Mereau
H.P. Lovecraft	Call of Cthulhu,                                              
Hampton Sides	Ghost Soldiers,                                            
Harper Lee	To Kill a Mockingbird
Harry Harrison	Make Room! Make Room!
Harry Turtledove	How Few Remain,                                          
Helen Wells	Cherry Ames Student Nurse
Helene Hanff	84, Charing Cross Road                                  
Henry Fielding	The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling
Henry Wadesworth Longfellow	The Courtship of Miles Standish,                      
Herman Melville	Moby Dick
Herman Melville	Billy Budd
Homer	The Odyssey                                                
Homer	The Odyssey,                                            
Hugo Gernsback	Ralph 124C41+,                                            
Ian McEwan	Saturday
Indu Sundaresan	The Feast of Roses
Isaac Asimov	Foundation
Isaac Asimov	Foundation
Ivo Andric	The Bridge on the Drina,                                
J.R.R. Tolkien	The Two Towers
J.R.R. Tolkien	The Simarillion                                              
Jack Higgins	The Eagle Has Landed,                                
Jack London	The Sea Wolf 
Jacqueline Susann	Valley of the Dolls
James Blish	Cities in Flight
James Michener	Hawaii,                                                        
Jane Austen	Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen	Northanger Abbey                                          
Jasper Fforde	The Eyre Affair
Jean Merrill	The Pushcart War,                                        
Jean Webster	Daddy-Long-Legs,                                        
Joe Hill	Heart-Shaped Box,                                      
John Berendt	Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil              
John Dunning	Booked to Die,                                                
John Irving	The Hotel New Hampshire
John Irving	The World According to Garp
John Irving	A Prayer for Owen Meany,                                
John Steinbeck	Travels with Charley
John Steinbeck	The Red Pony,                                              
Jolie Powell	Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat and Obsession  
Joseph Conrad	Lord Jim
Joseph Heller	Catch-22
Joseph Wambaugh	The Onion Field 
Josh McMains	Uncubicled,                                                  
Judith Kranz	Scruples                                                      
Jules Verne	A Journey to the Center of the Earth
Jules Verne	Off on a Comet (or Hector Servadoc),              
KA Thompson	Charybdis                                                    
Kathleen Kent	The Heretic's Daughter,                                
Keith Donohue	The Stolen Child
Kenneth Grahame	Wind in the Willows                                        
Kurt Vonnegut	SlaughterHouse Five
Kurt Vonnegut	Player Piano,                                                
Kurt Vonnegut	The Sirens of Titan,                                      
Kurt Vonnegut	Cat's Cradle,                                              
Larry McMurty	Lonesome Dove
Laurie R. King	Beekeeper's Apprentice,                                  
Lee Strobel	The Case for Christ
Lemony Snicket	A Series of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning,    
Leo Tolstoy	War and Peace
Leonard Wibberly	The Mouse That Roared,                              
Lewis Carroll	Alice in Wonderland,                                    
Lisa See	Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Lois Lowry	The Giver
Louise Fitzhugh	Harriet the Spy
Louise Penny	Still Life,                                                    
Lucy Maud Montgomery	Anne of Green Gables
Lynn Riggs	Green Grow the Lilacs,                                                          
Margaret Atwood	A Handmaid’s Tale 
Margaret Mitchell	Gone With The Wind                                    
Margaret Mitchell	Gone With the Wind,                                      
Mark Twain	Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Mary Ann Shaffer	The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society
Mary Shelley	Frankenstein,                                                
Mary Shelley	The Last Man,                                              
Mary Shelley	Frankenstein,                                              
Maurice Sendak	Where the Wild Things Are
Max Brooks	World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War      
McGivern	Seventeenth Summer
Mercedes Lackey	The Fairy Godmother,                                  
Michael Bond	A Bear Called Paddington
Michael Crichton	Airframe,                                                      
Michael Crichton	Pirate Latitudes,                                          
Michael Moorcock	Elric: The Stealer of Souls                              
Michael Shaara	The Killer Angels,                                        
Myla Goldberg	Bee Season,                                                  
Nancy Atherton	Aunt Dimity's Death                                        
Nancy Horan	Loving Frank
Naomi Novik	Temeraire
Nathaniel Hawthorne	The Scarlet Letter
Nathaniel Hawthorne	The Scarlet Letter,                                        
Niven and Pournelle	Inferno,                                                      
O’Toole	Confederacy of Dunces
Oscar Wilde	The Picture of Dorian Gray
Pat Conroy	The Great Santini
Pat Frank	Alas, Babylon,                                                
Paul French (a.k.a. Isaac Asimov)	David Starr - Space Ranger,                              
Pearl S. Buck	The Good Earth
Peter Matthiessen	At Play in the Fields of the Lord,                      
Philip K. Dick	A Scanner Darkly,                                        
Philippa Gregory	The Other Boleyn Girl,                                                          
Phillip Dick	Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Pierre Boulle	The Bridge on the River Kwai,                        
Piers Anthony	A Spell for Chameleon                                    
Ray Bradbury	Farenheit 451
Richard Bach	Jonathan Livingston Seagull,                                                
Richard Connell	The Most Dangerous Game,                            
Richard P. Feynman	Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman,                  
Robert Heinlein	Starship Troopers
Robert Heinlein	Have Space Suit- Will Travel,                        
Robert Heinlein	Starship Troopers,                                      
Robert Lewis Stevenson	Kidnapped
Robert Louis Stevenson	The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckel and Mr. Hyde      
Robert Louis Stevenson	A Child's Garden of Verses,                            
Robert McCloskey	Make Way for Ducklings
Robert Silverberg	Lord Valentine's Castle                                  
Roger Zalazny	Lord of  Light
Roger Zelazny	Roadmarks,                                                
Roger Zelazny	A Night in the Lonesome October,                                        
Rudyard Kipling	The Light That Failed,                                  
Rushdie	Midnight’s Child 
S. Morgenstern	The Princess Bride
Sabatini	Scaramouche
Seth Kantner	Ordinary Wolves,                                          
Shel Silverstein	Where the Sidewalk Ends
Sherry Jones	The Jewel of Medina
Sir William Golding	Lord of the Flies                                          
Solzhenitsyn	Cancer Ward,                                              
Somerset Maugham	The Painted Veil,                                            
Spencer Johnson	Who Moved My Cheese,                                
Spencer Quinn	Dog on It: A Chet and Bernie Mystery,              
Stephen E. Ambrose	Band of Brothers,                                        
Stephen King	The Waste Lands
Stephen King	The Stand
Stephen King	Wizard and Glass
Stephen King	The Tommyknockers
Stephen King	Different Seasons
Stephen King	Needful Things,                                              
Stephen King	The Gunslinger,                                          
Stephen King	Carrie,                                                      
Stephen King	Misery,                                                      
Steve Saint	End of the Spear,                                      
Steven Brust  The Phoenix Guards,                                    
Susan Cooper	The Dark is Rising,                                        
Susan Wittig Albert	China Bayles,                                              
T. S. Eliot	Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats
T.A. Pratt	Blood Engines,                                                
Terry Brooks	Running With The Demon,                            
Terry Goodkind	Wizard's First rule
Terry Jones and Brian Froud	Lady Cottington’s Pressed Fairy Book
Terry Pratchett	The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents
Terry Pratchett	Small Gods
Terry Pratchett	The Fifth Elephant
Terry Pratchett	Equal Rites
Terry Pratchett	Where's My Cow                                            
Terry Pratchett	The Troll Bridge,                                            
Terry Pratchett	Wyrd Sisters,                                                
Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaimen	Good Omens
Tess Gerritsen	The Surgeon                                                
Thomas Block and Nelson DeMille	Mayday,                                                    
Thomas Hardy	Jude the Obscure
Thomas Hardy	The Mayor of Casterbridge                              
Thomas J. Ryan	The Adolescence of P-1
Tiffany Baker	The Little Giant of Aberdeen County,              
Tom Clancy	The Hunt for Red October
Tom Clancy	The Sum of All Fears
Toni Morrison	Beloved
Traven Trosvan	The Treasure of the Sierra Madre                    
Truman Capote	In Cold Blood
Ursula Le Guin	The Earthsea Trilogy,                                      
Voltaire	Candide                                                      
Vyasa	The Bhagavad Gita                                        
Washington Irving	The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon's,              
William Faulkner	As I Lay Dying,                                              
William Goldman	The Princess Bride
William Goldman	Boys and Girls Together,                                
William Makepiece Thakaray	Vanity Fair
William Shakespeare	Romeo and Juliet                                            
William Shakespeare	Much Ado About Nothing,                                
William Styron	Sophie's Choice,                                                                    
William Wister Haines	Command Decision and 12 O'Clock High,          
Wilson Rawls	Where the Red Fern Grows,                              
Wm. S. Gray	Fun With Dick and Jane
Yann Martel	Life of Pi,                                                    
The Boy Scout Handbook,


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

A little light in the ing area. I'll need to win me a turn.  

Ed Patterson


----------



## Ann in Arlington

What is it about geoff and Geoffrey and your spreadsheets and lists?


----------



## geoffthomas

Actually I think it is Figment's turn.
Or are we getting tired of this game?


----------



## R. M. Reed

I contributed "Have Spacesuit, Will Travel," and it's on the list of titles. Robert A. Heinlein is not on the list of authors.

Edit: Never mind, I found him. The list wasn't as alphabetical as I thought.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

I'm not tired, but soeone go . . . I'm jigging.  

Ed Patterson


----------



## geoffthomas

Ok, let's get this going again.

This book is written by a KB resident author.
It is available in Kindle format.

One of the featured characters is a big fish.

Hmmmm.......


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Baracuda by Mike the Cuda

Ed Patterson


----------



## geoffthomas

that is right.











I guess it was a mistake to try one that I had recently posted about in the what are you reading thread.

Your turn Ed.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Nope. That's not it. Mike and I go back to the beginning of the Indie movement and he's know to us primitives as The Cuda.  

Me next. 

Last week this main character in this book spread his wings for the sixth time.

Ed Patterson


----------



## Andra

Temeraire in Tongues of Serpents by Naomi Novik


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Correct, and I'm 1/3rd of the throught it. Yippee.

Your turn, Andra.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Andra

This book is the first in a series featuring an incredibly type-A librarian.


----------



## Andra

Guess you guys don't read cozy mysteries on a regular basis...
The librarian is a Michigan native, but she has worked in Washington since finishing library school.  She still has the Buick that her parents gave her as a high school graduation present.
She has a friend who is an artist - and they are total opposites.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

No, my Victorian reading list rarely owned a Buick.  

Ed Patterson


----------



## geoffthomas

And is that the state of Washington, or Washington, D.C.?


----------



## Andra

That would be the state of Washington. 
This first book involves a body discovered in the fiction stacks.


----------



## NogDog

I don't know if this takes place in Washington, but I'm guessing one of the "Miss Zukas" books, and the most likely looking title would seem to be _Miss Zukas and the Library Murders_.


----------



## Andra

You are correct Nogdog!
These books by Jo Dereske have recently been released on Kindle.


----------



## NogDog

Andra said:


> You are correct Nogdog!
> These books by Jo Dereske have recently been released on Kindle.


I've not read them (not my usual genre) but I have my mother reads lots of mysteries, and I remembered something/someone with a "Z" on some books she had. 

Anyway, clue number 1: Soy Sauce.


----------



## geoffthomas

Cook's Illustrated has a very nice entry on Soy Sauce?


----------



## NogDog

geoffthomas said:


> Cook's Illustrated has a very nice entry on Soy Sauce?


It might, but the book in question is a novel.


----------



## NogDog

NogDog said:


> clue #1: Soy Sauce


clue #2: The author and the main character have something in common (you might say two things).


----------



## NogDog

NogDog said:


> clue #1: Soy Sauce
> clue #2: The author and the main character have something in common (you might say two things).


clue #3: The author's web site claims that 70,000 people read this book via free downloads and copies before it was picked up by its first publisher.


----------



## NogDog

NogDog said:


> clue #1: Soy Sauce
> clue #2: The author and the main character have something in common (you might say two things).
> clue #3: The author's web site claims that 70,000 people read this book via free downloads and copies before it was picked up by its first publisher.


clue #4: The protagonist's best friend is also the subject of the book's title.


----------



## NogDog

NogDog said:


> clue #1: Soy Sauce
> clue #2: The author and the main character have something in common (you might say two things).
> clue #3: The author's web site claims that 70,000 people read this book via free downloads and copies before it was picked up by its first publisher.
> clue #4: The protagonist's best friend is also the subject of the book's title.


clue #5: Large amounts of assorted red fluids show up in this story, including Red Mountain Dew.


----------



## geoffthomas

These are good clues for this thread, because they have intrigued me.
But I am guessing that I have not read this one, because they are not ringing any bells.

Anyone else have ideas?


----------



## Andra

It sounds interesting, but no bells for me either...


----------



## NogDog

NogDog said:


> clue #1: Soy Sauce
> clue #2: The author and the main character have something in common (you might say two things).
> clue #3: The author's web site claims that 70,000 people read this book via free downloads and copies before it was picked up by its first publisher.
> clue #4: The protagonist's best friend is also the subject of the book's title.
> clue #5: Large amounts of assorted red fluids show up in this story, including Red Mountain Dew.


clue #6: Most of the story takes place in or near the town of


Spoiler



[Undisclosed]


, except for one trip to Las Vegas.


----------



## NogDog

NogDog said:


> clue #1: Soy Sauce
> clue #2: The author and the main character have something in common (you might say two things).
> clue #3: The author's web site claims that 70,000 people read this book via free downloads and copies before it was picked up by its first publisher.
> clue #4: The protagonist's best friend is also the subject of the book's title.
> clue #5: Large amounts of assorted red fluids show up in this story, including Red Mountain Dew.
> clue #6: Most of the story takes place in or near the town of
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> [Undisclosed]
> 
> 
> , except for one trip to Las Vegas.


clue #7: One on-line reviewer described this novel as what might be the result of a "collaboration between H. P. Lovecraft and John Hughes."


----------



## Aravis60

Very interesting clues. I couldn't help myself. Had to Google it.


----------



## NogDog

NogDog said:


> clue #1: Soy Sauce
> clue #2: The author and the main character have something in common (you might say two things).
> clue #3: The author's web site claims that 70,000 people read this book via free downloads and copies before it was picked up by its first publisher.
> clue #4: The protagonist's best friend is also the subject of the book's title.
> clue #5: Large amounts of assorted red fluids show up in this story, including Red Mountain Dew.
> clue #6: Most of the story takes place in or near the town of [Undisclosed], except for one trip to Las Vegas.
> clue #7: One on-line reviewer described this novel as what might be the result of a "collaboration between H. P. Lovecraft and John Hughes."


clue #8:


----------



## geoffthomas

Nog you are almost as bad as Ed and I.
Hmmmmm when one has a blog........


----------



## NogDog

geoffthomas said:


> Nog you are almost as bad as Ed and I.
> Hmmmmm when one has a blog........


----------



## NogDog

NogDog said:


> clue #1: Soy Sauce
> clue #2: The author and the main character have something in common (you might say two things).
> clue #3: The author's web site claims that 70,000 people read this book via free downloads and copies before it was picked up by its first publisher.
> clue #4: The protagonist's best friend is also the subject of the book's title.
> clue #5: Large amounts of assorted red fluids show up in this story, including Red Mountain Dew.
> clue #6: Most of the story takes place in or near the town of [Undisclosed], except for one trip to Las Vegas.
> clue #7: One on-line reviewer described this novel as what might be the result of a "collaboration between H. P. Lovecraft and John Hughes."
> clue #8:


clue #9: It would be cool if they could get Morgan Freeman to play the part of Detective Appleton in the movie version.


----------



## NogDog

NogDog said:


> clue #1: Soy Sauce
> clue #2: The author and the main character have something in common (you might say two things).
> clue #3: The author's web site claims that 70,000 people read this book via free downloads and copies before it was picked up by its first publisher.
> clue #4: The protagonist's best friend is also the subject of the book's title.
> clue #5: Large amounts of assorted red fluids show up in this story, including Red Mountain Dew.
> clue #6: Most of the story takes place in or near the town of [Undisclosed], except for one trip to Las Vegas.
> clue #7: One on-line reviewer described this novel as what might be the result of a "collaboration between H. P. Lovecraft and John Hughes."
> clue #8:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> clue #9: It would be cool if they could get Morgan Freeman to play the part of Detective Appleton in the movie version.


clue #10: The dog saves the day -- several times.


----------



## NogDog

NogDog said:


> clue #1: Soy Sauce
> clue #2: The author and the main character have something in common (you might say two things).
> clue #3: The author's web site claims that 70,000 people read this book via free downloads and copies before it was picked up by its first publisher.
> clue #4: The protagonist's best friend is also the subject of the book's title.
> clue #5: Large amounts of assorted red fluids show up in this story, including Red Mountain Dew.
> clue #6: Most of the story takes place in or near the town of [Undisclosed], except for one trip to Las Vegas.
> clue #7: One on-line reviewer described this novel as what might be the result of a "collaboration between H. P. Lovecraft and John Hughes."
> clue #8:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> clue #9: It would be cool if they could get Morgan Freeman to play the part of Detective Appleton in the movie version.
> clue #10: The dog saves the day -- several times.


Perhaps it's time for someone to solve via their Google skills? Or perhaps they should inject some soy sauce, check their dog's paw for a sideways Pi symbol, make sure their best friend is still alive, and wait for the sauce to kick in -- at which point they'll almost magically know the title of this book.


----------



## Andra

John Dies at the End by David Wong

(How are my Google skills??)


----------



## geoffthomas

Is that it NogDog?
Huh, is it?

I must admit I have never heard of it.
But that is what I love about this thread, another method to learn about interesting works.

Just sayin......


----------



## NogDog

Andra said:


> John Dies at the End by David Wong
> 
> (How are my Google skills??)


Yes, that's it. It's not the sort of book I would have thought I'd like, but I really enjoyed it (though the 2nd half dragged a bit).











PS: Not for the young'uns or the very, very squeamish.

PPS: Might as well add a link to my review: http://www.kindleminds.net/2010/07/25/john-dies-at-the-end/


----------



## Andra

This is a book about stories.


----------



## NogDog

Andra said:


> This is a book about stories.


_Witches Abroad_ by Terry Pratchett


----------



## geoffthomas

Inkheart?


----------



## Andra

NogDog said:


> _Witches Abroad_ by Terry Pratchett


I should have known you wouldn't need a second clue...
Inkheart is a good guess though.


----------



## NogDog

Andra said:


> I should have known you wouldn't need a second clue...
> Inkheart is a good guess though.


D'oh! I didn't really think that would be it. Now I'll try to think of something y'all have read, too.


----------



## NogDog

clue #1: Paradoxically, our hero nearly gets killed at a "shelter"


----------



## NogDog

NogDog said:


> clue #1: Paradoxically, our hero nearly gets killed at a "shelter"


clue #2: While this book's detective duo is creative, the setting has been done a lot (LA area and a bit in Vegas)


----------



## NogDog

NogDog said:


> clue #1: Paradoxically, our hero nearly gets killed at a "shelter"
> clue #2: While this book's detective duo is creative, the setting has been done a lot (LA area and a bit in Vegas)


The name of one of the two main characters is also a month in the Nanakshahi calendar, a river in England, and the first name (actually a nickname) for a guitarist who won 14 Grammys.


----------



## Figment

Spencer Quinn's _Dog On It_. I LOVED this book!!!

(By the way, assuming I got this correct, and I'm really pretty certain I did, someone else will have to jump in with the next book. I'm starting a trial tomorrow, and have to drive down to the venue this afternoon and get myself organized there...Sorry!)


----------



## NogDog

Figment said:


> Spencer Quinn's _Dog On It_. I LOVED this book!!!
> 
> (By the way, assuming I got this correct, and I'm really pretty certain I did, someone else will have to jump in with the next book. I'm starting a trial tomorrow, and have to drive down to the venue this afternoon and get myself organized there...Sorry!)


That's the one. I guess the first to jump in gets to present the next book.


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Whose turn is it?

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Andra

If you're reviving the thread Ed, I'd say it's your turn!!


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

The protagonist has a dirty face and hair that keeps getting in his way. His closest friend is priggish and fat.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Tip10

William Golding's Lord of the Flies?


----------



## Edward C. Patterson

Yes, Tio10. Ralph and Piggy. Ralph's famous hair in his eyes being Golding's symbolism for the ecoutrement of civilization making things difficult to discern, or at least my Enlish Lit Professor professed.  

Your turn.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Tip10

In the beginning the ratio of 1:4:9 (or more precisely 1 squared: 2 squared: 3 squared) figures prominently.


----------



## NogDog

Tip10 said:


> In the beginning the ratio of 1:4:9 (or more precisely 1 squared: 2 squared: 3 squared) figures prominently.


_2001 A Space Odyssey_ by Arthur C. Clarke.


----------



## Tip10

That would be the one.  Might be the first time a book was written concurrently with the production of a movie with the book being published after the movie.

Your up NogDog.


----------



## NogDog

The main character's name might make you think this is YAVN (yet another vampire novel). However, except for one important secondary character who shows up throughout the series and whom is sometimes referred to as possibly being a vampire, this is definitely not a vampire story.


----------



## NogDog

NogDog said:


> The main character's name might make you think this is YAVN (yet another vampire novel). However, except for one important secondary character who shows up throughout the series and whom is sometimes referred to as possibly being a vampire, this is definitely not a vampire story.


Another important character in the story does, in fact, have wings similar to that of a bat, but is not a vampire.


----------



## geoffthomas

NogDog I think we need a few more clues.
I am not sure how to even Google the current ones.

Just sayin.....


----------



## NogDog

geoffthomas said:


> NogDog I think we need a few more clues.
> I am not sure how to even Google the current ones.
> 
> Just sayin.....


Oops...I forgot we'd even revived this. (Probably a bit distracted by all the veterinarian visits.  ). I'll see if I can come up with a couple more cryptic clues today.


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## NogDog

NogDog said:


> The main character's name might make you think this is YAVN (yet another vampire novel). However, except for one important secondary character who shows up throughout the series and whom is sometimes referred to as possibly being a vampire, this is definitely not a vampire story.





NogDog said:


> Another important character in the story does, in fact, have wings similar to that of a bat, but is not a vampire.


The main character is human, but he isn't a "human". Some of the other characters are "humans", but they aren't human.


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## NogDog

NogDog said:


> The main character's name might make you think this is YAVN (yet another vampire novel). However, except for one important secondary character who shows up throughout the series and whom is sometimes referred to as possibly being a vampire, this is definitely not a vampire story.





NogDog said:


> Another important character in the story does, in fact, have wings similar to that of a bat, but is not a vampire.





NogDog said:


> The main character is human, but he isn't a "human". Some of the other characters are "humans", but they aren't human.


While the main character is not a vampire, he _is_ a witch.


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## NogDog

> The main character's name might make you think this is YAVN (yet another vampire novel). However, except for one important secondary character who shows up throughout the series and whom is sometimes referred to as possibly being a vampire, this is definitely not a vampire story.
> 
> Another important character in the story does, in fact, have wings similar to that of a bat, but is not a vampire.
> 
> The main character is human, but he isn't a "human". Some of the other characters are "humans", but they aren't human.
> 
> While the main character is not a vampire, he is a witch.


The title of the book could refer to the main character's familiar, or to one of the 17 "great houses" into which he had purchased a title (it being the only house where such can be purchased).


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## NogDog

> The main character's name might make you think this is YAVN (yet another vampire novel). However, except for one important secondary character who shows up throughout the series and whom is sometimes referred to as possibly being a vampire, this is definitely not a vampire story.
> 
> Another important character in the story does, in fact, have wings similar to that of a bat, but is not a vampire.
> 
> The main character is human, but he isn't a "human". Some of the other characters are "humans", but they aren't human.
> 
> While the main character is not a vampire, he is a witch.
> 
> The title of the book could refer to the main character's familiar, or to one of the 17 "great houses" into which he had purchased a title (it being the only house where such can be purchased).


This novel was originally published in 1983. It was later republished with two other books from the series in a single volume with a title which included this book's one-word title. It was also adapted into a graphic novel published in 1987.


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## geoffthomas

NogDog, you have given enough information to identify this book:



Book: The Book of Jhereg (contains the first three works -Jhereg, Yendi, and Teckla).
Author: Steven Brust
Published: 1983
Character: Vlad Taltos (the vlad as in vlad the impaler or count dracula, hence the sound of a vampire book). Vlad also practices the human art of witchcraft. 
Familiar/House: The novel is named after House Jhereg, the Great House to which Vlad Taltos belongs. The House in turn was named after jheregs, tiny dragon-like creatures native to Dragaera, one of which Vlad keeps as a familiar.
Dragaerans, who are humanoid but have such differences as greatly extended lifespans and heights averaging about 7 feet. Referred to as "elfs" by some humans, they refer to themselves as "human".

Interesting:
The same character, usually a cute brown-eyed girl of about nine, appears as a motif in all of Brust's novels. In the Dragaeran books her name is Devera.
His novels have been influenced by events in Steven Brust's own life. A fascination with the Mafia - subsequently brought into a somewhat shocking perspective by the murder of a friend - profoundly influenced his storylines.

Is this the right one?


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## NogDog

You got it, Geoff.

Unfortunately, only the later books in the series have been enKindled so far.  I've found most of them to be quite enjoyable (I found _Teckla_ to be only so-so), and they fit well in my sweet spot: somewhat ambiguously between fantasy* and scifi and written in first person.
__________
* If push came to shove I'd classify them as fantasy over scifi.


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