Stupid question: Should I read Hunger Games 1? I've already seen the movie. This is normally a no-brainer because usually book >> movie: in this case, I have seen the movie first and have the book on-hand already, plus tonight I have a book swap and dibs on many other books that I don't know yet! Bonus: your opinion on reading parts 2&3.
posted by whatzit on Aug 22, 2012 - 32 answers

What is the right apple/mac storage solution for me? [more inside]
posted by YukonQuirm on Nov 10, 2011 - 8 answers

Help me find a book about railways! [more inside]
posted by orrnyereg on May 22, 2011 - 4 answers

Identify a book for my girlfriend please. Read in the mid 90's maybe had 'children' in the title. Sci-fi novel about children held captive with woman in a castle after being placed with her through a government forced foster system (children are lent out to childless people for one month). They survive nuclear meltdown and years after by being put into suspended animation. [more inside]
posted by Uncle on Aug 9, 2009 - 5 answers

Given that the airlines are reducing the numbers of flights due to the economic downturn, what is the optimal time to book cheap flights? In the past, I've had great success booking domestic flights 2-3 days before. This time, we will be booking 2 round trip tickets. I just booked a flight from the western US to Montreal for my husband, three weeks ahead, as we found the planes were filling up rapidly. We didn't get much of a deal. Standby is not on option as I'll be flying with an autistic person. Any and all hive-mind thoughts are welcome. Thanks!
posted by ragtimepiano on Jun 28, 2009 - 3 answers

I'd like to broaden my horizons by getting a better understanding of life in different cultures and time periods. Please recommend great books or films (fiction or non-fiction) which paint a broad, immersive, reasonably accurate picture of a place and time. [more inside]
posted by MetaMonkey on Jul 12, 2008 - 29 answers

Another lost book for you: a book that tells you how many minutes of your life you spend on average waiting for the elevator to come, waiting in front of red traffic lights, sitting on the toilet, etc. Probably depressing to read, but I'd still like to find it.
posted by Skyanth on Dec 14, 2004 - 5 answers