Okay, fantasy novel ID two-fer. Book One: people live in villages that are suspended on the side of an enormous cliff and a girl is born who has wings. Book Two: set in a world made up of bits of earth suspended in a void, cape-fighters, a spider-god.... [more inside]
posted by otolith on Oct 28, 2009 - 7 answers

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

With NaNoWriMo looming ever nearer, I would like to hear your best tips, tricks, habits, and techniques for staying chained to the keyboard. [more inside]
posted by BitterOldPunk on Oct 22, 2009 - 26 answers

Which author comes closest to Cormac McCarthy? [more inside]
posted by Bacillus on Oct 21, 2009 - 19 answers

BookClubfilter: I'm tasked with picking the next book. I have some ideas, but could use the Hive's help. [more inside]
posted by indiebass on Oct 19, 2009 - 41 answers

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

Woohoo, it's October! Lets get some Autumn/Halloween reading suggestions! [more inside]
posted by CZMR on Oct 1, 2009 - 18 answers

DonatingTextbooksInAustraliaFilter: How would I go about donating a heap of recent secondary school textbooks to worthy causes. I'm in Melbourne, Australia. [more inside]
posted by micklaw on Aug 25, 2009 - 6 answers

Please help me understand aspects of the ending of the novel "The Terror" by Dan Simmons! Super spoiler-icious details inside (definitely don't read unless you've read the book, or are sure you never want to)... [more inside]
posted by taz on Aug 21, 2009 - 12 answers

IDThisBookFilter: I'm looking for a fantasy book by several authors which features a family of painters who can trap people in a painting if they mix their bodily fluids in with the paint. [more inside]
posted by snoogles on Aug 5, 2009 - 3 answers

Any recommendations for books giving a general history of any of the natural sciences, with a particular attention to how the great biologists, botanists, and zoologists, etc. approached problems of classification and conceptualization of their phenomena (e.g. like how Linnaeus came up with his taxonomy)? Not looking for great technical detail so much as how these scientists thought and responded to each others' thoughts.
posted by shivohum on Jul 12, 2009 - 17 answers

Please suggest movies, TV shows and books that feature unrepentant, amoral characters [more inside]
posted by reenum on Jun 10, 2009 - 71 answers

I'm looking for a book that a friend remembers reading as a child, but she only has vague memories of it. The book features dwarfs as miners who use diamonds as eyes. [more inside]
posted by baggers on Jun 1, 2009 - 10 answers

Is there a book in the same vein as Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything, only covering history instead of science? [more inside]
posted by wordsmith on Apr 24, 2009 - 16 answers

Can anyone recommend a solidly researched and well-written book that critiques Ronald Reagan's administration? [more inside]
posted by orange swan on Apr 18, 2009 - 8 answers

How many books (titles, not editions or book pages) are available on Amazon? [more inside]
posted by Toekneesan on Mar 31, 2009 - 3 answers

How do you discover new books and authors? Netflix tells me what I'd enjoy watching and Pandora helps me find new music. But beyond the slightly random "Amazon Recommends..." I depend on word of mouth to pick my next read. This is slow and unsatisfactory. What's a better way?
posted by TrashyRambo on Mar 7, 2009 - 43 answers

What great children's books are there for little girls beginning kindergarten. Ramona the Pest is a book about a girl in Kindergarten and I like that one. [more inside]
posted by lynnie-the-pooh on Feb 19, 2009 - 14 answers

Stand-alone fantasy book recommendations? [more inside]
posted by Jaybo on Feb 19, 2009 - 57 answers

Can you please recommend some books on daily life, home life, and general society in the UK and the US in the 1840s - 1880s for me? I already have What Jane Austen Ate, and What Charles Dickens Knew and An Elegant Madness. It doesn't have to be specifically on daily life- creative nonfiction like Larson's The Devil in the White City or Johnson's The Ghost Map are awesome, too.
posted by headspace on Feb 16, 2009 - 13 answers

Recommend non-fiction books about animals -- books that will blow my mind. [more inside]
posted by grumblebee on Feb 10, 2009 - 43 answers

Does anyone remember the name of a children's book that was a cautionary tale against air pollution? I remember it being a soft cover book w/ that was short and wide. Pictures of factory(s) and people getting and wearing gas masks (as well as dogs)! I can't remember the ending but hopefully my description suffices.
posted by gnash on Jan 16, 2009 - 13 answers

San Francisco filter: Help me find a good book club for 20-30-somethings? [more inside]
posted by mingodingo on Jan 11, 2009 - 13 answers

Fiction or film recommendations with characters that undergo serious catharsis [more inside]
posted by brandnew on Jan 2, 2009 - 28 answers

Are there any books out there that are basically just two people having a conversation and going about their business? Sort of a book version of Before Sunset, or My Dinner with Andre?
posted by Xere on Dec 11, 2008 - 19 answers

[Xmas Filter] I'm doing my Christmas shopping, and I'm a bit stuck on what I need to get my mother. She likes culinary-cultural history books, preferably with recipes. Suggestions? [more inside]
posted by Weebot on Dec 9, 2008 - 40 answers

With all the presidential talk, I'd like to read a good book on what it's like to be President of the United States. [more inside]
posted by nitsuj on Nov 5, 2008 - 12 answers

What is the best thing to do with a box or two of old books? They're mostly paperback and mostly genre fiction (SciFi, Horror, Fantasy). The less work for me the better with the provision that I'd like the books to be read again if possible. [more inside]
posted by willnot on Oct 22, 2008 - 34 answers

Can anyone suggest inspirational readings for 8th graders? [more inside]
posted by kaozity on Oct 6, 2008 - 15 answers

The phenomenology / ontology of text: has anyone examined this issue directly in philosophical, literary and/or critical terms? [more inside]
posted by 0bvious on Sep 18, 2008 - 26 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

I'm the first-time father of a one-year old boy. Having recently finished "The Road" and "The Prince of Frogtown" and enjoyed the movie "The Kite Runner", I'm looking for suggestions of other books (or movies or songs) that are about the relationship between fathers and sons. [more inside]
posted by Jaybo on Aug 4, 2008 - 32 answers

[spoilers within] Please help me understand the ending of Haruki Murakami's Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. [more inside]
posted by drgonzo on Jul 30, 2008 - 11 answers

How do you decide whether a book is worth reading? [more inside]
posted by reenum on Jul 18, 2008 - 39 answers

My grandfather wrote a successful buck in the early '40s. He passed away about ten years ago, and just recently I've gotten the urge to see if it would be possible to release the book to Project Gutenberg and also maybe do a Librivox recording. How does one go about finding out about who owns copyrights in this kind of situation?
posted by TheManChild2000 on Jul 16, 2008 - 5 answers

Looking for good books on the history of technologies. [more inside]
posted by pombe on Jul 16, 2008 - 17 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 by melodykramer on Jun 29, 2008 - 47 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 by wordsmith on Jun 28, 2008 - 6 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 by crapmatic on Jun 21, 2008 - 10 answers

Looking for sites or reviewers who review books other than literary fiction [more inside]
posted by reenum on Jun 10, 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 by Locative on May 27, 2008 - 4 answers

What are your recommendations for good baby and toddler books in English? [more inside]
posted by k8t on May 17, 2008 - 22 answers

What are some good books in German for a moderately advanced student of the language? [more inside]
posted by pwicks on May 13, 2008 - 17 answers

What one book will allow others to gain the truest insight into the soul of each city or region [more inside]
posted by reenum on May 6, 2008 - 16 answers

Where are the good used book stores in Houston? [more inside]
posted by mrbill on Apr 17, 2008 - 14 answers

I'm trying to cover all my bases for my budding book repair business. I'm sure in the process people will be asking me to appraise their books. [more inside]
posted by ikahime on Apr 16, 2008 - 4 answers

What are some good books about Chicago? [more inside]
posted by nitsuj on Mar 20, 2008 - 24 answers

I want to hear about "anti-cool". [more inside]
posted by twins named Lugubrious and Salubrious on Mar 11, 2008 - 50 answers

I'm trying to locate a New Age-y type book that I owned a few years ago. I can't remember what it's called, sadly. [more inside]
posted by Solomon on Mar 3, 2008 - 7 answers

I've been reading 'New Kings of Nonfiction' by Ira Glass and love it. I want to read more articles and books in this vein. [more inside]
posted by reenum on Feb 27, 2008 - 7 answers