Morning Coffee (3/29/19)

Whew, FRIDAY HAPPY LINKS time!

Important local news (seriously, read this article, the quotes are amazing): Market Basket: No Ghost In Wilmington Store

GOOD FOR THEM: Teen boys rated their female classmates based on looks. The girls fought back.

Awesome: Why We Created a Gender-Inclusive Stock Photo Library

A Previously Unknown Portrait of a Young Harriet Tubman Goes on View

AAAAH: 'The Queen Of Nothing' Is Holly Black's Heart-Stopping Finale To 'The Cruel Prince' Trilogy — Start Reading Now!

Ooh, neat: Saturn’s Rings Are Sculpted by a Crew of Mini-Moons

To All the Boys I've Loved Before Sequel Casts Jordan Fisher As the New John Ambrose

Solved: The 35-Year-Old Mystery of the Garfield Phones on a French Beach

This Sneak Peek of ‘The Meaning of Birds’ Will Both Break You and Heal You

Fug Nation Loves Cardigans! YES I DO.

Morning Coffee (3/9/18)

Time for some happy Friday links! Just a reminder: If you enjoy these or my other posts, please consider supporting me on Patreon. For as little as $1 a month you can help make sure I can invest the not inconsiderable time required to compile links.

Oooh! Obama in Talks to Provide Shows for Netflix

Eee, cover and excerpt for Holly Black's next book The Wicked King!

Hey knitters, here's the official pattern for Nakia's infinity scarf from Black Panther.

Here's the 2018 longlist for the Women's Prize for Fiction.

Look at this Wrinkle in Time jewelry! I'm sure I'll buy something and am agonizing over what; I'm going to make myself wait until after I see the movie in case that makes a particular design speak to me in a way I might not expect.

Elsewhere in niche jewelry I'm sure I'll buy: LOOK AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM'S ENAMEL PINS.

'Suits' Spinoff With Gina Torres Lands USA Network Series Pickup I'm excited to see her lead a show!

Everyone Has A Book Genre That Matches Their Personality — Here's Yours (This quiz told me I was a mystery novel, so obviously it is correct and accurate in all ways.)

The Original 'My Little Pony' Toys are Back and Making Your Childhood Dreams Come True (I sold mine in a yard sale and VERY MUCH REGRETTED IT.)

Whoa: This Glass-bottom Pool in Honolulu Has the Most Breathtaking Views

Morning Coffee (2/2/18)

Boy do we need a break for some happy links this Friday!

ICYMI, yesterday's Oscar post: I loved Phantom Thread.

A good post to start your Friday: Armie Hammer and Timothée Chalamet Dance in the Streets of Italy With Call Me by Your Name Fans

Elena Ferrante's first Guardian column is up! (I finally started reading My Brilliant Friend this week. In Italian, so it's gonna take me a while.)

Whee, my friends doing awesome things: Cassandra Clare Launches 'One-Shot' Publishing Collaborative

This is very interesting and the Brits among you may be able to make some of these events! Suffragette cities: events to mark the centenary of voting rights for women

Not surprising but still delightful: Royals: They're just like us: The Royal Family Have Their Own WhatsApp Group

In other royals news, this is fun but I'm sorry this lady had to delete her Instagram because of it: Kate Middleton's Hairdresser Instagrams What She Packs For A Royal Tour With The Duchess

Amazing: Michelangelo the Ninja Turtle Went to a Michelangelo Exhibit and Thought It Was Radical

It me, as the kids say: My Self-Care Is Just Me Sorting Myself Into Ravenclaw Over and Over Again

I just BOUGHT a bag of this description so I shouldn't even look at this: 15 Office-Friendly Bags That Are Big Enough to Hold Your Laptop (I actually considered the Kate Spade one listed there but I wanted something that zipped, so I wound up at the Coach outlet and am very happy with my choice.)

Nothing has ever been more For Me than THE MATH OF MEDIEVAL TIMES.

Morning Coffee (6/9/17)

Time for our traditional Friday happy links!

I am SO EXCITED about Sarah Rees Brennan's new book! (Also, her description of Holly Black in that post is PERFECT.)

Awesome: Orly's New Collection Finally Makes It Possible For Muslims to Wear Nail Polish

I enjoy the Clooneys' statement about their babies, and also that they gave the kids real names.

Literary Mansplaining: The Do’s and Don’ts of Dating a Reader

Useful! STEM Heroines in Romance ― The Master List

Another reason Norway is great: ANNUAL LITERATURE TRAIN.

The Makings of a Delicious Eton Mess

Found: Cat’s Paw Print on a Roman Roof Tile

Please Appreciate This Magnificent Turn of the Century Seed Catalog Art

Ooh: The Bookish Guest's Room

And now I want a literary shower curtain.

Morning Coffee (1/13/15)

I'm running late but SO MUCH EXCITEMENT today. Okay.

First: New Avengers trailer!

Second: Holly Black's The Darkest Part of the Forest is out today and it's incredible and you should go read it immediately.

Third: Robin Wasserman's first adult book is coming out next year and I am already beside myself with excitement.

Fourth: Get your Converse ready to win a copy of Susan Adrian's awesome debut novel Tunnel Vision next Tuesday!

Fifth: Colbert's Late Show will premiere on September 8th!

Sixth: New Kelly Clarkson song!

Seventh: Arthur is doing Downton Abbey!!

Eighth: Don't forget to save Alice!!!

What I Read: September 2014

(Sorry this is a little late. Reviewing all the new TV shows is eating my brain.)

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: I read this partially because of Frankenstein M.D., and it made me very worried about what's going to happen on the show. But anyway. This was very good, which I expected, but also very different from what I expected, somehow. It's clearly an essential book in a history-of-literature contextual way, but it was also an entertaining and surprisingly quick read. Give it a try, if you haven't!

Out of the Deep I Cry by Julia Spencer-Fleming (Rev. Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries #3): This was a strong entry in the series, with a mystery that spanned generations and yet all tied together in a satisfying way. Clare is a compelling, complex main character, and her relationship with Russ is developing in an interesting and somewhat unexpected - if excruciatingly slow - way.

Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery (Emily Byrd Starr #1): An old favorite, reread this month for book club. Still love it!

Conversion by Katherine Howe: This one enthralled me from the start, with its combination of an historical Salem witch trials story and a contemporary mystery involving an outbreak of what seems like hysteria at a girls' prep school. I was slightly surprised to find that I liked the modern sections better - the historical chapters were fine, but I was always eager to get back to the modern story, and I think that's mainly because this was one of the most realistic-feeling portrayals of high school that I've read recently. I was also extremely impressed by both the book's fluency with social media - I don't think I've ever seen the term "subtweet" casually used in a novel before - and its depiction of a New England winter; it got the constant on-and-off of boots and coats exactly right.

The Iron Trial by Cassandra Clare and Holly Black (Magisterium #1): First of a very promising new series. Compelling, diverse characters, interesting magic system, and plenty of plot twists. Plus boarding school! I love boarding school books. Can't wait for the next one.

Unmade by Sarah Rees Brennan (The Lynburn Legacy #3): A perfect end to the trilogy. Hilarious, heartbreaking, swoony. I already can't wait to reread them all. I don't want to say anything specific and risk spoiling the earlier books, because I want you all to read them. Start with Unspoken.

(Disclaimer: I know Sarah Rees Brennan, Holly Black, and Cassandra Clare. All books this month were either purchases or from the library.)

What I Read: August 2014

Trying something new . . . at the beginning of each month I'll post a list of books I finished the preceding month, with a few thoughts on each. (They're in the order in which I finished them.)

Judgment in Death by J.D. Robb (In Death #11): I love this series of sci-fi mysteries starring one of my favorite fictional couples. This was a strong entry in the series; I read it while traveling (so mostly on planes) and it was perfect for that - interesting enough to keep my attention without requiring too much brainpower.

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black: I haven't read Holly's earlier faerie books yet - I'll get there! - but goodness, I loved this one. It has interesting magic systems, diverse characters, a well-drawn setting, great friendship and sibling stuff in addition to romance, and two elements that almost always win my undying love: gender-flipped tropes and the ability to make me both laugh (repeatedly) and cry (at the end, in a good way).

The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson: I've mostly got dystopian fatigue at this point, but this one caught my attention with its non-U.S. setting, fascinating political and religious systems, and interesting take on technology. The writing was lovely, and I really enjoyed this even though I had a little trouble connecting with most of the characters.

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins (Anna/Lola/Isla #3): I love love loved this one SO much. Even more than the first two! Somehow! I think my favorite thing about Steph's romances is how they're so joyful without ever seeming saccharine or fake - plenty of bad stuff and complicated stuff and just real life stuff happens, and that makes the happy endings even more satisfying.

Paper Towns by John Green: I enjoy John's writing, but this one took a while for me to get into - the characters and plot didn't really hook me until about halfway through. I was much more into it by the end, though.

Pagan Spring by G.M. Malliet (Max Tudor #3): I continue to love Max Tudor and the village setting and supporting characters, but the actual mystery in this book didn't grab me QUITE as much as the ones in the other books in the series. But it was still a great cozy, comforting read. (Except for the very end, which made me VERY CONCERNED ABOUT MAX'S PERSONAL LIFE and very eager for the next book!)

Salvage by Alexandra Duncan: Ava is a teen girl living in a traditional, patriarchal society on a deep space merchant ship who breaks the rules, flees from her community, and winds up back on an earth that is both wildly different from our own and completely recognizable. The multiple societies Duncan creates (both in space and on earth) are completely fascinating, especially in regards to gender roles and the interplay of science and religion, and she made me deeply care about her characters.

To Marry an English Lord: Or How Anglomania Really Got Started by Gail MacColl and Carol McD. Wallace: This was full of fascinating information, but the format made it a very slow read for me. The whole book is presented in little snippets, with headings every few paragraph and lots of insets, etc., and I found it impossible to really get any momentum.

(Disclaimers: I know Holly, Alaya, Steph, and John, and chat with Alexandra on Twitter occasionally. I freelance for Steph and Alexandra's agent, who sent me an ARC of Salvage. I got Holly's ARC at LeakyCon; the rest of the books I either purchased or got from the library.)

Morning Coffee (3/28/14)

I usually reserve Friday for fun or at least pleasant links, but there are a few things I cannot let pass without comment. First: Television Without Pity is closing. Wow. End of an era.

And yesterday's other big entertainment media story: Entertainment Weekly wants you to write for it for free. Don't do it.

Okay, on to the fun stuff. I like the new Black Keys song.

Today's Woot shirt is adorable.

I'm not sure I have any strong feelings about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles trailer, but perhaps you'd like to see it? Here it is.

Headline of the week: Why 18th Century Biologists Made Copulating Frogs Wear Tiny Pants

Here's the cover and an excerpt from Cassie Clare and Holly Black's forthcoming book The Iron Trial.

I hadn't realized quite the extent to which Ryan Tedder writes all the songs.

Ben & Jerry's Heath bar flavors are now toffee bar, as they move to fair trade ingredients. Good for them.

The Secret Life of Kermit the Frog

Game of Bones: Corgi Edition

Which Actress Would Play You in the Movie Version of Your Life?

Morning Coffee (11/5/13)

Ooh, the Dating in LA and Other Urban Myths sizzle reel is out!

Grantland has a fun Q&A with Sleepy Hollow creator Phillip Iscove.

Dylan's Candy Bar is selling Candy Crush candy and I really want some.

Here's some well-deserved praise for Holly Black's The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, which you should really read.

WHOA: Game Of Thrones Meets Little Miss/Mr. Men Series

The Hairpin is imagining where Love, Actually characters are ten years later.

And that led me to this older piece of theirs about why many of the stories in that movie are actually pretty terrible. Which is completely true, even though we all love it.

Edgar Allan Poe Tried and Failed to Crack the Mysterious Murder Case of Mary Rogers

Morning Coffee (8/8/13)

My friends Heather and Crissy have their Vampire Diaries companion book Love You to Death 4 coming out soon, and look who wrote the foreword!

The awesome Holly Black is touring in September, including some New England dates. Go see her!

Leonardo DiCaprio might play Harald Hardrada, and I appreciate that the first line of this piece is basically "But he's already playing Rasputin!", because that was my exact reaction.

After last night's Broadchurch (more on that later), if you need a phone notification sound of David Tennant yelling "Bloody Twitter!", well, here you go.

Ryan is wise: “Doctor Who” has a new lead, but is in more desperate need of a new showrunner

I had no idea about this history of The Oregon Trail. (The game, not the actual historical thing.)

Interesting read: Who Am I to Judge? Francis Redefines the Papacy

Stephen King's Family Business

Morning Coffee (2/11/13)

If you hadn't seen the news yet this morning, the Pope is resigning. Wow.

Castle fans, don't miss this: Andrew Marlowe teases episode 100.

A British romance author is actually an 89-year-old grandfather and World War II vet. Awesome.

Here's an interview about race in YA with Holly Black and Sarah Rees Brennan.

Whoa: The Apollo 11 immigration form.

Fringe fans, check out this teaser for a movie John Noble made with his daughter.

Your feel-good story of the day: Baby fawn licked back to life by family.

Oh hey, a deleted chapter from Anna and the French Kiss!

Morning Coffee (4/20/12)

Busy busy busy. Wait, I said that yesterday, huh? This week is really busy!

I'm so glad this news is finally public, because it's been so hard not to blurt it out everywhere: Holly Black and Cassie Clare are co-writing a middle grade series. WHEEEE.

The one thing you need to know about the Magic Mike trailer is that it has an appalling lack of Matt Bomer. But you should also read Linda Holmes's take.

Leo DiCaprio! Dennis Lehane! Prohibition! It's like we're playing "Movies Kate Likes" Bingo. Does it also involve spies? Or the mob? That would make it perfect.

If FOX puts both Bradley Whitford and Richard Schiff back on my TV regularly and picks up Kevin Williamson's new show, they may be back in the running for "favorite network."

You must read Sarah Rees Brennan on Miss Marple.