Last month’s Fake Ad prompted 184 correct entries, many of which had high praise for the ad, which appeared on page 92 of the October Observer. Well, pretty high praise.

“The Fake Ad is for ‘The Girl Who Played with a Fiery Dragon’s Nest,'” wrote Kristen Schleick, “which is pretty brilliant.” Pretty brilliant? What does that mean? Is bacon dipped in maple syrup pretty delicious? Are Michigan’s north woods on a crisp autumn afternoon pretty breathtaking? Is the Fake Ad Czar’s wife pretty pretty?

For unqualified high praise, we turn to Fake Adder Staci Kennedy, who writes, “I have resisted reading these books … but to have them all in one shot? Brilliant!” See how she lets the word stand on its own? Not “mostly brilliant” or “super brilliant.” Just “brilliant,” pure and simple, though we do think the exclamation point is a nice touch.

Many entrants commented on the popularity of the books, by Stieg Larsson, that inspired the ad. “At Aunt Agatha’s,” wrote Paul Gallagher, “they call the real books, ‘The Girl Who Is Paying Our Rent This Month.'”

And Kathy Daly wrote, “I read somewhere that the staff of an indie bookstore in the northwest calls the series, ‘The Girl Who Pays Our Salaries.'”

Finally, to Mrs. Joanne C. Witherspoon, who wrote that “after hip replacement and rehab, I’m back in the running”–welcome back!

Our winner was Nigel Holmes. He’s taking his gift certificate to Cafe Habana.

To enter this month’s contest, find the fake ad in the November Ann Arbor and follow the instructions on the Back Page. The deadline for entries is November 10.