Monthly Archives: November 2020
First Snow of the Season
Posted on November 30, 2020 16 Comments
The weather forecast was that the snow would begin this evening, but when has 2020 waited for anything? It started this morning and while it’s not been in great amounts, it also never really stopped coming. And thus: lots of white to welcome in December. Which apparently will shoo it away quickly — there will […]
Whatever Holiday Gift Guide 2020, Day One: Traditionally Published Books
Posted on November 30, 2020 110 Comments
Welcome to the first day of the Whatever Shopping Guide 2020 — Our way of helping you folks learn about cool creative gifts for the holidays, straight from the folks who have created them. Today’s featured products are traditionally published books (including graphic novels and audiobooks); that is, books put out by publishers who ship books […]
The Four Movies That Have Made Me Ugly Cry, Part One: The Fault in Our Stars
Posted on November 29, 2020 22 Comments
Like most teen girls in the 2010s, I was enamored with The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green. I read it during my freshman year of high school, and the movie came out when I was a sophomore. I also met John Green when I was a sophomore at NerdCon, so that was like, really […]
And Now For No Good Reason Other Than I Felt Like It, Here’s Me Singing an Elvis Tune
Posted on November 27, 2020 10 Comments
Because why not. Enjoy. — JS
Whatever Holiday Gift Guide 2020 Starts Monday!
Posted on November 27, 2020 9 Comments
Every year as the holiday season begins I run a gift guide for the holidays, and over the years it’s been quite successful: Lots of people have found out about excellent books and crafts and charities and what have you, making for excellent gift-giving opportunities during the holiday season. I’ve decided to do it again […]
A Short Note on Thanksgiving Day
Posted on November 26, 2020 26 Comments
Notwithstanding the existential trash fire that 2020 has been on a global and national scale, I can say that on a personal level I have had a lot to be thankful for, and that today I am going to set aside a little time to reflect on that, in between, of course, stuffing myself silly […]
Playing With My 50mm Lens
Posted on November 25, 2020 20 Comments
I take a lot of pictures with my Nikon, and mostly I take them with my 28mm-300mm zoom lens, because it has (obviously, if you’re a photo geek) a wide range of focal length options baked in. With that said, I also have a fixed 50mm lens which I sometimes use because it has better […]
Meg Frank on the Mermaids Monthly Kickstarter
Posted on November 25, 2020 4 Comments
Meg Frank is an artist and one of the Scalzi family’s Favorite People on the Planet™, and as such we are delighted to give them a little space here today to talk about their latest project: Mermaids Monthly, a magazine that you can help Kickstart. MEG FRANK: Asking for help makes me breathtakingly uncomfortable. I’d […]
If You’ve Ever Wondered About My Sense of Humor, Here’s a Good Example
Posted on November 24, 2020 13 Comments
As a teen, I really liked adult cartoons, like South Park, Family Guy, and American Dad (and I was in my early teens when Rick & Morty came out, but didn’t watch it until I was about sixteen). I’m not really a big fan of most of those titles anymore but they were hilarious to me when […]
Five Things, 11/24/20
Posted on November 24, 2020 51 Comments
And what five things am I thinking about today? Well! Biden gets 80 million votes: According the Cook Political Report’s Popular Vote Tracker. That’s ten million more than Obama got in 2008 — the previous record for a winning presidential candidate — and currently about six million more votes than Trump got. Percentage-wise Biden’s above […]
The Big Idea: Charlie N. Holmberg
Posted on November 24, 2020 3 Comments
The genesis of Spellbreaker is a short but critical line in a beloved story. What’s the line and why does it matter? Author Charlie N. Holmberg is here to reveal all. CHARLIE N. HOLMBERG: I am not exaggerating when I say nearly every single novel I’ve written has been inspired, in some way, by Studio […]
Today in “It’s About Damn Time” + a Cat
Posted on November 23, 2020 54 Comments
The transition can formally begin, finally, only two weeks and change after everyone knew Trump had lost. Well, not everyone, I suppose. I’m aware some alt-right QAnon types are having a dark night of the soul at the moment. Well: good. Get used to that feeling, my dudes. You’re gonna be having it for a […]
The Big Idea: B.J. Graf
Posted on November 23, 2020 2 Comments
Do we have destinies? Or are we agents of our own fate? These questions are a mystery, but one thing author B. J. Graf makes certain in her Big Idea is that life isn’t fair. Read on to hear about how these questions play a part in her newest novel, Genesys X. B. J. GRAF: […]
Here’s Some Music To Listen To This Fine Sunday
Posted on November 22, 2020 7 Comments
Hello, everyone! I hope you’re all having a good weekend. Mine has been very lazy and relaxing, so to keep up with that trend, I’m going to share a song I like with y’all instead of posting something that requires me to use my brain. This song is actually one you may have heard before […]
Five Things, 11/21/20
Posted on November 21, 2020 48 Comments
Because, hey! Just because I haven’t done one for a bit doesn’t mean I can’t do one now. Trump loses again, again: Yesterday saw Georgia definitively go into the Biden win column, and (presumably) Trump’s grand plan to steal Michigan via the state legislature go into the crapper. There may yet be Michigan drama if […]
New Books and ARCs, 11/20/20
Posted on November 20, 2020 18 Comments
Here comes the weekend — and here comes a stack of new books and ARCs! What here is calling to you? The comments exist for your sharing. — JS
World-Building: How Science Sculpts Science Fiction
Posted on November 20, 2020 3 Comments
Hey! Wanna see me, Mary Robinette Kowal, Becky Chambers and Simon Guerrier talk about exoplanets on a panel moderated by Phil Plait? The answer is: Yes, yes, you do. And here it is. Enjoy. — JS
Take a Deep Breath: Trump is Not Going To Cheat His Way Back Into the Presidency
Posted on November 19, 2020 94 Comments
And to convince you, here’s an hour-long presentation on the matter by and actual lawyer who specializes in constitutional law, who is (incidentally) also a conservative. In addition to what he says here, if you go to the actual YouTube page, there’s supporting material in the descriptions there. This is long — almost an hour […]
Showcasing My Collection: Enamel Pins, Volume Two
Posted on November 19, 2020 12 Comments
Hello, everyone, and welcome to another edition of me showing off my enamel pin collection! Last time, I shared five of my favorite pins with you, and I’m going to do the exact same thing today. Though these are some of my favorites in my collection, they’re not in any particular order or anything, I […]
The Big Idea: JD DeLuzio
Posted on November 19, 2020 9 Comments
The word “con” has more than one meaning, and for JD DeLuzio’s debut novel, The Con, this is a very very relevant fact. Read on to discover more. JD DeLUZIO: A woman recalls the arrival of Haile Selassie to Jamaica in April of 1966, and the seven mystic white flying greyhounds that swept down from […]
Whatever Everyone Else is Saying