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07 January 2010 @ 09:53 pm

EDIT- Ok, found it! Thanks guys. I guess I did not look hard enough, it is in fact called The Green Book

Hello! I'm looking for a book that I read when I was around 12 years old, around 2000.

It's a story about kids living on a space ship traveling for many many years to some habitable planet. It focuses on one young girl, and I believe her sister or something? The main girl has brought with her a green book, which turns out to be a diary later on, and I think the book is presented as the contents of the diary. They arrive at the planet, and there are strange creatures and unbreakable trees, and the people have trouble growing food and stuff. I think it was short; under 200 pages.

The green book thing seems like it was very significant. I thought the title might have something to do with it but I can't find anything.

Thanks!

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wytchlady
[whatwasthatbook]

07 January 2010 @ 06:14 pm

Book about giant roaches?

They were taking over the (island?) in the book they came to the conclusion the roaches were possibly communicating by telepathy or something similar comparing them to the way ants comunicate. Oh yeah, I am pretty sure the roaches could fly and were eating people.

Read it back in middle school 26 years ago or so. Purchased it at the SuperX drug store.

Yeah, a LONG shot, I know.

Thanks in advance!

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anymaym
[whatwasthatbook]

07 January 2010 @ 06:30 pm

Fantasy kids book about a logging or mining dispute?

Hi everyone. A patron at the public library where I work has requested help finding a chapter book she read sometime in the 90s, although she believes it is an older book than that. She gave the following clues:

The main character is a girl, who at the beginning of the story moves in with her grandmother or great-aunt or other older relative
The plot involves a mining or logging rights dispute regarding a nearby mountain.
A tree (presumably the one on the cover and probably one on the mountain) might host some sort of fantasy-other world inside it.
Speaking of the cover, it has a big gnarled tree and a girl.

I know it's not much to go on, but any help would be most appreciated! Thanks in advance.

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nikojen
[whatwasthatbook]

07 January 2010 @ 04:40 pm

Epistolary book about travels(?)

This is a bit of a long shot. I'm not even sure if I have enough info. to know if anyone gives the "right" answer, but I'd be happy to hear about any books that fit the description.

At least 10 years ago, I read a review online somewhere about a book that sounded interesting, but I failed to take note of the title. All I really remember is that it was an epistolary sort of book that made use of not just letters, but sales receipts, ticket stubs, postcards, etc. to tell the story. I want to say it followed the main character(s) on travels of some sort, but otherwise, I have no idea what the actual plot was.

I do know it's definitely *not* the Griffin & Sabine books. I had the impression that it was more of a "real" book (physically)... i.e. not having the gimmicky presentation with removable letters in envelopes and such that the G&S books have.

Aaaaand... that's all I've got.

Any thoughts? Thanks! :)

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catholicloser86
[whatwasthatbook]

07 January 2010 @ 02:34 pm

Book based on the board game, Clue?

I'm wondering if someone can help me. I read this book in 7th grade and loved it, but for the life of me I can't remember what it was. It had something to do with the theme of the game 'Clue.' I think they made a movie based off of it too, and there might be a character by the name of Turtle in it too, I'm not sure. It was a book written for middle school aged kids.

Thanks for the help!

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kittymistress
[whatwasthatbook]

07 January 2010 @ 09:23 am

What is the name of this book?

Way back in the mid to late 70s, my sister-in-law gave me a thriller/murder type paperback to read. It was about a mental patient who, as a child, had killed his mother. He fakes his death, escapes the mental and then goes about killing with an ice pick. His mental illness had been brought about because his mother had locked him in a cellar in the dark when he was a child.

I may have two books mixed up together here but am hoping someone can help me find this book (s) again.

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nygoldfish54
[whatwasthatbook]

06 January 2010 @ 09:46 pm

1970s/80s mystery thriller?

hey everyone! Someone just recommended this group to me and I joined right away with a question!

My mom was describing to me a mystery/thriller that she read in the early 1980s (between 1980 and 1982). The basic plot is that a mentally damaged man snaps and kills his (abusive) mother. He then goes across the country stealing people's identities and killing women in whom he sees his mother - basically killing his mother over and over again. My mom recalls (although she may be incorrect on this one) that the muder weapon was a stiletto. She would have sworn that the book was called "Stiletto," but since we can't find it anywhere, that is obviously not the title.

I'm dying to read this story and we just can't find it. It was probably published in the 70s or early 80s. I doubt in the 60s, but who knows. Has anyone read or heard of this book and knows what the title is/who the author is/where to find it?

Thanks so much :)

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ceebeegee
[whatwasthatbook]

06 January 2010 @ 07:22 pm

Boofles, Child Star, mirrors, LA

FOUND! Mirror, by Graham Masterton

This is a book I read sometime during the early-mid '90s. It was a weird sort-of horror/thriller set in LA and the main thing I remember was a child star from the '30s/'40s named Boofles or Booflz who I think was dead, possibly haunting a place. Boofles was an adorable little boy with, as I recall, curly blonde hair who turns out to be some kind of evil spirit--I think he might've been murdered. Someone (a man?) was investigating the haunting or at any rate discovered he could somehow enter Boofles's world by going through the mirror--I seem to remember there was an Alice Through the Looking Glass sort of them, or it was referenced. The mirror-world is completely freaky (evil). Also, I remember the word "glitterati" was used a couple of times because I picked up the word and my Mom commented on it. (The weird story was set against the glittering movie industry.)

Thanks for any help you can give me!

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shanrina
[whatwasthatbook]

06 January 2010 @ 08:02 am

Guide to writing fantasy?

Okay, I've never actually read this book so this might be difficult. It's a guide to writing fantasy fiction, and it's got a title like "The Dangerous Guide to Writing Fantasy" or "The Perilous Guide to Writing Fantasy." Or maybe something involving treachery? Or dirt? It was more evocative than just the basic "Writer's Guide to Fantasy" sort of thing. I could have sworn that it was written by Diane Duane, but according to all the lists of books she's written it wasn't her, so the author (definitely a woman) either has a name that sounds kind of like "Diane Duane" or writes YA fantasy like Duane does. Or maybe both. It's fairly well-known, but I can't seem to hit on anything Google-able. Thanks for any help!

Current Mood: forgetful

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ainself
[whatwasthatbook]

06 January 2010 @ 01:08 am

One book and two short stories

( Cut for length, and, I suppose, spoilers )

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electroscalpel
[whatwasthatbook]

05 January 2010 @ 08:15 pm

On behalf of a friend in need...

EDIT: Found! A big thank you to everyone who helped! ♥

A friend of mine told me earlier today that she has recently remembered a book that she once read back in seventh grade. She said she would love to pick it up again, but she can't seem to find it anywhere. ;n;

What little she can remember of it at the moment is this:

- The title of the book sounded like Mai-ah. My friend can't remember exactly how it was spelled.
- She said there was a lot of sexual/violent content, and that her teacher had been shocked when she had seen my friend reading it. (Meaning that it might be more well known than we had originally thought, and that it may be notorious for it's content?)
- It was very well written. (Subjective and not too helpful, of course, but this is what she went on about the most, haha.)

That was all the information she could give to me at the moment. I will update this again if she remembers anything else. I apologize for all the vagueness so far, haha. ;;

What I would like to find for her at the very least would be the real title, and the author. Brownie points to whomever can find a link to an official site, though! ♥

Tags: found book, lost book

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dominationx
[whatwasthatbook]

05 January 2010 @ 11:57 pm

(no subject)

Looking for a book I read as a child, keeping in mine I read some weird stuff that I probably shouldn't have read as a child..

I am unsure if it was a 'classic' or modern, but I specifically remember there being a writer as a main character. (S)he was a romance writer, but for reasons forgotten, decided to write a novel on sheep buggery in the end.

That's a pretty strange description, so I am really hoping it is a book (I'm pretty sure it is well known) and I didn't somehow dream this.

Thank you!

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helle_d
[whatwasthatbook]

05 January 2010 @ 11:47 pm

Feckless young aristocrat

I know nothing about the book I'm looking for - beyond the assumption that it is a book - beyond the one phrase I'm sure I remember from somewhere, a character describing her young self as a "feckless young aristocrat".

The book would have been one available at least five years ago in the UK, probably Young Adult and almost certainly either historical or fantasy-based. I did wonder if it was The Seer and the Sword; I can't fine the line in the paperback version, though I think there were some edits made from the original hardback.

Although I have nothing really to go on but the phrase itself, without context, my gut feeling suggests that it was a line spoken by an older woman remembering a particular decision her younger self made with scorn, something like 'I was just a feckless young aristocrat then, so arrogant and convinced (our love would conquer all/we could solve all the world's problems/or something)'. Possibly she was/is a warrior, or else she fell in love with someone unsuitable, or got involved in politics? I really don't know, though I've been wondering for years - all I'm fairly sure of is that the character is a woman who feels she railroaded over other people's rational objections.

However, the only concrete detail I have is the phrase itself, "feckless young aristocrat".

I realise this is an unusual request; I can't even say 'and it had a blue cover and there were dragons at the end' or anything. But does this sound familiar to anyone?

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sallyspider
[whatwasthatbook]

05 January 2010 @ 11:45 am

2 Books I'd Love to Find

Hello, I just joined LJ after finding this group, I think it's a great idea, and I wonder whether you might be able to help me? :)

First book found: (by justwolf, within half an hour of me posting! Thank you)

The first book I read when I was about 11 (98/9), but I don't know when it was published. I got it from my school library in the UK, but I think it was set in the US or Canada, possible Australia. The main character was a teenage girl (I think she may have had ginger hair, not sure whether I'm getting that from the cover or the writing though, might just be something I made up!) She lived with her mother and they kept having to move house, often with no warning. At some point in the book, it's discovered that it's not her real mum; she kidnapped the girl as a baby and that's why they've been on the run. Towards the end of the book the girl goes to live with her biological family, but she's not exactly happy, they're basically strangers to her.

I was sure the title had the word 'suitcase' in it ( as in 'living out of a suitcase' or something) but I've searched through every book on Amazon containing that word and haven't found it! I also have the feeling the title was fairly long. I'd really like to find this book again.

The second book is even vaguer to me, sorry, I just remember the feeling of it if that makes sense. I probably read it around the same time, but I'm not sure whether it was a ya or adult book. Basically I think it was about a boy/man whose sister had died and she was kind of haunting him - I don't remember whether he actually saw her or just heard her voice, could even have been that he hallucinated it. The only scene I remember is in a theatre I think, and there may have been a fire or something and everyone is getting evacuated and maybe someone falls of a balcony? I think it might have been a memory of his of how his sister died, and I think he felt guilty about it. It wasn't like a horror story though, or really a ghost story, it was more that the sister is quite bossy and controlling of the main character, and he is trapped by the guilt he feels since she died, so as I remember it was more about him getting free and being able to get on with his life. It may have been set or written in the past.

Reading that back I remember even less than I realised, but for some reason it has been bugging me for years and I'd love to read it again.

Sorry if this is too long, I don't know how you do the cuts. I'll be amazed if anyone can think of anything from these useless descriptions!

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alouzon
[whatwasthatbook]

05 January 2010 @ 02:37 am

YA book about a boy who grows wings -- FOUND

Edit: Found!
Black and Blue Magic, by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

I'm looking for a book I read back in the mid 80's, but the book may be slightly older.

The book starts with a boy finding a silver phial filled with some kind of liquid (I believe it was described as pearly in colour). When he rubs a drop on each of his shoulders, he grows feathery wings that allow him to fly, which then vanish with the sunrise. He has many adventures, but eventually runs out of the liquid and one evening can only produce a single feather, where upon he puts the feather and phial into a box in his room, and the story ends.

I know that's not much to go on, but I hope someone recognizes it.

Thanks!

Tags: fantasy, flying, found book, young adult

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impishlaugh
[whatwasthatbook]

04 January 2010 @ 10:47 pm

He uses his magnetic power to defeat his kidnappers.

Found! The Secret Life of Dilly McBean by Dorothy Haas

My boyfriend read this children's sci-fi book sometime around 1990. The main character is a boy with magnetic superpowers, which he can control at will. His parents are scientists. The boy is kidnapped by people who want to use his power for evil purposes. He uses his power to erase their computer data and to get away from them.

My boyfriend insists that this book/character is NOT related to Magneto/X-Men in any way.

Any ideas? Thank you!!

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fort_kanji
[whatwasthatbook]

04 January 2010 @ 10:07 pm

(no subject)

Can anyone help on this? It's a book from the 1980s--- history of science. Done by a woman (Israeli?) who was at (I think) Columbia. She looks at the way late-19th and early-20th century scientific narratives of evolution were shaped by literary tropes ands forms. Does anyone remember this at all?

Current Music: My Bloody Valentine - Sometimes | Powered by Last.fm

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kirrst
[whatwasthatbook]

04 January 2010 @ 06:17 pm

weak tea?

I don't remember very many details about this one, but hopefully someone can help me out. It was a children's or young adult book about a teenager who was trying to follow some secret regimen that he found in a book. I seem to remember him staying up in his room most of the time, and his dad came in to talk to him at one point and he was really evasive about everything. The biggest detail that I can remember is that on the regimen, he wasn't allowed to eat anything and he could only drink weak tea.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Current Mood:

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psychedeliceyes
[whatwasthatbook]

04 January 2010 @ 12:51 pm

Short Story: Intriguing Girl in a Graveyard

Found by

um_brellas. The First Six Killers by Markus Zusak.

There is a good chance that this story was part of a horror anthology. There is also a good chance that this story is of the YA variety.

It involved a boy who worked in a graveyard. I'm almost positive he was the gravedigger. As he is working his shift one day he meets a girl--I don't remember if she was there for a funeral or if she was visiting a grave. He found her interesting and as the story progressed he developed a crush on the girl. At one point she takes him back to her house and he looks through her bookshelf and notices that she writes the typos and mistakes she finds in the text in the back of the book.

This is all I can remember. Anyone have any idea what I'm talking about? Please and thank you.

Tags: short story

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r_a_l_i_g_h
[whatwasthatbook]

04 January 2010 @ 09:48 am

FOUND! - Sci-Fi/Fantasy - Girl with ability to "Speak" things into reality

A post last night reminded me of this book. I believe it was the first in a trilogy. A friend recommended them many years ago because the warrior-type guy was one of her favorite characters in all fiction.

I only read the first one and cannot recall a lot. It was a big, thick, swords-and-sorcery adult hardback.

The girl (who was at least in her late teens) was a "Speaker" or a "Sayer" and had some sort of ability where she could speak things into reality. Anything and everything she said automatically BECAME the truth.

FOUND! First book in the Rhapsody trilogy by Elizabeth Haydon

I think she was some sort of con-artist at the beginning and she literally ran into the warrior-type guy while trying to avoid some people who were after her. She called him "brother" or something and/or said he would defend her and because of her gift it actually became true. Except, he wasn't too happy about it.

( Click for more discription )

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