Wow: Framed for Murder By His Own DNA
The Encoded Racist Messages of Skin Care Marketing
How We Solved Fake News the First Time
All hail the mighty balloon lobby
Restoring Power to the Women of Ancient Myth
Monday, April 30, 2018
Morning Coffee (4/30/18)
Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.
Migrant Caravan, After Grueling Trip, Reaches U.S. Border. Now the Really Hard Part.
3 main takeaways from the historic North Korea-South Korea summit
Ronny Jackson won’t return to job as Trump’s physician
What a shock: Jill Stein says she won’t fully comply with Senate Russia investigation
Inside the secret U.S. stockpile meant to save us all in a bioterror attack
Good (if true): Claire Foy to receive £200,000 in back pay after 'The Crown' gender pay-gap dispute
I'm sure this will be better than the U.S. coverage: BritBox to Live-stream Royal Wedding
Ooh: Colin Firth and Julie Walters Join David Heyman-Produced ‘The Secret Garden’
Reading Thoughtfully With The Times’s Nonfiction Critic, Jennifer Szalai
AI App Helps Songwriters Mine Music History for the Perfect Sounds
Migrant Caravan, After Grueling Trip, Reaches U.S. Border. Now the Really Hard Part.
3 main takeaways from the historic North Korea-South Korea summit
Ronny Jackson won’t return to job as Trump’s physician
What a shock: Jill Stein says she won’t fully comply with Senate Russia investigation
Inside the secret U.S. stockpile meant to save us all in a bioterror attack
Good (if true): Claire Foy to receive £200,000 in back pay after 'The Crown' gender pay-gap dispute
I'm sure this will be better than the U.S. coverage: BritBox to Live-stream Royal Wedding
Ooh: Colin Firth and Julie Walters Join David Heyman-Produced ‘The Secret Garden’
Reading Thoughtfully With The Times’s Nonfiction Critic, Jennifer Szalai
AI App Helps Songwriters Mine Music History for the Perfect Sounds
Sunday, April 29, 2018
Morning Coffee (4/29/18)
As Two Koreas Talk Peace, Trump’s Bargaining Chips Slip Away
Incel: the online cult for sad, sexless young men is terrorism by any other name
This is what life in #MeToo jail looks like
Unauthorized Immigrants Shy Away From Signing Kids Up For Food Aid
Shocker! Women not getting a fair say at academic conferences, research reveals
Why The Handmaid's Tale is more relevant one year after the first season
Wow: PopSugar Stole Influencers’ Instagrams — Along With Their Profits
Ooh! Nancy Dickerson Biopic From Stephen Colbert & Evelyn McGee Colbert In Works At Showtime
Amy Adams to Star in Joe Wright’s ‘Woman in the Window’
This made me say "Oh of COURSE it's in York": No One Knew There Were Dozens of Human Bodies Buried Under This Hotel Pool for Centuries
Incel: the online cult for sad, sexless young men is terrorism by any other name
This is what life in #MeToo jail looks like
Unauthorized Immigrants Shy Away From Signing Kids Up For Food Aid
Shocker! Women not getting a fair say at academic conferences, research reveals
Why The Handmaid's Tale is more relevant one year after the first season
Wow: PopSugar Stole Influencers’ Instagrams — Along With Their Profits
Ooh! Nancy Dickerson Biopic From Stephen Colbert & Evelyn McGee Colbert In Works At Showtime
Amy Adams to Star in Joe Wright’s ‘Woman in the Window’
This made me say "Oh of COURSE it's in York": No One Knew There Were Dozens of Human Bodies Buried Under This Hotel Pool for Centuries
Saturday, April 28, 2018
Morning Coffee (4/28/18)
Hmm: North and South Korea Set Bold Goals: A Final Peace and No Nuclear Arms
All 4 service chiefs on record: No harm to units from transgender service
Bill Cosby Found Guilty Of All Charges In Sexual Assault Retrial
Charlie Rose Is Getting A New Show Because We Don't Care About The Women He Hurt
This is good in THIS case but... not great as precedent in general: Relative's DNA from genealogy websites cracked East Area Rapist case, DA's office says
This case is so terrible in so many ways: Hart Family, Before Driving Off Cliff, Hid Dark Home Life From View
Conventions are NOT AN EASY THING TO PULL OFF and I don't know why people keep thinking they are: Universal Fan Con: Peeling Back the Layers
I hate him so much! Bernie Sanders Is Quietly Building a Digital Media Empire
Swedish archaeologists uncover brutal 5th century massacre
Guys. Yankees Spell Didi Gregorius' Name Wrong While Promoting Bat Day Giveaway
All 4 service chiefs on record: No harm to units from transgender service
Bill Cosby Found Guilty Of All Charges In Sexual Assault Retrial
Charlie Rose Is Getting A New Show Because We Don't Care About The Women He Hurt
This is good in THIS case but... not great as precedent in general: Relative's DNA from genealogy websites cracked East Area Rapist case, DA's office says
This case is so terrible in so many ways: Hart Family, Before Driving Off Cliff, Hid Dark Home Life From View
Conventions are NOT AN EASY THING TO PULL OFF and I don't know why people keep thinking they are: Universal Fan Con: Peeling Back the Layers
I hate him so much! Bernie Sanders Is Quietly Building a Digital Media Empire
Swedish archaeologists uncover brutal 5th century massacre
Guys. Yankees Spell Didi Gregorius' Name Wrong While Promoting Bat Day Giveaway
Friday, April 27, 2018
Afternoon Tea (4/27/18)
I love this interview: Grilling YA author Amy Spalding on the summer's hottest queer teen romance — and the best burger in America
Magic Mike XXL and Smashing Toxic Masculinity (Yes, I’m Serious)
This piece by Curtis Sittenfeld about a shirt is great, trust me: And They Said It Would Never Last
It has come to my attention that Canada has "cottage reads," which sound way better than beach reads: The best Canadian suspense books to read at the cottage
Superheroes Don’t Wear Ponytails, and Yes, It’s Sexist
Magic Mike XXL and Smashing Toxic Masculinity (Yes, I’m Serious)
This piece by Curtis Sittenfeld about a shirt is great, trust me: And They Said It Would Never Last
It has come to my attention that Canada has "cottage reads," which sound way better than beach reads: The best Canadian suspense books to read at the cottage
Superheroes Don’t Wear Ponytails, and Yes, It’s Sexist
Weekly Rec: Noosa Pink Lemonade Yogurt
I don't have a picture for you of my new favorite yogurt, because I ATE IT ALL before I thought of it and then when I tried to buy more the other day the store was out of stock. But it's so good that I'm telling you about it anyway: it's Noosa Raspberry Lemonade and - well, first of all, if you haven't tried Noosa in general, it may change your life. Especially if, like me, you always want to try new fancy things but don't actually like Greek yogurt that much. Why has Greek yogurt taken over the way it has? I call shenanigans. But that's probably a whole different topic.
Anyway! Noosa is Australian style, not Greek, though I don't have enough basis for comparison to know if this "Australian style" is an actual typical thing there. It's thick and creamier than normal American yogurt but doesn't have that weird mouth-coaty texture of Greek, and it's delicious. I've liked several flavors (pumpkin is great) but raspberry lemonade is my new favorite - I like raspberry yogurt and lemon yogurt and this is a great combination. Also! this flavor comes in a four-pack of 4 oz. cups, which I prefer to their larger size. The larger size is okay if you're eating yogurt for your entire meal, but then I always wind up thinking I'm hungry an hour later because I haven't chewed anything. This smaller size works better for a snack or a COMPONENT of a meal along with other things that your brain registers as real food.
(This was not sponsored or anything; I just care deeply about yogurt.)
Anyway! Noosa is Australian style, not Greek, though I don't have enough basis for comparison to know if this "Australian style" is an actual typical thing there. It's thick and creamier than normal American yogurt but doesn't have that weird mouth-coaty texture of Greek, and it's delicious. I've liked several flavors (pumpkin is great) but raspberry lemonade is my new favorite - I like raspberry yogurt and lemon yogurt and this is a great combination. Also! this flavor comes in a four-pack of 4 oz. cups, which I prefer to their larger size. The larger size is okay if you're eating yogurt for your entire meal, but then I always wind up thinking I'm hungry an hour later because I haven't chewed anything. This smaller size works better for a snack or a COMPONENT of a meal along with other things that your brain registers as real food.
(This was not sponsored or anything; I just care deeply about yogurt.)
Morning Coffee (4/27/18)
OKAY, time for some happy Friday links.
Late-breaking addition: Prince Louis Arthur Charles!
YAY: ‘Star Trek 4’: S.J. Clarkson Becomes the First Female Director in Franchise’s History
!!! Virago to publish two new collections by Ballet Shoes author Noel Streatfeild
Planned Parenthood’s Cecile Richards shares her troublemaking playlist
Ooh, first picture from The Hate U Give!
In case anyone was concerned, Prince William will indeed be Prince Harry's best man.
This is a TV revival I can get behind: Game Show 'Double Dare' Revived at Nickelodeon
Oh fun: Sally Hansen Is Releasing Another Crayola Nail Polish Collaboration
Wow: 'Chicken Run' Sequel in Works at Aardman
I wish I were not too short for 95% of maxi dresses.
Useful: Falafel, Hummus, and More Chickpea Recipes We Love
Late-breaking addition: Prince Louis Arthur Charles!
YAY: ‘Star Trek 4’: S.J. Clarkson Becomes the First Female Director in Franchise’s History
!!! Virago to publish two new collections by Ballet Shoes author Noel Streatfeild
Planned Parenthood’s Cecile Richards shares her troublemaking playlist
Ooh, first picture from The Hate U Give!
In case anyone was concerned, Prince William will indeed be Prince Harry's best man.
This is a TV revival I can get behind: Game Show 'Double Dare' Revived at Nickelodeon
Oh fun: Sally Hansen Is Releasing Another Crayola Nail Polish Collaboration
Wow: 'Chicken Run' Sequel in Works at Aardman
I wish I were not too short for 95% of maxi dresses.
Useful: Falafel, Hummus, and More Chickpea Recipes We Love
Thursday, April 26, 2018
Afternoon Tea (4/26/18)
This was fascinating: Who Picks Out the Playlists You Hear While Shopping?
And this story is WILD: Monsieur Bébé: The Brief, Strange Life of Raymond Radiguet
From Yoga Teacher to Cult Leader (Helena Blavatsky is involved, AS YOU'D EXPECT.)
1968: When the Communist Party Stopped a French Revolution
Lover, sorceress, demon: Circe's transformations
And this story is WILD: Monsieur Bébé: The Brief, Strange Life of Raymond Radiguet
From Yoga Teacher to Cult Leader (Helena Blavatsky is involved, AS YOU'D EXPECT.)
1968: When the Communist Party Stopped a French Revolution
Lover, sorceress, demon: Circe's transformations
Morning Coffee (4/26/18)
Once again SO MUCH NEWS.
First of all, whoa: Golden State Killer, Joseph DeAngelo, Arrested After 40-Year Hunt, Authorities Say
Michael Cohen to Take Fifth Amendment in Stormy Daniels Lawsuit
GOOD: Peter Madsen, Danish Inventor, Is Convicted of Killing Kim Wall
New Allegations Emerge Against Ronny Jackson as White House Digs In
Ronny Jackson is flagrantly unqualified, even if all the allegations against him are false
YAY: Federal judge in Spokane halts Trump cuts to Planned Parenthood teen pregnancy program
I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to SAY THIS OUT LOUD, Mick Mulvaney.
Congress’ DACA Amnesia Is Helping Trump Ruin Lives
Inside the Confidential N.F.L. Meeting to Discuss National Anthem Protests
All The Features Gmail Added In Its New Update, And What They Do
First of all, whoa: Golden State Killer, Joseph DeAngelo, Arrested After 40-Year Hunt, Authorities Say
Michael Cohen to Take Fifth Amendment in Stormy Daniels Lawsuit
GOOD: Peter Madsen, Danish Inventor, Is Convicted of Killing Kim Wall
New Allegations Emerge Against Ronny Jackson as White House Digs In
Ronny Jackson is flagrantly unqualified, even if all the allegations against him are false
YAY: Federal judge in Spokane halts Trump cuts to Planned Parenthood teen pregnancy program
I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to SAY THIS OUT LOUD, Mick Mulvaney.
Congress’ DACA Amnesia Is Helping Trump Ruin Lives
Inside the Confidential N.F.L. Meeting to Discuss National Anthem Protests
All The Features Gmail Added In Its New Update, And What They Do
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
Morning Coffee (4/25/18)
Publishers Weekly's Best Summer Reads list is out and my book is on it!! Also lots of great other things you should read!
OH GOOD: U.S. Must Resume DACA and Accept New Applications, Federal Judge Rules
Ugh, THIS nonsense: After Trump Hints V.A. Nominee Might Drop Out, an Aggressive Show of Support
In case you've been lucky enough to avoid this until now: Toronto van attack: What is an 'incel'?
Inside Rex Tillerson's Ouster
Huh: Mummified body found in Iran could be of ex-ruler Reza Shah
SIGH: This Teen's Racist Promposal Went Viral And Now The School Is Investigating
Ooh, Nancy Drew movie news.
You don't say: Archeologists say early Caribbeans were not 'savage cannibals', as colonists wrote
Stone Age Cow Underwent Cranial Surgery 5,000 Years Ago
OH GOOD: U.S. Must Resume DACA and Accept New Applications, Federal Judge Rules
Ugh, THIS nonsense: After Trump Hints V.A. Nominee Might Drop Out, an Aggressive Show of Support
In case you've been lucky enough to avoid this until now: Toronto van attack: What is an 'incel'?
Inside Rex Tillerson's Ouster
Huh: Mummified body found in Iran could be of ex-ruler Reza Shah
SIGH: This Teen's Racist Promposal Went Viral And Now The School Is Investigating
Ooh, Nancy Drew movie news.
You don't say: Archeologists say early Caribbeans were not 'savage cannibals', as colonists wrote
Stone Age Cow Underwent Cranial Surgery 5,000 Years Ago
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Afternoon Tea (4/24/18)
Morning Coffee (4/24/18)
SOME GOOD NEWS: Meet Prince Baby Noodlemuffin!
Back to bad news; this is horrifying: Toronto Van Driver Kills at Least 10 People in ‘Pure Carnage’
It's almost like Democrats should not actually let any hopes rest on Rand Paul: Senate panel narrowly endorses Mike Pompeo for secretary of state after Trump intervenes with key Republican
What Happened to the Plan to Put Harriet Tubman on the $20 Bill? I for one am shocked that the Trump administration is not prioritizing this!
This is very interesting: How Natalie Portman became the latest Israel-Palestine flashpoint
Ooh: Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight Moving From ESPN To ABC News
Aaah, Crazy Rich Asians trailer! I'm so excited.
How Unions Can Help End Academia’s Gender Inequalities
DRAMA: Tests on Captain Cook's sweet potato fuel row over how crop reached Polynesia
‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Co-Creator’s Unpublished Works to Become Video Games
Back to bad news; this is horrifying: Toronto Van Driver Kills at Least 10 People in ‘Pure Carnage’
It's almost like Democrats should not actually let any hopes rest on Rand Paul: Senate panel narrowly endorses Mike Pompeo for secretary of state after Trump intervenes with key Republican
What Happened to the Plan to Put Harriet Tubman on the $20 Bill? I for one am shocked that the Trump administration is not prioritizing this!
This is very interesting: How Natalie Portman became the latest Israel-Palestine flashpoint
Ooh: Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight Moving From ESPN To ABC News
Aaah, Crazy Rich Asians trailer! I'm so excited.
How Unions Can Help End Academia’s Gender Inequalities
DRAMA: Tests on Captain Cook's sweet potato fuel row over how crop reached Polynesia
‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Co-Creator’s Unpublished Works to Become Video Games
Monday, April 23, 2018
Afternoon Tea (4/23/18)
I don't agree with EVERYTHING in this but it's very interesting: Style Is an Algorithm
Walter Kempowski’s Epic Novel of Germany in Collapse
Mystery's First Great Historian
Did Drinking Give Me Breast Cancer? I Don’t Know.
Where the Amish Go on Vacation
Walter Kempowski’s Epic Novel of Germany in Collapse
Mystery's First Great Historian
Did Drinking Give Me Breast Cancer? I Don’t Know.
Where the Amish Go on Vacation
Morning Coffee (4/23/18)
Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.
'We are truly sorry': Eta apologises for four decades of deadly violence
Must we? As Another Pence Runs for Congress, His Business Record Raises Questions
Only Two Companies Are Making Trump-Brand Products Now
Meet the journalism student who found out she won a Pulitzer in class
This is horrifying: A 4-year-old had been growling at preschool — so this naturopath says she gave him rabid dog saliva
Courtroom Drama: Producer Offers to Stage Disputed ‘Mockingbird’ for Judge
‘The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven’ now wants his day in court
WHAT: We Can't Get Enough of This Drama Between Two 'Virtual Instagram Influencers'
PLEASE: The Hour writer wants to revive the show for a third series set in the 1960s
Diamonds in Sudan meteorite 'are remnants of lost planet'
'We are truly sorry': Eta apologises for four decades of deadly violence
Must we? As Another Pence Runs for Congress, His Business Record Raises Questions
Only Two Companies Are Making Trump-Brand Products Now
Meet the journalism student who found out she won a Pulitzer in class
This is horrifying: A 4-year-old had been growling at preschool — so this naturopath says she gave him rabid dog saliva
Courtroom Drama: Producer Offers to Stage Disputed ‘Mockingbird’ for Judge
‘The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven’ now wants his day in court
WHAT: We Can't Get Enough of This Drama Between Two 'Virtual Instagram Influencers'
PLEASE: The Hour writer wants to revive the show for a third series set in the 1960s
Diamonds in Sudan meteorite 'are remnants of lost planet'
Sunday, April 22, 2018
Morning Coffee (4/22/18)
Obama wrote the Time 100 piece about the Parkland students and obviously it's great.
I think this is correct: James Comey’s self-righteousness is what American institutions need to survive Trump
US and UK blame Russia for 'malicious' cyber-offensive
...good for Cruz?? Cruz joins male Dem senators in push for vote on Hill harassment overhaul
The Insidious Power of ‘A Hundred Girls Would Do This Job for Free’
Fascinating: Never Solved, a College Dorm Fire Has Become One Man’s Obsession
Baby in China Is Born to Surrogate 4 Years After His Parents’ Deaths
Boy unearths treasure of the Danish king Bluetooth in Germany
Babies Appear to Understand Human Emotions at a Very Early Age
27 Incredibly Useful Things You Didn’t Know Chrome Could Do
I think this is correct: James Comey’s self-righteousness is what American institutions need to survive Trump
US and UK blame Russia for 'malicious' cyber-offensive
...good for Cruz?? Cruz joins male Dem senators in push for vote on Hill harassment overhaul
The Insidious Power of ‘A Hundred Girls Would Do This Job for Free’
Fascinating: Never Solved, a College Dorm Fire Has Become One Man’s Obsession
Baby in China Is Born to Surrogate 4 Years After His Parents’ Deaths
Boy unearths treasure of the Danish king Bluetooth in Germany
Babies Appear to Understand Human Emotions at a Very Early Age
27 Incredibly Useful Things You Didn’t Know Chrome Could Do
Saturday, April 21, 2018
Morning Coffee (4/21/18)
Democratic Party sues Russia, Trump campaign and WikiLeaks alleging 2016 campaign conspiracy (The discovery!!!)
6 Takeaways From the James Comey Memos
YAY: Kris Kobach Held in Contempt of Court
lolol: Trump hires Giuliani, two other attorneys amid mounting legal turmoil over Russia
In Journalist’s Murder, a Test for Malta, and the European Union
Sexual Harassment Was Rampant at Coachella 2018
Lance Armstrong Settles Federal Fraud Case for $5 Million
This is great: Party City Offers Ramadan Decorations, a First for a Big U.S. Retailer
Why we should stop treating Silicon Valley’s male CEOs like children
Scientists discover dozens of new genes for hair colour
6 Takeaways From the James Comey Memos
YAY: Kris Kobach Held in Contempt of Court
lolol: Trump hires Giuliani, two other attorneys amid mounting legal turmoil over Russia
In Journalist’s Murder, a Test for Malta, and the European Union
Sexual Harassment Was Rampant at Coachella 2018
Lance Armstrong Settles Federal Fraud Case for $5 Million
This is great: Party City Offers Ramadan Decorations, a First for a Big U.S. Retailer
Why we should stop treating Silicon Valley’s male CEOs like children
Scientists discover dozens of new genes for hair colour
Friday, April 20, 2018
Afternoon Tea (4/20/18)
How to be a Revolutionary War Spy Master
Service journalism: I Tasted 21 Little Debbie Snacks, and This Is the Best One
This film sounds fascinating: How a cowboy from South Dakota and a filmmaker from Beijing came together on the critically acclaimed indie 'The Rider'
I think I'll be skipping this one: Here’s What We Learned From Andrew Morton’s Book About Meghan Markle
MY FAVORITE: Divine Mystery: 10 Great Clerical Sleuths
Service journalism: I Tasted 21 Little Debbie Snacks, and This Is the Best One
This film sounds fascinating: How a cowboy from South Dakota and a filmmaker from Beijing came together on the critically acclaimed indie 'The Rider'
I think I'll be skipping this one: Here’s What We Learned From Andrew Morton’s Book About Meghan Markle
MY FAVORITE: Divine Mystery: 10 Great Clerical Sleuths
Morning Coffee (4/20/18)
OKAY, there was once again a ton of news, but it's Friday so HAPPY LINKS ONLY.
Sen. Duckworth took her baby with her to the Senate for the first time yesterday and you must see her adorable tweet.
This is amazing: People Think Prince Harry Posed In A "Golden Girls" Sweatshirt On Meghan Markle's Deleted Instagram
I love this: Study Finds Women Who Were Into The X-Files Are More Likely to Work in STEM
Ooh: Right This Way! Fathom Events Will Bring BANDSTAND to the Big Screen!
Amazon is giving away nine free ebooks by non-US authors for World Book Day!
SKAM Austin is starting NEXT WEEK and I am not prepared.
I want them all: Fug Nation Loves Pool/Beach Totes!
This seems especially useful this week: The Best Bottles Of Whiskey For Under $20
Heh: Starting Today, Everyone Will Be Dressed Like a Picnic Blanket
Special beer created to celebrate Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding
Sen. Duckworth took her baby with her to the Senate for the first time yesterday and you must see her adorable tweet.
This is amazing: People Think Prince Harry Posed In A "Golden Girls" Sweatshirt On Meghan Markle's Deleted Instagram
I love this: Study Finds Women Who Were Into The X-Files Are More Likely to Work in STEM
Ooh: Right This Way! Fathom Events Will Bring BANDSTAND to the Big Screen!
Amazon is giving away nine free ebooks by non-US authors for World Book Day!
SKAM Austin is starting NEXT WEEK and I am not prepared.
I want them all: Fug Nation Loves Pool/Beach Totes!
This seems especially useful this week: The Best Bottles Of Whiskey For Under $20
Heh: Starting Today, Everyone Will Be Dressed Like a Picnic Blanket
Special beer created to celebrate Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding
Thursday, April 19, 2018
Afternoon Tea (4/19/18)
Weekly Rec: Shetland
I like the "fairly grim European mystery" genre of TV quite a lot in general, and Shetland is one of my recent favorites. It's based on a series of books by Ann (not of) Cleeves (I haven't read them yet but I want to!) about detective inspector Jimmy Perez, a police detective in the Shetland islands. The show has a nice mix of cases with character development and is slightly lighter than, say, Hinterland. (Which I also love!) The portrayal of the very specific Shetland culture is fascinating, and Perez's prickly but loving co-parenting relationship with the biological father of his late wife's daughter is a particular highlight.
In the U.S., the first three seasons of Shetland are on Netflix, and the fourth is currently being released on BritBox.
In the U.S., the first three seasons of Shetland are on Netflix, and the fourth is currently being released on BritBox.
Morning Coffee (4/19/18)
(SO MUCH NEWS AGAIN STILL ALWAYS)
Raúl Castro Prepares to Resign as Cuba’s President, Closing a Dynasty
This isn't shocking but it's still somehow shocking: In Closed-Door UN Meetings, Trump Administration Officials Pushed Abstinence For International Women’s Health Programs
Related: The Trump administration is paying Focus on the Family to stop the AIDS epidemic in South Africa
With... Cotton? What? White House Presses Vulnerable Dems on Pompeo Nomination
Good for her: Stormy Daniels to donate to Planned Parenthood in Trump and Cohen's names if she wins case: report
There’s an all-out war between the Republican governor and Republican attorney general in Missouri
I give up: Wu-Tang Clan recruits Comey (sort of) to recover mystery album
Harper’s Editor Says He Was Fired for Opposing Katie Roiphe Story
Ooh! Tonys: Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban to Co-Host 72nd Edition
Artificial intelligence is writing fairy tales now, and humanity is doomed
Raúl Castro Prepares to Resign as Cuba’s President, Closing a Dynasty
This isn't shocking but it's still somehow shocking: In Closed-Door UN Meetings, Trump Administration Officials Pushed Abstinence For International Women’s Health Programs
Related: The Trump administration is paying Focus on the Family to stop the AIDS epidemic in South Africa
With... Cotton? What? White House Presses Vulnerable Dems on Pompeo Nomination
Good for her: Stormy Daniels to donate to Planned Parenthood in Trump and Cohen's names if she wins case: report
There’s an all-out war between the Republican governor and Republican attorney general in Missouri
I give up: Wu-Tang Clan recruits Comey (sort of) to recover mystery album
Harper’s Editor Says He Was Fired for Opposing Katie Roiphe Story
Ooh! Tonys: Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban to Co-Host 72nd Edition
Artificial intelligence is writing fairy tales now, and humanity is doomed
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Afternoon Tea (4/18/18)
Writing About the Ultimate Party Girl Made Me Realize How Much We Limit Women
A real-life Lord of the Flies: the troubling legacy of the Robbers Cave experiment
This essay by the daughter of a Russian Orthodox priest is fascinating and sad: My Father's Calling
An interesting piece on how to talk about women who dressed as men to serve in the military at various points in history: Monstrous Regiment
The Humble Potato Is Exalted in the Mountains of Peru
A real-life Lord of the Flies: the troubling legacy of the Robbers Cave experiment
This essay by the daughter of a Russian Orthodox priest is fascinating and sad: My Father's Calling
An interesting piece on how to talk about women who dressed as men to serve in the military at various points in history: Monstrous Regiment
The Humble Potato Is Exalted in the Mountains of Peru
Morning Coffee (4/18/18)
It says something about yesterday's news cycle that I have TEN links tagged with my "urgent, put in the next post" tag. (It's rarely more than four.) Don't worry, I'll save a few for tomorrow so I can mix in SOMETHING different today.
Barbara Bush, Wife of 41st President and Mother of 43rd, Dies at 92
Oh no: NPR Newscaster Carl Kasell Dies At 84, After A Lifelong Career On-Air
Supreme Court strikes down as vague part of immigration law
I had already practically FORGOTTEN THIS HAPPENED and it was less than two weeks ago: Here’s Why Congressman Blake Farenthold Resigned So Abruptly
Sean Hannity’s Ties to Two More Trump-Connected Lawyers
California limits National Guard’s border mission, risking clash with Trump
GOOD: Sandy Hook Parents Sue Alex Jones for Defamation
Nothing could go wrong now: Scientists accidentally create mutant enzyme that eats plastic bottles
Whoa: French Queen’s heart stolen from museum
Aw: Why Desiree Linden waited for Shalane Flanagan’s bathroom break
Barbara Bush, Wife of 41st President and Mother of 43rd, Dies at 92
Oh no: NPR Newscaster Carl Kasell Dies At 84, After A Lifelong Career On-Air
Supreme Court strikes down as vague part of immigration law
I had already practically FORGOTTEN THIS HAPPENED and it was less than two weeks ago: Here’s Why Congressman Blake Farenthold Resigned So Abruptly
Sean Hannity’s Ties to Two More Trump-Connected Lawyers
California limits National Guard’s border mission, risking clash with Trump
GOOD: Sandy Hook Parents Sue Alex Jones for Defamation
Nothing could go wrong now: Scientists accidentally create mutant enzyme that eats plastic bottles
Whoa: French Queen’s heart stolen from museum
Aw: Why Desiree Linden waited for Shalane Flanagan’s bathroom break
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Afternoon Tea (4/17/18)
I've known Ella Risbridger on Twitter for a bit and I'm very excited about her new column about living in the aftermath of heartbreak.
Now Is the Time to Read This Novel About the Early Days of the Third Reich
The Classist Implications of ‘Bad Skin’
This was FASCINATING and also led me down a 1920s figure skating rabbit hole: Mystery Man of the White House
Where the Pope Gets His Socks
Now Is the Time to Read This Novel About the Early Days of the Third Reich
The Classist Implications of ‘Bad Skin’
This was FASCINATING and also led me down a 1920s figure skating rabbit hole: Mystery Man of the White House
Where the Pope Gets His Socks
Morning Coffee (4/17/18)
AHAHAHA: A federal judge forced Michael Cohen to reveal his secret client. It’s Sean Hannity.
Judge Says Trump and Cohen Can’t Yet Review Materials Seized by F.B.I.
I'm not quite optimistic enough to buy this, but it's an interesting read: Michael Cohen and the End Stage of the Trump Presidency
Ooh, Pulitzer winners!
This is important: Why America’s Black Mothers and Babies Are in a Life-or-Death Crisis
Uh... Russian reporter Borodin dead after mystery fall
WHAT: Report: New Hampshire Youth Baseball Coaches Planned To Bean Their League's Lone Girl Player Into Quitting
Racist Terror Plot, or Just Idle Talk? Kansas Trial Hinges on the Answer
I am VERY EXCITED TO READ THIS BOOK.
Ooh: ‘Downton Abbey’ Creator Julian Fellowes Developing Rothschild Dynasty Drama With Jemima Khan At Sky Atlantic
Judge Says Trump and Cohen Can’t Yet Review Materials Seized by F.B.I.
I'm not quite optimistic enough to buy this, but it's an interesting read: Michael Cohen and the End Stage of the Trump Presidency
Ooh, Pulitzer winners!
This is important: Why America’s Black Mothers and Babies Are in a Life-or-Death Crisis
Uh... Russian reporter Borodin dead after mystery fall
WHAT: Report: New Hampshire Youth Baseball Coaches Planned To Bean Their League's Lone Girl Player Into Quitting
Racist Terror Plot, or Just Idle Talk? Kansas Trial Hinges on the Answer
I am VERY EXCITED TO READ THIS BOOK.
Ooh: ‘Downton Abbey’ Creator Julian Fellowes Developing Rothschild Dynasty Drama With Jemima Khan At Sky Atlantic
Monday, April 16, 2018
Afternoon Tea (4/16/18)
Morning Coffee (4/16/18)
Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.
Check your eggs! 200 million eggs recalled after nearly two dozen were sickened with salmonella, officials say
James Comey’s Interview on ABC’s ‘20/20’: Annotated Excerpts
Here we go again: Eyeing 2020, Trump Fund-Raisers Return to Familiar Well: Small Donors
How Often Do People Use Guns In Self-Defense?
You don't say: Researchers Conclude Google's Play Store Is Likely Chock Full of Apps That Improperly Track Children
Hmm: Gmail is getting a redesign that includes a 'Confidential Mode'
...what. Dire Straits’s Rock Hall Induction Was a Weirdly Beautiful Mess
Harry Potter books unveil seven new 20th anniversary covers
Oooh: American Girl to Launch Live Musical Production This Fall
Lin-Manuel Miranda Makes His Debut as Gizmoduck in Disney's 'DuckTales'
Check your eggs! 200 million eggs recalled after nearly two dozen were sickened with salmonella, officials say
James Comey’s Interview on ABC’s ‘20/20’: Annotated Excerpts
Here we go again: Eyeing 2020, Trump Fund-Raisers Return to Familiar Well: Small Donors
How Often Do People Use Guns In Self-Defense?
You don't say: Researchers Conclude Google's Play Store Is Likely Chock Full of Apps That Improperly Track Children
Hmm: Gmail is getting a redesign that includes a 'Confidential Mode'
...what. Dire Straits’s Rock Hall Induction Was a Weirdly Beautiful Mess
Harry Potter books unveil seven new 20th anniversary covers
Oooh: American Girl to Launch Live Musical Production This Fall
Lin-Manuel Miranda Makes His Debut as Gizmoduck in Disney's 'DuckTales'
Sunday, April 15, 2018
Morning Coffee (4/15/18)
Don't Absolve Trump of His Impeachable Offenses
This is awful: Holocaust Is Fading From Memory, Survey Finds
It’s in the data: Tronc underpays women and people of color at the L.A. Times
Chinese Sperm Bank Seeks Donors. Only Good Communists Need Apply.
Wow: 8-Year-Old Girl Thwarts Attempted Kidnapping at US-Mexico Border
The Women Who Get Paid to Apologize
Bad Blood Between the Yankees and the Red Sox Is Good for Baseball
Hot Summer Nights Trailer: It’s Timothée Chalamet in a Sexy ’80s Drug Romp!
Ooh, Adam Rippon, Mirai Nagasu, and Tonya Harding will be in Dancing with the Stars.
BY GIANTS, obviously (no, this is interesting): Scientists solve mystery of how Giant's Causeway was formed
This is awful: Holocaust Is Fading From Memory, Survey Finds
It’s in the data: Tronc underpays women and people of color at the L.A. Times
Chinese Sperm Bank Seeks Donors. Only Good Communists Need Apply.
Wow: 8-Year-Old Girl Thwarts Attempted Kidnapping at US-Mexico Border
The Women Who Get Paid to Apologize
Bad Blood Between the Yankees and the Red Sox Is Good for Baseball
Hot Summer Nights Trailer: It’s Timothée Chalamet in a Sexy ’80s Drug Romp!
Ooh, Adam Rippon, Mirai Nagasu, and Tonya Harding will be in Dancing with the Stars.
BY GIANTS, obviously (no, this is interesting): Scientists solve mystery of how Giant's Causeway was formed
Saturday, April 14, 2018
Morning Coffee (4/14/18)
U.S., Britain and France Strike Syria Over Suspected Chemical Weapons Attack
Trump issues pardon to ‘Scooter’ Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Cheney
The National Enquirer, a Trump Rumor, and Another Secret Payment to Buy Silence
Please Stop Playing Chicken with President Trump
It's horrifying that they let him out on bail: Man Charged With Killing Teen Girl Right Before She Was Scheduled to Testify Against Him for Rape
This is a great idea: Expropriation and social use of empty bank-owned flats to resume
This is quite the piece: Dog rescuers, flush with donations, buy animals from the breeders they scorn
Ooh, the Shibutanis are taking a season off from competition.
Sigh: NFL Safety Eric Reid Met With the Cincinnati Bengals and Everything Was Going Great Until They Got to the Protests
! Samuel Taylor Coleridge's remains rediscovered in wine cellar
Trump issues pardon to ‘Scooter’ Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Cheney
The National Enquirer, a Trump Rumor, and Another Secret Payment to Buy Silence
Please Stop Playing Chicken with President Trump
It's horrifying that they let him out on bail: Man Charged With Killing Teen Girl Right Before She Was Scheduled to Testify Against Him for Rape
This is a great idea: Expropriation and social use of empty bank-owned flats to resume
This is quite the piece: Dog rescuers, flush with donations, buy animals from the breeders they scorn
Ooh, the Shibutanis are taking a season off from competition.
Sigh: NFL Safety Eric Reid Met With the Cincinnati Bengals and Everything Was Going Great Until They Got to the Protests
! Samuel Taylor Coleridge's remains rediscovered in wine cellar
Friday, April 13, 2018
Afternoon Tea (4/13/18)
Don’t Call Princess Stories "Frivolous" — For Women & Femmes Of Color, They’re Crucial
It’s Okay to Give Up on Mediocre Books Because We’re All Going to Die
Important journalism: We Tasted 14 Fancy Butters, and This Is the Best One
Inside Milan’s Opulent Retirement Home for Musicians
8 Sci-Fi & Fantasy Books the Biggest Forking Fans of The Good Place Will Love
It’s Okay to Give Up on Mediocre Books Because We’re All Going to Die
Important journalism: We Tasted 14 Fancy Butters, and This Is the Best One
Inside Milan’s Opulent Retirement Home for Musicians
8 Sci-Fi & Fantasy Books the Biggest Forking Fans of The Good Place Will Love
Morning Coffee (4/13/18)
HEY IT'S FINALLY FRIDAY. Let's take a break for some happy links!
ICYMI, important ice cream news: FRIENDLY'S HAS CHIPWICHES NOW
This from the Fug Girls is hilarious and also made me tear up: This Is The Rehearsal Dinner Toast Meghan Markle Deserves
Ooh: Buffy the Vampire Slayer getting new book series from Simon Pulse (by Kiersten White!)
Here Are Images of the First Stellar Remnant Found Beyond the Milky Way
Here's a great thread of famous people modeling for knitting patterns.
The 7 Things We Know About Starbucks’ Most Secretive Store
‘Mercury 13’ Trailer: Learn About The Hidden Women Of NASA’s Mercury Project
These Wonder Woman Makeup Brushes Are Fierce
Sarah Rees Brennan on Georgette Heyer makes me need to go read some Georgette Heyer.
Neat: Strand Book Store Is Hosting An Exhibit On Notable Book Covers Of The Last Decade With Penguin Random House
I am obsessed with this Truly Devious photoset.
ICYMI, important ice cream news: FRIENDLY'S HAS CHIPWICHES NOW
This from the Fug Girls is hilarious and also made me tear up: This Is The Rehearsal Dinner Toast Meghan Markle Deserves
Ooh: Buffy the Vampire Slayer getting new book series from Simon Pulse (by Kiersten White!)
Here Are Images of the First Stellar Remnant Found Beyond the Milky Way
Here's a great thread of famous people modeling for knitting patterns.
The 7 Things We Know About Starbucks’ Most Secretive Store
‘Mercury 13’ Trailer: Learn About The Hidden Women Of NASA’s Mercury Project
These Wonder Woman Makeup Brushes Are Fierce
Sarah Rees Brennan on Georgette Heyer makes me need to go read some Georgette Heyer.
Neat: Strand Book Store Is Hosting An Exhibit On Notable Book Covers Of The Last Decade With Penguin Random House
I am obsessed with this Truly Devious photoset.
Thursday, April 12, 2018
Afternoon Tea (4/12/18)
This is an amazing piece of writing and an important thing to read: The Silence: The Legacy of Childhood Trauma
Women Writers in the Paper of Record
How One Parmigiano Saved an Ancient Breed of Cattle
How Wyatt Earp Went from Lawman to Legend
The educational video game heroines (and villains) of yesteryear
Women Writers in the Paper of Record
How One Parmigiano Saved an Ancient Breed of Cattle
How Wyatt Earp Went from Lawman to Legend
The educational video game heroines (and villains) of yesteryear
Weekly Rec: Friendly's Big Friendly Chipwiches
I LOVE ice cream and have a lot of childhood emotional attachment to Friendly's. And I really like chipwiches, a.k.a. ice cream sandwiches made with chocolate chip cookies. So when I saw a promoted Friendly's Instagram story about their new Big Friendly product I ACTUALLY SWIPED UP, which I do not think I have ever done on a promoted Instagram story before.
Obviously I was afraid that these would not actually be as good as I hoped, but good news, THEY ARE GREAT:
The ice cream is good, of course, because it's Friendly's, but the cookies are ALSO good, and they manage to be nice and chewy without the whole thing being so soft as to fall apart. It's a nice size, and there are four to a box and they're not ridiculously expensive. Recommended!
Obviously I was afraid that these would not actually be as good as I hoped, but good news, THEY ARE GREAT:
The ice cream is good, of course, because it's Friendly's, but the cookies are ALSO good, and they manage to be nice and chewy without the whole thing being so soft as to fall apart. It's a nice size, and there are four to a box and they're not ridiculously expensive. Recommended!
Morning Coffee (4/12/18)
Raid on Trump’s Lawyer Sought Records on ‘Access Hollywood’ Tape
Paul Ryan's Awful Legacy
Bank of America to Stop Financing Makers of Military-Style Guns
What We Know And Don’t Know About Election Hacking
In a New Cold War With Russia, Balkans Become a Testing Ground
And a different kind of raid: European Authorities Raid Offices of 21st Century Fox Unit
The biggest Jewish gay “conversion therapy” organization has been operating in secret after US courts shut it down
I see some flaws in this plan: Man tries to woo Taylor Swift by robbing bank and throwing loot over her fence
WHAT OH NO: NECCO-Mania: Fans Stock Up On Chalky Wafers In Case Candy Company Folds
Ooh: ‘Bobby Kennedy For President’ Trailer: Netflix Docuseries Details Dashed Dream
Paul Ryan's Awful Legacy
Bank of America to Stop Financing Makers of Military-Style Guns
What We Know And Don’t Know About Election Hacking
In a New Cold War With Russia, Balkans Become a Testing Ground
And a different kind of raid: European Authorities Raid Offices of 21st Century Fox Unit
The biggest Jewish gay “conversion therapy” organization has been operating in secret after US courts shut it down
I see some flaws in this plan: Man tries to woo Taylor Swift by robbing bank and throwing loot over her fence
WHAT OH NO: NECCO-Mania: Fans Stock Up On Chalky Wafers In Case Candy Company Folds
Ooh: ‘Bobby Kennedy For President’ Trailer: Netflix Docuseries Details Dashed Dream
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Afternoon Tea (4/11/18)
This was fascinating, especially as someone writing about teen characters: Being A Teen Girl On Social Media Is Like Having A High-Pressure, Full-Time (Unpaid!) Job
How One Sport Is Keeping a Language, and a Culture, Alive
The insane secret behind one of the world's most successful crime authors (Honestly it's not that insane but the article is still interesting.)
Playing With History In Video Games
Useful! The Best Wine Openers
How One Sport Is Keeping a Language, and a Culture, Alive
The insane secret behind one of the world's most successful crime authors (Honestly it's not that insane but the article is still interesting.)
Playing With History In Video Games
Useful! The Best Wine Openers
Morning Coffee (4/11/18)
Me elsewhere: Holly and I have a new podcast episode on Breaking Up with Fandom!
Donald Trump is very confused about attorney-client privilege
Good! With $2 million, Kaiser Permanente wants to help revive underfunded gun-violence research
New Memo Shows How Republicans Used Tax Bill to Enrich Themselves
This is awful: Thousands of Indian Women Find Their American Dreams in Jeopardy
Ha: Scottish police ‘rescue’ metal fans mistaken for suicide pact members
The Pay Gap Is Way Too Entrenched To Be Solved By Women Alone
But good for them: HBO Fixes All Pay Disparities In Direct Response To Time’s Up Movement
The New Military-Industrial Complex of Big Data Psy-Ops
Furrowed Eyebrows Helped Modern Humans Evolve
Vitamins for your hair, nails, and skin are everywhere on Instagram. Don’t fall for them.
Donald Trump is very confused about attorney-client privilege
Good! With $2 million, Kaiser Permanente wants to help revive underfunded gun-violence research
New Memo Shows How Republicans Used Tax Bill to Enrich Themselves
This is awful: Thousands of Indian Women Find Their American Dreams in Jeopardy
Ha: Scottish police ‘rescue’ metal fans mistaken for suicide pact members
The Pay Gap Is Way Too Entrenched To Be Solved By Women Alone
But good for them: HBO Fixes All Pay Disparities In Direct Response To Time’s Up Movement
The New Military-Industrial Complex of Big Data Psy-Ops
Furrowed Eyebrows Helped Modern Humans Evolve
Vitamins for your hair, nails, and skin are everywhere on Instagram. Don’t fall for them.
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
Morning Coffee (4/10/18)
Congratulations to her!! Tammy Duckworth gives birth to girl: First senator to have baby while in office
F.B.I. Raids Office of Trump’s Longtime Lawyer Michael Cohen; Trump Calls It ‘Disgraceful’
At least Republicans care so much about... *checks notes* oh. Federal Budget Deficit Projected to Soar to Over $1 Trillion in 2020
Stormy Daniels’ Motion to Depose Trump Is on Stunningly Solid Legal Footing
Huh: Jared Kushner’s $1.2 billion miracle
I can't believe it's been ten years: The Raid on YFZ Ranch, Ten Years Later
A Fossilized Finger Bone May Be From the Earliest Humans on the Arabian Peninsula
Oh yay! ‘C.B. Strike’ Gets Summer Premiere Date On Cinemax
Ugh: Anti-vaccine reviewers target children’s books on Amazon
Oh neat: 19th-Century Playbills to Be Restored and Digitized
F.B.I. Raids Office of Trump’s Longtime Lawyer Michael Cohen; Trump Calls It ‘Disgraceful’
At least Republicans care so much about... *checks notes* oh. Federal Budget Deficit Projected to Soar to Over $1 Trillion in 2020
Stormy Daniels’ Motion to Depose Trump Is on Stunningly Solid Legal Footing
Huh: Jared Kushner’s $1.2 billion miracle
I can't believe it's been ten years: The Raid on YFZ Ranch, Ten Years Later
A Fossilized Finger Bone May Be From the Earliest Humans on the Arabian Peninsula
Oh yay! ‘C.B. Strike’ Gets Summer Premiere Date On Cinemax
Ugh: Anti-vaccine reviewers target children’s books on Amazon
Oh neat: 19th-Century Playbills to Be Restored and Digitized
Monday, April 9, 2018
Afternoon Tea (4/9/18)
The World Is Changing. This Trappist Abbey Isn’t. Can It Last?
Why the True Story of “Chappaquiddick” Is Impossible to Tell
Awww: ‘Frozen’ on Broadway Made Them Sisters. Heartbreak Made Them Friends.
The Forgotten Africans of Iran
This kind of thing is always fun: The Long Goodbye: The 49 Best Covers from Around the World
Why the True Story of “Chappaquiddick” Is Impossible to Tell
Awww: ‘Frozen’ on Broadway Made Them Sisters. Heartbreak Made Them Friends.
The Forgotten Africans of Iran
This kind of thing is always fun: The Long Goodbye: The 49 Best Covers from Around the World
Morning Coffee (4/9/18)
Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.
Where Is Googoosha, the Missing Uzbek First Daughter?
Of course he is: John Kasich Is Back in New Hampshire. It’s Not for the Foliage.
Heh: Jezebel Regrets Its Decision to Hire Cannibal Witch as Writer-at-Large
Hanged After a Trial He Couldn’t Understand, and Pardoned 136 Years Later
Interesting: Baleen Whales Intermingled as They Evolved, and Share DNA With Distant Cousins
The Milky Way Is Expanding Faster Than the Speed of Sound
The Fahrenheit 451 trailer looks great.
Ooh, the Hogwarts Mystery game is coming out April 25th!
This might be where I draw the line: Titanic to be screened on a real-life ocean liner
Discovery Sets Egyptian Archeological Docuseries ‘Valley Of The Kings’
Where Is Googoosha, the Missing Uzbek First Daughter?
Of course he is: John Kasich Is Back in New Hampshire. It’s Not for the Foliage.
Heh: Jezebel Regrets Its Decision to Hire Cannibal Witch as Writer-at-Large
Hanged After a Trial He Couldn’t Understand, and Pardoned 136 Years Later
Interesting: Baleen Whales Intermingled as They Evolved, and Share DNA With Distant Cousins
The Milky Way Is Expanding Faster Than the Speed of Sound
The Fahrenheit 451 trailer looks great.
Ooh, the Hogwarts Mystery game is coming out April 25th!
This might be where I draw the line: Titanic to be screened on a real-life ocean liner
Discovery Sets Egyptian Archeological Docuseries ‘Valley Of The Kings’
Sunday, April 8, 2018
Morning Coffee (4/8/18)
Dozens Suffocate in Syria as Government Is Accused of Chemical Attack
'Hang women who have abortions' is not a view that's fit for public debate
This Pruitt profile is quite something: Making America Toxic Again
Again, (unfortunately) not surprising but important to have the data: Government Watchdog Finds Racial Bias in School Discipline
Why I’m thankful for Louise Linton, the Trump administration’s resident supervillainess
Therapy, Mozart, play zones: it's a Spanish police dog's life
The Curious Case of the Yeshiva Carve-Out
What! Dunkin' Donuts test-selling doughnut fries, chicken tenders (ALSO PRETZELS, which I will try.)
The Crystals That May Have Helped Vikings Navigate Northern Seas
Dinosaur footprints found on Skye
'Hang women who have abortions' is not a view that's fit for public debate
This Pruitt profile is quite something: Making America Toxic Again
Again, (unfortunately) not surprising but important to have the data: Government Watchdog Finds Racial Bias in School Discipline
Why I’m thankful for Louise Linton, the Trump administration’s resident supervillainess
Therapy, Mozart, play zones: it's a Spanish police dog's life
The Curious Case of the Yeshiva Carve-Out
What! Dunkin' Donuts test-selling doughnut fries, chicken tenders (ALSO PRETZELS, which I will try.)
The Crystals That May Have Helped Vikings Navigate Northern Seas
Dinosaur footprints found on Skye
Saturday, April 7, 2018
Morning Coffee (4/7/18)
Oh, I just woke up to this, how horrible: At Least 14 Killed in Bus Crash Involving Junior Hockey League Team in Canada
This is incredible journalism: The ISIS Files
Without proof, Trump claims immigrant women are being raped at level ‘nobody has ever seen before’
E.P.A. Officials Sidelined After Questioning Scott Pruitt
Revealed: Facebook hate speech exploded in Myanmar during Rohingya crisis
Huh: Four artworks vanish from walls of French parliament
The Paris Review Has Finally Found the Right Woman
WHAT A SHOCK: Not smart enough? Men overestimate intelligence in science class
Captain Scott's polar samples re-examined 100 years on
A New 3D Map of the Early Universe Reveals 4,000 Infant Galaxies
This is incredible journalism: The ISIS Files
Without proof, Trump claims immigrant women are being raped at level ‘nobody has ever seen before’
E.P.A. Officials Sidelined After Questioning Scott Pruitt
Revealed: Facebook hate speech exploded in Myanmar during Rohingya crisis
Huh: Four artworks vanish from walls of French parliament
The Paris Review Has Finally Found the Right Woman
WHAT A SHOCK: Not smart enough? Men overestimate intelligence in science class
Captain Scott's polar samples re-examined 100 years on
A New 3D Map of the Early Universe Reveals 4,000 Infant Galaxies
Friday, April 6, 2018
Afternoon Tea (4/6/18)
Rome, Through the Eyes of Flavius Josephus
Yay, two people I adore in conversation! Between The Lines with Amy Spalding and Jasmine Guillory
Here is the longread your Friday afternoon needs: Queens of Infamy: Eleanor of Aquitaine
Why cactuses and succulents are the perfect plants for this cultural moment
World Irish Dancing Championships – in pictures
Yay, two people I adore in conversation! Between The Lines with Amy Spalding and Jasmine Guillory
Here is the longread your Friday afternoon needs: Queens of Infamy: Eleanor of Aquitaine
Why cactuses and succulents are the perfect plants for this cultural moment
World Irish Dancing Championships – in pictures
Oh hey guess what? It's snowing.
I love snow. Love it! I love winter and hate summer. I'd be happy if the temperature basically never got above seventy. But I wouldn't mind... spring occasionally? A little? Which is to say it's April 6th and it's snowing AGAIN and this is kind of a lot. I bought a sleeveless shirt on vacation in Austin in OCTOBER and I would like to be able to wear it someday. My feet wouldn't mind wearing something other than boots occasionally. That's all.
Really, everything in the... world... is so crazy these days that it's hard enough to keep the calendar straight without this. New Hampshire is being peak New Hampshire, full of endless snow and presidential candidates... so, wait, is it January 2020? (Unfortunately not.)
I promise on the first day it gets above 65 I will be ready for fall.
Really, everything in the... world... is so crazy these days that it's hard enough to keep the calendar straight without this. New Hampshire is being peak New Hampshire, full of endless snow and presidential candidates... so, wait, is it January 2020? (Unfortunately not.)
I promise on the first day it gets above 65 I will be ready for fall.
Morning Coffee (4/6/18)
Time for some Friday happy links!
The Beatles’ ‘Yellow Submarine’ Film Returns To Theaters In Honor Of Its 50th Anniversary
Sarah Rees Brennan's amazing In Other Lands is a finalist for Best Young Adult Book at the Hugo awards and in celebration she wrote a parody of The Last Jedi I think you'll enjoy.
This is quite the cast: Josh Charles To Make Broadway Debut In ‘Straight White Men’ With Armie Hammer
!!! NASA Plans to Put Robot Bees on Mars
Whoa: Europe's Highest Escape Room Will Lock You in a Cable Car Thousands of Feet in the Air
Ooh: 23,500 items to be put online to show Prince Albert’s influence on the Victorian Age
11 Cheese Shops You Have to Follow on Instagram
More Reasons to Drink Water: Pretty Glassware
This is a great idea: 6 Supermarket Chocolate Bars for Better Baking
The New Neon Nail Colors
The Beatles’ ‘Yellow Submarine’ Film Returns To Theaters In Honor Of Its 50th Anniversary
Sarah Rees Brennan's amazing In Other Lands is a finalist for Best Young Adult Book at the Hugo awards and in celebration she wrote a parody of The Last Jedi I think you'll enjoy.
This is quite the cast: Josh Charles To Make Broadway Debut In ‘Straight White Men’ With Armie Hammer
!!! NASA Plans to Put Robot Bees on Mars
Whoa: Europe's Highest Escape Room Will Lock You in a Cable Car Thousands of Feet in the Air
Ooh: 23,500 items to be put online to show Prince Albert’s influence on the Victorian Age
11 Cheese Shops You Have to Follow on Instagram
More Reasons to Drink Water: Pretty Glassware
This is a great idea: 6 Supermarket Chocolate Bars for Better Baking
The New Neon Nail Colors
Thursday, April 5, 2018
Morning Coffee (4/5/18)
Oh, my heart: ‘It Has to Be Perfect’: Putting Out a Yearbook After the Parkland Shooting
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Outgoing White House emails not protected by verification system
Trump Isn’t Ignorant About DACA And Migrants—He’s Lying
Neo-Nazi Website Daily Stormer Might Have to Reveal Its Funding in Libel Lawsuit
The Rise of Male Supremacist Groups
'They stole my life away': women forcibly sterilised by Japan speak out
Good for him! Newly crowned world champ Chen admitted to Yale
Trees older than America: a primeval Alaskan forest is at risk in the Trump era
THIS guy again: Deciem’s Founder Fired Some More People, Went on Another Instagram Tear
Ooh: MoviePass Now Covering All AMC Theaters After Winter Feud; Talks Have Not Resumed
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Outgoing White House emails not protected by verification system
Trump Isn’t Ignorant About DACA And Migrants—He’s Lying
Neo-Nazi Website Daily Stormer Might Have to Reveal Its Funding in Libel Lawsuit
The Rise of Male Supremacist Groups
'They stole my life away': women forcibly sterilised by Japan speak out
Good for him! Newly crowned world champ Chen admitted to Yale
Trees older than America: a primeval Alaskan forest is at risk in the Trump era
THIS guy again: Deciem’s Founder Fired Some More People, Went on Another Instagram Tear
Ooh: MoviePass Now Covering All AMC Theaters After Winter Feud; Talks Have Not Resumed
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
Afternoon Tea (4/4/18)
This is fascinating: In Sweden’s Preschools, Boys Learn to Dance and Girls Learn to Yell
When Genetics and Linguistics Challenge the Winners’ Version of History
I've never read her and now I want to: The Subtle, Menacing Noirs of Laura Lippman
What a shock: Chimp Civil War Observed by Jane Goodall Began With Tensions Between Three Males
Elizabeth Taylor and the Myth of Blue Eye Shadow
When Genetics and Linguistics Challenge the Winners’ Version of History
I've never read her and now I want to: The Subtle, Menacing Noirs of Laura Lippman
What a shock: Chimp Civil War Observed by Jane Goodall Began With Tensions Between Three Males
Elizabeth Taylor and the Myth of Blue Eye Shadow
Morning Coffee (4/4/18)
ICYMI, yesterday Amy Spalding stopped by to talk about her new book!
Lawyer Alex van der Zwaan jailed for 30 days in Mueller's first conviction
Oh: Trump Plans to Send National Guard to the Mexican Border
"More than an event involving four heads of state, Donald Trump’s press conference with the three Baltic leaders on Tuesday resembled a concert by a hastily assembled Motown covers band."
UK archaeologists help Iraqis restore their Isis-ravaged heritage
Meet the Teenager Organizing the First LGBTQ Pride Festival in Mike Pence's Hometown
Hubble space telescope captures image of most distant star ever seen
Why Cricket's Ball-Tampering Scandal Is Such A Big Deal
The World's Smallest Computer Is the Size of a Grain of Salt
Faced With Drought, the Pharaohs Tried (and Failed) to Adapt
Interesting: Skincare Obsessives on the Products They Think Are Scams
Lawyer Alex van der Zwaan jailed for 30 days in Mueller's first conviction
Oh: Trump Plans to Send National Guard to the Mexican Border
"More than an event involving four heads of state, Donald Trump’s press conference with the three Baltic leaders on Tuesday resembled a concert by a hastily assembled Motown covers band."
UK archaeologists help Iraqis restore their Isis-ravaged heritage
Meet the Teenager Organizing the First LGBTQ Pride Festival in Mike Pence's Hometown
Hubble space telescope captures image of most distant star ever seen
Why Cricket's Ball-Tampering Scandal Is Such A Big Deal
The World's Smallest Computer Is the Size of a Grain of Salt
Faced With Drought, the Pharaohs Tried (and Failed) to Adapt
Interesting: Skincare Obsessives on the Products They Think Are Scams
Tuesday, April 3, 2018
Afternoon Tea (4/3/18)
David Reich Unearths Human History Etched in Bone
Meet the Woman Who Won’t Let Mexico Forget A Massacre
James Ivory: why Ismail Merchant and I kept our love secret
The Joys and Sorrows of Finishing a Series
Wow: Love and tragedy in the British Library: The story of Eleanor Marx and Edward Aveling Part 1 and Part 2
Meet the Woman Who Won’t Let Mexico Forget A Massacre
James Ivory: why Ismail Merchant and I kept our love secret
The Joys and Sorrows of Finishing a Series
Wow: Love and tragedy in the British Library: The story of Eleanor Marx and Edward Aveling Part 1 and Part 2
Weekly Rec: The Summer of Jordi Perez + Q&A with Author Amy Spalding!
One of my favorite new books of 2018 is OFFICIALLY OUT TODAY: The Summer of Jordi Perez (And the Best Burger in Los Angeles) by Amy Spalding. I'll tell you a little bit about why I like it... and then we'll hear from Amy herself, who was kind enough to come answer all my very nosy questions!
From Amy's site: Seventeen, fashion-obsessed, and gay, Abby Ives has always been content playing the sidekick in other people's lives. While her friends and sister have plunged headfirst into the world of dating and romances, Abby has stayed focused on her plus-size style blog and her dreams of taking the fashion industry by storm. When she lands a prized internship at her favorite local boutique, she’s thrilled to take her first step into her dream career. She doesn't expect to fall for her fellow intern, Jordi Perez. Abby knows it's a big no-no to fall for a colleague. She also knows that Jordi documents her whole life in photographs, while Abby would prefer to stay behind the scenes.
Then again, nothing is going as expected this summer. She's competing against the girl she's kissing to win a paid job at the boutique. She's somehow managed to befriend Jax, a lacrosse-playing bro type who needs help in a project that involves eating burgers across L.A.'s eastside. Suddenly, she doesn't feel like a sidekick. Is it possible Abby's finally in her own story?
But when Jordi's photography puts Abby in the spotlight, it feels like a betrayal, rather than a starring role. Can Abby find a way to reconcile her positive yet private sense of self with the image that other people have of her?
I was lucky enough to read this early, and I just loved it. Abby is a great lead, and her relationships and dreams and struggles all feel very real. The central romance is swoony but complicated, as anyone who's read Amy's other books will expect, but Abby's relationships with her parents and her friends are also vitally important to the book. (I always like that. Romance plots in which the characters don't have much else to worry about just don't seem realistic enough for me.) And Abby's career ambitions are also paramount here; she's a plus size fashion blogger and she's very serious about her aspirations in the industry. I'm not particularly into fashion but I loved the peek into that world and Abby's focus on her goals.
I mentioned how much I liked the friendship plots, so to expand a little on that: there's a character named Jax who is coded very much like YA love interests often are, and when I was reading the beginning of the book, I was intrigued and honestly a little confused by this - I knew Abby wouldn't be interested in a guy, and yet this guy read like a love interest. And that became one of my favorite things about the book - that he was such a fully drawn character and became an important person in Abby's life in a strictly platonic way. (Bonus: At one point Jax tells Abby something that I have repeated to myself as advice FREQUENTLY since I read the book. I don't want to spoil but you should read this if only to learn this very important life lesson from this fictional lacrosse bro.)
But enough of my gushing... let's hear from Amy Spalding herself!
It feels so revolutionary to have a book about a fat girl that is NOT about her losing weight, but also doesn't just pretend weight is a non-issue she never has to think about because her world is magically free of judgment. Did you specifically set out to write something on that theme and develop Abby from that idea, or was that just the (awesome) way this character and story unfolded?
I definitely wanted to write about a fat girl, but the rest of it was borne out of the story. Once I established Abby as a style blogger, it all started to fit together. It was important to me to write a fat character who didn't hate herself, but I also didn't want to act like that makes the rest of the world treat fat people with only kindness. The fun thing is that giving Abby a love of style made a bunch of decisions for me in the book. In a world where fat people are often not encouraged to love themselves as-is, and where awesome plus-size clothing is still a relatively new offering at many shops, I loved writing a character who cared about how she looked and styled herself. There's a great deal of self-love that can go into that. I didn't want to write about a fat girl who looked in the mirror to hate herself. I wanted her reflection to be of style, color, and fun. I think there's also something declarative about having bold style like Abby, particularly if you're fat. No matter how Abby worries about how others see her, the people in her life think of her as a girl with a great look. I personally think that fat/plus-size style is helping change the way thinner people see fat people, for the better. Not that you should have to have some defined and perfect look to be accepted, but it sure does challenge what fashion says is goalworthy or aspirational when the people with defined looks have different bodies than what's been traditionally put in front of us.
Are you into fashion like Abby is? (I know you have a ton of amazing dresses because I see them on Instagram!) What kind of research did you do to make sure the fashiony stuff rang true? Do you follow a million amazing fashion blogs now?
I care a lot about my own style, and I spend far too much money on dresses and wingtips (my two weaknesses), but I'm not into fashion nearly as much as Abby is. She lives and breathes it! She thinks about trends and ways to adapt pricey styles on a budget. So I had to spend some time looking at blogs similar to Abby's to get a feel for what hers would contain. I will say that the thing about being fat is that you often have to work a lot harder to find certain pieces, and while it's getting better as more stores add more sizes, I spent many years Googling frantically trying to match a look with something in my size. So even though I don't have Abby's level of fashion devotion, it wasn't a world I was unfamiliar with either. And I got some notes from a blogging friend on some of the realities of actually growing an audience to make sure it rang true. Believe it or not, I do not follow a million fashion blogs now, but I do follow some Instagram accounts whose styles I love, and take part in some Instagram style challenges like #NoPantsNovember and #AllDressApril.
As I mentioned above in my review, I LOVED Jax, and at the beginning of the book I was sort of confused by him because he felt coded very much like YA romantic interests often are, but I KNEW that wasn't where the book was going. And that made me think about how refreshing it was to have a guy character who was awesome and fully developed WITHOUT being a love interest, because finding good friends is difficult and important too! How did you coordinate the friendship arcs with Jax and Maliah along with the romantic arc with Jordi to make one coherent character arc for Abby? Did you want these different relationships to illuminate different things about her?
I think a lot about the safety of "new" people. A new friend doesn't have preconceived ideas about you and isn't holding onto anything from five years ago. Sometimes there can be a real freedom in this, especially when you're having new experiences. Abby doesn't necessarily feel like she can be completely open about her new feelings for Jordi with her longterm best friend, Maliah, and therefore the freedom of Jax's new friendship gives her a "safe" person to confide in. I also think a lot that some of the people I've befriended as an adult would have blown my mind as a teen. Yes, I too have bonded with bro types. I have friends who were pretty and popular and happy in high school! So I liked the idea of giving Abby the kind of friendship that wouldn't necessarily immediately make sense to her. Why just deal with a new crush when she can also have to deal with this brand new friendship? You've gotta throw a lot at your main character, even if it feels a little mean sometimes!
Social media is very important in this novel, not just in how the characters communicate but also to Abby's work and her project with Jax. Whenever I start writing about characters using social media, I freak myself out thinking "What if no one's using Instagram anymore by the time this is published? What if someone picks it up in 15 years and doesn't know what Twitter is?" Do you do anything specific to make sure these passages make sense to readers unfamiliar with the medium mentioned, or do I just worry too much? (Yes.)
I was at a book event once (not my own) where a man in the audience said he liked the book because not putting social media in it gave it a classy and timeless feel, and he could therefore take it seriously. And of course I fretted and went home and reread my manuscript and was like "I'LL NEVER BE CLASSY AND TIMELESS" but, like, all I can do is write what life is right now. And I don't know anyone - teen, adult, senior citizen - who doesn't use social media and texts and such for a whole heck of a lot of their communications. Look, I can read an old classic where everyone wrote long letters to one another and had them taken around by horseback WITHOUT EVER HAVING DONE SO IN MY OWN LIFE to understand what these things are. Social media is constantly changing - communications keep shifting and that is only probably going to speed up more. But if your story makes sense and it's clear why your characters are taking the actions they are, I just can't worry about it. I can't stop time, but I also can't write a presently-set novel where no one's heard of, like, Instagram.
You've now written and published a BUNCH of books while retaining a whole separate non-writing career. Have you developed any particular techniques for making this balance work, or do you just have to... do the work?
Yeah, you just have to do the work. I think for me, the biggest thing that's helped is accepting that you really cannot control either. Sometimes my dayjob is so demanding that even on the weekends, my brain feels shot and like it's used up all its available power for the week. I used to agonize over this. "How can I ever write another book if I feel this way?" The good news is that it waxes and wanes; before long, we're through a tough campaign and I get that piece of my brain back that's necessary for daydreaming about meet cutes and adorable banter. It is not easy accepting that you can't always do both, but as long as you're meeting deadlines, I feel like a balance will work out naturally. It's about taking your responsibilities seriously but also giving yourself a break. Back when I had a less demanding career, I could write books a whole lot faster. But that's OK! After all, publishing is a slow-moving machine. I've actually managed to fit into its timing quite well.
Anything you can tease about what you're working on NOW? Honestly, you told me about it while I was driving down a windy mountain road in snow so I didn't absorb much other than that it sounded really complicated.
My next book, The Last Year of James & Kat, is the story of a senior year told by two best friends in two different timelines about the end of their friendship. This sounds super depressing but I promise there are plenty of rom-com moments in there too. Two POVs mean two love interests, and I may have hit my swoony peak with these two! It won't be out until spring of 2020, though, so no one get TOO excited yet!
Jasmine Guillory wrote a great piece for Slate about your friendship and how it sparked her to pursue a writing career. (Everyone go read The Wedding Date, it's great!) What do you think you get out of friendships with other writers, including those at different points in their careers? I've seen talk lately about supposed cliques and jealousy issues but my impression is that those are often just friendships that can be great and helpful.
Publishing is a very specific industry and writing books is a very specific career. And it's wonderful to have friends who know exactly what it's like. I am very fortunate to have somehow landed, as an awkward goober, a whole bunch of supportive, funny, genius friends. But there is so much in this world that's tough to talk about with others. Sometimes you just need someone who already understands the ins and outs of it, and has potentially already lived through situations you need advice on. I remember that there was a small snafu with ARCs of one of my first books that I worried was a huge deal, and in a panic I tweeted "IF YOU ARE AN EXPERIENCED YA AUTHOR WHO HAS MY NUMBER, PLEASE TEXT ME RIGHT NOW BECAUSE I'M NERVOUS ABOUT SOMETHING" and nearly immediately I got a text from a more experienced author friend and she talked me down from my fear. Also it's wonderful to read incredible books written by the people I care about. That's the life I wouldn't have even dreamt about when I was younger!
Thanks so much for coming by, Amy! The Summer of Jordi Perez (And the Best Burger in Los Angeles) is available now.
From Amy's site: Seventeen, fashion-obsessed, and gay, Abby Ives has always been content playing the sidekick in other people's lives. While her friends and sister have plunged headfirst into the world of dating and romances, Abby has stayed focused on her plus-size style blog and her dreams of taking the fashion industry by storm. When she lands a prized internship at her favorite local boutique, she’s thrilled to take her first step into her dream career. She doesn't expect to fall for her fellow intern, Jordi Perez. Abby knows it's a big no-no to fall for a colleague. She also knows that Jordi documents her whole life in photographs, while Abby would prefer to stay behind the scenes.Then again, nothing is going as expected this summer. She's competing against the girl she's kissing to win a paid job at the boutique. She's somehow managed to befriend Jax, a lacrosse-playing bro type who needs help in a project that involves eating burgers across L.A.'s eastside. Suddenly, she doesn't feel like a sidekick. Is it possible Abby's finally in her own story?
But when Jordi's photography puts Abby in the spotlight, it feels like a betrayal, rather than a starring role. Can Abby find a way to reconcile her positive yet private sense of self with the image that other people have of her?
I was lucky enough to read this early, and I just loved it. Abby is a great lead, and her relationships and dreams and struggles all feel very real. The central romance is swoony but complicated, as anyone who's read Amy's other books will expect, but Abby's relationships with her parents and her friends are also vitally important to the book. (I always like that. Romance plots in which the characters don't have much else to worry about just don't seem realistic enough for me.) And Abby's career ambitions are also paramount here; she's a plus size fashion blogger and she's very serious about her aspirations in the industry. I'm not particularly into fashion but I loved the peek into that world and Abby's focus on her goals.
I mentioned how much I liked the friendship plots, so to expand a little on that: there's a character named Jax who is coded very much like YA love interests often are, and when I was reading the beginning of the book, I was intrigued and honestly a little confused by this - I knew Abby wouldn't be interested in a guy, and yet this guy read like a love interest. And that became one of my favorite things about the book - that he was such a fully drawn character and became an important person in Abby's life in a strictly platonic way. (Bonus: At one point Jax tells Abby something that I have repeated to myself as advice FREQUENTLY since I read the book. I don't want to spoil but you should read this if only to learn this very important life lesson from this fictional lacrosse bro.)
But enough of my gushing... let's hear from Amy Spalding herself!
I definitely wanted to write about a fat girl, but the rest of it was borne out of the story. Once I established Abby as a style blogger, it all started to fit together. It was important to me to write a fat character who didn't hate herself, but I also didn't want to act like that makes the rest of the world treat fat people with only kindness. The fun thing is that giving Abby a love of style made a bunch of decisions for me in the book. In a world where fat people are often not encouraged to love themselves as-is, and where awesome plus-size clothing is still a relatively new offering at many shops, I loved writing a character who cared about how she looked and styled herself. There's a great deal of self-love that can go into that. I didn't want to write about a fat girl who looked in the mirror to hate herself. I wanted her reflection to be of style, color, and fun. I think there's also something declarative about having bold style like Abby, particularly if you're fat. No matter how Abby worries about how others see her, the people in her life think of her as a girl with a great look. I personally think that fat/plus-size style is helping change the way thinner people see fat people, for the better. Not that you should have to have some defined and perfect look to be accepted, but it sure does challenge what fashion says is goalworthy or aspirational when the people with defined looks have different bodies than what's been traditionally put in front of us.
Are you into fashion like Abby is? (I know you have a ton of amazing dresses because I see them on Instagram!) What kind of research did you do to make sure the fashiony stuff rang true? Do you follow a million amazing fashion blogs now?
I care a lot about my own style, and I spend far too much money on dresses and wingtips (my two weaknesses), but I'm not into fashion nearly as much as Abby is. She lives and breathes it! She thinks about trends and ways to adapt pricey styles on a budget. So I had to spend some time looking at blogs similar to Abby's to get a feel for what hers would contain. I will say that the thing about being fat is that you often have to work a lot harder to find certain pieces, and while it's getting better as more stores add more sizes, I spent many years Googling frantically trying to match a look with something in my size. So even though I don't have Abby's level of fashion devotion, it wasn't a world I was unfamiliar with either. And I got some notes from a blogging friend on some of the realities of actually growing an audience to make sure it rang true. Believe it or not, I do not follow a million fashion blogs now, but I do follow some Instagram accounts whose styles I love, and take part in some Instagram style challenges like #NoPantsNovember and #AllDressApril.
As I mentioned above in my review, I LOVED Jax, and at the beginning of the book I was sort of confused by him because he felt coded very much like YA romantic interests often are, but I KNEW that wasn't where the book was going. And that made me think about how refreshing it was to have a guy character who was awesome and fully developed WITHOUT being a love interest, because finding good friends is difficult and important too! How did you coordinate the friendship arcs with Jax and Maliah along with the romantic arc with Jordi to make one coherent character arc for Abby? Did you want these different relationships to illuminate different things about her?
I think a lot about the safety of "new" people. A new friend doesn't have preconceived ideas about you and isn't holding onto anything from five years ago. Sometimes there can be a real freedom in this, especially when you're having new experiences. Abby doesn't necessarily feel like she can be completely open about her new feelings for Jordi with her longterm best friend, Maliah, and therefore the freedom of Jax's new friendship gives her a "safe" person to confide in. I also think a lot that some of the people I've befriended as an adult would have blown my mind as a teen. Yes, I too have bonded with bro types. I have friends who were pretty and popular and happy in high school! So I liked the idea of giving Abby the kind of friendship that wouldn't necessarily immediately make sense to her. Why just deal with a new crush when she can also have to deal with this brand new friendship? You've gotta throw a lot at your main character, even if it feels a little mean sometimes!
Social media is very important in this novel, not just in how the characters communicate but also to Abby's work and her project with Jax. Whenever I start writing about characters using social media, I freak myself out thinking "What if no one's using Instagram anymore by the time this is published? What if someone picks it up in 15 years and doesn't know what Twitter is?" Do you do anything specific to make sure these passages make sense to readers unfamiliar with the medium mentioned, or do I just worry too much? (Yes.)
I was at a book event once (not my own) where a man in the audience said he liked the book because not putting social media in it gave it a classy and timeless feel, and he could therefore take it seriously. And of course I fretted and went home and reread my manuscript and was like "I'LL NEVER BE CLASSY AND TIMELESS" but, like, all I can do is write what life is right now. And I don't know anyone - teen, adult, senior citizen - who doesn't use social media and texts and such for a whole heck of a lot of their communications. Look, I can read an old classic where everyone wrote long letters to one another and had them taken around by horseback WITHOUT EVER HAVING DONE SO IN MY OWN LIFE to understand what these things are. Social media is constantly changing - communications keep shifting and that is only probably going to speed up more. But if your story makes sense and it's clear why your characters are taking the actions they are, I just can't worry about it. I can't stop time, but I also can't write a presently-set novel where no one's heard of, like, Instagram.
You've now written and published a BUNCH of books while retaining a whole separate non-writing career. Have you developed any particular techniques for making this balance work, or do you just have to... do the work?
Yeah, you just have to do the work. I think for me, the biggest thing that's helped is accepting that you really cannot control either. Sometimes my dayjob is so demanding that even on the weekends, my brain feels shot and like it's used up all its available power for the week. I used to agonize over this. "How can I ever write another book if I feel this way?" The good news is that it waxes and wanes; before long, we're through a tough campaign and I get that piece of my brain back that's necessary for daydreaming about meet cutes and adorable banter. It is not easy accepting that you can't always do both, but as long as you're meeting deadlines, I feel like a balance will work out naturally. It's about taking your responsibilities seriously but also giving yourself a break. Back when I had a less demanding career, I could write books a whole lot faster. But that's OK! After all, publishing is a slow-moving machine. I've actually managed to fit into its timing quite well.
Anything you can tease about what you're working on NOW? Honestly, you told me about it while I was driving down a windy mountain road in snow so I didn't absorb much other than that it sounded really complicated.
My next book, The Last Year of James & Kat, is the story of a senior year told by two best friends in two different timelines about the end of their friendship. This sounds super depressing but I promise there are plenty of rom-com moments in there too. Two POVs mean two love interests, and I may have hit my swoony peak with these two! It won't be out until spring of 2020, though, so no one get TOO excited yet!
Jasmine Guillory wrote a great piece for Slate about your friendship and how it sparked her to pursue a writing career. (Everyone go read The Wedding Date, it's great!) What do you think you get out of friendships with other writers, including those at different points in their careers? I've seen talk lately about supposed cliques and jealousy issues but my impression is that those are often just friendships that can be great and helpful.
Publishing is a very specific industry and writing books is a very specific career. And it's wonderful to have friends who know exactly what it's like. I am very fortunate to have somehow landed, as an awkward goober, a whole bunch of supportive, funny, genius friends. But there is so much in this world that's tough to talk about with others. Sometimes you just need someone who already understands the ins and outs of it, and has potentially already lived through situations you need advice on. I remember that there was a small snafu with ARCs of one of my first books that I worried was a huge deal, and in a panic I tweeted "IF YOU ARE AN EXPERIENCED YA AUTHOR WHO HAS MY NUMBER, PLEASE TEXT ME RIGHT NOW BECAUSE I'M NERVOUS ABOUT SOMETHING" and nearly immediately I got a text from a more experienced author friend and she talked me down from my fear. Also it's wonderful to read incredible books written by the people I care about. That's the life I wouldn't have even dreamt about when I was younger!
Thanks so much for coming by, Amy! The Summer of Jordi Perez (And the Best Burger in Los Angeles) is available now.
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