What's the Name of That Book??? discussion

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Just to chat > Coldest Cases: It's been years, but your query could still be solved

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message 1: by Justanotherbiblophile (last edited Jun 13, 2021 03:43PM) (new)

Justanotherbiblophile | 1814 comments As suggested by Michele, this is just to find the oldest query that remained unsolved the longest.

Allegedly, we have one at 5 years.

Preferably, we'd like to hear what changed, helped, or otherwise got the case solved.

---

6 years
7.5 years(2007)
8.5 years
10.5 years

Coldest case solved so far? 11 years, 1 month, 18 days

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

With a couple of technical quibbles for longer.


message 2: by Rachel (new)

Rachel | 1527 comments I have one that's coming up on its 2-year anniversary but hasn't been solved: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I feel like the only thing that would help at this point is to have an influx of GR members who used to go to my old local library at the same time as me and might have a chance of remembering it! Evidently it's a pretty obscure book.


A book away from an episode of hoarders (fidgit77) | 257 comments I have one that is three years old and still hasn't been solved.

I think that if I could remember any more information, or find my ex-husband's uncle's ex-girlfriend and ask her, it would be better.

Considering the fact I read the books 16 years ago, and I haven't seen the woman in almost as long, I fear dumb luck is the only way I'm going to find this.

I browse used books stores all the time, so I've got my fingers crossed for dumb luck. :)

The request in question is: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...#


message 4: by Kate (new)

Kate Farrell | 4040 comments Mod
Well, we just solved one after 7.5 years!

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...


message 5: by Rachel (new)

Rachel | 1527 comments Wow, that is encouraging!


message 6: by Michele (new)

Michele | 2488 comments Yay! I love that we have this thread, it will encourage people who have been waiting ages.

So now, the record to beat is 7.5 years. Anyone? Anyone? Buehler? Buehler?


message 7: by Lobstergirl, au gratin (new)

Lobstergirl | 44894 comments Mod
This is the oldest thread in the Abandoned folder, dating to July 2007. Or, at least, it has the oldest "last activity" comment, therefore sits at the very bottom of the list. If this got solved it would beat out the one above.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

There might be older threads out there which are not sitting at the bottom because they have more recent commenting activity.


message 8: by Michele (new)

Michele | 2488 comments So for this thread are we just looking for coldest cases solved, or coldest cases still open? Or both?


Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* (erinpaperbackstash) Lobstergirl wrote: "This is the oldest thread in the Abandoned folder, dating to July 2007. Or, at least, it has the oldest "last activity" comment, therefore sits at the very bottom of the list. If this got solved ..."

He had two suggestions but never returned to verify if they are correct unfortunately.


Justanotherbiblophile | 1814 comments Michele, I'd intended it to be encouragement, so coldest ones solved... but perhaps we could do both? But someone is going to have to keep a running total (maybe that would be me?)


message 11: by Jaye (new)

Jaye  | 424 comments I asked about this one almost 4 years ago.
Still hopeful.
I think the bumps get lost in the shuffle very quickly.
Seems so anyway.
Here it is:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...


message 12: by Rachel (new)

Rachel | 1527 comments Mine has just been solved after 2 years and 3 months: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I have to admit that I ended up posting about it on another lost book site. I got a correct suggestion within a few hours. I think it just goes to show, all you need is for the right person to see your post at the right time.

It also probably didn't help that I had forgotten a big chunk of the plot which gave the book its title (The Alpha Box). So I doubt anyone could have found it from my description unless they had actually read it themselves.

Older books are definitely harder to find unless they are classic/well known, because if they pre-date the internet there are usually no online reviews or descriptions to pick up in a google search. Also, books with very common plots are hard because you have to weed through so many suggestions.


message 13: by Kathryn (new)

Kathryn (sscarllet) | 271 comments Finding a missing book found is an amazing feeling. I'm so lucky that many of mine have been found. I feel like I should bump of the couple that are still waiting!


message 14: by Lobstergirl, au gratin (new)

Lobstergirl | 44894 comments Mod
Kathryn wrote: "Finding a missing book found is an amazing feeling. I'm so lucky that many of mine have been found. I feel like I should bump of the couple that are still waiting!"

You're allowed to bump any thread you're interested in, as long as it hasn't seen activity in 30 days.


message 15: by Justanotherbiblophile (last edited Sep 25, 2015 12:46AM) (new)

Justanotherbiblophile | 1814 comments Rachel wrote: "I have to admit that I ended up posting about it on another lost book site."

That's how one of my coldest, most-interested-in case got solved, as well.

But, on the plus-side, it has now got solutions that Google can find. I usually update my queries with the solution right at the top, so it shows up in just the search results, and nobody needs to click through to read everything.


message 16: by SamSpayedPI (new)

SamSpayedPI | 2305 comments Bumping this thread, to give hope to the hopeless . . .


message 17: by Bargle (new)

Bargle | 1752 comments Michele wrote: "Yay! I love that we have this thread, it will encourage people who have been waiting ages.

So now, the record to beat is 7.5 years. Anyone? Anyone? Buehler? Buehler?"


The record is now 8.5 years. See thread below.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...


message 18: by Lobstergirl, au gratin (new)

Lobstergirl | 44894 comments Mod
No, I just saw one that was 9 years.


message 19: by Bargle (new)

Bargle | 1752 comments Lobstergirl wrote: "No, I just saw one that was 9 years."

Wow, which one?


message 20: by Lobstergirl, au gratin (new)

Lobstergirl | 44894 comments Mod
Sorry, it's too late. It's already vanished from my memory.


message 21: by Lobstergirl, au gratin (new)

Lobstergirl | 44894 comments Mod
Oh, I was just joking about the 70s.

I really did see a thread solved after 9 years, though.


message 22: by Cycad (new)

Cycad | 133 comments The eye drops with poison short story?


message 24: by Michele (new)

Michele | 2488 comments SamSpayedPI wrote: "10.5 Years! Paper-doll type bears, you had to stick them in holes in the book according to the story"

Wow, now that is impressive! Just goes to show, you should never give up :)


message 25: by Destiny (new)

Destiny Marie | 103 comments ive been searching for some books for years. still bumping a few of them. i cant give up hope!


message 26: by SamSpayedPI (last edited Jun 16, 2019 07:15AM) (new)

SamSpayedPI | 2305 comments Cycad wrote: "The eye drops with poison short story?"

Has that been solved? Is it a different thread than this?


message 27: by Ingo (new)

Ingo (ilembcke) | 669 comments SamSpayedPI wrote: "Cycad wrote: "The eye drops with poison short story?" -
"Is it a different thread than this?"


One problem with the linked thread is that it has not been bumped for nearly 9 years between 2009 and 2018. So during that time only people who searched for it would have seen it.

Also for some other reason no moderator during that time asked the question wether it had been found or not and wether it is still actively searched for - which I saw happening with other threads.
There may be a reason for that, but I do not know it.


message 28: by Lobstergirl, au gratin (new)

Lobstergirl | 44894 comments Mod
Ingo wrote: "Also for some other reason no moderator during that time asked the question wether it had been found or not and wether it is still actively searched for - which I saw happening with other threads.
There may be a reason for that, but I do not know it."


It's because we only really started bumping threads in 2017, and we try to do a very limited number at a time, in order not to overwhelm the group with new comments.


message 29: by Ingo (new)

Ingo (ilembcke) | 669 comments Thank you for the information.


message 30: by SamSpayedPI (last edited Mar 27, 2022 01:26PM) (new)

SamSpayedPI | 2305 comments 11.5 years!

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I'm not sure it counts, though, since the OP ended up finding her book on her own; that said, it was through a hint from a poster to contact the National Library of Australia.

11 years, six months, 10 days


message 32: by SamSpayedPI (last edited Feb 10, 2021 06:24AM) (new)

SamSpayedPI | 2305 comments 12 years, 3 months, 7 days . . . but it was actually solved in "only" three years more or less. It just sat in "possibly solved" for the rest of the time, until the OP moved it to "solved" yesterday.

So in my opinion, 11 years, 1 month, 18 days is still the record.


message 33: by K (new)

K LF | 15 comments nice to know to never lose hope! ☺


message 34: by SamSpayedPI (last edited Mar 27, 2022 01:24PM) (new)

SamSpayedPI | 2305 comments 10 years, 8 months, 23 days: old but still didn't beat the record! Also OP found it on their own.


message 35: by Bargle (new)

Bargle | 1752 comments SamSpayedPI wrote: "So in my opinion, 11 years, 1 month, 18 days is still the record."

Nope, this thread took 12 years, 1 month and some odd days.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...


message 36: by SamSpayedPI (last edited Apr 02, 2022 08:33AM) (new)

SamSpayedPI | 2305 comments Yay, a new record! 12 years, one month, and 6 days — or 16 days, depending on when the book was suggested or when the book was confirmed. (I like "suggested," because it doesn't seem fair if the only reason it took so long to solve is that the OP doesn't come back for years to confirm it).

I was, however, right at the time when I posted that on February 10, 2021; Tamar's thread wasn't solved until March/April 2021.


message 37: by Bargle (new)

Bargle | 1752 comments Fair enough. I'd forgotten how old this thread was.


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