Morning Coffee (11/17/15)

Me elsewhere: My recap of Haven's "Perditus"

If you only click on one link today, please make it this one: Did the media ignore the Beirut bombings? Or did readers? "But unless the victims are either children or Christian, I have never really succeeded in getting readers to care about such bombings that happen outside of the Western world."

Speaking as someone who supports her in general, I'm extremely disappointed in my governor: Maggie Hassan is first Democratic governor to call for complete halt of Syrian refugees coming to U.S.

No, State Governors Can’t Refuse To Accept Syrian Refugees

In case you were wondering whether Trump was being less terrible or less idiotic about this than you'd expect: Nope.

Since I saw a lot of questions about this during the debate: A closer look at the link between climate change and violence

Also seen a lot of questions about this: Colleges’ Yik Yak problem, explained

How to Interrupt Jeb Bush

Okay, we need a break: Stray Cats Invade the G20 Summit, Bold as Can Be

Crazy: Forty-year-old Canadian buddies learn they were switched a birth

Dating Tips from a Spy

Morning Coffee (11/6/15)

Happy Friday!

Me elsewhere: Haven recap!

Obviously this is good but I also just like the headline: Salt Lake City—Which Is Still in Utah—May Have Just Elected an Openly Gay Mayor

CBS is developing a show about a secret society of spy princesses and it's already my new favorite.

Australia Deploys Sheepdogs to Save a Penguin Colony

I love PR stunts that also actually do good: Adidas Offers Design Resources to Schools That Want to Get Rid of Their Offensive Mascots

I would, of course, totally watch this Sorkin-pitched Pixar movie about talking office supplies.

Justin Trudeau paper dolls!!

Let's go to London! Largest ever exhibition of the Queen's wardrobe planned for her 90th birthday

Or if we can't go to London let's at least look at a slideshow of Duchess Kate's coats. (The green tartan McQueen has always been my favorite.)

Bands are designing tacos for charity, but I really want them to be THEMED.

"Yet Even More Raspberry Sponge
Marzipan whatsits
I Rolled Up A Cake, Paul
Cardamom Battenberg Handfuls"

Morning Coffee (10/28/15)

Me elsewhere: Thoughts on Supergirl - I liked it! - and my latest Haven recap.

Many of the things below are FAR MORE IMPORTANT to this, but oh my gosh, this Rockapella reunion rendition of the Carmen Sandiego song just made me so freaking happy.

No, Portugal is not having a constitutional crisis. This is the real story.

What Would Jeb Do?

This Is Not a Game: How SXSW Turned GamerGate Abuse Into a Spectator Sport

Here's BuzzFeed's letter about withdrawing.

And an update: Exclusive: After Gamergate Misstep, SXSW Weighing an All-Day Forum on Online Harassment

I liked this Crimson Peak review: "And the thing to understand about a proper British ghost story is that the ghosts are often incidental to the action. Yes, they're there, but they're a way of making the story's psychological subtext into text, the lurching reminders of the past that threaten to uncover long-buried secrets." (That actually suddenly occurred to me a little while after I saw the movie - that yeah, the ghosts were creepy, but the actual bad things in the movie were done by humans and that was scarier.)

Oooh: Skeleton of ancient warrior and hoard of treasure found in 3,500-year-old tomb

Fascinating: Raiders of the Lost Web

"THE LEARNING WOMAN: I will untie your cravats and your secrets
THE BAD MAN: don’t try to understand me
THE LEARNING WOMAN: I think I can understand you"

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 (10/16/15)

Happy Friday!

Me elsewhere: I recapped the Haven premiere.

This week's New Yorker arrived in my mailbox yesterday with a piece about Thoreau LITERALLY ENTITLED "POND SCUM" and few things have ever made me so happy.

Except, actually, GQ's Taylor Swift cover story (by Chuck Klosterman!), which pulls off the pretty amazing feat of being genuinely interesting while making her seem even more exactly the person I've always wanted her to be. (Reading profiles of celebrities you like is always such a RISK.) There are many, MANY great things in that piece, and I really urge you to read it, but probably the BEST is the way Swift realizes that if her parents hadn't moved her to Nashville to focus on her music as a teen, she'd now be working in some kind of marketing like the rest of us.

I tend to put The Toast at the bottom of the link list, I guess because I'm a creature of habit and like ending with something funny, but Mallory's North and South is just too good:
"MARGARET: can you at least give me a general outline of your problems with the Church?
MR. HALE: sorry no
MARGARET: are you an atheist? a Methodist? a Tractarian? a schismatic? a Baptist?
MR. HALE: don’t worry about it
just know that I cannot renew my vows, so we must move North and be unemployed
MARGARET: Can you…specify which doctrine?
MR. HALE: No
and in fact I will never be discussing my new beliefs again
MARGARET: Will you at least be following your conscience and preaching whatever doctrine you think soundest up North?
MR. HALE: I will not."

The Zombies have a new album! Did you know the Zombies were still a thing? I most certainly did not!

"Being Santa Claus gives a person a political edge, he said. On more than one occasion he has called a legislator, lobbying for support on a child welfare issue. When he’s been brushed off, he has called local media and introduced himself. Then the local media, seeing a story, called the legislator. And then, magically, someone from the politician’s office called to discuss his concerns. It seems no politician wants to come out publicly against Santa Claus, he said."

!!!!!! Students Create 3D-Printed Wheelchair For Disabled Kitten

It's Friday. Let's look at Tom Hiddleston in glasses.

Go Inside the World Of June Kenton, H.M. Queen Elizabeth II’s Royal Bra Fitter

Whoa: Beautiful Harry Potter stop-motion short film builds Hogwarts from the pages of the books themselves

In a Small Village High in the Peruvian Andes, Life Stories Are Written in Textiles

Morning Coffee (11/24/14)

Programming note: Posts may be erratic for . . . the rest of the year, really. I'm traveling a lot, and taking random days off to do things like bake a ridiculous number of cookies, and my schedule is generally out of whack. I'll try to keep getting link posts up MOST days, but it may not be every day, and sometimes it might be later in the day than usual. Thanks for understanding!

Me elsewhere: TV news; Haven recap.

This is my new favorite thing: TV’s geek girls need to rise above being tech support

Sad: The Duchess of Alba has died.

Sigh: ESPN Suspends Keith Law From Twitter For Defending Evolution (Okay, they now say it wasn't because of his opinions [on scientific fact] so was it . . . disagreeing with a coworker?)

Your Monday would probably be helped by the Disneyland cats Instagram account.

I have been calling for 24-hour bookstores for years and I'm glad someone is finally listening.

Oh my gosh. Pumpkin Tetris.

How to Successfully Hijack Your Family's Thanksgiving

25 questions about Band Aid 30's new version of "Do They Know It's Christmas"

How are we feeling about the Peanuts movie trailer? It's . . . much better than I'd feared, really.

Morning Coffee (11/17/14)

Me elsewhere: TV news, Haven recap, Bones review.

Every year, my friend Beck writes a hilarious review of the Oprah's gift guide. Here's this year's.

This potential New Yorker documentary series sounds interesting.

Jude Law as an Arthurian villain? Yes please.

So, on New Year's Eve, Ryan Seacrest's show will have Taylor Swift in New York and now Harry Styles in Hollywood. Hee. I hope she plays "Style."

Huh. Greg Berlanti is writing the Oscars.

Fascinating: Some Guy Scooped The Baseball Media On The Biggest MLB Contract Ever

This cannot actually be efficient: Westminster gardener ordered to remove autumn leaves one by one

you guys didnt have to do this!
i honestly would have been fine with just like half a dozen putti
and three or four handmaidens
like a dozen handmaidens max would have been FINE honestly

Morning Coffee (11/10/14)

Me elsewhere: TV news roundup for the week, Haven recaps, thoughts on Bones and Elementary.

Some of the SiriusXM holiday stations start tomorrow! (But my favorite one is apparently now only December 24-26. When I won't be in my car much, if at all. Boooo.)

Today in Christmas ads that made me cry: Marks and Spencer.

Also: John Lewis. (Penguin alert!)

Also: Coca-Cola. God, I'm a mess.

NBC is staging live production of A Few Good Men. Interesting.

A Playmobil movie?!?! I'm . . . listening. Cautiously.

Hee: Mallory Ortberg summarizes classic books in 140 characters or less

Women Rejecting Marriage Proposals In Western Art History

Morning Coffee (11/6/14)

Me elsewhere: Haven recap

Eee, Kirkus gave The Shadow Cabinet a star and a great review I very much agree with. I love this book.

7 Brutal Literary Breakup Texts (Which is to say that Mallory Ortberg's Texts from Jane Eyre is out and I'm very excited.)

Whoa: Scotland Shut Out of World Whisky Bible Top Five in International Booze-Ranking Surprise

Finding Marlowe

For knitters: Do I really have to knit (and wash, and block) a swatch?

Ooh, trailer for the new show by the Borgen people.

How a Secret Squad Saved London From Flooding in the WWII Blitz (Do we really have to specify WWII? Do people not automatically know which blitz we mean, these days? Sad.)

Why I Think I Would Make An Excellent Vestal Virgin And You Should Consider Me For The Position

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 (10/23/14)

Me elsewhere: My recap of last week's Haven.

How We Got Rolled by the Dishonest Fascists of Gamergate

And Felicia Day's take is great.

I love this kind of thing: What kids around the world eat for breakfast. (I am eating oatmeal as I type this. If you care.)

Interesting: A Home of Catherine, Before Greatness, Fitfully Regains a Bit of Glory

The Pentecostal Serpent

Hee: "DON’T fall prey to the fallacy that there is a single day on which the fall colors are at their peak. That peak actually occurs over a three-day period, from October 22nd to the 24th, during which time you should drive around all six New England states at maximum speed in a leaf-peeping frenzy."

Virgin of Valme pilgrimage near Seville – in pictures

A Literary Child’s Guide to Her Dead Mother

Morning Coffee (10/13/14)

Me elsewhere: weekly TV news; pilot posts on Cristela and The Affair; thoughts on last week's Bones and Haven.

Sad news: author Zilpha Keatley Snyder has died.

The main thing that surprised me about this study is how late everyone apparently goes to bed.

When it is diversity that needs to be justified

Reza Aslan is always worth reading: Bill Maher Isn’t the Only One Who Misunderstands Religion

A fascinating read about Microsoft: The Empire Reboots

I agree that hug culture is out of control.

Apparently Danica Patrick is writing for Derek Jeter's The Players' Tribune, and her first piece is interesting and thoughtful.

The funniest thing I have ever read: Commenting Comment: A Magazine Dedicated to Internet Comments

Morning Coffee (10/6/14)

Me elsewhere: Weekly TV news roundup; new show evaluations Bad Judge and Gracepoint; reviews of last week's Haven and Bones.

Intel buckles to anti-feminist campaign by pulling ads from gaming site

Important: The American College of Pediatricians is not the equivalent of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

‘Stalker’ creator says the show is meant to raise awareness. It’s really, really not. Also: here's the Stalking Resource Center's open letter about the show.

An amazing read: On Poisoned Apples, the “Great YA Debate,” and the Death of the Patriarchy

Lawsuit accuses Nicholas Sparks of racism, antisemitism and homophobia

“You are not Walt Whitman,” he said. “The 21st century is different in so many ways from the 19th that the comparison is meaningless. No one is forbidding you from self-publishing, but neither is anyone required to pay attention.”

Everyone is excited about this adult Book It! Alumni program but I'm enraged because you just sign up and get pizza. You don't even have to read any books.

Unhappy Mothers in Western Art History

Morning Coffee (9/29/14)

Me elsewhere: weekly TV news roundup, pilot review of How to Get Away with Murder, Haven recap: "Spotlight," Bones premiere review.

Aww: The last Mitford sister has died.

Robin Wasserman on adolescence and hysteria: Girl Trouble

Interesting: Readers Predict in 1936 Which Novelists Would Still Be Widely Read in the Year 2000

Look Out Look Out Look Out: The Dark YA Fiction Of The Shangri-Las

Not sure these are all surprising, but they're interesting: 22 maps and charts that will surprise you

Going West: The World of Live Action, Competitive Oregon Trail

The Gibson Girls: The Kardashians of the Early 1900s

Two Monks Invent Denominations

Haven Recap at TheTelevixen: Speak No Evil

Here's my recap of last night's episode of Haven, "Speak No Evil." This episode had some amazing stuff with Duke and Nathan. But I still want Audrey back.

Haven Recap at TheTelevixen: See No Evil

Haven's fifth season started last night, and I'm recapping over at The Televixen, so I'll try to remember to link you over each time a recap goes up. Here's the premiere, "See No Evil."

Morning Coffee (10/8/13)

Elsewhere: I recapped Friday's episode of Haven at TheTelevixen.com.

Peter Higgs and Francois Englert have won the Nobel prize in physics.

The BBC has the first big interview with Malala Yousafzai.

Ooh, this New York City ballet reality web series looks promising.

Mallory Ortberg is hilarious and so so wrong about digestive biscuits.

Your Tuesday probably needs some Prince Harry making faces at tiny children.

And hey, here's his dad reading Dylan Thomas.

This looks fascinating: The First World War in 100 Objects

Meet the Fantastically Bejeweled Skeletons of Catholicism’s Forgotten Martyrs

Morning Coffee (9/30/13)

Elsewhere: At TheTelevixen.com I recapped Haven, wrote about new shows Masters of Sex and Hello Ladies, and compiled the week's TV news.

Sad news: Cookbook author Marcella Hazan has died.

Why the Barilla Boycott Matters to Italian LGBT People

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have a new coat of arms.

The Fug Girls are writing a new novel!

Fascinating: The Flight from Dallas

The Women Who Mapped the Universe And Still Couldn’t Get Any Respect

Revealed: the violent, thuggish world of the young JS Bach

Progress? George H.W. Bush Was A Witness To A Maine Lesbian Couple’s Wedding

Morning Coffee (9/23/13)

Me, elsewhere: I reviewed The Colorado Kid at Read the Screen. At TheTelevixen, I recapped Friday's Haven and compiled the week's TV news.

The Emmys were last night, and you can see the winners on the official site.

Terrible on so many levels: Death of an adjunct

Here's How Conservatives Plan On Scaring Young Women Off Obamacare

Rick Reilly and the Most Irredeemably Stupid Defense of the Redskins Name You Will Ever Read

Professor Says He Has Solved a Mystery Over a Slave’s Novel

Why Danish Political Drama “Borgen” Is Everything

Here's a fun Q&A with Heather Cocks of Go Fug Yourself about fashion week.

Amazing Historic Compilations of NYC Crime Scenes

Morning Coffee (9/16/13)

Me, elsewhere: Eric Balfour Talks Changes, Duke’s True Self, & Haven Season 4; a recap of the Haven season premiere; the week's TV news in handy round-up form.

Foyle's War returned last night, and the AV Club has an interesting review.

Speaking of the AV Club, they've got some interesting new TV stuff going on.

Here's June Thomas on the delightful Last Tango in Halifax.

Here are the Creative Arts Emmy Award Winners.

What Women Don't Want

Books for Boys and Books for Girls: Problems with Gendered Reading

New Popemobile Is a 1984 Renault With 186,000 Miles on It

Did you know the Vatican has an observatory? They were talking about it on the BBC yesterday. Their FAQ is pretty interesting.