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Are you thinking of Notes on a Scandal? Not epistolary, but it is written by one of the characters.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 4:23 PM on July 27, 2011

Would novels also be what you're looking for? I'm sure you know of Kader Abdolah. There are plenty of great Muslim writers in Europe, many of whom write about the experience of being a Muslim immigrant. Tahar Ben Jalloun springs to mind as well.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 7:17 PM on July 25, 2011

The language is called Icelandic. Don't worry, most people have a good conversational grasp of English.

The Blue Lagoon is a good recommendation. Downtown is small but lovely, especially if the weather is nice. If you like museums, there are a bunch downtown, almost all within about fifteen minutes' walk of each other. Since you'll be there on little sleep, I recommend getting coffee. Kaffismiðjan, Kaffifélagið and Café Haïti are your best bets, though most places have… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 5:37 AM on July 22, 2011

I came in here to recommend LeGuin, but I see that she's already been mentioned, so let me just add my name to the chorus.

A book that I see in a surprisingly large number of bookcases belonging to people who rarely if ever read SF is John Brunner's Standing on Zanzibar. It's very good and entertaining.

Another such book is Roadside Picnic by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky, which is wonderful (in a bleak sort of way). It was the basis for… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 4:17 AM on July 11, 2011

I don't know if it will affect your choice, but The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress is very libertarian, to the point that some world-building elements are hard to believe if you're not of that ideological stripe. That said, Heinlein was a better writer than Ayn Rand (at that stage in his career, he went off the deep end in the late 70s and everything after that is so bad that retroactively makes his earlier stuff worse) and so TMIHM is not by any means a painful read. But it is very… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 10:26 AM on July 11, 2011

Well, by the standards of late Heinlein The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress is a masterpiece, but then so is the back of a shampoo bottle. It's no To Sail Beyond the Sunset, that's for sure. Though in TMIHM you'll find some of the awful, awful tropes that will come to obsess Heinlein in his later years, but unless you've read these later works you probably won't notice (i.e. what I said above about late Heinlein ruining earlier Heinlein).
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 11:27 AM on July 11, 2011

Any mistake would be bad enough. But to give a f'rinstance, her strokes could be too light or too heavy.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 8:28 AM on July 10, 2011

Whisper of the Heart is an often overlooked Studio Ghibli film (not a Miyazaki film) which I recommend to everyone. I second Sara C's point about letting her follow her interests. That's how I got into world cinema. Oh, but also go see films with her in a cinema, if there are interesting films being shown close to where you live (especially if there's an independent arthouse cinema somewhere near you).

As to specific films... Kikujiro is a quirky, wonderful comedy by… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 7:31 AM on July 10, 2011

I lived in Providence for five years, 2005-10. If I had to describe it in personality terms I'd say it's weird and engaging. If you're willing to look around there's always interesting stuff going on. Also, I can't overemphasize how good the food culture is. Johnson & Wales University is a top-rank culinary school, so there are lots of highly trained chefs working in restaurants, even cheaper places. The one blight is that there isn't a good Chinese or Japanese place, but you can jump on the… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 5:01 PM on July 7, 2011

I didn't realize I couldn't link to blogposts directly, so here are all the images, including the ones I have already linked.

Original, unenhanced photo
Enhanced photo
The stage
Close up of mystery woman
Stonework and people behind the stage to the left
Women in front of stage
Stonework and people behind the stage to the right

ryanshepard: Is there any information… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 11:39 AM on June 29, 2011

I think you need to step outside of yourself for a moment. Personally when I'm in similar situations, where I'm not happy with how I'm behaving, I find reading a book to be immensely helpful. The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius is about as classic a treatment of the issues you're ever going to find. Buy a copy (a recent translation would probably be better) and read. It's short, it's great, it's helped thousands in the kind of situation you're in right now for 1500 years.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 9:21 AM on June 29, 2011

An excellent thread, but one tiny little niggle. While the European Championship is the strongest of the continental competition, Copa América is no slouch, featuring as it does Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina and the other South American nations (and two invitational teams). And, most pertinently, it is starting this Friday, July 1st, and it promises to be very exciting. Univision will show it in Spanish, but I believe that it will only be shown on the internet. YouTube will stream matches in 50… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 7:40 AM on June 27, 2011

A propos of what asterix said, if you like to root for righteous underdogs, xicana63, then Swansea City is the tide your boat is waiting for. Note: May end in heartbreak.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 2:10 PM on June 27, 2011

Oh yeah, I don't think anyone's mentioned this... most countries have more than one cup competition, for instance besides the FA Cup in England (and Wales) there's also the less prestigious Football League Cup also known simply as the League Cup (or the Carling Cup, after its sponsor).
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 3:02 PM on June 27, 2011

Kim Newman's Nightmare Movies, a classic text on horror films, was just republished in a much expanded edition.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 1:54 AM on June 21, 2011

Jean Valjean is a saint. The novel is his hagiography.

Now that I'm commenting... Independent People by Halldór Laxness is about a man who subsumes everything to his desire to be free and independent. He's very much an antihero and it's not much of a stretch to connect him to the Miltonic Lucifer.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 5:35 PM on June 20, 2011

Seems like that picture originated at Drudge Report. The blog I linked speculates that it's a file photo, which seems likely.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 3:26 PM on June 9, 2011

I remember this as well. I'm almost positive this was in the Rogue Trader book (or, possibly, in the second edition rulebook).
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 1:06 PM on May 31, 2011 marked best answer

Were they Playmobil figurines? Castaway by Camphor is made from Playmobil dioramas.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 11:19 AM on May 29, 2011

It's possible, but just barely. Basically if there's any delay in your flight coming in, it's gonna be awfully tight. On the other hand, if your connecting flight is delayed, you'll have more time at the lagoon.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 9:14 AM on May 19, 2011

Sometimes guesthouses are even cheaper, and certainly nicer. Baldursbrá is one I recommend to friends all the time.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 8:15 AM on May 20, 2011

I'm voting for Much Ado too. The Kenneth Branagh film has a lot of outdoor, about-town scenes. But it also fits well, for the reasons enumerated by nicwolff.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 4:10 PM on May 11, 2011

Yeah, I'm an Icelander and luxury foods are always welcome. Just bringing something in general would be well appreciated. Maple syrup would be welcome, so would chocolate, cheese, wine etc. Little statues or something of that sort would be good too.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 8:14 AM on May 2, 2011

Here's one that's MeFi related which, depending on your audience, may be fit your needs or not. Violet Blue read out some comments from MetaFilter from this thread including mine, which has the phrase "that about covers it" which Violet Blue says at the very end of the video.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 3:15 PM on April 19, 2011

Icelandic.

Little sister: Litla systir (cutesy: lilla sys).
Little brother: Litli bróðir (cutesy: lilli bró).
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 6:29 PM on April 15, 2011

Your best bet is Italian crime fiction, which has a strong tradition of unsolved mysteries. From here: One of the most important and prolific writers, Carlo Emilio Gadda, had a significant impact on later authors. His novel, That Awful Mess on Via Merulana was published in 1957 (available in English from a number of publishers - e.g. G. Braziller, N.Y., 1984). It was set in fascist Italy of the 1920s and provided a somewhat negative view of the police. It can be characterized as an… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 8:06 AM on April 12, 2011 marked best answer

Roberto Bolaño is amazing. I'd recommend starting with some short stories to see how you like his style. Last Evenings on Earth is a good place to start. Savage Detectives would be my next stop. Oh, and as for Murakami, I wouldn't start with Wind-up Bird Chronicle, A Wild Sheep Chase, Norwegian Wood or Hard-Boiled Wonderand and the End of the World are better places to dive in.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 4:01 PM on April 9, 2011

Yeah, Á næstu grösum is really nice. The Noodle Station makes good noodle soup and is cheap. As for shopping, I recommend ambling up and down Laugavegur and Skólavörðustígur, looking into stores that interest you. It's hard to name any specific stores unless you say what kind of stuff you're interested in.

If you do like seafood, then you'll be in heaven. There's tons of great seafood restaurants. In fact, I can't think of a bad one.

And hey, if… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 2:46 PM on April 3, 2011

The hot dog stand Bæjarins beztu is at the corner of Pósthússtræti and Tryggvagata. The flea market, called Kolaportið (which is inside a building, not a pavillion) is kitty corner from Bæjarins beztu (though you have have to walk around the building to get to an entrance).
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 9:59 PM on April 3, 2011

Oh, and Café Haïti is not far, which has very good coffee, is not far. Walk to the end of Tryggvagata, away from downtown. It curves and meets another street. Cross that street, go left and you should see Café Haïti very soon. There are a series of blue-green houses, it's in one of them.

The other best place to get coffee is Kaffismiðjan, which is on the corner of Kárastígur and Frakkastígur. It is in between Laugavegur and Skólavörðustígur, so it's a nice place to… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 10:23 PM on April 3, 2011

France Culture is just amazing. If I have to recommend any single one of their podcasts above any other, I'd go with Les Lundis de l'histoire, it's a really wonderful program about history (and I don't just say that because my dad was on a recent program).
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 1:06 AM on April 3, 2011

First of all, figure out why you (or the narrator, if you want to create a character) is telling the story. You don't have to state it anywhere in the text, but it helps you organize your text to know what needs saying and what doesn't. Second, figure out who you (or the character) is telling the story too (can be real people, can be characters in the book, can be society at large). Again, that helps you organize the mass of material you already have and, more importantly, figure out what's… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 3:24 PM on March 27, 2011

Country Joe and the Fish were among the earliest, if not the earliest, India-influenced psychedelics. Section 43 off Electric Music for the Mind and Body is one example.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 10:58 PM on March 25, 2011 marked best answer

I've been looking for the earlier, EP version of Section 43, which is even better, but I haven't been able to find it. But here's Bass Strings off Electric Music for the Mind and Body and Section 43 live at Monterey.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 11:46 PM on March 25, 2011

One thing you can do is make the opponent a nominal ally, for example the British, but have your team of super spies thrust into a situation where national interests are wildly diverging and having to tussle with them.

Check out the TV series Sandbaggers if you want to get a feel for that kind of gameworld.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 11:03 PM on March 25, 2011

prenominal: my favorite guilty pleasure -- Soda Stereo

Guilty pleasure? Soda Stereo were a great band! But even better is the first album that Gustavo Cerati, their singer, guitarist and main songwriter, recorded after the band broke up: Bocanada. It's widely recognized as a classic and it's also one of my favorite albums. Here are Tabú and Paseo Inmoral from that album.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 10:06 PM on March 22, 2011

Takeshi Kitano's film Kikujiro came immediately to mind. It's a hilarious road movie about an incompetent gangster, played by Takeshi, and a little kid that falls under his reluctant care. Very sweet film and very funny. The film 101 Reykjavík also fits. It's about family, first and foremost.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 8:30 PM on March 15, 2011

Douglas Adams was a wonderful reader. I especially recommend Last Chance to See.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 7:00 PM on March 14, 2011 marked best answer

Yeah, looking outside of anime will be hard (Whisper of the Heart is another great slice-of-life Ghibli film, incidentally, and Kare Kano is a phenomenal series about the life of high school students in Japan). Waltz with Bashir isn't really about ordinary life as most Westerners would know it, but it is about the ordinary life of Israelis having to deal with the scars of war.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 9:46 AM on March 1, 2011

It's back! At least in Iceland it is. The Daily Show can now be happily streamed.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 11:22 AM on February 28, 2011

Is the second The Lady Eve? Here's the scene I was reminded of by your description.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 6:14 PM on February 20, 2011

martinrebas: Sort-of-yes for Swedish, although "high" and "low" are more often used to describe loudness, not pitch.

In Icelandic "high" (hár) and "low" (lágur) are used to descrive pitch, not volume (for volume you use hávært and lágvært). You also use hár and lágur for position in space as well.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 1:55 PM on February 19, 2011

"I know. I know that I shall never again meet anything or anybody who will inspire me with passion. You know, it's quite a job starting to love somebody. You have to have energy, generosity, blindness. There is even a moment, in the very beginning, when you have to jump across a precipice: if you think about it you don't do it. I know I'll never jump again."
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 4:47 PM on February 16, 2011 marked best answer

Indeed from Nausea.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 4:48 PM on February 16, 2011 marked best answer

Hylas: The extracurricular education you are receiving will probably be of use to you, even if it's not immediately apparent.

The best defense of knowledge for knowledge's sake I've heard (courtesy of MeFite GenjiandProust) was this aphorism coined by an SF fan named Jerry Kaufman: "The more you know, the more jokes you get."

That is, don't take it so seriously. The great thing about liberal education is how enjoyable… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 3:56 PM on February 16, 2011 marked best answer

Oh, yeah, also, remember that you'll never approach learning a measurable percentage of all that's worth knowing. I find that a freeing thought, personally.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 4:34 PM on February 16, 2011

Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco is quite wonderful.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 3:57 PM on February 16, 2011

I've heard good things about the Magnusson book. The Sagas are a good bet, though. Egil's Saga and Njal's Saga are probably the best places to start. Mind you, Icelanders also wrote historical works in the middle ages, most notably Heimskringla and Sverris Saga, about Norwegian kings. And contemporary non-fiction, which was later collated into Sturlunga Saga, which deals with the Icelandic civil war of the 12th and 13th centuries.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 2:51 PM on February 15, 2011

Oh, and you might want to check out Emily Lethbridge's Saga-Steads of Iceland blog, which is about her journey around Iceland, checking out historical and sagalicious scenery. The "Press Coverage" sidebar has information about her project.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 5:03 PM on February 15, 2011

Irvine Welsh has a bunch. Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance is your best bet (especially the final novella).
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kattullus at 2:44 PM on February 15, 2011 marked best answer