Looking for a short story I read in high school English ages ago. Rough story line: Guy dies. Slowly over time pieces of evidence that he ever lived disappear from the world... [more inside]
posted on Jul 4, 2008 - 4 answers

I want to a read a book about the domestication, Western discovery, spread and eventual assimilation of New World foods. I'm interested in how these crops were transported to and received by different cultures, and how certain New World foods became synonymous with particular Old World cuisines. [more inside]
posted on Jul 4, 2008 - 13 answers

What specific qualities make for a truly good bookstore other than the content on the shelves?
posted on Jul 4, 2008 - 31 answers

I've sponsored the daughter of friends in a charity event. As part of the sponsorship, I can name a book for her to read. Here's where it gets interesting -- My friends' politics are left of center, while mine lean to the right, and I'd like to introduce their daughter to something she might not encounter otherwise. It should be age-appropriate and not over the top (like Atlas Shrugged). All suggestions appreciated.
posted on Jul 2, 2008 - 50 answers

I'm looking for supernatural mysteries! [more inside]
posted on Jul 2, 2008 - 23 answers

We have Netflix and Gamefly. I want to know if there is a Netbooks or Bookfly equivalent? [more inside]
posted on Jul 1, 2008 - 20 answers

WhatWereThoseBooksFilter: I'm looking for several unrelated books, or possibly series of books, that I read as a kid. The first involved a family of magic users living in what was the time the modern world. [more inside]
posted on Jul 1, 2008 - 4 answers

Can you recommend any children's books along the lines of The Monster at the End of This Book? I'm looking for funny books, for kids, where the characters know they're in books. (This is to entertain two goofy kids, ages five and two.)
posted on Jun 30, 2008 - 11 answers

What do you call the opening quotes that often preface a novel? Many thrillers, mysteries, and what-have-you include a single quote in the book's front matter, something to capture the story's essence or set the stage. Sometimes these quotes are literary, and sometimes they're drawn from pop culture figures. But other than "opening quote," is there an official name? All the other pages and parts of a book have a formal name, but what about the quote?
posted on Jun 30, 2008 - 3 answers

I love Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City. It's a non-fiction book about Chicago in 1893 which reads much like a novel. I'd like to read other books written in the same novel-esque style about some other cities or historic events. Know of any novel-like non-fiction reads?
posted on Jun 29, 2008 - 43 answers

I've just accepted a full time (telecommuting, FWIW) position with a Fortune 50 company. What are some must-read business books? [more inside]
posted on Jun 28, 2008 - 6 answers

I'm looking for an old science fiction novel about an evil, blue giant titled "The Blue Man" - the Google and Amazon search is poisoned by both The Blue Man Group, and a young-adult science fiction novel "The Blue Man" which isn't it at all. [more inside]
posted on Jun 27, 2008 - 3 answers

Recommend me some SF/Fantasy books that deal with "lost civilizations" [more inside]
posted on Jun 27, 2008 - 33 answers

Does anyone own the Tall Tarzan Gift Shelf? It's a collection of a couple dozen 60s-era Burroughs Ballantine paperbacks in two cardboard cases, each ~ 5" x 15", with two tiers. There's a pic of the spine at the bottom of this page (which incorrectly lists the set as one case of 20 books). I'm trying to figure out how many and which titles were originally included in the full set of two cases. [more inside]
posted on Jun 26, 2008 - 0 answers

Précis, outlines, abstracts for contemporary non-fiction books -- are there any sites or publications doing this? [more inside]
posted on Jun 26, 2008 - 5 answers

Are there any good books on MS Project 2007 out there? My brother-in-law, an experienced project manager, has been using MS Project 2003 for a while and is pretty confident with the basics, but he wants to learn more, especially as he's considering upgrading to Project 2007. I'm pointing him to some local trainers, but I'd also like to find some decent books so he has the alternative of teaching himself as much as possible.
posted on Jun 25, 2008 - 1 answers

I want to give my boyfriend something to read. Help me figure out what he'd like. [more inside]
posted on Jun 24, 2008 - 19 answers

Is there any open-source book cataloging program, based on MS Access or another popular database, for personal use? [more inside]
posted on Jun 22, 2008 - 5 answers

Can you help me with titles, online shopping sources for 1950s tongue-in-cheek sex/marriage manual? [more inside]
posted on Jun 21, 2008 - 5 answers

Book design help! I would like to find a good website or blog that can help me learn more about designing the interior of a nonfiction book. [more inside]
posted on Jun 21, 2008 - 10 answers

What is a good (the best?) book on Watergate, if I've just finished Rick Perlstein's Nixonland and want to know what happens next? No spoilers please. [more inside]
posted on Jun 21, 2008 - 5 answers

Asking for a friend: Trying to find a book, whose central conceit is that computers (and large data sets like Google's in particular) are, in fact, smarter than people at trending probability, etc. [more inside]
posted on Jun 16, 2008 - 4 answers

My copy of "Our Mutual Friend" by Charles Dickens shows the chapter name on the head every left page, and a summary phrase of the spread's content on the head of every right page. Is there a name for that style? I'd love to know any history of it, why it's not done now, and how I could set it up in a word processor for use in my own docs. Thanks!
posted on Jun 16, 2008 - 5 answers

What books can teach me skills that would be enjoyable or interesting to share with friends in group settings or one-on-one? [more inside]
posted on Jun 15, 2008 - 11 answers

Looking for decently written, page-turning historical fiction. [more inside]
posted on Jun 15, 2008 - 66 answers

I've recently become a fan of fiction books with immersing, at times overly detailed but precise illustrations, fold-outs, maps, ads, newspaper clippings. And they're part of the storyline, not just an oh-by-the-way illustration of something that's already fully explained in the text. The only ones I've come across so far are Eric Chase Anderson's Chuck Dugan is AWOL, Joshua Mowll's Operation Red Jericho and its sequel (these are literally overflowing with fantastic foldouts), and maybe even Hans Jurgen Press's Black Hand Gang books. Although Chuck Dugan is AWOL and the Black Hand Gang books don't have foldouts and maps, they nonetheless have illustrations just stuffed full of detail, and on nearly every page too! Surely there are plenty of others in the same line? Help, summer is here and I must read/see/devour them all. [more inside]
posted on Jun 13, 2008 - 9 answers

What would be the most efficient way convert every single thing I have ever written on the internet into one large book that I can keep on my shelf? [more inside]
posted on Jun 13, 2008 - 8 answers

What's your tech writing bible? [more inside]
posted on Jun 12, 2008 - 11 answers

Bookfilter: I'm working a summer job that mostly consists of carrying things. Every hour or so, I take a 10 minute brake which I like to spend reading so that I can ponder what I've just read when I continue doing my otherwise mindless work. Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything is soon coming to and end. Where to go next? [more inside]
posted on Jun 12, 2008 - 27 answers

I need help finding crates for books or some type of portable bookshelf. [more inside]
posted on Jun 11, 2008 - 9 answers

WhatWasThatBookFilter: a friend of mine needs help tracking down a fantasy/sci-fi paperback she read back in 1997. Full description below. [more inside]
posted on Jun 11, 2008 - 5 answers

I'm looking for recommendations on books on purported (modern) religious miracles in Latin America, and their impact on society and politics. [more inside]
posted on Jun 11, 2008 - 2 answers

Looking for sites or reviewers who review books other than literary fiction [more inside]
posted on Jun 10, 2008 - 4 answers

Looking for contemporary authors that use advanced vocabulary in their novels. [more inside]
posted on Jun 10, 2008 - 41 answers

Can you recommend any great fiction or poetry about natural disasters? [more inside]
posted on Jun 10, 2008 - 10 answers

Two of my favorite books for summer are "Winter's Tale" by Mark Helprin and "Smilla's Sense of Snow" by Peter Hoeg; I'd like suggestions for other (preferably hefty) novels with complex/absorbing story lines and wintry settings or themes to help me stay sane 'til September. Got an ice book to recommend?
posted on Jun 10, 2008 - 46 answers

Good Books To Teach A Landloving Civilian About The Modern US Navy? [more inside]
posted on Jun 8, 2008 - 7 answers

I'm looking for books, either fiction or non-fiction, that take place in Knoxville, Tennessee or other nearby places in East Tennessee. [more inside]
posted on Jun 6, 2008 - 11 answers

Do you have any good book recommendations for IT executives? [more inside]
posted on Jun 6, 2008 - 10 answers

What are some good, light-hearted, humorous travel books? [more inside]
posted on Jun 5, 2008 - 26 answers

Yet another copyright question. Seeking advice or success stories on locating copyright owner for strange book from the 60s. [more inside]
posted on Jun 4, 2008 - 6 answers

I'm researching a very specific time period in American history for a paper and I need some help finding sources of information! [more inside]
posted on Jun 4, 2008 - 8 answers

Recommendations for Sci-Fi while on the Treadmill? [more inside]
posted on Jun 3, 2008 - 25 answers

What are your favorite books that you can learn through osmosis from reading? [more inside]
posted on Jun 2, 2008 - 31 answers

Did the Generic Food people put out Generic Books? [more inside]
posted on Jun 2, 2008 - 5 answers

What are some good books about tennis? [more inside]
posted on Jun 1, 2008 - 9 answers

I've just finished reading Donna Tartt's The Secret History. At one point Tartt references a supposedly famous horror story, but I don't understand the reference! Can anyone identify it? [more inside]
posted on Jun 1, 2008 - 13 answers

What books can I get to not be a "dummy" when it comes to my new job? (more inside) [more inside]
posted on May 29, 2008 - 4 answers

Why isn't the sequel to The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters out in America yet when it's already published in the UK? The UK published the first book after America did, so why would the UK publish the sequel first now? Is it even going to be published in the US? Help me, booksellers and those knowledgeable in publishing! [more inside]
posted on May 27, 2008 - 4 answers

Children's Book Filter: Help me find a book from when I was a kid. Of course, only limited details remembered... [more inside]
posted on May 27, 2008 - 9 answers