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 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
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
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
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
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 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
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 currently
loving Zadie Smith. For various reasons, I don't like most of the authors she tends to get compared to. (DeLillo and Pynchon give me hives. Rushdie and Nabokov are just okay. Etc.) Who else should I read?
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posted by nebulawindphone
on Oct 13, 2012 -
36 answers
Please tell me of novels where restoring an old house is an important part of the plot, and where there is also a happy ending.
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posted by paduasoy
on Oct 9, 2012 -
29 answers
Searching for stories about infidelity. Specifically, stories about emotionally-involved affairs (not one night stands) where one party in the affair is married or in a long-term relationship and the other is single. Can you help?
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posted by houndsoflove
on Sep 15, 2012 -
22 answers
Please recommend books that are similar to 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' (not just ones about autism).
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posted by fix
on Aug 29, 2012 -
22 answers
There are plenty of non-fiction books on the subject of startups and entrepreneurship. But what about when you don't have the energy to learn? Please recommend me some novels on the subjects of creating products, building companies, etc. Inspiring tales of business and innovation...
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posted by ChristopherS
on Aug 14, 2012 -
5 answers
I want to read a good mass market crime series featuring the same investigator(s). Of course, I have no idea what's "good" per my taste and the huge bookstore mystery section totally overwhelms me. Please help me figure out where to start?
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posted by houndsoflove
on Jul 28, 2012 -
33 answers
Good nonfiction books/reads for early 20s male?
posted by nathanm
on May 27, 2012 -
15 answers
Help me optimize my vacation reading! I’m headed out to the Outer Banks next month, and there’s nothing on the agenda but reading and relaxing. I’m having trouble coming up with a week’s worth of new reading material that won’t take up significant space in our truck, though. Can you recommend me lengthy or dense books--in other words, books that will give me maximum entertainment minutes per page--that are still fun vacation reading?
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posted by House of Leaves of Grass
on May 4, 2012 -
34 answers
Please recommend stories about mental battles. Specifically, people overcoming deep-seated fears or beliefs.
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posted by fix
on May 3, 2012 -
7 answers
I have an extremely boring, third shift job, so I'm looking for some book recommendations: fun, exciting, fluffy, silly, funny books - any sort of light reading that will make my excessive downtime at work pass quickly.
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posted by madelf
on Apr 5, 2012 -
33 answers
We are a group of mid-20s to mid-30s life-science phd students that have started a book club. Our first book was The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and was a great fit for us. Please recommend others that you think might appeal to such a group. Thanks!
posted by sickinthehead
on Jan 12, 2012 -
38 answers
I'm looking for novels that explore jealousy in romantic relationships, particularly featuring a partner who is jealous or insecure about the other person's romantic past. Ex-boyfriends/ex-girlfriends haunting the relationship would be excellent. Any recommendations? ("Literature" preferred--i.e., trashy novels aren't my thing.)
posted by melancholyplay
on Nov 20, 2011 -
25 answers
A question about zombies. Specifically, Zombie Stories. Extra specifically, Zombie Stories that Don't Suck.
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posted by TomMelee
on Oct 20, 2011 -
41 answers
I love non-fiction, but a lot of it is either annoyingly precise or too worthy. I'm looking for fun entertaining bedtime reading that won't tax the mind too much. Any suggestions?
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posted by cdenman
on Sep 10, 2011 -
40 answers
I'm looking for novels or movies that feature teenage protagonists suffering from depression, schizoid tendencies or similar psychological defects.
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posted by Senza Volto
on Sep 9, 2011 -
48 answers
Help me put together a list of the most zeitgeist-y, readable and accomplished "big idea" non-fiction books of recent years.
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posted by oneaday
on Aug 15, 2011 -
31 answers
So I need more science fiction by and/or about queer folks. Special snowflake request details follow.
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posted by Frowner
on Aug 4, 2011 -
28 answers
Ulysses. Lolita. Proust. Books where the quality of the prose is the best part, more so than the plot. Help me find more?
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posted by kiltedtaco
on Jun 28, 2011 -
60 answers
BookFilter: Seeking recommendations for book-club-type novels or short story collections about nature and the outdoors.
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posted by Miko
on Jun 27, 2011 -
27 answers
What is it really like to be in a band? Please recommend reading material!
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posted by unsub
on Jun 22, 2011 -
38 answers
Looking for book recommendations about avoiding modern society or financial success for other goals and adventures. Non-fiction and fiction are both great.
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posted by meta87
on Jun 20, 2011 -
10 answers
My brain needs some fiction reading and I'd like some recommendations based on my tastes in TV/Film: Mad Men, Quadrophenia, Good Fellas, The Krays, There Will Be Blood, Election, Spinal Tap, American Beauty, Eyes Wide Shut, Flashbacks of Fool, The Graduate, Rushmore.
Thanks!
posted by punkfloyd
on Apr 16, 2011 -
20 answers
Please suggest something beautiful, appropriate, challenging, and substantive to read in a beautiful place--California setting a plus, but not absolutely essential.
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posted by tully_monster
on Apr 7, 2011 -
24 answers
What are some good books about Goth and Punk subcultures? Fiction and non-fiction both welcome, so long as there is some focus on the goth and/or punk subcultures. The more recent, the better.
(Graphics novels would also do, and maybe movies)
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posted by Senza Volto
on Mar 18, 2011 -
44 answers
I would like to read speculative and adventure fiction by authors with lots of life experience related to the stories they tell. Oh, they also have to write well. For bonus points: the experience shouldn't be in technology or military.
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posted by jetsetlag
on Feb 25, 2011 -
18 answers
What are some novels in which the plot primarily revolves around a marriage?
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posted by Nixy
on Feb 5, 2011 -
46 answers
As a converted atheist raised in a converted neo-calvinist family. I am regularly flooded with books, newsletters, and other reading material (read emails that are 90% quotes) supporting christianity.
I'd like to return the favor (:
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posted by vaguelyweird
on Jan 16, 2011 -
26 answers
I've begun an alternative certification program to become an elementary teacher. Looking for good books about teaching.
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posted by Pater Aletheias
on Jan 10, 2011 -
8 answers
