MetaTalk

What was your required reading in school? Did you have any strong opinions, good or bad experiences? Did you discover a favorite author or were you impressed by some insight in class discussion? Poetry in class: yes, no, or "please don't call on me to read aloud"? Any and all reflection on "reading for school" welcome. Bonus: as a USian, I'm really curious about what MeFites from other countries read that was considered "standard literature" for teenagers. If there's a piece of literature you could ask a roomful of strangers for their opinion on, based on time at school, what would it be? (In the US, it's Animal Farm, or To Kill a Mockingbird.) [more inside]
posted by snerson on Apr 2, 2021 - 93 comments

I've joined many web communities in my life, but none for as long or as wholeheartedly as MetaFilter. I've learned a lot, grown as a person, and taken direction from the thousands of smart, funny, and caring people who write here. And I've been inspired to write, too, putting more time and effort into researching worthwhile posts than I have at any other creative hobby. Sadly, what with work and the news chaos and competing interests it feels like there's less and less time to focus lately, and seeing linkrot erode what I do post is a drag. So when showbiz_liz's lovely celebration of ten years on the blue made me realize my own 10th Mefiversary was approaching, I was moved to do something about it. Nothing on the web lasts forever, but armed with old notes files, the Wayback Machine, and a drive to rediscover my own personal Best of the Web, I plowed through all 149 posts (and a few comments) to recover lost links, check on what had happened since, and organize it all into a single FPP omnibus for your reading pleasure. [more inside]
posted by Rhaomi on Oct 29, 2017 - 28 comments

There's currently a discussion on the blue about not reading. In the article linked, Professor Amy Hungerford references David Lodge's book Changing Places in which a professor invents a literary game called Humiliation in which players confess to embarrassing gaps in their reading. Was wanting to know what some of these gaps might be for my fellow MeFites.
posted by Fizz on Sep 13, 2016 - 361 comments

Please enjoy this post by MeFi's own languagehat on The Millions, a blog edited by MeFi's own merlinmann cmaxmagee, about some favorite books he read this year. There are also many Year In Reading entries by other literary luminaries and the series will continue until year end.
posted by matildaben on Dec 1, 2010 - 35 comments