Morning Coffee (11/2/18)

FRIDAY HAPPY LINKS!

Oh gosh, look at this Get Out the Vote letter from JFK to Madeleine L'Engle.

!!! 'Penny Dreadful' Revived at Showtime

This is great: Tokyo 2020 Medal Project To Turn Scrap Metal Into Precious Olympic, Paralympic Medals

Watching Jenny retweet all these was great: 'To All The Boys I've Loved Before' Costumes Make Jenny Han Cry — In A Good Way

I love them: John Legend and Chrissy Teigen will host 'legendary' Christmas special

! Harrods, Now Available at Williams Sonoma

I did not expect to read about a Thomas & Friends and the United Nations collaboration.

YAY: Lionsgate Boards Helen Hoang Romance ‘The Kiss Quotient’ From Pilgrim Media Group — AFM

Ben & Jerry's Just Released an Anti-Trump Ice Cream Flavor

10 of the Best Bookish Knitting Patterns

Morning Coffee (10/26/18)

FRIDAY HAPPY LINKS.

‘Outlaw King’: David Mackenzie’s Improved, Recut ‘Braveheart’-Esque Drama Gets A New Trailer

Yaaay, SiriusXM holiday channel info is up!

This is perfect: Salem Saberhagen [the cat] walked the red carpet at ‘The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’ premiere

Important news: There's a Cheese Advent Calendar Coming to Target for $20

How to Find the Perfect Reading Chair

Craving Some Americana? The Saturday Evening Post Archive Is Online

Bookish Costume Inspiration for a Literary Halloween

23 Halloween Treats: Spooky, Scary, Savory, and Sweet

13 Cute Halloween Manicure Ideas, Because Not Everything Has To Be Scary

Cute: We Went Trick-or-Treating at the Houses of Literary Families—Here’s What We Scored

Morning Coffee (11/3/17)

Time for some happy Friday links.

New Taylor!!

Tom Hughes is making a spy movie with Judi Dench and I'm into everything about this.

Your Friday probably needs a Channing Tatum dance break. (I just finally saw Magic Mike XXL so I am particularly into Channing Tatum dance breaks right now.)

In other late night TV news, Kelly Clarkson sang "Since U Been Gone" backwards and it's amazing.

Aw: NICU Nurse Spends Months Knitting Adorable Halloween Costumes for Preemies

I assume you saw Justin Trudeau as Superman but just in case.

I loved the book so I'm so excited for this! Love, Simon: Your first look at 2018's major studio gay teen romance

Reddit's crowdsourced playlist of beautiful songs is a thing that is not on fire and will not hurt you

!! We went to the McDonald's owned by the Queen — and it's one of the poshest we've ever seen

I think we all need some Cute Pets on Bookstagram.

Afternoon Tea (11/2/17)

The Secrets of Levashovo’s Dead

The Randomness of Language Evolution

This is cool: What 108 Years Of Repaving Looks Like Under Indianapolis Motor Speedway's Asphalt

Were-sharks and Nazi leprechauns: the rise and fall of the horror paperback

Boo? Halloween Used to Be About Finding True Love

Morning Coffee (10/20/17)

Let's have some happy Friday links to get us through to the weekend!

This is so great: New York City’s Libraries Will Forgive All Children’s Fines

!! LEGO celebrates female scientists with 'Women of NASA' set

OMG TINY HEDGEHOG GOES CAMPING

Amazing: College kid makes life better by rigging a door to play the Seinfeld theme when opened

The Hogwarts Express Is Real, and It Rescues Children

This is the kind of hard-hitting journalism we need today: An Ode to Royals Playing With Dogs

Really speaking my language here: How to Organize Your Giant Tote Bag

I feel like today might be the kind of day when you need some easy one-bowl brownies.

Ooh, let's go to Downton Abbey: The Exhibition.

42 Halloween-Inspired Nail Looks That Are Cute AF

Morning Coffee (10/13/17)

Whew, we definitely need some happy Friday links this week.

Aaaah, Rainbow Rowell book news! I'm so glad she's writing a book taking place in a pumpkin patch. That is the MOST RAINBOW.

And the cover and an excerpt from Sandhya Menon's upcoming From Twinkle, With Love!

And the Toast came back very briefly to tell us Hey Ladies! wrote a book too!

I will continue to be unreservedly excited about new X-Files because we need things to be happy about. Anyway, here's the trailer.

This new podcast sounds cool! British Museum and BBC team up to explore belief through objects

Hey, sometimes bears need pizza too.

11 Shearling Coats to Snuggle Up in This Fall (I am glad shearling is in this year because I am OBSESSED right now.)

Ooh, let's run away to Lego House.

31 Amazing Literary Halloween Costumes

I get annoyed at leaf-peepers in person but I don't mind if you do it VIRTUALLY: Breathtaking Fall Leaves Around the World

Morning Coffee (9/8/17)

It's Friday, so let's have some lighter links! Back to the miseries of the world tomorrow, I promise.

Prince George started school! SO CUTE.

The Man Who Invented Christmas, with Dan Stevens as Dickens and Christopher Plummer as Scrooge, looks more insane than I'd dreamed and now I'm pretty excited for it!

Ooh, trailer for the new Magic School Bus show! Yes, that's Lin-Manuel Miranda singing, because the man apparently doesn't need sleep.

Perhaps your Friday would be improved by ogling Matt Bomer's Todd Snyder ads. It's A LOT.

I want to go there: China’s Seaside Library Mimics the Rhythms of the Ocean

Whoa: World’s tallest sandcastle rises in Germany

Look at these amazing hotel bathrooms.

12 Cozy Blankets You'll Wanna Snuggle Under All Year Long

These Disney Villain Lip Smackers Will Make You Very Excited For Halloween

Awww: Sophie Turner Basically Just Adopted Her Own Direwolf

Morning Coffee (10/31/16)

Happy Halloween! Me elsewhere: TV news!

This was RIDICULOUS: Sen. Mark Kirk questions opponent’s American heritage in Illinois debate

Here's a good summary of the new email nonsense.

James Comey is damaging our democracy

Comey's Judgment Looks Far Worse on Day Two

David Fahrenthold is still doing great, great work: Trump boasts about his philanthropy. But his giving falls short of his words.

I wish this surprised me more than it does: New lawsuit claims Bela and Martha Karolyi ignored abuse of gymnasts

Fascinating: The Reason For Your Halloween Candy Paranoia

I... huh: ‘Bye Bye Birdie Live!’ With Jennifer Lopez Set at NBC

I really need to read Ann Cleeves, though I'm always suspicious of mystery writers who claim not to outline.

Lyrical Paintings of Life Inside a WWII Internment Camp

Morning Coffee (10/29/16)

There's a lot of interesting stuff here: Inside the Trump Bunker, With 12 Days to Go

This is troubling: Some Trump Voters Call for Revolution if Clinton Wins

The lap dogs of democracy who didn’t bark at Trump

The ABA wouldn’t run a piece calling Trump a “libel bully.” Here it is.

Hahahahahahaha: Destruction of Walk Of Fame star leaves Donald Trump down to his last six Horcruxes

More savage than Caravaggio: the woman who took revenge in oil

Perfect: Highly Conceptual Literary Halloween Costumes for 2016

Sarah MacLean: Bashing Romance Novels Is Just Another Form Of Slut-Shaming

Lovely: How My Sister Found (and Lost) My Wedding Dress

George Kennan’s Love of Russia Inspired His Legendary “Containment” Strategy

Morning Coffee (10/21/16)

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

SUCH good news: Gugu Mbatha-Raw Joins Ava DuVernay’s ‘A Wrinkle in Time’

Ooh: JRR Tolkien's Middle-earth love story to be published next year

This is very cool: Using Math to Repair a 650-Year-Old Masterpiece

This piece about the new Taylor Swift coffee table book (which is on my Christmas list, obviously) gets at a lot of what I like about her.

Aww, look at this baby elephant trying to save her trainer. (Everyone's fine.)

Ha: What This Big-Ass, Twitter-Powered Metronome Is Doing in Downtown Austin

I'm not that into these particular Gilmore Girls posters, but hey, new Gilmore Girls posters!

This Chart Reveals Which ‘Hamilton’ Character You Are At Work

Hygge – a soothing balm for the traumas of 2016

A Brief History of the Haunted House

Morning Coffee (11/2/15)

Me elsewhere: TV news!

Guess what? Some of the Sirius XM holiday channels are STARTING TONIGHT.

I heard this great interview with Marlon James on the radio yesterday and now I'm very excited to read his books.

How 4 Federal Lawyers Paved the Way to Kill Osama bin Laden

This is an amazing sentence: "Göring, who would later be convicted of crimes against humanity, told Richard he was impressed with his integrity."

So is this: "The French food critic François Simon has described the 50 Best as a sort of childlike racket—'a world order of Care Bears, and this under the cynical gaze of a sparkling water.'"

Nope. Nope. NOPE.

I love K9 and will probably see his movie, but I am more interested in a. why these people couldn't get anyone to proofread their terribly-written press release and b. why the BBC and Doctor Who let this situation arise in which people could make a K9 movie without their blessing or involvement. (Before you all rush to explain: I get that the creators of the character own the rights but THAT WAS A DUMB CONTRACT TO ACCEPT, BBC, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?)

'It's a whole other world': religious pilgrims venture deep into Alaska forest

Fascinating: What America’s immigrants looked like when they arrived on Ellis Island

Songs From A Mountain Goats Album In Which Cicero Is Not Mentioned And Everybody’s Marriages Work Out

Morning Coffee (10/30/15)

Happy Friday!

Me elsewhere: We have some staff recommendations for you at Insatiable Booksluts.

Gary Oldman and his manager are . . . writing a vampire novel?!?!

This interview about editing the Middle Eastern edition of Cosmo is fascinating.

The candy corn controversy always amuses me.

Ooh, new annotated Little Women! That's going on my Christmas list . . .

Awesome: Six Degrees of Francis Bacon

Love this: "Since when does everyone feel entitled to love every fucking second of their job? Really, what is so wrong with working an OK normal job with some cool people you like, and then pursuing your passion in your free time on the side? Has the world turned upside-down or is this not suddenly a novel idea to people?"

Whoa: A French Museum Dedicated to Over 100 Hyperrealistic Miniature Film Sets

Which Baby-Sitter Are You? (I got Mallory. Of course.)

The Onion, barely: Creative Writing Professor Takes Time To Give Every Student Personalized False Hope

Reasons I Would Make An Excellent Housekeeper In A Forbidding Eighteenth-Century Estate And You Should Consider Me For The Position

Morning Coffee (10/23/15)

Happy Friday!

Me elsewhere: Hey look! I'm really excited about this! I wrote a piece on Salem for the relaunch of Insatiable Booksluts! Also, my recap of last week's Haven, which - I'm really liking this season so far!

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - the stage play in the works - is officially a sequel!

Aaah, new Shameless trailer!

And new X-Files pictures! (I still haven't found a straight answer to whether the premiere title is a deliberate Knausgaard reference, which is apparently what I'm fixated on with this whole thing for some reason.)

I've been trying to figure out whether I could handle seeing Crimson Peak on the big screen - I'm a scaredy-cat - and also wondering if the heroine has any agency, and behold! Deanna Raybourn has answered all my questions, and I shall see the movie this weekend.

Related: Movie Yelling With Nicole and Mallory: Crimson Peak

I concur: Hulu has overtaken Netflix to become the best streaming service.

I don't know much about the publisher but this pun just delights me so: A Side of Relish: Little Pickle Adds YA Imprint

Rufus Sewell as Lord Melbourne? Yes please.

Heh. The Onion: MPAA Adds New Rating To Warn Audiences Of Films Not Based On Existing Works

Important: Craft-Beer Pairings for Halloween Candy (2015 Update)

Morning Coffee (10/19/15)

Me elsewhere: The Last Kingdom Episode 1 recap and the week's TV news.

Russian Military Uses Syria as Proving Ground, and West Takes Notice

9 questions about Denmark, Bernie Sanders’s favorite socialist utopia (Watch Borgen! I must say that every time Denmark comes up.)

Whoa: The Most Mysterious Star in Our Galaxy

This year in news, according to terrible sexy Halloween costumes

Nifty: Electronic Beowulf 4.0

Too Close to Ted Bundy

Huh, this John Lennon/Brian Epstein movie sounds interesting.

Beautiful Early-20th-Century Watercolors of Apple Varieties You Don’t See Much Anymore

Scientists Discover 9,000-Year-Old Case of Decapitation in the Americas

Emails From Luna Lovegood

Morning Coffee (9/4/15)

HAPPY FRIDAY! And happy three-day weekend, to those who have one! I am planning to mostly stay in my house and catch up on work and gift knitting and maybe bake some cookies, and I'm honestly REALLY EXCITED about it. But I'm going to give you a few extra links today in case I go crazy and SLEEP IN or something on Monday.

"It looks just like Tinder but it's not actually a way for cats to find relationships. It's much more like a Hot or Not for cats."

I suggest you take two minutes out of your day to gaze at Ireland being pretty. (A few comments here: 1. It showed me an Ireland tourism ad before the video. VERY GOOD AD PLACEMENT. LET'S GO. 2. I feel like they're overstating the isolation of the Aran Islands a bit. "One island even has a bank"? One island has a SPAR, with a normal grocery selection and at least an ATM. 3. People do, in fact, get around in those horse carts. It was the only way to get to our B&B when we went.)

This is, in fact, what I want scientists to be working on: longer-lasting ice cream. (I'm not joking. Ice cream is very important to me.)

Royals and Their Dogs

"Lance Corporal Derby XXX was unavailable for comment." (You should click through. Lance Corporal Derby XXX is a SHEEP.)

Because the Hallmark Channel loves me and wants me to be happy, they're doing a new Fall Harvest series of movies.

In other fall news: Here's the Pumpkin Spice Latte Instagram account! If you click through there's a way to get one early.

Here's a great interview with the Fug Girls about The Royal We and more. (If you're a Kindle person and haven't read The Royal We yet, it's currently $3.99. I expected to like it but I LOVED it.)

"The real bishop said: 'My admiration is enormous - if my life depended on it, I couldn't knit a bishop.'"

10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Choose Your Next Book (Related, sort of: Do you guys want book reviews? I kind of want to write book reviews. I don't know. It's September. I want to take on ALL THE PROJECTS.)

7 Inanimate Objects That Are Actively Plotting Against Us (Trust me, it's adorable.)

The Timeless Allure of the Art of Knots

If Alexander Siddig Were Your Boyfriend

Morning Coffee (11/3/14)

Me elsewhere: Thoughts on last week's Bones, pilot posts on The McCarthys and Benched, the week's TV news.

A few belated Halloween links that I found on Halloween:

7 charts that explain Halloween

When Did N.H. Towns Start Calling The Shots On Trick-Or-Treating?

This Halloween history video featuring Kate Hackett of Classic Alice is cute.

Whoa: Starbucks delivery is coming. Probably not coming here, but still.

#GamerGate's scary plan to wipe Gawker Media from the face of the Earth

They're publishing the first bilingual Goodnight, Moon. Awesome!

Sarah Rees Brennan is parodying The 100 and it's as funny as you might expect.

Amazing: Dirtbag Mrs. Whatsit

Halloween Morning Coffee (10/31/14)

Happy Halloween!

Me elsewhere: Haven recap

I love these L.L. Bean jack-o'-lanterns.

I bet your Halloween also needs Tom Mison and John Noble in a pumpkin patch.

What if your favorite books were Halloween candy?

Eeee! AMC picked up that John Le Carre limited series starring Hugh Laurie and Tom Hiddleston.

I want these Kate Spade for GapKids gift bow flats with every fiber of my being.

I love the cover of Sarah Dessen's next book.

LOOK AT THIS ANNE OF GREEN GABLES WEDDING PHOTOSHOOT.

Trust me, you probably want to watch this behind-the-scenes video by the director of Taylor Swift's Diet Coke kittens ad. (Hint: The director is a cat.)

How Well Can You Decode Taylor Swift Songs Through Emoji? I had an embarrassingly hard time with some of these.

The Taylor Swift/San Francisco Giants conspiracy, explained

I love England: 'Tree of the Year' competition finalists announced

Morning Coffee (10/24/14)

Happy Friday!

Austen fans, make sure you don't miss Death Comes to Pemberley starting on PBS this weekend. I have a lot of feelings about Matthew Rhys as annoyed!Darcy.

And here's a hilarious Pride and Prejudice refresher to go with it.

Look, footage from Into the Woods with people actually singing! I remain blithely optimistic, and fairly sure that just Chris Pine singing "Agony" will be worth the price of admission anyway.

YAY: Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski have been promoted to lead figure skating broadcast team for NBC for the 2018 Olympics.

Here's a trailer for the Hallmarkiest Hallmark movie ever. Christmas! Kittens! Hot firefighters! Brandon Routh!

15 Awesome Bookish Jack O’Lanterns

Fascinating: How the Met hangs tapestries

Hee: The organic genderless gingerbread debate

"I’m sure they’re not even aware of the latest technology in the mason jar pinterest scene."

Morning Coffee (11/6/13)

Oh no: Corgis are becoming endangered.

This sort of thing is so frustrating and sad: Biracial Girl Changes Name from 'Keisha' to 'Kylie' Because of Bullies

Jason O'Mara is starring in Matt Nix's new pilot. I love when people I like work with other people I like. (I mean, I like their work. I have no opinion of either as people.)

Whoa: A 15th Century Cathedral Transformed into a Modern Bookstore

Check out this awesome concert style Gatsby t-shirt.

Need to know what wine to pair with your leftover Halloween candy? Here you go.

Alan Cumming is guest starring on Arthur!

Why Do People Think Nigella Lawson Hates Feminism?

Morning Coffee (11/4/13)

Whoa: German police recover 1,500 modernist masterpieces 'looted by Nazis'

The Sound of Music live broadcast has cast the kids and Rolfe.

Huh! I didn't know Queen Victoria was into Halloween.

And here's the President giving out candy to adorable trick-or-treaters.

I bet you want to read about the Kitten Bowl.

My friend Faythe has a great new column about contemporary (realistic) YA novels.

Um. Mark Wahlberg is producing Julius Caeser movie The Roman, "an origin story in the vein of Batman Begins." So.

A great one from The Onion: College Unveils New Media Center Every Month