In which a jug of buttermilk makes me nostalgic.

So to celebrate pi day yesterday, I obviously had to make a pie. I wanted a buttermilk pie of some sort, which of course, requires buttermilk, but not nearly the whole bottle. So my good Southern brain naturally went straight to biscuits. Then it went straight to wishing I knew how to make Granny’s biscuits, which will never be recreated upon this earth, sadly.

Frankenstein, adaptations and stories that stay with us

One of the best things my brain has done for me is to stop expecting movie or TV adaptations to put my beloved books on screen as I read them, but rather, to take them as their own pieces. Different takes on (hopefully) the same story. Does this mean I love all movies based on books and don’t hold it against them when I don’t think they do a good job of translating story to screen? Of course not. Plenty of page-to-screen adaptations disappoint or even piss me off. PLENTY. BUT! There are a lot of great adaptations that do well and stand on their own, if viewed as what they are and not as lesser versions of a book.

Book review: Wonder Women by Sam Maggs

I fully intended to post this review before this dreamy little book went on sale, but alas, I failed. Anyway, that will not stop me from telling you I loved it and hugged it and called it George, to use a reference that marks me as an old. Sam Maggs has put together a really impressive and easy-to-read reference of badass ladies throughout the world’s history. And it includes some lovely illustrations of those ladies by Sophia Foster-Dimino, who also did that rad cover.

Book Review: The Fireman by Joe Hill

I feel like taking this book on the beach in weather well over 90 degrees really helped me get into that whole “people burning from the inside out” feeling brought on by the fictional spore, without the pesky bursting into flame. It was like method reading. I’m hardcore like that. However, this book is also thoroughly enjoyable from an air-conditioned environment. Wherever you read it, you won’t want to put it down.

A round-up of random things that please me

July is nearly over and I swear it just started a couple days ago. Anyway, I have been neglecting this here blog, so I figure I’ll just post a round-up of stuff I’ve recently enjoyed. Well, media, specifically, because it’s summer and if I opened this up to anything, you’d be reading a blog about tomatoes, peaches, and blueberries. Or clicking away from a blog about tomatoes, peaches, and blueberries… Anyway, an app, some Tweetings, books, TV, movie and music seems like a good random mix, so here:

Book Review: The Geek Feminist Revolution by Kameron Hurley

At a time when both feminism and geek culture are pretty large topics of conversation in the mainstream, with feminist essay collections and assorted genre movies, TV shows, and books getting tons of attention, the arrival of Kameron Hurley’s The Geek Feminist Revolution seems natural. From chainmail bikinis to GamerGate and whiny puppies, it’s never been super easy to be a female fan or creator of sci-fi and fantasy stuff. Hurley has been at it a while, and she has plenty to say about all of it, which is good for those of us who want a better world — a thoughtful, messy, diverse, and nerdy world with stories by and for everyone.

An appreciation of Sierra from Daniel José Older’s Shadowshaper

Daniel José Older’s Shadowshaper is a lesson in a lot of things, depending on how you want to read it. Creating mythos, writing developed and dimensional background characters, building an intriguing mystery, worldbuilding — well, not so much worldbuilding as putting Brooklyn on the page and walking you around in it during the heat of the day so you get a little grime in your sweat — but the best part is easily his protagonist, Sierra. She feels like a real person, but handles her teen insecurities and family drama (and you know, supernatural troubles) with a confidence and determination that is just damn lovely. She loves herself, big fro and big butt included, and even though she lets other people make her wonder here and there, she quickly realizes they’re wrong and she’s awesome just how she is.

Five Reasons to Join a Comic Book Club

Whether you’re new to reading comics, have been at it for decades, or fall somewhere in the middle like I do, a comic book club is a pretty cool thing to be part of. I’m fortunate to have an awesome local comic/record store that hosts a few different monthly comic book clubs. Even though I’ve only been to two meetings, but I’m completely hooked. We’re currently arranging new meeting space, so it’s been a while between gatherings and I miss it already. Here are a few reasons why you might like a comic book club, too:

The Witch is a Crap Pile of Missed Opportunities

The Witch could’ve been an awesome movie, in so many ways. What could’ve been a great social commentary, a smart feminist piece, a chilling psychological thriller or hell, even just a really good horror movie is, instead, pretty, atmospheric garbage. I saw it last week, and I’m still annoyed about it. And I’m not saying the movie will make you sick, but I woke up the next day feeling like stepped-in poo and was couchbound for days. Make of that what you will.

Spoilers ahead.

Lying Cat: More Than Just a One-Trick Kitty

Having just read Saga #34, which came out last week and still did not give me Lying Cat, I’m left to hope Brian K. Vaughn has her in one of the next two issues. A whole arc and hiatus without Lying Cat is too much suffering! Too much! To try to cope with my withdrawals, I’m going to give you some reasons why she’s incredible.

It’s more or less a fact that anyone who’s read Vaughn & Fiona Staples’ Saga loves Lying Cat. For the unindoctrinated, Lying Cat is a massive hairless cat who can tell whether someone is, well, lying. When someone is, she immediately announces that fact with the one word she says – you guessed it – “lying.” While she could easily be a one-note character or a slightly more cuddly Hodor, Vaughn and Staples ensure that she is not.