Monthly Archives: January 2021
President Boring
Posted on January 19, 2021 66 Comments
Has there ever been, in the history of the Presidency of the United States, so low a bar for the incoming occupant of the position as Joe Biden now has? After Donald Trump’s tenure, if Biden did nothing more in his term of office than not shit on floor of the Oval Office, nor set […]
The Big Idea: M. A. Carrick
Posted on January 19, 2021 3 Comments
In today’s Big Idea, the authors behind The Mask of Mirrors are going to tell you the truth, about the fact they’re not going to tell you the truth. Truly. Should you believe them? Read on and decide! M. A. CARRICK: We’re going to lie to you. It’s what you pay us for, after all. […]
The Four Movies That Have Made Me Ugly Cry, Part 4: The Lovely Bones
Posted on January 18, 2021 21 Comments
The Lovely Bones, aka the saddest movie of all time, is last on this list, and much further spaced apart than the other three, because I didn’t want to watch it again. I put off watching this movie for a whole month because it’s just so sad. Before we go any further, here is your OFFICIAL SPOILER […]
Update: Still Got Nothin’, Here’s a Picture of Krissy Instead
Posted on January 18, 2021 5 Comments
She’s pretty great, but I’m admittedly biased. Hope you’re all having a good day. — JS
I’m Thinking a Lot of Things But Not Able to Formulate Them Coherently, Maybe Later, In the Meantime Here’s a Cat
Posted on January 18, 2021 10 Comments
I mean, a picture of a cat always seems like a decent fallback position, doesn’t it. More later, perhaps, if my brain gets better at organizing the things flying about in it at the moment. — JS
Mundane Sacred Objects
Posted on January 17, 2021 45 Comments
The picture above is of me (in the pink denim), my sister and my mother, on the occasion of the first day of school in, I want to say, 1977, although I may be off a year. I’d be in second grade that year, and it was a new school, so this is me trying […]
A Special Music Recommendation: K/DA
Posted on January 16, 2021 14 Comments
Hello, everyone! Usually, when I do music recommendations on here, it’s a song or artist I like, and I just say, “Here you go! Enjoy!” and call it a day. Today, however, I’m recommending you such an interesting artist/group that I can’t help but explain them a bit! The group is called K/DA. They’re so […]
New Books and ARCs, 1/15/21
Posted on January 15, 2021 5 Comments
Here it is, the book stack of new books and ARCs that have come to the Scalzi Compound in 2021! What here would you like to start this new year with? Share in the comments.
The Big Idea: Tim Susman
Posted on January 15, 2021
Independence does not mark the end of a revolution, for a country or for an individual. This is a fact well illustrated in Tim Susman’s newest novel, The Revolution and the Fox. Read on to find out how a revolution turns out after the smoke clears. TIM SUSMAN: The fight is over and the good guys […]
Why “Soul” Is Good For Your Soul
Posted on January 14, 2021 21 Comments
Disney Pixar’s newest movie Soul scored 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, and with a rating like that, it should be easy to see why. Except for me, it wasn’t, at first. The first time I watched Soul, I didn’t like it. I didn’t really dislike it, either, but it was just very okay to me. I didn’t understand what […]
A Fall of His Own Making
Posted on January 14, 2021 107 Comments
We don’t need to wait on history to recognize that the fall of Donald Trump’s literal and figurative fortunes over the last week is the stuff of a Greek tragedy, not lacking the Furies driving him from the stage. On the morning of January 6th, Trump had lost the presidential election, yes, but he was […]
Krissy and Smudge
Posted on January 13, 2021 12 Comments
Just in case you needed a momentary break from the world today. — JS
Novel Writing Status, January 2021
Posted on January 12, 2021 51 Comments
“So, Scalzi,” you ask, “how is the writing on the next novel going here in January?“ Thank you for asking. The answer is: Not well at all! And the reason, of course, is [gestures at the world]. I made the comment a couple of weeks ago that it wouldn’t actually be 2021 until January 20th […]
The Big Idea: Tim Pratt
Posted on January 12, 2021 7 Comments
For Doors of Sleep, author Tim Pratt dreamed a little dream… and then another one, and another one, and another one after that. What does all that dreaming mean for the novel? Read on. TIM PRATT: Doors of Sleep is probably the most elevator-pitchy, high-concept thing I’ve ever written. It’s a multiverse adventure, following the […]
Wearing Masks, Then and Now
Posted on January 11, 2021 73 Comments
Back in January 2018, I was traveling from California back home, and I was sick. I had gotten sick halfway through the week of visiting my family, but it wasn’t so bad that I couldn’t travel. However, I was sick enough that I knew it was a bad idea to be in public, especially an […]
The Repeachment is Coming
Posted on January 11, 2021 108 Comments
Well, it looks like Impeachment 2: The Repeachening is going to happen, and while I can’t exactly say I’m pleased — would that we had had a president who did not need to be impeached once, much less twice! — I can say that no one has ever deserved a second impeachment more than Donald […]
And Yes, I Checked the Actual Day Count
Posted on January 10, 2021 102 Comments
It’s true! And if we’re being honest about it, it wasn’t that difficult — sure, some bad days when the seditious urge really got going, but one a day-to-day basis it was manageable. It’s not that hard not to be seditious! And yet. Let’s just say there’s a fair number of people out there right […]
Huh
Posted on January 8, 2021 93 Comments
Plus other fascists and fascist enablers getting punted left and right from social media and app stores. 2021 isn’t all bad after all. Let’s see where it goes from here.
Thoughts on Coups and Sedition, 1/8/21
Posted on January 8, 2021 137 Comments
I have some additional thoughts on some of the events of the last few days, and to help me present them to you in an intelligible fashion, I’m going to employ the help of my fictional interlocutor. Say hello to the folks, F.I. Hello, folks. And thank you, Scalzi, for letting me out of my […]
But What If We Didn’t
Posted on January 7, 2021 94 Comments
I have a theory about the Republican Party, and it is that around the time Newt Gingrich became the head of its brain trust, the GOP added a fourth functioning principle to its previous tripod of “Southern Strategy to corner the racist vote,” “Abortion to corner the Evangelical vote” and “Tax cuts to corner the […]
Whatever Everyone Else is Saying