How do you decide whether a book is worth reading? [more inside]
posted on Jul 18, 2008 - 39 answers
Can you all help me with some summer vacation reading recommendations? I trust your tastes implicitly. Helpful guidelines inside. [more inside]
posted on Jul 17, 2008 - 23 answers
Recommend me some books for when I'm on the can. [more inside]
posted on Jul 9, 2008 - 49 answers
I'm looking for supernatural mysteries! [more inside]
posted on Jul 2, 2008 - 24 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 - 44 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
Looking for sites or reviewers who review books other than literary fiction [more inside]
posted on Jun 10, 2008 - 4 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
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
Book recommendations: ecotopian fiction? (Something to read after The Fifth Sacred Thing)? [more inside]
posted on May 26, 2008 - 16 answers
Starting a book club for literature of the decadent movement. Starting with Against Nature. What next? What else?
posted on May 23, 2008 - 12 answers
I'm trying to make an expansive and widely-varied reading list of time-travel books and stories. Suggestions? [more inside]
posted on Mar 11, 2008 - 43 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 on Feb 27, 2008 - 7 answers
I'm looking for book suggestions for a radical reading group. [more inside]
posted on Jan 29, 2008 - 24 answers
I am in a search of a program that will help me memorize words... [more inside]
posted on Jan 22, 2008 - 14 answers
I'm heading on a long trip in a week, and need some reading materials. I enjoy "business biographies" - stories about business, deals, etc. Looking for recommendations for books I haven't read yet [more inside]
posted on Dec 27, 2007 - 18 answers
I'm looking for a list of cult books. In other words, books that have acquired a highly devoted but relatively small group of fans. [more inside]
posted on Dec 26, 2007 - 60 answers
Need suggestions for an online collaboration tool for managing a reading list between friends. [more inside]
posted on Dec 20, 2007 - 5 answers
I'm looking for popular books, novels, magazines, comic books...in European French (not Canadian French). I'd also like to be able to easily order/purchase them from home (preferably from places like Amazon.com). [more inside]
posted on Dec 4, 2007 - 8 answers
Should I finish off the Harry Potter series of books even though I get totally depressed after reading them? [more inside]
posted on Nov 30, 2007 - 26 answers
What are some good (preferably experience-based) birthday gifts for a 21-year-old Australian programming geek who thinks he's Danish? [more inside]
posted on Nov 29, 2007 - 12 answers
I want to send to few people (myself included) few pages from a book of my choice, every working day, so we could for example, read complete "Catcher in a Rye" in a month or so.
Does anyone know some online service that I could use for such purpose? I found only "Chapter-a-day" services, but I want to use book of my choice.
posted on Nov 28, 2007 - 14 answers
I'm looking for a good list of books that take a contrarian view of their respective fields of inquiry. Books like Freakanomics, The Tipping Point, The Black Swan, Good Calories Bad Calories. [more inside]
posted on Nov 27, 2007 - 14 answers
Help me find some good atheist reading materials for my birthday. [more inside]
posted on Nov 6, 2007 - 31 answers
I got a great response to my previous question, so I thought I'd ask again. I'm looking for some more books to read. [more inside]
posted on Nov 1, 2007 - 16 answers
(Asking for a friend) What Book is this? I remember reading a book back in High School..... [more inside]
posted on Oct 31, 2007 - 6 answers
Help me choose some books to nominate for book club. No, no, no, this one's a tad more complicated. :) [more inside]
posted on Sep 17, 2007 - 3 answers
Classic Novel filter : What would be considered classics in 1980s, 1990s, 2000s? Must reads? [more inside]
posted on Sep 14, 2007 - 37 answers
What's the best way to pace yourself when reading? [more inside]
posted on Sep 11, 2007 - 9 answers
What are the all-time best science fiction novels which depict Artificial Intelligence? [more inside]
posted on Aug 1, 2007 - 37 answers
Recommend some bed-time and weekend fiction or non-fiction reading that will keep me enthralled after a long day or a long week [more inside]
posted on Jul 22, 2007 - 31 answers
Starting this fall, I plan on taking some preparatory undergrad coursework with the intention of eventually applying to a master's program in applied mathematics. I am seeking suggestions for reading material concerning the field of mathematics in general, both as a refresher and as insight into current focus areas and work being done. As a working engineer, my situation and background might be a bit different from most considering this route... [more inside]
posted on Jul 15, 2007 - 2 answers
I learned to read with children's books featuring Zip and Ted (tad?). Help me find them again, please! [more inside]
posted on Jul 12, 2007 - 11 answers
My mom's a research scientist; I've convinced her to get an Edward Tufte book (partly because she uses Powerpoint a lot). Which one should she get?
posted on Jul 6, 2007 - 19 answers
Is there an ebook system that let's you flip between reading text and listening to the text read to you? [more inside]
posted on Jul 6, 2007 - 4 answers
Help me find the perfect book(s) to make my summer complete. I've got a strong preference for almost realistic horror and things that might creep me out. Bonus points for books that involve old school sanitariums. Of course you'll find more specifications in the [more inside]
posted on Jul 3, 2007 - 25 answers
What books should I read if I want to impress women? (NOTE: I am NOT looking for books on 'how to pick up chicks') [more inside]
posted on Jun 27, 2007 - 79 answers
I'm holding a event in the Seattle area recognizing author Kurt Vonnegut, who recently passed away. A number of people from the local literary, artistic, and library communities will be reading passages of his writing and speaking. I'm looking for a good title for the event; I think "So It Goes" has been overused. Any ideas?
posted on Apr 24, 2007 - 30 answers
Book search with price comparison. [more inside]
posted on Apr 16, 2007 - 10 answers
As I get older (and possibly more cantankerous) I'm becoming less willing to spend good money on potentially bad books (well, maybe not bad per se, but books I don't enjoy). Once upon a time, in the increasingly dim past, I used to purchase many books on the assumption that some would prove worth reading. Now, books are becoming increasingly expensive in Australia, and I'm consequently becoming more and more demanding that the book be worth reading before I part with my cash. [more inside]
posted on Apr 15, 2007 - 41 answers
I need help writing a puppet show to teach the importance of literacy to kids k-5. [more inside]
posted on Apr 4, 2007 - 8 answers
I plan to read a novel from every country. Which books are most worthwhile, both as a means to gain the truest insight into the soul of each land, and also from a literary standpoint? [more inside]
posted on Apr 4, 2007 - 96 answers
Looking for recommendations of comfort reading. [more inside]
posted on Mar 19, 2007 - 43 answers
Which book would you consider a "universal" book? [more inside]
posted on Mar 14, 2007 - 57 answers
I'm looking for links to anecdotes, discussions, quotes, etc., anything dealing with not reading philosophy texts all the way through or misreading philosophy texts.
This link to Maverick Philosoher's Blog shows the type of thing I am looking for. It was actually this thread that got me wondering where I could collect more known examples:
posted on Feb 19, 2007 - 7 answers
I read too many online articles and not enough books. Help me. [more inside]
posted on Jan 4, 2007 - 9 answers
What are some good books for people with mild ADD? By this I do not mean, books about attention deficit disorder, I mean books that are short, or easy to read. [more inside]
posted on Dec 31, 2006 - 34 answers
Looking for more fantastic reads, now for 2007. Please help. [more inside]
posted on Dec 26, 2006 - 43 answers
Books/writing on death, loss and grief. [more inside]
posted on Dec 19, 2006 - 41 answers
What is your all time favorite book (fiction or non)? [more inside]
posted on Dec 9, 2006 - 77 answers
I'm trying to come up with a reading list for a "personal comp. sci. degree" (along the lines of Josh Kaufman's "personal MBA" reading list). What books should be on my list? [more inside]
posted on Nov 6, 2006 - 33 answers
I just finished the last book on my Must Read list. Help make me a new one. [more inside]
posted on Oct 27, 2006 - 57 answers
Has anyone come across a good website that accurately generates book recommendations, based on what you've read and enjoyed? [more inside]
posted on Oct 25, 2006 - 10 answers
Author seeks London venue for Neutral Milk Hotel reading in November. Can you help? [more inside]
posted on Oct 2, 2006 - 18 answers
I like to go to dark, smoky, dive bars and sit there with a drink and a book for hours. Unfortunately, I'm running out of good bar reading. Can you help me find more? Examples inside. [more inside]
posted on Sep 27, 2006 - 48 answers
Which of these books won't bring me to tears? [more inside]
posted on Sep 24, 2006 - 28 answers
When I was a kid, I read a science fiction book. I'd like now to find out what its name was, but, since I didn't read it in English, and it was about 20 years ago, I would have not a clue where to look. [more inside]
posted on Sep 22, 2006 - 8 answers
Please help me select a book as a present for my nephew. He's 19, and when I gave him a Chapters gift card for his high school graduation last spring, he used it to buy a complete set of Tom Clancy novels. Political espionage/intrigue/adventure has to be the genre I know the least about. If my nephew likes Tom Clancy's and Frederick Forsythe's works, what other books in the same genre would he enjoy?
posted on Sep 17, 2006 - 25 answers
I'm am having trouble reading because my nose keeps getting in the way. [more inside]
posted on Sep 4, 2006 - 15 answers
Have you read Finnegan's Wake? How did you do it? [more inside]
posted on Aug 31, 2006 - 20 answers
Help me create a comprehensive reading list on American history [more inside]
posted on Jul 17, 2006 - 37 answers
What should I read in Russian and where can I get it? [more inside]
posted on Jul 15, 2006 - 11 answers
Help me find a book for someone who doesn't like to read. [more inside]
posted on Jul 14, 2006 - 46 answers
Why can't I stay awake when I read? [more inside]
posted on Jul 2, 2006 - 18 answers
I'm going to be starting a Master's degree in economics in September and I've never taken an economics course in my life. My undergraduate degree was in pure mathematics. I've been given a few economics textbooks to help get me up to speed. I was wondering if anyone could suggest to me any light reading that would help introduce me to economics and more financially based mathematics. Thanks.
posted on Jun 18, 2006 - 17 answers
Please recommend a good book blog where I can hang out. Because heaven knows I don't fritter away enough time on the Internet. [more inside]
posted on May 19, 2006 - 13 answers
I want to read some awesome books this summer. Recommend! [more inside]
posted on May 13, 2006 - 36 answers
My mom loved The Secret Life of Bees and The Year of Magical Thinking. She couldn't get through much of The Time Traveler's Wife. What else might she like? [more inside]
posted on May 5, 2006 - 30 answers
I can't figure out a way to browse Amazon via Listmania lists. Is there any way to do this? They show up on nearly every book page I visit, but I'd like to browse through them by user and topic.
posted on Apr 20, 2006 - 2 answers
What have you read that gave you a new outlook on the world—or even changed your life? I teach a Language Arts class to at-risk teenagers at a small high school, and I need to compile a body of short readings for next term, which is six weeks long. I want to give them those "a-ha!" moments that I had as a teenager when I read something that opened up my brain to something new and made my world larger. All genres (fiction, nonfiction, news articles, poetry, essays, etc.) are options.
There are, of course, challenges... [more inside]
posted on Mar 20, 2006 - 79 answers
What are some good Swedish novels? [more inside]
posted on Mar 20, 2006 - 17 answers
Audiobooks: My Audible wish list is empty -- help me fill it with compelling, commute-friendly nonfiction and literary fiction. [more inside]
posted on Mar 16, 2006 - 24 answers
I have physical handicaps which prevent me from actual eye-to-book reading. I desperately want to read A Winter's Tale, but I can't find it anywhere on Audiobook. My question is: Is it available anywhere, and if so, where?
posted on Feb 11, 2006 - 9 answers
Reading/BusinessFilter: I've started reading some business books that I found on the PMBA reading list and I'm intrigued. I was wondering if any of you had any suggestions expanding on this list, whether it be business books or business magazines. [more inside]
posted on Feb 9, 2006 - 7 answers
Researchers, academics, and readers: how do you deal with taking notes, recording passages, keeping a common-place book, and reading long books? What is your note-taking workflow? [more inside]
posted on Jan 19, 2006 - 30 answers
Can you recommend a well-written figure skater's autobiography or biography? [more inside]
posted on Jan 2, 2006 - 4 answers
Is listening to an audio-book less intellectually stimulating than reading the same book, especially in terms of literacy and increasing vocabulary?
posted on Dec 18, 2005 - 19 answers
Book suggestions for a 13-year-old. [more inside]
posted on Dec 6, 2005 - 51 answers
I need suggestions on topics for a reading week. [more inside]
posted on Nov 28, 2005 - 9 answers
Good french books by good french authors? [more inside]
posted on Nov 28, 2005 - 34 answers
How much time do you spend on reading books _for pleasure_? [more inside]
posted on Nov 23, 2005 - 54 answers
Please recommend children's books about great cities of America and/or the world. [more inside]
posted on Sep 28, 2005 - 16 answers
I'm interested in learning about Japanese history pre-1900. What book(s) should I be reading? [more inside]
posted on Sep 22, 2005 - 5 answers
Boys do like to read. At least mine do. What are some great, good, or fun and interesting books that a boy should read? Or have read to him? [more inside]
posted on Sep 6, 2005 - 77 answers
What should I read on my vacation? [more inside]
posted on Sep 5, 2005 - 21 answers
Please recommend some good novels about people between 25-35. [more inside]
posted on Aug 30, 2005 - 24 answers
I'm looking for a really good story--I feel like I'm drowning in books but there's nothing I really want to read. I'm tired of all these 'literary' novels where nothing really happens, or the big best-sellers that are all action and no substance.
I don't really care what genre, fiction, nonfiction, anything is fine as long as it really sucks you in. [more inside]
posted on Aug 7, 2005 - 82 answers
Can anyone recommend some good books on Indian (particularly South Indian) culture/history/politics/etc? [more inside]
posted on Jul 28, 2005 - 8 answers
What's your favourite work of trashy fiction? I'm looking for some good, fun, trashy yet smart reads in which I can unabashedly wallow. [more inside]
posted on Jul 19, 2005 - 47 answers
Help me find a new author in the style of Patricia Cornwell, Iain Banks, Christopher Brookmyre, Ian Rankin etc. [more inside]
posted on Jun 28, 2005 - 13 answers
How can I learn to read faster? [more inside]
posted on Jun 8, 2005 - 10 answers
So, what books are on your summer reading list (or, your winter reading list for our friends in the Southern Hemisphere)?
posted on Jun 8, 2005 - 19 answers
Books v Audio Books: What is the unique value of the work of reading? [more inside]
posted on May 25, 2005 - 23 answers
How can I learn how to read aloud? [more inside]
posted on May 25, 2005 - 13 answers
Can you recommend any great books on fashion and style? [more inside]
posted on May 18, 2005 - 7 answers
To all Philip K. Dick fans: Dick seems to have published a formidable amount of work, and rather than trying to read all of his novels/short stories, I'm wondering if any MeFites are familiar with his books and could recommend his best 5 or so. [more inside]
posted on Apr 28, 2005 - 38 answers
I once saw a catalog for a store/mail-order company that sells items for people who read: clip-lights, lap boards, book holders, pedestals, etc.. but I can't find it. Any ideas?
posted on Apr 12, 2005 - 9 answers
Fuzzy Memories Please help me identify a book I read as a child. [more inside]
posted on Mar 22, 2005 - 8 answers
Kurt Vonnegut: Where to begin? [more inside]
posted on Mar 18, 2005 - 44 answers
Solve This! I love mystery novels and have a hard time finding some that I like. What do you recommend? [more inside]
posted on Mar 8, 2005 - 35 answers
I'm trying to learn about the Edwardian era especially (but not exclusively) in England, Ireland, and Canada. What excellent materials (fiction and non-fiction books, movies, websites, etc.) have you read and seen about this period?
posted on Mar 1, 2005 - 17 answers
What are your favourite historical fiction novels? [more inside]
posted on Dec 11, 2004 - 47 answers
How do you read books of poetry?
posted on Dec 4, 2004 - 14 answers
I recall reading an article critizing some of today's popular writers (Clancy and King were two I recall) for being bland or suffering from too much Strunk and White. What then are some modern writers who gush with their own, unique style?
posted on Nov 29, 2004 - 37 answers
What book of poetry, published in the last 25 years, has meant the most to you personally -- the book you have found yourself returning to again and again?
posted on Nov 20, 2004 - 48 answers
The lights along the dim hallway flickered as she walked toward the door at the end. The floor of the old house creaked underneath her webbed feet, but otherwise all was still. Until she heard the sound of footsteps behind her, and she turned and saw.... I love ghost stories. Can any of you recommend some good ones? To give you some idea of what I would like, I loved Edith Wharton's creepy tales and Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House, but I'll pass on any more Stephen King or Peter Straub. I want good writing, subtlety, suspense, and enough thrills and chills to scare the feathers right off me.
posted on Oct 30, 2004 - 16 answers
I just got done reading Ishmael by Daniel Quinn for class. Now, I have to find a book that also deals with nature in the same regard to read (ie, we're destroying it- go fix it! Though it could be how nature is ours to control and we should actually exploit it more). Preferable, though not necessary, for my own pleasure would be something that intertwines religion and science with nature (from a negative or positive standpoint) into the book.
posted on Sep 8, 2004 - 15 answers
As a lay...very lay...student of Roman Republic and Empire, and anticipating the upcoming HBO/BBC series Rome with relish, I'm reading everything I can get my hands on about both Republic and Empire. Currently I'm reading an abridgement of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire I just inherited. What next? [insert Latin for "more inside" here].
posted on Sep 2, 2004 - 19 answers
Inspired by this thread, I ask: What's a good PDA to use as an e-book reader?
posted on Sep 2, 2004 - 12 answers
When reading David Foster Wallace, do you stop for every footnote, or read the piece all the way through and go back and read the footnotes later? Or are you too anti-hip cool to read David Foster Wallace1?
posted on Aug 6, 2004 - 56 answers
My wife likes reading biographies and memoires, particularly of women in culture and the arts. Think "Reading Lolita in Tehran" rather than, say, "Mornings on Horseback." Any recommendations for a birthday present?
posted on Jul 26, 2004 - 17 answers
I need to recommend a book for a male, teenage, esl student. Which book would you recommend to a person who says he's kind of interested in science fiction but doesn't like to read?
posted on Jul 9, 2004 - 26 answers
I love to read and am always in the middle of a book. Which is the problem. For as much as I read, I'm quite a slow reader. What is an effective technique for increasing your reading speed?
posted on Jun 17, 2004 - 18 answers
I've just finished both David Gilmour's Sparrow Nights and Scott Spencer's Endless Love, each for the second time. They're even better than I remember them. What's your favorite book about unrequited love? I'd like to keep up the streak.
posted on Apr 27, 2004 - 17 answers
Please recommend fantasy novels for someone who doesn't like fantasy novels (more inside).
posted on Mar 23, 2004 - 59 answers
London in the 1920's -- what are the best books (nonfiction and fiction) and websites to research this topic? (more inside)
posted on Mar 8, 2004 - 6 answers
I've recently had a schedule change at work that leaves me with large chunks of time that I usually fill with reading. Since January 1st I've read 9 books. The problem is that I seem to have exhausted my personal "to read" list and end up in the public library empty-handed. What is the best book you've read in the past year? I'm open to any genre.
posted on Jan 15, 2004 - 68 answers
Has anyone got any tips about reading faster? Watching the BBC's Big Read, I was amazed at how quickly some people were able to absorb books, even taking into account working patterns and use of leisure time. It takes me at least a week, sometimes two to work my way through a typical novel. What's the best way to get through without missing anything?
posted on Dec 24, 2003 - 8 answers
This is yet another "help me identify a book I read in childhood" question [more inside].
posted on Dec 19, 2003 - 7 answers
Quicksilver. What am I missing? (more)
posted on Dec 9, 2003 - 16 answers
