Afternoon Tea (6/14/19)

This is QUITE the interview: Françoise Gilot, 97, Does Not Regret Her Pablo Picasso Memoir

When the World’s Most Famous Mystery Writer Vanished

On the Trail of the Quaker Aunts

The Vampire Birds of the Galápagos Have Fascinating Inner Lives

Losing Religion and Finding Ecstasy in Houston

Morning Coffee (3/12/19)

Shocker: Trump proposes big cuts to health programs for poor, elderly and disabled

Reminder: The president regularly spends the weekend hobnobbing privately with rich clients

The anti-Semitism crisis tearing the UK Labour Party apart, explained

The Trouble With Biden

Hampshire College, a Child of the Sixties, Faces Its “Visioning Problem”

High tech connects Iditarod fans to the off-the-grid sled-dog race

Stop stealing other people's artifacts! Babylonian treasure seized at Heathrow to be returned to Iraq

A new Miss Marple show??

Oh neat: Library Of Congress And Ken Burns Team On Historical Documentary Prize

Scientists Thread A Nano-Needle To Modify The Genes Of Plants

Morning Coffee (12/28/18)

Time for Friday happy links!

This would be the first in Asia! Thai government backs same-sex civil partnership bill

Ooh! 'Hidden Figures' NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson to release autobiography next year

I remain cautiously optimistic: Agatha Christie’s ‘The ABC Murders’ Gets Premiere Date & First-Look Trailer

The Crown season 3 first look photos show majestic new cast

Watch original Hamilton cast members reunite to perform at Kennedy Center Honors

Aww: Tom Hanks’ Mr. Rogers Movie Gets ‘Beautiful’ Title

The Kid Who Would Be King looks really cute.

If you're stuck at your desk and bored today, this is a GREAT slideshow to flip through: 2018 Was a Very Big Year for the British Royals

Raven Cycle readers, make sure you catch this year's holiday short.

Champagne Cocktails Recipes For A Spectacular New Year's

Morning Coffee (11/30/18)

Time for Friday happy links!

YAY: Small bookstores are booming after nearly being wiped out

Rachel is a Twitter pal and I'm very excited for this one: A queer romance in the royal family? Her Royal Highness will make you swoon

AWWW: Barack Obama surprises wife Michelle at book tour stop

Oh, this sounds great! Introducing Carina Adores, a trope-driven LGBTQ+ contemporary romance line, now open for submissions!

Phew: ‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’ Sequel in the Works

I am cautiously optimistic: ‘The ABC Murders’: John Malkovich & Rupert Grint In BBC/Amazon Drama – First-Look

Whoa: Rosé Cider Cheese From Angry Orchard & Crown Finish Caves Will Dazzle Your Cheese Board This Holiday Season

Create Your Own Hallmark Christmas Movie and We'll Tell You Which One to Watch

Heh: Christmas movies would be better if all of them starred Gritty

Star Trek Beyond crew assemble in Fleet Command game footage

Morning Coffee (10/22/18)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.

This is an important report: Saudis’ Image Makers: A Troll Army and a Twitter Insider

Today in "if you're not scared, you're not paying attention": South Carolina Is Lobbying to Allow Discrimination Against Jewish Parents

Why Republicans Are Suppressing Black Votes

Of course: Trump Administration Moves to Finalize Rules Upending Birth Control Benefit

Why PEN America Is Suing Donald Trump

Trump, Warren, and America's Racial Essentialism

Sigh: Adelsons Add $25 Million to Their Midterm Campaign Spending

Wow: Penguin Random House Merges Two of its Successful Publishing Lines

I'm glad they're bringing back The Great American Baking Show with, obviously, a different judge.

Tom Bateman To Reprise Role In ‘Death on the Nile’ Adaptation At Fox; New Release Date Set

Morning Coffee (10/5/18)

Whew, time for Friday happy links.

I accept our new queen: Eight-year-old Swedish-American girl pulls pre-Viking era sword from lake

!!! Canceled Too Soon, Sweet/Vicious Will Now Become the Perfect Comic Book for the Me Too Era

New emojis! Bagel! Cupcake! Yarn!

He is SUCH an Agatha Christie Guy, if you think about it: Armie Hammer To Set Sail In ‘Death On The Nile’ Movie

I have (falling apart) copies of all these books but I want this new Madeleine L'Engle boxed set anyway.

Very into the idea of a John Legend Christmas album.

Sometimes The Onion is perfect: Chris Pine Depressed By Realization He Could Probably Win Governorship Somewhere

I want all the plaid jackets.

Winter Is Coming — and It’s Bringing an Official 'Game of Thrones' Whisky With It

12 Bookish Sweaters to Keep You Cozy All Season Long

Morning Coffee (9/29/18)

Okay: first five links are Kavanaugh-related, second five are not, if you want to skip.

The Senate has agreed to an FBI investigation of Kavanaugh. Here’s what that means.

American Bar Association: Delay Kavanaugh until FBI investigates assault allegations

THIS guy: Lindsey Graham to Democrats: “You’d better watch out for your nominees”

Republicans Marched Into A Buzzsaw

Alexandra Petri, perfect as usual: HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO BRETT KAVANAUGH?

Rand Paul’s Push to Lift Some Russia Sanctions Fizzles

Trump administration sees a 7-degree rise in global temperatures by 2100 AND THEREFORE THINKS THEY SHOULDN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.

'We got really lucky': how novichok suspects' identities were revealed

I shouldn't laugh but A LOT OF THIS STORY IS PRETTY FUNNY: Elon Musk’s tweet about taking Tesla private has triggered a federal lawsuit

I didn't love the first one but I'm still kind of excited about this? Gal Gadot To Star In ‘Death On The Nile’ Redo At Fox

Afternoon Tea (3/19/18)

This feature about the International Pizza Expo is fascinating and will make you hungry: So You Think You Can Dance—With The Dough?

China’s peasants left for the cities to seek their fortune, and it made them miserable

This biography sounds interesting: Agatha Christie’s life rivaled the immortal mysteries she created

What If Girls Knew They Were Allowed to Be Angry?

The Russian Love Affair with the Arabian Horse

Afternoon Tea (1/18/18)

This is WILD: From Nazi Germany to Australia: The Incredible True Story of History’s Longest Kayak Journey

Maureen Johnson talks ‘Truly Devious,’ Agatha Christie, and more

On Riverdale: "The characters aren’t mourning the loss of a place; they’re mourning the loss of placelessness, because with placelessness comes unaccountability. When a town can be anything the characters want, they are free to engage in corruption, classism, or any number of moral evils without fear of retribution."

The New York Times food section has a whole issue about Canada and it's very interesting, and now I need to make some butter tarts IMMEDIATELY.

I've always rolled my eyes at this whole episode, but the story IS interesting: Rebuilding on the Beatles, an Ashram in India Hopes for Revival

Morning Coffee (1/1/18)

Happy New Year!

Me elsewhere: This week's TV news.

Alexey Navalny and the Empty Spectacle of the Russian Election

This is great: MacArthur Grant Will Create ‘Sesame Street’ for Syrian Refugees

In News That Is Definitely Not Foreshadowing Anything, Melania Trump Says Her Favorite Show Is How to Get Away With Murder

lolol: John McAfee says his Twitter account was hacked

‘Anyone can change any habit’: the science of keeping your 2018 resolutions

Advice on New Year’s Resolutions from Kierkegaard and Nietzsche

This was going on for so long that I honestly forgot it was still happening: Liverpool’s Price for Van Dijk? A Wait, an Apology and $100 Million

Who's Stealing All These Goddamn Bees?

Westminster Abbey's attics yield a treasure trove of stained glass

I didn't even like the new Orient Express much but I do agree that what the world needs in 2018 is an Agatha Christie cinematic universe.

Morning Coffee (11/26/17)

Saudi Arabia’s new blockade is starving Yemen

Anita Hill and her 1991 congressional defenders to Joe Biden: You were part of the problem

Republicans Can't Govern

YouTube Is Addressing Its Massive Child Exploitation Problem

What the Least Fun Founding Father Can Teach Us Now

Trade in Dead Sea Scrolls awash with suspected forgeries, experts warn

This is a good read: This Is What ‘Self-Care’ REALLY Means, Because It’s Not All Salt Baths And Chocolate Cake

This should not surprise anyone who caught the "There was a DEATH. On the NILE. Wink wink nudge nudge" bit at the end of the movie: Murder on the Orient Express sequel in development at Fox

British Water Companies Are Searching for Leaks With Divining Rods and I'm So Angry I Could Cry

Liquid Water Might Not Be the Cause of Dark Streaks on Mars

Morning Coffee (11/24/17)

It's Friday! I keep forgetting that because it feels like, I don't know, Sunday. But it's time for happy Friday links!

The Times has posted its 100 Notable Books of 2017, and I've read... four so far, which is actually better than I often do.

This Jessica Chastain profile is delightfully feminist. (And has an amazing feminist quote from Aaron Sorkin!)

An Unabashed Appreciation of Smitten Kitchen, the Ur-Food Blog

What makes Murder on the Orient Express’s iconic ending work so well

One of my favorites: Escape the News with the British Podcast “In Our Time with Melvyn Bragg”

5 YA Books For When You Can’t Get Enough Hallmark Christmas Movies

I'm not sure I've tried this but this made me want to: Starbucks Snickerdoodle Hot Chocolate Is the Reason for the Season

YES PLEASE: This Sprawling Bookstore in a Former Church Will Have You Planning a Trip to Scotland

Hottest Heads of State made dioramas for their history candles and it's amazing.

Aww, Josh Malina.

Morning Coffee (7/22/17)

In case you, like me, could not bring yourself to read the whole thing: The Most Batshit Excerpts From that Trump-NYT Interview: 'People Don't Realize He Loves Holding My Hand'

What was Trump talking about with $12-a-year health insurance? (Ana Marie Cox suggested on Twitter that he simply doesn't understand the difference between health and life insurance, and I suspect she's on to something.)

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Manafort Was in Debt to Pro-Russia Interests, Cyprus Records Show

“Set aside Putin and follow the money”: a Russia expert’s theory of the Trump scandal

Yay! First same-sex marriage at Anglican church in UK to be held this summer

Climate change threatens an ancient way of life in Ethiopia

!! A 9-Year-Old Tripped, Fell and Discovered a Million-Year-Old Fossil

What’s Fact and What’s Fiction in Dunkirk

'Dash it all': unseen Agatha Christie letters reveal author's temper

I do not like The Skimm, so I very much enjoyed this: Pumpkin Spice Politics

Morning Coffee (7/10/17)

Me elsewhere: The week's TV news.

U.S. officials say Russian government hackers have penetrated energy and nuclear company business networks

Trump’s Son Met With Russian Lawyer After Being Promised Damaging Information on Clinton (AND ADMITTED THAT WAS THE REASON, just to be clear.)

Life in Bangladesh’s Former Caliphate

State Department Tries to Start “Fake Twitter Feud,” Understands Neither Feuds nor Twitter

We Need to Stop This “Andrew Cuomo 2020” Nonsense Immediately

Sigh: A Muslim activist referenced jihad and the right freaked out because they don’t know what it means

Heh: Scientists are about to change what a kilogram is. That’s massive.

This Agatha Christie miniseries is casting everybody I like. Thanks!

I really cannot blame him: Edward Albee’s Final Wish Was for His Unfinished Work to Be Completely Destroyed

Found: Evidence That Humans Have Been Eating Potatoes in North America for Over 10,000 Years

Morning Coffee (6/2/17)

Time for our traditional happy Friday links!

Aaah, we have a Murder on the Orient Express trailer! It's so gorgeous!

Victoria & Abdul also looks very pretty! JUDI DENCH EVERYWHERE.

Oh good - Hottest Heads of State has addressed Emmanuel Macron.

British GQ has a very cute new picture of Will and Kate and kids, and William is doing a really nice job of speaking out about mental health and his mother's death.

!!! Rainbow Rowell to write Marvel's new Runaways series (I don't have any particular Runaways feelings but yay Rainbow!)

In other exciting superhero news: The Flash and Supergirl to get middle-grade novels

This week in things I wish were relevant to my life right now: The best afternoon teas in London

Take a Long Walk Through the British Countyside With “Slow Radio” on the BBC

Wow: Architects have identified the 10 most beautiful gas stations in the world

! Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Professional Cat Cuddler?

Morning Coffee (5/15/17)

(Still traveling! Hope the world hasn't ended yet! Back tomorrow!)

Mexico’s lost generation of young girls robbed of innocence and education

Fascinating: The Tangled Story Behind Trump’s False Claims Of Voter Fraud

I guess this isn't surprising, but dear Lord, he thinks health insurance costs $15 a month: Donald Trump has no idea what health insurance costs

The Last Whalers of the Caribbean

This is cool: What a Physicist Sees When She Looks at a Fancy Gown

To Simulate Climate Change, Scientists Build Miniature Worlds

Fake news about Agatha Christie is nothing new, but it's not drying up

How Women Learned To Love Chocolate

Chrissy Teigen is A DELIGHT, as always, and she says in this interview that she never washes her face at night, which makes me feel better about my own struggle to make a habit of that.

Stop the madness: The Narwhal Frappuccino Is Here and It Actually Sounds Delicious

Morning Coffee (5/5/17)

I think we all need some happy Friday links this week.

Good news!!! Hillary Clinton to launch political group as soon as next week

Also! You can now buy a new story by Rainbow Rowell and help the ACLU!

This is a fun interview (by Andrew Rannells!) and your Friday could probably be improved by looking at his face: Matt Bomer: The King of Summer TV

What the world needs now: Dorie Greenspan Gets a New York Times Magazine Column and It’s All About Dessert

I assume you want to see Justin Trudeau dressed as a firefighter (kinda).

In Praise of Agatha Christie's Accidental Sleuths

This is GREAT for those of us who like poring over genealogical tables in history books: Royally Connected

Speaking of, Princess Charlotte had her birthday this week and she's very cute.

The Most Ridiculous Jeans Styles of the Year, Ranked

Let's go! New 'Downton Abbey' Exhibit Lets You Walk Through Mrs. Patmore's Kitchen and More

Morning Coffee (4/7/17)

Finally Friday. Time for some distracting links.

Obviously the original issue here isn't happy, but the reaction is: Dutch Men Hold Hands in Solidarity With Attacked Gay Couple

This is SO COOL: An Excavation Of One Of The World’s Greatest Art Collections

The new Netflix Anne show looks... pretty good, you guys.

Fascinating: Translating Agatha Christie into Icelandic: 'One clue took 10 years'

What it's like to run an all-romance bookstore in Los Angeles

Hee: Sony Asked Us to Share Footage of the Smurfs: The Lost Village Premiere and We Said Yes

Hahaha: Harlequin Brings Its Romance-Novel Hunks Into the Real World, With Hidden Cameras Rolling

Want To Ogle Some Official Gifts Given To The Queen? WHO DOESN'T?

Martha Stewart and a drone!

Ooh, so organized: Mayim Bialik’s Passover Calendar Looks Intense

I didn't know the Mary Poppins house was real!

Let's run away to a castle in Italy.

Morning Coffee (3/17/17)

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Let's have some happy Friday links.

Yay!!! Chelsea Clinton announces new picture book, She Persisted

Aw: Refugees in Canada are embracing the country’s silliest sport

I'm pretty impressed with these St. Patrick's Day manicures.

Aaah, look at these female author shirts. I want the Agatha Christie one.

Obviously I also need Game of Thrones wine.

Hero cat!!

!! Matthew Perry Once Beat Up Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Don't worry, they were kids.)

This winery/WWII spy museum sounds like the perfect place for my family to go on vacation.

Navigating Vienna’s Imperial Past — Through Pastries (I feel we should navigate MORE things through pastries, really.)

I assume you want to know about the Queen's secret handbag code.

A statistician got curious about M&M colors and went on an endearingly geeky quest for answers

The Unsung Delight of a Well-Designed Endpaper

Morning Coffee (12/23/16)

(I'm traveling, so this post was written in advance and does not take into account whatever additional horrors have recently been unleashed upon the world.)

Time for some pre-Christmas happy Friday links!

Curiosity's Most Incredible Mars Snapshots of 2016

Midsomer Murders is getting a new sidekick!

Whoa: New York superfan recreates Star Trek's Enterprise bridge + sets from actual blueprints

12 Writers on the Books They’re Giving as Gifts This Year

Who wants to go on an Agatha Christie vacation?

A city councilman tried to get rid of a library cat. The cat outlasted his political career.

Aw: 57 Years Later, Even the Library Had Stopped Counting the Fines

The Year of Hygge, the Danish Obsession with Getting Cozy

Related: How to Hygge Your Reading Life

Let's ogle some vintage ski posters.

The Year in Kate Middleton’s Hair, 2016 Edition

8 Knitting Projects for Fantasy and Sci-Fi Fans