Quills: Snark Hunt!

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A Scavenger Hunt is fine for parties and kids in college. What we have here is a Scavenger Hunt involving books, and therefore, I deem it a Snark Hunt! Since I am often easily charmed with smiles and soap, let us search for these ten things on our bookish Snark Hunt: 

• the letter “J”
• a fantasy classic
• a dragon on the cover
• oldest book on your shelf
• a shield on the cover
• an animal in it
• a cover with only words
• a cover with gold lettering
• a book written by an author with a common last name
• a red colored book 

Patricia is up first. 

PATRICIA REDING

Author of Oathtaker

Patricia's Website

The old year is behind us (and I cannot say I am sorry about that) and 2015 begins. What better way to move forward than to join my fellow Quills in a treasure hunt.  Our search will take us through our book shelves.  So, here goes!

A book with the letter “J” - This one is fairly easy—Jekyll and Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson.  Oh yes, I know, the full name is The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but most refer to it by its shortened name. This is a great read, showing . . .

(Read Patricia's blog!)

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And now, Robin!

ROBIN LYTHGOE

Author of As the Crow Flies and two short stories

Robin's Website

Rummaging through my bookshelves (both physical and digital) makes me feel like a dragon admiring its treasure. I have silver and gold, precious jewels, priceless collections of beautiful words at my very fingertips! The hardest part of this task? Getting sidetracked. I want to read this! no, this one! And that one, too! Oh, it’s been a long time since I’ve read <fill in the blank, there are lots of options>! I got so sidetracked, in fact, that it took me three attempts to collect the actual goodies.

(Read Robin's blog!)

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KRISTIE KIESSLING

Author of the short story Sanguis Dei 

and the poetry collection Light and Dark 

My turn to meet the ten requirements for our Snark Hunt. Naturally, I endeavored to find ONE book with all ten. When that didn't work, I settled on six that did the trick!  First up... 

Tarzan Lord of the Jungle by Edgar Rice Burroughs has a "J", only words on it's red cover and many animals in it. Mostly great apes. Four in one! I chose this first because my mother adored the Tarzan books and it was her excitement over them and this one especially that intrigued me, beginning my journey along this fabulous road.

While Tarzan looks like it might be the oldest book in my collection, it was published in 1928. Whereas, a book that meets the "red cover", "gold lettering" and the "animal in it" requirement may also be THE oldest book on my shelf. Tied at four! The only date inside this book is 1862, but that is the Penning of the Preface date. According to most internet sources, the date of publication of this Thompson and Thomas edition of Les Miserables by Victor Hugo is 1895. Though, no one seems quite sure...


My copy of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain is a contender for the gold lettering and it is as close as I could come to a "shield" on the cover. I may be squeaking by with that one.

Uncertain if Twain's book counted as a fantasy classic with all the science going on in the Yankee's tale, I chose The Hobbit as my classic. Prompted again by Twain and Camelot, I chose The Once and Future King by T.H. White for my "book written by an author with a common name." We've cousins who are Whites and friends who are Whites. For "common" I'd say it fits.


As for "a dragon on the cover" (and I have many), this edition of Anne McCaffery's Moreta: Dragon Lady of Pern is my choice. Gorgeous art by Michael Whelan.

I hope this Snark Hunt through our shelves has left you beamish! For me, it has been utterly frabjous. See you in February!.