Writing about fiction from a feminist perspective
If Marie Kondo’s new Netflix series has taught us anything, it’s that people have really strong feelings about their books. Really, really strong feelings. “Don’t criticise my book collection or I will burn this place to the ground” level feelings. And I sympathise. I love books. If anyone wanted to come take my copy of Middlemarch with …
The Twitter world seems really stressed out by Marie Kondo right now. Since her new Netflix show, Tidying Up With Marie Kondo, launched on New Year’s Day, people have been discussing, disparaging, and misrepresenting her message in the name of clicks. This Meme-version of Marie Kondo hates possessions, hates books in particular, and hates you for having them. She’s trying …
The Worst Witch is a BBC/Netflix kids’ show about the first girl from an apparently non-magic family to attend Cackle’s Academy for Witches. Based on books by Jill Murphy, and reimagining a popular British TV series from the 90s, The Worst Witch follows human disaster zone Mildred Hubble, along with her friends and her rather troublesome familiar Tabby, as …
I didn’t blog through the vast majority of 2018, but I was still reading, playing video games, and generally devouring media. I don’t know if I can do a traditional “TOP 10 X OF 2018,” partly because I’m only one person with quite a backlog of stuff to enjoy, so I didn’t watch or play …
Gris is one of the most visually stunning and emotionally evocative games I have ever played. And it achieves it with almost nothing. Minimal music. The sound of birds chirping, or the wind rushing. A green-haired girl in a floating black dress, exploring an initially greyscale world. The game has no dialogue, and no narrative …
Forget Infinity Wars. The Princess Switch is the best movie of 2018. Admittedly, it’s also the only new movie I’ve watched in 2018, so it had exactly zero competition in my brain. But sometimes, we just need a wonderfully terrible movie, and The Princess Switch is absolutely perfect for that. It’s one of those rare movies that provides ample opportunity …
On the morning of July 4th, two rich redheaded twins went on a boat ride on Riverdale’s Sweet Water River. A few hours later, the sister was found sitting soaked by the riverbank. Her brother was nowhere to be found. Cheryl Blossom claims that her brother Jason fell into the water when their boat capsized. …
Last month, a University of Michigan psychology study found a link between Netflix’s suicide teen drama, 13 Reasons Why, and suicidal intention in vulnerable teen viewers. It’s a small study, with only 87 participants, but it echoes what experts on teen mental health have claimed from the show’s debut — the show’s treatment of its suicidal protagonist …
Terrace House is the perfect reality show. It’s chilled out, low stakes TV from Japan (and Netflix), easy to watch, easy to enjoy, and almost unbelievably addictive. If you’ve not been watching it, the holidays are the perfect time to do so. The concept of Terrace House is simple: six strangers —three guys and three girls …
It’s no secret that I love Undertale. I think it’s a masterpiece of heart, soul and meta gaming commentary, and I thought I’d never play a game like it again. At least, until Halloween this year, when the creator surprise dropped… something on Twitter. A demo. A first chapter. A three hour gaming experience. A …