Book-recommendation-filter: help me choose a book to get for my dad for Christmas. [more inside]
posted by synecdoche on Dec 20, 2009 - 21 answers

I'm interested in getting a print copy of Zhuangzi to read. What's a good translation or edition?
posted by Arturus on Dec 14, 2009 - 7 answers

I need links to interesting websites and enjoyable books about the history of and current practices of beer making and beer tasting. I start a new bartending job soon, and I may have scored it by pretending to know more than I really do about brew. [more inside]
posted by macrowave on Dec 14, 2009 - 12 answers

Seeking either a) a specific name for the literary genre best described as "literature based on or inspired by Bible stories", or b) EXAMPLES of major works of literature based on or inspired by Bible stories. [more inside]
posted by EmpressCallipygos on Dec 10, 2009 - 47 answers

Oh, Inverted World! Where did your pages go (help me find them)? [more inside]
posted by le morte de bea arthur on Dec 9, 2009 - 6 answers

Poemfilter: Trying to remember a poem I memorized at the last second and almost instantly forgot for an assignment in 10th grade. [more inside]
posted by Dojie on Dec 5, 2009 - 6 answers

I'm interested in contemporary books (and films) that are set in the Mediterranean/European region between AD300 and AD800 (approximately, of course). Any suggestions? [more inside]
posted by hydatius on Dec 4, 2009 - 15 answers

Does "utopia" exist in modern/contemporary fiction? [more inside]
posted by dlugoczaj on Dec 3, 2009 - 32 answers

What sources exist for good cheap learning literature? I'm thinking of things like AMSOIL's oil case studies and the Chelsea Milling/Jiffy Mix recipe book. Preferably non-digital, and any language is okay. [more inside]
posted by jwells on Dec 3, 2009 - 1 answer

Can you recommend a good book about the WPA artists program, or a great book that came out of the Federal Writers' Program? Bonus points if you know of a fictional story that uses it as the main theme. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Nov 30, 2009 - 12 answers

[Obscure book filter] Anyone remember a book about a grandfather hired to make a notebook to teach someone's daughter about the world, but he secretly makes two copies? [more inside]
posted by BusyBusyBusy on Nov 23, 2009 - 11 answers

What are the most fun, memorable, interesting, exciting, and long-lasting learning experiences you have had? [more inside]
posted by Cygnet on Nov 20, 2009 - 25 answers

What are some common euphemisms in older literature? [more inside]
posted by amicamentis on Nov 20, 2009 - 23 answers

Please help me remember the title and author of a short story I read maybe 15 years ago. A handicapped woman, living with her sister and her sister's family, sees a man in church she feels quite sure is the devil. In order to get away from him, she struggles to regain the physical independence she had given up. (She had gone into a wheelchair because walking was possible, but too painful.) She does manage to become self-sufficient enough to move out on her own--and then wonders if it was worth it, after all. I am almost sure the author was Italian. Can anyone help?
posted by uans on Nov 16, 2009 - 0 answers

[Overly broad project topic filter] Works of fiction or scholarly articles on American places? Help me find a work about or set in an American place that was written at the time. [more inside]
posted by BusyBusyBusy on Nov 14, 2009 - 19 answers

Seeking a poem that relies on the concept of namesaking (ie being named after another person). Maybe in its subject matter, or is by the poet to his/her namesake. It's for my sister, whose daughter is named after our grandmother, to use in a present for our grandmother, so Willa Cather's "The Namesake" is entirely inappropriate (being about a boy soldier!). Could also be a song, or short prose. Ideally a classic poem, ie out of copyright or if not, by someone relatively famous for their poetry. Any ideas?
posted by aeschenkarnos on Nov 5, 2009 - 3 answers

I'm looking for ways to rate abstracts for relevance and quality so that I can filter out the best ones. [more inside]
posted by Herkimer on Nov 5, 2009 - 6 answers

Which books help me get into the psyche of war criminals, suicide bombers, etc? [more inside]
posted by hasna on Nov 3, 2009 - 21 answers

Which books can a physicist and a liberal arts type trade to gain a deeper appreciation of literature and science, respectively? Ideally, these would be books we could both read and enjoy. [more inside]
posted by Diagonalize on Nov 2, 2009 - 40 answers

Where can I publish some old literary crit essays that are burning a hole in my pocket? [more inside]
posted by duncecap on Nov 1, 2009 - 6 answers

Innovative Books: I am looking to compile a list of the most innovative uses of the book format. Books that break the mould in their layout and design, perhaps books that use online systems to extend their content value or push their form into new places. I am most interested in narrative and theory, but any book that is interesting (artist books etc.) would be really appreciated. [more inside]
posted by 0bvious on Nov 1, 2009 - 29 answers

I am looking for recommendations for a sequence of novels that might lead an adult fan of very trashy action to the real gold. [more inside]
posted by hifimofo on Oct 29, 2009 - 11 answers

[Englishmajors-filter]: Looking for works of literature that deal with conspiracy, real or imagined. [more inside]
posted by ms.codex on Oct 25, 2009 - 36 answers

I'm looking for a list of American Literary Time Periods along with the essential works for each time period (all genres)? Define the time period, if possible, with a list of qualities which embody the literary essence of that time period, both in content and style. Extra credit for other source to accompany your answers. Thanks all.
posted by boots77 on Oct 18, 2009 - 5 answers

Recommend some great literature in the Steinbeck tradition. [more inside]
posted by Go Banana on Oct 14, 2009 - 18 answers

Has J.D. Salinger ever written or spoken how to pronounce the name "Zooey" in Franny and Zooey? Are there any recordings of him pronouncing it? Separately, did he create that name or is there precedence for it (whether as a nickname for Zachary or on its own, spelled the same way)? [more inside]
posted by davebug on Oct 10, 2009 - 3 answers

I need help remembering the most famous Shakespeare references in modern literature. [more inside]
posted by Viola on Oct 9, 2009 - 40 answers

I need a book recommendation for my girlfriend; her favourite book is Yann Martel's "Life of Pi". Any ideas? [more inside]
posted by mizike on Oct 7, 2009 - 28 answers

I'm looking for allegorical depictions of Fame in 20th/21st century fiction and movies. [more inside]
posted by ms.codex on Oct 6, 2009 - 3 answers

Bookfilter: I have searched everywhere, I have exhausted all resources. You are my last hope. I had a book as a child, it was in Russian, but the stories in it were middle-eastern/Arabic/Persian... I know that the name of the book was Three Oranges (Tri Apelsina in Russian) [more inside]
posted by icarus on Oct 5, 2009 - 13 answers

I like biographies of ordinary/non-famous people with interesting stories to tell, or stories from before they became notable. Can anyone recommend any? [more inside]
posted by mippy on Oct 5, 2009 - 40 answers

I'm looking for the title of an action/adventure short story collection that I read in middle school (early 90s). It included The Most Dangerous Game and Leningen Versus the Ants. [more inside]
posted by anonymous78 on Oct 2, 2009 - 9 answers

Can you recommend American female novelists who've had their debut novels published within the last 3 years or so?
posted by Kattullus on Sep 26, 2009 - 30 answers

Going bonkers trying to remember the title of a favorite children's book that I read growing up in the late 1960s. The story takes place in NYC and the main characters are 2 children, a boy and a girl. The children stand in the first car of a subway train and as the train moves faster and faster through a Bowery tunnel, the children travel back in time to NY when it was New Amsterdam. They meet Peter Stuyvesant and other characters in Manhattan when it was a Dutch colony. Sound familiar to anyone?
posted by suzeQ on Sep 20, 2009 - 1 answer

What are the world's most acclaimed short stories? [more inside]
posted by Bleusman on Sep 20, 2009 - 66 answers

What are the great patterning works of literature? In Book by Book, Michael Dirda presents a list of what he calls “patterning works” which he describes as books that “. . later authors regularly build on, allude to, work against.” and which he says “ . . . ought to lie at the heart of any structured reading program.” [more inside]
posted by jason's_planet on Sep 17, 2009 - 73 answers

My wife and I are interested in writing and illustrating kids books and getting them published. I realize there are plenty of neat books great illustrations, so what's the best way to find out what we'd be getting into if we were to pursue this as a hobby, or even as a main source of income?
posted by filthy light thief on Sep 15, 2009 - 17 answers

When did it become passé to use quotation marks to denote direct speech in contemporary fiction? [more inside]
posted by war wrath of wraith on Sep 14, 2009 - 36 answers

Books on everyday civilian life during the US Civil War? [more inside]
posted by imjustsaying on Sep 12, 2009 - 8 answers

Name this short story about an immigrant student working as a babysitter for an American professor. [more inside]
posted by Bizurke on Sep 9, 2009 - 3 answers

I've taken responsibility for a very small children's library and I'd love your ideas for making it awesome. [more inside]
posted by serazin on Sep 3, 2009 - 14 answers

Another forgotten book from childhood. Time travel/survival. Dinosaurs. And yes, it vibrates. Help? [more inside]
posted by rokusan on Aug 26, 2009 - 9 answers

NinteenthCenturyLiteratureFilter: Why do upper-class types in classic novels always seem so incredibly frail? [more inside]
posted by the luke parker fiasco on Aug 26, 2009 - 17 answers

Please help me read The Master and Margarita. [more inside]
posted by cranberrymonger on Aug 19, 2009 - 8 answers

What are some or how can one best find science-fiction novels that are good by general literary standards? [more inside]
posted by colinmarshall on Aug 18, 2009 - 75 answers

I like mind-blowing books. Please give me your best suggestions. [more inside]
posted by aheckler on Aug 11, 2009 - 75 answers

Having recently discovered Anais Nin's Delta of Venus and Little Birds, I'm looking for classy, somewhat highbrow, non-amateur, published erotic literature along the same lines. [more inside]
posted by Lush on Aug 7, 2009 - 16 answers

Recommendations for erotica [more inside]
posted by ninebelow on Aug 6, 2009 - 8 answers

Name that poem! Several years ago I came across a poem on a website that collected a lot of 'classic' English language poems, the sort of stuff you'd find in a Norton anthology. This one was written by a woman, and it was about thinking of someone who was separated by distance. I think there was some mention of 'cold wine' and 'crisp toast'. It was very modern and conversational, so it's definitely not from Browning, Millay, etc.
posted by mattholomew on Aug 4, 2009 - 3 answers

Suggest absorbing fiction about mysterious England. [more inside]
posted by Doctor Suarez on Aug 2, 2009 - 54 answers