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October 8

Looking for a new YA book to read

I'm looking to see if anyone has suggestions for a YA book that I can read. Maybe with some action and sci-fi themes. Teenage first person narrator. Good, solid grammar (nothing like Blood Red Road). Fast paced, compelling read. Optional romance. Doesn't matter how many books in series. Could I get a list of suggestions?2602:306:CC43:A8A0:C8A1:D21E:F7DC:74C1 (talk) 00:24, 8 October 2015 (UTC)[reply]

This isn't really our purview, but I think it's fine. When I was young I really enjoyed the books of William_Sleator. Most have some sci-fi elements, some coming of age, etc. Didn't you recently ask a question about higher spatial dimensions? Then Sleator's "The_Boy_Who_Reversed_Himself" might be just for you - kid gets the ability to move into a fourth spatial dimension, comes back "reversed", with his heart on the right hand side, etc. Can move through walls, fun stuff ensues. If you like fantasy and humor, Piers Anthony might be a good choice. (He's sometimes a bit ribald, but still PG-13) It's not squarely YA but Isaac Asimov's short stories are accessible to young people and a lot of fun - I, Robot in particular is a great introduction to sci-fi of the era. If you like Star Wars, the Timothy Zahn books for episodes VII-IX are probably the best Star Wars novels ever written. I remember really liking Admiral Thrawn and Mara Jade when I read the books in the 90s. You've probably heard of The Hunger Games, but it's one of the newer YA series that I also liked, very tightly written and well-paced action IMO. Enjoy, and let me know if you read The Boy Who Reversed Himself :) SemanticMantis (talk) 14:37, 8 October 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Oh, more on the dimensional theme - Flatland is a classic, but it's really more about social commentary than geometry. A more modern take on that is The Planiverse, which explores the idea of flat life in much more serious biological/physical/chemical detail. SemanticMantis (talk) 14:41, 8 October 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Along the sci-fi theme, there is the Ender's Game series. I've only read the first one. While I'd recommend it, I've heard fewer good things about the subsequent books in the series. Also, Robert Heinlein wrote a few books for younger readers. Podkayne of Mars is the first that jumps to mind. Dismas|^(talk) 20:57, 8 October 2015 (UTC)[reply]

10th TCA Awards - Nominations

I'm looking for references to cite for the Nominations at the 10th TCA Awards.

I can already find plenty of sources that only just cite the Winners, but I want a cite for the Nominees.

Specifically because I'm drafting up a Featured List drive for Bill Nye the Science Guy, and I want to find a WP:RS source that indeed confirms the television show was nominated for the 10th TCA Awards.

Please ping or message me on my user talk page if you find anything.

Any help would be appreciated,

— Cirt (talk) 06:11, 8 October 2015 (UTC)[reply]

@Cirt: I'm not sure if IMDB is reliable enough for this usage, but it might be better than nothing - they list Nye as a 1994 nominee here [1]. IMDB has some user-generated content, but Wikipedia:Identifying_reliable_sources#Context_matters, and I don't think Nye's nomination is a very heavy claim, so it doesn't necessarily demand a heavy source. SemanticMantis (talk) 18:26, 8 October 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the reply, SemanticMantis, but I'd prefer a better source than IMDB. Any help would be appreciated, thank you, — Cirt (talk) 20:13, 8 October 2015 (UTC)[reply]

foreign language cover versions of Alabama song

Looking for particular one, possibly eastern european language cover version,not version of the Brecht opera, well, same words, but like they've not heard the brecht and they're covering the doors song, I have heard it before. Rrrra r r soso (talk) 21:03, 8 October 2015 (UTC)[reply]

One possible suggestion: "Song o Alabamie" by Kazik Staszewski, though it appeared on his album Melodie Kurta Weill'a i coś ponadto (2001) which might suggest that his point of reference was in fact Kurt Weill, not The Doors. ---Sluzzelin talk 10:27, 9 October 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I listened to the song now ([2]), and I'm still quite unsure that's what you meant. The Doors' version is closer to the original than Staszewski's interpretation is. Perhaps there are a couple of things that might remind one of The Doors' version (voice with reverb, for example), but mostly I hear differences. So again, very unsure ... I saw it's listed in our article's selection of recordings. Another Slavic language act I saw there is Električni Orgazam, but their version, "Alabama" (on Lišće prekriva Lisabon (1982)), is sung in English. ---Sluzzelin talk 21:50, 9 October 2015 (UTC)[reply]