WWWednesday: March 18, 2020

The Meal of Lord Candlestick by Leona Carrington

I hope you are all safe, healthy, and, if you live in the USA, you have toilet paper.

This is the CDC’s COVID-19 site. Much of the information is general, but it’s all in one place.

Books and Writing:

The Minecraft virtual “loophole” library holds works by banned and murdered journalists. An inspiring story.

LitHub shares indie booksellers’ recommendations.

Publishers Weekly takes a look at the state of diversity in the conventionally-published romance field, and finds it little changed.

At Tor.com, this article introduces five characters who seek redemption.

Nerds of a Feather discusses six books with Ilana C. Myer.

The UK Guardian offers a roundup of recently-reviewed British speculative fiction.

Birdbath by Leona Carrington

Gatherings:

Left Coast Crime, the California-based mystery writing convention, was left in a precarious position last week. The convention committee is still working on how to award its Lefty award for excellence in mystery writing.

TV and Movies:

Many movie release dates have been delayed as states discourage large group meetings in order to slow the spread of COVID-19. Mulan is one. This article goes into a bit more detail about the villains and the film in general. And it’s a pretty movie.

Ancient Origins provides information about the original source material for Mulan.

Collider interviewed Jade Tailor about The Magicians, just two days after she received word that the show had been cancelled.

And here, the cast says “thank you” to its fans.

Jezebel wants you to meet The Great Pottery Throw-Down.

Here’s one I didn’t see coming; the parallels between Olivia Pope from Scandal and Buffy the Vampire Slayer from the show of the same name.

Reader Recommendations:

Some of you may be staying home these days, and I’m pretty sure you’re not watching sports, because there aren’t many. Tell us in comments what you’re reading, what games you recommend, what you’re watching or binge-watching. One commenter will win a copy of “Her Silhouette Drawn in Water” signed by author Vylar Kaftan.

Collider reviews Beastars, which sounds weird and wonderful.

If you are staying at home, you might want to do some cooking. Mary Ann Mohanjraj’s Sri Lankan cookbook (which can be ordered online) offers recipes you may not have encountered, and Sri Lankan takes on dishes that are familiar. If you’re worried about too much heat in the spices, reduce the amount of cayenne used. If the recipes incorporate spices that aren’t in your pantry, and you hesitate to go out shopping or think they won’t be available, most of them can be ordered online.

Giveaways:

I live in a northern San Francisco Bay Area county that is most likely going to declare us all grounded, or “essential errands only” by tomorrow. This means that if I am holding a book you win in the Giveaway, it may literally be a few weeks before I can get it mailed. And I may not be the only reviewer this applies to. Please adjust your expectations.

Internet:

Helen Hamilton Gardener was a suffragist, a crusader and a self-made woman.

Games:

Kotaku shares a resource that offers players over 700 games.

World:

A cat museum.

From PBS’s Nature, a foster-mother sea otters adopts an orphan pup. About 3.20 minutes long.

Images:

Leona Carrington was a Mexican painter and writer who was born in Britain in 1917. She lived most of her life in Mexico City. Thanks to the Carrington Museum of Latin American art.