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openHelping my mom find a book about a billionaire Literature
A recent book (the kind you’d find in Facebook communities) that my mom is looking for the name of.
The basic plot is that a billionaire goes into hiding, but silences his wife by giving her $500 million, telling her to never tell anyone about him. The billionaire vanishes, but unbeknownst to him, the woman was pregnant. Now with a son, the billionaire returns for them.
openOld ELA horror book Literature
A story about - and some details might be wrong - these people. They all went to a masquerade party held by a very rich man. Every room, of which there were seven, in the rich man's mansion had a color to it. The rule in the party was that every time the clock struck, the party-goes would move into the next room. As the clock chimed, the party-goers moved into the red room, then the orange room, then the yellow room - you get the idea. They grew more nervous, however. By the time they got to the seventh room, the host of the party - who also wore a mask and danced - killed somebody at the party.
I can't remember who they killed, I can't remember character names if any were given, I can't remember what POV it was in (though I think it was first person from someone who wasn't the host)
openVetinari used to look fat Literature
so, I know this exists somewhere and the page on vetinari talks about it but offers no link or title.
Since the Patrician in Colour of Magic and Light Fantastic was so different lots of people had supposed it was in fact not Vetinari. That's untill Pratchett himself came along and said that it was Vetinari but he wasn't that good at writing him at the time.
Part of the fans refused to believe him - he's only the author, what does he know? - and part of the fans decided he had gone on a diet (Pratchett himself suggested he had lost weight due to the stress of the job).
But there came along someone who wrote a short story - and posted it and it was lovable and Pterry himself liked it - about how the Patrician wasn't really fat. You remember that candied jellyfish he used to eat all the time? it was from some kind of blowfish and retained the blowing ability. He looked fat. He had to actually pay attention not to be to agile because he didn't weight what he looked. He just used it to lull the other guild leaders into a false sense of security while he consolidated his power. The moment he decided to make his move he would just need to stop eating the jellyfish and wait until the toxin left his body. A pity really, he did find the candied jellyfish quite palatable...
So anyway, I have no idea of where I read the story the first time or how I got there. There may or may not have been a post by Pterry himself. Help please, my ability to find things on the internet is in the negative numbers
openShort story about a man being kidnapped by his future descendants Literature
I think he was going to do something that was going to cause some kind of problem for his descendants. (I feel like maybe it was a reputational thing, like he made a bad name for himself and all of his eventual descendants; but maybe I'm making that up.) So they go back in time and kidnap him and trap him on a ship (an oceangoing ship, not a spaceship) for his whole life against his will, to stop him from doing the thing. He resents his confinement, especially over something so relatively trivial, but he can't do anything about it. He spends the rest of his life on this ship, with his descendants. At the end of his life, he points out to them that they forgot to give him the opportunity to actually bear any children, so after all their effort to fix their problem, all they've accomplished is retroactively killing themselves. (He deliberately didn't tell them until it was too late, because he resented them that much.)
I don't remember when I read it, but it was probably less than ten years ago. I feel like the story itself was older than that, though; it had the vibe of classic science fiction (i.e. 40s-70s) more than modern science fiction. But, I might be wrong about that.
open1999-2002 Childrens book featuring a Magpie and a Young Girl Literature
It is an illustrated children's book that was once read to my class in first grade. I remember there were 2 characters: a magpie and a young girl (i cannot remember the age of the girl, i do not believe it was stated but she seemed to be younger than 10ish.)
It was written in rhyme, or at least the magpie spoke in rhyme. And the part I remember most vividly is where the magpie gives the girl a yellow gown, There is a scene with a rainbow at the end.
EDIT: remember this around the 1999-2002 era.
Edited by Pyrotech_NickopenA book about Mozart Literature
I want to find a book that I once read long ago (about 20 years)
It featured Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as a seven-years-old child. One night, he woke up in the middle of the night because he heard music. Looking for the source, he found a cricket on the hearth. The cricket talked to him and inspired him to become a music composer.
As I remember, the book's title is "The Cricket on the Hearth" (but it's definitely not the Charles Dickens one)
openLooking for a "modern" fairy tale Literature
A princess was born, but her fairy godmother, due to old age, forgot her magic wand at home and blessed the little baby with a screwdriver. The princess grew up to be a mechanic. When her father the king wanted her to find a husband, she created and attached a third leg to herself. It would kick anyone who told a lie. The more false the lie, the farther the distance.
openGame Guide narrated by sarcastic buzzard Literature
I’m trying to remember the name of the series of game guides from the late 90s. The guides were written from the perspective of a sarcastic, talking buzzard who had a butler and was an archaeologist like Indiana Jones. The guide I remember most vividly was for “Day of the Tentacle“ by Lucas Arts.
openThe Seems Literature
A boy named Becker Drane is recruited to the facility that created the world in order to fix problems, such as a Glitch in Sleep, a Split Second, and a Lost Train of Thought.
openYA anthology Literature
A YA anthology of short stories, the first short story was about lesbian witches I'm pretty sure but I know one of the next stories was a monkey's paw-esque story but its like a plush cat doll and the MC is a musician who chooses to NOT use the magic. please help, I've been going insane for YEARS trying to find it.
openStory about a man trapped in a casket/cast Literature
Okay so this is my first time trying this feature, hope I get it right
I remember this Italian old story from the 1800s (maybe before that) about a man who was jealous of his friend. So, one day he invites his friend over, leads him to his basement, and traps him in a casket. I don't remember the name, I could have sworn it was trending on Tumblr a while back and also had a page on This Very Wiki. The name was "Casket of Antamillardo" or something. Please help.
EDIT: The Cask of Amontillado
Edited by deerhornsaresoprettyopenBook were girl runs away from her abusive family dresses as a boy, and teams up with a young outlaw Literature
Does anyone remember a book where a young girl runs away from her abusive stepfamily and dresses like a boy to find her father who is the sheriff of one town. Along the way she teams up with a young male outlaw, while disguising herself as a boy.
The heroine was named Eliza Bakes and her name while disguised was Elijah Bates, I think.
openShort story about a man being kidnapped by his future descendants Literature
The protagonist was going to do something, or something was going to happen to him, that was going to cause his descendants to not be born. So they kidnap him and trap him on a ship (that is, an oceangoing ship, not a spaceship) for his whole life against his will, to keep him safe or to stop him from doing something that would lead to them not being born. At the end of his life, he points out to them that they forgot to give him the opportunity to actually bear any children, so after all their effort they're all going to die anyway.
I think I misremembered this. I think he was just going to do something that was going to cause some kind of problem for his descendants. (I feel like maybe it was a reputational thing, like he made a bad name for himself and all of his eventual descendants; but maybe I'm making that up.) So they kidnap him and trap him on a ship (an oceangoing ship, not a spaceship) for his whole life against his will, to stop him from doing the thing. He resents his confinement, especially over something so relatively trivial, but he can't do anything about it. At the end of his life, he points out to them that they forgot to give him the opportunity to actually bear any children, so after all their effort to fix their problem, all they've accomplished is killing themselves. (He deliberately didn't tell them until it was too late, because he resented them that much. Not just for kidnapping him, I think, but for being shallow and ridiculous people in general.)
I might be screwing up some details, but I'm pretty sure about the broad details that people from the future isolated him on a ship, but then it was all for naught because they forgot to let him have children.
I don't remember when I read it, but it was probably less than ten years ago. I feel like the story itself was older than that, though; it had the vibe of classic science fiction (i.e. 40s-70s) more than modern science fiction. But, I might be wrong about that.
Edited by NoriMoriopenFrom Mars to the Stars Literature
I'm not sure if I'm remembering a forgotten piece of media or just having a recurring dream, but here goes:
A number of people are either living on Mars or travel there, and either find or build a device to let them Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence, which is one-way and an allegory for death.
Tone of the work feels like it would have been written in the 80's or earlier, genre sci fi
openMan injured in factory machine Literature
My aunt was reading it and read a bit aloud to me but that was ages ago and now we don't remember what it was and I'd love to finish it.
I think it was a short story or novella and based on the opening it seemed fairly light in tone; don't know if it stayed that way. A man fell into or got caught up in some kind of machine in a factory and got injured but, again, I remember the tone being light so maybe not too seriously injured? I think he was pursuing legal action.
openNo Title Literature
One of my friends checked out a book from the library about 2005-2009 ish and I always wanted to read it. It was about a group of girls and they all got matching tattoos on their birthday. One of them chickened out and didn't go and they all turned against her. Then it turned out that the evil tattoo artist was using the tattoos to control them and make them do evil things.
openDesert Island Survival Literature
I remember reading a book around 20 years ago (although it wasn’t new then) about a family (from England, possibly the north) moving to a desert island, written from the perspective of their son. It wasn’t a particularly long book, and it was at least partially autobiographical (pretty sure it was marketed along the lines of being “a real life Swiss Family Robinson”) but I’ve not been able to find it anywhere since. Some things I’m pretty sure it included: a description of their original house in England being in a traditional workers terrace; the island being an atoll, given I’m pretty sure that’s where I learned the word atoll; a description of fishing in shallows off the beach; leaving the island and perhaps returning at a future point for a short period. I think at least the son (there was another child iirc) who wrote the book was still in school when they moved onto the island, but that’s about all I can I remember and it’s driving me a little crazy…
opena book i read in elementary school, involving time dilation Literature
basically what i remember of this book is that this kid discovered an alternate universe in his basement. i forget what exactly he had to do, but he had to do something, so he told his friend that if his parents asked, he was staying at his house.
then when he went in and started getting closer to his goal, he felt time warping around him. afterwards, he went home and the only ones there were his now adult baby sister and her baby. i don't know why i remember nothing else, it's just this ending that really stuck with me.
i also remember the cover having these creatures on them that kinda looked like clockwork versions of the Pokemon Kabuto?
openYA book about dragon finding other dragons Literature
A YA book (I think it was a series) about dragons that I read in the 90s. I don't remember a lot of specific details, but it involved a dragon, I think working with 1 or 2 young people, trying to find other dragons. I remember a specific scene where they've heard rumors of dragons in a desert land, but when they get there it's actually giant crab monsters that they need to fight. The dragon is insistent that the crabs aren't real dragons.
I was going to see if one of the books in the Diamond Brothers series had an example of a coded message, but I forgot which one.
I remember one scene in which someone was given a letter that seemed innocuous, with "Ma" talking about how things are going. It began "Bad news, I'm afraid." and said something about the recipient's granddad being in hospital, if I recall correctly. However, it turned out that the first letter of every other word created a message when they were put together. Said message was something along the lines of "BIG ED TAKING OVER, COME HOME AT ONCE." I also remember that the titular brothers were in police custody, but I might be conflating it with my memory of another book since they frequently ended up there, at least once for wasting police time.
It's definitely not "I Know What You Did Last Wednesday" since the brothers never got arrested in that book.
Edited by Riolugirl