“It was a box office flop, didn’t do very well at all. My ex took me to see weird movies. I was like, ‘ugh…fuck it, at least Frodo (Elijah Wood) is in it.’
That movie surprised the hell out of me. I enjoyed it a lot. People generally loved it as well, but some critics dumped on it for some reason. Whatever.”
Jon Stewart has a problem with J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series.
Stewart, 59, has questioned the controversial author’s use of what he called an “anti-Semitic” trope in her goblin characters.
The franchise prominently features a goblin banker that runs the Gringotts Wizarding Bank that Stewart recently claimed resembles an anti-Semitic caricature of the Jewish community.
“Here’s how you know Jews are still where they are,” Stewart, who is Jewish, said in a recent episode of his podcast “The Problem with Jon Stewart.” He then noted the goblins’ resemblance to characters in the early-1900s anti-Semitic book “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” suggesting that readers and filmgoers don’t necessarily know the reference.
“I just want to show you a caricature. And they’re like, ‘Oh, look at that, that’s from “Harry Potter”!’ And you’re like, ‘No, that’s a caricature of a Jew from an anti-Semitic piece of literature.’ J.K. Rowling was like, ‘Can we get these guys to run our bank?’ ” Stewart said.
He added that in the magical, make-believe world of “Harry Potter,” people “can ride dragons” and someone can own a “pet owl,” yet he wondered: “Who should run the bank? Jews.
“It was one of those things where I saw it on the screen and I was expecting the crowd to be like, ‘Holy s – – t, she [Rowling] did not, in a wizarding world, just throw Jews in there to run the f – – king underground bank,’ ” the comedian continued. “And everybody was just like, ‘Wizards.’ It was so weird.”
The franchise’s Wiki fan page describes the goblins as “a highly intelligent race of small magical humanoid beings with long fingers and feet that coexist with the wizarding world. Their diet consists of meat, roots, and fungi.
“Goblins converse in a language known as Gobbledegook, and are adept metalsmiths notable for their silverwork; they even mint coins for wizarding currency. Due to their skills with money and finances, they control the wizarding economy to a large extent and run Gringotts Wizarding Bank,” the description added.
Rowling, 56, has caused a stir with her comments about the transgender community, with LGBTQ activists blasting her for inflammatory comments.
She also wasn’t interviewed for the recent, highly anticipated “Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts” special, which featured dialogue with numerous cast members. However, that wasn’t the only noticeable issue with HBO Max’s reunion event, which premiered Jan. 1. Viewers noticed an error within the first few minutes of the retrospective.
While Hermione Granger actress Emma Watson, now 31, spoke about how the book series influenced her younger years, a photo of her — reportedly as a child — appeared on the screen. However, the snap was not of Emma Watson but of young actress Emma Roberts. The error has since been fixed in the special.
Thanks to the growing abundance of weird and dangerous weather, it’s getting harder to ignore the bleak reality of climate change—though that doesn’t stop many people, especially people in power, from blithely denying its existence. Released in 2006, Larry Fessenden’s The Last Winter asked a question that’s even more pressing today: What if the Earth, drained and damaged from generations of careless humans, started punching back?
In a part of Alaska so remote it feels like the edge of the world, a small team working for an oil-drilling company that’s just gotten congressional approval to tap into a well situated within a wildlife refuge (red flag!) has two big problems. First, the temperature is so oddly warm they’re unable to construct the ice roads they’ll need to bring their heavy equipment in. And second, the on-site environmental experts, a required component of their government deal, refuse to sign off on any other transport methods, despite toxically macho crew chief Ed Pollock’s (the great Ron Perlman, who is perfect in this role) way of “ordering” instead of “asking.”
Those roadblocks pile on top of the expected hazards that go with this type of work (boredom, loneliness, cabin fever), but there’s another issue that’s starting to creep its way into the camp: The land itself is having a decidedly negative reaction to their presence. The first to pick up on it is lead environmentalist Jim Hoffman (James LeGros), who’s as concerned with the rising temperatures as as he is with this variable he can’t chart. “Something up here is off,” he muses. “It’s in the numbers… but I can also feel it.” He has a hard time convincing the others, especially the blustery Ed—whose general attitude is “fuck this hippie bullshit, we got a job to do”—but as The Last Winter progresses the signs become exceedingly difficult to ignore.
The tension that builds throughout The Last Winter feels very familiar to the realm of snowbound survival horror. Think The Thing, The Shining, or basically any movie where an isolated group of people are set upon by a supernatural force that causes paranoia, distrust, and other behavior changes, on top of other external horrors. (In this case, well, a lot of eyes get pecked out by aggressive ravens, and that’s merely one example.) And there’s been no shortage of “environmental revenge” films—from thoughtfully existential forest nightmares like Ben Wheatley’s recent In the Earth to more hysterically schlocky examples, like the subject of another recent Retro Review: pollution-spawned mutant-bear saga Prophecy.
Galaxy Unpacked
Tune in to Samsung’s website to see the announcement at 10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT on February 9 for the Galaxy Unpacked live stream.
The Last Winter’s blend of these two genres is effective throughout, with its oil-drilling themes (bolstered by actual footage of oil-well fires and mentions of real-life disasters like the Exxon Valdez spill) giving extra weight to its central conflict. Though we’re meant to sympathize with the humans, it’s obvious that they’re also the antagonists, the invaders, and the aggressors of this story. Fessenden—an indie cult and horror luminary who co-wrote the script with Robert Leaver, and who has a brief on-screen role as Ed’s crass boss—works The Last Winter’s vengeful menace into its technical elements, giving us shots that fell like they’re from the POV of the howling wind as it swirls above and around the compound, even at one point dipping down and circling the buildings as if peeking at the people behind the windows.
The bad vibes come in small waves, but soon begin engulfing everything and everyone. Maxwell (Midnight Mass’ Zach Gilford), the youngest member of the crew, is the first to start behaving oddly, something everyone chalks up to his inexperience—especially Ed, who’d encouraged the kid’s father to toughen him up by sending him to the Arctic. Jim’s assistant, Elliot (Jamie Harrold), gets a nosebleed during an impromptu football match early in the film, and it never stops bleeding. There are random bursts of bizarre sudden storms, and the persistent sound of strange, disembodied hoofbeats that nobody wants to acknowledge. The crew’s two indigenous members, Lee and Dawn (Pato Hoffman and Joanne Shenandoah), wonder if maybe it’s all an omen that a mythological dark spirit like a Chenoo or a Wendigo is soon to arrive (as a side note, Fessenden had previously made a movie called Wendigo in 2001, so it’s clearly a topic of fascination for him).
Though Jim’s passion for completing this particular assignment begins to waver—at a certain point, he admits he’s tired of trying to convince people like Ed of scientific fact, and you’re just glad he’s living in a time before social media’s tsunami of disinformation took over—his investment in the mystery only grows more urgent. He wonders, both in conversations and in his private journal, if it’s “an atmospheric anomaly affecting everyone’s judgment.” Or maybe sour gas seeping from the melting permafrost, or some kind of virus, spores, or other contagion emerging from earth that’s been frozen for 10,000 years? Or maybe “something beyond science”? Like, say, that “the very thing we’re here to pull out of the ground” is “rising willingly to confront us”? He refuses to see what’s happening as revenge, because nature doesn’t work that way—but it’s hard for us not to think so.
The Last Winter isn’t subtle pushing its apocalyptic themes, and by the time it enters its final act it’s become a full-on horror movie, pushing aside icy suspense and back-of-the-neck prickles in favor of a rising body count. It may at times come across a bit heavy-handed, but its message is still a timely and valuable one, showing a microcosm driven to total collapse by a planet that’s ready to kick humans out of the ecosystem for good. Really, can you blame it?
The Last Winter, which also stars American Horror Story’s Connie Britton and ubiquitous indie actor Kevin Corrigan (The King of Long Island), is now streaming on Shudder.
Wondering where our RSS feed went? You can pick the new up one here.
Raya and the Last Dragon
(2021)
PG
|
107 min
|
Animation, Action, Adventure
In a realm known as Kumandra, a re-imagined Earth inhabited by an ancient civilization, a warrior named Raya is determined to find the last dragon.
Directors:
Don Hall,
Carlos López Estrada,
John Ripa,
Paul Briggs
|
Stars:
Kelly Marie Tran,
Awkwafina,
Gemma Chan,
Izaac Wang
Votes:
132,540
Elements of the crypto sector like non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and the metaverse are garnering major interest from Indians. NFTs based on India’s first metaverse wedding have made a debut on Beyondlife.Club marketplace. The 12-piece NFT collection sponsored by CoinSwitch Kuber displays the digital avatars of the Tamil Nadu-based couple in the backdrop of a Harry Potter theme. An avatar of the bride’s late father, as well as a copy of the wedding invitation, is also part of this series.
The collection, launched by NFT technology firm GuardianLink.io, witnessed quick sales and positive responses. NFTs are digital collectibles with their ownerships stored on the blockchain network.
“The NFT featuring the virtual avatars of the bride and the groom was purchased and resold within nanoseconds of the drop. A total of 50 copies of the same were sold at $10 (roughly Rs. 750) each,” Beyondlife.Club said in a press release. “One of them was re-sold for $100 (roughly Rs. 7,489) within a second on GuardianLink.io’s secondary marketplace.”
One of the tokenised wedding invites that was sold for $10 (roughly Rs. 750), is presently being traded at $4,450 (roughly Rs. 3 lakh).
The NFT auction inspired by India’s first metaverse wedding has stirred buzz around their upcoming wedding functions.
The bride and groom Janaganandhini Ramaswamy and Dinesh Kshatriyan will tie the matrimonial knot according to the traditions on the morning of February 6.
Later in the evening, the newly-weds along with their guests will attend their virtual reception as digital avatars in the metaverse. A three-dimensional version of the Internet, metaverse will potentially serve as a fully functional virtual venue.
The couple has collaborated with TardiVerse Metaverse startup to facilitate the virtual celebrations on the Polygon blockchain.
Research reports expect the market opportunity for the metaverse to reach $800 billion (roughly Rs. 59,58,719 crore) by 2024. The sector has been showing accelerating growth in India of late.
Last month, Punjabi singer Daler Mehndi became the first Indian artist to perform in a metaverse concert.
Music label T-Series also announced its entry into the metaverse in partnership with Hungama Digital earlier this week. As part of the deal, Hungama will be creating NFTs from the vast catalogue of new and existing Bollywood content parented by T-Series.
Cryptocurrency is an unregulated digital currency, not a legal tender and subject to market risks. The information provided in the article is not intended to be and does not constitute financial advice, trading advice or any other advice or recommendation of any sort offered or endorsed by NDTV. NDTV shall not be responsible for any loss arising from any investment based on any perceived recommendation, forecast or any other information contained in the article.
For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on Twitter, Facebook, and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Realme GT 2 Series, Narzo 50 India Launch Soon, Teases Madhav Sheth Redmi K50, K50 Pro, K50 Pro+ Spotted on Chinese Certification Website, Tipped to Feature Snapdragon, MediaTek SoCs
Veteran actor Ramesh Deo, known for films like “Anand” and “Aap Ki Kasam” in Hindi cinema and his extensive work in the Marathi film industry, died on Wednesday following a heart attack, his filmmaker son Abhinay Deo said. He was 93.
Ramesh Deo had featured in more than 250 Hindi films and nearly 200 Marathi movies in his career spanning 60 years.
“He passed away due to heart attack around 8.30 PM tonight at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. He was 93,” Abhinay Deo told PTI.
The actor was known for his unassuming screen presence, playing varied roles—from friendly doctor, menacing villain to a loveable family friend.
Ramesh Deo brought on screen with him his affable trademark moustache and smile, which would either charm the audience or instill fear, depending on the role he played.
In the mid 60s, he turned towards Hindi cinema. He largely appeared as a character actor playing both positive and negative parts, including “Aarti”, Anand”, “Aap Ki Kasam”, “Mere Apne”, “Jeevan Mrityu”, “Saraswatichandra”, “Teen Bahuraniyan”, “Khilona”, “Ghayal Once Again”, “Jolly LLB”, among others.
The actor straddled several movie eras with ease, from Dilip Kumar, Rajesh Khanna to Amitabh Bachchan.
In filmmaker Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s 1971 classic “Anand”, Ramesh Deo played Dr Prakash Kulkarni, featuring alongside his actor wife Seema Deo. The couple played on-screen pair in the film.
Ramesh Deo was also a TV veteran, having featured in over 30 Marathi dramas. As an artiste, Deo wasn’t limited to just acting as he also produced feature films, turned a director, backed TV serials and over 250 ad films.
Born in Amravati, Maharashtra, Ramesh Deo, made his debut in a cameo appearance in the 1951 Marathi film “Paatlaachi Por”.
His first fulfledged role came in the Marathi movie “Andhala Magto Ek Dola” (1956), directed by Raja Paranjape.
Though his work eventually slowed down in the 90s, he even went on to work with new age stars in films like “Jolly LLB” with Akshay Kumar and Sunny Deol starrer “Ghayal Once Again”, which marked his last big screen appearance in 2016.
He is survived by wife a veteran actor Seema Deo and two sons Ajinkya Deo, a Marathi actor and Abhinay Deo, film director, best known for “Delhi Belly”.
READ | Pushpa actor Rashmika Mandanna says Goodbye co-star Amitabh Bachchan is a ‘doll’
‘The Colored Museum’
Take a journey through 11 exhibits of “The Colored Museum” and explore what it means to be Black in contemporary America. The production will run through Sunday, Feb. 6 at the University of Alabama Department of Theatre and Dance in Tuscaloosa. The play, written by George C. Wolfe, investigates themes of Black love, Black self-hate, isolation, identity and sexuality. Audiences will come face-to-face with old and new stereotypes as the satire challenges the understanding of Black culture. Get tickets at the Rowand-Johnson Hall Monday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m., by phone at 205-348-3400 or online.
28 Days of Black Life, History and Culture
In celebration of Black History Month, explore 28 days of Black Life, History and Culture in the city of Mobile. Events range from virtual presentations to a movie series, including:
The movie series and panel discussions continue every Wednesday through the month, starting at 6 p.m.:
Visit the website for the full schedule of events.
Equal Justice Initiative
Discover Black history at the newly expanded Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration in Montgomery. The museum examines the legacy of slavery, from its introduction in the New World in the 17th century to ongoing issues related to mass incarceration. The Legacy Museum includes a welcome center, gift shop and the popular restaurant Pannie-George’s Kitchen. A few blocks away is EJI’s National Memorial for Peace and Justice and Peace and Justice Memorial Center. Follow this link to read more about the Legacy Museum.
Southern Museum of Flight
The Tuskegee Airmen exhibit is being featured at the Southern Museum of Flight in Birmingham. This extraordinary diorama display honoring Alabama’s famed Tuskegee Airmen is more than an exhibit. It is a spotlight shining on a significant period of American history, and this tribute highlights an extraordinary group of men who continue to provide inspiration for anyone who dares to dream. The exhibit features a number of World War II-era trainers, including a North American AT-6 Texan, a Vultee BT-13B Valiant and a Fairchild PT-19 Cornell. The museum is at 4343 73rd St. N. Learn more at southernmuseumofflight.org. Visit the website or message [email protected] to learn more.
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
Celebrate Black History Month at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI) with virtual and in-person events. Explore a variety of exhibits, including the Human Rights Gallery, Movement Gallery, Confrontation Gallery, Barriers Gallery, the Odessa Woolfolk Gallery, the “Courage Under Fire” exhibit of photos from the burning of the Freedom Riders’ bus in Anniston and “Remembering 4 Little Girls: A Gallery of Creative Expressions,” an exhibit of student works inspired by the Spike Lee film. BCRI is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
‘9 to 5 The Musical’
One of the most hilarious stories of friendship and revenge in the era of the Rolodex is being performed through Sunday, Feb. 6 at Virginia Samford Theatre in Birmingham. With music and lyrics by Dolly Parton and from the book by Patricia Resnick, the production is based on the 1980 hit movie by the same name. Pushed to the boiling point, three female co-workers concoct a plan to get even with the sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot they call their boss. Tickets for the outrageous and thought-provoking musical can be purchased online at virginiasamford.org.
Annual King Cake-Off
Who has the best king cake on the Gulf Coast? You be the judge at the 4th Annual King Cake-Off on Friday, Feb. 4 at The Temple in downtown Mobile. Local bakeries, eateries and grocery stores will compete to see who has the tastiest king cake and king cake-inspired treat on the Gulf Coast. Events will feature live music, local vendors, kid-friendly activities, specialty cocktails and king cake tastings. Proceeds will go to Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Alabama. Purchase tickets at kingcakeoff.com.
Winter Wednesdays
Workshops are underway at Bellingrath Gardens and Home in Theodore. Each workshop covers a special feature of the gardens or home, tips for making your garden more spectacular, or guest lectures from renowned members of the horticultural and gardening world. Sessions are 10:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. Winter Wednesdays are included in gardens admission.
Reservations are requested for each program:
To learn more about each program, call 251-459-8868, email [email protected] or visit the website.
‘Faces of Vietnam’ exhibit
This exhibit runs through Friday, Feb. 11 at the Alabama Center for the Arts in Decatur. Curated by attorney Stephen Humphreys from his travels throughout Vietnam, most of the collection is from the post Đổi Mới (Reform) era of the 1990s. Through the exhibit, Humphreys strives to answer the question: “What is the real Vietnam, and what is the face it shows the world?” The exhibit includes works from leading contemporary Vietnamese artists of the post-reform period in traditional and contemporary media, such as oil paintings, lacquer and woodblock prints. See the exhibit Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to noon.
Redevelopment firm Orchestra Partners Thursday morning announced nationally renowned Alamo Drafthouse Cinema as the first major tenant slated to occupy Powell Steam Plant, an 85,000-plus-square-foot historic structure in the heart of Birmingham’s Parkside District.
Alamo Drafthouse represents a major piece of Orchestra Partners’ redevelopment plans to transform Powell Steam Plant and the surrounding Parkside District into an entertainment destination and connectivity hub.
Orchestra Partners joined Alamo Drafthouse, Alabama Power, Birmingham City Council President Wardine Alexander (District 7), Birmingham City Councilor Hunter Williams (District 2, chair of the Economic Development committee) and other community partners at Powell Steam Plant to make the announcement.
Orchestra Partners announces Alamo Drafthouse Cinema to be anchor tenant of Powell Avenue redevelopment from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
“Since announcing redevelopment plans for Powell Steam Plant in November 2019, our goal from day one was to be intentional about finding the right tenant that aligns with the shared vision for this historic property,” said Hunter Renfroe, Orchestra Partners co-founder and principal. “By partnering with a reputable national brand like Alamo Drafthouse, we will pay homage to the steam plant and create a vibrant entertainment destination that attracts more people downtown.”
Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema offers a unique movie experience featuring quality films, food, drinks and retail. Named the “#1 theater in America” by Entertainment Weekly and “Coolest Movie Theater in the World” by Wired, Alamo Drafthouse operates 37 locations from California to New York, providing a combination of theater and restaurant, showing first-run movies, independent films and hosting special events with an extensive menu made from scratch.
Birmingham moviegoers can expect an authentic localized experience with an innovative theater design, superior dining experience, local craft beers and specialty cocktails, custom pre-show content, events and amenities. Birmingham joins Raleigh, North Carolina, and Charlottesville, Virginia, as Alamo Drafthouse’s newest Southeastern market location.
“We have a tremendous opportunity in Birmingham, as this marks Alamo Drafthouse’s first true venture into the Deep South,” said John Martin, partner at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. “Every theater brings a customized approach to appropriately fit the building space and surrounding neighborhood. Powell Steam Plant’s historical value is unlike any theater Alamo has previously converted, which will allow us to emulate this theme throughout every aspect of the cinema experience.”
Alamo Drafthouse will be the anchor tenant and occupy approximately 40,000 square feet (60% of the leasable square footage) inside Powell Steam Plant. Redevelopment plans for the entire project call for a mixed-use entertainment venue designed for movies, music, events, retail stores and restaurants. Orchestra Partners plans to redevelop the adjacent lot, which could include an upscale hotel and apartments, while the street between the steam plant and adjacent lot will be a pedestrian center for outdoor gatherings.
“Powell Steam Plant has been an integral part of Birmingham’s history for more than 125 years,” said Williams, Birmingham city councilor since 2017. “Through public-private partnerships, redeveloping the steam plant will help bring more Birmingham residents downtown while also supporting tourism and economic development efforts to propel our city into the future. Adding yet another major neighborhood anchor in the heart of downtown will be a game changer for Birmingham.”
Powell Steam Plant, built in 1895, provided steam and electricity for downtown businesses in Birmingham. It connected the city by powering the streetcar system, which was essential to the city’s growth. Alabama Power acquired the steam plant in the 1950s and continued operations until 2013.
“We are proud to welcome Alamo Drafthouse and witness the vital role it will play in breathing new life into Powell Steam Plant,” said Kimberly Jackson, Alabama Power government and community relations manager of the Birmingham Division. “Now this historic structure will serve as a catalyst for intentional, inclusive growth, promoting economic development and improving the quality of life for all of Birmingham’s residents.”
Alamo Drafthouse will join existing Parkside neighborhood anchors, including Good People Brewing, Regions Field and Railroad Park, further cementing Parkside as an entertainment district that will continue to connect communities in the region. In addition to Powell Steam Plant, Orchestra Partners is redeveloping Urban Supply, a mixed-use destination adjacent to Good People on the west end of the Parkside District.
“Our long-term vision for Parkside is to not only create entertainment but enhance walkability and reconnect Birmingham’s surrounding neighborhoods back to its urban core,” Renfroe said. “Bringing Alamo Drafthouse to Birmingham moves us one step closer to achieving this goal.”
Construction on Alamo Drafthouse will begin in summer 2022 with an anticipated opening slated for fall 2023. For more information and leasing opportunities, visit www.parksidebham.com.
February 2, 2022
2021 was a big comeback year for movies.
Theaters reopened prompting some readers to return to watching on the big screen, while many others enjoyed catching new movie releases at home.
From theaters, living rooms, laptops, and phones, we had a lot on our watchlist this year. Blockbusters arrived like ‘Spiderman: No Way Home,’ ‘Shang-Chi,’ and ‘F9.’ Viewers even left the house for the long awaited ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy.‘ We caught glimpses of Boston streets in ‘Free Guy,’ ‘Tender Bar,’ and the star-studded dark comedy ‘Don’t Look Up‘ — one of the most talked about films of the year.
Musicals danced their way onto the screen in 2021 with ‘In the Heights‘ and ‘Tick, Tick… Boom!,’ both from Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Maranda, as well as the Steven Spielberg’s remake of ‘West Side Story.‘
With awards season coming up, biopics will get a close look from critics. Films such as Kristen Stewart’s performance as Princess Diana of Whales in ‘Spencer,’ ‘House of Gucci‘ starring Lady Gaga, and Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem performances in ‘Being The Ricardos.‘
Dramas like ‘The Power of the Dog‘ starring Benedict Cumberbatch are getting Oscar buzz, but even Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut ‘The Lost Daughter‘ features a masterful performance from Olivia Colman.
What was your favorite movie of 2021? Share the title and your favorite part in the movie in the form below and your response may be featured in an upcoming article.
Be civil. Be kind.
Read our full community guidelines.
Amanda and Jenn discuss baseball in fiction, women in music, “histo-tainment”, and more in this week’s episode of Get Booked.
Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher.
The Gods of the Upper Air by Charles King (rec’d by Kate)
1. Hi y’all! Thank you for this new feature.
I am looking for a Daisy Jones and the Six read-alike. I like when artists have to put personal differences aside in order to create, but also the art ends up being influenced by their life. It does not need to be romantic necessarily but that helps. I liked Opal Nev as well, even though it was less romantic.
A female-identifying writer would also be preferred because I loved TJR’s takes on what women go through in music/writing. “I’m not somebody’s muse/I’m the somebody” is my personal battle cry. I don’t think Nick Hornby (bless his heart) gets it.
– Stephanie
2. I need to break out of my YA/Middle Grade circle I have been in lately. Looking for a thriller or mystery that will hook me from the start. LGBTIA+ is a bonus, but not a necessity and long books are cool.
-Kady
3. Hello ladies. I need help. You see, I just spent the past two days inhaling Season 1 of the TV series “Yellowjackets”, which hooked me with the premise of “mega-successful girls high school soccer team devolves into ritualized cannibalism after their plane crashes”, and kept me enthralled by the awesome characters and actresses in the dual 1996 and 2021 storylines. I have not loved a show so much since Lost. Can you recommend any books to fill the gaping hole the show has left behind? To give you some idea, I enjoy the mystery aspect of it, and the “is this something paranormal, or is this an understandable/explainable reaction to trauma?”. But my favorite part is learning more about the characters, and seeing how their experiences as teens continue to impact them in adulthood. (Juliette Lewis, man. Juliette-freakin-Lewis.) Queer characters are definitely a plus. Thank you so much!
-PJ
4. My husband is looking for some good contemporary fiction featuring Asian American males. He’s feeling like he doesn’t see any representation of himself in fiction, and it’s bringing him down. I think we all know what it is like to want to read that book where you really feel seen. That’s what he’s looking for. He reads pretty much any genre, but he is really looking something that speaks to his experience, so even though he loves fantasy I’m not sure that would be a good fit for him. He’s read The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by FC Yee and that definitely did not hit him in the feels. I suggested We Are Not Free by Traci Chee, which is about the Japanese internment and features several male characters and that did not appeal. I think he wants something much more contemporary than World War II. Just a note, he really wants fiction, so a memoir isn’t really going to cut it for him. He wants to be lost in a story. Any ideas? I’m having a hard time finding something that he can get lost in and feel seen. Thanks in advance! Teresa
-Teresa
5. I’m new to the show so if this has been asked already please point me to the relevant episode and excuse the redundancy. Thank you!
My friend’s 10-year-old daughter does not like to read…unless it’s a graphic novel. We have tried all the “classic” kids books from Judy Blume to Goosebumps to Choose Your Own Adventure, Magic Treehouse, Harry Potter, etc etc.
She will read a traditional book if forced, but does not enjoy it at all. However, she has devoured all of her school library’s graphic novels and loves them. It’s getting difficult to find ones she has not already finished. (Loves include Raina Telgemeier, Warrior Cats, and El Deafo; she does NOT like Dogman or Captain Underpants-style books).
Do you have recommendations for “crossover” books that may get her more interested in traditional reading, or offbeat pre-teen / early teen graphic novels she might enjoy? As an additional philosophy question: SHOULD parents push children to read “normal” books if they don’t enjoy them? Or should she be encouraged to keep reading only the format she likes? Thanks!!
-Sarah
6. My favorite book of all time is Pillars of the Earth. I don’t love it for the architectural language of building the cathedral, but I am obsessed with the medieval historical narrative and the following of families over a couple of generations. I call it “histo-tainment” because I’m learning some history while being entertained. In the same vein, I love Edward Rutherford’s huge books of families at the dawn of large cities.
Do you have anything similar you could recommend? The only historical period I DONT like is World War 2. I’ll read anything else. Thanks for the awesome show.
-Shae
7. I’m someone who loves history, fiction, and baseball… not necessarily in that order. I’d love to read some period fiction that relates to baseball. I’ve read Shoeless Joe (upon which Field of Dreams was based), and I’ll try to keep an open mind, but W.P. Kinsella tends to be kinda out there. Even if you just want to provide historical fiction choices, that would be fine, but baseball is my passion.
I love your podcast and I’m constantly trying new books (to me) that you recommend.
-Thomas
The Body Where I Was Born by Guadalupe Nettel, transl. by JT Lichtenstein
The Girl With Stars in Her Eyes by Xio Axelrod
Dead in the Garden by Dahlia Donovan
Criminal Gold by Ann Aptaker
Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder (cw: harm to animals, gore)
Shelter by Jung Yun (tw domestic violence, sexual assault)
The Family Chao by Lan Samantha Chang (cw: speculated harm to animals)
Lumberjanes: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Shannon Watters, Brooklyn Allen, Maarta Laiho, Aubrey Aiese
Goldie Vance by Hope Larson, Brittney Williams, and Sarah Stern
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
Diamond Ruby by Joseph Wallace
