The older I get, the more cynical I become about the consciences of the very rich. Used to be when fictional rich people were cartoonishly evil, I would think it was unrealistic. Now I’m like, no, actually, that sounds right. Rich people probably do poison each other at parties for shits and giggles. Tripping Arcadia had my number from the beginning by telling me in the introduction that a whole bunch of amoral rich people were probably going to die. Like, way to reel me in, book! Not just telling me the end before I read the middle, but promising…
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I apologize in advance for extending the life of the slap discourse, and I invite everyone to ignore it and move forward with your lives. It is also notable (to me) that there has not been an equivalent amount of discourse about Louie CK winning a Grammy, which — since you ask! — does indeed make me want to set myself on fire. So amazing how confessed abusers get to carry on having richly awarded careers! It is almost as if the industry doesn’t actually care about protecting people from abuse! I don’t know! Without further ado, some links: “Blackness…
1 CommentVery uncharacteristically, I got sick this past week, which meant I spent a lot of time on the couch cross-stitching and watching the second season of Bridgerton. Last season was a trifle rapey for my tastes, and also I just wasn’t that compelled by the central couple, who didn’t seem that into each other, and also whenever they had sex it looked extremely boring and/or uncomfortable. Which, if you’re making a high-budget adaptation of a bodice-ripper, an endeavor that has my whole-hearted support, I feel that it’s the least you can do to make the sex look fun. Anyway! Season…
1 CommentA long-overdue links round-up! The fact of its overdueness means that it contains many, many good links for you to read and enjoy. Some are quite sad. None are about the war in Ukraine, but a few are about COVID. You can just skip those. In fact you can skip straight to the last one, which is just a drunk couple with a kid explaining Paw Patrol to some sober people with no kids. Their desperate sincerity kind of got me in on Paw Patrol, except no it didn’t because I’ve seen that shit and it sucks. Why can’t kids…
Leave a CommentBook Riot’s excellent “True Story” newsletter, which focuses on nonfiction, recently linked to a piece called “I’m Breaking Up with 3-Star Reads,” about the decision to stop pushing through the just-okay books and to focus instead on finding books to truly love. As a relentless optimizer myself (I know, I know, it’s capitalism trying to brainwash me, I know I’m sorry), I was allured by the author’s plan to optimize their reading by DNFing books as soon as they realized those books wouldn’t be four- or five-star reads. I have led (or attempted to lead) many a DNF-shy friend down…
1 CommentWhen I feel a bit sad about my reading/blogging focus having shifted to focus so heavily on recent releases, I comfort myself with a reminder that reading recent releases gets me in on the ground floor of new authors. This is fun because when they hit it big, I get to be a hipster about it (in a few years I’m going to be a nightmare about Micaiah Johnson and y’all will all be tired of me), but it’s also fun because I get to see their development as writers. Ideally, with supportive agents and editors, and the sales to…
Leave a CommentEver since she was a baby, Zuli has lived in the tree that holds the souls of dead birds. It’s an idyllic existence — surrounded by beauty and the love of her spirit parents (and the concern of a slightly fussy alive owl called Frowly), she spends her days clambering around the tree and chatting with the souls of dead birds before they head off to be born again the lives of new bodies. When the souls of birds stop coming home to the tree, Zuli is determined to set out into the world to find out why. If you’ve…
Leave a CommentThe news right now is absolutely devastating, and any words of mine feel inadequate. I am saying prayers for trans kids and families in Texas, and for everyone in Ukraine (and Afghanistan, still; I have not forgotten about Afghanistan), and I am always on the lookout for ways to help, even though overall I feel very helpless. If you have recommendations of good places to send money, drop them in the comments! I continue to derive so much comfort from reading, and to that end I’ve got some links. I also recommend the brand new television show Abbott Elementary and…
Leave a CommentWhew, we made it to Friday once more, friends! I had a weird, hard week, which turned out to mostly be because I was pre-menstrual, but also a little bit because I lost a contact lens that now has to be expensively replaced, plus I have been feeling sad that free Wordle fun times are coming to an end. (I’m happy the creator is getting paid, though!) I’m seeing my sister this weekend, however, and I’m hoping I can con her into watching Yellowjackets with me. We’ll see. In the meantime, have some links! Nasim Mansuri finds a way to…
Leave a CommentWell, look. I did not manage to get this podcast edited and release in January. As it’s going to probably be our second-to-last podcast (more to come on that), I was truly hoping to have it out earlier in the year, but then life got in the way, and I had to settle for having it out before the Super Bowl. (Bengals!!!!) We chatted about alllllllll the books we acquired over the holiday break, discuss some superlatives in our 2021 reading years, and then the rest of the podcast is just FISH FACTS. Which is honestly very on brand for…
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