Remember that New York Times profile of Shonda Rhimes that called her an angry black woman? Vulture is wonderfully furious about it. Melissa Harris-Perry contemplates a world in which we talked about angry white men in this same way. Y’all, it is legit confusing to me that white men aren’t the ones with the “angry” stereotype. It seems like they are the angriest.
Netflix’s new Spoiler Roulette is excellent. I like how you can’t predict at all what the next thing is that’s going to get spoiled for you. Primal Fear? Orange Is the New Black? Could be anything.
Here is a wonderful gallery of Disney characters dressed up in nerdy costumes for Halloween. This couldn’t be awesomer. Click the “i” at the bottom of each picture for more information about who it is dressed up as what.
And now, a round-up of some things dealing with A. O. Scott’s essay about the death of adulthood in American culture. First, the Scott essay. Some bullshit from Christopher Beha. Some heartening non-bullshit from Lindsay Ellis. Some incandescent rage from Anne Ursu. My favorite response comes from Alexandra Petri of the Washington Post, reminding us “literature is a luxury; fiction is a necessity.”
Book Riot’s sister site, Panels, launched this week! It’s as great as we all imagined it would be. Go check it out!
Not that the London Tube is perfect and the New York subway is garbage, but the me from 2010 who was constantly getting on the local train by accident really appreciated this article about the incomprehensibility of the NYC subway signage. It is marvelous and a luxury that the subway in New York runs 24 hours, but its signage is…not great. The Tube’s signage is superb. I don’t think I even once got on the wrong train in London.
Deeply ambivalent about children as I am, this article about choosing not to have them was balm to my soul.
I cherish “Two Monks Invent Denominations” and “Dirtbag Zeus” from The Toast, and basically I cannot go a whole two weeks without praising some piece of writing by Mallory Ortberg. The Toast is also getting a sister site, The Butter, which will be run by the estimable Roxane Gay. Expect to hear more about that in future link round-ups.
Important news: Until two weeks ago, there was a Mitford sister still living. I know, y’all. It blew my mind too.
A reflection on gender equity in nonfiction.
And last but very much not least, Witch Week draws nigh! From Halloween to Guy Fawkes Day of this year, we’ll be celebrating this week by remembering my girl Diana Wynne Jones. Lory of Emerald City Book Review will host, and we will all love it.