1 This quickly became the fastest selling book in three years in the UK in 2012, and had the second bestselling opening week there since Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol. Released in September 2012, the book's sales topped one million in three weeks in English across all formats and in all territories, including the US and UK. The book's theme revolves around politics, class and social issues like drugs and prostitution. However, this is not the author's first taste of success — previous books by the same author in a different genre have become famous films. Who is the author, and what is the title of the book?
2 This author continues her successful run, winning her second Man Booker Prize, becoming the first British author and the first woman to be awarded two Man Booker prizes. She is also the first to win with two consecutive novels. An astounding literary accomplishment — and the writer who made history also has old world England as the setting for her novel. Give me the name of the novel and the writer. An additional bonus if you can remember her first Man Booker award-winning book!
3 It would seem that there is no stopping this author's successful run, as each book tops the bestsellers list. His last book is no different — it topped the charts across bookstalls. This former Member of the British Parliament is known for his wit, and he had said in an interview to Sunday Herald that the present five-part series would keep him busy till 2015. Clue: Although he is not an MP, he can go and sit in the House of Lords any time he wants! Who is this author, and what is his latest book?
4 She published her book online in 2011, and it went viral. By the time she signed a deal with Random House, it had already become America's top e-book. Since then, over 60 million copies have been sold in English alone, and even translated into other languages including Mongolian. Literary critics continue to argue about how shallow and poorly written her erotic book is, but no matter, the book continues to fly off the bookshelves. Who is this 48-year-old author, and what is the name of the book?
5This is the Indian author's third book. Released this year, it is a fast-paced book that is peppered with murder, mystery, riddles, and an answer buried in the past. Many readers of the book have drawn a comparison with Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. Whatever the comparison, this book, like the two others published earlier, is on the bestsellers list this year. The author describes himself as 'an entrepreneur by day and a writer by night.' Who is the author, and what is the name of his latest book?
6Two years ago, his fellow countryman was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Government of that country reacted with fury and contempt, and scrubbed the announcement from the Internet. This year, when he was awarded the
Nobel Prize for Literature, the same Government interrupted prime time broadcasts to announce the award. The country erupted into national celebration. Funnily enough, this author's name, when translated into English, means 'No Talk.' Who is the 2012 Literature Nobel Prize winner I am talking about, and which country?
7 From 17th century onwards, women from the UK came over by ship in large numbers to find a husband serving in the British Raj. This practice continued till almost 1947. A well-known British writer and journalist released her book this year based on letters, diaries and memoirs of such women, lent to the writer by the children or descendants of these women. What is the book called, and who is the writer
8This book was not released this year, but a movie based on the book made waves. It is all about a spiritual quest of a boy from Pondicherry, whose sole companion is a certain Richard Parker. Book, film and author?
9He has been writing since 1991, and is best known for his legal thrillers. Several of his novels were made into films. His last novel, released this year, is based on a totally different subject — a popular American game. It is believed that a real-life incident that happened during a 1920-game inspired the novel. Too many clues! Name of the author and the book?
10This is an easy one! Director Steven Spielberg made two of this writers' books into films. The books and the films sparked off a phenomenal interest in dinosaurs. He wrote over 20 books. He died in 2008, and his last book was published posthumously in 2009. Name the author. (An additional bonus if you can name the unfinished manuscript that was completed by another writer.)
11This is not the latest book by this controversial writer, but it is in the news because the book was made into a film. The film was shot in Sri Lanka, although the book has Mumbai and India as its setting. The film had its Indian premiere recently at the Kerala International Festival. Name the book, the author, and the film director. (An easy hat trick!)
12This Bangalore-based Sahitya Academy Award winning novelist has written over a dozen English books. She recently re-released one of her earlier novels, a crime thriller — she has written just two in this genre. Most of her other works deal with ordinary people living out their lives. Who is the author, and what is the name of this book?
Answers
1. J K Rowling, The Casual Vacancy.
Her Harry Potter series needs no further introduction.
2. Bringing Up the Bodies, Hilary Mantel. She won a Booker in 2011 for Wolf Hall.
3. (Lord) Jeffrey Archer, The Sins of the Father.
4. E L James, Fifty Shades of Grey.
5. Ashwin Sanghi, The Krishna Key. His earlier books were The Rozabal Line and Chanakya's Chant.
6. Mo Yan from China. Two years ago, when the jailed dissident Liu Xiaobo had won the Nobel Peace Prize, the Chinese Government had reacted with fury.
7. T he Fishing Fleet: Husband-hunting in the Raj, by Anne de Courcy.
8. Life of Pi by Yann Martel, and the movie goes by the same name. Richard Parker is a Bengal tiger. Like all good books, this one was rejected by at least five British publishers before Knopf Canada published it in 2001. It won the Man Booker Prize the following year.
9. Calico Joe, John Grisham. The novel was inspired by the real-life story of
baseball player Ray Chapman, who was the only professional to be killed as a
result of being hit on the head by a baseball on the field in a 1920 game.
10. Michael Crichton. (Jurassic Park, The Lost World). His last book was Pirate Latitudes. The latest, finished by writer Richard Preston, is called Micro. The unfinished manuscript and notes for Micro was found on his computer.
11. Midnight's Children, by Salman Rushdie. The film's director is Deepa Mehta.
12. Shashi Deshpande. The book released was If I Die Today. Her other crime novel was Come Up and Be Dead.