Books -- In Other Words (With Help!) Quiz

Answer: The Hours

"The Hours" was Michael Cunningham's fourth novel and perhaps his most popular. Following three different women living their lives in a single day, though in different time periods, the book showed the inextricable links between them. One of these women was Virginia Woolf writing "Mrs. Dalloway", another was a housewife from the 1950s, and the third was a lesbian planning a party in the late 20th century. Michael Cunningham's novel won the Pulitzer Prize in 1999.

The subsequent film adaptation released in 2002 was nominated for several Academy Awards. Starring Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore, and Nicole Kidman (who won Best Actress), it was directed by Stephen Daldry.

Answer: The Good Soldier

A piece of Modernist literature written by Ford Madox Ford under the title "The Saddest Story", this novel was well-received by readers of the time. A fairly intriguing book, it included several mysterious events, the possibility of affairs, suicide, and exceedingly unreliable narration from its protagonist, John Dowell. Along with several other writers in this time period, Ford Madox Ford was a proponent of new literary works.

He was a part of several new magazines and the founder of "The English Review". Living in the city of Paris, he ended up meeting Hemingway, Pound, and Joyce (among others) while they constructed the Modernist canon.

Answer: The Big Sleep

The inaugural book in a series of novels about hard-boiled Los Angeles private eye Philip Marlowe, "The Big Sleep" became more popular as time went by because of is seminal nature. Many regard Chandler's writing to be among the best and the most important in the 'noir' genre.

The novel was adapted for screen on several occasions; in 1946, Humphrey Bogart player the Marlowe role and in 1976 it was filled by Robert Mitchum. "The Big Sleep" was followed by "Farewell, My Lovely", "The High Window", and many others. Chandler was also well known for screenwriting in the film noir era of the 1940s.

His work on "Double Indemnity" was nominated for an Oscar.

Answer: On the Road

The epitome of the 'beat' novel, Kerouac's "On the Road" was originally written on a single spool of paper before it was published six years later in 1957. Kerouac's story followed Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty as they traveled across the United States (and then to Mexico) on several occasions in their lives punctuated by meetings with other wanderers, stop-offs in jazz clubs, and stints working in new cities.

While Kerouac's other novels (including "Big Sur" and "The Subterraneans" among others) were popular, none were quite as successful and influential on the arts (especially music) as "On the Road".

Answer: Heart of Darkness

"Heart of Darkness", originally a three-part serial, was claimed by many to be the inaugural work in the Modernist canon upon its release in 1902. The tale followed the voyage taken by Charles Marlow as he headed into the African continent on a boat heading along the Congo River. The tale was referenced in numerous pop culture outlets in its first century alone. Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now" adapted the tale for the Vietnam War and it won the Palme d'Or.
Joseph Conrad, actually from Poland, also wrote "Nostromo" and "Lord Jim".

Answer: The Woman in White

Written by Collins during the Victorian Era, this mystery story was also a very popular ghost serial. Amongst some of the most famous works of the era, "The Woman in White" followed several letters chronicling the events occurring after a main character encountered a woman in white escaping a London asylum. Collins was also known for writing one of the first instances of detective fiction, "The Moonstone".

His relationship with Charles Dickens during this period gave him the backing to become one of the most celebrated Victorian authors in England at the time.

His sensation novels have become collected staples in any 19th-century reader's collection.

Answer: Life of Pi

Looking back on the life of Pi Patel, this novel by Canadian author Yann Martel examined a young Indian boy's experiences in Pondicherry before a fateful event on the Pacific Ocean during which his family died in a boat accident and he survived on a small craft with a tiger named Richard Parker, a zebra, and a hyena. Critically acclaimed, the book won the Man Booker Prize and spent years searching for a film adaptation. Ang Lee later directed the movie in 2012. Yann Martel later created an initiative for Canadian citizens to send the Prime Minister (Stephen Harper) a book every week and encourage further spending on the arts.

The project ended a few weeks short of two years without substantial recognition from the government. He later released his essays in a book called "What is Stephen Harper Reading?".

Answer: Fifty Shades of Grey

While met with mixed reviews upon its release in 2011, the "Fifty Shades" series by E. L. James was undeniably popular. The trilogy (consisting of "Fifty Shades of Grey", "Fifty Shades Darker", and "Fifty Shades Freed") followed an erotic relationship and was based on (of all things) "Twilight" fan-fiction generated on the internet.

When the books picked up a publisher, all three were released within a year and hit the bestseller lists more quickly than any other books in the UK. Because of its nature, the series was banned in several U.S. states.

Answer: The Time Machine

"The Time Machine", a classic novella in the science fiction genre by late-19th-century author H. G. Wells, is almost timeless. In the book, the protagonist constructed a device to take himself far into the future where he discovered a race of beings known as Morlocks.

The book has been adapted countless times into film and television versions. H. G. Wells almost pioneered the genre. Along with "The Time Machine" (which brought the term 'time machine' to public vernacular), Wells wrote "the Invisible Man", "The War of the Worlds", and "The Island of Dr.

Moreau". All of these, likewise, were eminently adaptable.

Answer: Catching Fire

The second book in Suzanne Collins' popular adventure series "The Hunger Games", "Catching Fire" was released in 2009, shortly before the final book in the trilogy, "Mockingjay", hit shelves. The title is a reference to the main character, Katniss Everdeen, nicknamed 'Girl on Fire', and her tendency to evade a painful fate in the games presented to her throughout the series.

In this second book, the competitors of earlier Hunger Games were forced to compete a second time only on this occasion, a revolution was brewing beneath the surface.

The series commenced its adaptations in 2012 with Jennifer Lawrence in the lead role as Katniss. The trilogy has since appeared on countless bestseller charts worldwide.