Afternoon Tea (8/2/19)

Look at this great article about my friend Sara! A First for Broadway: The Trombonists of KING KONG

HRH The Duchess of Sussex Interviews Michelle Obama In The September Issue

The Artisanal Gelato Makers Of Mozambique

Rainbows, Frogs, Dogs And 'The Muppet Movie' Soundtrack At 40

See the poetry of England and Wales in an interactive map.

Morning Coffee (8/2/19)

The Ripped Bodice Bookstore Announces New Award for Romance Fiction

Pioneering Investigative Journalist Nellie Bly Gets Her Own Monument

Watch the trailer for the lush adaptation of Jane Austen's unfinished novel Sanditon

Lizzo: Tiny Desk Concert

Ooh: PBS Orders Rita Moreno Documentary from Norman Lear and Lin-Manuel Miranda

Helen Mirren wields 'absolute power' in HBO's Catherine the Great trailer

Sandhya Menon's New YA Series Kicks Off With A 'Beauty & The Beast' Retelling Titled 'Of Curses And Kisses'

Benedict Cumberbatch, Colin Firth wage war in gripping 1917 trailer

‘They’re coming to you’: A man played his sax for a herd of cows, and they loved it

10 Adorable Bookish T-Shirts for Your Casual Friday Attire

Afternoon Tea (7/31/19)

Wow, this is wild: Who Gets to Be the Next Poet Laureate of New Hampshire?

Here’s to Lizzo: Patron Saint of Radical Self-Love and Badass Flute Solos

A question for conservatives: what if the left was right on race?

Hahaha: Thank You for Calling the Writer Envy Helpline

Marvellous monsters

Morning Coffee (7/31/19)

"We are in great danger": In Amazon, indigenous Waiapi chief is killed by illegal miners

No More Family Separations, Except These 900

Trump’s Cynical War on American Citizenship

States Rush to Make Voting Systems More Secure as New Threats Emerge

Hardly Any Rape Cases Lead to Charges in England and Wales: Report

Study: Malaria Drugs Are Failing At An 'Alarming' Rate In Southeast Asia

Scientists want to make it a war crime to damage the environment in a conflict

America’s dual housing crisis and what Democrats plan to do about it, explained

The World Is Getting a Pickup-Truck Emoji Because the other emoji weren't manly enough!!

Michael Jaffee, Who Co-Founded Early-Music Group, Dies at 81

Afternoon Tea (7/26/19)

A Peculiarly Dutch Summer Rite: Children Let Loose in the Night Woods

Honestly, this sold me, I'm going to try it: The Best Classical Music Streaming Service Is Idagio

Five Women Who Made the Moon Landing Possible

Peru celebrates Inca sun festival: Inti Raymi – in pictures

This is so neat: An Interactive Map of Odysseus’ 10-Year Journey in Homer’s Odyssey

Morning Coffee (7/24/19)

As Adam Serwer wrote, the cruelty is the point: Trump administration proposed rule would cut 3 million people from food stamps

Human rights groups lead chorus of alarm over new Trump administration commission

Of course: Trump sues House panel, NY to protect state tax returns

Bill Wehrum, an Architect of E.P.A. Rollbacks, Faces New Ethics Inquiry

Behind the Scenes of the House Democrats’ Twitter War

“Likability” ratings in a recent New Hampshire poll show just how tough female candidates have it

Amy Wax, “national conservatism,” and the dark dream of a whiter America

FaceApp Is Everyone’s Problem

New Taylor song!!!

Mitchell Feigenbaum, Physicist, Dies at 74; He Made Sense of Chaos

Morning Coffee (7/22/19)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.

What Americans Do Now Will Define Us Forever

Puerto Rico’s week of massive protests, explained

Ocasio-Cortez calls for an independent investigation into child separation policies

Extradition and independence: What’s behind the continued protests in Hong Kong

Chinese Money in the U.S. Dries Up as Trade War Drags On

Elizabeth Warren’s latest Wall Street enemy: private equity

!!! New Kinks Music is Underway After More Than Two Decades Apart, Dave Davies Confirms

Into this: Natalie Portman will take up Thor’s hammer in Thor: Love and Thunder

What: Paul McCartney Has Been Secretly Writing an ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ Musical

Picard's dog's name in 'Star Trek' spin-off is confirmed, and it's perfect

Morning Coffee (7/20/19)

SOME GOOD NEWS: New Law Offers Anti-Discrimination Protection For N.H. Public School Students

Trump says US Navy destroyed Iranian drone

...of course: Trump to nominate Eugene Scalia, the son of the late Supreme Court justice, as his next secretary of Labor

Great column from Jamelle Bouie: Trump Voters Are Not the Only Voters

EPA will not ban use of controversial pesticide linked to children’s health problems

The House just passed a $15 minimum wage. It would be the first increase in a decade.

Catholics in Iowa went to church. Steve Bannon tracked their phones.

The new Veronica Mars is STREAMING NOW, this is not a drill!

Yay! Broadway’s Moulin Rouge! Musical Will Release a Cast Recording in the Fall

Heh: The Other CBD: Christian Book Distributors Changes Name After Cannabis Confusion

Afternoon Tea (7/19/19)

Why 'Red, White & Royal Blue' Author Casey McQuiston Loves Making Birth Charts For Her Characters

This about the process of getting rights to all those songs was fascinating: How Can ‘Moulin Rouge! The Musical’ Upstage the Movie? With 70 Songs

Dear Internet: The Little Mermaid Also Happens to Be Queer Allegory

Van Gogh Painted Many ‘Sunflowers.’ But How Different Are They?

Why a Computer History Museum Owns a Legendary Teapot

Afternoon Tea (7/18/19)

THE JOURNALISM WE'VE BEEN CALLING FOR: Sufjan Stevens and the Curious Case of the Missing 48 States

You’re Not Sticking To Sports When You Stick To Sports

A female historian wrote a book. Two male historians went on NPR to talk about it. They never mentioned her name. It’s Sarah Milov.

Genealogy Sites Have Helped Identify Suspects. Now They’ve Helped Convict One.

The Must-Read YA Anthologies of 2019

Afternoon Tea (7/12/19)

This is RIVETING: New Coke Didn’t Fail. It Was Murdered.

Whoa: An Eight-Second Film of 1915 New Orleans and the Mystery of Louis Armstrong’s Happiness

Mermaids Have Always Been Black

10 Black Princess Books to Celebrate Halle Bailey as Ariel

Jerome and the lion

Afternoon Tea (7/9/19)

Exclusive Investigation: Sex, Drugs, Misogyny And Sleaze At The HQ Of Bumble’s Owner

Why the USWNT’s open queerness matters

Romance Novelists Write About Sex and Pleasure. On the Internet That Makes Them Targets for Abuse

DNA Begins to Unlock Secrets of the Ancient Philistines

A few days late but very interesting: An Ives Fourth

Morning Coffee (7/8/19)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.

DRC rebel chief 'the Terminator' convicted of war crimes

Greece Liked to Underestimate Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Now He’s Prime Minister.

Justice Dept. to Replace Lawyers in Census Citizenship Question Case

ICE Used Facial Recognition to Mine State Driver’s License Databases

A Crime by Any Name

US women’s soccer team wins its fourth World Cup

USA's formidable women's soccer team is no accident. It's a product of public policy

Elizabeth Warren Unveils Plan for Getting Women of Color Paid More Fairly

Women's Health Providers Say Impasse After Sununu's Budget Veto Will Hurt Patients

João Gilberto, Father of Bossa Nova, Dies at 88

Afternoon Tea (6/28/19)

The way he talks about both Linda and John just kills me: Paul McCartney on Linda’s best photos: ‘Seeing the joy between me and John really helped me’

Ooh there are some GREAT choices in this list: 21 YA eBooks on Sale for Under $3 for Pride Month!

How to Cut Cheese Like a Pro

The Best Ice Cream Shop in Every State

Fancy a Mystery-Inspired Board Game?

Morning Coffee (6/28/19)

On Friday we stick to happy links. Back to current events tomorrow.

Yay! One Day at a Time Saved From Cancellation by Pop TV

Aaah, this Charlie's Angels trailer!

LOOK AT THE BABY SNOW LEOPARDS

!! Dixie Chicks confirm on Instagram that a new album is coming

THIS IS SO CUTE: LEGO is hosting the world’s smallest Pride parade to celebrate Stonewall’s 50th anniversary

Cookies in Space!

Whoa: 'Myst' Film, TV Universe in the Works From Village Roadshow

50 Must-Read Queer Romance Novellas

I just love this headline: Reversible superglue proves strong enough to hold average man

Polish & Paperbacks: 13 Book-Inspired Manicures

Afternoon Tea (6/27/19)

NICOLE CLIFFE'S ALANIS MORISSETTE PROFILE IS OUT!!! It is great, of course.

They Thought This HIV Strategy Couldn't Work. But It Did

Brand Twitter Grows Up

The Many Liars of Crime Fiction

Toads and ermine (and other coats of arms)

Afternoon Tea (6/24/19)

14 YA Authors on the Queer Books That Changed Their Lives

Americans Just Want Immigrants for the Food

Of course this was someone who worked for Goop: Welcome to the Era of Branded Engagements

I never knew the lyrics to this first verse and I am horrified: The Rolling Stones & Brown Sugar — way past time to let it go

The Art and Politics of Crosswords

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 (6/14/19)

Time for Friday happy links! With some LATE-BREAKING HAPPY NEWS: Taylor's got a new single out, wherever you listen to such things! (And a new album in August.)

!!! ‘Orphan Black’ Storyline Continues With Tatiana Maslany Voicing New Audio Series for Serial Box

Ooh, Frozen II trailer!

The Times has a new puzzle game called Tiles and WARNING: very addictive.

SO CUTE: Tiny Prince Louis Makes His Trooping The Colour Debut…

The three original seasons of Veronica Mars will be on Hulu on July 1st if you want to catch up or rewatch before the new season!

I'm saving this to watch over the weekend but YAY: Sesame Street: Tiny Desk Concert

The Muppet Movie is coming back to theaters for its 40th anniversary

Ooh: FOR ALL MANKIND: Apple TV+ Reveals First Trailer for Alternate Reality NASA Drama

Once Threatened, Europe’s Night Trains Rebound

These Are the Craziest Milkshakes in Every State

Morning Coffee (6/11/19)

Justice Dept. Agrees to Turn Over Key Mueller Evidence to House

Chao created special path for McConnell’s favored projects

Oh no: Supreme Court will hear a major attack on anti-discrimination law

White House blocked intelligence agency’s written testimony calling climate change ‘possibly catastrophic’

Oh: Barr compares being Trump’s attorney general to D-Day invasion

Reporter’s Arrest Sets Off Widespread Protests in Russia

Julián Castro is the first presidential candidate to visit Flint

The New Socialism Panic Is the Right’s Trick to Justify Supporting Trump

Ugh: Daniel Barenboim’s Contract Is Extended Despite Bullying Accusations

I'm so glad he's finally being held accountable: Life as a Nxivm ‘Slave’: Branding, Whippings and Cold Showers