Monthly Archives: May 2022
We Interrupt This Tuesday To Bring You This Extremely Important Picture of a Dog Rolling About On the Grass
Posted on May 31, 2022 14 Comments
Really, it might be the most important photo you see today. Look at this happy dog. Just look at her. Back to your regularly scheduled Tuesday. Thank you for your attention. — JS
The Big Idea: Bishop O’Connell
Posted on May 31, 2022 11 Comments
From small beginnings, big things can arise — and when they do, suddenly you may find yourself doing a lot more worldbuilding than you originally planned. In this Big Idea, author Bishop O’Connell goes into detail about how the world of Two-Gun Witch became a more intensive project than its tuneful origin might have implies. […]
Recipes That Actually Turned Out Well: Focaccia
Posted on May 29, 2022 24 Comments
Everyday, I get on Tik Tok, and everyday, I see someone make focaccia. And every time, I think, I would really like to try that. It took me a couple months, but I finally did it, and it turned out so amazing and was so easy that I knew I had to come bestow the […]
A Twitter Thread: OMW and “Best Of”s
Posted on May 29, 2022 20 Comments
From earlier today. Posting here for archival and conversational purposes. 1. I saw someone posting the “Best of 21st Century” Locus Poll from more than a decade ago (on which Old Man’s War topped the SF list) and wondering how the top tier of the books on the list have held up in the time […]
Iris, 5/28/22
Posted on May 28, 2022 5 Comments
It’s been raining on a more or less constant basis for the last couple of days here, which is no fun for various reasons but at least allows me to get in a couple nice photos of droplets on the irises in the front of the house. The good news is the rain is meant […]
Universal Yums: May 2022 Review
Posted on May 27, 2022 35 Comments
When I mentioned that I was going to be doing snack box reviews again, someone commented that I should consider trying out one called Universal Yums. Little did they know that that was the brand I was planning to do all along! This is actually not my first time trying them, though, as I used […]
New Books and ARCs, 5/27/22
Posted on May 27, 2022 9 Comments
As we amble into the Memorial Day weekend here in the US, here is a nicely eclectic stack of new books and ARCs for you to consider. What here do you want to take into summer with you? Share in the comments! — JS
RIP, Andy Fletcher
Posted on May 26, 2022 13 Comments
Andy Fletcher of Depeche Mode has died, and it’s a sad day for everyone who went to high school when I did (and at my high school in particular, where Depeche Mode was worshiped as unto gods). Andy Fletcher would not have been my bet to be the first DM member to leave us, and […]
Housekeeping Note Re: Search
Posted on May 26, 2022 5 Comments
Several of you have noted that the search widget in the sidebar appears to have gotten bunged up and was offering up 404s when you tried to search something. Indeed it was, so I uninstalled the search widget and then reinstalled it. Now it seems to work fine. Whether it will continue to do so […]
Understanding the Magic System of Jujutsu Kaisen, or, But Wait! There’s More!
Posted on May 25, 2022 8 Comments
I watched Jujutsu Kaisen last month (on Crunchyroll, but you can also find it on HBO Max), and while I really enjoyed it and thought it was good overall, I had a hard time following the magic system the world is based around, and thought I’d share my complaints with y’all and see if any of you […]
The Big Idea: Kate Heartfield
Posted on May 24, 2022 6 Comments
They say behind every great man is a great woman, but what happens when that woman has a magic book and has decided she’s had enough of the patriarchy? Author Kate Heartfield takes us back through history, with a brand new perspective. Follow along in her Big Idea for The Embroidered Book to hear a new […]
Post-Creative Lassitude
Posted on May 23, 2022 14 Comments
The writing on the new novel is coming along; it needs to be soon(ish) and now that I’m actually home from promoting The Kaiju Preservation Society, making progress on it is moving along more efficiently, which is nice. I’m in the zone where I will write a chapter (more or less) and then, when I’m […]
Spoiler-Free Thoughts On “Uncharted”
Posted on May 22, 2022 12 Comments
Hello, everyone! Now that we’ve gotten the long, emotional post that always comes with returning to the site out of the way, I can start doing my reviews and recommendations and whatnot! For the summer’s first review, I’ve decided to go into uncharted waters and review a video-game movie. Before I begin this review, I […]
View From a Hotel Window 5/20/22: Gaithersburg, MD
Posted on May 20, 2022 11 Comments
No parking lot, but there is an auto dealership across the street, which makes up for it, I think. I’m in Gaithersburg for the city’s book festival, and tomorrow I am being interviewed at 3:15 at the Dashiell Hammett Pavilion. I’ll be talking about The Kaiju Preservation Society and anything else I’m asked about, I […]
When Everything Goes Right
Posted on May 20, 2022 16 Comments
By the time you read this, Love Death + Robots Vol. 3 will be live on Netflix, and those of you who subscribe to the streamer will be able to dig into its nine episodes and enjoy the varied and wildly contrasting stories, styles and aesthetics of each segment. One of those episodes is one […]
Academic Purgatory
Posted on May 19, 2022 136 Comments
Back in January, I briefly returned to the site to post a piece on how I did at community college during my semester away from the blog (not well, in case you missed it). And since I am once again returning to the blog after yet another semester, I thought I’d update y’all on how […]
The Big Idea: Oliver K. Langmead
Posted on May 19, 2022 2 Comments
Punching billionaires: Can it be done? Should it be done? In this Big Idea for Glitterati, author Oliver K. Langmead offers a mechanism for it that is (probably) unlikely to get one landed in jail for it. OLIVER K. LANGMEAD: Capitalism isn’t working too well right now, and one of the most grotesque symptoms of […]
Here, Have a Full-Episode Sneak Preview of the New Season of Love Death and Robots
Posted on May 18, 2022 23 Comments
How long will this be up? Who knows! Enjoy it while you can. Also, I wrote this. Update: No longer available, sorry. But now it’s up on Netflix, if you are a subscriber (or know someone who is). — JS
“Straight White Male: The Lowest Difficulty Setting,” Ten Years On
Posted on May 18, 2022 86 Comments
Ten years ago this week I thought I would write a piece to offer a useful metaphor for straight white male privilege without using the word “privilege,” because when you use the word “privilege,” straight white men freak out, like, I said then, “vampires being fed a garlic tart.” Since I play video games, I […]
And We’re Back
Posted on May 17, 2022 25 Comments
Hello, everyone! Thank you all so much for the warm welcome back to the site! I am thrilled to be back (even if I don’t act that way at the staff meetings). I was excited to begin with, but all your kind comments have really made me look forward to being on the blog this […]
Whatever Everyone Else is Saying