Books on Eclectic Stacks

Not X But Y - a warning from the past

Sun, 24 May 2026 10:00:00 +0100

I was revisiting Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking (2013) by philosopher Daniel C. Dennett - and was interested see that years before constructions like “Not X, but Y” became an indicator of AI writing, he was warning that they could also be a sign of a writer attempting a logical sleight of hand…

Book Closing Lines Quiz (October 2021)

Sat, 30 Oct 2021 08:00:00 +0100

In May 2020 I compiled a quiz based on the openings of a variety of books on our bookcases - a mixture of the well-known and the slightly obscure, the literary and the popular, with a dusting of SF/fantasy sprinkled in. I’ve now put together a second quiz, this time on book endings.

This page has the book endings but not the answers - there is a version with answers also available.

Book Closing Lines Quiz (October 2021) - with answers

Sat, 30 Oct 2021 08:00:00 +0100

This page includes the book closing lines and the answers: there is a spoiler-free version with only the questions also available.

Book Opening Lines Quiz (May 2020)

Sun, 24 May 2020 08:00:00 +0100

I recently compiled a quiz based on the openings of a variety of books on our bookcases. It is a mixture of the well-known and the slightly obscure, the literary and the popular, with a dusting of SF/fantasy sprinkled in.

This page has the questions only: when you’re ready, there is a version of the quiz with answers also available.

Book Opening Lines Quiz (May 2020) - with answers

Sun, 24 May 2020 08:00:00 +0100

This page includes the book openings and the answers: there is a spoiler-free version with only the questions also available.