"The Summer People," Shirley Jackson Available (quite cheaply) at Dramatic Publishing and Amazon. My introduction to Shirley Jackson was the Platonic ideal of the first-time Jackson experience: at the age of sixteen, in the late afternoon, browsing idly through a used bookstore. I found a copy of We Have Always Lived In The Castle and have never quite slept soundly since.
Stretch me further.
Cut the black magic from my flesh.
The Devil’s given me a girdle,
and when I put it on, I howl.
Hide your goats and lambs.
Hide your succulent boys,
fattened by books and bacon.
I’ll eat your brain if I like it.
Skeletons in your local pharmacy. Bad horror remakes on TV. “This Is My Costume” t-shirts at Hot Topic. Let’s face it: the only thing scary about Halloween these days is how commercial it’s gotten. When will goths rise up and take back our holiday? These days, a plague of indifference has consumed the goth community when it comes to Halloween. Even when I was a wee kindergoth, we had respect for the true meaning of…
Worried about what to wear this Halloween? Worry no more. (Some costumes may require a working knowledge of Edwardian-era architecture/light hand replacement.) This year, why not try dressing as:
...bell "Captain" hooks? Slash at the twin crocodiles of racism and sexism with the hooks of righteousness and self-knowledge.
Previously: Someone will go missing this winter. They always do. Each issue of Cook’s Illustrated begins with a folksy letter with news from down on the old Vermont farm by founder and editor-in-chief Chris Kimball. These charming, old-timey updates remind us all of a slower, simpler way of life, where neighbors stop to swap plowing tips out by the trading post and run when they see Old Henry coming. Who’s Old Henry? Why,…
Previous installments of The Toast’s advice column from two disparate and imperfect persons can be found here. Last time: Nails and Aisle-Walking. Hi! I have a bit of a time-sensitive question, but no pressure! It's also probably easy, if that helps? My next-door neighbor's husband died two days ago, in a horrific and sudden way. I've only been their neighbor for about 10 months, we are just hi-bye friends, though we've had a…
