A Very Strange Book Meme: The Answers Edition

I’m identifying the books from which the sentences in the book meme came.

Ten fifth sentences from page 56 of ten books

1. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. This one comes from Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. Threegirldad identified this for you. This is pretty much the perfect sentence for distinguishing this book, since it’s part of what some call the “Liar, Lunatic, or Lord” argument that Lewis is famous for. Clue #3 went with this sentence because I know for sure that Tim Challies is reading this book at present.


2. They will always send you free books. This is from Steal This Book by Abbie Hoffman. The sentence seems oddly appropriate, don’t you think? The clue that goes with this is clue #4. This book is from the used bookstore, actually. I have it for the same reason I keep other strange out-dated things—I love history, particularly social history.


3. Whatever happened, he must take some action, or else … This sentence is not a very good representative of this book as a whole, but it’s from Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, and guessed correctly by threegirldad. Hint #5 applies to this.


4. “I lost ten for passive-voice, too,” Maya said. This is from David Heddle’s own novel, Here, Eyeball This! Clue #2.


5. Only in recent times (and the rumors I had heard were vague) his star at court had waned, he had had to leave Avignon, and the Pope had this indomitable man pursued as a heretic who per mundum discurrit vagabundus. From The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco.


6. I’m sure you would rather turn around. From Leaving Home, Garrison Keillor. Candy guessed the author of this. Clue #6 for this.


7. He looked around for the bird now because he would have liked him for company. Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea. I really thought someone would get this one. The sentence is very Heminwayish, and I thought the mention of the bird might identify which book.


8. Accordingly, the doctrine of the Trinity and the doctrine of redemption, historically, stand or fall together. This is from B. B. Warfield in Biblical and Theological Studies. I didn’t expect anyone to get this and I was right.


9. O’Kane climbed the ladder from the conning tower to the bridge, where he soon stood beside Bill Leibold, whom he regarded as his “extra pair of eyes.” From Escape from the Deep, Alex Kershaw. Historical and not fiction. Two of my kids are WWII buffs, so my library is full of these kinds of books.


10. God’s Word in the Old Testament is his creative utterance, his power of action fulfilling his purpose. John got this one: Knowing God by J.I. Packer. I love this sentence, BTW.

Five hints (I’ve updated by giving the numbers of the lines the hints go with)

1. You would expect someone from Minnesota to have at least one book by this author. (6)
2. You would expect David Heddle to have at least one book by this author. (4)
3. I know at least one person who is reading this book right now. (1)
4. I think this book is stolen. (2)
5. Yes, it’s by a Russian. (3)

Comments

[threegirldad]

Re: #7...

My English Lit prof, were he still alive, would no doubt be shaking his head sadly.

<sigh>