Slightly Off KIlter

The Friday Five is taking this week off, so in its place we bring you.,.. a book report.

If you like the sorts of questions the Friday Five provides, look for these books: The Little Book of Stupid Questions (David Borenicht; publ. Barnes & Noble Books; 1999) and The Big Book of If… (Questions for the Game of Life and Love) (Evelyn McFarlane & James Saywell; publ. Villard; 1995-1997).
The latter is a combo volume comprised of three previous books, If, If2, and If3.

If… It's a question. It's a game. It's a journey.

The Big Book of If… calls itself "the ultimate book about fantasy". Each of its questions is "meant to spark and tantalize the imagination." Each question begins with "If…"

• If you were to be granted one wish, what would it be?
• If you could dine alone with anyone from aany period of history, which person would it be?
• If you could inherit a vacation home anywhere in the world in which you could spend one month a year, but that you could never sell, where would it be?
• If you could be guaranteed one thing in life besides money, what would you ask for?

The Little Book of Stupid Questions claims to be the "perfect ice-breaker for parties, gatherings around the water cooler and — yes — even blind dates". Again, it's a book of fantasy and fantasizing.

Ask someone a stupid question and they clam up. But ask them a provocative, funny, sexy, stupid question, and there's no telling how much their answer will reveal about them — how they think, what bothers them, and what they fantasize about.

For example:

• What superpowers do you have if you are a supermodel?
• If you could have a third eye, where would you put it?
• Would you rather be lost in space or on an uncharted desert isle?
• Do you believe the expiration dates on food you buy? What sort of margin of error do you work within?

If you like thought-provoking questions of this sort, head for your nearest online or brick&mortar bookstore and look for these books. (Note, The Little Book of Stupid Questions is only available at Barnes & Noble; if you can't find The Big Book of If… look for the three smaller, original volumes, entitled If…(1, 2, and 3).