A Number of Books Trivia Quiz

Answer: 6

"Six Years", by mystery writer Harlan Coben, was published in 2013. It is the story of college professor Jake Fisher. Six years is the amount of time that has passed since Natalie, the love of his life, married Todd. When Jake reads Todd's obituary he goes to the funeral hoping to see Natalie, only to find the widow is not Natalie, but some other woman to whom Todd had been married for over ten years. Where is Natalie? Why did she lie to him? Is his reality a lie?

Answer: 52

Elmore Leonard began his literary career by writing Westerns but went on to concentrate on crime and suspense thrillers. One such thriller is his novel "52 Pickup", originally published in 1974. The plot centers around wealthy Detroit business magnate Harry Mitchell.

It seems that Harry had been faithful to his wife for twenty-two years, with one exception. Unfortunately, the indiscretion was caught on film, and Harry is being blackmailed, but he's not about to go quietly.

Answer: 49

Novelist Thomas Pynchon is known for his complex works of fiction, inhabited by a large cast of characters. "The Crying of Lot 49" was published in 1966, and is the shortest of his novels. The story incorporates the explosive events and culture of the 1960s.

It centers around Oedipa Mass, a woman who finds herself isolated and alienated by the drug culture which surrounds her and is, in part, responsible for her isolation.

Answer: 19

Fiction writer Jodi Picoult wrote "Nineteen Minutes", which was first published in 2007. It was her first book to hit the top spot on the New York Times Best Seller List. It is, sadly, a very topical novel dealing with the events leading up to a school shooting, and the aftermath of the tragedy.

The action takes place on "an ordinary day" in the town of Sterling, New Hampshire. The shooting occurs at the local high school where shots are fired and ten are left dead. The story explores the relationships between the shooter and the others.

Answer: 22

In his 1961 novel "Catch 22", Joseph Heller gives us a look at the satirical side of war and the 'military mentality'. The protagonist and anti-hero, Captain John Yossarian, is a World War II bombardier. Heller illustrates both the insanity of war and its horror, despair and death, while showing its bureaucracy, paradoxes and hypocrisy.

He coined the neologism "a catch-22", which represents a problem where the only solution is impossible, e.g., claiming you are crazy in order to avoid combat, thereby proving your sanity.

Answer: 13

"Thirteen Reasons Why" is a young adult novel written by Jay Asher, and published in 2007. It deals with the difficult subject of teenage suicide and its causes in our modern society. The subject of the story is high school student Hannah Baker who leaves recorded tapes discussing those she feels are responsible for the bullying and betrayal that led to her last act of desperation, i.e., her thirteen reasons why.

She sends the tapes to several classmates, including Clay Jensen, the narrator of the story, and the only one not responsible for her death.

Answer: 84

"84, Charing Cross Road" is a book written by author Helene Hanff, and published in 1970. Subsequently made into a film and stage play, it is a simple story about the twenty year correspondence between Hanff and Frank Doel. Doel was the chief buyer for Marks and Co., antiquarian booksellers, located at 84, Charing Cross Road in London, England.

When Hanff was looking for classic books she was unable to obtain in New York City, she saw an ad for the shop. She started writing to Frank in 1949, and the long distance friendship began from there.

Answer: 7

The political thriller "Seven Days in May" was written by Fletcher Knebel and Charles Bailey II. It was published in 1962, and later made into a 1964 film with a screenplay by Rod Serling. The novel is set during the Cold War and revolves around a plot for a military coup in the United States.

A "hawkish" General Scott disapproves of the president signing a nuclear disarmament treaty with the Soviet Union, and sets in motion a plot to overthrow him. The General's aide finds out and warns the president, but will it be in time to stop the takeover?

Answer: 39

Scottish author John Buchan wrote the spy novel "The 39 Steps". It first appeared as a serial in Blackwood Magazine before being published as a book in October, 1915. It is the first of Buchan's stories featuring Richard Hannay, a sort of James Bond of his day.

The setting is London, just before the impending war in Europe in 1914. A stranger, in fear for his life, goes to Hannay for help, describing a political plot to assassinate the Greek Premier, and a ring of German spies. When the stranger turns up dead, Hannay must take over.

Answer: 5

Bringing up the rear, we have a children's book called "Five Children and It". Written by English author Edith Nesbit, it was originally serialized and published in the Strand Magazine under the title "The Psammead, or The Gifts" in 1902. The story is set in London where five siblings uncover a grumpy, ugly sand fairy, or Psammead, who can grant wishes. Of course, all the wishes go humorously wrong, leaving them no better than before, and occasionally worse off.