Category Archives: Commentary

What’s New for the 22nd of June: books about baseball, air travel most unusual, some music about baseball (and some not)

The truth of some promises is not as important as whether or not you can believe in them, with all your heart. A game of baseball can’t really make a summer day last forever. A home run can’t really heal … Continue reading

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What’s New for the 8th of June: kibbles and bits — lots of fairy tales, steamy anime, a Cairo comic, new jazz, an archival grab bag, and a Kitchen tale

Sophie: You can’t possibly know that’s the true story. Nate: No, but that’s the best story. Leverage series, “The Van Gogh Job” I awoke well before dawn as I wanted to watch the Northern Lights as they’ve been particularly outstanding right … Continue reading

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Gasteria

 

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What’s New for the 25th of May: new and notable SFF books; Murderbot on TV, and some Star Wars prequel movies; new jazz music and some tasty archival selections; food & steelworker strikes; and a novel Tarot deck

‘I’m different and I’m happy,’ Calvin said. ‘But you pretend that you aren’t different.’ ‘I’m different and I like being different.’ Calvin’s voice was unnaturally loud. ‘Maybe I don’t like being different,’ Meg said, ‘But I don’t want to be like everybody else, either.’ –Madeleine L’Engle’s  A … Continue reading

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What’s New for the 11th of May: Special Jack Zipes edition on fairy tales; an obsure Tam Lin film treatment; songs that tell stories; new jazz, Danish fiddle tunes, Norwegian women’s vocal music; Russian and Eastern European food and cooking, and more

The Palace was more than four hundred years old and had served its purpose; it would be unbecoming to despise it for showing its age. But there was now one spot within it of something new. Turn your thought to … Continue reading

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What’s New for the 13th of April: Anthony Bourdain in print and video; Calexico, Giant Sand and related music; new recordings of ragas, Nordic songs, and vocal jazz, ‘The Night They Drive Old Dixie Down’ performed by The Band

The night they drove old Dixie down And the bells were ringing The night they drove old Dixie down And the people were singing They went, “Na, na, la, na, na, la” The Band’s ‘The Night They Drove Old Dixie … Continue reading

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What’s New for the 30th of March: Space Opera by Niven & Pournell, Arkady Martine, C. J. Cherryh, Elizabeth Bear, Simon Jimenez and more; Kage reads for us ‘The Empress of Mars’, a novella she wrote; a grab bag of music including new Buryat folk music; The Ukrainians; live music from the Scottish band Iron Horse; Gail Simone graphic novels; Farscape; and of course chocolate

  I danced in the morning When the world was begun, And I danced in the moon And the stars and the sun, And I came down from heaven And I danced on the earth, At Bethlehem I had my … Continue reading

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What’s New of 16th of March: A variety of mysteries; some new Scottish music by an old band, new jazz, and splendid archival reviews; ballads in graphic novel form; and chocolate in Paris

A girl could feel special on any such like. Said James to Red Molly, my hat’s off to you It’s a Vincent Black Lightning, 1952 And I’ve seen you at the corners and cafés it seems Red hair and black … Continue reading

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What’s New of 2nd of March: Kibbles and Bits including ghostly stories, the Hotel California, music picked by Gary of course

The working title of “Hotel California” was “Mexican Reggae. — According to Don Feldrr in a Rolling Stones article So have I mentioned that we get some of our nastiest weather this time of year? Thus it is this weekend with … Continue reading

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What’s New for the 16th of February: Books by and about Bob Dylan, and music by Dylan and others; plus some new world music and jazz

Let us pause in life’s pleasures and count its many tears While we all sup sorrow with the poor. There’s a song that will linger forever in our ears, Oh, hard times, come again no more. “Hard Times,” Stephen Foster … Continue reading

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