fact
When Roald Dahl attended school, the nearby Cadbury chocolate factory would occasionally send boxes of new chocolates to the school to be tested by students. It is believed that this likely inspired him in writing his third children’s book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
To say that “Game of Thrones”, the HBO adaptation of a series of Fantasy books by George R.R. Martin, is a success would be putting it mildly. The show has inspired millions of fans worldwide and is easily among the most successful mainstream crossovers of the Fantasy genre.
While no new episodes were released in 2018, HBO announced that the show will return with its grand finale season sometime in 2019, most likely before summer.
If you think waiting that long is impossible (you sweet, summer child), then take a few minutes and ruminate on these 6 fan theories about how things may end for our friends in Westeros.
I mean, if the past is any indication, the general answer is ‘not well,’ but some folks like to get a bit more specific. Here we go!
Photo Credit: HBO
One Redditor (and mom) thinks that Daenerys’s love for Viserion will free him from the Night King’s spell, and he will return to her side — with a little help from the Red Woman. She’s got to be hanging around for some reason, right?
Photo Credit: HBO
We know Cersei and Robert had a child — a “black-haired beauty” — who supposedly died shortly after his birth. Even though Cersei is a devoted mother, she never visits the child’s crypt or appears to mourn his loss. According to this theory, it’s because she knows he’s alive and well. Cersei placed him with a family and has been looking out for him all his life, even securing his apprenticeship and getting him out of the way of Joffrey’s purge of competitors.
Gendry only remembers that his mother had “yellow hair,” which, of course, also fits. If this is true, he has a legitimate claim to the Iron Throne. However, the jury’s still out on why Cersei faked his death and hid him in the first place.
Photo Credit: HBO
Even though most theories predict that Jamie will reprise his role as Kingslayer and take out his sister himself (and fulfill the Volanqar prophecy in the process — the one where she’s to be killed by a younger sibling), this Redditor predicts Arya will kill them both — Jamie first, then Cersei while wearing Jamie’s face. The prophecy will still be (technically) fulfilled and Arya will have her revenge. #TheNorthRemembers
Photo Credit: HBO
It might seem unlikely after the events of last season, but if Jon Snow really is the Prince Who Was Promised and the reincarnation of Azor Ahai, it could spell doom for everyone’s favorite Mother of Dragons. After all, Ahai wasn’t that intimidating until he plunged his fabled Lightbringer into his wife’s chest to imbue it with her power. If history repeats itself, Jon Snow will have to kill his one true love in order to save the realm.
I don’t know about you, but this theory sure leaves the feminist in me with a gross taste in her mouth…but it’s far from the first time that’s happened with this show.
Photo Credit: HBO
Poor Daenerys — it seems that many fans have no faith in her ability to survive the series and take her ancestor’s place on the Iron Throne. This Reddit theory goes way back to Season 2, when Daenerys has a series of (possibly prophetic) visions in the House of the Undying. In one of them, she sees Khal Drogo beyond the wall waiting for her. It seems to point to her going to fight the White Walkers and not returning.
Photo Credit: HBO
Some have waited with great anticipation for the eventual throwdown between brothers Sandor and Gregor Clegane, and the Season 7 finale hinted at the possibility of its coming to fruition when Sandor told his brother, “You know who is coming for you.”
The post 6 “Game of Thrones” Fan Theories to Ponder Over While Waiting for the Last Season appeared first on UberFacts.
In 1969 an experimental book named The Unfortunates was published. It shipped as a ‘book in a box’ consisting of 27 unbound sections with the first and last chapter specified. The remaining sections range from a single paragraph to 12 pages in length and are designed to be read in any order.
Have you ever wondered why the X in “xylophone” sounds more like a “Z”? Or how about how the P in “Psychic” is basically silent and serves essentially no purpose?
Well, it turns out you’re not alone, because rapper Lushlife and his friend, computer programmer Chris Carpenter, wondered the same thing. Lushlife and Chris were playing some alphabet flashcards with their kids, when they pulled out a card that was a little bit odd. That moment inspired P is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever.
Photo Credit: Bored Panda
Carpenter said in an interview with Bored Panda,
“We were hanging out with our mutual friends and their kid, playing with these alphabet flashcards. We both got a laugh out of the card for “Q” which read: ‘Q is for Quinoa.’ That was so entertaining to us because, well, what little kid knows or cares about quinoa? And also, isn’t that a terrible “Q” word, considering that it isn’t even phonetic? That was the moment that sparked the initial idea to create our own alphabet book with only words like quinoa.”
“Neither of us are children’s book authors by trade — Chris is a computer programmer, and I’m a rapper otherwise known as Lushlife,” he said. “When we started down the road to bring this book to life, I don’t think we realized just how long the process would take. From start to finish, the project took almost three years to complete.”
Photo Credit: Bored Panda
“We tend to underestimate our children when we present an overly simplified version of the world in teaching certain subjects. It can be enormously frustrating, for example, to have a particular set of spelling rules drilled into one’s head, only to discover later that “I before E” is a giant conspiracy. Of course, the basics are important too, but why not hint at a more complete picture from a relatively early stage, and trust that our kids can handle it?”
Per The Guardian, the first print run of 10,000 sold out in a flash and over 100,000 orders are still needing to be filled.
Photo Credit: Amazon
“The first day we sold out of the entire first run; it’s been quite surreal from there,” said Haldar, whose book is now sitting at No 8 on the New York Times bestseller list. “It’s been totally unexpected.”
The post “The Worst Alphabet Book Ever” Might Be the Smartest Kids’ Book of the Year appeared first on UberFacts.
Books are the best, huh? I’ve got piles upon piles around my house. And I’ve actually read a decent bit of them! But there are still plenty I haven’t read yet, which makes me feel a little guilty.
Believe it or not, there’s actually a word for my affliction…
Photo Credit: did you know?
The good news, however, is my so-called “affliction” may mean I’m smarter than you. A study by researchers led by Joanna Sikora of Australian National University showed that people who had around 80 books in their home while growing up tend to have average literacy scores, which is defined as “the ability to read effectively to participate in society and achieve personal goals,” and people with less than 80 books tend to have below-average literacy.
According to the study, the literacy rate continues to rise as the number of books increases, but after 350 books, the rate remains steady. So, based on this study, I should be a genius (sadly, that isn’t the case).
Photo Credit: iStock
The subjects were between the ages of 25 and 65, and came from 31 countries around the world. Before they were tested, they were asked to estimate how many books they had in their home when they were 16 years old. The researchers found that “growing up with home libraries boosts adult skills in these areas beyond the benefits accrued from parental education, or [one’s] own educational or occupational attainment.”
Photo Credit: Unsplash,Chris Benson
The study also showed that there is a relationship between having books at home and having positive skill sets such as reading comprehension, math skills, and the ability to use digital technology to communicate.
So get back to reading (and buying) those books!
The post Growing up in a House Filled with Books Is Good for You, Study Confirms appeared first on UberFacts.
Reading is good and fun and all of that, but when faced with the choice between Gillian Flynn’s latest thriller or that classic you’ve been meaning to get to for the past, oh, three decades or so, it can be a tough call. Or an easy one, I guess (go ahead and grab that thriller – you’ll want to be able to chat with your fiends!).
In the meantime, check out these 9 condensed versions of famous books – they’re funny and, used correctly, can surely get you through a snooty party conversation or two.
Photo Credit: John Atkinson
Photo Credit: John Atkinson
Photo Credit: John Atkinson
Photo Credit: John Atkinson
Photo Credit: John Atkinson
Photo Credit: John Atkinson
Photo Credit: John Atkinson
Photo Credit: John Atkinson
Photo Credit: John Atkinson
The post Check out These 9 Hilarious and Enlightening ‘Condensed Versions’ of Famous Books appeared first on UberFacts.
Authors spend a lot of time crafting character descriptions so you can quickly paint a picture and get a sense of what their personalities are like. For many, these introductions are among the most enjoyable parts of reading a novel.
Photo Credit: NBC
So it should come as no surprise that fans of a book often cry foul when film roles are cast with actors who don’t match their vision of how a particular character is supposed to look.
Photo Credit: Disney
Artist Brian Joseph Davis explores this conundrum with The Composites, his series of police sketches based on characters’ book descriptions.
Davis uses basic law enforcement sketch software to create eerily accurate black and white portraits of some of literature’s most famous faces, which has given us the perfect opportunity to compare them to their movie counterparts.
Some can be remarkably accurate, as you can see with Russell Crowe’s portrayal of Javert in the 2012 screen version of Les Misérables…
Photo Credit: Brian Davis, Universal Pictures
Javert, Les Misérables, written by Victor Hugo, portrayed by Russell Crowe
Or Rooney Mara’s take on Lisbeth Salander from The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo…
Photo Credit: Brian Davis, Columbia Pictures
Lisbeth Salander, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, written by Stieg Larsson, portrayed by Rooney Mara
…but others were wildly off.
Frankenstein’s Monster looked much different on screen than it did in the book.
Photo Credit: Brian Davis, Universal Pictures
The Monster, Frankenstein, written by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, portrayed by Boris Karloff
Take a look at these famous characters and let us know which ones you think were accurately represented and which ones seriously missed the mark.
Photo Credit: Brian Davis, Castle Rock Entertainment
Annie Wilkes, Misery, written by Stephen King, portrayed by Kathy Bates
Photo Credit: Brian Davis, Red Bank Films
Carrie White, Carrie, written by Stephen King, portrayed by Sissy Spacek
Photo Credit: Brian Davis, Focus Features
Christian Grey, Fifty Shades of Grey, written by E. L. James, portrayed by Jamie Dornan
Photo Credit: Brian Davis, Orion Pictures
Clarice Starling, The Silence of the Lambs, written by Thomas Harris, portrayed by Jodie Foster
Photo Credit: Brian Davis, Universal Pictures
Count Dracula, Dracula, written by Bram Stoker, portrayed by Bela Lugosi
Photo Credit: Brian Davis, Warner Bros
Daisy Buchanan, The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, portrayed by Carey Mulligan
Photo Credit: Brian Davis, Zoetrope Studios
Dallas Winston, The Outsiders, written by S.E. Hinton, portrayed by Matt Dillon
Photo Credit: Brian Davis, Orion Pictures
Hannibal Lecter, The Silence of the Lambs, written by Thomas Harris, portrayed by Anthony Hopkins
Photo Credit: Brian Davis, A.A. Productions Ltd.
Humbert Humbert, Lolita, written by Vladimir Nabokov, portrayed by James Mason
Photo Credit: Brian Davis, Warner Bros
Jack Torrance, The Shining, written by Stephen King, portrayed by Jack Nicholson
Photo Credit: Brian Davis, Lionsgate
Katniss Everdeen, The Hunger Games, written by Suzanne Collins, portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence
Photo Credit: Brian Davis, Zoetrope Studios
Kurtz, Heart of Darkness, written by Joseph Conrad, portrayed by Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now.
Photo Credit: Brian Davis, American Zoetrope
Lux Lisbon, The Virgin Suicides, written by Jeffrey Eugenides, portrayed by Kirsten Dunst
Photo Credit: Brian Davis, 20th Century Fox
Marla Singer, Fight Club, written by Chuck Palahniuk, portrayed by Helena Bonham Carter
Photo Credit: Brian Davis, Shamley Productions
Norman Bates, Psycho, written by Robert Bloch, portrayed by Anthony Perkins
Photo Credit: Brian Davis, Warner Bros
Sam Spade, The Maltese Falcon, written by Dashiell Hammett, portrayed by Humphrey Bogart
Photo Credit: Brian Davis, Miramax
Tom Ripley, The Talented Mr. Ripley, written by Patricia Highsmith, portrayed by Matt Damon
The post 19 Police Sketches of Famous Book Characters Compared to How They Look in Movies appeared first on UberFacts.
In 1895, UK prime minister William Gladstone founded a public library. Aged 85, he wheelbarrowed his personal collection of 32,000 books the ¾ mile between his home and the library. His desire, his daughter said, was to “bring together books who had no readers with readers who had no books”. 00
It’s a known fact at this point that reading to babies, toddlers, and children does them nothing but good. If your collection is a little worn out (or you’re tired of reading Pat the Bunny for the 600th time today), here are some amazing and unique books to add to your shelf.
Photo Credit: Amazon
If you and your little one have exhausted the colloquial names for animals, you might enjoy learning the proper names for the baby animals of the world!
Photo Credit: Amazon
It’s another book about colors, but the rhymes, object choices, and hamsters set it apart from the rest.
Photo Credit: Bookroo
Can you guess what animal you’re looking at by only its eyes? You’ll be a pro after grabbing up this book!
Photo Credit: Amazon
The subject matter of being nice is a bit different for a board book, and the words inside ensure you’ll get plenty of snuggles along the way.
Photo Credit: Amazon
This lovely, lyrical experience combines animals, feelings, and descriptions into one happy story.
Photo Credit: Amazon
Oh my goodness, if you’re in the picky eating stage (like I am!) you’ll love this clever take on eating your vegetables.
The post 6 Unique Baby Books Every Parent (And Child) Should Own appeared first on UberFacts.
Ah, novels. In this day and age, everyone seems to think they can write one, and there’s a self-perpetuating myth out there that everyone has at least one hiding inside them, waiting to be written. The truth is that writing fiction is hard, and an opening line can either make or break the rest of your manuscript.
These 10 authors definitely could have used a bit more tweaking.
Photo Credit: adamcadre.ac
Photo Credit: adamcadre.ac
Photo Credit: adamcadre.ac
Photo Credit: adamcadre.ac
Photo Credit: adamcadre.ac
Photo Credit: adamcadre.ac
Photo Credit: adamcadre.ac
Photo Credit: adamcadre.ac
Photo Credit: adamcadre.ac
Photo Credit: adamcadre.ac
h/t: Bored Panda
The post Here Are 10 Hilariously Bad Opening Lines from Novels appeared first on UberFacts.