Brain Teaser – Popular Authors and Their Books

Let’s wrap up Summer Reading with this brain teaser.  Can you name the title of the book or author of these popular books, people buy or borrow from a library. Need help? Use Credo Reference Online

1. What name is usually used for Theodor Seuss Geisel, whose children’s books are known for their blend of whimsy, zany humour, catchy verse, and outlandish illustrations?

2. Which English novelist wrote “Sense and Sensibility”, “Mansfield Park” and “Emma”?

3. Which US author wrote “The Firm”, “The Pelican Brief”, and “The Client”?

4. What was the first novel by J. D. Salinger, about a mixed-up teenager called Holden Caulfield?

5. The real name of the author of “Animal Farm” and “The Road to Wigan Pier” was Eric Arthur Blair. What name did he use when publishing his books?

6. Name the only novel by US writer Harper Lee which was about the trial of a black man accused of raping a white woman, The events are seen through the eyes of Scout, the six-year-old daughter of defence lawyer Atticus Finch.

7. Which US author wrote “Mother Tongue”, “Notes From a Small Island” and “A Short History of Nearly Everything”?

8. Which English novelist wrote “Rebecca” and the short story “The Birds” which were both made into films by Alfred Hitchcock?

9. Which British children’s author wrote “The Story of Tracy Beaker” and “The Dare Game”?

10. Which writer published the autobiographical “Moab Is My Washpot”?

How did you do?

0 – 1 Mmmm, not exactly brilliant.
2 – 5 A reasonable stab.
6 – 8 A good showing. But there’s still room for improvement!
9 – 10 You really know your stuff. Well done!

Questions set by Tony Augarde (www.augardebooks.co.uk)

Paranormal Romance

With romance in the air this month, you may be looking for some romance novels in the library’s collection. To avoid the sappy love stories and opt for a paranormal romance.

Use NoveList to discover a broad list of titles, simply enter paranormal romance in the “Search For” box  and select in GN Genre on the homepage of NoveList and click Search. For a more specific search, use the additional lines in the Advanced Search page to include subject terms, such as vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, or demons. More general subject terms like supernatural or immortality will also yield results.

Because this is such a popular category, your search may still be too large. Use the appeal options in the “Narrow Results by” section to the left of your results to cut your list down to titles with a certain Tone (steamy, dramatic) or Writing Style (compelling, descriptive).

You can then re-sort your list by Popularity from the Sort by: drop-down to print the most popular 5 – 50 (selected from the per page drop-down) paranormal romances that match your subject and appeal preferences.

Once you find a book in Novelist you are interesting in reading, click the Check Library Catalog link at the bottom of the book’s record.  If the library owns the book it will take to the book’s record in the library’s catalog.

Looking for Something Good to Read?

As you settle into the New Year, you might be thinking about all of the wonderful things that 2011 brought. Among them were some great debut novels from authors you’re sure to hear about again in the future. You can mine reviews in NoveList to create a list of debut titles published in 2011. To get started go to NoveList then:

1. Click on the Advanced Search link under the Search For box on the homepage.
2. Type the word debut in the top box, and select RV Review from the drop-down on the same line.
3. Leave AND selected in the second line.
4. Type 2011 in the box on the second line and select PY Publication Year from the drop-down menu on the same line.
5. Click Search.

This will give you a list of hundreds of debut novels published in 2011. You can then use the options in the “Narrow Results by” section to the left to narrow by genre or the boxes in the “Limit Your Results” on the right to limit by audience. This way, you can, for example, create a list of debut Mystery titles for teens:

1. Select Mystery Stories under Genre in the “Narrow Results by” section to the left of your Result List.
2. Select the Teens box in the “Limit Your Results” section on the right.
3. Click Update.

You will be left with over 15 Mystery debuts for teens.

A word of warning: you may find that some of the books in the result list are sequels to debut novels. The debut may be mentioned in the review for the sequel.

Brain Teaser – Shakespeare

You may not think you are an expert on literature, but many people can recall things about Shakespeare. Test your knowledge of the Bard with this brainteaser. Need help? Try Credo Reference.

Want to learn more about Shakespeare the Virtual Library also has the Shakespeare Collection which has the complete works, as well as editions and adaptations of Shakespeare’s works, other works published during Shakespeare’s time, prompt books, the Gordon Crosse Theatrical Diaries, criticism, reviews, images, and reference.

1. In which town was Shakespeare born?

2. Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet” is set in which country?

3. Who was Shakespeare’s wife?

4. There was a real king of Scotland called Macbeth. Is this true or false?

5. In which Shakespeare play do the words “Et tu, Brute?” occur?

6. Which of Shakespeare’s comedies includes characters called Oberon, Titania, Puck and Bottom?

7. In a Shakespeare play, who was described like this: “Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale/Her infinite variety”?

8. Which Shakespeare story was used as the basis of a 1999 American teenage comedy film, “10 Things I Hate About You”?

9. Which Shakespeare play includes the words “All the world’s a stage”?

10. The musical by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart called “The Boys from Syracuse” is derived from which

How did you do?

0 – 1 Mmmm, not exactly brilliant.
2 – 5 A reasonable stab.
6 – 8 A good showing. But there’s still room for improvement!
9 – 10 You really know your stuff. Well done!

Questions set by Tony Augarde (www.augardebooks.co.uk)

Literature Criticism Online

Looking for criticism of a novel, play, poetry or drama?  Literature Criticism Online is just what you need.

We just added these new titles to our vast collection of literature criticism:

• Contemporary Literary Criticism Vol 311
• Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism Vol 246
• Poetry Criticism Vol 121
• Short Story Criticism Vol 156