I'm looking for rock concept albums from the 70s and beyond that veer towards the mystical, magic(k)al, and otherwise weird. Specimens so far include Poe's (no, not her)
Up Through the Spiral, Black Widow's
Sacrifice, and a whole lot of Hawkwind. I get the sense there was a lot more of this in the 70s, but who knows.
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posted by robocop is bleeding
on May 17, 2013 -
38 answers
I'd like to get some good mystery movie recommendations from the 80s on.
It's OK if they veer toward the thriller, like
Michael Clayton, ridiculous like
Ford Fairlaine, noirish like
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, or are a more standard outing with a strong, interesting, well developed detective lead like
Zero Effect. Drawing room mysteries totally A-OK too. Super bonus points if I can stream them now on Hulu plus or Netflix.
posted by jsturgill
on May 16, 2013 -
25 answers
I am moving to Northampton, MA. Can you recommend good doctors for me and my cat? I am looking for an OB/GYN, a veterinarian for cats, a dentist, and a primary care doctor.
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posted by john_snow
on May 13, 2013 -
12 answers
A friend needs an HR/Employment specialty lawyer in LA, preferably in the SGV, but no further west than downtown. Difficulty: Friend works at a law firm.
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posted by ApathyGirl
on May 9, 2013 -
1 answer
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
I will be visiting Buenos Aires on holiday this November, and would like your recommendations on hotels.
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posted by Jakey
on May 6, 2013 -
9 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
Where should I eat dinner tonight in the San Francisco Mission district?
It will probably be just me. I like pretty much anything, but prefer the interesting hole-in-the wall to fine dining.
posted by exceptinsects
on May 2, 2013 -
25 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
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
What bands and albums should I listen to now that I'm finally able to stream almost anything ever made? Extended information as to my taste preferences inside.
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posted by jsturgill
on Apr 29, 2013 -
18 answers
My grandmother is in her 80s, but loves romance books, especially Danielle Steel. She's gotten several of the Harlequin Intrigue, etc series, but says that there's too much sex in them. She prefers the Danielle Steel books because of the plot (I think?). Can you suggest any other authors/books?
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posted by needlegrrl
on Apr 25, 2013 -
21 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
Please name one song, or album, that I should put on my 10 year-old son's iPod.
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posted by unSane
on Mar 24, 2013 -
75 answers
I am a scientifically-minded person who is trying to sort out my religious beliefs. I think it would be helpful to read some debates between deism, atheism, pantheism (Spinozism), and/or a scientifically-grounded theism. Can anyone recommend me books or essays that discuss these topics in ways that are engaging, well-thought-out, and thorough?
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posted by capricorn
on Mar 19, 2013 -
16 answers
I've always thought King Missile's
Failure was a pretty good depiction of the kind of intrusive, self-defeating thoughts that characterize depression. The recent FPP'd game
Depression Quest does something similar. What are some other works that are reminiscent of the
experience of having depression or another mental illness (as opposed to depicting characters with the illness?)
posted by kagredon
on Mar 9, 2013 -
14 answers
I am moving to Newburyport, MA in two weeks. Please help me land smoothly with recommendations for hairstylists, dog care, preferred ISPs, and anything else that pops to mind.
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posted by amelioration
on Mar 9, 2013 -
6 answers
I know pretty much nothing about the e-reader market right now, but I'm thinking about taking the plunge. Given my particular requirements, what is likely to be the best e-reader for me?
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posted by Scientist
on Mar 7, 2013 -
35 answers
When living in the city I had no problem finding photographers to look to for new ways of seeing that particular environment. Now that I live in a fairly rural area, I'm looking for recommendations of photographers—particularly contemporary ones—who have an interesting take on rural or wilderness photography. I'm specifically not looking for landscape/wildlife photography of the long-lens-ken-rockwell variety, but other than that anything goes. A couple things that come to mind as examples are Lee Friedlander's
New Mexico stuff or Stephen Shore's
lonely dirt roads (although iconic 50s gas stations are in short supply on the Gulf Islands.)
posted by Lorin
on Mar 7, 2013 -
7 answers
After wasting two different off-days trying to get my damnable modem+router working, I want to return them both and get something entirely new. Any good recommendations for a solid, reliable DSL modem and wireless router set-up with decent NAS support?
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posted by Rhaomi
on Mar 3, 2013 -
5 answers
I'm trying to find out the most popular guides to NYC (in particular) that people around the world use. In the US, this would include guidebooks like Frommer's or Fodor's. People can also check a site like tripadvisor to find hotel or attraction recommendations.
What books or sites would people in Germany, France, Italy, China, India, and countries all around the world use?
posted by meantime
on Feb 18, 2013 -
9 answers
So my divorce took a crazy turn for the worst and all hope of reconciliation has flown out the window. Can anyone recommend books for a man in his late 30s / early 40s going through and recovering from a divorce? Any books for either dealing with the divorce itself or dealing with life after and re-entry to dating world would be great.
posted by entropicamericana
on Feb 14, 2013 -
3 answers
I've been reading a lot of bleak books lately, often with antiheroes. Now I would like the opposite of that. I don't mind if some bad things happen, of course, or if there's conflict - usually that's kind of necessary for a good story. But I would like it if at least one of the main characters were someone I would want to be friends with. And if some of the stuff that they do or that happens in their lives makes me smile.
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posted by lollusc
on Feb 8, 2013 -
53 answers
I like movies that mostly reflect reality (er...let's say
enhanced reality) but have a pop of wtf-was-that. Like
the square that Mia draws in Pulp Fiction.
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posted by phunniemee
on Feb 5, 2013 -
90 answers
Seeking recommendations for fiction that features matriarchy / female led societies.
posted by travelwithcats
on Feb 4, 2013 -
36 answers
I've been listening to 'Escape from Camp 14' on audiobook for the past few days, and I was struck by a brief overview of & reference to the story of Charles Robert Jenkins, an American defector to North Korea. I found the concept as mystifying as it was intriguing, so I would like to know if any of you have heard of any non-fiction books about other defection stories that involve citizens of democratic nations obtaining residency in nations that would be deemed objectively totalitarian and renouncing their countries of origin. I'm on the lookout for his book, 'The Reluctant Communist,' but I'd like to hear about other stories of this type as well.
posted by Selena777
on Feb 3, 2013 -
13 answers
I'm planning to visit the Pantanal wetlands later this year. Do you have any tips or recommendations for activities and tour companies?
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posted by Jakey
on Jan 27, 2013 -
0 answers
I only really have time to read a single book on the origins of photography. What do you recommend? Think Daguerre and Talbot, no need for hundreds of pages devoted to the camera obscura. I'd also prefer something heavier on text than actual photographs.
posted by Lorin
on Jan 25, 2013 -
5 answers
Please recommend to me books prominently featuring dragons that will meet my rather high (and specific) standards. Lots of details to calibrate your suggestions inside.
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posted by Caduceus
on Jan 24, 2013 -
37 answers
I am eligible to nominate for the
Hugo Awards (one of the big science fiction and fantasy awards) this year, and I want to do it right. I have about two months to read more books from last year to broaden my slate - what should I read?
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posted by restless_nomad
on Jan 21, 2013 -
11 answers
Recommend other Youtube channels/artists, now that Jenna Marbles and My Drunk Kitchen are annoying?
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posted by Chorus
on Jan 9, 2013 -
10 answers
Recommendations for fiction about the rich and all their trappings, imposters within that world, or stories where the mighty fell and then rose again?
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posted by dean winchester
on Dec 12, 2012 -
27 answers
Does anyone have recommendations for nanny agencies for nannies in Toronto? The internet is full of options but it's hard, as always, to tell which are better than others.
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posted by machine
on Dec 8, 2012 -
2 answers
Can you suggest a low-key but memorable place to eat in Manhattan? Preferably close to a park and a movie theater. For Wednesday. Thanks for your help.
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posted by bleep
on Nov 19, 2012 -
16 answers
TherapyFilter, Chicago. Can you help my friend find a therapist he can jive with?
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posted by deliciae
on Nov 16, 2012 -
2 answers
Hi everyone, I have been tasked with finding a suitable location for brunch on Smith St. in Brooklyn for a sizeable group of people...let's say 10-12. Would love recommendations that are reasonably priced and tasty!
Thanks to any Brooklynites who are able to help.
posted by duvatney
on Nov 13, 2012 -
11 answers
Looking for specific book recommendations that are
superb and by female authors/female authors of color.
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posted by jsturgill
on Nov 8, 2012 -
53 answers
I'm tutoring a teen girl who loves Maya Angelou and writing her own poetry and I want to make her a book of poems to encourage/inspire her. What poems should I include?
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posted by grokfest
on Nov 7, 2012 -
21 answers
In need of some exquisite flamenco music - give me your recs.
posted by heyjude
on Oct 31, 2012 -
9 answers
I need more story-based webcomics (or at least, comics available online)! Ever since I stumbled across
Gunnerkrigg Court recently, I've been on a long-form webcomic kick. However, I've now made it through all the archives, and it's going to be cold and rainy here for a while yet - so what else should I be reading?
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posted by DingoMutt
on Oct 31, 2012 -
33 answers
What are the best stories that feature young adults coming of age/coming to terms with life's imperfect realities? By "young adults" I mean "adults who are young," probably roughly 19-30, not "young people who are becoming adults." This maturing process can be central to the work or peripheral. One example: "The Great Gatsby." Short stories, novels, nonfiction, film, television and any other genre are all welcome.
posted by croutonsupafreak
on Oct 30, 2012 -
29 answers
Good camera for shooting ceramics? I'm shooting some ceramics for an Etsy seller (along with some other work) and am wondering whether I'd be good with a basic P&S camera or whether it'd be worth renting a DSLR. If a P&S, do you have a recommendation for purchase that would be good for shooting art and crafts in the future?
posted by liketitanic
on Oct 17, 2012 -
18 answers