… because I’ve been having that much fun, that’s why. Below, Saruman of the Many Colors, by Harold Jog. Known in some circles as “Saruman shows his Gay Pride.”
Category: Fresh News
Passing Obsessions 1-28
Popeye, along with many other creative works, enters public domain in the US this year. Vast online library of cookbooks, including advertising pamphlets, dating from way back to the 1800s. Want to play or watch Rugby games in the Pacific Northwest? Confused about Laurel K. Hamilton, her many loves, and her series of naughty paranormal …
2025 Reading Challenge
This year I’m going to go back with 12 choices, to challenge myself. 2. Animal house: A book about animals in any way. Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?, Frans de Waal Natural history book about animal intelligence. 5. Breaking Ground: A book about exploration or discovery, fiction or nonfiction. …
Worldbuilding Wednesday 1/7/25: Best of Twittersnips 2024 (Magic Spells)
Selection of my favorite Twittersnip magic spells of the year 2024, chosen from my X feed. 2024 Magic Spells (Best of) Amphibian Trailblazer: The mage can lay down an invisible trail for others to follow over both land and water. Claws of the Peacock: Curse that makes a character overly concerned with their attractiveness …
Passing Obsessions 12-24
This oddball Christmas special from the 1980s. Many more oddball, lost, and forgotten Christmas specials from decades past. All you ever wanted to know about old Christmas tree lights. Let’s start drooling over the explosion of Betelgeuse when the supernova comes. It might be a new Star of Bethlehem!
Two by Tolkien — Foreign Editions of The Hobbit
I recently came across two foreign editions of The Hobbit I haven’t seen before. First, The Little Gnome. I guess the translator didn’t think the made-up word “hobbit” was understandable to Portuguese audiences? That said, I like the cover design. It’s whimsical if misleading — hobbits had nothing to do with mushrooms, except for eating …
Passing Obsessions 11-24
Former Korean actor now lives inside an amusement park he built himself. Sounds like an ideal life, myself! The Rhunic language created for The Rings of Power on Amazon Prime (it’s a lot like Hungarian). Author Diana Paxson pulled into the child sexual abuse reckoning taking place in the SCA, Berkeley, and Marion Zimmer Bradley …






