Nov 13 2018

The Wedding Date, by Jasmine Guillory

Jasmine Guillory's The Wedding Date boasts a delightful heroine, a memorable hook, and centers around a healthy, sex-positive, power-balanced relationship. I really liked large portions of the story, but thought it fell short on one critical front.

More »

Nov 13 2018

Weekly Book Giveaway: The Wedding Date, by Jasmine Guillory

2018-11-13-weekly-book-giveaway-the-wedding-date-by-jasmine-guillory

This week's Book Giveaway is Jasmine Guillory's The Wedding Date, which has gotten a lot of absolutely glowing reviews (particularly for a romance novel, which are depressingly prone to being completely ignored by critics). A full review will follow shortly, and this giveaway will run through 11/23/18...

More »

Nov 8 2018

A taste for cheese

2018-11-08-a-taste-for-cheese

For the past six moths, PBS has been running their “The Great American Read” survey, which garnered over four million votes. The winner (which was always the frontrunner) was Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, which beat everything from Harry Potter to Pride and Prejudice...

More »

Nov 8 2018

Promising?

2018-11-08-promising

I recently saw the latest trailer for Syfy's Nightflyers, based in the 1980 novella by Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin. Writing about it on his blog, Martin sounds like he's giving the series a cautious thumbs-up...

More »

Nov 7 2018

Rest in peace, Ms. Bell

2018-11-07-rest-in-peace-ms-bell

I ran across this obituary of translator Anthea Bell recently, and it took me a while to remember why I knew Ms. Bell's name. It turns out I'd spent a lot of time complaining about her in 2012, while I was wondering...

More »

Nov 6 2018

Sure, why not?

2018-11-06-sure-why-not

I treasure this level of geekdom: there is apparently an elaborate fan theory that the 2013 sci-fi action film Snowpiercer is a direct sequel to Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory...

More »

Nov 6 2018

Huh

2018-11-06-huh

How did I miss the previous trailers for this new Robin Hood movie? Why does it look so terrible? (And why are the costumes so weird?) If it didn't have a reasonably big-name cast, I'd assume this was, like, a Syfy original series...

More »

Nov 5 2018

The Highest House: Issue #1, by Mike Carey

2018-11-05-the-highest-house-issue-1-by-mike-carey

I recently asked the owner of my local comic book store if I should buy the new Books of Magic reboot. He hesitated, but then (very diplomatically, I thought) said that while he was pleased the Vertigo reboots were driving traffic into the store, he thought he could recommend some more interesting fantasy titles. I trust his taste, so...

More »

Nov 5 2018

Weekly Book Giveaway: The Highest House: Issue #1, by Mike Carey

2018-11-05-weekly-book-giveaway-the-highest-house-issue-1-by-mike-carey

It's been quite some time since we've featured a comic book, so this week's Book Giveaway is the first issue of Mike Carey's latest title, The Highest House. A full review will follow shortly, and this giveaway will run through 11/23/18...

More »

Nov 1 2018

Cute! But maybe too much?

2018-11-01-cute-but-maybe-too-much

Okay, so I'm torn: would wearing a vintage-style t-shirt reading "EURIPIDES" be amusingly quirky, or obnoxiously twee? I honestly can't decide, but if this is the kind of thing that speaks to you...

More »

Nov 1 2018

Worth it

2018-11-01-worth-it

NPR recently posted an article about a long-lost edition of 1,001 Nights. The version in question was illustrated by Danish artist Kay Nielsen during World War I, but for various reasons the book was never released...

More »

Oct 31 2018

No, thank you

2018-10-31-no-thank-you

In honor of Halloween, I've been reading several article about The Haunting of Hill House, Netflix's miniseries adaptation of Shirley Jackson's novel. I'm way too much of a chicken to actually watch the series (even still shots give me the heebie-jeebies), but...

More »

Oct 30 2018

Carbs and environmental disasters!

2018-10-30-carbs-and-environmental-disasters

I was interested in this crowd-sourced list of the 100 "Must-Read" nonfiction books of the year. Their subjects are limited (and please note that the list includes several titles that haven't been released in the US yet), but I found at least three books I really want to read...

More »

Oct 30 2018

Looking forward to it

2018-10-30-looking-forward-to-it

We're cruising towards the launch of my most-anticipated K-drama of 2018: Clean With Passion For Now, and trailers are beginning to appear. This is based on a popular webcomic, and I'm a little nervous about...

More »

Oct 29 2018

Never Dare a Wicked Earl, by Renee Ann Miller

2018-10-29-never-dare-a-wicked-earl-by-renee-ann-miller

I am always on the lookout for promising new historical romance novelists, so I was delighted to encounter Renee Ann Miller's Never Dare a Wicked Earl. Sure, I've read more compelling romance and more ambitious historical fiction, but this was a thoroughly respectable, entertaining combination of the two—and that's harder to find than you'd think...

More »

Oct 29 2018

Weekly Book Giveaway: Never Dare a Wicked Earl, by Renee Ann Miller

2018-10-29-weekly-book-giveaway-never-dare-a-wicked-earl-by-renee-ann-miller

This week's Book Giveaway is Never Dare a Wicked Earl, by Renee Ann Miller. It appears to be her first book, but I'm not at all surprised she was already signed for a series—this is a really solid debut. A full review will...

More »

Oct 25 2018

Clock's ticking

2018-10-25-clocks-ticking

And speaking of Cadillac Desert (as well as David Owen's Where the Water Goes), I see that the federal government recently announced an end-of-year deadline to resolve water rights issues surrounding the Colorado River...

More »

Oct 25 2018

Even more required reading

2018-10-25-even-more-required-reading

I've said it before and I'll say it again: every resident of the American West should read Cadillac Desert. This article (part of a series tellingly titled "PARCHED") in...

More »

Oct 24 2018

I WANT THEM.

2018-10-24-i-want-them

Okay, these Oliver Jeffers-designed Veja sneakers are so adorable it hurts. Jeffers is an author and illustrator best known for his children's books, and Veja is a French shoe company that produces fair trade, environmentally-friendly sneakers...

More »

Oct 23 2018

I have questions

2018-10-23-i-have-questions

CrimeReads has begun assembling a list of the 15 Most Adapted Female Crime Writers. Heading the list is obviously Agatha Christie, but I was taken aback by how many of the authors were new to me—I had never even heard of six of them. Also, I have questions about their methodology: I know not everywhere in the world has a thriving film industry, but...

More »

Oct 23 2018

Mid-level tech

2018-10-23-midlevel-tech

This isn't the most elegant book stand (although I like the way it looks with a book in it), but I approve of the functionality of it, as well as its $12 price tag...

More »

Oct 22 2018

An Easy Death, by Charlaine Harris

2018-10-22-an-easy-death-by-charlaine-harris

Charlaine Harris knows what works for her. All of her books feature working-class protagonists, vividly imagined worlds, and a bizarre notion of romantic chemistry. Her latest effort, An Easy Death, takes those familiar elements in unexpected directions, but her basic formula is still present...

More »

Oct 22 2018

Weekly Book Giveaway: An Easy Death, by Charlaine Harris

2018-10-22-weekly-book-giveaway-an-easy-death-by-charlaine-harris

This week's Book Giveaway is Charlaine Harris's An Easy Death. I was really into her recent Midnight, Texas series, so I'm excited about this. A full review will follow shortly, and this giveaway will run through 10/26/18...

More »

Oct 18 2018

Of course, they were adaptations to begin with, but still.

2018-10-18-of-course-they-were-adaptations-to-begin-with-but-still

There's a fascinating article at The AV Club about an important fact that may be fueling Disney's current passion for live-action remakes of their classic animated films: Disney owns the scripts for those movies wholesale, so...

More »

Oct 18 2018

I've always wanted a comma between "there" and "God"

2018-10-18-ive-always-wanted-a-comma-between-there-and-god

Apparently, Judy Blume recently announced that she was considering opening up more of her books to potential film adaptations, and someone has just snagged her most famous novel. According to Deadline, producer James L. Brooks and writer Kelly Fremon Craig...

More »

Oct 17 2018

Messy but still interesting!

2018-10-17-messy-but-still-interesting

Jezebel just posted an essay by Kelly Faircloth called "Something Is Wrong in This House: How Bluebeard Became the Definitive Fairy Tale of Our Era". I found Faircloth's arguments a bit difficult to follow...

More »

Oct 16 2018

Hi-def is an unkind medium

2018-10-16-hidef-is-an-unkind-medium

And speaking of book-to-screen adaptations, I see the trailer is out for the second season of Midnight, Texas. I liked the first season more than I expected, so I'm stoked about this, although it's clear even...

More »

Oct 16 2018

Bit of a letdown

2018-10-16-bit-of-a-letdown

I can't believe I missed this: next week, PBS is going to start airing a BBC One adaptation of Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White. (You can see a brief trailer here.) My parents' copy...

More »

Oct 15 2018

Stupid Love Comedy, by Shushushu Sakurai

2018-10-15-stupid-love-comedy-by-shushushu-sakurai

Shushushu Sakurai's Stupid Love Comedy is an odd duck—it's packaged like a conventional romance manga, but most of the story is devoted to meta jokes and background information about manga publishing. The plot centers around Suzu Sakura, a manga artist who is disorganized, inconsiderate, and perpetually late. When her original editor changes jobs, Suzu is assigned to Hasegawa, the editing department's devastatingly handsome new recruit...

More »

Oct 15 2018

Weekly Book Giveaway: Stupid Love Comedy, by Shushushu Sakurai

2018-10-15-weekly-book-giveaway-stupid-love-comedy-by-shushushu-sakurai

This week's Book Giveaway is Stupid Love Comedy, a lengthy one-shot manga by Shushushu Sakurai. A full review will follow shortly, but please note: due to a bunch of overdue postings, this giveaway will run through 10/26/18...

More »