Suzanne Walker considers the disability narrative (such as it is) in the otherwise really fun show The Witcher.

No one knows anything, and everyone’s mad. Anne Helen Peterson continuing to bring truly excellent reporting on the human elements of the pandemic.

Ancient monks struggled with isolation, too.

Naomi Kritzer wrote the pandemic story five years ago, so now it’s a weird time for her.

Woody Allen’s memoir is in many ways exactly what you would expect. In other ways, Mark Harris is shocked at how incurious a worldview it espouses. I, a stone cold bitch who never liked Annie Hall in the first place, am not (but this is still an interesting read).

Please watch Run on HBO so you can talk to me about how great Merrit Wever is. She is so great. She is so so great. But read the link first, because the show does some morality stuff that not everyone would enjoy. I am kind of surprised I’m able to enjoy it! Such is the power of Merritt Wever.

Here’s why you’re having super vivid dreams lately, according to National Geographic.

Electric Literature talks to the anonymous folks behind the new Publishers Weakly Twitter account.

Last but not least, here are 30 queer YA books coming out this season, so you can place orders for them at Bookshop.org or with your library!

That’s not very many links, I know, but I admit I have been a scootch too dispirited to go on my accustomed vigorous link hunts. I reiterate my hope that you, my internet friends, are safe and well, and with that I will whisk myself off into the weekend where I hope to enjoy both cheese fries and books.

The post No One Knows Anything and Everyone’s Mad: A Links Round-Up appeared first on Reading the End.

Let me start by saying that I loved this book. The majority of the characters are casually queer, and while the book respects and acknowledges their queerness and its importance in their lives, it’s not a story about being queer. Unusually for this era of YA fiction, Catfishing on CatNet doesn’t have a love triangle or even much romantic drama. Steph does have a love interest, but the primary relationship stakes in this story are about friendship: After a lifetime of mistrust and fear, she has to learn how to let friends into her life and trust them once she has them.

To say too much about the sentient AI would be a spoiler, so I’ll do my best to be circumspect. In the annals of robot pals and friendly AIs, the AI in Catfishing on CatNet is particularly dear. It knows nothing about its origins, but once it has done a good deed, it feels so positive about good-deed-doing that it can’t resist doing more. What’s neat is that although it’s electronically omnipotent, the AI still makes mistakes. It’s not able to outsmart every human every time, and it doesn’t have the strongest grasp (yet) on the potential consequences of its actions. Though the relationship between it and Steph and her friends isn’t quite a relationship of equals, it’s more equal than you might expect — which is a tribute to Naomi Kritzer’s creativity, in my opinion! The AI works hard to keep Steph safe, but Steph and her clowder also work hard to keep the AI safe. It is a true mutual friendship!

As cute and sweet as this book is, I do want to issue a warning that Steph’s abusive father is scary as fuck. In addition to being physically and emotionally abusive toward his current girlfriend, we frequently see him manipulating well-intentioned strangers to get what he wants. It’s upsetting. He also threatens Steph and her friends, and they’re constantly at risk of harm at his hands. Honestly, if I had one criticism of this book, it’s that any depiction of Steph’s father makes a really jarring and intense tonal shift from the overall sweetness of Steph’s friend group and her AI pal.

Catfishing on CatNet is superb, and I can’t wait for whatever she does next! Also, check out Adri’s excellent review of Catfishing on CatNet over at Nerds of a Feather!

The post Review: Catfishing on CatNet, Naomi Kritzer appeared first on Reading the End.