Daily puzzles/problems.

[Basil]

JK Rowling.
Incorrect.

I just read somewhere that this author is known as a "night bachelor". I have no idea what that means, but it sounds pretty wild.

[billl]

Martin Amis? (Sometime around The Information?)

[Basil]

Martin Amis? (Sometime around The Information?)
Nope. Sorry.

These days, this author can be found haunting the neck of the woods of another writer from the list...although I bet nobody accuses him of being an amanuensis for the local blacks.

[prendrelemick]

Philip Roth? -his ex wife Claire Bloom gave him the bad review.

[prendrelemick]

^ sorry not British.

[jajdude]

jajdude the sniper



I approve of this.

[prendrelemick]

Sir Alan Ackbourne? He became a Knight Batchelor on 11 feb 1997




Oh 'eck, wrong date we're looking for a literary figure who was knighted on 14th Feb 1989, are we?



Ahh unless the bad review was a fatwah against Salman Rushdie.


I'm carpet bombing again

[Basil]

Ahh unless the bad review was a fatwah against Salman Rushdie.

You got it. Good job, Mick. I'll post a wrap-up a little later.

[prendrelemick]

By dint of lots of guessing I got the most right - I also got the most wrong but never mind .



Here's something we haven't tried before.

Imagine a room with ten people in it. Most are sat in, or on the arms of, comfy chairs and sofas that have been arranged in a half circle around the fire place. The focus of their attention is a young woman stood in front of the fireplace. She is gesticulating wildly, and all the others are shouting at her.

First, she holds her hands out in front of her, thumbs uppermost and palms together, she turns them outwards.

2. She holds up 5 fingers.
3. She holds up 1 finger.
4. She holds up one hand vertically and the other horizontally across the top of it.
5. She holds up 2 fingers
6. She cups one hand to her ear and gesticulates with the other, making the shape of little waves heading towards her ear.
7. She holds up 3 fingers.
8. She tugs the lobe of her ear
9. She points to her hand
10. She holds up 4 fingers.
11. She holds up one hand vertically and the other horizontally across the top of it again.
12. She holds up 5 fingers
13. She stamps about on the carpet, she shakes her fists aggressively, she draws back her lips to show her teeth are clenched, her brow is furrowed.

She repeats actions number 6 and 13 over and over, finally she points to one of the others and nods.
Then everyone applauds and she sits down. The person she pointed at takes her place.


So, what's going on and what's the answer?

[JuniperWoolf]

One hand vertically and the other horizontally across the top of it... like this?:

http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/geotrac/geotrac0708/geotrac070800126/1462774-attractive-blonde-woman-wearing-black-and-white-striped-referee-uniform-blowing-on-a-whistle-making-.jpg

[prendrelemick]

Yes just like that.

[billl]

Imagine a room with ten people in it. Most are sat in, or on the arms of, comfy chairs and sofas that have been arranged in a half circle around the fire place. The focus of their attention is a young woman stood in front of the fireplace. She is gesticulating wildly, and all the others are shouting at her.

First, she holds her hands out in front of her, thumbs uppermost and palms together, she turns them outwards.

2. She holds up 5 fingers.
3. She holds up 1 finger.
4. She holds up one hand vertically and the other horizontally across the top of it.
5. She holds up 2 fingers
6. She cups one hand to her ear and gesticulates with the other, making the shape of little waves heading towards her ear.
7. She holds up 3 fingers.
8. She tugs the lobe of her ear
9. She points to her hand
10. She holds up 4 fingers.
11. She holds up one hand vertically and the other horizontally across the top of it again.
12. She holds up 5 fingers
13. She stamps about on the carpet, she shakes her fists aggressively, she draws back her lips to show her teeth are clenched, her brow is furrowed.

She repeats actions number 6 and 13 over and over, finally she points to one of the others and nods.
Then everyone applauds and she sits down. The person she pointed at takes her place.


So, what's going on and what's the answer?

I guess they're playing charades. I don't have a lot of experience with the game, but I think she begins by using her hand(s) to indicate how many letters are in the word (i.e. this word has 5 letters), and then holds one finger up for the first letter in the word, followed by a clue, then she holds up two fingers for the second letter and gives its clue, and so on.

So, right off the bat, we have a five-letter word with a couple T's in it, if things happen to be so straight-forward:

T _ _ T _

At this point, I have to ask about whether or not it might matter which country the players were educated in. I've spent a little time here with some lame and surely wrong ideas about what the clues for letters 2, 3, and 5 might be, but bouncing around in the back of my head are some of my earliest introductions to literacy, which included learning the alphabet "British-style". I might be way off-base here, because I never paid the issue any attention again, once I had gotten the hang of it and later moved on to the "American-style", but at least in early education at that time, British students were taught the letters according to how they sound.

For instance, a class of British children practicing the alphabet would pronounce the first four letters "AHH, BUHH, KUHH, DUHH..." and from there I think maybe it was "EH, FUHH, GUHH..." but those last three I'm not so sure about, I might be just imagining those at this point. I do remember, though that the earliest letters sounded a LOT like the beginning of "abracadabra" which was a revelation, and the final letter, of course, is the well-known "zed". Anyhow, I assume all of this to be the case, because it was what I encountered, but it might be the case that my school was out of step with the rest of Britain, maybe this was hippie nonsense or something, I don't know...

And, for the sake of completeness, I should point out that the "American-style" pronunciation of the letters is exactly the one British people know from the movies, songs, TV shows, and news reports that the US has bombarded them with.

So, Mick, do I need to worry about this issue? Has England switched over to the US pronunciation since I was educated there perhaps? Or was I in fact in a progressive hippie school that was totally unrepresentative of Britain all those years ago? (Didn't seem like it.) Or what?

Anyhow, I'm thinking the second letter might be "U", because that's what the other players would call the woman (i.e. they would call her "You").

The third letter might be "N" but I'm really doubtful about that one. By tugging at the ear, she's indicating that her forthcoming clue will "sound like" the third letter (rhyme with it, probably). So, the clue is maybe "hand" or "palm"? Maybe one of those sounds like "N". (American style...?)

Anyhow, IF the second letter were "U", then it's a crossword-type combo that would have a pretty limited number of solutions, I would think...

T U _ T _

"TUFTS"? "TUTTI"? So, I'm probably wrong about these three letters... Unless it is indeed "TUFTS". I wouldn't put it past Mick to use that, I guess. Wool reference?

And I have no idea what the last clue might be. And then the repeating of the two letters over and over, I don't know, maybe that just means the other players had trouble with those two letters?

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

They are playing charades and the answer is (drum roll):

"The Sound and the Fury" ...I think. Am I close?

.

[billl]

Gotta Be!


(My fractured understanding of the game is made obvious.)

[prendrelemick]

Correct GG. I'm so glad a non brit got it as I thought there might be cultural issues. Billl's mind is endlessly fascinating to me, I know he would've got it if he had set out with the right premise.



By dint of lots of guessing I got the most right - I also got the most wrong but never mind .



Here's something we haven't tried before.

Imagine a room with ten people in it. Most are sat in, or on the arms of, comfy chairs and sofas that have been arranged in a half circle around the fire place. The focus of their attention is a young woman stood in front of the fireplace. She is gesticulating wildly, and all the others are shouting at her.

First, she holds her hands out in front of her, thumbs uppermost and palms together, she turns them outwards. It's a book
2. She holds up 5 fingers. 5 words
3. She holds up 1 finger. 1st word
4. She holds up one hand vertically and the other horizontally across the top of it. The
5. She holds up 2 fingers 2nd word
6. She cups one hand to her ear and gesticulates with the other, making the shape of little waves heading towards her ear. sound
7. She holds up 3 fingers. 3rd word
8. She tugs the lobe of her ear. sounds like
9. She points to her hand hand (and)
10. She holds up 4 fingers. 4th word
11. She holds up one hand vertically and the other horizontally across the top of it again. the
12. She holds up 5 fingers 5th word
13. She stamps about on the carpet, she shakes her fists aggressively, she draws back her lips to show her teeth are clenched, her brow is furrowed. fury
She repeats actions number 6 and 13 over and over, finally she points to one of the others and nods.
Then everyone applauds and she sits down. The person she pointed at takes her place.


So, what's going on and what's the answer?

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

Correct GG. I'm so glad a non brit got it as I thought there might be cultural issues. Billl's mind is endlessly fascinating to me, I know he would've got it if he had set out with the right premise.

Not so fast Mick, we need to cross at least one cultural divide that stumped me for a moment and that regards the use of the "time out" hand gesture giving away the "The".
I asked the missus if she had ever employed the timeout gesture for "the" and I received an emphatic "are you kidding me? is that how they do it over there!!?"
No wonder we never get past one or two rounds; it takes us half an hour just getting past "The".

Okay, this is my first time to offer up the next game, so let's see how this goes:

Name the character and the book

Clues:
1. Clue to the book in the lyrics of a Procol Harum song (don’t be concerned about deep cuts)
2. The character must have eaten too much of the “magical fruit”
3. Received a… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9KniULwvjE …singeing
4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyzI323zFrs

.

[MarkBastable]

Not so fast Mick, we need to cross at least one cultural divide that stumped me for a moment and that regards the use of the "time out" hand gesture giving away the "The".
I asked the missus if she had ever employed the timeout gesture for "the" and I received an emphatic "are you kidding me? is that how they do it over there!!?"
No wonder we never get past one or two rounds; it takes us half an hour just getting past "The".

Okay, this is my first time to offer up the next game, so let's see how this goes:

Name the character and the book

Clues:
1. Clue to the book in the lyrics of a Procol Harum song (don’t be concerned about deep cuts)
2. The character must have eaten too much of the “magical fruit”
3. Received a… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9KniULwvjE …singeing
4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyzI323zFrs

.

I'd guess it's the Miller in the Canterbury Tales. Or, to be more accurate, Nicholas in the Miller's tale in the Canterbury Tales.

Incidentally, that T gesture doesn't mean 'time out' in the UK, because we don't have any games in which the participants can stop the clock just because it suits them. So that gesture has only ever been the sign for 'the' in the game Charades.

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

...Or, to be more accurate, Nicholas in the Miller's tale in the Canterbury Tales.

Incidentally, that T gesture doesn't mean 'time out' in the UK, because we don't have any games in which the participants can stop the clock just because it suits them. So that gesture has only ever been the sign for 'the' in the game Charades.

You got it; “Nicholas” and The Canterbury Tales are the correct answers.
Good job Mark.

Cultural divides, you gotta love 'em.
Timeouts can be a beating. I recall many frustrating games of tetherball interrupted by the spontaneous time out call at the moment I was delivering the beat down on my opponent and then came instant replay.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyRDMTlGClI&feature=related


.

[MarkBastable]

I've tried to pull albums from a broader range of decades this time. You want the initial letter of the first word of each album's name - and when you have nine (or enough to see where it's going) you can arrange them to make the name of another album.

http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq193/markbastable/9-1-1.jpg

I think this is probably a collaborative thing, where you post the names of the albums - or the letters - here, and the winner is the first to get the constructed album title.

1...2...3
4...5...6
7...8...9

This may help....

http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq193/markbastable/10.jpg

[prendrelemick]

5. On the Beach - Neil Young.

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

"This may help".... Frank Zappa Apostrophe

.

[prendrelemick]

6. Scary Monsters - David Bowie.

[billl]

1. Radiohead OK Computer
3. U2 October

[prendrelemick]

I've tried to pull albums from a broader range of decades this time. You want the initial letter of the first word of each album's name - and when you have nine (or enough to see where it's going) you can arrange them to make the name of another album.

http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq193/markbastable/9-1-1.jpg

I think this is probably a collaborative thing, where you post the names of the albums - or the letters - here, and the winner is the first to get the constructed album title.

O...L...O
S...O...S
T...C...U
H

This may help....

http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq193/markbastable/10.jpg


Thats 4 letters and an apostrophe so far.

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

2. = Led Zeppelin III

.

[prendrelemick]

^ Heavens above! I actually owned that one and didn't recognise it.


That number 4 is familiar too - I hate this quiz!

[billl]

For Number 4, I've checked: Pulp, Oasis, Blur, Weezer, Primus, and quite a few others from that time period.

Before the latest Zep hint, I had already checked all US and UK Number One Billboard albums in the history of mankind, and none of those have an apostrophe and three O's in the title.

[MarkBastable]

I'll give you the year of release for the remaining ones....

4 - 2010
7 - 1967
8 - 1994
9 - 2004

Number 8, actually, is not an album I know, although it is by a big band. I wanted to broaden the reference of the game beyond the stuff I'm personally familiar with. Subsequent research, however, suggests that, although the band's well-known, the album might be a bit obscure. So, here's an alternative Clue 8.

http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq193/markbastable/alternative8.jpg


OHHHHHH FFFFFFF....iddlesticks!

I just realised I left a letter out! Damn!

Well, at least you hadn't got so far down the track that you'd've been misled by its absence - I hope. Sorry though. Here's the missing letter....

http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq193/markbastable/256350.jpg

I should have changed the game, by saying the winner is the person who figures out the missing letter.

[prendrelemick]

The alternative 8 is Crosby, Stills and Nash

The extra one is Hard Promises by Tom Petty

[prendrelemick]

7. Their satanic family requests - by The Rolling Stones. Which I had never heard of.
9. Up all night by Razor light.
4. Sea of cowards by The Dead Weather.


As you may have gathered I have found a suitable site for this kind of thing.

[MarkBastable]

7. Their satanic family requests - by The Rolling Stones. Which I had never heard of.
9. Up all night by Razor light.
4. Sea of cowards by The Dead Weather.


As you may have gathered I have found a suitable site for this kind of thing.

Their Satanic Majesties Request - but close enough.

What was the site?

[billl]

Well, I got it, thanks to Mick and his handy site:

School's Out (http://allmusic.com/album/schools-out-r272822) by Jimmy Reed.

(Mark really put together a wonderful barrel of fun this time!)

[MarkBastable]

Well, I got it, thanks to Mick and his handy site:

School's Out (http://allmusic.com/album/schools-out-r272822) by Jimmy Reed.

(Mark really put together a wonderful barrel of fun this time!)

Ah see, there was your mistake when you were going through Billboard Number Ones. An album of the same name by a less hip group hit number two in the US and UK, but reached number one in Canada.

[billl]

Yes. Alas, I knew I had cooped myself up with that particular technique--but it was all that Wikipedia had to offer.



EDIT: I'll try to have the next one up reasonably soon... It'll be in the same vein as yours, but it might take some work to keep it from being too easy (or near impossible).

[MarkBastable]

...it might take some work to keep it from being too easy (or near impossible).


Tellin' me.

[prendrelemick]

Their Satanic Majesties Request - but close enough.

What was the site?


Amazon.
By the way what was the cat's eye one?

[MarkBastable]

Amazon.
By the way what was the cat's eye one?

You put in the year and then scrolled through every album released?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheshire_Cat_(Blink-182_album)

[prendrelemick]

No, only the top 100. I do have a life - of sorts.

[MarkBastable]

No, only the top 100. I do have a life - of sorts.

I've often wondered what shepherds do to get to sleep.

[billl]

Like the recent puzzles Mark has done, this one involves images that clue one in to particular letters. We're looking for 13 letters this time, and they will be used to form a well-known song title. The images presented here are composites of other images alluded to in the clues:


The first letters of the last names of these two authors (one Brit, and one American) provide two letters for the solution to the puzzle:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7260/6994551522_f4cd80eb0f.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/77949196@N06/6994551522/)


The first letters of the last names of these three U.S. authors provide three letters for the solution to the puzzle:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7068/7140643315_b9898e29a4.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/77949196@N06/7140643315/)


The first letters of the last names of these two authors (one American, and one Brit) provide two letters for the solution to the puzzle:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7068/6994658376_b2f5cb124e.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/77949196@N06/6994658376/)


The first letters of the last names of these two British authors provide two letters for the solution to the puzzle:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7218/7140643513_0dfe26c147.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/77949196@N06/7140643513/)


The first letters of the album titles for these four album covers provide four letters for the solution to the puzzle:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8012/6994551962_e885cd6d1f.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/77949196@N06/6994551962/)


SO, that's 13 letters total. These thirteen letters can be arranged to create the title of what hit pop song?

(Note: the clues refer to the images below them. Also, I'm not entirely sure that each step of this is sufficiently difficult, but I've been wrong before.)

[prendrelemick]

Crikey billl, you've been busy.

Is the Brit in the first one Mark Bastable?

[billl]

Is the Brit in the first one Mark Bastable?

I see the resemblance, but no. (Brilliant idea, I must say.)

[MarkBastable]

The fourth one is a composite of George Orwell and Virginia Woolf.

And one of the albums is Abraxas.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c4/SantanaAbraxas.jpg/220px-SantanaAbraxas.jpg.

I'd be immensely flattered to feature in a quiz such as this. But it'll never happen.

[jajdude]

EA Poe in the one with three? Perhaps Mark Twain as well?

Maybe Stephen King in the first one?

[billl]

The fourth one is a composite of George Orwell and Virginia Woolf.

And one of the albums is Abraxas.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c4/SantanaAbraxas.jpg/220px-SantanaAbraxas.jpg.

I'd be immensely flattered to feature in a quiz such as this.

Right!


EA Poe in the one with three? Maybe Stephen King in the first one?

I was hoping someone would say King there (but no, it isn't King, sorry). But you're in the ballpark (these aren't all repeat-Pulitzer-winners here).

No Poe in this--actually, that one with three might be tougher than I think. Even knowing the original pics, I kind of have to work at it to see them in that one... These might require clues, but I'll wait a bit longer.



TO SUM UP, Mark got this one (Orwell and Woolf):

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7218/7140643513_0dfe26c147.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/77949196@N06/7140643513/)

from these
http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily/2008/0808/orwell_0808.jpghttp://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/07/13/arts/woolf.jpg

and he got one of the Albums (Santana's Abraxas)

Letters so far: O, W, A

[prendrelemick]

One of the three is Hemmingway.

[billl]

One of the three is Hemmingway.

YES

...and I thought that might be the hardest one there in that one. (It's the most famous photo of him, I think, so I was just hoping those scraps would click with someone around here.)


Letters so far: O, W, A, H

[MarkBastable]

Poe?

Also...

http://www.hotcards.com/images/promo/thriller1.jpg


and possibly

http://www.cinemablend.com/images/sections/33806/_1311743616.jpg

[billl]

Neither Poe nor Twain feature in any of the images.

However, these two album covers (from Thriller and Nevermind) DO feature in the final image. That means that three of four albums have been accounted for. The last album might be the most challenging part of this puzzle (like Abraxas, it's a "classic" LP, but not in the same league sales-wise as these last two).

So, we have:

(first image, two authors to go)
1 author (second image, two authors to go): Hemingway
(third image, two authors to go)
2 authors (fourth image, completed): Orwell, Woolf
3 albums (fifth image, one album to go): Abraxas, Thriller, Nevermind

Letters so far: O, W, A, H, T, N


Note: Due to differences in the proportions between images, there has been some (generally slight) warping of some original images, in order to completely fit them in the area taken by the other images of the composite. This is analogous to the warping we sometimes see when a panoramic film scene gets squeezed, and suddenly the cowboy hero looks particularly tall and emaciated.

In the case of one of these images, the warping is rather severe, so I'm going to post an alternate form: it's the same composite of the same two images, but this time the images will swap status as "warped" and "non-warped". (This problem could have been avoided with some judicious trimming pre-compositing, but live and learn...)

So, here's the original third image, side-by-side with the new version:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7068/6994658376_b2f5cb124e.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/77949196@N06/6994658376/) http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7050/6996621730_61f9bb8717.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/77949196@N06/6996621730/)

[MarkBastable]

The problem here, for me, is that I don't actually know what most authors look like. I'd say that if they appeared on the TV, I'd recognise about one in eight of the authors whose books are on the shelf closest to where I'm now sitting.

[billl]

REMINDER OF THE PUZZLE



The first letters of the last names of these two authors (one Brit, and one American) provide two letters for the solution to the puzzle:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7260/6994551522_f4cd80eb0f.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/77949196@N06/6994551522/)


The first letters of the last names of these three U.S. authors provide three letters for the solution to the puzzle:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7068/7140643315_b9898e29a4.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/77949196@N06/7140643315/)


The first letters of the last names of these two authors (one American, and one Brit) provide two letters for the solution to the puzzle:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7068/6994658376_b2f5cb124e.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/77949196@N06/6994658376/)http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7050/6996621730_61f9bb8717.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/77949196@N06/6996621730/)


The first letters of the last names of these two British authors provide two letters for the solution to the puzzle:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7218/7140643513_0dfe26c147.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/77949196@N06/7140643513/)


The first letters of the album titles for these four album covers provide four letters for the solution to the puzzle:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8012/6994551962_e885cd6d1f.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/77949196@N06/6994551962/)


SO, that's 13 letters total. These thirteen letters can be arranged to create the title of what hit pop song?


Neither Poe nor Twain (edit: nor Stephen King) feature in any of the images.

So, we have:

(first image, two authors to go)
1 author (second image, two authors to go): Hemingway
(third image, two authors to go)
2 authors (fourth image, completed): Orwell, Woolf
3 albums (fifth image, one album to go): Abraxas, Thriller, Nevermind

Letters so far: O, W, A, H, T, N



----------------------------------------------------------------------

The problem here, for me, is that I don't actually know what most authors look like. I'd say that if they appeared on the TV, I'd recognise about one in eight of the authors whose books are on the shelf closest to where I'm now sitting.

Yeah--I was wondering if some people around here might have this or that favorite or whatever, and if the problem might be overcome by a group effort. Even still, I think some clues are in order, in order to at least narrow things down.

SOME CLUES
(round one?)
Pic One (bluish one): As an example of my ignorance of things literary, I was slightly surprised to learn (while researching this puzzle) that the Brit was, in fact, a Brit. (I did read one of his books, years ago, though.)

Pic Two (three-in-one Americans): all three are deceased.

Pic Three (the one with the warping): both living.

Pic Four (the one that we've already gotten):.

Pic Five (four albums): no clues yet, just a mention that a bit of it is legible.

[MarkBastable]

REMINDER OF THE PUZZLE


Pic Five (four albums): no clues yet, just a mention that a bit of it is legible.


I've been working on the bit of it that's legible for about three hours.

The font puts the album somewhere between 67 and 74, I'd say - and that's supported by the snippets you can see that advise you it's a stereo recording but it won't destroy your mono equipment.

There's a pink bit of writing and a green bit of writing, which are the album title and artist, or vice versa. On the pink bit you can only see the bottom of the letters, which isn't much use. But you can see quite a lot of the green bit, and even some full letters. I'd let you in on what I think legible bits are, but that might prejudice others' perception. However, I am prepared to pool resources on this, because it's bugging the ******* **** out of me.

Hang on.... Got it.

http://vinylrecords.ch/I/IR/Iron_Butterfly/Ina-YU/iron-butterfly-10.jpg

[billl]

Nicely done, that's a terrific relief for me.


Letters so far: O, W, A, H, T, N, I

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

The Brit in pic 3 is MarkBastable (?)
Looks like his avatar picture.


I gotta say billl, very creative idea.

.

[MarkBastable]

The Brit in pic 3 is MarkBastable (?)
Looks like his avatar picture.


I gotta say billl, very creative idea.

.

Yeah, it's me. Which I saw immediately, which in turn says something about how quickly the human brain can separate the familiar from the unfamiliar, even on so little information.

So who's the literary chick with the big glasses and the red lipstick, with whom I'm mixed up?

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

Beyond the matching shade of gray, it was the tail of hair coming out of or from behind your left ear and the arcing eyebrow that gave it away.

.

[MarkBastable]

As an example of my ignorance of things literary, I was slightly surprised to learn (while researching this puzzle) that the Brit was, in fact, a Brit.


Is that really as maddeningly unhelpful a clue as it appears, or is there something cunning and cryptic going on?

[billl]

Well, he certainly hadn't always been British--that much was quite clear to me.

[prendrelemick]

^kazuo ishiguro

[Scheherazade]

Is the one with cigarette Salinger? Though smile looks too big for him...

[billl]

^kazuo ishiguro

Sorry, it isn't him.



Is the one with cigarette Salinger? Though smile looks too big for him...

Nor him, I'm afraid.


For the record, the letters so far: O, W, A, H, T, N, I, B (out of 13 total letters).

[MarkBastable]

Well, he certainly hadn't always been British--that much was quite clear to me.

T S Eliot?

[billl]

T S Eliot?

More recent, not so high on the "famous" scale, and wrong birth country.

[billl]

IN CASE YOU WANT A CLUE
(chapter 2)

PIC ONE: TWO AUTHORS, one American, one British
One of them has gotten some really, really top rate literary awards. The other might very well have sold more books than all the rest of these guys combined (if we leave "required school texts" out of the equation). I haven't actually done the math, and I might be completely wrong, but that's the idea with him anyhow, moreso than the "literary awards" angle.

PIC TWO: Hemingway...
http://dailydish.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451c45669e201538de8895d970b-300wi
...and TWO MORE AUTHORS (Americans, all three deceased).
Both of these remaining two guys are pretty big deals in literary circles, although one's position among America's 20th-Century greats is probably yet to solidify. And the other guy, I'm a little surprised here, no clues, seriously, how are you all not seeing his face?

PIC THREE: Mark...
...and ONE MORE AUTHOR. I really needed the first letter in her last name to complete the puzzle... Still, I think a lot of people would recognize her once they are given the name. Looking at awards, reputation, etc., she's a moderately big deal, at least. She's still around, and has published something notable in the last 10 years (have to admit, though, I hadn't heard of it before just now checking her Wikipedia page).

EDIT: Finally, I should mention that all "original" images used for this puzzle (e.g. the Hemingway up there) appeared very early on in image searches for these authors (using bing.com).

[Basil]

So who's the literary chick with the big glasses and the red lipstick, with whom I'm mixed up?
Joyce Carol Oates

[billl]

Joyce Carol Oates

That's right! How'd you get it? Familiar with the photo, or a bunch of trial and error with google/Wikipedia, or something in-between?

I'm worried I might've given out to many clues too soon--but in her case, I didn't really give much of a clue at all.

(The letters so far: O, W, A, H, T, N, I, B, O, with four more to go)

[Basil]

That's right! How'd you get it?
The glasses.

[billl]

Here it is:
http://ts4.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=4799639371187247&id=a27d506f9d5edd3ce002061d22635e29&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.317am.net%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2011%2f03%2fmuse-oates.jpg

very writerly--but how about this "less popular" image of her from earlier in her career:
http://static.cdn.realviewdigital.com/global/content/GetImage.aspx?pguid=FC9071DC-DD99-441F-A727-1B74670350BC&width=232&i=2010-12-13&folio=071

[MarkBastable]

Franzen, in the three-in-one, I think.

Koontz, for the populist?

[MarkBastable]

Joyce Carol Oates

Not for the first time, I was mixed up with a woman without really knowing who she was.

Never heard of her.

Then again, to be fair, I don't suppose she's ever heard of me.

[prendrelemick]

Tom Clancy in the first pic.

[billl]

Tom Clancy in the first pic.

Yes !

.

EDIT:
REMAINDER OF THE PUZZLE




The first letters of the last names of these two authors (one Brit, and one American) provide two letters for the solution to the puzzle:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7260/6994551522_f4cd80eb0f.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/77949196@N06/6994551522/)


The first letters of the last names of these three U.S. authors provide three letters for the solution to the puzzle:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7068/7140643315_b9898e29a4.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/77949196@N06/7140643315/)


The first of these pics features Tom Clancy AND:
a young-ish photo of a living British author who has gotten some really, really top rate literary awards. An earlier clue:

As an example of my ignorance of things literary, I was slightly surprised to learn (while researching this puzzle) that the Brit was, in fact, a Brit. (I did read one of his books, years ago, though.)

The second pic features Ernest Hemingway AND:
two more deceased Americans.
the clue:

Both of these remaining two guys are pretty big deals in literary circles, although one's position among America's 20th-Century greats is probably yet to solidify. And the other guy, I'm a little surprised here, no clues, seriously, how are you all not seeing his face?

The following are not in the images: Kazuo Ishiguro, J.D. Salinger, T.S. Eliot, Koontz, Archer, Jonathan Franzen.

(Although Franzen was a close one! Not dead enough, though.)

The letters so far: O, W, A, H, T, N, I, B, O, C, with three more to go.

[billl]

MORE CLUES

I've already mentioned that the British writer in the first photo has won some rather impressive awards. It might also help to know that that particular writer, along with the other black-and-white photographed writer yet to be named (the one featured in the second photo along with Hemingway), can be found on the Modern Library's List of 100 Best Novels (http://www.modernlibrary.com/top-100/100-best-novels/) (of the 20th-Century).

The writer in the color photo that is barely revealed in the second image hasn't won any of these major awards, and isn't on the Modern Library list. Time magazine, however, gave one of his novels a place in their "100 Best Novels (since Time began, in 1923...)" list. I think he's wearing a t-shirt or a sweatshirt or something.

[MarkBastable]

Do we need a K?

[billl]

No, don't need a "K".

You know, the Brit with the fancy awards: well, I'm not kidding around, he has won the Booker Prize and the Nobel. The B&W American won the National Book Award. The color-photo American hasn't gotten anything like those, but he sometimes makes up for it in the size of his books.

[MarkBastable]

http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/7/2011/06/naipaulgetty.jpg

Naipaul.

(I think you compressed him a bit, East to West. Which is probably quite appropriate.)



No, don't need a "K".

You know, the Brit with the fancy awards: well, I'm not kidding around, he has won the Booker Prize and the Nobel. The B&W American won the National Book Award. The color-photo American hasn't gotten anything like those, but he sometimes makes up for it in the size of his books.

[billl]

Naipaul.

(I think you compressed him a bit, East to West. Which is probably quite appropriate.)

Heh! Wow, yeah--it seems to matter less I guess when I'm mixing them together and have the original image in hand.

The letters so far: O, W, A, H, T, N, I, B, O, C, N

Two more to go, both in that deceased-American-three-in-one!
Looking for a pop song title (No "K" in it, incidentally).

[billl]

A book by one of the two is often required reading for American high schoolers. A book by the other one is the sort of thing American university students sometimes read on their own and then tell everyone about it.

[MarkBastable]

On the basis of nothing at all - Salinger.

[billl]

Close about the "nothing", perhaps... Just kidding! Really, it's the opposite (as far as I can see).

This is in danger of becoming some sort of endless joke, where I post these clues, and like no one can see them, dude.

(Note: the above is an assembly of clues, not a case of me taking on some sort of 'attitude'.)

[jajdude]

Is F for F Scott Fitzgerald in there ?

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

That^ or possibly William Faulkner?
I'm on my last Newcastle Brown ale and it leads me to believe that one of the mustachio's and one eye is Faulkner's.

[billl]

No, sorry, you two--we aren't looking for the letter "F" here. We're looking for a vowel and a (non-"F") consonant. (Glad to hear the beer is helping your eye focus on that guy, though...)

Also, I might've set people on the wrong track with the "often studied in high school" thing. I think it is "sometimes" studied there, and it certainly makes a lot of "recommended reading" lists for summer vacation I think, and is looked at in University as well. But it isn't nearly as common as Fitzgerald or Salinger, or even Faulkner. I haven't read it myself, but it's considered a classic, and I am certainly aware of its cultural importance, and I can imagine it would be a popular choice if a class wanted to cover its "diversity" bases.

The other guy we're looking for has a thread about one of his recent books popping up in LitNet "New Posts" listings now and then in recent days.

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

Billl, now I'm starting on a Warsteiner Weissbier grabbing at straws. James Joyce came to mind, but I'm not seeing the distinctive glasses or eye patch.
That's my last guess for the night. We'll let the boys on the other side of the pond take over for the night shift.
Goodnight.

[prendrelemick]

What about O Henry. He's a black and white mustachioed writer.



Is Orhan Pamuk the other one?


edit: Ah no, he's not American enough or dead enough.

[MarkBastable]

What about O Henry. He's a black and white mustachioed writer.



Is Orhan Pamuk the other one?


edit: Ah no, he's not American enough or dead enough.


Hailey?

[billl]

No, no, no.

Just a reminder: the one you're currently stabbing at made it onto this (rather lengthy) list:
http://www.modernlibrary.com/top-100/100-best-novels/

The other guy, well, he writes big American novels--and while the literary merit and novelty of them make him something special perhaps, it has to be said that, sales-wise, he's done all right, but is still a pale imitation of Stephen King.

[MarkBastable]

Irving! Miller! Herbert! Shute! Hubbard! Pynchon!


Wait a minute. Hubbard? In the readers' list of best 100 novels? I despair.

[billl]

Both Lists!


Irving! Miller! Herbert! Shute! Hubbard! Pynchon!


Wait a minute. Hubbard? In the readers' list of best 100 novels? I despair.

Quite a Top Ten for the readers, actually. What are the odds that both of those groups would infiltrate the process? (Seven out of the Top Ten!)

[jajdude]

Well, I give up, those pictures are wrong. Not like we're all really familiar with pictures of writers either as Mark may have said. My eyes hurt trying and I could only guess really on the few I thought were maybe in there. Good puzzle though. Curious to know the other letters and the song.

Damn this game, I say, damn it all the way.

[prendrelemick]

At last, a red haired dead American author with glasses. Also the "endless joke" clue helped.

David Foster Wallace.

[billl]

At last, a red haired dead American author with glasses. Also the "endless joke" clue helped.

David Foster Wallace.

Yes!

http://ts4.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=5038671506441043&id=a2a7f23c8c896877a7988927a693f93f&url=http%3a%2f%2f1.bp.blogspot.com%2f-8sFyJiufR-M%2fTfl_Stt3d0I%2fAAAAAAAAAIA%2fhKVPAqDdqBA%2fs160 0%2fdavidfoster.jpg

I have to admit, Mr. Wallace could've used a few extra pixels. I figured him having such a recent/modern-looking photo AND being dead would be enough to get him figured out--but that's easy for me to think, starting from the original. Still, took a lot of clues... Great persistence everyone!

...and now just one more that none of you can see!

The letters so far: O, W, A, H, T, N, I, B, O, C, N, W (a hit pop song, not current)

[prendrelemick]

We can't see him because he is an Invisable Man.

Ralph Ellison.

[billl]

That's it, Mick. Ralph Ellison... Sorry everyone, I think I might've really underestimated just how long a Top 100 list can actually be, I think. (Also, for clarification, it isn't the H.G. Wells type of invisible, in case some people aren't familiar.)

http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/E/images/EL009A.jpg

O, W, A, H, T, N, I, B, O, C, N, W, E

(alphabetized)

A, B, C, E, H, I, N, N, O, O, T, W, W

Rearrange the letters to spell the title of a hit pop song, not current...

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

billl,
I spent a little time scrambling letters this morning.
I cut out letters so I could slide them around qucikly.
Each combination was typed, but nothing translated into a popular song I've heard of.
Nevertheless, since they were already typed, I figure I would share the thought process.
"Bow to new China" and "Chow in new boat" got me excited for a moment.

Who can win ebot?
Bonawone witch
Bow to new China
No cow bath wine
No white cow ban
Wow, Annie Botch!
We can’t win hobo
Chow in new boat

.

[billl]

Gilliat, that is absolutely fantastic, what a selection. This puzzle is very much on the verge of being solved by someone, and it'll likely be because of your labor on that part right there.

[prendrelemick]

Gilliat, that is absolutely fantastic, what a selection. This puzzle is very much on the verge of being solved by someone, and it'll likely be because of your labor on that part right there.

Are you embedding clues again billl ?

[billl]

It'd be a mistake to make a lot of hay about clues in that post, Mick. There's only one there, and it's pretty indirect, although the rest of it looks "clue-y", I admit.

Actually, I am, at this moment, NOT providing two clues that would possibly make this all too easy (but would make me look "clever"). Instead, here is an official clue that might be OK, I guess:

Longest word(s) in the song title = three letters long.

[MarkBastable]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swQi4CAzmrA



If that's it, I should say that I got it by a process of rearrangement and google, because I'm not sure I've ever heard of the song.


And this is probably why...


[The single] went on to reach number one in the USA and number 45 in the UK in 1982...

[billl]

And this is probably why...


[The single] went on to reach number one in the USA and number 45 in the UK in 1982...

Yeah, that's it (for the record: Men At Work's "Who Can It Be Now")--and I'm surprised at it only reaching 45 in the UK, that's a crime. Come on, they aren't Americans, just like you guys!

[MarkBastable]

What did you use to make the pictures?

[billl]

What did you use to make the pictures?

A couple years ago (or so?) I encountered this "demonstration" called Grids Of Lines.

http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/GridsOfLines/

It's free to download the player, and there's tons of other interesting things to mess around with--but this one in particular got me thinking… What if, instead of black and white, I used images? I wanted to see if it was possible to simultaneously recognize two images in the same space.

Earlier this year, I realized that 1) finally upgrading my Mac to a particular OS (Snow Leopard) would be extremely inexpensive, and 2) it would come with a suite of professional-grade programming tools, absolutely free.

So, after a month of reviewing "how to program" stuff (I used to do it as a hobby back in the day), my second "interesting" project was to make this image compositing program, based on that grid demo. The most difficult parts are taken care of by the amazing programming environment, and the concept is pretty straightforward--but it did take some time to find some shortcuts and get little technicalities ironed out.

Anyhow, this has been pretty fun finally using it here for the puzzles (it's been on my agenda for a while now), and in some cases it seemed to work pretty well. The needs of the letter-scramble sort of "forced" things in a couple cases, and there was the warping issue, as well, so… But finding a "right" balance of images ended up making it a decent challenge in each case--the roughest part was our limited knowledge of author portraits, of course.

By the way--images made from 3 or 4 originals are actually the result of combining two, and then combining that result with another image (or another combination of two images). So, if you look at the top-left corner area of the 4-album image, you might be able to recognize how Thriller and Abraxas were combined together before being mixed with the other combo-image (which had slightly more narrow gridding).

Anyhow, some of them I really thought were pretty nice-looking. Portraits have certain obvious conventions, but they are an "artistic" form, and so combining them creates some nice "artistic accidents", when the mix is just right. I thought the Orwell/Woolf combo was beautiful, and the three-in-one looked even more like some kind of "difficult" cubist painting.

[Basil]

Ahh, Men At Work...featuring Colin Hay.

Your use of the word hay was obviously a hint, but all it did was fool me into thinking that the word cow was in the song title.

[billl]

Ahh, Men At Work...featuring Colin Hay.

Your use of the word hay was obviously a hint, but all it did was fool me into thinking that the word cow was in the song title.

Also, "It's a Mistake" and the earlier lame attempt to paint Gilliat as just one of a group of Men At Work on the solution.

I thought it was a pretty lucky break when I started putting names and faces together and "Who can it be now" eventually presented itself as a possibility!

[MarkBastable]

http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq193/markbastable/CollageQuiz.jpg


You're looking for a placename that's the title of a novel. As ever, I can't tell whether this is much too easy or completely impossible.

[billl]

http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq193/markbastable/CollageQuiz.jpg


You're looking for a placename that's the title of a novel. As ever, I can't tell whether this is much too easy or completely impossible.

To begin with, I need to point to the narrow black bar near the end, right between the "n" with an umlaut over it and the white "s" at the end… It's just part of the image cut out for the "s", i.e. it is a section of black bordering, not an "i" or "l"--but it did have me scratching my head for a minute, so in case anyone else wonders about it…

So, here's the letters I see. The ones I recognize are all letters from the printed name of a band, on the cover of an album…

1. "S" from a Genesis album called "The Lamb Lies DOwn On Broadway".

2. "B" It's backwards, and I'm pretty sure it is from "ABBA" don't know which album yet.

3. "P"

4. "S" from Aerosmith. "Toys in the Attic" album maybe?

5. "K" for Pink Floyd, definitely off of the album called "The Wall"

6. "c" and this one is on the tip of my brain, but I haven't pulled it yet. (Sonic Youth? EDIT: no, I don't think so...)

7. "A" is from Green Day's album called "America Is It!"

8. "s" is from the band named "Oasis", not sure which album.

9. "n" is from Spinal Tap, I guess it would necessarily be from their second album, "Breaking Like The Wind"

My gut is initially telling me that we are going to be using the first letter of the band names to solve this one, because tracking down the albums might lead to more than one use of the particular form/font of the letter. Until I've given this strategy a fair shot, I'm not going to bother with finding the album names.

Anyhow, so far, I have
Genesis, Abba, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, Green Day, Oasis, and Spinal Tarp, with three unknown.

initial letters = A, A, G, G, O, P, S, with 3 and 6 to go.

[MarkBastable]

Damn. Much too easy then.

They're all (nearly all) logos that were used over some time, rather than for one album - because, as you say, it would have been cruel to expect people to find the specific album.

I was going to do something with Wolfram, but having downloaded it, I couldn't figure out how to make it work.

[billl]

Damn. Much too easy then.

They're all (nearly all) logos that were used over some time, rather than for one album - because, as you say, it would have been cruel to expect people to find the specific album.

I was going to do something with Wolfram, but having downloaded it, I couldn't figure out how to make it work.

Number 3 looks Led Zeppelinny, but I couldn't find an example, so... Maybe not. Number 6, man, maybe I'm just imagining that I know it.

RE: the Wolfram download (http://www.wolfram.com/cdf-player/)(CDF Player)

I just now downloaded it myself (I used to have it, but ditched it for disk space a while back), and I also had trouble with it. Basically, once you start it up, it expects us to choose a CDF document to view. But we don't have any CDF documents on our computer yet, and the program doesn't seem to be pointing to any, or suggesting how to get them. (I think the idea is that this is supposed to be like Adobe PDF reader or something, which similarly wouldn't be suggesting links for pdf files. But it really hasn't quite reached that level of usage...)

So, I went back in this thread and clicked on the link (http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/GridsOfLines/) I had posted a few posts ago, visited that webpage, and downloaded the demonstration for Grids and Lines from there. The link to download it is on the right side of the page, look for "Download Demonstration as CDF »"...

There are also more Demonstration pages right below that button/link ("Related Demonstrations"), and you can really get yourself completely overwhelmed by clicking on TOPICS (http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/topics.html) at the top, and then browsing all of the available demonstrations.

ANYHOW, after downloading any one of these, you'll end up with a file of type ".cdf" (e.g. GridsOfLines.cdf). It might be on your desktop, or in a "Downloads" folder somewhere, wherever downloads usually end up for you probably... All that remains to be done is to open that file using the player.

[jajdude]

A, A, G, G, O, P, S plus 2 more... looks like Galapogos. Guessing the Led Zeppelin was right. And whatever number 6 is, the band/artist starts with O.

Just discovered it's a Kurt Vonnegut novel.

Credit goes to billl of course.

[MarkBastable]

A, A, G, G, O, P, S plus 2 more... looks like Galapogos. Guessing the Led Zeppelin was right. And whatever number 6 is, the band/artist starts with O.

Just discovered it's a Kurt Vonnegut novel.

Credit goes to billl of course.

GalapAgos.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zq991CvvcDY/T4_2-VDb0eI/AAAAAAAAAxE/0ffQihpWnqI/s1600/9780586090459.jpg

The missing one is Atomic Kitten. I thought that might throw you.

Over to you, j.

[jajdude]

Ah, spelling thing. Figure billl did the main work if he wants to do next one.

[billl]

I can try to get something together if you want, jajdude. I might take a little while, I don't have anything in mind. But it's the weekend, which sometimes doesn't see a lot of action with these, so maybe that's OK.

But if anybody wants to jump in with a puzzle, please feel free to do so.

[MarkBastable]

Here's an old-fashioned one.

Eleven books, five films and four songs with colours in the title. If it proves difficult, I'll tell you which is which. But given the likely colours, there aren't many choices as to which letter is the colour, so it might not be as trying as it looks.




ACO
BM
CG
CY
FA
GEAH
HGWMV
RRW
ROTPS
SG
TWTCITB
(TAWWM)RS
TCP
TLHM
TRATB
TSL
TSC
TC:W
VW
WF

[Scheherazade]

ACO - A Clockwork Orange
BM - Blue Moon
CG
CY
FA
GEAH - Green Eggs and Ham
HGWMV - How Green Was My Valley
RRW
ROTPS
SG
TWTCITB
(TAWWM)RS
TCP - The Colour Purple
TLHM
TRATB
TSL - The Scarlet Letter
TSC
TC:W
VW
WF - White Fang

[prendrelemick]

15. The Red and the Black.
10. Soylent Green.
3. Charlotte Grey.
8. Red Red Wine.
14. The Lavender Hill Mob.
12. (The Angels Want to Wear My) Red Shoes

[MarkBastable]

Good start. I will just say that when you come to add up the songs and books and movies, you'll find that one of these, though it works, isn't right.

[Calidore]

9. Riders of the Purple Sage

[Scheherazade]

It might be 'Blue Moon' that doesn't work.

[MarkBastable]

It might be 'Blue Moon' that doesn't work.

Actually, I'm going to give you Blue Moon, as I've just realised that the book title I meant it to be is actually a partial subtitle.


ACO - A Clockwork Orange
BM - Blue Moon
CG - Charlotte Grey
CY
FA
GEAH - Green Eggs and Ham
HGWMV - How Green Was My Valley
RRW - Red Red Wine
ROTPS - Riders of the Purple Sage
SG - Soylent Green
TWTCITB
(TAWWM)RS - (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes
TCP - The Colour Purple
TLHM - The Lavender Hill Mob
TRATB - The Red and the Black
TSL - The Scarlet Letter
TSC
TC:W
VW
WF - White Fang

[jajdude]

(I guess) That's why they call it the blues (Elton John) ?

[MarkBastable]

Yep....

[Basil]

TSC = The Silver Chair?

[Annamariah]

TC:W = Three Colors: White?

[MarkBastable]

Yes and yes.

[MystyrMystyry]

Chrome Yellow

Forever Amber

[MarkBastable]

ACO - A Clockwork Orange
BM - Blue Moon
CG - Charlotte Grey
CY - Chrome Yellow
FA - Forever Amber
GEAH - Green Eggs and Ham
HGWMV - How Green Was My Valley
RRW - Red Red Wine
ROTPS - Riders of the Purple Sage
SG - Soylent Green
TWTCITB - That's Why Thay Call It the Blues
(TAWWM)RS - (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes
TCP - The Colour Purple
TLHM - The Lavender Hill Mob
TRATB - The Red and the Black
TSL - The Scarlet Letter
TSC - The Silver Chair
TC:W - Three Colours: White
VW
WF - White Fang


One song left. I'll give it twenty-four hours.

[jajdude]

Well Mark, it must be Vanna White. Wait, is she a song? She sure looks like one..

[billl]

Well Mark, it must be Vanna White. Wait, is she a song? She sure looks like one..

http://www.amazon.com/Vanna-White-Marianne-Robin-Tani/dp/0312908296/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338236599&sr=1-7

?

[MarkBastable]

The remaining one is Violet Wine.

Without having counted up the right answers, I think Scheh's next.

[Scheherazade]

A very easy one to revive the thread.

Books...

1. SAS

2. PAP

3. MP

4. NA

5. P

[Calidore]

Hey, I can do this one!

1. Sense and Sensibility

2. Pride and Prejudice

3. Mansfield Park

4. Northanger Abbey

5. Persuasion

;) back atcha.

[Scheherazade]

Your turn, Calidore :)

[Calidore]

One more try...

TV

1. TOL

2. OSB

3. T

4. AHP

5. TFTC

6. NG

[Scheherazade]

Uh-oh. TV is not my strong suit... Hope someone can tackle these!

[Calidore]

I will be very disappointed if Pendragon doesn't get them.

[Calidore]

Gah! Screwed up clue #1, but it's fixed now.

[Scheherazade]

Ohhh, are they all sci-fi/fantasy themed?

[Scheherazade]

Gah! Screwed up clue #1, but it's fixed now.Now I know why I couldn't guess them! :p