# Grab the book nearest you. Right now. **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 9, 2010, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grab-the-book-nearest-you-right-now/531901 "2010-03-09T20:52:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grab-the-book-nearest-you-right-now/531901/181 "2010-03-13T02:17:24Z")
This is going to be embarrassing to admit that the book was close to hand. _“I want to invite all the Zelandonii who have come from neighboring Caves to join the Ninth Cave in the feast we have prepared to welcome Jondalar and Ayla home.”_ From The Shelters of Stone, by Jean Auel. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grab-the-book-nearest-you-right-now/531901/182 "2010-03-13T02:26:24Z")
reaching into the “to be read” basket… don’t even have to get out of the seat. “less than halfway through the trip, the young dandy’s thoughts were clearly racing eastward.” “the rise of theodore roosevelt” edmund morris ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grab-the-book-nearest-you-right-now/531901/183 "2010-03-13T02:37:42Z")
“We’re missionaries, dedicated to converting others to what we believe to be the true religion.” The very next sentence would have been a dead giveaway. It’s fiction, BTW. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grab-the-book-nearest-you-right-now/531901/184 "2010-03-13T02:43:58Z")
“These programmer types seemed to be all the same - thinking everyone else in the world was a dickhead and that wearing your company badge hitched to the belt of your too tight jeans was cool.” A Year in the Merde, Stephen Clarke ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grab-the-book-nearest-you-right-now/531901/185 "2010-03-13T02:55:11Z")
“In terms of the local economy in Ixtlan, other improvements were just as important as a railroad.” – Patrick McNamara, _Sons of the Sierra: Juarez, Diaz, & the People of Ixtlan, Oaxaca, 1855-1920_ ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grab-the-book-nearest-you-right-now/531901/186 "2010-03-13T03:03:08Z")
For all _i_ such that 0 ≤ _i_ \< _N_ - _d_ and _i_ & _p_ = _r_, do step M4. From **The Art of Computer Programming. VOLUME 3; Sorting and Searching, Second Edition** **Donald E. Knuth** Such a shame I just stacked all my fiction and cook books back in the slightly further off book shelf. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grab-the-book-nearest-you-right-now/531901/187 "2010-03-13T03:16:07Z")
“Click on synchronize when you are ready to apply the metadata to your images.” The Photoshop Lightroom Workbook, by Seth Resnick and Jamie Spritzer ---
**Author:** ![cuberdon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/45deac/32.png) [@cuberdon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuberdon)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grab-the-book-nearest-you-right-now/531901/188 "2010-03-13T03:29:54Z")
Pour the hot oil into the batter, stirring just a little, and then pour the batter onto the hot pan. New Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant, Katzen ---
**Author:** ![StarsApart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecc23a/32.png) [@StarsApart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarsApart)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grab-the-book-nearest-you-right-now/531901/189 "2010-03-13T03:38:22Z")
“Superheroes are awesome.” _The Love We Share Without Knowing_, Christopher Barzak ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grab-the-book-nearest-you-right-now/531901/190 "2010-03-13T05:06:37Z")
Wait, you mean nobody is supposed to guess what the book is? Then what is it doing in the Game Room? ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grab-the-book-nearest-you-right-now/531901/191 "2010-03-13T05:16:34Z")
“Too late to start over again.” From The Portable Henry Rollins. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grab-the-book-nearest-you-right-now/531901/192 "2010-03-13T05:40:40Z")
“That’s why I waited for things to get as bad as they did before I sent them in.” Captain’s Fury Jim Butcher ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grab-the-book-nearest-you-right-now/531901/193 "2010-03-13T05:41:41Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Wait, you mean nobody is supposed to guess what the book is? Then what is it doing in the Game Room? I was thinking that it might be interesting to just string all the sentences together, or try to make a story out of them after a certain number of sentences. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grab-the-book-nearest-you-right-now/531901/194 "2010-03-13T05:42:53Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > “These programmer types seemed to be all the same - thinking everyone else in the world was a dickhead and that wearing your company badge hitched to the belt of your too tight jeans was cool.” > > A Year in the Merde, Stephen Clarke :eek: I um…need to read that, apparantly, as I think I dated those engineers for quite a while! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Walkabout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/46a35a/32.png) [@Walkabout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walkabout)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grab-the-book-nearest-you-right-now/531901/195 "2010-03-13T16:02:27Z")
Ulysses room Inv 2884A show a mosaic of Ulysses bound to the mast of his ship and heroically resisting the calls of three sirens. \* The Rough Guide to Tunisia\* ---
**Author:** ![dhkendall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9adbd/32.png) [@dhkendall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dhkendall)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grab-the-book-nearest-you-right-now/531901/196 "2010-03-13T16:19:42Z")
Well, closest book is [National Anthems of the World, 11th edition](http://www.national-anthems.org/world.htm) by Michael Jamieson Bristow, so most of the pages don’t have complete sentences as most of the pages are sheet music. The complete words on page 111 (not counting the sheet music it’s printed in) is: > [@](#): > > _bole ar-dent de foi et d’un-ni-té.\_\_\_\_\_ Que \_\_\__ > sym-bol of your faith and u-ni-ty.\_\_\_\_\_ May \_\_\_\_\_ > > _tous tes en-fants du \_\_\_ Nord au Sud, De \_\_\_\_\__ > all your chil-dren fol-low the com-mand, From \_\_\_\_\_ > > _l’Est à l’Ou-est soient tout a-mour! \_\_\_ Te ser-vir_ > East and \_\_\_\_\_ West to give their heart, \_\_\_\_\_\_ Their on-ly > > _que ce soit \_\_\_\_\_ leur \_\_\_\_\_ seul \_\_\_\_\_ but Pour \_\_\_\_\__ > wish\_\_\_\_\_ to \_\_\_\_\_ serve\_\_\_\_\_ their \_\_\_\_\_ land And \_\_\_\_\_ with (This is page 2 of the sheet music for the national anthem of Cameroon for the curious) So … yeah, some books just don’t fit this. ---
**Author:** ![gang\_green](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f07891/32.png) [@gang\_green](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gang_green)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grab-the-book-nearest-you-right-now/531901/197 "2010-03-13T20:58:12Z")
The dragging made Polly’s head sore. _Hexwood_ Diana Wynne Jones ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grab-the-book-nearest-you-right-now/531901/198 "2010-03-13T21:12:23Z")
“Chiropractic care for the whole family” Yellowbook Phone Directory for my region ---
**Author:** ![Spectralist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Spectralist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectralist)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grab-the-book-nearest-you-right-now/531901/199 "2010-03-13T21:14:42Z")
My nearest book only had 4 sentences on page 111. So here’s the fourth. “Output from the PSTIPPLE program.” OpenGL SuperBible Fourth Edition. The rest of the page is code snippets and a picture ---
**Author:** ![gang\_green](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f07891/32.png) [@gang\_green](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gang_green)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grab-the-book-nearest-you-right-now/531901/200 "2010-03-13T21:46:17Z")
Bah, not _Hexwood_. _Fire and Hemlock_. Same author. I always get those 2 titles mixed up. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grab-the-book-nearest-you-right-now/531901.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grab-the-book-nearest-you-right-now/531901.md?page=11)