Friday, June 4, 2010

Trivial Pursuit for Book-Lovers

Children's: What magical item does Sylvester the donkey hold in his mouth so he can turn himself into a rock, in William Steig's classic children's tale?

Classics: What best-selling political expose spawned a 1976 sequel called The Final Days?

Non-Fiction: What former police chief recounts the search for Maryland's serial sniper, in Three Weeks in October?

Book Club: What Michael Ondaatje novel sends a forensic anthropologist to dig up skeletons in Sri Lanka?

Authors: Who added to the mystery of his illustrated stories by sprinkling in anagrams of his own name, like Raddory Gewe and E.G. Deadworry?

Book Bag: What heroic crook returned to Richard Stark crime novels after 23 years, in the 1997 novel Comeback?

9 comments:

Karen said...

Oooh, ooh, I know THREE! (This is remarkable, for me.)

Sylvester has a pebble. (His parents miss him so much when he is a rock!)

Ondaatje's Anil's Ghost (not as well-loved as The English Patient, but still worth your time)

And the artist author is Edward Gorey.

FreshHell said...

The magic pebble (children's), Edward Gorey (author), and Parker (book bag). Love Donald Westlake.

Amanda said...

Okay I read this in complete bewilderment, wondering why you wrote to say one is for me, and then I read the answers people put up. I had no idea Edward Gorey did that! New fact of the day for me! :)

Harriet said...

Children's: a magic pebble
Classics: All the President's Men
Non-Fiction: ?
Book Club: Anil's Ghost
Authors: Edward Gorey
Book Bag: I should know this, but I don't.

Anonymous said...

A pebble!

And Edward Gorey.

Jenny said...

*embarrassing ignorance*

I know a pebble, and I have de-anagrammed the anagrams to get Edward Gorey, but that is all.

(Funny this card brings up the sniper! I was just talking about that with my sister yesterday.)

bermudaonion said...

The only one I knew was Anil's Ghost and I see someone beat me to it.

Jeanne said...

Children's: a pebble
Classics: All the President's Men
Non-Fiction: Charles Moose
Book Club: Anil's Ghost
Authors: Edward Gorey
Book Bag: Parker

Once again, no surprise, we're well-read as a group except for non-fiction! I loved the Edward Gorey question, which illustrates how easy it sometimes is to work out one of the answers to these questions.

Harriet said...

I actually read far more non-fiction than fiction, but fiction gets talked about. Non-fiction in general is more area focused, so while you may know some, you are unlikely to know all, as we tend to focus on specific interests in a way most of us don't on fiction.