Morning Coffee (6/21/19)

The whole first half of today's happy Friday links are book announcements/cover reveals. Sorry not sorry.

I LOVE THIS COVER: Exclusive: Maureen Johnson is wrapping up her Truly Devious trilogy in style

Emily St. John Mandel has a book coming next year!!

The New Sci-Fi & Fantasy Anthology 'A Phoenix First Must Burn' Puts The Spotlight On Black Girls & Gender Nonconforming Teens

Exclusive Cover Reveal: Gamers Fight Online Trolls in Eric Smith's Don't Read the Comments

Exclusive Cover Reveal: King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender

!!! Julie Andrews To Voice Lady Whistledown In Shondaland’s Bridgerton Series For Netflix Based On Novels

Accidental cat filter appears on Pakistan official's briefing

I remain cautiously optimistic: Exclusive First Look: Greta Gerwig and Saoirse Ronan’s Little Women

Harry and Meghan Give Us a New Photo of Master Archie For Father’s Day

Lorde confirms work on third album

Morning Coffee (1/18/19)

Time for Friday happy links! Almost all books and movies and royals today. Sorry not sorry?

Aaah, Let It Snow cast!

Spider-Man: Far From Home Is First Marvel Film to Cast Out Trans Actors

Here's a look at Sarah Rees Brennan's Sabrina prequel novel!

Look, ballet logistics! Kate Visits the Royal Opera House in Oscar de la Renta

And: Behold, Kate Middleton Making Pizza

I Can Already Tell Who My Favorite Captain Marvel Character Is: Goose the Cat

This is gorgeous and sounds great: 'This Time Will Be Different' Is A New YA Novel About Family History, A Flower Shop, And Moving Forward

A+E Studios Partners with Swoon Reads to Develop YA for TV/Film!

Oh, this could be good: Disney Rings ‘Hunchback’ Bell: David Henry Hwang To Script Live Action Musical, Alan Menken/Stephen Schwartz Writing Music

Morning Coffee (12/15/18)

Evil: 7-year-old migrant girl taken into Border Patrol custody dies of dehydration, exhaustion

Almost 15,000 Migrant Children Now Held At Nearly Full Shelters

Trump Inauguration Spending Under Criminal Investigation by Federal Prosecutors

Trump was in the room during hush money discussions with tabloid publisher

Trump Is Running Out of Alibis

Not great!! Hungary Creates New Court System, Cementing Leader’s Control of Judiciary

Okay, THIS is good, if mostly symbolic: Senate Votes to End Aid for Yemen Fight Over Khashoggi Killing and Saudis’ War Aims

Here is some exciting news I've been sitting on! Netflix Boards Christmas Rom-Com ‘Let It Snow’ From ‘The Fault In Our Stars’ Scribe & ‘Planet Of The Apes’ Producer

Yay, New York Magazine is unionizing!

Announcing the 2019 PEN America Literary Awards Longlists

Morning Coffee (5/16/18)

This is just evil: Trump administration preparing to hold immigrant children on military bases

WHAT A SHOCK: North Korea cancels talks with South, and hints it could do the same with US

Suspect Identified in C.I.A. Leak Was Charged, but Not for the Breach

Asian-Americans Blast John Kelly’s Remark About Immigrants Who ‘Don’t Integrate Well’

Tom Wolfe, Author of ‘The Right Stuff’ and ‘Bonfire of the Vanities,’ Dies

Want a taste of my anthology? Maureen Johnson defines resistance in exclusive essay from ‘How I Resist’ collection

! Researchers Uncover Two Hidden Pages in Anne Frank’s Diary

His ex's comment here is GREAT: David Letterman Just Can’t Figure Out Why He Never Had Women Writers

The fraught gender and racial politics of the royal wedding, explained

Wikipedia’s top-cited scholarly articles — revealed

Morning Coffee (4/13/18)

HEY IT'S FINALLY FRIDAY. Let's take a break for some happy links!

ICYMI, important ice cream news: FRIENDLY'S HAS CHIPWICHES NOW

This from the Fug Girls is hilarious and also made me tear up: This Is The Rehearsal Dinner Toast Meghan Markle Deserves

Ooh: Buffy the Vampire Slayer getting new book series from Simon Pulse (by Kiersten White!)

Here Are Images of the First Stellar Remnant Found Beyond the Milky Way

Here's a great thread of famous people modeling for knitting patterns.

The 7 Things We Know About Starbucks’ Most Secretive Store

‘Mercury 13’ Trailer: Learn About The Hidden Women Of NASA’s Mercury Project

These Wonder Woman Makeup Brushes Are Fierce

Sarah Rees Brennan on Georgette Heyer makes me need to go read some Georgette Heyer.

Neat: Strand Book Store Is Hosting An Exhibit On Notable Book Covers Of The Last Decade With Penguin Random House

I am obsessed with this Truly Devious photoset.

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 (1/29/18)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.

Alexei Navalny detained at anti-Putin protest in Moscow

Shocker: Republicans Show Little Urgency on Legislation to Protect Mueller

Uh, this seems not great: Fitness tracking app Strava gives away location of secret US army bases

Wow, good: Ireland Prime Minister Says He Will Campaign to Repeal Abortion Ban

Camels banned from Saudi beauty contest over Botox

I didn't watch the Grammys but I saw this headline when I woke up and aw, yay: Carrie Fisher wins Grammy posthumously

Yeah, YOU'D THINK: Nielsen Social Content Ratings Will Now Include Instagram

I was skeptical of this whole enterprise but then I saw TONY KUSHNER is involved?! Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner’s ‘West Side Story’ Is Casting

The Death of Stalin looks fun. (Er, you know what I mean.)

The map for Maureen Johnson's Truly Devious is SO GORGEOUS. I want to hang it on my wall or embroider it on a tapestry or SOMETHING.

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

Afternoon Tea (9/8/17)

Happy weekend! Don't forget to check out my new Patreon rewards and join if you enjoy these posts!

This profile is very interesting and well done and POOR KID: Dylan O’Brien Is Ready to Talk About That Accident

This is great and JUST LIKE THEM, I promise: Sarah Rees Brennan and Maureen Johnson chat about writing and murder

I'm still not 100% sure I believe this, honestly: The Story Of "My Immortal" Is More Wild And Heartbreaking Than You Imagined

How to Write While the World Burns

That's enough, clowns.

Morning Coffee (6/27/17)

I'm extremely hesitant to believe anything that suggests the Senate bill won't just pass, but for what it's worth, the Times seems to think it's "edging toward collapse". Honestly, I still assume this is so people can LOOK like they objected and then have a meaningless "fix" at the last minute, but I'd love to be wrong!

Hrm: White House says Syria’s Assad preparing another chemical attack, warns of ‘heavy’ penalty

Uh... Ivanka Trump, Adviser To The President: I Try To ‘Stay Out Of Politics’

The GOP Can Only Defend Itself by Lying

But there was actually some good news yesterday! Gay Couples Entitled to Equal Treatment on Birth Certificates, Justices Rule

Also! Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy Did Not Retire Today

I love the galleries the Guardian puts together for photos of celebrations around the world. Here's Eid al-Fitr.

I also love Truly Devious, the forthcoming mystery by my boss and friend Maureen Johnson, and you can read an excerpt (and see the cover) now!

Awesome: Girl Scouts Will Start Offering Cybersecurity Badges to Promote Interest in Science And Math Fields

Ooh: 10,000 medieval pottery finds at Newport Memorial Hall

Morning Coffee (4/19/16)

Me elsewhere: Your Monday Read the Screen Daily Read.

Some good Pulitzer winners yesterday. Hamilton! Emily Nussbaum! Lots of important reporting!

And Wesley Lowery totally leaked the Post's win, which I'm sure doesn't surprise anyone.

This is insane and horrifying: Teenager Is Accused of Live-Streaming a Friend’s Rape on Periscope

Hillary Clinton went to Mikey's Ice Cream yesterday, and this is a very interesting read about the owner and the criminal justice system, and I am also mentioning it because my friends Maureen and Robin RAN INTO HER THERE and got a picture!

The true tragedy of Attawapiskat

Letting them die: parents refuse medical help for children in the name of Christ

This is wild: I Have No Idea What This Startup Does and Nobody Will Tell Me

Disability Representation and the Problem with “Inspiration Porn”

Why I Came Out As A Gay Children’s Book Author

Tons of fascinating tidbits in here: On the road with the Queen: What I learnt from 20 royal tours

Morning Coffee (3/23/16)

ICYMI: I was disappointed with An Ember in the Ashes.

Brussels Attacks Underscore Vulnerability of an Open European Society

And some useful background: The Brussels attacks are a profound threat to the European project

(My boss, not the Rent character) Maureen Johnson has announced a new book series and I am very excited about it! Boarding school and murder!

This is a little old now but very well-written and illuminating: How America Made Donald Trump Unstoppable

I feel like this has gotten lost in a lot of the discussion: "Rubio would have easily been the most radical nominee in Republican Party history."

Hillary Clinton, ‘Smart Power’ and a Dictator’s Fall

The hope and hype of super delegates

I finally read the Jennifer Garner Vanity Fair piece and it's just as good as you've heard.

Our relationship with TV is messed up. It’s time for a change.

This is a little hard to describe but quite compelling: Blood Ties: Conjuring up my own personal conquistador

Why Everyone on TV Has the Same Hair

Lines of Text I've Clicked to Exit Pop-Ups, Ranked From Least to Most True

Morning Coffee (5/13/15)

Me elsewhere: ABC's fall schedule.

Nice Inge Lehmann Google doodle today.

Ooh: The ACLU is investigating Hollywood's discrimination against female directors.

I find it completely hilarious that networks owned by AMC are going dark for the Mad Men finale. "If you don't want to watch Mad Men, please watch something we don't own!"

Oh, Jonathan Franzen.

If you missed Maureen Johnson on passwords, you should probably read that.

Language fit for a queen

The Onion: Café Adds Heartbreaking Little Lunch Menu

“That sounds like a very difficult job. How ever do you manage?”
thank christ that should buy me at least a half an hour
no man in the world has ever disagreed when a woman says his job sounds difficult

Morning Coffee (4/20/15)

Me elsewhere: Your TV news for the week.

Sad news: Jonathan Crombie (who played Gilbert Blythe) passed away over the weekend.

Dear Marco Rubio, This is not how to win friends in New Hampshire.

This is not how you archive.

If you have Henry VII's bed, maybe don't leave it in a car park.

Elsewhere in famous bed news: Bedspread thought to be from Abraham Lincoln's deathbed to be tested for blood

Maureen Johnson says good things about teachers, sexism, and more.

Fascinating: The lavish lifestyle of India's royalty

Heh: A Day in the Life of a Fictional Female Reporter

Morning Coffee (2/5/15)

Fingers crossed: FCC Proposal Would Classify Internet As A Public Utility

This story is amazing: What happened when I confronted my cruellest troll

Related: Twitter CEO: 'We suck at dealing with abuse'

Um, whoa: This Book Uses Facial Recognition to Judge Whether You Deserve to Read It

Would you like to see cats reenacting a drunken holiday musical episode? Of course you would.

Questions I Have About The Harper Lee Editor Interview

Maureen Johnson's The Shadow Cabinet is out in the UK today! Here's a playlist for the series.

Important investigative journalism: Why Do Cats Love Boxes So Much?

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

Morning Coffee (9/9/14)

Happy primary day, New Hampshire! (And elsewhere.) Heads up, Nashua, some polling locations have changed.

I was skeptical of the Jack the Ripper "news" in the first place and am now doubly so, as I trust Maureen Johnson in all things. But especially this. (No, seriously, she knows what she's talking about.)

Cosmo is endorsing candidates for the first time this year. They've really been doing a lot of good stuff recently.

Rolling Stone cover story: The Reinvention of Taylor Swift (I wholeheartedly and unironically love her and I don't even care.)

Elsewhere in celebrity profiles that make their subjects seem altogether delightful and endearing: The Year's Most Unexpected Action Hero, a.k.a. Dylan O'Brien

Awwwww, awesome: Iowa couple marries after 72 years together

My friend Christine has reviewed The White Queen and provided a handy Wars of the Roses reading list.

The 62 most astounding, inspiring, and alarming takeaways from Monica Seles’s new YA romance series totally made me want to read the books.

Eee! LEGO Libraries and Bookstores

Morning Coffee (1/9/14)

Would you like to hear Jamie Bamber narrate The Bane Chronicles? Of course you would.

Department 56 (the Christmas village company) is making Downton Abbey!!!

The Bridge (the original one) is finally coming to Hulu and I am so excited.

Salem continues to look ridiculous and I can't wait.

Fascinating: Remote Control: Tonya Harding, Nancy Kerrigan, and the Spectacles of Female Power and Pain

Written Off: Jennifer Weiner's Quest for Literary Respect

Some of the Earliest Maps of Stonehenge, Made by a Druid-Obsessed English Vicar

Permission to Play Devil's Advocate Denied

Morning Coffee (9/26/13)

Elsewhere: I looked at ABC's new comedy Back in the Game at TheTelevixen.com.

Need a good summary of the Ted Cruz nonsense? Read Dave Weigel.

The uproar in the book world yesterday: This dude doesn't think books by women are worth teaching in his courses.

Maureen Johnson responds: It is entirely possible to be a good writer and an asshole.

Gilmour digs himself deeper: "I’m the only guy in North America who teaches Truman Capote." Um.

Can a Gay, Catholic Leftist Actually Squelch Corruption in Sicily?

Kelly Clarkson is not being allowed to keep the Jane Austen ring she bought after all.

A fascinating story about crime and cage fighting: Tomato Can Blues

How Edith Windsor fell in love, got married, and won a landmark case for gay marriage.

Morning Coffee (7/31/13)

Today is my birthday and I would like someone to make me this. Or this. Wow.

Alert: Barney Frank is now on Twitter.

Would you like to see the playlist David Cameron made for the other G8 leaders? Sure you would.

10 American Girl Doll Catalogs from Your Past. OMG. I vividly remember these all through 1998, which is when I went to college and the catalogs still went to my parents' house. And even then, I remember some of them.

Speaking of American Girl, they're now doing picture books!

The Never-Ending Story: Why They're Not Getting Out From Under That Dome

Candidate Vastly Less Interesting After Correction

Queen Maureen Johnson has a new site!