Weekly Rec: The Beach Boys with The Royal Philharmonic

Does your summer - and this WEEK, God - need a blast of PURE JOY? Go listen to this new album, which has Beach Boys songs with new orchestral backing tracks by the Royal Philharmonic. It's such an interesting exercise - especially because they didn't replace the original instruments, as I'd feared, but rather layered in the orchestra behind them, so these versions of the songs are incredibly rich and lush. Some of them work better than others (and a few of the songs I'm sure I've never heard before - "Disney Girls"???) but as a whole it's a delightful listening experience. "Here Today" and "Fun, Fun, Fun" are particularly great. You can get the album from Amazon or listen on Spotify (also embedded below). Enjoy!

Alternate Universe Beach Boys

THIS IS VERY WEIRD.

Morning Coffee (5/20/16)

Me elsewhere: New episode of The Fourth Wall podcast called Fandom 101, the CW's fall schedule, new clips from The Hollow Crown, and Thursday's Daily Read.

On to Happy Friday links! (Don't worry, we'll be back to all the terrible things happening in the world tomorrow.

!!!!! A Fort McMurray Evacuee’s Cat Was Taken Care By An Airline And It Was Adorable

I loved how Star Trek revealed the new show logo on Instagram; luckily a smart person took a screenshot.

Leicester City: The science behind their Premier League title

Is The Onion following my dad around now?? Area Dad Needs More Time With Museum Plaque

Speaking of Dad, he passed along this delight: University Title Generator

Pet Sounds is really really really great.

I APPROVE: The First Restaurants Only Served Soup

The Mind-Boggling Challenge of Designing 120-Sided Dice

Heh: Facebook Trivia Questions, Customized for You

Ooh: 'Impossibly Rare' Violet Diamond Found

If Tom Hiddleston Were Your Boyfriend

Morning Coffee (2/26/15)

If you've wondered why I care so much about Classic Alice, this is why.

Bertrice Small has died. I haven't read her - I should rectify that! - but she was so, so important to the romance genre and women in publishing. Two great quotes from that obituary: "I do not write weak women" and "If you're going to undress a heroine, you'd better damn well know what she's got on underneath."

Aaaaah, I'm VERY EXCITED about this Brian Wilson biopic.

Perfect: Boston Is a YA Dystopian Novel

The Punisher: Jeb Bush and the Schiavos

Ooh, they're rebooting DuckTales.

This is much funnier than it sounds: A mysterious tunnel was discovered in a Toronto park. We have many, many questions.

"Edward’s taste tends to run to jewel-encrusted goblets, mahogany armchairs, and tapestries of King Harold being gouged in the eye."

Morning Coffee (7/11/14)

Happy Friday!

Let's start your Friday with a picture of Joshua Jackson and Colin Donnell and a rescued pit bull. I mean, really.

Why Readers, Scientifically, Are The Best People To Fall In Love With

Hee: The Thirteen Most Epic Adorable Lists That Only a List-Reader Will Understand!

Euphemisms For Body Parts In Romance Novels : A Ranking (Note: Also works for fanfic.)

Actually very helpful for us old boring people: "Turn Down for What": a guide

I love Scrivener.

Let the BBC’s rap battle teach you about the origins of WWI

Authors dress up as their favourite characters

Ha! How Many Beach Boys Songs Have You Heard?

And if you need a blast of cold on this July day, check out the trailer for Hallmark's Northpole. Tiffani Thiessen! Bailee Madison! Josh Hopkins!

NYE Music Break: The Beach Boys do "Auld Lang Syne"