If I had to pick one video game that had the most significant combined impact on me as a gamer and a romance reader, it has to be Final Fantasy VIII. FFVIII is essentially a romance novel in RPG video game form and it had an indelible impact in making me love tropes that are STILL major catnip for me, like settings that combine science fiction and magic elements, political intrigues, girls dealing with possibly … Continue reading Squee From the Keeper Shelf: Final Fantasy VIII →
I love made-for-tv Christmas rom-coms, and I’ve been soothing myself with them since Halloween. My expectations for these movies aren’t high, but every once and a while I come across one worth a rewatch. One of my faves this year is Christmas Ever After because of its catnippy premise—a romance novelist who falls for her cover model. It’s pretty much tailor-made for romance fans who like lighthearted holiday movies. Izzi is a successful author whose … Continue reading Movie Review: Christmas Ever After →
This guest review comes from Rhoda Baxter! Rhoda writes contemporary romantic comedies about smart women and nice guy heroes. She also writes multicultural women’s fiction as Jeevani Charika. Her latest book is That Holiday in France . Rhoda can be found on her website or on Twitter (@rhodabaxter). … I’m new to K-drama (but not new to Asian teledramas as such: we used to watch Oshin – dubbed into Singhalese – when I was a … Continue reading Guest Squee: Crash Landing on You (Netflix) →
I am so in love with The Next World Tarot. This deck is perfect for our current moment of national and planetary turmoil. In concept and execution, it is inspiring on a personal and political scale. The creator, Christy C. Road, describes the deck thus: Featuring body outlaws, endangered cultures, and anti-colonial belief systems, THE NEXT WORLD TAROT envisions a world where justice relies on respect and revolutionary love. The Fool’s Journey is about smashing … Continue reading The Next World Tarot by Cristy C. Road →
The new Netflix movie Enola Holmes has Sherlock Holmes, Millie Bobby Brown from Stranger Things, and suffragists, so it is relevant to our interests (Victoriana, feminism, actors who have been in geeky things). What follows is a joint running commentary and review by Tara and CarrieS, with additional input from Linden (age 16). The plot is that Enola Holmes, younger sister of Sherlock (Henry Cavill) and Mycroft Holmes (Sam Clafin, hiding his beauty behind a … Continue reading Movie Review: Enola Holmes →
If you’re anything like me, you need some comfort in your life and quite urgently. If you do, consider The Baby-Sitters’ Club, the new series on Netflix, a prescription-strength balm for the soul. It will ease your tired mind and your sore heart and make you feel hopeful for what is to come. First a little background. Books were my first real friends. Hell, they still are my friends. And it started with Sweet Valley … Continue reading The Baby-Sitters Club (Netflix 2020) →
How do I even begin to review Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga? There were parts of it that made me squee with delight, and parts that made me laugh because they were so true, and also parts that made me just cringe in horror and want to hide under the couch or throw things at the TV…and these parts followed each other in such quick succession that it’s honestly hard for me … Continue reading Movie Review: Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga →
This guest squee is from Heather M. Heather M lives in Florida. You can find her on Twitter @NotThatHeatherM. … (A note: there are what seems like one hundred characters in this show/book, and most of them have three names. While there are specific reasons people are called different names at different times, for the sake of clarity I’ve chosen to stick to what seems to me to be the most commonly used name for … Continue reading Guest Squee: The Untamed →
The Great* An Occasionally True Story, is written and produced by Tony McNamara, who also wrote The Favourite. It’s very easy to tell if you’ll like The Great. Did you like The Favourite? Do you like gorgeous clothes? Do you feel strongly that you would watch Nicholas Hoult do anything at all? Do you enjoy very dry, dark humor and furious women who weaponize sarcasm? If so, you will like The Great, and if not, … Continue reading The Great* An Occasionally True Story →
A Jane Austen Tarot Deck by Jacqui Oakley features beautiful art and thoughtful associations between Austen themes and tarot themes. Alas, it claims to be a tarot deck despite only having 53 cards (as opposed to a standard tarot deck’s 78 cards). Had it stuck with being an oracle deck instead of also trying to be a deck for tarot “and gameplay”, I would have been much happier with it. Note: This deck is not … Continue reading A Jane Austen Tarot Deck by Jacqui Oakley →
Many of The Bitches were ardent fans of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, an Australian show which ran from 2012 – 2015. We loved it for the clothes, the characters, the clever writing, and the chemistry. Maya, Aarya, and I (CarrieS) waited for the movie Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears with great excitement, only to find that it was simply awful. The clothes, the characters, the chemistry, the humor – all vanished. Seldom has … Continue reading Movie Review: Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears →
