Awards:
The 2019 Hugo nomination window is now open. Members of the 2018 WorldCon or the 2019 Dublin WorldCon may nominate. Thanks to Locus.
Books and Writing:
Sherilyn Kenyon has accused her ex-husband Lawrence Kenyon and a woman named Kerrie Plumb of poisoning her over several years. This story would be fascinating if it weren’t so frightening. In other social media, Kenyon has announced the end of her 28-year marriage along with the rescheduling of some publication dates. Keep scrolling down;it’s there, I promise.
Over on Whatever, John Scalzi responds to an article about negative reviews (The Art of the Pan). Scalzi has been a reviewer, and his points are good ones. The article itself (linked on the blog) is also interesting.
Lin-Manuel Miranda and his friends have purchased the venerable Drama Bookstore, which was at risk of closing due to the escalating Times Square rents.
Nerdmuch has a list of lots of cool books coming out in 2019. So do we. Be sure to check our New Releases page, too. I am excited for Ann Leckie’s first fantasy novel, The Raven Tower.
Giveaway:
Bill recently reviewed V.S. Schwab’s sequel to Vicious, Vengeful, here. For no reason whatsoever, I will give a copy of Vengeful to one random commenter.
TV and Movies:
Weird City, coming to YouTube, looks… funny.
Michael Livingston reviews The Outlaw King over at Tor.com.
ChooseCo is suing Netflix for intellectual properties infringement over Black Mirror; Bandersnatch, a Netflix interactive movie. Thanks to File770.
Doctor Who’s recent regeneration has not pleased everyone, especially folks who believe that the non-human character should only be white and male. The latest Doctor, played by Jodie Whittaker, however, has also introduced the show to a new audience.
Internet:
News you need to have: The Vatican has launched a track team.
File770 chose this article for its clever title, but it’s interesting! And good to know.
Dwayne Johnson, AKA The Rock, says he did not make any statements to the British tabloid Daily Star, did not grant them an interview at all and did not refer to “Generation Snowflake.”
You may not be a fan of avocados, as I am. You may not care that they are high in potassium. You may not like their creamy (or as a not-a-fan friend says, squishy) texture. Okay, but you do like art, right? So enjoy some avocado art, because the internet is amazing. I mean, I can’t even carve a watermelon into a basket shape, but some folks can do this.
And then, this: Toto’s “Africa” sung by… well, you’ll see. And “sung” is being generous.
Space:
Is asteroid ‘Oamuamua a space ship? Here is Space’s article about a theory two astronomers from Harvard have shared, that the oddly shaped “visitor from afar” is really a lightsail built by an extra-terrestrial race.
This one is from 2017. And no, Seth Shostak, ‘Oumaumau as a name is no harder to pronounce than your name.
Earth:
The world’s oceans seem to be warming faster than the UN’s latest report projected, with 2018 another record year for warming.
Two beautiful, historic riverfront gardens near the Taj Mahal have been restored.
Art:
You can find more of Jessica Joslin’s eerie, soulful sculptures here.
There’s a whole lotta weird stuff going on out there lately! Some of it even has to do with books, lol! Love avocados, btw, we should send a bunch out via lightsail and see what the rest of the galaxy thinks!
Love your site. Keep up the good work.
Oh God, that’s horrible about Sherrilyn Kenyon.
What I’ve heard about “Vicious” and “Vengeful” piques my interest!
NoneofYour… the story has gotten stranger, since today the articles are saying that she has (naturally) filed for divorce, and that she had tests proving a high volume of heavy metals in her system (which is certainly what it sounded like). And it seems the local police are investigating her allegations.
I’m curious about the book.
Well, of course they are. I’m a bit confused by your reply. Why would they not take her seriously? I was assuming it’s true, too.
The way it was being covered, it read at first like she alleged this in her divorce filing ONLY (and online); that’s why I mentioned the law enforcement angle.
Oh no, I was sure if she said it then it was real and tests would show it and there would be followup.
I meant it was horrible that it happened to her.
Looking forward to the continuation of the Villains trilogy!
I love V.E. Schwab! Thanks for the giveaway!
Intrigued to read about supervillains from another perspective; thanks for the giveaway!
Very cool about Lin-Manuel Miranda! I saw a drama bookstore years ago in D.C.–I’m not sure if it was a branch of the same bookstore. It seems as if everything Lin-Manuel Miranda does is both cool and nice.
Ooh Kenyon’s story sounds scary and interesting. And also, I’m really looking forward to reading Vengeful. Great collection you have over here :)
Flora, if you live in the USA, you win a copy of VENGEFUL!
Please contact me (Marion) with your US address and I’ll have the book sent right away. Happy reading!