I loved the plot of Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. Any recommendations for similar books, shows, or movies? [more inside]
posted by reenum on Oct 28, 2009 - 10 answers

What well-known novels lack any character descriptions aside from names?
posted by odinsdream on Oct 9, 2009 - 17 answers

What is this quotation from? "...and tomorrow, and for the rest of our lives?" I think the beginning is something like "what are we going to do tonight..." and it might be from a young adult type novel. The person is carrying on a normal conversation and suddenly gets panicky/existential.
posted by lilbizou on Oct 7, 2009 - 9 answers

In Look to Windward by Iain M. Banks there is a part where one of the Estodiens say to Quilan, 'I hope you have the wit to realise you past two little tests there, Major, not one'. It appears that I do not have the wit. Possible spoilers inside. [more inside]
posted by Nufkin on Sep 20, 2009 - 5 answers

Should I maintain double spacing in an agent query email? Submission guidelines ask for the first 5 pages of my manuscript. How faithful should I be to the actual document? [more inside]
posted by bobbyno on Sep 17, 2009 - 4 answers

Help me identify this novel of which the details have been lost? [more inside]
posted by malusmoriendumest on Sep 15, 2009 - 10 answers

ID-the-scene-source: Someone watches a neighboring woman through a window as the neighbor carefully prepares for her lover to come visit. The lover comes in, gets it done with, leaves, and she cries. [more inside]
posted by NikitaNikita on Aug 14, 2009 - 4 answers

What's your favorite parallel novel and why?
posted by marsha56 on Aug 9, 2009 - 30 answers

Imagine you are a suspicious foreigner in another country... [more inside]
posted by thesailor on Jul 5, 2009 - 26 answers

Feminist science fiction novel written between 2001 and 2004, featuring (IIRC) women with psychic connections to their hunting mount animals. I believe the title is a combination of a few letters at the beginning, then a three- or four-digit number, like NNN-####. What is the title? [more inside]
posted by cog_nate on May 18, 2009 - 7 answers

Looking for good novels that are set in Florida [more inside]
posted by The Toad on Mar 29, 2009 - 24 answers

Is there any first contact science fiction (or other types of scifi, more generally) where the characters have actually READ first contact science fiction before? [more inside]
posted by OmieWise on Mar 24, 2009 - 23 answers

Need help remembering the title of a line of young adult books from the 80s involving mysteries and requiring a mirror to solve. [more inside]
posted by charlesv on Mar 18, 2009 - 4 answers

Dated Young Adult Book Filter: Ad copywriter's boyfriend sleeps with a man? [more inside]
posted by Jonathan Harford on Feb 4, 2009 - 6 answers

During the late '80s or early '90s, Epic Comics, an imprint of the Marvel Comics company, printed a graphic novel about schizophrenia thinly veiled as a ghost story. [more inside]
posted by fiTs on Jan 24, 2009 - 3 answers

Young adult novel filter: A child visits a place (house? castle? other world?) and gets stuck in time there. Eventually he goes back and visits his parents, who are horrified that he has stayed the same age. [more inside]
posted by NoraReed on Jan 22, 2009 - 7 answers

Where can I find out more about the investigation techniques used by private investigators? [more inside]
posted by reenum on Jan 19, 2009 - 9 answers

This question reminded me that I have a trashy paperback romance novel memory of my own that I would like to track down. It was about a female highwayman and its cover art was mostly in shades of dark green. [more inside]
posted by matildaben on Dec 12, 2008 - 5 answers

Another mostly forgotten book recollection begging to be brought into the light. [more inside]
posted by ricochet biscuit on Oct 14, 2008 - 5 answers

Another remember-a-book question: it was published in the last 10 years or so, and features magicians. (Potential spoilers inside). [more inside]
posted by muddgirl on Sep 29, 2008 - 3 answers

I need a longish, interesting, well-written book (fiction) to read on an upcoming trip. Any suggestions? [more inside]
posted by mosessis on Aug 21, 2008 - 58 answers

Why do novelists use "________" in place of a character's name? [more inside]
posted by serazin on Aug 11, 2008 - 10 answers

I remember reading this sci-fi book a long while ago, but I can't remember anything easily googleable. Can anyone help identify it? [more inside]
posted by flatluigi on Feb 10, 2008 - 2 answers

Please help me identify this quote from a novel about love and a girl named Lucy. [more inside]
posted by crush-onastick on Nov 5, 2007 - 6 answers

BookFilter - I'm trying to remember the title of a book involving two RAF pilots who bail out and end up exploring an underground world. [more inside]
posted by greycap on Mar 6, 2006 - 6 answers

What is this post-apocalypse book that features "New Sealand"? [more inside]
posted by jonesor on Feb 28, 2006 - 11 answers