Afternoon Tea (7/8/19)

The Moon Sits for Its Portrait

Screw This Whole ‘My Girlfriend Isn’t Hungry’ Menu Trend

From LGBTQ Reads: New Releases: July 2019 So many things there sound good!

How stock photographers take a perfectly anonymous picture

Lost in Translation

Afternoon Tea (7/3/19)

This is great: So the President F*cking Hates My Girlfriend

SO MANY BOOKS THAT SOUND GREAT: Our Most Anticipated LGBTQAP YAs of 2019: July to December

NASA Reopens Apollo Mission Control Room That Once Landed Men on Moon

The Meaning Changed, But DiGiorno’s Slogan Stays the Same

The Boyfriends of Giarre

Morning Coffee (1/20/19)

Here’s Trump’s latest offer to end the shutdown — and why Democrats aren’t interested

This whole thing has been confusing, but this is a pretty good explanation (and it's worth noting that the whole thing isn't being disputed): Mueller’s office disputes BuzzFeed News report that Trump told Cohen to lie to Congress

The controversy over Ilhan Omar calling Lindsey Graham “compromised,” explained

Hey some good news! New York Will Become the 15th State to Ban Conversion Therapy

How the government shutdown could harm the future of American science

KKK Police Raid Seizes Guns and Knives in a Surprising Location—Germany

Good: Roku Removes Infowars Channel Following Backlash

Happy 18th birthday, Wikipedia. Let’s celebrate the Internet’s good grown-up.

262-year-old stolen artifact returned to Detroit Historical Society

I'm surprised it's his first! Mr. Peanut to Appear in His First Super Bowl Commercial

Afternoon Tea (1/3/19)

Two Roads for the New French Right

How A Little Science And A Lot Of Shady Advertising Boosted Yeast's Popularity

Thomas Merton, the Monk Who Became a Prophet

The Best Thrillers Of 2018, According To One Of The Best Crime Writers

Two Distinguished Women and a Seasonal Greetings Card Mystery

Afternoon Tea (12/6/18)

Jameela Jamil and the Trouble With #NoFilter Feminism

How A Corporation Convinced American Jews To Reach For Crisco

(Not?) Petrarch’s Cat

Opera 101

7 Real-Life Spy Stories for People Obsessed with John le Carré

Morning Coffee (11/23/18)

Time for Friday happy links!

YAY: 'Becoming' Is Becoming 2018's Biggest Adult Book

I would like to read a novel based on this immediately: Revealed: the child Clement Attlee helped save from the Nazis

Oh interesting: Marvel Teams Up With Tupac Estate to Resurrect Rapper for ‘Black Panther’ Collab

JUST HIRE THEM: Curious cats bring fame to Japanese museum that won't let them in

‘Death & Nightingales’: Jamie Dornan & Matthew Rhys Battle It Out In First Trailer For BBC Period Drama

The Untouched 4,000-Year-Old Egyptian Tomb of Mehu Opens to the Public

This is not a RECENT link, but my family tried this festive cocktail recipe last night and WE RECOMMEND IT: Hot Maple Bourbon Apple Cider

Aw I love them: Coca-Cola’s Polar Bears, Now 25 Years Old, Return to Share Their Rules for a Loving Household

Romance readers will probably be interested in the Ripped Bodice Robe.

Answer These Teen TV Questions And We'll Give You A YA Novel To Read

Afternoon Tea (9/7/18)

(I'm on vacation, so this was written in advance.)

This is so interesting: The Girdle-Inspired History of the Very First Spacesuits

Hahahaha: If Goodreads Users Reviewed Your Life the Way They Reviewed Your Book

Why fake dating is a great romantic trope, explained by To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

A letter of a Scottish rebel

Why Salads and CEOs Are Photographed the Exact Same Way

Afternoon Tea (3/21/18)

The Legal Battle to Colonize Mars

Once Upon a Time in the West: Laura Ingalls Wilder's Biographer on the Fantasy and Fiction

Lord have mercy on your casserole: In praise of church cookbooks

15 Irish Crime Writers You Should Be Reading Right Now

How Mom Bloggers Helped Create Influencer Marketing

Morning Coffee (3/16/18)

Time for Friday happy links!

ICYMI, yesterday I wrote about why I liked A Wrinkle in Time so much!

Aaaah, great news from my friend Steph! Netflix is making a movie of her YA horror novel There's Someone Inside Your House. (I generally avoid horror but I really loved this one.)

Hahaha: National Trust apologises to Cornish after appearing to endorse putting cream on scones first

7 Books to Read After Seeing Black Panther

Aw, look at today's George Peabody Google doodle!

Ooh, pretty: These L’Occitane Easter Eggs Are Even Better Than Chocolate Eggs

The Amy Poehler/Nick Offerman crafting show is premiering ON MY BIRTHDAY. That's very thoughtful of them.

Perfect: If Jane Austen Got Feedback From Some Guy In A Writing Workshop

I'm not particularly into animated series but this is quite the voice cast.

The Solo movie is doing some kind of promotion with Solo cups and that's HILARIOUS.

Mae Whitman Is Ready for Taylor Kitsch to Play Her Boyfriend Now I mean, who isn't?

Morning Coffee (2/27/18)

ICYMI, yesterday's Oscar Project posts: DeKalb Elementary, Roman J. Israel, Esq., Blade Runner 2049

Supreme Court Turns Down Trump’s Appeal in ‘Dreamers’ Case

Donald Trump's Russia Accomplices

Angela Merkel Starts Grooming Successors, and One Stands Out

Ughhh whyyyy: Levi Sanders makes it official, he’s a candidate for NH’s 1st District House seat

2018! ‘Clueless’ Star Stacey Dash Files to Run for Congress in California

The donation part is good but UGH to the "women are intimidated" stuff: Diageo Introduces ‘Jane Walker’ Scotch in Bid to Attract Women

The Iceman Cometh Out

Ugh, I'm sure I'll give in and subscribe eventually: Turner’s FilmStruck Adds Warner Bros. Classic Films, As Warner Archive Service Winds Down

MILK BATTLES: Former Olympians to Air Regional PSA During Closing Ceremonies Urging Athletes to Give Up Milk

Well, this story took a turn: 50 Cent admits in bankruptcy document that he never actually owned any bitcoin

Afternoon Tea (10/23/17)

The War To Sell You A Mattress Is An Internet Nightmare

This story is amazing: A Catfishing With a Happy Ending

A Senator Speaks Out Against Confederate Monuments… in 1910

Celebrating Henry VIII’s Love Affair With the Humble Recorder

A study shows how ancient Egypt struggled with drastic changes in the climate

Afternoon Tea (9/19/17)

From Prison to Ph.D.: The Redemption and Rejection of Michelle Jones

“I’ve Always Been Political”: Celeste Ng and Nicole Chung in Conversation

How a Design Agency Helped Make Portland, Maine, the Hippest Foodie Town in New England

“Skip intro”: Netflix could’ve saved TV title sequences, but now it’s killing them

10 Years After Her Horrible 2007, Britney Spears’s Tabloid Saga Shows How Much Has Changed

Morning Coffee (4/17/17)

Me elsewhere: Your week's TV news.

Terrorists are building drones. France is destroying them with eagles.

Another important Boko Haram piece: Folktales and Nightmares

Here's an important read about the context behind the Fearless Girl statue.

Heh: Americans are using alpacas to dodge taxes, a U.S. senator warns

Dereliction of Duty Reconsidered: The Book that Made the National Security Advisor

“Scientific racism” is on the rise on the right. But it’s been lurking there for years.

America’s Leading Authoritarian Intellectual Is Working for Trump

I want to go get blini now: A Russian Fast-Food Chain Tries Its Luck in America

Ooh! Netflix Is Reportedly Reviving Carmen Sandiego With Gina Rodriguez

Climate Change Incited Wars Among the Classic Maya

Telling the Forgotten Stories of the Everyday Americans of the Revolutionary War

Morning Coffee (4/7/17)

Finally Friday. Time for some distracting links.

Obviously the original issue here isn't happy, but the reaction is: Dutch Men Hold Hands in Solidarity With Attacked Gay Couple

This is SO COOL: An Excavation Of One Of The World’s Greatest Art Collections

The new Netflix Anne show looks... pretty good, you guys.

Fascinating: Translating Agatha Christie into Icelandic: 'One clue took 10 years'

What it's like to run an all-romance bookstore in Los Angeles

Hee: Sony Asked Us to Share Footage of the Smurfs: The Lost Village Premiere and We Said Yes

Hahaha: Harlequin Brings Its Romance-Novel Hunks Into the Real World, With Hidden Cameras Rolling

Want To Ogle Some Official Gifts Given To The Queen? WHO DOESN'T?

Martha Stewart and a drone!

Ooh, so organized: Mayim Bialik’s Passover Calendar Looks Intense

I didn't know the Mary Poppins house was real!

Let's run away to a castle in Italy.

Morning Coffee (12/25/16)

(I'm traveling, so this post was written in advance and does not take into account whatever additional horrors have recently been unleashed upon the world.)

Merry Christmas!

Pope’s New Nativity Scene Raises Awareness of Worldwide Refugee Crisis

Whoa: Take a Virtual Tour of One of the World's Largest Gingerbread Cities

What's it like to race a reindeer?

Ooh, let's look at some of this year's holiday windows.

Christmas chaos in literature, from Emma to Adrian Mole

For Teddy Roosevelt's Son, Rebelling Meant Sneaking Christmas Trees Into the White House

How the ‘War on Christmas’ Controversy Was Created

The Long, Rich, Boozy History of Eggnog

Heh, Zillow made a listing for Santa's house.

In Albuquerque they make snowmen out of tumbleweeds.

‘A good preparation for Christmas’: Revolution and Augustan Yuletides

10 Harry Potter Recipes That Will Make Your Holidays Magical

Morning Coffee (12/24/16)

(I'm traveling, so this post was written in advance and does not take into account whatever additional horrors have recently been unleashed upon the world.)

Happy Christmas Eve! All holiday-themed links today.

This is absolutely the best holiday ad of the year.

In New Hampshire, Decorating Christmas Trees in the Woods is a Thing People Do

Sweden Has Won the Annual Santa Olympics

Amazing: A Dickensian Divide, but United in Holiday Cheer

It’s a Wonderful Life is one of the best movies America has ever made about itself

Step-by-step guide to making a dumpster fire ornament for 2016

How Fast Is Santa?

5 Lesbian and Gay Holiday Romances to Read This Season

The Nazis Fought the Original War on Christmas

The 1,800-year evolution of Santa Claus, from skinny medieval saint to WWII propaganda icon

Was this the first public Christmas tree?

Untangling the History of Christmas Lights

Morning Coffee (12/20/16)

Russian Ambassador to Turkey Is Assassinated in Ankara

Related: How the rivalry between Russians and Turks shaped the world

A very powerful piece about Syrian refugees: A Woman Alone

All This Talk of Voter Fraud? Across U.S., Officials Found Next to None

Uh, not good: Under political pressure, Kuwait cancels major event at Four Seasons, switches to Trump’s D.C. hotel

Trump private security force ‘playing with fire’

White nationalists target Jews in small Montana town

Shocker: Trump’s Labor Secretary Pick Has a Long, Slimy History With Anti-Abortion Schemes

It amazes me that major corporations come up with things so obviously tone-deaf and no one catches it along the way: Bud Light sorry for ‘removing no from your vocabulary for the night’ label

Cotton Mather, the Salem Witch Trials, and Our Miserable Present

This is a good read on the importance of black sci-fi authors.

Reddit Is Tearing Itself Apart

Morning Coffee (12/2/16)

Happy Friday! Let's take a break from current events for some fun links.

Does your Friday need some pictures of Matt Czuchry in fancy clothes? It may. I don't know your life.

Ooh, a history Advent calendar!

Important: The Greatest TV Beards of 2016

Wes Anderson's H&M Christmas ad is just delightful.

I'd never end up using at least half the stuff, so it would be a waste for me, but these beauty product Advent calendars are so gorgeously designed.

I'm mildly obsessed with Christmas markets. Here's Budapest's.

A socialite wore a cat dress to an event and I thought you'd want to know.

This story about Prince William saying his wife likes adult coloring books is cute, and I don't NOT believe it, but he had to make conversation while giving an OBE to a famous adult coloring book illustrator so what was he SUPPOSED to say?

Book the Halls: Bookish Holiday Decor

Whoa: The World’s Largest Jigsaw Puzzle Has 33,600 Pieces

Morning Coffee (11/30/16)

This is an important photo essay: Black Skies Above Mosul

Donald Trump Wants You to Burn the Flag While He Burns the Constitution

Good for them: Kellogg Pulls Ads From Breitbart Over 'Values As A Company'

2016! Kremlin Spokesman Says He's "Proud" of Wife's Holocaust Ice-Skating Number

Trump’s lies have a purpose. They are an assault on democracy.

Well, there's plenty to be worried about here: The Disruptive Career of Michael Flynn, Trump's National-Security Adviser

Donald Trump tweeted Britain asking for a crony as ambassador. That's a problem.

The lesson of Trump University: how little Trump’s supporters mean to him

"A certain kind of liberal makes me sick. These people traffic in false equivalencies, always pretending that both nominees are the same, justifying their apathy and not voting or preening about their narcissistic purity as they cast their ballot for a person they know cannot win."

This saga just keeps going: More Fresh Hell for Theranos

Louisa May Alcott on Little Women: “I grow tired of providing moral pap for the young”

Morning Coffee (9/9/16)

Time for some happy Friday links!

This is wonderful: Evangelicals Ignore G.O.P. by Embracing Syrian Refugees

Look at this gorgeous picture of the Obamas from Essence.

I recently read and loved Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda and I am very excited that Greg Berlanti is directing the movie!

I have driven past this particular liquor store many times but never stopped at it. APPARENTLY I SHOULD.

50 Things That Happened Because of Star Trek

Related: Good for Chris Pine.

!!! First Set of Identical Dog Twins Born in South Africa

These Maltesers ads featuring people with disabilities are pretty great!

Lisa Lucas Wants to Make Reading Fun Again

Ooh interesting: Verdi and Shakespeare