Eve Tushnet
me, on Diana Wynne Jones. Read more
me, on Diana Wynne Jones. Read more
via Ratty: …The Sina Weibo clampdown claimed a number of seemingly anodyne terms and images, including the emoticon of a candle that is usually available to users. It also claimed “Victoria Park,” the site in Hong Kong of an annual memorial to the event. It also claimed the number 35 because users hoping to fool censors sometimes refer to the June 4 event as May 35. “Say nothing,” one user wrote. “Everyone understands.” Users still found ways to discuss the... Read more
“My f-f-father–initiated, t-tried to initiate me–into–” He let the sentence trail away. Elena clicked her tongue impatiently. “If you’re going to be evasive about the supernatural element of your story, the SDECE is not buying.” “Evasive.” Philby laughed shortly, aware of the weight of chunky steel on his ankle and wondering if he might ever be faced with the necessity–and have the courage–to turn the gun on himself. “It is v-vaguely shameful, though, isn’t it? Didn’t you feel that, in... Read more
I’m one of the people talking about summer reading over at the University Bookman. Read more
(very lightly edited for clarity) Last night I saw First Position, a new documentary on young ballet dancers competing in the Youth America Grand Prix. It’s from a first-time director, it’s a labor of love, and the kids are unspeakably endearing. It’s a feel-good film, which means there are no villains. Not the rich girl whose classmates nickname her “Barbie,” who has half-a-dozen “PRINCESS” signs on her bedroom walls, but who seems genuinely hardworking, grateful for her opportunities, aware of... Read more
I have a post over at AmCon’s group blog. Read more
…The aftermath of our diagnosis was extraordinarily painful for both of us. The diagnosis affected not simply our friendships, our own relationship, but particularly our spiritual lives. If you speak to an infertile couple, committed to the Christian life, you’ll notice a pattern: the sexual infertility gradually seeps into the life of prayer. Each morning, I rise and ask God that Kara and I might finally have a child. Seemingly, I encounter only the chilly silence of a seemingly absent... Read more
`Unhappily,’ said the bishop, `my wife has instructed me to give the vacant vicarage to a cousin of hers. A fellow,’ he added bitterly, `who bleats like a sheep and doesn’t know an alb from a reredos.’ More! Via the man behind Overlawyered. Read more
The latest entry in my children’s-books series for Acculturated is on Jean Merrill’s 1964 The Pushcart War. Read more
“Besides, my religious notions are pretty well fixed at this point — basically a Baptist-flavored Catholicism, a degree in Biblical Studies and an Irish temperament, and the Jeremy Lott prayer thrown in for good measure. Q: What in the world is the Jeremy Lott prayer? A: It goes like this: Dear God: I’m wrong, you’re right, I’m going to bed.” (from his self-interview) Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In