Novel Sentence Challenge, 2012

Some years we set a literary challenge for our end of year celebration - and 2012 was one of those years. The challenge was to write a sentence using all the titles of the books read by the group in the year, with as few additional words as possible.

Here are our contributions, with some rather creative interpretations of the challenge. Who said there's only one way to skin a cat?:


The street sweeper from the plains of Stasiland visiting the museum of innocence was intrigued by the mystery of a hansom cab, a life in seven mistakes of a difficult young man. With pride and prejudice, he cried, clutching his foal's bread, 'I shall not hate the sense of an ending!' (Gerda)

The ending a mystery. A plain life of innocence, no mistakes, street bread and just a little sense of prejudice, some pride and difficulty at the museum, his workplace. So which of the seven cabs in Stasiland swept this hansom young man off the foal? (Jenny C)

When the street sweeper, a difficult young man whom - no, I shall not hate - took the foal's bread rather than the Hansom cab - no mystery there! - across the plains to Stasiland, was this a life in seven mistakes, pride and prejudice, or the sense of an ending - ah that's for the museum of innocence to file! (Kate)

So it was the pride of a difficult young man, the mystery of a foal's bread, which led to the prejudice of Stasiland, where a life in seven mistakes gave rise to the sense of an ending, which I shall not hate, but take off with the street sweeper in a hansom cab. (Kate)

Hate, bread and mystery on the street
Stasiland mistakes innocence for prejudice
Life is ending for the young man on the plains (Kate)

Prejudice is bread to Stasiland
Hate sweeps in a cab to the plains
While innocence mistakes the young. (Kate)

I shall not hate the street sweeper of Stasiland even though he's a difficult young man and his pride and prejudice made me cough up my foal's bread on the plains. What's the sense of ending my life in seven mistakes in the museum of innocence and never solve the mystery of the hansom cab. (Sue B)

I shall not hate the street sweeper, a difficult young man full of pride and prejudice, because he solved the mystery of a hansom cab, before leaving to work at the museum of innocence on the plains of Stasiland where, researching foal’s bread, he experienced the sense of an ending on seeing his life in seven mistakes. (Sue T)

The mystery of a hansom cab laden with Foal's bread parked outside The museum of innocence was solved by The street sweeper; he had The sense of ending his Life in seven mistakes but despite his Pride and prejudice he cried “Though I am A difficult young man I shall not hate The plains of Stasiland”. (Susan H)

The street sweeper watched and listened. The young people talked about the mystery of the hansom cab decayed and abandoned in the yard. They called it quaint. He remembered. Once a difficult young man, full of pride and prejudice had driven it through the dark streets to bury the unwanted out on the plains. The young would soon learn that the cab was not a museum of innocence. He thought and sighed, 'my life in seven mistakes'. He left the room. / A young girl watched an old man walk away muttering nonsense. He had tried to live a quiet and good life, with wishes such as 'I shall not hate' but failed. There was a changing of the guard. It was time to leave Stasiland for the sense of ending.  It was time to think of simple things like foal's bread and leave the dead behind. (Sylvia)

Enjoy ... and think what you might have done!