Author Topic: Author! Author! (Read 353989 times)

PatH · « **Reply #2520 on:** December 09, 2011, 09:38:36 PM »

heading

PatH · « **Reply #2521 on:** December 09, 2011, 09:39:20 PM »

That was me, not Joan agreeing to take over the next quiz. I haven't forgotten--I've been traveling back home. I'll put one up tomorrow.

PatH · « **Reply #2522 on:** December 10, 2011, 12:47:34 PM »

OK, back to reality after a splendid time laughing with my sister. Next Quiz:

Author: I've lived in several countries.

Book: A best-seller.

Character: I'm not a person, but I'm crucial to the book.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #2523 on:** December 10, 2011, 01:55:43 PM »

Wild guess: Annie Proulx "Accordion Crimes" ?

JoanK · « **Reply #2524 on:** December 10, 2011, 02:56:07 PM »

Annie Prouix! That's the name I was trying to remember, talking to my daughter about a book of hers based on a book of knots. I'll bet you're right, Rosemary.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #2525 on:** December 10, 2011, 04:05:00 PM »

Joan, I think that was The Shipping News, and I remember it well because we lived in Newfoundland around then.

PatH · « **Reply #2526 on:** December 10, 2011, 04:06:10 PM »

That's a good guess, but not correct. Rosemary, for once you didn't guess my book in the first five minutes.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #2527 on:** December 10, 2011, 04:42:36 PM »

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #2528 on:** December 10, 2011, 04:45:28 PM »

Just had another idea: John Steinbeck: Travels with Charley?

Frybabe · « **Reply #2529 on:** December 10, 2011, 06:05:06 PM »

My first thought was Black Beauty, but I don't thing Ms. Sewell lived outside of England. She did frequent spas in Europe though.

straudetwo · « **Reply #2530 on:** December 12, 2011, 01:21:51 PM »

So the character is not a sentient body ? Hmmm

PatH · « **Reply #2531 on:** December 12, 2011, 04:32:08 PM »

More clues:

Author: I've lived in several countries.
I had a long life and a happy marriage.

Book: A best-seller.
Nonfiction.

Character: I'm not a person, but I'm crucial to the book.
The character isn't going to help you much, but I thought I'd better have one. Most people are fond of me.

pedln · « **Reply #2532 on:** December 13, 2011, 11:06:31 AM »

Re: The Character -- are we talking about an animate or inanimate item here? (A piano, or the mouse that plays it, for example).

re: google. Why not? For me, the hunt is more exciting than the memory, especially remembering something one didn't know about in the first place.

straudetwo · « **Reply #2533 on:** December 13, 2011, 01:39:37 PM »

That was exactly my question also, Pedln, a sentient being or an inanimate object ?

Thank you for specifying "nonfiction", though.

PatH · « **Reply #2534 on:** December 13, 2011, 02:25:22 PM »

The "character" is inanimate. The book is the author's first of many, and I'm sure you've all heard of it.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #2535 on:** December 13, 2011, 02:41:16 PM »

Is it something to do with chocolate?

JoanK · « **Reply #2536 on:** December 13, 2011, 03:33:43 PM »

ROSEMARY: good thought. I don't know if it's right, but I'm thinking chocolate at this time of year too. (Actually, I'm always thinking chocolate!)

pedln · « **Reply #2537 on:** December 13, 2011, 04:24:21 PM »

David Macaulay -- Cathedral

Frybabe · « **Reply #2538 on:** December 13, 2011, 04:26:34 PM »

I thought of Salt by Mark Kurlansky, but I don't see anywhere that he ever married and his is still alive. That "had a long and happy marriage" makes me wonder if our author is still alive.

PatH · « **Reply #2539 on:** December 15, 2011, 06:32:31 PM »

I apologize for leaving things hanging. 'Tis the season where, before I get to be jolly, I get to be busy. Frybabe, the author isn't alive.

New clues: Author: In addition to my literary success, I was successful in another entertainment medium.

Book: There are co-authors.

straudetwo · « **Reply #2540 on:** December 15, 2011, 09:29:06 PM »

Could it be Bob Hope, the ultimate entertainer, friend of presidents ?

He did write a number of books, some co-authored.

PatH · « **Reply #2541 on:** December 17, 2011, 07:56:31 PM »

New clues: Author: part of my life was in a recent movie.

Book: it changed some things for a lot of us, much for the better.

Frybabe · « **Reply #2542 on:** December 17, 2011, 10:01:04 PM »

This is beginning to sound like we are looking for a medical person or scientist of some sort. Still no idea of who it is.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #2543 on:** December 18, 2011, 02:51:58 AM »

Me neither. Is it something to do with feminism?

pedln · « **Reply #2544 on:** December 18, 2011, 02:55:02 PM »

What we know --
   Happily married author
   Dead author
   Part of author life in recent movie
   Book made things better for a large(?) group of people
   Subject/character of book -- inanimate object
Book has co-authors
Author successful in another medium

Nothing is coming up. Lot of thoughts, but they're all still alive except for the one who wasn't married.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #2545 on:** December 18, 2011, 03:02:21 PM »

Is it something to do with a medical discovery?

pedln · « **Reply #2546 on:** December 18, 2011, 03:14:22 PM »

Happily married author -- married to Paul
Dead author -- died 2004
Part of author life in recent movie -- Julie and Julia?
Book made things better for a large(?) group of people -- who like to eat
Subject/character of book -- inanimate object -- French Cookery
Book has co-authors -- Simone, Luisette, and ?
Author successful in another medium -- had a TV show

Could it be Julia Child, Mastering the Art of French Cookery?

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #2547 on:** December 18, 2011, 03:34:20 PM »

Pedln, I think you've got it!

PatH · « **Reply #2548 on:** December 18, 2011, 06:27:43 PM »

YES!! You got it, pedln.

Her co-authors in the first book were Simone Beck and Luisette Bertholle.

The book spearheaded a wave of American interest in learning to cook the French dishes. Her recipes actually worked well and tasted like the food we were coming to love from the newly available cheap travel to Europe.

One of her later books, The Way to Cook, is an excellent general reference, fairly comprehensive, with many recipes simpler, quicker, and less rich than Mastering, and lots of pitfalls pointed out.

She had several very popular TV cooking shows.

Julie and Julia is the recent movie. I was afraid it wouldn't be very good, but it is. Meryl Streep is excellent, and the whole thing is a lark.

She lived in Sri Lanka, France, Germany, Norway (Paul was in the State Department) and I've probably left out some countries.

I didn't expect anyone to get the character, just put it in for fun. It's butter--arguably her most important ingredient.

pedln · « **Reply #2549 on:** December 18, 2011, 08:35:32 PM »

Ha ha, I totally missed the butter.

I've posted it elsewhere, but DIL just finished reading As Always, Julia for her f2f group. It's a collection of letters between Julia Child and Avis DeVoto, who was instrumental in getting Mastering the art . . . published. Avis was the wife of Bernard DeVoto, historian, whom Julia had written regarding his comments about spoons or napkins or some such in a periodical article. He passed that on to his wife and she and Julia became very close pen pals, through several years and events. I've asked my library to get that book, and hope they do.

What a great choice, PatH. You really had us going there for a while. I was coming up with everything from Oliver Sacks to Randy Shilts.

Please give me a day or two to come up with someone puzzling.

pedln · « **Reply #2550 on:** December 20, 2011, 10:59:12 AM »

This author is probably considered modern, contemporary. Let us say 20th Century. Born then, died in the 21st.

Like many novelists, the author developed this book from an earlier short story.

One might call the book preppy. It's a story of friendship and competition.

PatH · « **Reply #2551 on:** December 20, 2011, 12:44:43 PM »

That was fast. So far, no bells ringing for me.

pedln · « **Reply #2552 on:** December 21, 2011, 10:22:52 AM »

This was the author's first book.

straudetwo · « **Reply #2553 on:** December 21, 2011, 11:07:16 AM »

Intriguing clues evoking, for me, the uncertain shadow of a distant memory. Am working on it.

pedln · « **Reply #2554 on:** December 21, 2011, 08:56:42 PM »

Traude, are you seeing perhaps a tree?

I think I've lost a post as I know I typed this earlier, but there was a film several years after publication, supposedly not a very good. Later, a TV network produced another film version.

The author grew up in West Virginia, attended an elite prep school and Ivy League college.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #2555 on:** December 22, 2011, 05:37:21 AM »

I'm afraid the only thing West Virginia says to me is The Waltons

Sorry

I'll keep trying.....ignore me.....

Rosemary

pedln · « **Reply #2556 on:** December 22, 2011, 09:52:58 AM »

Actually, Rosemary, the Waltons lived in Virginia, which borders WV. And no, we won't ignore you.

Has anyone read Spencer's Mountain, the book on which the TV series is based? I've got the first three seasons of Waltons on DVD. Am currently working periodically through season one.

Offhand I can't think of any books right now that are set in West Virginia. I hope someone here can set me straight.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #2557 on:** December 22, 2011, 12:28:39 PM »

Haven't read Spencer's Mountain, but would like to. Would also like to see all the programmes again, I loved them.

Rosemary

JoanK · « **Reply #2558 on:** December 22, 2011, 04:18:06 PM »

Is "Stand by me" a book?

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #2559 on:** December 22, 2011, 04:33:59 PM »

I think it was based on a novella by Stephen King, who is I believe still alive.

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Author Topic: Author! Author! (Read 353989 times)