Made with Molecules Caffeine Necklace

Blogging for a Good Book offers a book-a-day suggestion from the Williamsburg Public Library. Represents all genres, with mini reviews.

Mystery Fanfare is Janet Rudolph’s collection of All Things Mystery. She is the founder of Mystery Readers International and keeps an up-to-date docket on all doings in the mystery field.

Guns, Gams, and Gumshoes is a blog written by two PI’s who also happen to write. They offer not only reviews of crime novels, but also real-world topics related to private investigations. If you’re a crime novel fan, these guys are a must-read.

Locus Magazine releases its polls on the best SciFi and Fantasy novels of the 20th and 21st (so far) century. Some of these choices are…interesting. And some are completely expected.

Writer John Kessell helps raise money for the SFWA Emergency Fund, and the phrase “prankster philanthropy” might just be the name of my next band. Much like Jim C. Hines’ vaunted Cover Pose-Off with John Scalzi, the proceeds raised went to a very good cause indeed. Also, the second round of the Hines-Scalzi Pose-Off is up.

Ten Worst Christmas Traditions. I so agree with all of these except the green bean casserole. Because who hates green bean casserole, seriously?

Speaking of Christmas traditions, this week always causes The Sound of Music to appear on tv. Two of my favorite bits of snark about the TSOM can be found at McSweeney’s: Baroness Elsa Schraeder regrets to inform you in no uncertain and snarky terms just why her wedding to Georg Von Trapp was cancelled. Also, The Reverend Mother sends a memo to the convent.

Nothing bookish about these, but if you have an interest in science, Made with Molecules might interest you–the artist makes jewelry based on molecular strands. Intriguing and beautiful.

Also beautiful is the photography of the food in Tumeric and Saffron. If you ever wanted to venture into the world of Persian food, her recipes are easy to follow and there are lots of pictures to help you figure everything out.

I’m not sure there’s anyone left on the planet who doesn’t read  John Scalzi’s blog, Whatever, but in the off-chance you think he’s all science fiction all the time and have avoided it as a result, be advised that he writes on a variety of interesting and provocative topics. At the end of each year, he posts a list of links to what he considers the best columns of the year. It’s a good opportunity for the uninitiated to see what Scalzi is all about. And his comments are well-moderated too.

Erin Satie on escapism, specifically escapism in the romance genre.