Hi Sars,

The letter from the reader asking for help to find the title of a book
they read as a kid made me think to ask your readers for help to hunt
down a book from my childhood that I’ve been trying to find for years. I
admit I can’t remember it very clearly, but you never know who might
recognize it, right?

I read it in the 6th grade, but I remember feeling
like a lot of it went over my head. It was a bit complex and perhaps
quite witty or quirky. I remember three main things: a group of people
were the main characters, perhaps spending time together in a house(?);
the group of people were involved with playing the stock market; and the
book (a paperback) had a lot of red in the cover.

I know it’s not much to go on, but if anyone could tell me what it is,
I’d love them forever.

Thank you,
I swear I didn’t just dream this book

Dear Swear,

That sounds vaguely familiar, but I’m not coming up with any bolts of inspiration here; let’s ask the readers.

Readers — email subject line: “red book.”

Hi Sars,

I live on the West Coast of Canada and, contrary to popular stereotype, it doesn’t get cold and snowy here.It gets extremely rainy starting around Halloween and lasting straight through until about Easter with one token day of snow.So the question is, where would one go about finding a good, sensible raincoat?I’m on a budget (less than $150 would be reaallly nice) but am willing to use U.S. websites and pay the customs for something that’s cute but also is gonna keep me dry and a little bit warm.

Signed,
Finding Boots Was The Easy Part…

Dear Easy,

I don’t bother with a raincoat — I’d rather just take my chances with a cloth coat than switch back and forth — but I’m sure the readers have some advice for you.In the meantime, check out Bluefly for designer lightweight coats and rainwear at a discount.

Readers, hit it.Email subject line: “rainwear.”

So, it seems that several years ago I bought my not-easy-to-shop-for brother-in-law a gift that he really liked, but which has now broken.My sister suggested I replace it for his upcoming birthday, but of course I have no recollection of the gift itself, let alone where I got it.

It’s a cubed six-sided clock for his desk, with a clock on one face, barometric pressure on another, and other things on the other sides.

I’ve searched Sharper Image, Brookstone, Hammacher Schlemmer and Red Envelope, with no luck. Any suggestions?

J

Dear J,

I was reading this all, “What about Red Envel– oh.”

I can’t think of any other gadgety stores or catalogs offhand, so you might try looking at more general stores like Bed, Bath & Beyond or Restoration Hardware — or even more general than that, Target or Kmart’s Martha Stewart collection.

Readers, you can send a link to or photo of a specific clock, or you can send a store link that might carry it.Email subject line: “clock.”

[12/15/06]

Share!