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I have VERY vague memories of a book I read as a tween or young adolescent in the early 70s. It referenced the Five Points, the notorious area of NY city. There may have been time-travel from the time contemporary to the book back to the 1800s in the Five Points area of NY. A character in the book referenced a quote from the Emily Dickenson poem: I'm nobody, who are you? Are you nobody, too?" I would have read it some time between 1971 and 1978. I'm quite certain it was a YA book, aimed at teens. Anybody have any idea what the book is?
posted by primate moon at 11:49 AM - 3 answers

I have a distinct memory of reading a book in school. I must have been about 8 at the time. Some of this might be me me misremembering things, but it seemed like some sort of rip-off of The Wizard of Oz, but set in a futuristic Australia, or an outer space version of Australia. [more inside]
posted by iamsuper at 11:26 AM - 2 answers

Anyone know why Arcade Fire's new album We is unavailable in NYC? [more inside]
posted by ponibrown at 6:01 AM - 2 answers

I want to find non-romantic rock songs, with interesting or poetic lyrics and nice melody lines, probably by lesser-known artists (but not necessarily) to add to my singing repertoire. I have been learning to play ukulele and sing along. Song suggestions can be from any time period since the '60s, and can be from various rock genres including punk, folk and indie. [more inside]
posted by TreeHugger at 12:51 AM - 25 answers

In a fit of pique I cancelled my Spotify subscription, then realized that I wanted it back. But all of my favorite songs and playlists were gone. I've found a lot of what I had saved, but there's one song that I would dearly love to find again. [more inside]
posted by Gusaroo at 4:03 PM - 2 answers

I am once again a MeFite, standing in front of an AskMe, asking for podcast recommendations. Looking for recs for both series and individual episodes. [more inside]
posted by panther of the pyrenees at 10:27 AM - 18 answers

I like a lot of books that are...heavy...kind of depressing (I mean the content is sometimes dreary for the characters not that I am depressed by it). The thing is, you kind of have to concentrate while you read it. Now I have a five year old and when he's awake I can't concentrate and by the time he's asleep I'm tired. I need recommendations for lighter reads but I'm really not interested in complete fluff. More on what I like inside. [more inside]
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 7:24 AM - 22 answers

i am trying to identify a female saint (?) who is part of the carvings in the choir of the Málaga cathedral. She is holding a sword/spear and it is thrust into the eye of a head laying at her feet. [more inside]
posted by randlesc at 9:12 PM - 6 answers

Seeking: Books where characters figure out their goals/ make progress on their goals. This can be any genre, really, but I want books where the protagonists like where they are in the end. I feel like I've mostly found this in fiction, mystery, and romance genres but it doesn't have to be in those (And I'm not the most into sex scenes but if they're part of the book they're fine - I say romance because of the tendency to have characters figure out their lives.) [more inside]
posted by azalea_chant at 1:14 PM - 8 answers

I'm looking for fiction/literary non-fiction about friend groups (3+ ppl) and how they change over time. I'm interested in going beyond portrayals - I'm seeking writing that's psychologically rich and centers plumbing the depths of how friendships change people. Very open to speculative fiction as well! [more inside]
posted by loonietrillium at 9:27 AM - 25 answers

Kid is turning 7. She loves the Kaossilator app. She would like a stand alone device to make similar music with. [more inside]
posted by charles kaapjes at 5:18 AM - 12 answers

I need to store a house's worth of framed prints in an outdoor, non-climate controlled but covered shed for 8 months. How can I do this? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 9:43 PM - 9 answers

I need recommendations on some good podcasts for family road trips to replace Futility Closest, and we leave tomorrow! [more inside]
posted by fimbulvetr at 6:36 PM - 19 answers

This may be asking too much, but how does a neophyte dive into the world of Marvel and/or DC comics? [more inside]
posted by zardoz at 6:31 PM - 15 answers

I have a screenshot saved of something from somewhere (maybe a mefi article from this week?) that talks about how: "Some professionals have entire genres devoted to their workings: the police have the procedural; lawyers have legal thrillers; doctors have medical ethics novels (mostly shelved under women's fiction)[...]" The only comparable sort of story I could think of, from my own reading history, is Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper. Any recommendations for medical ethics novels?
posted by snerson at 3:49 PM - 25 answers

I have almost no experience in 3d modelling, but I would like to try some designs on a headscarf and see how the flow of the fabric affects the design. So, given I have/buy something like this, is it easy to try other patterns for the scarf? How did the 3D artist who made this go about it, did he start with a flat surface and then scrunched it up? So that you could easily switch out the pattern in the beginning and then reapply all the scrunching steps?
posted by SweetLiesOfBokonon at 12:08 PM - 5 answers

Where can I find art in this style? It's proving hard to google. Bonus points if the art also has foxes.
posted by cozenedindigo at 6:54 PM - 14 answers

This is a vague memory and unfortunately it's also second-hand; someone told me about a book? (I think? Might have been a series or manga or something, they consume a LOT of media that I never see) -- where 'magic' is like this essence or fuel or liquid or something, so magicians have to 'fuel up' by drinking/sucking/absorbing raw magic in order to cast spells. Ring any bells?
posted by The otter lady at 1:32 PM - 16 answers

I'm part of a non-profit and we're holding an event that starts tomorrow and runs for up to about three weeks and someone said they want to help us out financially (they said they're an accountant and can easily help out economically). Since it seems like money is not going to be a major hurdle as far something like social media advertising is concerned, how much should we ask for without asking for an overly excessive amount? Is it indeed "the more you spend" the better or is there a limit? [more inside]
posted by sounddelalladaya at 12:04 PM - 8 answers

I have a distinct memory of having seen in a museum an Old Masters-style painting of what I recall as being the Bay of Naples painted from an aerial view (which would've been impossible at the time) with Jesus? and a saint (the patron saint of the depicted city?) in the sky and foreground, surrounded by clouds at the edges of the frame. My possibly entirely made-up recollection is that it was Naples, with San Gennaro interceding with Jesus to address a plague or some such catastrophe. [more inside]
posted by the sobsister at 10:42 AM - 8 answers