WARNING for Dune universe spoilers! I wrote a whole lot about Dune when part one came out, but I’ll probably be more contained this time. But if anything, my respect for this story, and for Frank Herbert’s reactionary politics has soured even more. As a forewarning, most of my Dune commentary centers around Dune Messiah, … More Dune 2: Don’t Trust Your Leaders, but Your Leaders Are Supermen
I’m a little late this year, but this is my annual tradition of looking back on some news sources that cover Jews and Jewish perception in Italy. It’s a smaller and more food-based selection than usual. There’s also the usual variety of dealing with the Holocaust and neo-Nazis, but in this post-October 7 world, there’s … More 2023: Looking Back at Jewish Italy
*note: throughout this post, I include quotes I find meaningful from STATION ELEVEN by Emily St. John Mandel. I do not make any claims about the author’s political beliefs or affiliations. Technically, I’ve been watching this trailer since before I got sick, so I can’t quite blame it on the fever. I’m always intrigued by … More Sickly and Numbed by Cultural Trauma, I Drift Through Space
Shalom! I’m reprising a tradition from last year where I celebrate Jewish Book Month by talking about my year in Jewish reading! …weeeell, technically Jewish Book Month ended just before Chanukah began, but I’d like to think I’m in the ballpark. 😛 I’m also staying in the past by re-using Erika Dreifus’s bingo board complete … More #JewishBookMonth Challenge 5784!
fourth and final blog post of #NaNoBlogMo 2023 I first heard about the terror attacks of October 7 while exiting the metro on the way to Shabbat services. A news notification came up on my phone about something I couldn’t fathom, about mass casualties in Israel. Inside the synagogue, we were celebrating Simchat Torah. Because, … More Post-10/7 Personal Retrospective
third blog post of 2023 #NaNoBlogMo 2023! Warning for Book and Movie Spoilers! Coming out of the theater, and…I am not head-over-heels in love with this Hunger Games movie. 😮 Is there any fandom psychologist in the house? 😛 This does not feel right. That isn’t to say I didn’t like the movie: I liked … More “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”: A Different Sort of Hunger Games Experience
second blog post of #NaNoBlogMo 2023! The GoodReads Choice Awards for 2023 are now live! As is now the norm, I assume, they opened in mid-November and are promising two rounds, with winners to be announced in early December. But there are some new changes this year! Of particular notice to me: they did away … More GoodReads Choice Awards 2023: Predictions and Standouts
first blog post of NaNoBlogMo 2023! Those who know me well are aware of my obsession with The Hunger Games franchise, so I’ve been looking forward to November for more than just NaNo this year! 😛 Honestly, between SAG-AFTRA granting some of the actors an interim agreement to promote the film, and Dune moving its … More Prepping for “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” During Prescient Times
It’s the second year of my personal book award (technically more of a small reading list with a tier ranking at the end.) It’s based, in part, off the GoodReads Choice Awards, where I’ll likely not have read enough buzzy publications to vote much. But I still want to stay ahead of some of the … More My Book Rankings for the 2023 MockReads Choice Awards!
With season two, I think Foundation has made strides in finding its niche. Most of the folks who disliked the changes from the books (which I’ve yet to read, eesh) have moved on. A core of fans exists now, and I think they’re largely interested in one or two things. The first and foremost being … More Foundation Season Two: Faith Goes Up, Empire Goes Down?
Chava's Footsteps 