Relief and a Meme

[meddow]

Good new everyone, the BBC actually went and talked to Armando Iannucci about the future of The Thick of It and he said:

"I've got a storyline that will involve both sides - irrespective of what happens in the election,"

Y'all can go out and vote for whoever you like in the British election now (which of course you were going to do anyway), my favourite characters no longer have their fates quite so tied to it.

Anyway, meme time. I nicked this from alexiscartwheel

1. Choose 12 books that you like. (10 are books I like, 2 are sitting half-read next to my bed).
2. Write down the first sentence or so of each of those books.
3. Let other people try to figure out the titles.
4. Cross off books as they are guessed, let us know the correct answers and who guessed them.

1. “Some years ago there was in the city of York a society of magicians.” - Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke, jadeddiva
2. “I have just returned from a visit to my landlord – the solitary neighbour that I shall be troubled with.” Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, alexiscartwheel
3. “Mr Utterson the lawyer was a man of a rugged countenance, that was never lighted by a smile; cold scanty and embarrassed with discourse; backwards in sentiment; lean, long, dusty, dreary and yet somehow loveable.” The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, erinpuff
4. “It was a nice day.” Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, airie_fairy
5. “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, jadeddiva
6. >“Left Munich at 8.35 p.m. On 1st May, arriving at Vienna early next morning; should have arrived at 6.46, but train was an hour late.” Dracula by Bram Stoker, catslash
7. “There was once a young man who wished to gain his Heart's Desire.” Stardust by Neil Gaiman, erinpuff
8. “The hottest day of the summer was drawing to a close and the drowsy silence lay over the large, square houses of Privet Drive.” Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling, airie_fairy
9. “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.” 1984 by George Orwell, grenadine
10. “When a day that you happen to know is Wednesday starts off by sounding like Sunday, there is something seriously wrong somewhere.”
11. “We slept in what had once been the gymnasium.” The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, grenadine
12. “The play – for which Briony had designed the posters, programmes and tickets, constructed the sales booth out of a folding screen tipped on its side, and lined the collection box in red crepe paper – was written by her in a two-day tempest of composition, causing her to miss a breakfast and a lunch.” Atonement by Ian McEwan, jadeddiva

Comments

[jadeddiva.livejournal.com]

I got this shit....okay, I got

1. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
5. Pride and Prejudice
12. Atonement - I was totally thinking about this book/movie today and how I adore it.

The one with the clocks striking thirteen - I've read it, I can't remember. And I know the Harry Potter reference, just not which book ;)

[meddow.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes and yes! And you are certainly right that 8 is a Harry Potter book.

[erinpuff]

1. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
3. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde
5. Pride & Prejudice
7. Stardust

[meddow.livejournal.com]

All correct :) But you were beaten to 1 and 5.

[erinpuff]

Yeah, I saw that as soon as I posted. Wah!

[grenadine.livejournal.com]

Y'all can go out and vote for whoever you like in the British election now (which of course you were going to do anyway), my favourite characters no longer have their fates quite so tied to it.

*relieved sigh*

1. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
5. Pride and Prejudice
9. 1984
11. The Handmaid's Tale

[meddow.livejournal.com]

You've got them all right. But others got to 1 and 5 before you did.

[airie-fairy.livejournal.com]

3) The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde
5) Pride & Prejudice
8) Order of the Phoenix
9) 1984

[airie-fairy.livejournal.com]

Damn! Beaten. And I had a feeling what 1 was, but wasn't sure, and it seems I was right.

This meme is awesome, I wanna do it.

[meddow.livejournal.com]

All correct and you were the first to guess Order of the Phoenix :)

[airie-fairy.livejournal.com]

Speaking of which...

4) Good Omens, yes? I know it's a pretty basic sentence...

But I realized it last night and was like OMG but I was too tired to get back online.

[meddow.livejournal.com]

Yes. I love that line, it's so typically Pratchett and Gaiman to start a novel with the most basic line.

[airie-fairy.livejournal.com]

You can really only get away with that if you're going to follow it up by being ridiculous.

[catslash.livejournal.com]

I do believe number six is Dracula. I believe it strongly enough to not cheat and doublecheck my copy first. :D

[meddow.livejournal.com]

It is! I thought that one was the hardest, so congrats.

[catslash.livejournal.com]

It is hard! I only recognized it because I just studied the novel last semester, and because I played Jonathan briefly in a couple RPs, so I had reason to read his diary sections extra-carefully. Six months ago, I would have had no freaking idea.

[alexiscartwheel.livejournal.com]

2. Wuthering Heights?

[meddow.livejournal.com]

Yes!

[alexiscartwheel.livejournal.com]

Woo! Those years studying 19th century lit have paid off.