What are we on about? Do we have some questions?

 

 

 

The blog discussions came in waterfalls lately, fabulous chitchat below the line – modern cosmetics, would seed cake be nice, should cats encounter UFOs – it’s all there, in the most good-humoured way possible, ready to make you laugh, think, or rush to your kitchen to make a cake.

Many of my posts have provoked comments but these two recent ones

Jane Austen’s Emma

Patricia Moyes’ Who is Simon Warwick?

-take some kind of prize.

And several readers adopted a motto from TV detective Columbo: when we thought the discussion was finished, they’d say ‘Just one more thing…’

There is one side-issue chat we need to pursue – or do we? (note the punctuation)

Blogfriend Daniel Milford Cottam – already responsible for the recent Adrian Mole fest – made this comment on Who is SimonWarwick?

 

I always find books with a question as a title automatically intriguing. Like "Why Shoot A Butler?", "N or M?", or that book called something like "Penelope Where Are You?" (although I've forgotten the actual name of the girl in the title!).
I guess it's the draw of an unanswered question especially if you can't bear to let one pass.

Marty replied: could it be "Anna Where Are You?" that Penelope replaced--it's a Wentworth book and it was reviewed here IIRC.

 

CiB: Oh yes! I remember that one [post here]. One of the better Wentworths, and unusual clothes opportunities with folksy proto-hippies. Good catch Marty

Daniel Milford-Cottam Oh, well done Marty! Yes that was it!

CiB: Another reader success story

Trio of question marks from Wikimedia commons, credit Per AJ Andersson

I agree with Daniel  about question titles, although they are annoying to write about - spellcheck puts a capital letter after any question mark, and you can end up with two: 'Where is my copy of N or M??'
But yes intriguing. ‘Are you there God? It's me Margaret.’
Surely the readers and commenters can come up with more question books...

From Sovay 28 October 2025 at 23:27

Catherine Aird wrote “Henrietta Who?”; there are also a couple of Trollope question books - “Can You Forgive Her?” and “Is He Popenjoy?”. Also Anthony Powell’s “What’s Become of Waring?” and of course Christie’s “Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?”.

I know the answers to some of those questions, as will many of my readers. Many of the books are on the blog.

Henrietta Who?

Henry ate a bun.

I feel like copying the Twitter trope, where someone will post a question and say ‘wrong answers only’, producing hilarious responses (back in the days when Twitter was really good fun). Does that put you on your mettle?

So – come on then there must be more. Put your best query titles in the comments…or suggest some answers.