As a writer, I love how Tamsyn Muir’s Harrow the Ninth (Locked Tomb Trilogy #2) is a genius masterclass in writing stories with heavy elements of grief. (There were a lot of other things I love about that book/series, of course, but that’s not what I’m rambling about today.) (no…
I’ve decided that finding out my idols have feet of clay is a good thing. In part, I’m deciding this out of necessity. With the direct contact between celebrities and fans facilitated by the Internet and 24-hour entertainment news, it’s easy to learn that J. K. Rowling is transphobic, that…
In the prelude to my last blog entry, I raised some questions about diversity and taste: how do we evaluate the equity of our personal taste? Does that question even make sense? How much of what we call our taste is malleable, the result of environment and choice, and how…
Looking over this list, I see there are still a lot of places for me to reconsider my media intake. Few of the artists I’ve mentioned here are Black, and, although I’m allowed to like the artists I like, the fact that this list doesn’t reflect the diversity of the…
Note: I wrote this, like, the day before everything in Toronto went strict social distancing. I’m glad we’re taking such precautions as a community to flatten the curve and protect our vulnerable community members. I think most of this still stands though. An additional few things that are shaping up…
Dexter did it. So did Mulder. And House. Sherlock Holmes did it in both his shows, sometimes more than once. It almost makes you think there should be a support group: “Hi, my name is Sherlock, and…” (“Go on, Sherlock.”) “… I get out of tough situations by faking my…
Elementary is dead, long live Elementary. Yes, I only just now got around to watching the final season of Elementary, which aired early last summer. And it was the best of adaptations, it was the worst of adaptations. It didn’t have Sherlock‘s slick style; it often crossed the line from…
Since I love to read mysteries, it makes sense that I also love to write mysteries. When I write speculative fiction these days, my stories have an element of discovery and investigation. My characters uncover clues, wrestle with what they’ve learned to extract facts, and finally reach the conclusion around…
Among the many reasons I find myself fascinated by modern adaptations of Sherlock Holmes is the way they always implicitly address one of the themes that speaks to me: the relationship between expressing emotions and strength. Most Sherlock Holmes characters swear by the Great Detective’s lived maxim that (paraphrased) emotion…
Shana tova! Hope my fellow Jews out there have a sweet and healthy new year! Here are a few things I’ll be carrying over from the “old year” to make sure my new one is just that: 1. Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style by Benjamin…