Morning Coffee (6/7/19)

Time for Friday happy links!

Aw, look at the Women's World Cup Google doodle.

Women's prize for fiction goes to 'utterly moving' Tayari Jones novel

Barack and Michelle Obama Sign Spotify Deal to Produce Exclusive Podcasts

SOMEONE IS MAKING A TV SHOW IN LATIN.

He Was Looking for Opals. Instead He Found a New Dinosaur Species.

SO MANY good YA books this week: New Releases: Secretive Friendships, Bold Blackmailers, and Confusing Attractions

Whoa, they found one of the missing Lewis pieces! A Medieval Chess Piece Potentially Worth $1.2 Million Languished in a Drawer for Decades

The subhed here is hilarious: Hidden Water Lily Found Beneath Monet Painting

Starz's The Rook Trailer Reveals the Supernatural Spy Ring You Didn't Know You Needed

I DO need some cute summer dresses!

Weekly Rec: Nothing Much Happens

I often have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep, and dealing with nightmares - I have for a long time. Last week I finally tried something a friend had been recommending and so far it's been helping more than any other individual thing I've tried. And it's a podcast, of all things! It's called Nothing Much Happens and it's bedtime stories for grown-ups, in which "nothing much happens, you feel good and then you fall asleep." I was skeptical but I swear this is some kind of sorcery. The combination of the content of the stories and the soothing delivery has been putting me to sleep IMMEDIATELY and seems to be helping with my nightmares too. Give it a try next time you're having trouble sleeping!

Morning Coffee (2/22/19)

Time for Friday happy links! Back to all the terrible stuff tomorrow, I promise.

VERY EXCITED FOR THIS NUREYEV MOVIE.

OOH: Stieg Larsson's investigation of Swedish PM's assassination revealed in new book

!!! Mary H. K. Choi is back with another lovely, social-media tinged YA romance: Exclusive preview

This is exciting but it's weird that they don't mention they've already... done a bunch of movies? ‘American Girl’ Live-Action Movie in the Works With Mattel and MGM

Interesting: CBS Turns to Artificial Intelligence to Glean Viewers’ Emotional Responses to TV Shows

Ooh, NPR has a new history podcast!

Whoa: French Designer Uses The Spines Of Books To Create Extraordinary Dresses

Excited for this: Camryn Garrett’s Full Disclosure: Take an Exclusive First Look at the Book Cover

A bunch of my favorites are up for these YA Oscars! Go vote, YA readers!

I got 8/10: Can You Guess the Oscar Film From the IMDb Parents Guide Content Warning?

Morning Coffee (9/6/18)

The New York Times’s Trump-bashing op-ed from a senior Trump official, explained

Ayanna Pressley wins the Massachusetts 7th Congressional District primary in an upset

Trump suggests that protesting should be illegal

Salisbury poisonings: police name two Russian suspects

Kavanaugh Will Try to Hide His Views on Abortion. Here’s How to Not Be Fooled.

How Duterte Used Facebook To Fuel the Philippine Drug War

Democrats Are Pushing More Diverse Candidates. Behind The Scenes, Not So Much.

Amazing: Even Bears Respect Putin, New Russian State TV Show Declares

Hmm, interesting concept: ‘Serial’ Season 3 Podcast Premiere Date Set

Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop Will Pay $145,000 For Misleading Customers About That Vagina Egg

Weekly Rec: Cult Faves Podcast

I'm picky about podcasts, mostly because a. most of the time I'd rather just read about something and b. I have a hard time figuring out when I can fit them into my life regularly, so I'm always way behind. But! There's a new podcast that I've been actually keeping up with, so clearly that is HIGH PRAISE and you should give it a try. It's called Cult Faves and it is, indeed, about cults. It's hosted by YA writer Gwenda Bond and journalist Cher Martinetti; they pick a cult a week and one of them does the research and sort of walks the other through it, which is a nice format - conversational without being too meandering. (They do have some off-topic chat as well, mostly at the beginning of the episodes, about what's going on in their lives/the world; that kind of thing sometimes bugs me but their personalities and the balance work for me here.) The latest episode is about NXIVM (a.k.a. the Alison Mack sex cult) and I'm very excited to listen to it later this evening. Give it a try!

Morning Coffee (2/13/18)

ICYMI, yesterday's Oscar Project posts: Dear Basketball, Beauty and the Beast, Molly's Game

This is both evil and deeply stupid, which... par for the course, I guess: Trump pitches plan to replace food stamps with food boxes

Meanwhile here in New Hampshire: Instructor Out After Denying Australia Is Country

Obama Portraits Blend Paint and Politics, and Fact and Fiction

A Murder Trial Stirs Emotions About Canada’s Relations With Indigenous Population

I am SO excited for her: Mirai Nagasu is now the first US woman to land a triple axel at the Olympics

And this was awesome too: Teen Olympian Overslept, Lost Coat, Said F*ck on TV, and Won U.S.'s First Gold of 2018

The ALA Youth Media Awards - the biggest awards in kids'/YA publishing - happened yesterday and the winners list is pretty great.

Oooh: Vox’s new daily podcast, Today, Explained, launches February 19

Cheddar Man: DNA shows early Briton had dark skin

Here’s Why Parents Are Furious at the New Peter Rabbit Movie

Weekly Rec: The Assassination

The BBC generally makes most of my favorite podcasts (I guess because what I actually like is radio documentaries), and they've just started a new one that's really great - The Assassination, about the assassination of Pakistani politician Benazir Bhutto, which took place ten years ago. It borrows a bit from the format popularized by Serial, with a whole series devoted to an in-depth look at a single crime, except in this case the murder in question is a world-shaking political assassination. It's hosted by Owen Bennett Jones, who knew and covered Bhutto for years and has clearly put a lot of time and effort into investigating her death, and he uses clips from archival recordings of his own BBC news reports as well as interviews that took place over decades as well as those done just for this project. There's a ton of useful background and context about Pakistani politics and history in general as well as this fascinating figure and her death. I followed the story of the assassination at the time and yet even in the first few episodes of this podcast I've learned a ton. If you're interested in recent history and how it intersects with current world affairs, give it a try!

Morning Coffee (12/5/17)

Me elsewhere: I guested on The Parabatai Podcast (which is about the books and show of the Shadowhunters universe)! You can hear my episode here. I answered questions about how things work in TV and in YA publishing and got to say "That's not how anything works!" a lot. Also there's a cat.

This isn't quite as bad as initial headlines made it sound - it's in effect WHILE challenges continue - but it's still terrible! Supreme Court Allows Trump Travel Ban to Take Effect

The level is cartoon evil is still a little surprising, somehow: Trump Slashes Size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Monuments

And on a local note, this is ALSO awful: A Poll Tax in New Hampshire

Arab warnings mount as U.S. suggests move to declare Jerusalem the capital of Israel

Uh, oops? The Senate GOP Accidentally Killed Some of Its Donors’ Favorite Tax Breaks

Manafort Associate Has Russian Intelligence Ties, Court Document Says

Hmm: Venezuela wants to solve its economic crisis with an imaginary new currency

This piece about Meghan Markle's tax situation when she marries Prince Harry is truly fascinating.

The Oscars are starting half an hour earlier this year and I'm THRILLED.

Guacamole Gets You More Messages on Dating Apps

Morning Coffee (11/24/17)

It's Friday! I keep forgetting that because it feels like, I don't know, Sunday. But it's time for happy Friday links!

The Times has posted its 100 Notable Books of 2017, and I've read... four so far, which is actually better than I often do.

This Jessica Chastain profile is delightfully feminist. (And has an amazing feminist quote from Aaron Sorkin!)

An Unabashed Appreciation of Smitten Kitchen, the Ur-Food Blog

What makes Murder on the Orient Express’s iconic ending work so well

One of my favorites: Escape the News with the British Podcast “In Our Time with Melvyn Bragg”

5 YA Books For When You Can’t Get Enough Hallmark Christmas Movies

I'm not sure I've tried this but this made me want to: Starbucks Snickerdoodle Hot Chocolate Is the Reason for the Season

YES PLEASE: This Sprawling Bookstore in a Former Church Will Have You Planning a Trip to Scotland

Hottest Heads of State made dioramas for their history candles and it's amazing.

Aww, Josh Malina.

Afternoon Tea (10/25/17)

Gossip Girl's Prophetic Relationship With Technology

Before There Was Bieber, the Monkees’ ‘Daydream Believer’ Took the Teen World by Storm

Sarah Koenig on the Popularity of Serial and the ‘Dark’ Reaction of Some of Its Fanatic Fans

Jo Nesbø’s 10 Favorite Books

In Memory Training Smackdown, One Method Dominates

Morning Coffee (10/15/17)

Don't forget to send in your questions for my new column, (In)expert Advice! Just shoot me an email.

Leaked memos show Jeff Sessions's DOJ aims to undermine due process for immigrants

Immigrant Minors in Government Shelters Aren’t Getting the Abortion Access They Need

This is a good read on the BEST POSSIBLE interpretation of Trump and Russia: A Benign Interpretation of Scandal

This is why tech companies won’t disclose content of Russian ads

Mind reader David Meade keeps getting death threats meant for doomsday theorist David Meade

Heh/sigh: Sure, I’ll Denounce Jack the Ripper, But I Also Feel the Need to Ask Why More of His Victims Didn’t Come Forward and Speak Out About His Behavior

Will this bring about the podcast singularity? Blue Apron Finally Launches Its Own Podcast With Help From Gimlet Media

Coming of Age with AOL Instant Messenger

Ooh, first look at the March sisters in the new Little Women!

Found: The Wreck of the Very First Ship Sunk in World War II

Weekly Rec: Overcast

Weekly Recs are made possible by my Patreon supporters! Come join us for exclusive content and more.

Several years ago I used to listen to lots of podcasts, and then I just kinda... stopped? For some reason? I'm honestly not sure at this point, but that's neither here nor there. I periodically tried to start up again but was extremely frustrated by the iPhone Podcasts app - it kept deciding to no longer download things because I hadn't listened in a while, or downloading hundreds of things for no apparent reason, and I just gave up.

But then! A few weeks ago it struck me that there exist other podcast apps so maybe I should try them instead. I did a very scientific survey of people I know on Facebook and Twitter and decided to try Overcast. I planned to try others if necessary and pick the best, but I'm happy with Overcast so far so I haven't even bothered to do that. One funny thing: when I started asking for recommendations people immediately started talking about sound quality, which is so low on my list of podcast app priorities that it hadn't even occurred to me as a criterion.

Guys. It's me. All I care about is how I can organize and manipulate the data.

And Overcast pretty much lets me do most of what I want! The interface is simple and functional, search works well, and it's easy to subscribe (or go to a specific episode) via URL if you have that. I can tell what I've heard and easily switch between ordering by newest or oldest depending on whether I'm listening to a show methodically from the beginning or dipping in and out of newer episodes. I haven't done a ton with the playlist functionality yet but it seems pretty user-friendly too. The app downloads what I want it to download, which doesn't sound like a rare feature but apparently is. (There's one feature I want it to have that apparently NO podcast app has so I GUESS I will let it go. [It's showing a list of only unplayed episodes, downloaded or not. Why does no one have this??])

Confession: I also really like the name, because obviously I hate sunshine and happiness.

(Yes, this also means you can recommend podcasts in the comments if you want, since I'm FINALLY paying attention to such things.)

Morning Coffee (10/13/17)

Whew, we definitely need some happy Friday links this week.

Aaaah, Rainbow Rowell book news! I'm so glad she's writing a book taking place in a pumpkin patch. That is the MOST RAINBOW.

And the cover and an excerpt from Sandhya Menon's upcoming From Twinkle, With Love!

And the Toast came back very briefly to tell us Hey Ladies! wrote a book too!

I will continue to be unreservedly excited about new X-Files because we need things to be happy about. Anyway, here's the trailer.

This new podcast sounds cool! British Museum and BBC team up to explore belief through objects

Hey, sometimes bears need pizza too.

11 Shearling Coats to Snuggle Up in This Fall (I am glad shearling is in this year because I am OBSESSED right now.)

Ooh, let's run away to Lego House.

31 Amazing Literary Halloween Costumes

I get annoyed at leaf-peepers in person but I don't mind if you do it VIRTUALLY: Breathtaking Fall Leaves Around the World

Weekly Rec: Dan Snow's History Hit

I listened to podcasts a lot several years ago, and then I just sort of stopped for a variety of reasons, and I've only gotten back into it in the past few weeks. (Part of that was finding an app I liked better than the iPhone Podcast app - that might be my Weekly Rec NEXT week.) I don't tend to like a lot of the history podcasts people recommend - I'd rather read a book by a historian than listen to some guy talk about whatever period of history. I just don't absorb facts well that way, and I like to know and vet sources.

But! I do like history podcasts that are more along the lines of a historian talking to other historians about their work and areas of expertise, and Dan Snow's History Hit is a great example of that. He's the son of TV presenter/historian Peter Snow, with whom he did the show Battlefield Britain, which BY THE WAY I also recommend. Dan's own work centers mostly around military history, but he covers a wide range of topics on the podcast, and it's always interesting, even if I think I'm not particularly into a certain subject going in. He's expanded the network to have a few other podcasts, now, too, which I have to check out.

You can see the podcasts and all the rest of Dan Snow's work at the History Hit site - there's now video, too, and a few articles, and promises of a "full site" to come. (Snow's Instagram and Twitter accounts are also fun, especially when he's on research trips.)

Weekly Rec posts are made possible by my Patreon patrons. Join now and help us get to the next goal - guest posts and interviews!

Morning Coffee (9/15/17)

As usual, we're going to put current events mostly on hold and find some happy links to celebrate Friday!

Me elsewhere: Holly and I recorded an episode of The Fourth Wall about Fall TV and the Emmys. Come listen to us have opinions on TV we haven't seen!

Oooh, here's the National Book Award Nonfiction longlist. Some interesting stuff on there I want to read!

This was a complete delight and I don't even particularly care about Harrison Ford: Harrison Ford on Star Wars, Blade Runner, and Punching Ryan Gosling in the Face

LOOK AT PBTEEN'S NEW HARRY POTTER COLLECTION. I guess I don't ACTUALLY want a themed bedroom, but it's tempting.

Oh, I love this list every year! Top 5 Baby Names By State For Births In 2016

Amazing: Danielle Steel’s Desk Is Unlike Anything You’ve Ever Seen

Cool! Uno is finally getting a colorblind-friendly edition

Here’s the World’s Best Honey Cake, According to Science

Beauty and the Beast Le Creuset is totally the kind of thing I would buy if I had lots of extra money lying around.

!! 16 Gifts Every Cheese Lover Will Obsess Over

Morning Coffee (8/11/16)

We got some Star Trek: Discovery news! Most excitingly: The lead will be female.

My friend Chris is in a horror movie called Found Footage 3D and the trailer is out. (If you like horror movies I very much think you should watch this one; I am a scaredycat who may not be able to handle it.)

Drop Everything: There Are 2 New Girl Scout Cookies And They’re Inspired By S’mores (They sound good but why do they have the same name??)

The Men in Blazers Premier League preview podcast is out! (People keep being surprised that I watch Premier League. What can I say? I appreciate a sport that airs on weekend mornings.)

Today in stories calibrated to my interests: When Tim Kaine met the Queen of England

This guy. Michael Phelps Tied A 2,168-Year-Old Olympic Record

Trump’s Wink Wink to ‘Second Amendment People’

This story about Hillary Clinton and money is fascinating on a number of levels, not least because of how baffling everyone (then and now) seems to find the idea of a woman whose husband's income is uncertain deciding to act based upon what would allow her to take care of herself and her child.

CNN's Brian Stelter: Fox News Sent A Staffer To Date Me And Spy On Me Ten Years Ago

Heh: What Would Happen if Aziz Ansari Narrated a BBC Nature Program?

Morning Coffee (7/8/16)

(Woke up to terrible news again; as usual on Fridays, we're going to ignore current events and go for fun distracting links, if anyone needs that. Back to normal tomorrow.)

Me elsewhere: The latest episode of The Fourth Wall is out - Holly and I talk about fanfic some more.

AGREED: AMC’s Halt and Catch Fire is The West Wing with computers. Catch up now.

!!! A British TV Network Ran Knitted Versions of Well-Known Spots for an Entire Ad Break

How a teen girl’s mad Overwatch skills struck a major blow to sexism in gaming

Let's ogle the Ralph & Russo fall line. I would like to watch a British mystery series set at a glamorous hotel where everyone wears these clothes.

Best headline ever? British singers surrounded by cheese

When I actually travel I generally want to stay in hotels, but this feature on Scandinavian holiday cottages and cabins is gorgeous and relaxing.

Heh: Poll: Americans only hate spoilers if they’re not the ones doing the spoiling

20 Fun Fiction Books to Read at the Beach, As Chosen by Authors

Ooh: Is This the Legendary Throne of Agamemnon?

Can You Handle our Handel? (I can't resist that pun.)

If Barack Obama Were Your Dad

Morning Coffee (6/17/16)

Boy, it's been A WEEK. How about some happy Friday links?

Me elsewhere: We've got a new episode of podcast The Fourth Wall; this time I'm asking Holly about ATX Festival!

Michelle Obama’s Kick-Ass Lady Crew Celebrates ‘The United State Of Women’

How the Cast of Hamilton Made Philanthropy Their Mission

!!!!! Canada launches revolutionary Star Trek coin-based economy

This is amazing: Legoland Threw Queen Elizabeth a Birthday Party Entirely Out of LEGO

Related: Prince George and Princess Charlotte came out for Trooping the Colour and THEY ARE ADORABLE.

The Strange Afterlife of Edgar Allan Poe’s Hair

What Queen Elizabeth’s 90 Years of Royal Portraits Tell Us About the Monarch (I misread this as "about the monarchy" and it's interesting from that perspective too, as far as the ways the presentation and perception of the monarchy has evolved.)

"What Milton lacks, unlike Shakespeare, is fans."

IT ME: how to enjoy a fun summer party when you hate fun and you absolutely loathe going outside.

Perfect: Every Modernist Novel Ever

Morning Coffee (3/18/16)

Happy Friday! Time for our weekly break from current events. Here are some links that (I hope) won't make you want to cry.

Josh Malina is doing a West Wing podcast!

The new Florence Foster Jenkins movie looks like tons of fun, but it's also interesting that we're making this into a brave story of following your dreams rather than "rich lady buys the reality she wants."

This review of And Then There Were None (which is worth a watch) made some very interesting points and made me curious to read the book.

TRUE: Tagalongs, the Most Underrated Girl Scout Cookie, Deserve Better

Neat: The Real-World Locations of 14 Sci-Fi Dystopias

Marijane Meaker: The Most Important Lesbian Writer You've Never Heard Of

I always love interviews with Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan (of Go Fug Yourself and The Royal We).

Speaking of, let's talk Breton shirts.

I'm glad someone is finally looking into The Vast Bay Leaf Conspiracy.

Heh: Scenes From Iconic Films Hastily Rewritten So That They Pass the Bechdel Test

Oh, Scotland. Some of these are not names at all.

Perfect: Great House Therapy: Mistress Mary’s Melancholic Manor and Secret Outdoor Space

Morning Coffee (3/3/16)

Me elsewhere: I guested on The Ark 100 FM podcast again last night, talking about last week's episode of The 100. Actually, I talked a lot about software testing, but I swear it was plot relevant.

Let's start with something not completely terrible today! "It felt as if, for the first time in history, the gender playing field at the high court was finally leveled, and as a consequence the court’s female justices were emboldened to just ignore the rules."

Donald Trump released a policy proposal! No, that seriously makes me happy: he's a real candidate so we should treat him like a real candidate and look at this stuff. "For better or worse the plan does reveal Trump to be a fairly conventional contemporary Republican on health care issues." Though: "This part strays in a nuanced (but important) way from recent Obamacare repeal plans to make Trump's proposal much less favorable to low-income people than even more Republican alternative's [sic] to the Affordable Care Act." (I also enjoy the way this piece points out a certain similarity between Trump's and Sanders's "plans.")

Here's A Running List Of Racist Things That Have Happened At Trump Rallies

Bernie Sanders’s path to the nomination is getting very narrow

I love the extent to which the White House is trolling Republicans regarding the Supreme Court nomination, but also from everything I've read Jane Kelly would be a fine choice, so really it's win/win.

I can't figure out what part of this piece about a new Texas county GOP chair to quote and you should really just read it, but: "The newly elected chair of the Republican Party in the county that includes the Texas Capitol spent most of election night tweeting about former Gov. Rick Perry’s sexual orientation and former President Bill Clinton’s penis, and insisting that members of the Bush family should be in jail. He also found time to call Hillary Clinton an 'angry bull dyke.'" And: "'Tell them they can go fuck themselves,' Morrow told the Tribune." (Covering politics in Texas must be amazing.)

This is just a great piece of writing: Chris Christie’s wordless screaming

How Trump’s ‘Off the Record’ Remarks Crept Out

Ha: Proof Disney Is Actually Marketing “Zootopia” To Furries

How To Tell If You’re In a Flannery O’Connor Story