Q.2581

"But Seriously:An Autobiography" is this sportsman's second autobiography, which was published in 2017. What was his first autobiography, published in 2002, called, after a trademark catchphrase?

[+ Show Answer]

"You Cannot Be Serious"; the author is tennis player John McEnroe

Q.2575

This 2017 book's title is about a boy named William Wallace, his father, and a Buddhist concept of a state between death and before being born again. Which award-winning book?

[+ Show Answer]

Lincoln in the Bardo', the 2017 Booker Prize Winner.

Q.2573

"The Golden House" is Salman Rushdie's 2017 novel about the Goldens, a family that relocates from Mumbai to the USA. In doing so, they change their names to famous ancient Romans. If the sons are Petronius, Dionysius, and Lucius Apuleis, which infamous emperor's name does their father take?

[+ Show Answer]

Nero.

Q.2571

In 2017, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella released his autiobiography 'Hit Refresh'. In the US, the book was released at the company's Ignite conference. However, in the UK, the book was released at a venue associated more with tradition than with technology. Which venue?

[+ Show Answer]

Lord's Cricket Ground - Nadella is a big cricket fan, and describes the role of cricket on his life in the book

Q.2570

The rapper Eminem spoke the following words in a protest performance during a 2017 event:

“Racism’s the only ___ he’s Fantastic Four / Cause that’s how he gets his f***ing rocks off and he’s orange.”

Who is the 'he' being referred to, and what's the word in the blank which is the analogy Eminem is making from the Fantastic Four?

[+ Show Answer]

US President Donald Trump and 'The Thing' from the Fantastic Four (which is 'orange'!)

Q.2566

In the 2017 film, 'Blade Runner 2049', Harrison Ford's character tells Ryan Gosling's characters when he first meets him: "You mightn't happen to have a piece of cheese about you?". This is actually a line from which famous work of literature spoken by a character called Ben Gunn?

[+ Show Answer]

Treasure Island

Q.2437

Complete the title of this book released in March 2017, touted as the first in a trilogy. The blanked name is that of a character of a warrior princess.

[+ Show Answer]

Sivagami', a character from the blockbuster 'Baahubali' film series whose 2nd and concluding part released in Apr 2017. The makers also released a graphic novel as part of the film's promotion. More here.

Q.2353

In 2017, which cartoon character's Wikipedia article had to be 'locked down' (i.e. editing of it was prevented) because the (non-human) character's gender was in question? The matter was finally settled by the cartoonist in question.

[+ Show Answer]

Garfield. More here

Q.2335

"Rangoon" is a 2017 film directed by Vishal Bhardwaj and set during World War II. Which well-known author, who has written a novel set in Burma and partly covering events during the War, was a consultant to this production?

[+ Show Answer]

Amitav Ghosh, whose 2000 novel "The Glass Palace" was based in Burma. More on the film.

Q.2220

In Oct 2016, "The Sellout" became the first book by an American author to be awarded the Man Booker Prize. The satirical book follows a character named "Me" who lives in a place 'wiped off the map' and sells watermelons and marijuana. How Me and others try to bring the town "back" drives the rest of the novel.

The name of the town is shared with a legendary English author, whose books also wrote about society, occasionally with a comic touch. What's the name?

[+ Show Answer]

"Dickens". More on the novel.

Q.2216

After much analysis by some researchers and editors, the 2016 edition of the New Oxford Shakespeare, a compendium of the Bard's plays, will feature some important changes to the title pages of plays like Henry VI and All’s Well That Ends Well.

What important change?

[+ Show Answer]

Shakespeare will share credit for some plays with co-authors, most notably, fellow playwright Christopher Marlowe. The notion being that the research shows other collaborators were involved. More here.

Q.2194

In 2006, M. Chandrakumar a.k.a 'Auto Chandran' (he is an auto rickshaw driver) wrote 'Lock Up' about his experiences being jailed in the 80s. What honour did an 'interrogative' work derived from this novel receive in 2016?

[+ Show Answer]

The Tamil film 'Visaranai' is based on this. It was chosen as India's official entry to the Academy Awards for 2016 films. More here.

Q.2090

He studied literature, biology, and history before he eventually became a neurosurgeon. He died in 2015 and his posthumously published 2016 memoir became a best-seller. If the book is 'When Breath Becomes Air', who is this author?

[+ Show Answer]

Paul Kalanithi, who died at 36 from lung cancer. More here.

Q.2074

The United Kingdom's Queen Elizabeth celebrated her 90th birthday in 2016. Disney created a book called "____ and the Royal Birthday" in which this fictional character travels to Buckingham Palace with his friends, also bumping into the Queen and even Prince George.

Incidentally, the character also turned 90 in 2016. Which character?

[+ Show Answer]

Winnie-the-Pooh. More here.

Q.2072

What four-letter word, coined by botanist Wilhelm Johannsen, completes this book's title?

[+ Show Answer]

"Gene".

More here.

Q.2067

Image: wizardsandwhatnot.com

This is Noma Dumezweni who plays the lead female role in a 2016 British theatrical production, along with actors Jamie Parker, Paul Thornley, and Poppy Miller. The play is written by Jack Thorne, based on a story co-written by the play's director John Tiffany.

Dumezweni's selection, given her race and Swaziland origins, caused much comment with the other co-writer of the original story pointing out that the character's race had never been specified as white.

Which character and what's the play?

[+ Show Answer]

Hermione Granger in the production of "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child"

Q.2066

"Ember" is a new font face introduced along with the new version of this device (released in 2016). It is a sans serif font, and a counterpart to the serif default font 'Bookerly' that comes with this device.

Which device?

[+ Show Answer]

The Amazon Kindle - its new version is 'Oasis'. More here.

Q.2043

These are clues to the previous three in this series.

* A dark-skinned avatar of a Hindu god

* The author of a famous work of 'economics'

* A controversial shrine in Kashmir

2016 saw another addition to this list. What is the list about, and which Asian city is in the latest addition?

[+ Show Answer]

These are clues to books by the author Ashwin Sanghi in his "Bharat Series": The Krishna Key, Chanakya's Chant, The Rozabal Line, and the 2016 book is The Sialkot Saga.

Q.1922

What is the missing word in this extract from the Sherlock Holmes story "The Musgrave Ritual":

"Yes, my boy, these were all done prematurely before my biographer had come to glorify me." He (Sherlock) lifted bundle after bundle in a tender, caressing sort of way. "They are not all successes, Watson," said he.

"But there are some pretty little problems among them. Here's the record of the Tarleton murders, and the case of Vamberry, the wine merchant, and the adventure of the old Russian woman, and the singular affair of the aluminium crutch, as well as a full account of Ricoletti of the club-foot, and his _____ wife. And here--ah, now, this really is something a little recherche.

[+ Show Answer]

The missing word is 'abominable' - this is the source for "The Abominable Bride", the title of the 2016 special episode of the TV serial "Sherlock". More here (including spoilers!)

Q.1915

A thousand top politicians from this country received a not-so-subtle Christmas gift on 28 December 2015. The shown 400 page book of their President's most 'prophetic' quotes was sent to all of them. The order was to read this book, entitled 'Words That Are Changing The World' in English, and display it in their offices at all times.

Which famous politician's quotes have been captured in this book?

[+ Show Answer]

Vladimir Putin

The book, which is said to contain a collection of his sayings and speeches from the past 12 years, has been compared to Chinese chairman Mao Tse-Tung's communist bible.