Well, the end of August is finally here, and you know what that means: FOOTBALL IS COMING BACK. Admittedly I have mixed and complicated feelings about both college and professional football, but I also really love watching it. So, uh, yeah. I have reached no conclusions on this matter. Meanwhile, have some links; autumn is coming.
This article on fanfiction’s rebranding in the past few years is excellent, and features Naomi Novik saying many intelligent things.
What it’s like for women who flee North Korea.
The librarians who track down the books their patrons only sort of remember.
Since I began this links round-up, we’ve fortunately moved on from some of the recent Netflix nonsense, and we are now talking about To All the Boys We’ve Loved Before, which is wonderful. But here’s Linda Holmes going deep on the flaws of Netflix’s everyone-knew-it-was-gonna-be-awful Insatiable; and Smart Bitches Trashy Books on Kristan Higgins’s latest. You should also check out this terrific piece where Samantha Puc talks to some fat activists about Insatiable and the harm it does.
The third report on Black Speculative Fiction has come out. LD Lewis has a postmortem.
The Netflix adaptation of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is pretty delightful. Maggie Fremont watches it while attempting to make her own potato peel pie.
On language and education as tools of imperialism.
You can have as many problematic faves as you want; just be prepared that some people won’t agree with you. (See also: me on Twitter bitching about Kylo Ren.)
SURPRISE the men interviewed in the New York Times‘s By the Book mention male authors almost four times as often as they mention female authors. Women are close to gender balanced. (This is not a surprise.)
And to close with someone trying to rebrand for bad bad jerkface purposes: Louie CK staged a surprise and unwelcome (to the women present) comeback. “The world can live without the comedic stylings of Louie CK,” says Rebecca Traister. Jaya Saxena asks why these men are so convinced we need them back. Roxane Gay considers sexual assault and redemption.
Happy weekend! I wish you joyous cocktails with friends if your heart desires them, or peaceful reading beneath a weighted blanket if that’s your pleasure. I decline to admit which one of those I will be doing.