Since I began a reading life (at about age eight), I have had a problem: my mind automatically places action in just a few places familiar to me from my life: my house, the main street of my hometown. Whether the action in a novel takes place in 16th century Scotland, or the Black Forest, or under the Unisphere. Are there ways to get around this, or to learn to read fiction more actively, and, fantastically/creatively? [more inside]
posted by Tufa on Jan 29, 2009 - 30 answers

Can you show me some amazing literary descriptions of the pleasures of tasting and eating food? [more inside]
posted by laumry on Jan 5, 2008 - 15 answers

Why do the paints used on DynoRod vans, for example, have such luminosity? [more inside]
posted by NinjaPirate on Jul 12, 2005 - 3 answers