Kate Linnea Welsh: kittens

Happy Thanksgiving! We're going to do mostly happy links today, because it's a holiday, and then regular links tomorrow, because I don't have enough happy links for two days in a row.

There's going to be a Henning Mankell "memoir of sorts"!

Very important: An Investigative Report on the State of Reese's Peanut Butter Trees in America

Rachel Fershleiser IS a literary wizard. (Seriously. I recently needed an early review copy of a forthcoming book, and I tweeted something vague and seemingly within MINUTES she had me talking to the correct people at the publisher.)

I haven't played the Game of Thrones game, but they're making a second season of it and they sound really interesting! Maybe I will try it!

This piece on the Italian New Jersey accent is very interesting, as is how it's similar but not identical to what I grew up hearing in Connecticut.

How Suffragists Used Cookbooks As A Recipe For Subversion

Oreo Churros?!?!

When Facebook meets The Onion... Literally Unbelievable

It's a holiday so let's have a KITTEN VIDEO.

Hey Ladies are back!!!

Friday, September 18, 2015

Morning Coffee (9/18/15)

Happy Friday! Let's ignore Trump for the moment.

!!!! The BBC is launching an online subscription service in the U.S. !!!!!!!

In other important import news: Canadian All-Dressed chips are coming! They are MY FAVORITE chip flavor. (It says for a limited time but maybe if we buy enough they will stay?)

Here's the National Book Award fiction longlist.

Sweden is a treasure.

I'd somehow missed the fact that Ryan Adams is doing a whole album of 1989 covers, but oh my God.

It's Friday. Let's look at how Minnie Mouse influenced fashion.

It's Friday. Let's ogle fall coats.

It's Friday. Here's a kitten and a baby waking up from a nap.

It's Friday. MORE KITTENS.

Friday, April 17, 2015

Morning Coffee (4/17/15)

Happy Friday!

From the people who brought you the Kitten Bowl: The Paw Star Game, coming July 12th. Somehow the idea of kittens playing baseball is even sillier than kittens playing football. I can't wait.

I love this Alan Sepinwall piece on hope-watching vs. hate-watching.

The first all-girl quintuplets have been born in the United States, and one of them appears to be named after a John Green character.

The Morgan Library has a new director. I love the Morgan Library.

My new favorite thing: We Turned Eight Republican Presidential Candidates Into Sims and Dropped Them In The White House

Your Friday shirtless man: Poldark: Could Aidan Turner spark a surge in scything?

19 Emojis All Thirtysomethings Wish Existed

Hundreds Of Corgis Got Together For Corgi Beach Day And It Was Adorable

The Sequel To Beauty And The Beast Those Hot Blonde Triplets Deserve

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Morning Coffee (2/18/15)

Ooh, check out the Volta Google doodle.

Wow, divers found 1000-year-old Israeli gold coins.

You can read the first seven chapters of the Fug Girls' upcoming novel The Royal We!

11 Animals That Are Dealing With Winter Better Than You Are

Hallmark Channel is expanding their kitten sports season.

Bosch isn’t great TV, but that’s why it might be the hit Amazon desperately needs. (I'm looking forward to trying it!)

Anthony Horowitz (of Foyle's War) is writing a new BBC cop drama!

How to Tell If You Are in a Victor Hugo Novel

Monday, November 24, 2014

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.

Friday, November 21, 2014

Morning Coffee (11/21/14)

Quick departure to the non-happy but time-sensitive: Daniel Handler, Racist Jokes, and the Disclaimer. If you want to help make good come out of this, Handler is matching donations to We Need Diverse Books today.

Now for your regularly scheduled Happy Friday links:

"Unnecessary apostrophes hurt Tiny Tim." How to Make Your Last Name Plural This Christmas Season

Author Alexandra Duncan is doing a great holiday giveaway with a prize pack that includes her book Salvage (which I LOVED) AND a $50 donation to the charity of your choice. Enter here.

15 feminist-improved pages for the computer engineer Barbie book

Study shows the media has a clear bias — in favor of dogs

What to Read if You Love Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” Video

Classic Houses In Literature Go On the Imaginary Real Estate Market (I got all these answers right and am very proud.)

Hee: Famous Author Bios

Just What You Need: Cats Sleeping in IKEA Dolls Beds

Snuggly Bookish PJs for Winter Reading Time

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Morning Coffee (11/13/14)

Ooh! The First Close-Up Image of Comet 67P From the Philae Lander

I love this: Taylor Swift and the Myth of the Mean Greedy Artist. I can't even decide on a line to quote. "The bottom line is that artists’ rights are workers’ rights. You are not being progressive or radical by denying artists the right to control their own work. You are not helping the underprivileged by making it impossible for anyone who isn’t already rich and privileged to take up artistic careers. Your pirated Taylor Swift song isn’t feeding the poor."

You probably already saw this, but Time's annual word-banning poll is terrible in general and includes "feminism" as an option. No. Let's not ban that.

Escape from Jonestown

This essay on Mallory Ortberg is great.

About The Time Shonda Rhimes Gave Me A Christmas Cat Intervention

21 Times Tumblr Told the Truth About Cats

Songs You’ll Never Hear On A Sufjan Stevens Album

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Morning Coffee (11/12/14)

Me elsewhere: Sleepy Hollow thoughts

Amazon won the auction for the .book domain. I'm sure you'll be shocked to hear that people are freaking out about this.

An important read: “Did You Ever Mind It?”: On Race and Adoption

The Online Legacy of a Suicide Cult and the Webmasters Who Stayed Behind

Michael Chabon is now a lyricist.

Here's the trailer for the Grumpy Cat Christmas movie, if you're into that kind of thing.

I am totally this person: Man Has No Idea What To Do With Visiting Friend Between Meals

What Shakespeare character are you?

Sorry I Murdered Everyone, But I’m An Introvert

Friday, November 7, 2014

Morning Coffee (11/7/14)

Happy Friday!

Promising news: Twitter is working with an advocacy group to investigate the harassment of women

There's a new Into the Woods trailer, and . . . fine. I'm in.

If your Friday could use twenty minutes of pure delight, I highly recommend I Ship It, a romantic comedy set in the world of wizard rock, by Yulin Kuang, who's making a good case for become The Nora Ephron of My People. It stars Mary Kate Wiles of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, Sean Persaud of Shipwrecked Comedy, and Joey Richter of StarKid. (If none of those words made any sense to you, you might not entirely get this, but it will still be funny and adorable.)

Ooh: Vlogbrothers Bring “Crash Course” Videos to PBS Digital Studios

I read this oral history of Sports Night and now I need to rewatch the entire show immediately.

OPI has Peanuts nail polish and I want "WHO ARE YOU CALLING BOSSY?!?" with every fiber of my being.

Speaking of things I want, look at this Rainbow Brite bib necklace.

20 Style Tips On How To Wear a Plaid or Flannel Shirt I didn't necessarily realize this was a difficult subject requiring 20 tips, but this is absolutely speaking my language.

Two Words: Kitten Graduation

Friday, October 31, 2014

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

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Morning Coffee (10/22/14)

Me elsewhere: Thoughts on this week's Sleepy Hollow.

Ben Bradlee has died at 93.

Fashion designer Oscar de la Renta has also passed away, and Go Fug Yourself has a great retrospective.

And in even more death news (sorry), I'm very curious to see what happens with the Duke of Marlborough's estate.

In case you were concerned, the Hallmark Channel has named an official commissioner of the Feline Football League.

Taylor Swift Just Went to No. 1 on iTunes Canada With Eight Seconds of Static

Interesting: What we get wrong about Lord Elgin

Your day could probably use these pictures of Prince Harry.

Hee: Songs From A Decemberists Album Where Nobody Gets Murdered

Friday, October 17, 2014

Morning Coffee (10/17/14)

Happy Friday!

So many things I love: Taylor Swift. Diet Coke. KITTENS.

If this Derek Jeter sweater were sold in knitting pattern form, I would probably buy it. Not sure I would ever get around to knitting it, but I would totally buy the pattern.

I am obsessed with these Christmas village sheets from Pottery Barn, even though a) I fear they would be too distracting to actually sleep on and b) I really don't need to pay $129 for Christmas sheets.

Princess Anne is semi-secretly really awesome.

Ooh: Crime writer Agatha Christies's lost diamonds to be auctioned

I've realized that when I think "tiara," Queen Alexandra's Kokoshnik is the one I automatically picture.

Online quizzes usually have lots of questions that make me think "I don't like ANY of those answers" or "Why does everything ask about Beyonce?? I HAVE NO ANSWER." So I was super impressed with this one, because it seemed very thoughtful or maybe I just liked the questions better: Who is your TV vampire soulmate?

I just enjoy this headline: Japanese zoo fails to breed two hyenas after both turned out to be male

Friday, September 5, 2014

Morning Coffee (9/5/14)

HAPPY FRIDAY. Finally. I just realized that I have enough items bookmarked to make this entire list about current and former British royalty, but I suppose I'll be nice and mix it up a bit and save some of those for next week sometime.

But really, you need this headline: Prince George adopts a lobster "We do not know if the crustacean has been named, nor if the adoption was a gift from The Duke to The Prince."

And this one: Princess Anne to visit island where Prince Philip is worshipped as a god

Clarence House (the official presence of the Prince of Wales and his family; it's like saying "the White House" and not meaning the actual building) is Instagramming about Daleks, so I think we can all go home now.

One more: Someone bought a slice of Charles and Di's wedding cake for £828. Yum? I am bringing this up mainly because one of the articles I read about this mentioned a Seinfeld episode in which Elaine eats a piece of Wallis and Edward's wedding cake and I CANNOT BELIEVE NO ONE EVER TOLD ME ABOUT THIS. Why isn't Seinfeld streaming? I think I'd like it a lot better now than I did when it was on. (I know: because money. Still.)

No, wait, one more: BBC America is giving us a special on Harry at 30, because they love us.

OKAY MOVING ON: This is a little old, but Will Shortz's young female assistant is my new hero.

Awesome: Walter Tull, the first black officer in the British army, to feature on £5 coin

The 6 Reactions Book-Lovers Have to People Who Don't Read

This is good customer service. (Note: kitten!)

Science Headlines I Would Like To See More Of

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Morning Coffee (9/2/14)

We've made it to September! Yay!

Here are the new Amazon pilots. I'll write up some quick opinions of them later in the week, if you're interested.

Interesting issues here: Big brother is watching your favorite college athletes

Hee. Perfect. Angelina and Brad Finally Wed. Will Billy Bob Thornton Ever Find Happiness?

I tend to care more about authorial intent than I probably should these days, but Todd VanDerWerff's take is worth a read.

The Hypocrisy of Gay Shower Panic

Quite the story: Burmese beauty queen 'vanishes with tiara' from pageant

At long last, Hugh Grant is doing another rom-com.

These Are the Brave and Fluffy Cats Who Served in World War I