Morning Coffee (2/13/15)

Sad news: David Carr has died.

On to your regularly scheduled happy Friday:

Chris Evans, with a beard, in plaid, talking about Transcendentalists. You're welcome.

My bookseller friend Jonny with an important message: Why books are the only Valentine’s Day present worth giving

16 Hilarious Literary Valentine's Day Cards

Speaking of, want some adorable Classic Alice valentines? Any donation gets you EIGHT.

Which "Shameless" Guy Should Be Your Valentine This Year? (I got JimmySteve, which . . . could be worse. Obviously the correct answer is Lip, but obviously I'd never get him because his quiz answers are all about sex and I want Lip for his BRAIN.)

This Is What A Cup Of Tea Looks Like In 22 Different Countries

A walk through the old pastry shops of downtown Tehran

How to Tell If You Are in a Logic Puzzle

Morning Coffee (2/12/15)

Donations to Classic Alice this week get you adorable valentines, on top of all the regular perks!

Important: I'm Brianna Wu, And I'm Risking My Life Standing Up To Gamergate

Local folks, this Hippo event app looks great.

These all sound good: 4 Small Press Books to Read in February

The amazing diversity of languages around the world, in one map

Why Americans Don't Read Foreign Fiction

Proposal for a Theme Park Draws From Crimea’s Distant Past

The Onion: Literary Study Finds All Modern Narratives Derived From Classic ‘Alien Vs. Predator’ Conflict

Two Medieval Monks Invent Dinner Parties

Morning Coffee (2/11/15)

Three Muslim college students were killed in North Carolina, and this is getting a shocking lack of coverage on major news sites.

Jon Stewart is leaving the Daily Show, and the end of Todd VanDerWerff's piece about it almost made me cry.

Check out my cousin's fundraiser for St. Baldrick's.

Fantasy readers, donating to Classic Alice in the next week gets you entered to win a signed, personalized book by the awesome Lev Grossman.

The Wheel of Time pilot story is crazy. Read Charlie Jane Anders and Todd VanDerWerff to understand.

Romance Gone Awry: Two Bad Breakups and One Ugly Accusation at Nicholas Sparks’s Christian Prep School

"There’s not a television show in the world casting actors in the hopes nobody will have any chemistry."

What Harper Lee's publisher owes her

Jane Austen family letters offer ‘deeply personal’ insight into author’s world

Morning Coffee (2/10/15)

If you somehow managed not to see 3000 social media updates about this in the last few hours: Spider-Man is joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Adnan Syed Of “Serial” Wins Motion To Appeal Against His Murder Conviction

Female Leads A Hollywood Rarity, Study Finds

How Men's Rights Leader Paul Elam Turned Being A Deadbeat Dad Into A Moneymaking Movement

I love this word cloud of common passwords.

The Things Adaptations of King Arthur Should Be Including

Nifty: Cunard Ships Will Travel Back in Time

"If Stanley Tucci were your boyfriend, Nora Ephron would still be alive somehow."

Morning Coffee (2/9/15)

Me elsewhere: Weekly TV news and an interview with Kate Hackett of Classic Alice.

Speaking of which, we're getting down to the wire. Please help Save Alice.

Don't miss Obama: The Vox Conversation.

The Grammy voting process is completely insane

Interesting: The year of outrage

It's a miracle that I haven't yet given in and subscribed to Acorn.

Proofreading is important!

Pride and Prejudice, explained in two charts

My friend did a lookbook shoot for Pyknic and now I want a whole bunch of their shirts.

Lines From Tina Brown’s The Diana Chronicles That Made Me Lose My Entire Jaw

Morning Coffee (2/6/15)

Happy Friday!

Amazing: Emma Thompson Used to Cheer Up Prince Charles

Your Rational Love of Whiskey Is (Thankfully) Demolishing Vodka Sales

S'mores Oreos? That I'll consider.

Oooh, Doctor Who Lego.

If Taylor Swift Lyrics Were About King Henry VIII

I'm not even particularly into the new Cinderella movie, but the fashion and makeup lines are nifty.

British knight returns library book after 65 years, with $2,200 to cover fine

23 Awesome Mugs Only Book Nerds Will Appreciate

Restaurant Reviews From John Muir, Conservationist

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 (2/4/15)

I'm as excited at the prospect of reading more Harper Lee as anyone, but I'm also really concerned.

This is the greatest/most terrible thing ever: Vermont Considers Latin State Motto, Commenters Freak Out About Latinos

In better Vermont news: A University Recognizes a Third Gender: Neutral

Ooh: New York Attorney General Targets Supplements at Major Retailers

Go Hillary Clinton!

!! Michelangelo bronzes discovered

This made me want to read Marilynne Robinson AND more Poe.

Future Episodes of House Hunters International

Morning Coffee (2/3/15)

More Women Than Ever in Congress, but With Less Power Than Before

Headline of the day: German neo-Nazi party cancels protest after boarding wrong train

The Psychopaths of GamerGate Are All That's Left, and They're Terrifying

Here are yesterday's ALA Youth Media Award winners!

Curious about this Classic Alice thing I keep talking about? They have a shiny new trailer for the show, so that's a good place to start!

These videos have me very excited for the Casual Vacancy miniseries.

Life-changing: Here’s How to Turn on Chrome’s Mute Button for Obnoxious Audio Tabs

Lip Smackers are no more. Nooooo.

My friend Daye did some of the voices for new game Life Is Strange, and it looks really neat!

Morning Coffee (2/2/15)

Here's my TV news roundup for the week.

Sad news: Geraldine McEwan (Miss Marple, among many other roles) has died.

How an Amish missionary caused 2014's massive measles outbreak

Disney Has Finally Created A Latina Princess

All politics is identity politics

Did Archaeologists Just Find Miguel de Cervantes, 400 Years After His Death?

This Rent-a-Man ad is perfect.

At the Super Bowl of Linguistics, May the Best Word Win

Never Say This to a Knitter. Really, Just Don't Do It.

Gleeful Mobs Of Women Murdering Men In Western Art History