Monthly Archives: July 2023
Various and Sundry, 7/31/23
Posted on July 31, 2023 16 Comments
Some thoughts on things on this last day of July, 2023: RIP, Paul Reubens: Better known to at least a couple of generations of Americans as Pee-wee Herman, Reubens had apparently been contending with cancer over the last several years. In his final statement on his Facebook page, Reuben apologized for not going public with […]
The Big Idea: J.D. Blackrose
Posted on July 31, 2023 4 Comments
There are things in the world we wish we had the power to change, but as J.D. Blackrose explains in this Big Idea for Wish Magic, wishing for that power, and having it, are two different things entirely. J.D. BLACKROSE: What’s it like to be powerless when you’re used to being in control? And how […]
And Now, a Semi-Industrial Cover of the Psychedelic Furs’ “Love My Way”
Posted on July 29, 2023 5 Comments
Why? Because everyone else is out of the house for the day and this particular song has been earworming me for a couple of days now, so why not. It’s glitchy and noisy and messy, apparently, just the way I like ’em. Enjoy. — JS
New Books and ARCs, 7/28/23
Posted on July 28, 2023 12 Comments
As we ease into the dog days of summer, here’s a stack of new books and ARCs to keep you company. What here would you like to take into a cool reading nook? Share in the comments! — JS
Various & Sundry, 7/28/23
Posted on July 28, 2023 40 Comments
I woke up at 10am today, and no matter what time I went to sleep, waking up at 10 means my brain is loopy for the rest of the day. Fair warning! That said: Oh Look, More Trump Indictments: Not the ones about January 6, which could be coming real soon now, but new ones […]
(Still) Probably Not Aliens, Folks
Posted on July 27, 2023 48 Comments
I know people are excited about yesterday’s Congressional testimony about UFOs (these days called UAP, for “unidentified aerial phenomena”), but simply as a matter of prudence I would warn against taking the sensational testimony about “non-human biologics” as evidence of actual alien beings. “Non-human biologics” is a term that covers a lot of ground. My […]
I Bought Ten Flavors Of Pretzels, Now I’m Gonna Rank Them
Posted on July 26, 2023 20 Comments
You read that right, folks, I’ve got ten different flavors of pretzels and I’m here to put these bad boys in order. First things first, let’s talk about the brand of these pretzels. I got them from pretzels.com. Yep, just good ol’ pretzels.com. I started getting ads on Instagram for pretzels.com several months ago, but […]
RIP, Sinead O’Connor
Posted on July 26, 2023 19 Comments
Well, this hurts a lot. She was troubled and erratic and brilliant and one of the indelible voices of my generation, and she was fucking right about the Catholic Church, for all the good it did her in this life. Genius doesn’t make for an easy life, but genius she was, and I’m glad that […]
Various and Sundry, 7/25/23
Posted on July 25, 2023 39 Comments
Inasmuch as I’ve committed to cutting waaaay back on my participation at the Site Formerly Known as Twitter, I find that there are things I might have otherwise tweeted (i.e., too short for a full post here) that I still want to talk about somewhere. Then I remembered, hey, you can just shove several of […]
The Kaiju Preservation Society is a 2023 Ohioana Book Award Winner
Posted on July 25, 2023 12 Comments
How about that! The Ohioana Award is the state literature award of Ohio, given out by the Ohioana Library, which is sort of like the Ohio version of the Library of Congress. The Kaiju Preservation Society won in the “Reader’s Choice” category, which means that it came out on top of the one category that […]
The Big Idea: Josh Rountree
Posted on July 25, 2023 3 Comments
What is the legend in The Legend of Charlie Fish? Is it about a man? Is it about a myth? Is it about something in-between? Author Josh Rountree is here to answer everything about this tale of the old west, with a twist in its tail. JOSH ROUNTREE: Here’s my dark secret about The Legend […]
Preparing My X-it
Posted on July 24, 2023 57 Comments
Overnight, not unlike an NFL owner silently absconding with a whole football team to move it to a new town, Elon Musk decided to change the name of Twitter to “X,” which, for those of you not in the know, is a long-dormant domain name Musk had in his early days when he was busy […]
The Big Idea: Sheila Jenne
Posted on July 24, 2023 11 Comments
Authors often use the past for inspiration. But what point does the inspiration of earlier days become a problem for the setting our author wants to write for? It’s a question Sheila Jenne confronts in this Big Idea for Black Sails to Sunward. SHELIA JENNE: My dad has two major obsessions: space and the sea. […]
Today’s Celebrity Sighting
Posted on July 23, 2023 31 Comments
I just looked up on the way down the road to do some errands, and there it was: the Goodyear blimp. Why is it there? I surmise because this weekend is the Dayton Air Show, which is actually a pretty big deal as these things go; it was off to do a circuit or two […]
The Big Idea: Jennifer Estep
Posted on July 20, 2023 1 Comment
Author Jennifer Estep is back with another Big Idea for the second installment in her Galactic Bonds series. Come along to see how writing the second book of a series is actually preferable for her, and how much she enjoyed the process of bringing us Only Good Enemies. JENNIFER ESTEP: Only Good Enemies was released earlier […]
Just a Couple of Ohio Voters, Voting No on Issue 1
Posted on July 20, 2023 24 Comments
Issue 1 being the rather brazen attempt by a bunch of jerks to change the Ohio constitution to make it more difficult to change the Ohio constitution by voter initiative. It’s so blatantly anti-democratic at there’s an actual coalition of Democrats and Republicans arrayed against it, including former Ohio governors from both parties. Recent polling […]
The Big Idea: Stephen Blackmoore
Posted on July 19, 2023 4 Comments
If we don’t remember history, we are doomed to repeat it. But what happens when the past comes crashing into the present? Author Stephen Blackmoore plays with this idea in the ninth novel of his Eric Carter series, Cult Classic. Follow along in his Big Idea to see how he picked which cult to highlight in […]
Trying Out “The Pickle Guys” Pickles & Assorted Pickled Vegetables
Posted on July 18, 2023 23 Comments
I was scrolling on Tik Tok when I saw a pickle review video over various items from The Pickle Guys. I thought to myself, I sure would like to do a pickle review. So I am! After perusing all the different types of pickles and pickled vegetables (and fruits!) they offer on their website, I […]
The Big Idea: Jayne Cowie
Posted on July 18, 2023 7 Comments
There is profit to be made off of violence. What if there was a way to profit off of preventing violence, as well? Author Jayne Cowie takes us into the world of her new novel, One of the Boys, to show us how violence is a treatable, fixable thing there. Read on to see the details […]
Oh, and, Look, Here Are My New Boots
Posted on July 17, 2023 20 Comments
Yes, that’s Hokusai’s The Great Wave Off Kanagawa, and yes, those are Doc Martens. I will be spending the next couple of months wearing them in so they are ready for when cold weather actually hits and I will need a pair of boots. Because, yes, I did actually buy them to be practical! But […]
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