Anxiety along with a tendency to depression is kicking up lately, and I'm having a hard time finding non-disturbing yet entertaining things to distract myself with. I need recommendations of books that will be engrossing enough to keep me interested without dark/scary/disgusting/horrifying elements.
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posted by Serene Empress Dork
on May 22, 2013 -
35 answers
I'm an ex-Leftie who now works as a money man in the UK.
I'd like to rediscover Socialist philosophy and ideals. Problem: 10+ years of economic analysis of public spending and government fiscal policy has left me thinking that Socialism is unrealistic, ill thought out, and well, a bit...silly. Help me turn myself around before it's too late! ...much more inside....
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posted by anonymous
on May 21, 2013 -
14 answers
Long story short. Girlfriend of 2+ years cheated on me. We broke up, but this is right before I'm going to be spending a few months moving back home and doing a whole lot of nothing.
I'm looking for recommendations for books to help keep me from dwelling on this, specific tastes below.
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posted by aleatorictelevision
on May 20, 2013 -
23 answers
I adore to read. And I adore puns. Help me choose an amazing pun-based name for my book group! All suggestions considered. Googling "book puns" and "reading puns" was surprisingly unhelpful.
posted by drunkonthemoon
on May 19, 2013 -
13 answers
My kids (currently 6 and 9) have become voracious readers. We have a large and varied collection of excellent fiction for them, but the non-fiction collection is more haphazard. They love learning new facts as they read (the type of thing that makes them look up from the book and say, "Did you know...?"). I want to make sure that the collection of books gives them a good introduction to fields where I myself may not have enough knowledge to judge the quality/accuracy of the book. So what's the kid's book in your field that makes you say, "If only every kid got to read this book, people would understand [topic] better."?
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posted by winston
on May 18, 2013 -
19 answers
We are expecting (twins) and we are devouring parenting books. We're not overly beholden to these books - we trust our own instincts. But it seems like a lot of these books are anecdotal, or old-fashioned. We'd love to find a book that is modern, research/data-driven, and at least a little enjoyable to read. The kind of book that someone who enjoys Lifehacker, RadioLab, BoingBoing, etc. would respond to. Any suggestions?
posted by Anonymousness
on May 14, 2013 -
13 answers
It seems (could just be confirmation bias) that book cover/dust jacket materials have changed over the years. I find a lot of trade paperbacks and hardcover dust jackets now have a "soapy" feel to them rather than the previous plastic feel. What is this material? Is it new? What drives choices of materials?
posted by Jahaza
on May 14, 2013 -
5 answers
My daughter likes books with funny, mischievous characters Calvin and Hobbes, Eloise, Judy Moody. What other books might she like?
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posted by biscuits
on May 13, 2013 -
46 answers
After years of academia & the endemic rootlessness that comes with it, I have finally gotten myself a Permanent Job (yay!!) which means, among many things, that I can finally consolidate my book diaspora into one place. I've a huge number of books which are both physical and digital. Here's the problem: I want my library space to reflect both. Any suggestions? Details below.
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posted by idlethink
on May 11, 2013 -
10 answers
It's actually a series. The protagonist is a female detective, who seems to be in love with her ex-husband, and at some point has to live with him and his new wife because she is injured. I think she has lived with her elderly mother, too. Sorry, not much to go on!
posted by cherrybounce
on May 8, 2013 -
4 answers
I have so many used books to sell that I decided to start posting them on Amazon, and much to my amazement, they are selling like hotcakes. In the meantime, I'm having a hard time parsing the unbelievable "fees" Amazon is charging me. Is this for real? Am I doing something wrong? What are my options?
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posted by phaedon
on May 7, 2013 -
22 answers
I just got offered a job that starts later in the year where I will need to have a working knowledge of genomics, but not necessarily a specialist level. I will need to be able to discuss it with people that ARE the specialists, but not actually do the work itself.
I have absolutely no grounding in genomics at all. Can you suggest a progressively more scientific path to enlightenment? Like from 1) a Romance Novel introducing genomics to 2)"Genomics for Dummies" to 3) maybe "Practical Uses of Genomics"? Anything will help at the moment!!!
posted by lil' ears
on May 7, 2013 -
9 answers
I recently discovered an awesome local bookstore in France, hence I'd like to pick up a French-language SF/F novel that isn't a translation and would be difficult to find in the US. Suggestions? (Subgenre preferences below the jump)
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posted by serelliya
on May 7, 2013 -
8 answers
I'm looking for the unexpected, overlooked masterpieces hiding within conventionally marginal artistic genres: novelty Christmas music albums, mass market cowboy novels, direct-to-video action movie sequels, etc.
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posted by Iridic
on May 7, 2013 -
16 answers
I'm looking for recommendations for contemporary(ish) literary fiction written by folks who are not white men.
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posted by shakespeherian
on May 7, 2013 -
55 answers
What book(s) can you safely recommend to someone who thought the Doors of Stone (Patrick Rothfuss Kingkiller Chronicles), the sequel to Seraphina (Rachel Hartman) and the final book in the Discovery of Witches trilogy (Deborah Harkness) were all coming out very shortly, only to learn how terribly terribly wrong (and now horribly disappointed) they were?
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posted by xaire
on May 4, 2013 -
17 answers
I commute to and from work, which involves busses and trains transfers and other general distractions, and while I really enjoy reading on this commute, I can't sink my teeth into heavier books that require a ton of concentration to comprehend and follow (I save those for the weekends). I have found that lighter books with shorter chapters and engaging storylines are easiest to read in this atmosphere. What are your recommendations?
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posted by wordsmith
on May 3, 2013 -
20 answers
I've recently discovered that I love reading non-fiction about the Great Outdoors and the things that happen there. I'm talking about books like 'Touching the Void' by Joe Simpson, and Jon Krakauer's books 'Into Thin Air' and 'Into the Wild'. It doesn't necessarily have to be about disasters and tragedies: I really loved
this recent FPP about the Alaskan Iditarod. I want to read (but haven't yet) 'Into the Silence: the Great War, Mallory and the Conquest of Everest'. Please recommend me other books in this vein?
posted by meronym
on May 2, 2013 -
35 answers
I am leaving for Africa in less than 12 hours. I will be spending the next three months doing fieldwork. I am bringing a Kindle. What reading material should I bring for entertainment? What's gotten you through some long spells away from civilization? Looking for recommendations for books that really make you think.
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posted by Scientist
on May 1, 2013 -
33 answers
I'm a PhD student and a typical day involves downloading and reading through lots of journal articles and eBooks. I store these locally on a MacBook. I am looking for something akin to the native Finder app, but which offers separate columns for "Author", "Title", "Year" and so on, as well as tags (very important). I have dabbled with Papers2 and Endnote, and a couple of "Finder"alternatives, but these either (A) duplicate the PDF files and save them elsewhere, or (B) don't offer the author/title/year etc. columns. Is there anything that will do what I'm looking for?
posted by FuckingAwesome
on May 1, 2013 -
19 answers
I would like to get some book recommendations on the following topic: the connection between brain arousal states (am I using that term correctly?) (e.g. sleepy, alert, hyperalert/anxious), EEG states (e.g. theta, alpha, beta), and various neurotransmitters and perhaps even psychotropic medications.
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posted by DMelanogaster
on Apr 30, 2013 -
6 answers
After spending several years reading largely YA, I'd like to read some grown-up secondary world fantasy novels. Persnickety tastes below the fold.
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posted by PhoBWanKenobi
on Apr 30, 2013 -
58 answers
Given that I've found some great novels that I could've overlooked due to being regarded as 'genre fiction', I've often been curious: are there amazing hidden gems hiding in the least literary of places? Are there stellar novels that are ignored as they're published as Harlequin, Mills and Boon, teen book-packagers or under 'inspirational fiction' imprints?
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posted by mippy
on Apr 25, 2013 -
11 answers
Asking for a friend: I like to read, but I don't like reading Literature. I feel really crappy about this. What literary books might I like that do not read like literature?
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posted by goosechasing
on Apr 24, 2013 -
51 answers
Crowd-sourcing a student's question: I'm looking for contemporary novels about Iraq, Afghanistan, 9/11, and the war on terror that have been authored by women.
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posted by gerryblog
on Apr 24, 2013 -
15 answers
I have in mind two (fiction) classics on the subject: An Enemy of the People (Ibsen) and The Winter of Our Discontent (Steinbeck). I would appreciate it if you could guide me to other valuable works on this issue.
posted by Basque13
on Apr 23, 2013 -
27 answers
If I were to choose 10 fiction and 10 non-fiction books to read within the next year to make me a better, more well-rounded conversationalist (for argument's sake, let's say within a college-educated professional audience), what books would give me the most bang for my buck?
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posted by dynamiiiite
on Apr 23, 2013 -
37 answers
A while ago I read an essay/article/rant online re a fantasy author / series and I'd like to read it again but google is failing me because I can't remember any specifics.
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posted by fearfulsymmetry
on Apr 23, 2013 -
2 answers
When I finish a book or a movie, I like to write down my thoughts about it, and I'm looking for an iPhone app to organize my reading and watching notes. My particular picky bookworm/filmgeek requirements inside.
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posted by yankeefog
on Apr 23, 2013 -
6 answers
1. Non-profit bookstore.
2. Books are donated.
3. Books are priced for $1 or $2.
4. Resellers come in and buy books.
5. ???
6. ???
7. No profit
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posted by Folk
on Apr 22, 2013 -
40 answers
Help me find books that are as happy, joyful and well-written as Silas Marner!
Last time I visited my grandmother I gave her my copy of Silas Marner. She loved the book so much she read it three times in a row within two days… She told me it brought her "an unexpected deep and quiet sense of joy"… Because she's pretty sad and depressed right now I'd love to find other books that might lighten her long and lonely days! Can you help me? :)
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posted by mugitusqueboom
on Apr 22, 2013 -
28 answers
I heard a PSA on a local college radio station of a book being read, but remember too little about it to find either the ad or the book. Help?
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posted by CitrusFreak12
on Apr 21, 2013 -
6 answers
I'm in a book rut and need to find my way out. I'd love suggestions of books to read.
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posted by annie o
on Apr 21, 2013 -
33 answers
I just read China Mieville's The City and the City and really enjoyed it. I have a long train ride tomorrow and would like to download some more books for the road. Can you recommend some intelligent, literary speculative fiction, including perhaps others by Mieville?
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posted by foxy_hedgehog
on Apr 19, 2013 -
28 answers
Where can I find free graphics that I can use on invitations, event programs, and books? I'm looking for black and white images: Horizontal rules, flourishes, small flowers, accent images, those little symbols that look like a spade but have a swirling stem....?
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posted by chocolatemilkshakes
on Apr 15, 2013 -
12 answers
What business books/frameworks and resources are available for managers in service companies to provide deep customer value and delight, when the customer himself is a senior manager in another company and my services are people with deep expertise in specific areas?
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posted by theobserver
on Apr 14, 2013 -
4 answers
I am interested in locating books with holograms in them--the more lavish the better. Are there books that have holographic pages? Or that use holograms to tell part of the story? I look forward to your recommendations.
posted by mortaddams
on Apr 11, 2013 -
7 answers
I'm looking for the US equivalent of Dominic Sandbrook's
State of Emergency: Britain 1970–1974—books that explore not just the politics, movements and 'big events' of the decade, but aspects such as pop culture and the changes in daily life and habits.
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posted by kaisemic
on Apr 10, 2013 -
3 answers
I'm looking for examples of informative nonfiction books that are heavily illustrated, but are not textbooks.
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posted by cmoj
on Apr 10, 2013 -
30 answers
I tend to like humor, but other genres are acceptable. If this is too broad a category, we can limit recommendations to those where being in one's mid-20s is somehow central to the novel.
posted by jtothes
on Apr 9, 2013 -
19 answers
More specifically I want to read books on the topic of "What you take for granted, someone else is praying for".
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posted by Kateruba
on Apr 7, 2013 -
26 answers
Please share your recommendations on books about North Korea.
I have seen
this question from 2007 but I'd like books about history and culture as well as modern day North Korea. Fiction recommendations are also welcome. I have already read and enjoyed Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick.
My only request is that they're available as an eBook - preferably as an ePub.
posted by poxandplague
on Apr 6, 2013 -
16 answers
