Best in Class Trivia Quiz

Answer: One Hundred Years of Solitude

"One Hundred Years of Solitude" was written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez in 1967-- Marquez later won the Nobel Prize in 1982. José Saramago, however, wrote in his native Portuguese in a distinct narrative style for sixty years releasing major works including "Blindness", "The Gospel According to Jesus Christ", and others.

He was added to the list of Laureates in 1998, twelve years before his death in 2010. He joins other notable writers including Toni Morrison, William Golding, Samuel Beckett, Rudyard Kipling, and William Faulkner. Since his death, the José Saramago Prize has been established to highlight notable Portuguese authors.

Answer: The Hours

Although all four of these books won the Pulitzer in their respective years, only "The Hours" is by Cunningham. Set in the span of only a few hours, the story flipped back and forth through three characters, interweaving the Modernist life of Virginia Woolf living in Sussex, England, trying to write the opening lines of "Mrs. Dalloway"; the melancholic, domestic life of Mrs. Brown in Los Angeles in 1949; and the life of Clarissa Vaughan, a modern-day Dalloway buying flowers for a party. How their lives connect and flow together becomes apparent quite quickly.

The book won the Pulitzer and the PEN/Faulkner Award in 1999; a film adaptation was created in 2002-- it was nominated for Best Picture; Nicole Kidman won Best Actress.

Answer: Life of Pi

Following the religious upbringing of Indian boy 'Pi' Patel and his subsequent adventure and harrowing accounts (with a tiger named Richard Parker) on a small raft in the Pacific Ocean, "Life of Pi" was met with international acclaim upon its release in 2001, receiving a large number of awards and getting film treatment in 2012 (directed by Ang Lee and receiving Oscar nods).

The award propelled Martel into the spotlight, especially in the Canadian literary scene-- he spent later years campaigning for arts funding to the Canadian government, notably in a long series of letters to Prime Minister Stephen Harper (chronicled in a book called "What is Stephen Harper Reading?", which originated as a blog. Martel sent over one hundred letters to Harper, each packaged with a book he deemed important to the growth of the nation and the individual.

He received responses on two.

Answer: Foundation

Sure enough, "A Canticle for Leibowitz" (by Walter M. Miller, Jr.) won in 1961, "Stranger in a Strange Land" (one of Robert A. Heinlein's many nominations) won in 1962, and "Dune" (by Frank Herbert) won in 1966. This award began in 1953 as sci-fi emerged on a grander scale and has since produced some of the most groundbreaking pieces in the genre. Other notable winners include William Gibson's "Neuromancer", Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game", Neil Gaiman's "American Gods", and "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" by J.K. Rowling.

"Foundation", by Isaac Asimov, is one of a few that didn't get the nomination, mainly because it was released in 1951-- two years before the award was introduced. He would later win three Hugos, getting nominated for four.

Answer: Flowers for Algernon

In "Flowers for Algernon", Algernon is the mouse and the story touches on the idea of genetic manipulation and heightened intelligence. Released in 1966, the novel was nominated for the Hugo but lost it to Robert A. Heinlein's "The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress" (which, funnily enough, was also nominated for the Nebula). "Flowers for Algernon" was originally a short story published six years earlier, and THAT won the Hugo for short stories, but the novel never made it. "Algernon" was, arguably, Keyes' only major release.

The other answers were joint-winners of the Hugo and Nebula.

Answer: The Silence of the Lambs

Thomas Harris' "The Silence of the Lambs", the story upon which cannibal psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter is based, won the award in 1988; Stephen King, being as prominent a figure in the genre as he is, won the award more than half-a-dozen times (including the Short Story field) including in its debut year (with "Misery" in 1987).

Others from his bibliography to win the prize include "Bag of Bones" and the other answer options. Other novel-writers to win since its inception include Dan Simmons, Neil Gaiman, and Peter Straub.

Answer: This Is Not My Hat

Pictures can tell a story too, and for younger readers it's important to be engaging. The Caldecott Award rewards just that-- excellent illustration in children's books. This prize has been given to a wide array of stories since its debut in 1938 (with Dorothy P. Lathrop's "Animals of the Bible").

It has since been given to Maurice Sendak for "Where the Wild Things Are", Chris Van Allsburg for "Jumanji", Chris Van Allsburg's "The Polar Express", and "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selznick. All of these became films in later years, partly due to their strong visual styles. "This Is Not My Hat", by Jon Klassen, won in 2013; he also wrote and illustrated "I Want My Hat Back", about a bear looking for his hat.

The latter won Canada's Governor General's Award.

Answer: Holes

"Holes", by Louis Sachar, received a great bit of fame after its release in 1999, particularly because of its high sales and unique story. In the book, a boy named Stanley Yelnats is sent to a juvenile detention center where he uncovers a fateful mystery behind his family name and has to...well...dig a few holes for oddly nefarious reasons.

"Shiloh" by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, "The Giver" by Lois Lowry, "The Tale of Despereaux" by Kate DiCamillo, won in 1992, 1994, and 2004, respectively. The award debuted in 1922 and has also been given to "A Wrinkle in Time" and "Bridge to Terabithia"

Answer: Mastering the Art of French Cooking

"Modernist Cuisine", a frighteningly-large and expensive five-volume compendium about contemporary cooking (from knife skills to sous vide) won in 2012. It weighs more than a five-year old child. Nonetheless it is an encyclopedia with excessively detailed illustrations throughout.
"Gran Cocina Latina", a book about Latin American food, won in 2013 for its all-encompassing view of Central and South American cooking. It was written by Maricel E. Presilla.
"Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, with Recipes", won in 2009 bringing with it, of course, the return of fat-based cooking.

"Mastering the Art of French Cooking", by Julia Child, was released in 1961, thirty-one years before the James Beard Foundation Awards.

Answer: Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

Although Winfrey selected Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth" and "A Million Little Pieces" for her original Book Club, back when she hosted her famous talk show, propelling them to the top of the best-seller charts simply by featuring them onscreen, the club ended when her show ended.

When Oprah created her OWN TV network she brought back the book club for 'Oprah's Book Club 2.0'. The first entry was Cheryl Strayed's memoir, "Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail"; it reached number one on the New York Times best-seller list in two weeks.

Her second choice was "The Twelve Tribes of Hattie" by Ayana Mathis, later that year.