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I am (re-)reading Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project, and I love the structure of a memoir that reflects a methodical and intentional approach to life change. I want more. What other books are like this? [more inside]
posted by moosetracks at 3:25 PM - 13 answers

Looking at my all time favorite "fun" shows, I notice most of them fall into a clear archetype: SF/F where a group of friends have an epic adventure. The friends are relatable and mostly likable. See inside for examples. [more inside]
posted by justkevin at 12:16 PM - 38 answers

I want to learn slide guitar. [more inside]
posted by DMelanogaster at 7:17 AM - 7 answers

I used to really enjoy the horror genre, but when COVID started I couldn't tolerate it any more. I want to get back into it. Can you recommend novels that meet the following criteria? A) Do not involve zombies or other infectious disease--because COVID, B) Do not rely on the death of a woman or children (or threat of such) to motivate a man--unless the woman is a total badass and saves herself, C) Involve some element of the supernatural. Ideally published in the last 5ish years.
posted by OrangeDisk at 6:29 AM - 18 answers

They switched to iMessage/SMS for texting in season 3 of Heartstopper—Brits, is this as odd as I think it is? I was under the impression that SMS and related protocols (iMessage) in Europe are reserved for like, business communication and spam.
posted by rhymedirective at 5:47 AM - 19 answers

I am trying to identify a scene from a movie which I saw many years ago, probably set during WWII (possibly WWI), possibly in black and white (though I remember seeing it on television before we had a colour set, so this dates it back before 1972 or so), in which a soldier hiding in a small stone cottage is about to be run over by a tank and begins to recite the 23rd Psalm ("The Lord is my shepherd", etc.) A bit more inside. [more inside]
posted by jokeefe at 4:15 PM - 6 answers

What software will let me create characters and objects to place on a stage, add lights and cameras, and script the action and the dialog? Then I can package that performance, send it to you, you can edit it, change a character's lines, their costume, etc. Maybe also a repo where people share characters, set designs, stage props, etc. Some possible candidate softwares are Second Life, Minecraft, SimCity, Blender, Fortnite, StoryTelling Alice? [more inside]
posted by PageantWagon at 2:42 PM - 8 answers

In the last year I enjoyed a catchy folk/country song that I now can't find. It was about a young couple, the relationship was a problem because the girl's father had had an affair and was the boy's father. The 'punchline' was the girl's mother telling her that she had also had an affair, meaning the young couple were not related after all... please can you help me find this?
posted by limoncello at 8:56 AM - 3 answers

When I was in elementary school (1985-1992ish) I had several teachers who used a book or books with detailed illustrations as creative writing prompts for our class. In my memory the books were just illustrations with no words, full of black and white drawings and they had a slightly mysterious vibe. I think the author's or illustrator's first name may have been Christopher. In my memory, they were similar in vibe to Dixit illustrations.
posted by shesbookish at 7:48 AM - 4 answers

I’m looking for more rich worlds, especially books written in the last 5 years. [more inside]
posted by azalea_chant at 10:18 PM - 23 answers

For my parents' 50th wedding anniversary, I want 2 or 3 copies of a keepsake-level hardcover book. Similar to something you'd get from Shutterfly or MixBook et al. But in this case it'd mostly be text, with a few supporting photos. Difficulty level: Simple layout UI, no design files needed. It doesn't seem like Lulu would fit the bill (but I don't know)...
posted by Text TK at 3:10 PM - 3 answers

I'm reading "A Half-Built Garden", and as a fellow baby parent it's so much fun to read about Judy simultaneously conducting interplanetary negotiations and tending a wiggly little almost-crawler. Partway through, the baby-wearing protagonist remarks on the dearth of early motherhood perspectives in fiction. But maybe you can help? [more inside]
posted by heyforfour at 8:01 AM - 11 answers

Nils Frahm is to Piano, as ______ is to strings* [more inside]
posted by furnace.heart at 4:24 PM - 13 answers

There's just something about those terrible vintage movie songs from horror/sci-fi/adventure moviess... the ones that overly literally recount plot, often with rapping. What are some great examples of songs that don't merely share a title or refer to a character name or vibe, but actually clumsily describe the film? Good example: The Monster Squad Rap. Bonus points for terrible rapping.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:31 AM - 24 answers

Kitteh and I have homebrewed our own October horror movie challenge (FanFare discussion) and are plugging in the days. One we could use some help with: This Actor Is Too Good For This Movie. [more inside]
posted by Shepherd at 4:11 PM - 39 answers

I have a song stuck in my head, from a dream, yet which I think is real. I think the chorus is a long "Tonight" followed by something like "you don't care about us". Female singer. 6/8 time, maybe. I recorded what I remember the melody as (and version with what the chord root notes maybe sound like to me). Does anyone know this song? [more inside]
posted by lookoutbelow at 7:54 AM - 7 answers

A conversation sparked a memory that I don't know if my memory made this up, or if the internet just isn't structured to search for this subject, but it has to do with ticket prices for off-off-off-etc-broadway plays and shows. [more inside]
posted by AzraelBrown at 6:36 AM - 4 answers

I saw a film at a cinema in the Late 70s / early 80s in the UK that I'd like to find. It was post apocalyptic and followed the working day of 2 men. Their job was to build an engine. The next day they stripped it down. Rinse and repeat, including the tiniest of detail, like dropping a nut into the engine. In place of the girlie calendars on the walls of the garage, it was a woman's, or women's, job to stand motionless assuming the same poses. It may have been black and white.
posted by hmca at 2:54 PM - 5 answers

I used to have a friend who read all the current sci-fi and then excitedly recommended the ones I might like. I miss that! Can you recommend new sci fi novels (published in the last two years or so) you are excited about? Books I have enjoyed below the fold. [more inside]
posted by Omnomnom at 7:14 AM - 32 answers

My makeout playlist needs a refresh. [more inside]
posted by Sauce Trough at 4:14 PM - 29 answers