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href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/">Show all posts</a> </div> <div class='status-msg-border'> <div class='status-msg-bg'> <div class='status-msg-hidden'>Showing posts with label <b>books</b>. <a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/">Show all posts</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> <div class="date-outer"> <h2 class='date-header'><span>Monday, January 27, 2025</span></h2> <div class="date-posts"> <div class='post-outer'> <div class='post hentry uncustomized-post-template' itemprop='blogPost' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/BlogPosting'> <meta content='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8UpiIgu3GiwoQcNH6sOp72FbQ00i_akbs4CDEq1otJM6QdbnKMHX3P_fCTLQwbSmppN9046N64OKEH6LzSIQnvVOL098qdAw-WwXNz-fs2upZMKKFmUWfypmJyYQLsJjgTid6QfTm13Ay3tifUecyhFuI7ccEdpmksNbomrtl0d5NNstJqsZvQjYREsk/s320/Hitchcock%20Hotel.jpg' itemprop='image_url'/> <meta content='6674155568953505652' itemprop='blogId'/> <meta content='8837831372514813552' itemprop='postId'/> <a name='8837831372514813552'></a> <h3 class='post-title entry-title' itemprop='name'> <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2025/01/book-review-hitchcock-hotel-2024.html'>Book Review: THE HITCHCOCK HOTEL (2024)</a> </h3> <div class='post-header'> <div class='post-header-line-1'></div> </div> <div class='post-body entry-content' id='post-body-8837831372514813552' itemprop='description articleBody'> <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8UpiIgu3GiwoQcNH6sOp72FbQ00i_akbs4CDEq1otJM6QdbnKMHX3P_fCTLQwbSmppN9046N64OKEH6LzSIQnvVOL098qdAw-WwXNz-fs2upZMKKFmUWfypmJyYQLsJjgTid6QfTm13Ay3tifUecyhFuI7ccEdpmksNbomrtl0d5NNstJqsZvQjYREsk/s2700/Hitchcock%20Hotel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8UpiIgu3GiwoQcNH6sOp72FbQ00i_akbs4CDEq1otJM6QdbnKMHX3P_fCTLQwbSmppN9046N64OKEH6LzSIQnvVOL098qdAw-WwXNz-fs2upZMKKFmUWfypmJyYQLsJjgTid6QfTm13Ay3tifUecyhFuI7ccEdpmksNbomrtl0d5NNstJqsZvQjYREsk/s320/Hitchcock%20Hotel.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>I recently devoured Stephanie Wrobel's new mystery novel, <i>The Hitchcock Hotel</i>, and, as its name implies, this is a fantastic book for fans of Alfred Hitchcock's films. I picked up the ebook based solely on its title and promo blurb, not having read anything by Wrobel before, and I was hooked as soon as I started reading. In addition to the titular hotel and its macabre collection of Hitchcock memorabilia, the novel features plenty of homages to the iconic auteur and his work, particularly <i>Rope </i>(1948), <i>Vertigo</i> (1958), <i>Psycho</i> (1960), and <i>The Birds</i> (1963). If you're looking for a twisty, character-driven thriller tailored to the tastes of classic movie fans, <i>The Hitchcock Hotel</i> should be your next read.<p></p><p>The novel alternates third-person perspectives between a group of former college friends reunited for a weekend at the Hitchcock themed hotel recently opened by Alfred Smettle, who was part of the tight-knit gang in school until a shocking event senior year tore them apart. More than fifteen years later, Alfred still blames his old friends for the downward turn of his life, and he envisions the weekend get-together as a way to settle some scores with the assistance of his elderly housekeeper, Danny, while also drumming up publicity for the hotel. Attending the gathering are overachiever Grace, alcoholic Zoe, peacemaker Samira, rich playboy Julius, and secretive bodyguard TJ, all of them nursing their own guilt and resentment. When old wounds are re-opened and old sins resurrected, the weekend goes violently awry.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhchQ1z6wcpxWCczPxM7LMbxc7FpiAiSyyyQNZrrMHjkCE3GIu4w760GpbOuAY3u8_Pju3eLAeuQIHAxipmlnZcwlVj0Effz610sa_DwLQ9wZqZh8WzM6Wht1xbV3iTuhQnH3KFqf4kJHRkNK2FmsNAtNk6X4hxK3uoZ-SvAGuzGt6DI1blWlYW5EzHibQ/s317/Suspicion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="317" data-original-width="205" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhchQ1z6wcpxWCczPxM7LMbxc7FpiAiSyyyQNZrrMHjkCE3GIu4w760GpbOuAY3u8_Pju3eLAeuQIHAxipmlnZcwlVj0Effz610sa_DwLQ9wZqZh8WzM6Wht1xbV3iTuhQnH3KFqf4kJHRkNK2FmsNAtNk6X4hxK3uoZ-SvAGuzGt6DI1blWlYW5EzHibQ/s1600/Suspicion.jpg" width="205" /></a></div>I came for the Hitchcock connections, of course, and on that front I was not disappointed, from the aviary full of crows to the hotel decor and the way the plot wove through the plots of the films, especially the less familiar <i>Rope</i>. (If you haven't seen <i>Rope</i> before, watching it prior to reading the book will enhance your appreciation, but it's not absolutely necessary). A repeated tribute to <i>Suspicion</i> (1941) was also great fun, as was the creepy evocation of Norman Bates in Alfred's relationship with his late mother. Wrobel plays with favorite Hitchcockian themes like paranoia, surveillance, sexual frustration, revenge, and obsession, with particular emphasis on the idea of the perfect murder as presented in <i>Rope</i>, <i>Shadow of a Doubt</i> (1943), and <i>Strangers on a Train</i> (1951). Reading the book reminded me of the delicious thrills of the films and made me want to revisit them, which I hope to do over the next several weeks.<p></p><p>Beyond the classic movie angle, however, I very much enjoyed the novel's exploration of the way time changes friendships and even forces people to question why they forged those relationships in the first place. The friend group in this story has not really kept in touch since graduation, and they mostly only know about each other's lives through their social media feeds, but when they reunite they quickly fall back into their old patterns of behavior with one another. Some of them harbor resentments, while others yearn for a return to the camaraderie they believe they shared in their youth. I'm still in regular communication with my group of college friends from 30 years ago, but it's not the same as it was in our school days, when we ate and lived and studied together. In the novel, dark secrets cloud the friends' reunion, but their nostalgia for their shared youth feels terribly familiar to me. I still think fondly of days spend reading Shakespeare on the quad and nights in the secret garden behind the library that we claimed as our private gathering space. Of course, as far as I know, none of us has ever been involved in a murder, but we did once end up in traffic court.<br /></p><p><i>The Hitchcock Hotel</i> is Stephanie Wrobel's third novel, following her debut, <i>Darling Rose Gold</i> (2020), and <i>This Might Hurt</i> (2022). You can learn more about her at her <a href="https://stephaniewrobel.com/">website</a>. For more mystery novels with a classic movie connection, I recommend the Toby Peters series by Stuart M. Kaminsky, but if you like books that really play with a particular classic celebrity's legacy, you can revel in the love for Vincent Price that haunts Kate Racculia's 2019 novel, <i>Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts</i>.</p><p> </p><p>Looking for full reviews of Hitchcock's films? Here are a few! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NkPvQcni7gL4aO85F9pSs_64YeYf1otpVxylsMwRnfYecnmLyN3sxAerT2sigYESkcI3PCjYncer25VMxOoaY3jf9XH2_zCWwUE7et6lxAlkcy9op9UfP3B-ckDQ4VIQK_nKt8xrWf_1RexDLzNK7pGVjWFEtdAQp5XU6W8YBkAkRs_YXQL_DyFv2IQ/s338/Psycho.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NkPvQcni7gL4aO85F9pSs_64YeYf1otpVxylsMwRnfYecnmLyN3sxAerT2sigYESkcI3PCjYncer25VMxOoaY3jf9XH2_zCWwUE7et6lxAlkcy9op9UfP3B-ckDQ4VIQK_nKt8xrWf_1RexDLzNK7pGVjWFEtdAQp5XU6W8YBkAkRs_YXQL_DyFv2IQ/s320/Psycho.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2016/05/classic-films-in-focus-strangers-on.html" target="_blank">STRANGERS ON A TRAIN</a> (1951)</p><p><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2016/07/classic-films-in-focus-stage-fright-1950.html" target="_blank">STAGE FRIGHT</a> (1950)</p><p><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2016/02/classic-films-in-focus-shadow-of-doubt.html" target="_blank">SHADOW OF A DOUBT</a> (1943)</p><p><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/05/classic-films-in-focus-psycho-1960.html" target="_blank">PSYCHO</a> (1960)</p><p><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/03/classic-films-in-focus-vertigo-1958.html" target="_blank">VERTIGO</a> (1958)</p><p><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2012/12/classic-films-in-focus-suspicion-1941.html" target="_blank">SUSPICION</a> (1941)<br /></p> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </div> <div class='post-footer'> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-1'> <span class='post-author vcard'> Posted by <span class='fn' itemprop='author' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/Person'> <meta content='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' itemprop='url'/> <a class='g-profile' href='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' rel='author' title='author profile'> <span itemprop='name'>Jennifer Garlen</span> </a> </span> </span> <span class='post-timestamp'> at <meta content='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2025/01/book-review-hitchcock-hotel-2024.html' itemprop='url'/> <a class='timestamp-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2025/01/book-review-hitchcock-hotel-2024.html' rel='bookmark' title='permanent link'><abbr class='published' itemprop='datePublished' title='2025-01-27T14:01:00-06:00'>2:01 PM</abbr></a> </span> <span class='post-comment-link'> <a class='comment-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2025/01/book-review-hitchcock-hotel-2024.html#comment-form' onclick=''> 1 comment: </a> </span> <span class='post-icons'> <span class='item-control blog-admin pid-1381533247'> <a href='https://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=8837831372514813552&from=pencil' title='Edit Post'> <img alt='' class='icon-action' height='18' src='https://resources.blogblog.com/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif' width='18'/> </a> </span> </span> <div class='post-share-buttons goog-inline-block'> <a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-email' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=8837831372514813552&target=email' target='_blank' title='Email This'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Email This</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-blog' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=8837831372514813552&target=blog' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=270,width=475"); return false;' target='_blank' title='BlogThis!'><span class='share-button-link-text'>BlogThis!</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-twitter' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=8837831372514813552&target=twitter' target='_blank' title='Share to X'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to X</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-facebook' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=8837831372514813552&target=facebook' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=430,width=640"); return false;' target='_blank' title='Share to Facebook'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Facebook</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-pinterest' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=8837831372514813552&target=pinterest' target='_blank' title='Share to Pinterest'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Pinterest</span></a> </div> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-2'> <span class='post-labels'> Labels: <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/Alfred%20Hitchcock' rel='tag'>Alfred Hitchcock</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/book%20review' rel='tag'>book review</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/books' rel='tag'>books</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/literature' rel='tag'>literature</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/mystery' rel='tag'>mystery</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/thriller' rel='tag'>thriller</a> </span> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-3'> <span class='post-location'> </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div></div> <div class="date-outer"> <h2 class='date-header'><span>Monday, September 16, 2024</span></h2> <div class="date-posts"> <div class='post-outer'> <div class='post hentry uncustomized-post-template' itemprop='blogPost' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/BlogPosting'> <meta content='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdmcKhNzeAM04dtGoXHr4oDXDVK7zrimTEl1ZwjioJyk6QZ5OoVEPbw2YXscB42BL6Px_padEBuYbxEHHBEtP8jc0-NiX5oYfIQiM40hAqBNSOl2jMPhzo23L32RTbRBcRPfDpDpnVC2Egesgqi6DwaFo8mtGgvJKxUG31Wt1lUnFvgTqOxAIkhtO-DXA/s1600/Spare%20Man.jpg' itemprop='image_url'/> <meta content='6674155568953505652' itemprop='blogId'/> <meta content='8370377587026843912' itemprop='postId'/> <a name='8370377587026843912'></a> <h3 class='post-title entry-title' itemprop='name'> <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2024/09/science-fiction-mysteries-for-classic.html'>Science Fiction Mysteries for Classic Movie Fans</a> </h3> <div class='post-header'> <div class='post-header-line-1'></div> </div> <div class='post-body entry-content' id='post-body-8370377587026843912' itemprop='description articleBody'> <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdmcKhNzeAM04dtGoXHr4oDXDVK7zrimTEl1ZwjioJyk6QZ5OoVEPbw2YXscB42BL6Px_padEBuYbxEHHBEtP8jc0-NiX5oYfIQiM40hAqBNSOl2jMPhzo23L32RTbRBcRPfDpDpnVC2Egesgqi6DwaFo8mtGgvJKxUG31Wt1lUnFvgTqOxAIkhtO-DXA/s162/Spare%20Man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="162" data-original-width="105" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdmcKhNzeAM04dtGoXHr4oDXDVK7zrimTEl1ZwjioJyk6QZ5OoVEPbw2YXscB42BL6Px_padEBuYbxEHHBEtP8jc0-NiX5oYfIQiM40hAqBNSOl2jMPhzo23L32RTbRBcRPfDpDpnVC2Egesgqi6DwaFo8mtGgvJKxUG31Wt1lUnFvgTqOxAIkhtO-DXA/s1600/Spare%20Man.jpg" width="105" /></a></div>I'm always excited to see my varying interests combine in books/films/TV series, and the last few years have been generous to SFF readers who also know and love classic movies. This year I've read two particularly good science fiction novels that look to classic literary/movie detectives for inspiration, and I want to get the word out to other cinephiles who also enjoy science fiction and fantasy.<p></p><p>First up is Mary Robinette Kowal's 2022 book, <i>The Spare Man</i>, which takes heaps of inspiration from Nick and Nora Charles, the protagonists of Dashiell Hammett's 1934 novel, <i>The Thin Man</i>. Film fans know the hard-partying Nick and Nora from the series of films starring William Powell and Myrna Loy, starting with <i>The Thin Man </i>(1934) and ending with <i>Song of the Thin Man</i> (1947). Although Kowal's novel is set on a luxury space liner with many creative updates and changes to the original characters, it still rewards readers who come to it with a deep appreciation for the originals. I especially like the way Kowal revises the Charles' dog, Asta, to create the adorable service Westie, Gimlet. This book is the perfect pick for any Nick and Nora fans who wonder what a futuristic version of the detective duo might look like.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguLoEGiBqFWuoG3Q3wN5_QC0H4X3C1mIaq1h3-1RaZWkZA_AAzzJ6iZJM6ofb8ssfFhn71WNcPXRj0u6oKj59D7bwtgvGRvrZHxBqDToB9XxpvKmP2ztwNi7vVQPQoo1mZPoohuL03M4BA_rT_8jg-1MCEGdd3q2NCxFYiOkrikHBMCTMd0-jx9LHi80s/s317/Maltese%20Falcon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="317" data-original-width="214" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguLoEGiBqFWuoG3Q3wN5_QC0H4X3C1mIaq1h3-1RaZWkZA_AAzzJ6iZJM6ofb8ssfFhn71WNcPXRj0u6oKj59D7bwtgvGRvrZHxBqDToB9XxpvKmP2ztwNi7vVQPQoo1mZPoohuL03M4BA_rT_8jg-1MCEGdd3q2NCxFYiOkrikHBMCTMd0-jx9LHi80s/s1600/Maltese%20Falcon.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>If a darker noir mystery is more your speed, try Nick Harkaway's 2023 novel, <i>Titanium Noir</i>, which recalls Hammett's other iconic detective, Sam Spade, and the colorful characters of the 1930 novel, <i>The Maltese Falcon</i>. The most famous adaptation of the original novel is, of course, the 1941 version starring Humphrey Bogart, although it was actually the third time the story was adapted for film. Harkaway's protagonist, Cal Sounder, has a very Spade way of operating, including his world-weariness and his tendency to find trouble, but the character of Doublewide really evokes Sydney Greenstreet's performance as Kasper Gutman, aka "the fat man." In <i>Titanium Noir</i>, wealthy people gain immortality thanks to a drug that makes them young again but also causes them to grow into giant superhumans, which plays perfectly into noir's distrust of the powerful upper classes. Fans of tech noir films like <i>Blade Runner</i> (1982) and <i>Dark City</i> (1998) already know what to expect from a story like <i>Titanium Noir</i>, but Hammett readers will find this territory familiar, too.<p></p><p>While I'm recommending SFF books for classic movie fans, I have to add a mention for the 2022 dark fantasy, <i>Siren Queen</i>, written by Nghi Vo. The novel imagines 1930s Hollywood as a dangerous, magical place where aspiring stars make deals sealed in blood. With its Asian, lesbian protagonist, <i>Siren Queen</i> tackles many of the historical sins of the era, but it also treats stardom as a supernatural transformation that gives the stars eternal life. While the characters incorporate bits of personality and history from actual stars from the 1930s, Vo is more interested in recreating the atmosphere than any specific individuals. It does help, however, to know something about classic movie actress Anna May Wong.</p><p>Finally, if you haven't already, check out the 2024 television series, <i>Monsieur Spade</i>, which serves as a sequel to <i>The Maltese Falcon</i>. Clive Owen gives a terrific performance as an older and even wearier Spade, now living in France and looking after the daughter of the late Brigid O'Shaughnessy. If the science fiction and fantasy genres are outside your comfort zone, you'll feel right at home with this thoughtful, beautifully shot drama series that makes the most of its post-WWII French setting.<br /></p> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </div> <div class='post-footer'> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-1'> <span class='post-author vcard'> Posted by <span class='fn' itemprop='author' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/Person'> <meta content='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' itemprop='url'/> <a class='g-profile' href='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' rel='author' title='author profile'> <span itemprop='name'>Jennifer Garlen</span> </a> </span> </span> <span class='post-timestamp'> at <meta content='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2024/09/science-fiction-mysteries-for-classic.html' itemprop='url'/> <a class='timestamp-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2024/09/science-fiction-mysteries-for-classic.html' rel='bookmark' title='permanent link'><abbr class='published' itemprop='datePublished' title='2024-09-16T20:14:00-05:00'>8:14 PM</abbr></a> </span> <span class='post-comment-link'> <a class='comment-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2024/09/science-fiction-mysteries-for-classic.html#comment-form' onclick=''> 1 comment: </a> </span> <span class='post-icons'> <span class='item-control blog-admin pid-1381533247'> <a href='https://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=8370377587026843912&from=pencil' title='Edit Post'> <img alt='' class='icon-action' height='18' src='https://resources.blogblog.com/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif' width='18'/> </a> </span> </span> <div class='post-share-buttons goog-inline-block'> <a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-email' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=8370377587026843912&target=email' target='_blank' title='Email This'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Email This</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-blog' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=8370377587026843912&target=blog' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=270,width=475"); return false;' target='_blank' title='BlogThis!'><span class='share-button-link-text'>BlogThis!</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-twitter' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=8370377587026843912&target=twitter' target='_blank' title='Share to X'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to X</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-facebook' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=8370377587026843912&target=facebook' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=430,width=640"); return false;' target='_blank' title='Share to Facebook'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Facebook</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-pinterest' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=8370377587026843912&target=pinterest' target='_blank' title='Share to Pinterest'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Pinterest</span></a> </div> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-2'> <span class='post-labels'> Labels: <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/book%20review' rel='tag'>book review</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/books' rel='tag'>books</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/classic%20movies' rel='tag'>classic movies</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/Film%20Noir' rel='tag'>Film Noir</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/mystery' rel='tag'>mystery</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/Science%20Fiction' rel='tag'>Science Fiction</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/tech%20noir' rel='tag'>tech noir</a> </span> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-3'> <span class='post-location'> </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div></div> <div class="date-outer"> <h2 class='date-header'><span>Wednesday, August 28, 2024</span></h2> <div class="date-posts"> <div class='post-outer'> <div class='post hentry uncustomized-post-template' itemprop='blogPost' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/BlogPosting'> <meta content='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL17KgwnX3q-oJ8s_oqxgW-niRf_qoDfQvOmP9qDHoF6LcSUUlFksgJqAf1l9CcNUlPgaXVBAQ8daK5F5ZOIQ-0i8Ah5j8IEusIZt01ETbVYI8huv09fnJx2CawQV22NaqJnAZ6cmCjO8CZGks62Vpjw4N6zQba0EbFL1PfAt2nsGloSD2ksyYyzV1VRc/s320/Trek%20Cover.jpg' itemprop='image_url'/> <meta content='6674155568953505652' itemprop='blogId'/> <meta content='634904042062541244' itemprop='postId'/> <a name='634904042062541244'></a> <h3 class='post-title entry-title' itemprop='name'> <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2024/08/space-feminist-frontier-essays-on-sex.html'>Space, the Feminist Frontier: Essays on Sex and Gender in STAR TREK</a> </h3> <div class='post-header'> <div class='post-header-line-1'></div> </div> <div class='post-body entry-content' id='post-body-634904042062541244' itemprop='description articleBody'> <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL17KgwnX3q-oJ8s_oqxgW-niRf_qoDfQvOmP9qDHoF6LcSUUlFksgJqAf1l9CcNUlPgaXVBAQ8daK5F5ZOIQ-0i8Ah5j8IEusIZt01ETbVYI8huv09fnJx2CawQV22NaqJnAZ6cmCjO8CZGks62Vpjw4N6zQba0EbFL1PfAt2nsGloSD2ksyYyzV1VRc/s2700/Trek%20Cover.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL17KgwnX3q-oJ8s_oqxgW-niRf_qoDfQvOmP9qDHoF6LcSUUlFksgJqAf1l9CcNUlPgaXVBAQ8daK5F5ZOIQ-0i8Ah5j8IEusIZt01ETbVYI8huv09fnJx2CawQV22NaqJnAZ6cmCjO8CZGks62Vpjw4N6zQba0EbFL1PfAt2nsGloSD2ksyYyzV1VRc/s320/Trek%20Cover.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>After two years of work, I'm delighted to announce that <i>Space, the Feminist Frontier: Essays on Sex and Gender in Star Trek</i> is ready for publication! Our official release date with McFarland is September 2nd, 2024, and the book is now available for <a href="https://www.amazon.com/-/he/Jennifer-C-Garlen/dp/147669334X" target="_blank">pre-order on Amazon</a> and other retailers. You should also be able to special order it through traditional bookstores.<p></p><p>My co-editor and I are excited to have our author copies in hand, and we are currently mailing copies to the academic and fan scholars who contributed their work to the anthology. Our contributors wrote some truly fascinating essays about a wide range of characters, series, and topics, and I think there's probably something in this book for almost every Trek fan. We have essays about Christine Chapel, Michael Burnham, Seven of Nine, the Trill, Mirror Universe villains, Klingon weddings, Amanda Grayson, Nyota Uhura, Una Chin-Riley, the women of <i>Lower Decks</i>, and so much more.</p><p>If you're interested in reading the book but are daunted by the price (McFarland books aren't cheap), you can support our efforts by requesting that your local public or academic library order a copy for their collection. That way lots of fans will be able to enjoy our contributors' work for years to come. If you do add a copy to your personal collection or buy one for a special Trekkie friend, thank you so much! This is the third McFarland book Anissa and I have co-edited, and we know that these anthologies tend to have a long life with new readers finding them for many years.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh19X0j05QR6h9kvYn5bLN3pWAh_xHirfl5BYacoSOkNK_6_CntIYETfCKVus7HfS5jX4-R1uKGzOOVJvZGwn-yUluAoMKfsdKzDp7E7JdgJ6NWV82b98LL8FjjsRanjfinMKsJAH7KtHcfsX87KsPhZLi53lbS2wYnz1Vn0WvQdPn9OiuJsZiPONOocek/s954/Trek%20Book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="954" data-original-width="718" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh19X0j05QR6h9kvYn5bLN3pWAh_xHirfl5BYacoSOkNK_6_CntIYETfCKVus7HfS5jX4-R1uKGzOOVJvZGwn-yUluAoMKfsdKzDp7E7JdgJ6NWV82b98LL8FjjsRanjfinMKsJAH7KtHcfsX87KsPhZLi53lbS2wYnz1Vn0WvQdPn9OiuJsZiPONOocek/s320/Trek%20Book.jpg" width="241" /></a></div>It's always an exciting day when you hold a new book in your hand for the first time, and I'm so pleased with the work that our contributors have done for this anthology. My essay for the book is about the animated series <i>Lower Decks</i> and the ways that it merges genre parody and gender parity with its female characters. If you haven't watched it already, <i>Lower Decks</i> is a brilliant series that has become one of my absolute favorite Trek shows of all time, and the crossover episode with <i>Strange New Worlds</i> is not to be missed. <p></p><p>If you're interested in my Trek related blog posts, check out:</p><p><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2022/02/trek-noir-out-of-past-in-deep-space.html" target="_blank">Trek Noir: Out of the Past in Deep Space Nine's "Necessary Evil"</a></p><p><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2016/07/i-feel-it-in-my-bones-my-favorite-star.html" target="_blank">I Feel It in My Bones: My Favorite Star Trek Character</a> <br /> </p><p><br /> </p> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </div> <div class='post-footer'> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-1'> <span class='post-author vcard'> Posted by <span class='fn' itemprop='author' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/Person'> <meta content='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' itemprop='url'/> <a class='g-profile' href='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' rel='author' title='author profile'> <span itemprop='name'>Jennifer Garlen</span> </a> </span> </span> <span class='post-timestamp'> at <meta content='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2024/08/space-feminist-frontier-essays-on-sex.html' itemprop='url'/> <a class='timestamp-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2024/08/space-feminist-frontier-essays-on-sex.html' rel='bookmark' title='permanent link'><abbr class='published' itemprop='datePublished' title='2024-08-28T13:38:00-05:00'>1:38 PM</abbr></a> </span> <span class='post-comment-link'> <a class='comment-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2024/08/space-feminist-frontier-essays-on-sex.html#comment-form' onclick=''> No comments: </a> </span> <span class='post-icons'> <span class='item-control blog-admin pid-1381533247'> <a href='https://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=634904042062541244&from=pencil' title='Edit Post'> <img alt='' class='icon-action' height='18' src='https://resources.blogblog.com/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif' width='18'/> </a> </span> </span> <div class='post-share-buttons goog-inline-block'> <a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-email' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=634904042062541244&target=email' target='_blank' title='Email This'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Email This</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-blog' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=634904042062541244&target=blog' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=270,width=475"); return false;' target='_blank' title='BlogThis!'><span class='share-button-link-text'>BlogThis!</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-twitter' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=634904042062541244&target=twitter' target='_blank' title='Share to X'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to X</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-facebook' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=634904042062541244&target=facebook' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=430,width=640"); return false;' target='_blank' title='Share to Facebook'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Facebook</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-pinterest' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=634904042062541244&target=pinterest' target='_blank' title='Share to Pinterest'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Pinterest</span></a> </div> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-2'> <span class='post-labels'> Labels: <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/books' rel='tag'>books</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/feminism' rel='tag'>feminism</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/gender' rel='tag'>gender</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/Star%20Trek' rel='tag'>Star Trek</a> </span> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-3'> <span class='post-location'> </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div></div> <div class="date-outer"> <h2 class='date-header'><span>Thursday, April 28, 2022</span></h2> <div class="date-posts"> <div class='post-outer'> <div class='post hentry uncustomized-post-template' itemprop='blogPost' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/BlogPosting'> <meta content='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC-TjdzGybwcvQVjRv_4znUgRdys_ahr27HOcKuAmWymj1BQl7oxSA2XBcHnrGsgEenzv_B0dY2fMdb99OApFZOvW9W0rWt-6G-5VpO9ZCBdvuZXfnqn29bgwAeKo0tvfZyfoNJPzxSdXMMRzt4OrFQri8Snm6ZV7an4QdsjEtc3nVszKxhY9sEP_v/s320/Cruella21.jpg' itemprop='image_url'/> <meta content='6674155568953505652' itemprop='blogId'/> <meta content='259753351008620241' itemprop='postId'/> <a name='259753351008620241'></a> <h3 class='post-title entry-title' itemprop='name'> <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2022/04/the-what-if-alternate-timeline-of.html'>The What-If Alternate Timeline of CRUELLA (2021)</a> </h3> <div class='post-header'> <div class='post-header-line-1'></div> </div> <div class='post-body entry-content' id='post-body-259753351008620241' itemprop='description articleBody'> <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC-TjdzGybwcvQVjRv_4znUgRdys_ahr27HOcKuAmWymj1BQl7oxSA2XBcHnrGsgEenzv_B0dY2fMdb99OApFZOvW9W0rWt-6G-5VpO9ZCBdvuZXfnqn29bgwAeKo0tvfZyfoNJPzxSdXMMRzt4OrFQri8Snm6ZV7an4QdsjEtc3nVszKxhY9sEP_v/s2500/Cruella21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2500" data-original-width="1688" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC-TjdzGybwcvQVjRv_4znUgRdys_ahr27HOcKuAmWymj1BQl7oxSA2XBcHnrGsgEenzv_B0dY2fMdb99OApFZOvW9W0rWt-6G-5VpO9ZCBdvuZXfnqn29bgwAeKo0tvfZyfoNJPzxSdXMMRzt4OrFQri8Snm6ZV7an4QdsjEtc3nVszKxhY9sEP_v/s320/Cruella21.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>When it first arrived, Disney's 2021 reboot of the various films based on <i>101 Dalmatians</i> was widely discussed as yet another "prequel" to a well-known Disney property, but in order to appreciate <i>Cruella</i> fully you have to stop thinking about it as a prequel and instead consider it as an alternate timeline narrative similar to the multiverse arcs now at work in the Marvel franchise. This is NOT the story of how the villain of the 1961 animated movie became that character, and it's not the story of the villain from the 1996 live action movie, either. Instead, Emma Stone's version of Cruella is a character with a narrative arc all her own, distinct from those of the other Cruellas but still affected by many of the same elements with alternate versions of the same characters. She's much like the central Loki character played by Tom Hiddleston in the Disney Plus series; she is one of many possible Cruella variants, some of whom are truly villainous and some of whom are dynamic enough to become protagonists in their own right rather than merely antagonists to more conventionally heroic characters. When read this way, <i>Cruella</i> becomes a much more interesting and engaging movie, one that rewrites the iconic villain, sure, but also one that reaches deep into the sources of inspiration that formed the original Disney character.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNMkYNka-YMqeW7tCrchB5w_CMigQSAj2u2EPGDqj4a_2uCRm-dFo3XjhOZIfsa_amKrg4ESonvwKYoKW8z78PxiSuF9brJSIyVvhDc6pcxefMYtnZA1dea8zxIxEFW79whNELWGRPljfHqq2HiCK7KlFg38mHuYSm_n4T1roh3688aCfTU7WuuRig/s334/101%20Dalmatians%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNMkYNka-YMqeW7tCrchB5w_CMigQSAj2u2EPGDqj4a_2uCRm-dFo3XjhOZIfsa_amKrg4ESonvwKYoKW8z78PxiSuF9brJSIyVvhDc6pcxefMYtnZA1dea8zxIxEFW79whNELWGRPljfHqq2HiCK7KlFg38mHuYSm_n4T1roh3688aCfTU7WuuRig/s320/101%20Dalmatians%202.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><br />Fidelity to the 1961 animated classic is already an odd demand, not only because live action versions of that story were already made in the late 90s but because the original Disney movie is itself unfaithful to its source material in several significant ways. Dodie Smith's beloved 1956 children's novel features many characters and scenes that aren't in the Disney film. A third adult Dalmatian (the one actually named Perdita) is removed completely, with a dog originally named Missus assuming her name and erasing her from the story. The novel's Roger is wealthy because he is a "financial wizard" and not a struggling musician, so the family can afford all of their Dalmatians even when they end up with 101 of them (note that the 101st Dalmatian of the novel also isn't in the movie because he's the liver spotted love interest of the original Perdita). The Cruella of the book is more explicitly demonic and even more vicious than the movie version; she is also married to a submissive furrier who enables her obsession with fur coats. The changes don't make the Disney adaptation a bad movie, but they do make it a significantly different story from the novel. The live action versions get farther afield still, making Roger an American video game creator, Anita a fashion designer, and Cruella a fashion house owner and Anita's employer. In fact, the versions are so different (and set in different eras to boot) that the 2021 movie cannot possibly function as a true prequel to any of them.<p></p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8OrOj4r-lT-DKGkVjFP7CgHqHhGObs95P4Fhr5Gyb0crztwbkcfu95d9F5V064FanCe3ox9occXw0ZF7awWD7qe0JykAMpn-zf-ubgOqTBtvYq3gsZQLMqvT7wQz6BgumXHZ8yBM9EY9ikIP3mXRww-8yEJgyj68ot8expoTu-NWU3Tn1fSO4land/s482/Tallulah%20Bankhead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="332" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8OrOj4r-lT-DKGkVjFP7CgHqHhGObs95P4Fhr5Gyb0crztwbkcfu95d9F5V064FanCe3ox9occXw0ZF7awWD7qe0JykAMpn-zf-ubgOqTBtvYq3gsZQLMqvT7wQz6BgumXHZ8yBM9EY9ikIP3mXRww-8yEJgyj68ot8expoTu-NWU3Tn1fSO4land/w138-h200/Tallulah%20Bankhead.jpg" width="138" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tallulah!</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Instead, <i>Cruella</i> is its own story, a reinvention of the character that combines her most iconic traits with bits and pieces of the previous versions in order to make her a dynamic protagonist rather than a static villain. The movie does not attempt to make us like or forgive the <i>other</i> Cruellas; we like this new Cruella partly because she isn't them. Our glimpse of her childhood recalls the schoolgirl connection with Anita from the novel, her mannerisms are taken from the 1961 Disney film, and her fashion career is borrowed from the 1996 movie, but she is not simply a younger version of any of these characters. Disney opts to do something different by mining the tradition of the anti-heroine as filtered through one of the most important inspirations for the 1961 Cruella, the legendary actress and all around hellraiser Tallulah Bankhead. The film even signals the affiliation with a clip of Tallulah demonstrating her distinctive, throaty laugh in Alfred Hitchcock's 1944 thriller, <i>Lifeboat</i>. We see it play on a television set in a room with Estella/Cruella early in the story. Bankhead, known for her genius, self-destructive behavior, terrible driving, and theatrical personality, was definitely no saint, but this new version of Cruella has her charisma and charm as well as her less likeable qualities. It's refreshing to see a complicated, difficult, <i>too-much</i> female character be the heroine of her own life without having to be either a traditionally good person or a completely amoral anti-heroine of the Becky Sharp variety.</p><p>Because this Cruella is not the same as the previous versions, she can make different choices and develop different values. She loves fashion but isn't specifically obsessed with fur. She has a found family that she mistreats at times but ultimately loves, which includes several dogs. She is even the person who gives Pongo and Perdita to Roger and Anita, which she certainly wouldn't do if she wanted to make Dalmatian fur coats. Near the end of the movie, Cruella says about the Baroness: "The good thing about evil people is that you can always trust them to do something, well, evil." Cruella, despite her name, is not that kind of person, because her Estella side makes her capable of doing good. Currently, a sequel to the movie is in the works, and most fans and critics seem to expect it to launch us into the more familiar dog-napping, coat-making territory of the original story, but I really hope it doesn't go in that direction, because this Cruella deserves better. It's certainly possible that she might become a newer version of the Baroness, the murderous mother whom she deposes in the film, and therefore ruthless enough to become a full-blown villain, but it would be much more satisfying to see her continue to make bold new choices for herself, to continue to be the future she embodies in <i>Cruella</i> and not the past that she sees as the Baroness. To rope this Cruella back into the framework of the original story would be a grave disservice to her and to viewers who fell for her eccentric, outlandish personality.</p><p>I've watched <i>Cruella</i> a couple of times now, and while I have concerns about Disney's persistent efforts to strip mine its own properties, I think this movie is one of the best live action treatments of a classic Disney story and far more interesting and fun than the previous attempts to cash in on the Dalmatians' popularity, largely because it <i>isn't</i> about the dogs. It's fun, it's visually engaging, it features terrific performances from Stone and Emma Thompson, and it offers us a Disney "heroine" who is very different from the usual crowd of princesses and whose transgressive modernity is part of her appeal. I don't care that it isn't actually a prequel to <i>101 Dalmatians</i>; that's why it works. This Cruella might well be brilliant and bad and a little bit mad, but she's more 70s counterculture rock goddess than maniacal puppy murderer, and I'd like to see any additional films about her continue to give her the freedom to be her own version of herself. <br /></p><p> <br /></p><p><br /></p> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </div> <div class='post-footer'> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-1'> <span class='post-author vcard'> Posted by <span class='fn' itemprop='author' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/Person'> <meta content='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' itemprop='url'/> <a class='g-profile' href='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' rel='author' title='author profile'> <span itemprop='name'>Jennifer Garlen</span> </a> </span> </span> <span class='post-timestamp'> at <meta content='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2022/04/the-what-if-alternate-timeline-of.html' itemprop='url'/> <a class='timestamp-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2022/04/the-what-if-alternate-timeline-of.html' rel='bookmark' title='permanent link'><abbr class='published' itemprop='datePublished' title='2022-04-28T19:31:00-05:00'>7:31 PM</abbr></a> </span> <span class='post-comment-link'> <a class='comment-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2022/04/the-what-if-alternate-timeline-of.html#comment-form' onclick=''> 1 comment: </a> </span> <span class='post-icons'> <span class='item-control blog-admin pid-1381533247'> <a href='https://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=259753351008620241&from=pencil' title='Edit Post'> <img alt='' class='icon-action' height='18' src='https://resources.blogblog.com/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif' width='18'/> </a> </span> </span> <div class='post-share-buttons goog-inline-block'> <a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-email' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=259753351008620241&target=email' target='_blank' title='Email This'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Email This</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-blog' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=259753351008620241&target=blog' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=270,width=475"); return false;' target='_blank' title='BlogThis!'><span class='share-button-link-text'>BlogThis!</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-twitter' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=259753351008620241&target=twitter' target='_blank' title='Share to X'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to X</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-facebook' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=259753351008620241&target=facebook' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=430,width=640"); return false;' target='_blank' title='Share to Facebook'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Facebook</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-pinterest' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=259753351008620241&target=pinterest' target='_blank' title='Share to Pinterest'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Pinterest</span></a> </div> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-2'> <span class='post-labels'> Labels: <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/animated%20movies' rel='tag'>animated movies</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/books' rel='tag'>books</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/children%27s%20books' rel='tag'>children's books</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/Disney%20Plus' rel='tag'>Disney Plus</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/dogs' rel='tag'>dogs</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/Emma%20Stone' rel='tag'>Emma Stone</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/Marvel%20Movies' rel='tag'>Marvel Movies</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/Modern%20Movies' rel='tag'>Modern Movies</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/movies' rel='tag'>movies</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/Tallulah%20Bankhead' rel='tag'>Tallulah Bankhead</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/Walt%20Disney' rel='tag'>Walt Disney</a> </span> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-3'> <span class='post-location'> </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div></div> <div class="date-outer"> <h2 class='date-header'><span>Sunday, January 23, 2022</span></h2> <div class="date-posts"> <div class='post-outer'> <div class='post hentry uncustomized-post-template' itemprop='blogPost' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/BlogPosting'> <meta content='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFrkflKlt2fmY69kW2OmuWcqwTeBBaz5dFyaak8m3uIUua8CwDFTu6BmMniEScruRwoRJeoaFKA54v-sFiNLnmQ4xA8eI-c2_RuZuQUlCwZEcyDh1FrOm8Py2FcHoIhur-gsbBCX4NTzRxjdLD2vOC-ygmKb48Jy5b4tjncIMr3-H1fLobJU_X_rgp=s320' itemprop='image_url'/> <meta content='6674155568953505652' itemprop='blogId'/> <meta content='6832997585676958177' itemprop='postId'/> <a name='6832997585676958177'></a> <h3 class='post-title entry-title' itemprop='name'> <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2022/01/making-news-with-muppets.html'>Making the News with The Muppets</a> </h3> <div class='post-header'> <div class='post-header-line-1'></div> </div> <div class='post-body entry-content' id='post-body-6832997585676958177' itemprop='description articleBody'> <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFrkflKlt2fmY69kW2OmuWcqwTeBBaz5dFyaak8m3uIUua8CwDFTu6BmMniEScruRwoRJeoaFKA54v-sFiNLnmQ4xA8eI-c2_RuZuQUlCwZEcyDh1FrOm8Py2FcHoIhur-gsbBCX4NTzRxjdLD2vOC-ygmKb48Jy5b4tjncIMr3-H1fLobJU_X_rgp=s500" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="329" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFrkflKlt2fmY69kW2OmuWcqwTeBBaz5dFyaak8m3uIUua8CwDFTu6BmMniEScruRwoRJeoaFKA54v-sFiNLnmQ4xA8eI-c2_RuZuQUlCwZEcyDh1FrOm8Py2FcHoIhur-gsbBCX4NTzRxjdLD2vOC-ygmKb48Jy5b4tjncIMr3-H1fLobJU_X_rgp=s320" width="211" /></a></div> Some years ago my dear friend and fellow popular culture scholar Anissa Graham and I co-edited two books about the works of Jim Henson. They're essay anthologies featuring scholarly discussions by a wide variety of authors, including us, and they were a lot of fun to create. Both of the books were published by McFarland and are still in print today. The first is <a href="https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/kermit-culture/" target="_blank"><i>Kermit Culture</i></a> and the second is <a href="https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/the-wider-worlds-of-jim-henson/" target="_blank"><i>The Wider Worlds of Jim Henson</i></a>. You'll find them on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions, and they can be purchased from other book retailers, as well.<br /><p></p><p>As a result of our work on those books, we sometimes get to do cool Muppet related stuff, and this week brought an unexpected opportunity to talk about the Muppets with a journalist from CNN. I thought some of my blog readers might enjoy the article, so here's the link:</p><p>"<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/23/entertainment/muppets-2022-elmo-rocco-fraggle-rock-cec/index.html" target="_blank">The Muppets are having a moment - just when we need them most</a>" (CNN, Jan 23, 2022)</p><p>I really enjoyed talking to CNN's Scottie Andrew about the Muppets, and I think the article is a great discussion of their current cultural importance. Luckily for Scottie, it's a print article, so she didn't have to worry about suffering the fate of the Muppet News Flash anchor on <i>The Muppet Show</i>!<br /></p><p>If you're interested in more of my Muppet related shenanigans, you can listen to my <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01rrcs7" target="_blank">2013 interview</a> with the BBC radio program, "Last Word," marking the death of Jane Henson. I also appear as a guest on a couple of episodes of "<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/movin-right-along-a-muppet-movie-podcast/id1318553877" target="_blank">Movin' Right Along: A Muppet Movie Podcast</a>," hosted by <a href="https://toughpigs.com/" target="_blank">ToughPigs</a> Muppet super fans Ryan Roe and Anthony Strand.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhX_itPnBcpO4Xl9ivMxCOUOilqYkUij3r1iANr1BcGdMCNRQd7PJkzeQN8K68rJtGeAO8UV9kTiW35hN2_3QTgdEcbMAA-0xD5wWbG4B0rqxi_WZzy11BL3uEFXJHJZphMQi8Z62jJw4jvVOwYsT1-HmOnalXRaeVaJT-stZSzIaAutWwCLyht5_YP=s300" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhX_itPnBcpO4Xl9ivMxCOUOilqYkUij3r1iANr1BcGdMCNRQd7PJkzeQN8K68rJtGeAO8UV9kTiW35hN2_3QTgdEcbMAA-0xD5wWbG4B0rqxi_WZzy11BL3uEFXJHJZphMQi8Z62jJw4jvVOwYsT1-HmOnalXRaeVaJT-stZSzIaAutWwCLyht5_YP=w200-h200" width="200" /></a></div>For more Muppet posts here on the blog, try these:<p></p><p><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2012/11/classic-films-in-focus-muppet-movie-1979.html" target="_blank">Classic Films in Focus: THE MUPPET MOVIE (1979)</a></p><p><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2012/01/lovers-dreamers-and-me-reflections-on.html" target="_blank">The Lovers, the Dreamers, and Me: Reflections on The Muppets</a></p><p><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/03/classic-movie-tourist-day-in-hollywood.html" target="_blank">Classic Movie Tourist: A Day in Hollywood</a> </p><p><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/12/christmas-movie-blogathon-muppet.html" target="_blank">Christmas Movie Blogathon: The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)</a></p><p><a href="https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2021/03/classic-movie-stars-on-muppet-show.html" target="_blank">Classic Movie Stars on The Muppet Show</a>  <br /></p> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </div> <div class='post-footer'> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-1'> <span class='post-author vcard'> Posted by <span class='fn' itemprop='author' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/Person'> <meta content='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' itemprop='url'/> <a class='g-profile' href='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' rel='author' title='author profile'> <span itemprop='name'>Jennifer Garlen</span> </a> </span> </span> <span class='post-timestamp'> at <meta content='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2022/01/making-news-with-muppets.html' itemprop='url'/> <a class='timestamp-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2022/01/making-news-with-muppets.html' rel='bookmark' title='permanent link'><abbr class='published' itemprop='datePublished' title='2022-01-23T20:20:00-06:00'>8:20 PM</abbr></a> </span> <span class='post-comment-link'> <a class='comment-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2022/01/making-news-with-muppets.html#comment-form' onclick=''> 2 comments: </a> </span> <span class='post-icons'> <span class='item-control blog-admin pid-1381533247'> <a href='https://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=6832997585676958177&from=pencil' title='Edit Post'> <img alt='' class='icon-action' height='18' src='https://resources.blogblog.com/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif' width='18'/> </a> </span> </span> <div class='post-share-buttons goog-inline-block'> <a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-email' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=6832997585676958177&target=email' target='_blank' title='Email This'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Email This</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-blog' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=6832997585676958177&target=blog' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=270,width=475"); return false;' target='_blank' title='BlogThis!'><span class='share-button-link-text'>BlogThis!</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-twitter' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=6832997585676958177&target=twitter' target='_blank' title='Share to X'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to X</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-facebook' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=6832997585676958177&target=facebook' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=430,width=640"); return false;' target='_blank' title='Share to Facebook'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Facebook</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-pinterest' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=6832997585676958177&target=pinterest' target='_blank' title='Share to Pinterest'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Pinterest</span></a> </div> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-2'> <span class='post-labels'> Labels: <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/books' rel='tag'>books</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/interview' rel='tag'>interview</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/Jim%20Henson' rel='tag'>Jim Henson</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/movies' rel='tag'>movies</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/Muppets' rel='tag'>Muppets</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/personal' rel='tag'>personal</a> </span> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-3'> <span class='post-location'> </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div></div> <div class="date-outer"> <h2 class='date-header'><span>Wednesday, January 22, 2020</span></h2> <div class="date-posts"> <div class='post-outer'> <div class='post hentry uncustomized-post-template' itemprop='blogPost' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/BlogPosting'> <meta content='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU6gOSmcpQ6dFDgnA28PhW2Ayik-OL9Nwux6LFqmXu08e1_olu0vk6kHZMc5LzU71J2pfPgEeGX6mFNaS28tFwJLw6_v1hciF8molLxXrSBke1vLq0_oMQRgGyRc4bIMe1IV8zTd4vD7o/s1600/Agatha+Raisin.jpg' itemprop='image_url'/> <meta content='6674155568953505652' itemprop='blogId'/> <meta content='2010272239912673856' itemprop='postId'/> <a name='2010272239912673856'></a> <h3 class='post-title entry-title' itemprop='name'> <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2020/01/cozy-up-with-acorn-tv.html'>Cozy Up with Acorn TV</a> </h3> <div class='post-header'> <div class='post-header-line-1'></div> </div> <div class='post-body entry-content' id='post-body-2010272239912673856' itemprop='description articleBody'> When I'm not watching movies, there's a 90% chance that I'm watching a cozy murder mystery. I'm obsessed with them; I read a lot of cozy mystery series and enjoy them, but I love seeing the characters and stories embodied in television series. For the most part, the murder mysteries that I like best hail from the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. I'm not a fan of dark police procedurals or crime shows "ripped from the headlines." I want a cast of quirky, interesting characters, a distinctive and detailed sense of place, and an unusual murder (or three) for the audience to solve along with the detectives. Thankfully, the streaming service <a href="https://acorn.tv/" target="_blank">Acorn TV</a> dishes up a wide variety of cozy mystery series from several different countries.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU6gOSmcpQ6dFDgnA28PhW2Ayik-OL9Nwux6LFqmXu08e1_olu0vk6kHZMc5LzU71J2pfPgEeGX6mFNaS28tFwJLw6_v1hciF8molLxXrSBke1vLq0_oMQRgGyRc4bIMe1IV8zTd4vD7o/s1600/Agatha+Raisin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU6gOSmcpQ6dFDgnA28PhW2Ayik-OL9Nwux6LFqmXu08e1_olu0vk6kHZMc5LzU71J2pfPgEeGX6mFNaS28tFwJLw6_v1hciF8molLxXrSBke1vLq0_oMQRgGyRc4bIMe1IV8zTd4vD7o/s1600/Agatha+Raisin.jpg" /></a></div> UK offerings include the venerable and beloved <i>Midsomer Murders</i> and the adorably quirky <i>Agatha Raisin</i>. I've watched every episode of <i>Midsomer</i> so far, but if you're new to it you've got enough entertainment ahead to last most of 2020. The show is famed for its dry sense of humor and hilariously dreadful murder methods (hint: never go on holiday in Badger's Drift!). <i>Agatha Raisin</i> has a delightful Scooby gang vibe with middle aged romance added to the mix; the relationships between characters on the show are dynamic and interesting without being maudlin. With only one season so far, <i>Queens of Mystery</i> is a newcomer that started very strong and has lots of room for future development, and its particularly knowing treatment of the genre is great fun for cozy fans. The British fare also includes a solid collection of Agatha Christie adaptations, especially the excellent <i>Agatha Christie's Marple</i>, featuring first Geraldine McEwan and then Julia McKenzie as the iconic sleuth.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9lbPF5qcWPA7MsBNwnkHyJALyIBwRrSEl4UevIT8R2AxxWK2z7w1BFoac9usQmuNTnBpExjLL9y33KYEH52DnnpiGFXzy7prXILna60h8oCvzTylKo6qcqempuKg3EFmmRFfeK_60GKM/s1600/Miss+Fisher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9lbPF5qcWPA7MsBNwnkHyJALyIBwRrSEl4UevIT8R2AxxWK2z7w1BFoac9usQmuNTnBpExjLL9y33KYEH52DnnpiGFXzy7prXILna60h8oCvzTylKo6qcqempuKg3EFmmRFfeK_60GKM/s1600/Miss+Fisher.jpg" /></a></div> Australia is ably represented by <i>Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries</i>, starring the fabulous Essie Davis as a 1920s private detective who lives and loves with equal abandon. Adapted from a wildly popular book series (I've read them all, and they're terrific), the Miss Fisher series is currently getting a second life with a feature film sequel that should appear on Acorn later in 2020. A spin-off, called <i>Miss Fisher's Modern Mysteries</i>, is also available on Acorn, with Geraldine Hakewell as a relative of the original Miss Fisher living in the 1960s. I enjoyed the spin-off but wasn't quite as enchanted by it as the original show, perhaps because the four episode series had less time to develop all of the interesting supporting characters. If you're looking for a particularly funny Australian murder series, Acorn also offers all 13 episodes of the tragically short-lived <i>Mr. and Mrs. Murder</i>, in which married crime scene cleaners solve murders and get entangled in ridiculous situations along the way.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiplLxqutXWSg1dS0hjnQB1kGwJiG6OzY2OcxT2tAzTlmITmmCFSXL1YzDrbdFV0eWIcCvSPRp4WhjUF_Z1_e-j9F8qe7JjfH9JFUziACU6pYg2wP_lzKtEvfWTXEwNgs5b2BGcLVmyOUY/s1600/Brokenwood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiplLxqutXWSg1dS0hjnQB1kGwJiG6OzY2OcxT2tAzTlmITmmCFSXL1YzDrbdFV0eWIcCvSPRp4WhjUF_Z1_e-j9F8qe7JjfH9JFUziACU6pYg2wP_lzKtEvfWTXEwNgs5b2BGcLVmyOUY/s320/Brokenwood.jpg" width="213" /></a></div> My last recommendation hales from New Zealand, where police detective Mike Shepherd (Neill Rea) solves murders in <i>The Brokenwood Mysteries</i>. Great leads, lots of fun recurring characters, and gorgeous scenery make this series one of my current favorites, with new episodes dropping on Acorn each week as the latest season is released. The show has a surprisingly strong first episode that hooks the viewer immediately, and later seasons build on that solid foundation. If you've exhausted <i>Midsomer Murders</i> and want something with the same mix of dry humor, murder, and detective work, this New Zealand show is the perfect choice.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://acorn.tv/" target="_blank">Acorn TV</a> has dozens of mystery series and other programming to choose from, but these are the shows I have especially enjoyed since I first subscribed to the streaming service in 2019. With new shows and seasons regularly appearing, Acorn has been well worth the cost of $6 a month or $60 a year. Do check it out if you're looking for great cozy mysteries to keep you warm through the winter!<br /> <br /> <br /> <i>Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Acorn TV and received no payment of any kind for this post.</i> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </div> <div class='post-footer'> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-1'> <span class='post-author vcard'> Posted by <span class='fn' itemprop='author' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/Person'> <meta content='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' itemprop='url'/> <a class='g-profile' href='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' rel='author' title='author profile'> <span itemprop='name'>Jennifer Garlen</span> </a> </span> </span> <span class='post-timestamp'> at <meta content='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2020/01/cozy-up-with-acorn-tv.html' itemprop='url'/> <a class='timestamp-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2020/01/cozy-up-with-acorn-tv.html' rel='bookmark' title='permanent link'><abbr class='published' itemprop='datePublished' title='2020-01-22T15:01:00-06:00'>3:01 PM</abbr></a> </span> <span class='post-comment-link'> <a class='comment-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2020/01/cozy-up-with-acorn-tv.html#comment-form' onclick=''> No comments: </a> </span> <span class='post-icons'> <span class='item-control blog-admin pid-1381533247'> <a href='https://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=2010272239912673856&from=pencil' title='Edit Post'> <img alt='' class='icon-action' height='18' src='https://resources.blogblog.com/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif' width='18'/> </a> </span> </span> <div class='post-share-buttons goog-inline-block'> <a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-email' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=2010272239912673856&target=email' target='_blank' title='Email This'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Email This</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-blog' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=2010272239912673856&target=blog' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=270,width=475"); return false;' target='_blank' title='BlogThis!'><span class='share-button-link-text'>BlogThis!</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-twitter' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=2010272239912673856&target=twitter' target='_blank' title='Share to X'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to X</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-facebook' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=2010272239912673856&target=facebook' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=430,width=640"); return false;' target='_blank' title='Share to Facebook'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Facebook</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-pinterest' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=2010272239912673856&target=pinterest' target='_blank' title='Share to Pinterest'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Pinterest</span></a> </div> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-2'> <span class='post-labels'> Labels: <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/Acorn%20TV' rel='tag'>Acorn TV</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/Agatha%20Christie' rel='tag'>Agatha Christie</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/Australia' rel='tag'>Australia</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/books' rel='tag'>books</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/cozy' rel='tag'>cozy</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/Great%20Britain' rel='tag'>Great Britain</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/murder' rel='tag'>murder</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/mystery' rel='tag'>mystery</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/New%20Zealand' rel='tag'>New Zealand</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/streaming%20service' rel='tag'>streaming service</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/television' rel='tag'>television</a> </span> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-3'> <span class='post-location'> </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div></div> <div class="date-outer"> <h2 class='date-header'><span>Friday, October 24, 2014</span></h2> <div class="date-posts"> <div class='post-outer'> <div class='post hentry uncustomized-post-template' itemprop='blogPost' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/BlogPosting'> <meta content='6674155568953505652' itemprop='blogId'/> <meta content='5950618913822013075' itemprop='postId'/> <a name='5950618913822013075'></a> <h3 class='post-title entry-title' itemprop='name'> <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/10/classic-science-fiction-movies-and-more.html'>Classic Science Fiction Movies and More at NerdCon!</a> </h3> <div class='post-header'> <div class='post-header-line-1'></div> </div> <div class='post-body entry-content' id='post-body-5950618913822013075' itemprop='description articleBody'> If you're in the Huntsville area, head on over to NerdCon at the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library this weekend. I'll be there doing a joint panel on Stunt Casting in Modern Popular Culture on Friday evening and a solo talk about 10 Classic Sci-Fi Movies Every Geek Should Know on Saturday afternoon. I'll also have copies of BEYOND CASABLANCA for sale and promo postcards for my YA fantasy novel, WIERM'S EGG.<br /> <br /> NerdCon promises to be a great event with lots of programs that are teen-friendly as well as some panels that are just for adults. You can find out more about it by visiting the <a href="http://hmcpl.org/node/102854" target="_blank">library's website</a>. I should be at the LEGO panel (of course!) as well as my own two panels, and I hope to attend some of the other fascinating programs on the schedule.<br /> <br /> While I'm at it, let me just mention this <a href="http://www.examiner.com/review/3-minute-book-review-heartwarming-wierm-s-egg-is-classic-dragon-fantasy-tale" target="_blank">brand new review</a> of WIERM'S EGG on Examiner.com from Huntsville Book Examiner Lionel Ray Green. Go check it out! <div style='clear: both;'></div> </div> <div class='post-footer'> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-1'> <span class='post-author vcard'> Posted by <span class='fn' itemprop='author' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/Person'> <meta content='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' itemprop='url'/> <a class='g-profile' href='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' rel='author' title='author profile'> <span itemprop='name'>Jennifer Garlen</span> </a> </span> </span> <span class='post-timestamp'> at <meta content='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/10/classic-science-fiction-movies-and-more.html' itemprop='url'/> <a class='timestamp-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/10/classic-science-fiction-movies-and-more.html' rel='bookmark' title='permanent link'><abbr class='published' itemprop='datePublished' title='2014-10-24T14:10:00-05:00'>2:10 PM</abbr></a> </span> <span class='post-comment-link'> <a class='comment-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/10/classic-science-fiction-movies-and-more.html#comment-form' onclick=''> No comments: </a> </span> <span class='post-icons'> <span class='item-control blog-admin pid-1381533247'> <a href='https://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=5950618913822013075&from=pencil' title='Edit Post'> <img alt='' class='icon-action' height='18' src='https://resources.blogblog.com/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif' width='18'/> </a> </span> </span> <div class='post-share-buttons goog-inline-block'> <a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-email' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=5950618913822013075&target=email' target='_blank' title='Email This'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Email This</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-blog' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=5950618913822013075&target=blog' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=270,width=475"); return false;' target='_blank' title='BlogThis!'><span class='share-button-link-text'>BlogThis!</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-twitter' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=5950618913822013075&target=twitter' target='_blank' title='Share to X'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to X</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-facebook' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=5950618913822013075&target=facebook' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=430,width=640"); return false;' target='_blank' title='Share to Facebook'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Facebook</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-pinterest' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=5950618913822013075&target=pinterest' target='_blank' title='Share to Pinterest'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Pinterest</span></a> </div> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-2'> <span class='post-labels'> Labels: <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/books' rel='tag'>books</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/events' rel='tag'>events</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/Fantasy' rel='tag'>Fantasy</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/Huntsville%20AL' rel='tag'>Huntsville AL</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/Science%20Fiction' rel='tag'>Science Fiction</a> </span> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-3'> <span class='post-location'> </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div></div> <div class="date-outer"> <h2 class='date-header'><span>Wednesday, August 27, 2014</span></h2> <div class="date-posts"> <div class='post-outer'> <div class='post hentry uncustomized-post-template' itemprop='blogPost' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/BlogPosting'> <meta content='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaK8sBsgD-p3XsXQmD6EY9RR3ateevn9UWNY3Wdpq34SxS7u50FrAHn5pNnd6TKbt0lQRyPoCXpxtNQWhFbsODVyac8vQzcPs6iptOAkVbps8HywwQunTUeKIB2UooHt8IeDivMR-1ezs/s1600/wierms-egg-cover-low-rez.jpg' itemprop='image_url'/> <meta content='6674155568953505652' itemprop='blogId'/> <meta content='523211972207358241' itemprop='postId'/> <a name='523211972207358241'></a> <h3 class='post-title entry-title' itemprop='name'> <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/08/how-classic-movies-helped-me-write-my.html'>How Classic Movies Helped Me Write My Novel</a> </h3> <div class='post-header'> <div class='post-header-line-1'></div> </div> <div class='post-body entry-content' id='post-body-523211972207358241' itemprop='description articleBody'> So, my first novel is now available on Amazon Kindle, and I'm about as proud as a new parent handing out cigars. Two years of working, writing, and thinking will hopefully pay off in a story that people enjoy reading. As always, my ongoing love affair with classic movies has been a big part of the process.<br /> <br /> That won't be obvious to everyone who reads the book, and it might not even be apparent to other classic movie fans. The novel is a YA fantasy about a boy raised by a dragon. Its relationship to fairy tales and other fantasy novels is certainly more marked, and it also draws from literary classics like <i>The Jungle Book</i>. I have been a voracious and constant reader since I was 3, and everything I have ever read swims around in my imagination and seeps into my own work. Hopefully English majors will appreciate the many allusions and influences.<br /> <br /> However, my brain also teems with classic films, and those, too, permeate the novel, especially when it comes to creating characters. My roguish dragon, Willais, is always a Tyrone Power type in my mind, especially when he is magically transformed into a man. I even gave him Ty's distinctive eyebrows. Lanky, sweet-natured Bert is inspired by Ray Bolger, especially as the Scarecrow in <i>The Wizard of Oz</i> but also in <i>The Harvey Girls</i>. Bert's wife, Magda, is a mix of Mary Boland and Spring Byington types, with a little extra temper thrown in (a touch, perhaps, of Alice's Queen of Hearts as voiced by Verna Felton). Whenever I needed a pop-up character for a single scene, I imagined a classic movie character actor who might have played the part. Victor McLaglen is in there, and Frank Morgan, too. I doubt many people will notice, if any, but it really helped me see the characters in my own mind when I was writing about them.<br /> <br /> Of course, many of the characters have very different family trees, but I don't think the novel would be the same if not for all of those classic movies I have enjoyed so over the years. Once again I'm grateful for a passion that has not only entertained me but has made me think that much more about narratives, characters, and the way in which a good story comes together!<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaK8sBsgD-p3XsXQmD6EY9RR3ateevn9UWNY3Wdpq34SxS7u50FrAHn5pNnd6TKbt0lQRyPoCXpxtNQWhFbsODVyac8vQzcPs6iptOAkVbps8HywwQunTUeKIB2UooHt8IeDivMR-1ezs/s1600/wierms-egg-cover-low-rez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaK8sBsgD-p3XsXQmD6EY9RR3ateevn9UWNY3Wdpq34SxS7u50FrAHn5pNnd6TKbt0lQRyPoCXpxtNQWhFbsODVyac8vQzcPs6iptOAkVbps8HywwQunTUeKIB2UooHt8IeDivMR-1ezs/s1600/wierms-egg-cover-low-rez.jpg" /></a></div> If you're actually interested in the novel, it's called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wierms-Egg-Jennifer-Garlen-ebook/dp/B00MZZUXZK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409187336&sr=8-1&keywords=wierm%27s+egg" target="_blank"><i>Wierm's Egg</i></a>. You can find it on Amazon by clicking the link. Of course the <i>Beyond Casablanca</i> books and the two Jim Henson anthologies are there, too.<br /> <br /> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </div> <div class='post-footer'> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-1'> <span class='post-author vcard'> Posted by <span class='fn' itemprop='author' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/Person'> <meta content='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' itemprop='url'/> <a class='g-profile' href='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' rel='author' title='author profile'> <span itemprop='name'>Jennifer Garlen</span> </a> </span> </span> <span class='post-timestamp'> at <meta content='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/08/how-classic-movies-helped-me-write-my.html' itemprop='url'/> <a class='timestamp-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/08/how-classic-movies-helped-me-write-my.html' rel='bookmark' title='permanent link'><abbr class='published' itemprop='datePublished' title='2014-08-27T19:57:00-05:00'>7:57 PM</abbr></a> </span> <span class='post-comment-link'> <a class='comment-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/08/how-classic-movies-helped-me-write-my.html#comment-form' onclick=''> No comments: </a> </span> <span class='post-icons'> <span class='item-control blog-admin pid-1381533247'> <a href='https://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=523211972207358241&from=pencil' title='Edit Post'> <img alt='' class='icon-action' height='18' src='https://resources.blogblog.com/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif' width='18'/> </a> </span> </span> <div class='post-share-buttons goog-inline-block'> <a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-email' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=523211972207358241&target=email' target='_blank' title='Email This'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Email This</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-blog' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=523211972207358241&target=blog' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=270,width=475"); return false;' target='_blank' title='BlogThis!'><span class='share-button-link-text'>BlogThis!</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-twitter' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=523211972207358241&target=twitter' target='_blank' title='Share to X'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to X</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-facebook' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=523211972207358241&target=facebook' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=430,width=640"); return false;' target='_blank' title='Share to Facebook'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Facebook</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-pinterest' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=523211972207358241&target=pinterest' target='_blank' title='Share to Pinterest'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Pinterest</span></a> </div> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-2'> <span class='post-labels'> Labels: <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/books' rel='tag'>books</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/classic%20movies' rel='tag'>classic movies</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/Fantasy' rel='tag'>Fantasy</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/personal' rel='tag'>personal</a> </span> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-3'> <span class='post-location'> </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div></div> <div class="date-outer"> <h2 class='date-header'><span>Monday, August 11, 2014</span></h2> <div class="date-posts"> <div class='post-outer'> <div class='post hentry uncustomized-post-template' itemprop='blogPost' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/BlogPosting'> <meta content='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPfYDILXh_vuSifPMpephSgAdunZVVaDqMBEI2MyJmcyeumBMyI2qMeVKZe-t4aYBlynKZt1k4J1ogBsLAiRTqfdg_9iQnkFa5Sq9yD5n3O1Ds0dkAVUfIfhzRFKBAgE5RrFNRTs13mcc/s1600/Beyond+Cas+100.jpg' itemprop='image_url'/> <meta content='6674155568953505652' itemprop='blogId'/> <meta content='4807401035210768601' itemprop='postId'/> <a name='4807401035210768601'></a> <h3 class='post-title entry-title' itemprop='name'> <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/08/beyond-casablanca-is-free-on-kindle.html'>BEYOND CASABLANCA is Free on Kindle This Week!</a> </h3> <div class='post-header'> <div class='post-header-line-1'></div> </div> <div class='post-body entry-content' id='post-body-4807401035210768601' itemprop='description articleBody'> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPfYDILXh_vuSifPMpephSgAdunZVVaDqMBEI2MyJmcyeumBMyI2qMeVKZe-t4aYBlynKZt1k4J1ogBsLAiRTqfdg_9iQnkFa5Sq9yD5n3O1Ds0dkAVUfIfhzRFKBAgE5RrFNRTs13mcc/s1600/Beyond+Cas+100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPfYDILXh_vuSifPMpephSgAdunZVVaDqMBEI2MyJmcyeumBMyI2qMeVKZe-t4aYBlynKZt1k4J1ogBsLAiRTqfdg_9iQnkFa5Sq9yD5n3O1Ds0dkAVUfIfhzRFKBAgE5RrFNRTs13mcc/s1600/Beyond+Cas+100.jpg" width="210" /></a></div> As promised in an earlier post, I am now running promos on the<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MGYYHSY" target="_blank"> ebook version</a> of BEYOND CASABLANCA. Beginning Monday, August 11, 2014, and running through Friday, the ebook is free on Kindle, and I hope you'll either consider the book for yourself or encourage friends to give it a try. It contains many exclusive reviews that you won't find here on Virtual Virago or on my Examiner column.<br /> <br /> While you're at it, you might have a look at BEYOND CASABLANCA II, which offers 101 more classic movie reviews, or EVERYDAY MONSTERS, my newly released short story collection.<br /> <br /> Thanks to everyone who takes the time to visit the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MGYYHSY" target="_blank">Amazon link</a> and helps me get the word out. I'd really love to give away a  lot of copies this week! The point of the book is to connect readers with great classic films, and hopefully the free promo will promote that aim. <div style='clear: both;'></div> </div> <div class='post-footer'> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-1'> <span class='post-author vcard'> Posted by <span class='fn' itemprop='author' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/Person'> <meta content='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' itemprop='url'/> <a class='g-profile' href='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' rel='author' title='author profile'> <span itemprop='name'>Jennifer Garlen</span> </a> </span> </span> <span class='post-timestamp'> at <meta content='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/08/beyond-casablanca-is-free-on-kindle.html' itemprop='url'/> <a class='timestamp-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/08/beyond-casablanca-is-free-on-kindle.html' rel='bookmark' title='permanent link'><abbr class='published' itemprop='datePublished' title='2014-08-11T08:41:00-05:00'>8:41 AM</abbr></a> </span> <span class='post-comment-link'> <a class='comment-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/08/beyond-casablanca-is-free-on-kindle.html#comment-form' onclick=''> No comments: </a> </span> <span class='post-icons'> <span class='item-control blog-admin pid-1381533247'> <a href='https://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=4807401035210768601&from=pencil' title='Edit Post'> <img alt='' class='icon-action' height='18' src='https://resources.blogblog.com/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif' width='18'/> </a> </span> </span> <div class='post-share-buttons goog-inline-block'> <a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-email' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=4807401035210768601&target=email' target='_blank' title='Email This'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Email This</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-blog' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=4807401035210768601&target=blog' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=270,width=475"); return false;' target='_blank' title='BlogThis!'><span class='share-button-link-text'>BlogThis!</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-twitter' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=4807401035210768601&target=twitter' target='_blank' title='Share to X'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to X</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-facebook' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=4807401035210768601&target=facebook' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=430,width=640"); return false;' target='_blank' title='Share to Facebook'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Facebook</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-pinterest' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=4807401035210768601&target=pinterest' target='_blank' title='Share to Pinterest'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Pinterest</span></a> </div> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-2'> <span class='post-labels'> Labels: <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/Amazon' rel='tag'>Amazon</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/Beyond%20Casablanca' rel='tag'>Beyond Casablanca</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/books' rel='tag'>books</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/classic%20movies' rel='tag'>classic movies</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/movie%20review' rel='tag'>movie review</a> </span> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-3'> <span class='post-location'> </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div></div> <div class="date-outer"> <h2 class='date-header'><span>Sunday, August 10, 2014</span></h2> <div class="date-posts"> <div class='post-outer'> <div class='post hentry uncustomized-post-template' itemprop='blogPost' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/BlogPosting'> <meta content='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisoVBuJZPxyr3Pn1JMsLP_XKjgQy6oiwIFxA07weP3KhecBE_zgRxddcuA0eAKgcdTxPmtNuQRSLVemEeyMjE3r_LwZvlnF7N3bzvkffRk2bAcv3-q6OIFp13615__fZxC3VqCeIVtOzs/s1600/Everyday+Monsters.jpg' itemprop='image_url'/> <meta content='6674155568953505652' itemprop='blogId'/> <meta content='5992907088483394081' itemprop='postId'/> <a name='5992907088483394081'></a> <h3 class='post-title entry-title' itemprop='name'> <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/08/classic-movies-and-everyday-monsters.html'>Classic Movies and EVERYDAY MONSTERS</a> </h3> <div class='post-header'> <div class='post-header-line-1'></div> </div> <div class='post-body entry-content' id='post-body-5992907088483394081' itemprop='description articleBody'> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisoVBuJZPxyr3Pn1JMsLP_XKjgQy6oiwIFxA07weP3KhecBE_zgRxddcuA0eAKgcdTxPmtNuQRSLVemEeyMjE3r_LwZvlnF7N3bzvkffRk2bAcv3-q6OIFp13615__fZxC3VqCeIVtOzs/s1600/Everyday+Monsters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisoVBuJZPxyr3Pn1JMsLP_XKjgQy6oiwIFxA07weP3KhecBE_zgRxddcuA0eAKgcdTxPmtNuQRSLVemEeyMjE3r_LwZvlnF7N3bzvkffRk2bAcv3-q6OIFp13615__fZxC3VqCeIVtOzs/s1600/Everyday+Monsters.jpg" /></a></div> This weekend I got my short story collection, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Everyday-Monsters-Jennifer-Garlen-ebook/dp/B00MKFVHIM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407694384&sr=8-1&keywords=everyday+monsters" target="_blank"><i>Everyday Monsters</i></a>, posted on Amazon Kindle, where it now awaits the lavish praise of at least a dozen readers, not including my mother, who doesn't want me to become too conceited by thinking that I might be "all that." Everybody knows that short stories don't sell, but being obsessed with classic horror and shows like <i>The Twilight Zone</i> I wrote them anyway. A word of warning to you classic horror fans out there - this is the kind of thing that is liable to happen to you if you watch too much Boris, Bela, and Lon, not to mention too many episodes of <i>Alfred Hitchcock Presents</i>. Anyway, the seven stories in the collection represent a strange melange of influences from classic movies, literature, and my studies of feminist theory in graduate school. Here's a breakdown of some of the references and allusions in each story, which I hope will inspire at least three more people to go over to Amazon and have a look at the book itself.<br /> <br /> "The Spinsters" - I have to be coy here to avoid spoiling the big twist, but I can say that there's a lot of <i>Arsenic and Old Lace</i> informing the characters of Louisa and Letitia. They're also based on my real-life dotty old aunts, Birdie and Sis, who were absolutely weird enough to fuel an entire career for any writer. I love wacky old ladies, especially in movies; I adore Una O'Connor, Hermione Gingold, Dame May Whitty, and all of their cinematic sisters. In this story, the little old ladies rule.<br /> <br /> "Desiccated" - <i>The Mummy</i> and other later films often depict the protagonist's love interest as the mummy's reincarnated sweetheart, but in this story I do away with the male characters and let the heroine and the Ancient Egyptian princess become the focal characters. Margot definitely has a connection to Princess Ahmesahura, but their encounter has more complicated consequences than a simple substitution. Margot is also something a movie buff, since the horrible kids she has to chaperone remind her of <i>The Omen</i>, and she recognizes the encased mummy as a familiar figure from old films.<br /> <br /> "Hoodoo Man" - Classic horror fans will immediately recognize that Cleophas Legendre has appropriated his surname from Bela Lugosi's character in <i>White Zombie</i>, which also informs the way that the zombies themselves are handled. These are classic zombies, not the Romero brain-eaters. I really admire the short fiction of Alice Walker and Eudora Welty, and I hope their influence comes through, but this story is particularly inspired by Zora Neale Hurston's "Sweat." It's also about the blues, especially Nina Simone's fantastic rendition of "I Put a Spell on You."<br /> <br /> "Mama Doll" - I wanted to include stories about different kinds of oppressed characters finding some poetic justice through supernatural events, and I really liked the idea of the golem as a monster that we don't see that often. Carlita is a young Hispanic girl thrown into a corrupt foster care system, but her own creativity and will to live make her a surprisingly strong character. My sister and I used to make doll people like this one when we were kids; once we even hid my sister inside one and put her on the porch, where she came to life and terrified trick-or-treaters reaching for the bowl of candy in her lap.<br /> <br /> "This is Not a Life" - <i>Forbidden Planet</i> is one of my favorite science fiction movies because of the way it revises Shakespeare's <i>The Tempest</i> as a Freudian fable, and I play with some of those ideas here, too. Isolated on his island paradise, William Prosper has mastered science that certainly looks like magic; instead of a daughter he has his wife, Perdita, who gets her name from <i>The Winter's Tale</i>. There's some <i>Heart of Darkness</i> going on, as well, plus a shout-out to Jules Verne's <i>20,000 Leagues Under the Sea</i>. I saw a Magritte exhibit in Montreal many years ago, and those trippy images seemed like the perfect complement to this story.<br /> <br /> "Morning Comes After the Storm" - I used to teach Robert Browning's "Porphyria's Lover" all the time, and the ending always bothered me. Browning is intentionally ambiguous, but this story reveals what I like to imagine happening next. The dog recalls the beloved pet of Browning's wife, Elizabeth Barrett, who was already a famous poet when Browning started writing fan mail to her. You might say I'm recasting Browning's story according to the workings of Poe's universe. Hopefully that works.<br /> <br /> "The Exorcism of Wendell Grove" - I love funny ghost stories like <i>The Ghost Goes West</i> (1935) and <i>The Canterville Ghost</i> (1944). Even <i>Blackbeard's Ghost</i> (1968) makes me laugh. This story is meant to be fun rather than scary, like riding The Haunted Mansion at Disney World, but it still pursues the theme of poetic justice. Frederica Island is inspired by St. Simons Island, in coastal South Georgia. I don't know what actual ghosts they have there, but the story includes a Southern belle, a slave woman, freaky poltergeist twins, gentleman duelists, a drunken frat brother, and a pirate. <br /> <br /> Here's the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Everyday-Monsters-Jennifer-Garlen-ebook/dp/B00MKFVHIM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407694384&sr=8-1&keywords=everyday+monsters" target="_blank">link to the ebook</a> in case you're one of those three people! <div style='clear: both;'></div> </div> <div class='post-footer'> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-1'> <span class='post-author vcard'> Posted by <span class='fn' itemprop='author' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/Person'> <meta content='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' itemprop='url'/> <a class='g-profile' href='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' rel='author' title='author profile'> <span itemprop='name'>Jennifer Garlen</span> </a> </span> </span> <span class='post-timestamp'> at <meta content='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/08/classic-movies-and-everyday-monsters.html' itemprop='url'/> <a class='timestamp-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/08/classic-movies-and-everyday-monsters.html' rel='bookmark' title='permanent link'><abbr class='published' itemprop='datePublished' title='2014-08-10T13:15:00-05:00'>1:15 PM</abbr></a> </span> <span class='post-comment-link'> <a class='comment-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/08/classic-movies-and-everyday-monsters.html#comment-form' onclick=''> No comments: </a> </span> <span class='post-icons'> <span class='item-control blog-admin pid-1381533247'> <a href='https://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=5992907088483394081&from=pencil' title='Edit Post'> <img alt='' class='icon-action' height='18' src='https://resources.blogblog.com/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif' width='18'/> </a> </span> </span> <div class='post-share-buttons goog-inline-block'> <a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-email' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=5992907088483394081&target=email' target='_blank' title='Email This'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Email This</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-blog' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=5992907088483394081&target=blog' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=270,width=475"); return false;' target='_blank' title='BlogThis!'><span class='share-button-link-text'>BlogThis!</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-twitter' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=5992907088483394081&target=twitter' target='_blank' title='Share to X'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to X</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-facebook' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=5992907088483394081&target=facebook' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=430,width=640"); return false;' target='_blank' title='Share to Facebook'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Facebook</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-pinterest' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=5992907088483394081&target=pinterest' target='_blank' title='Share to Pinterest'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Pinterest</span></a> </div> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-2'> <span class='post-labels'> Labels: <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/books' rel='tag'>books</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/classic%20movies' rel='tag'>classic movies</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/feminism' rel='tag'>feminism</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/horror' rel='tag'>horror</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/literature' rel='tag'>literature</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/personal' rel='tag'>personal</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/vampires' rel='tag'>vampires</a> </span> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-3'> <span class='post-location'> </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div></div> <div class="date-outer"> <h2 class='date-header'><span>Wednesday, August 6, 2014</span></h2> <div class="date-posts"> <div class='post-outer'> <div class='post hentry uncustomized-post-template' itemprop='blogPost' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/BlogPosting'> <meta content='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisvt8VmoJ6VND88nAs0HWXm12UBRsWtuFTltmoty4ubc2W0kk4fBtE-9chPkJj-_FJx8RPRfMarDfGs0SNaCq6IiVGuNa0eeTfE7dcFaEdk4qsa-3vE-dICtbFDSPVjrWBZAO9j5_OdLo/s1600/Beyond+Cas+100.jpg' itemprop='image_url'/> <meta content='6674155568953505652' itemprop='blogId'/> <meta content='3838659072162982904' itemprop='postId'/> <a name='3838659072162982904'></a> <h3 class='post-title entry-title' itemprop='name'> <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/08/beyond-casablanca-2nd-edition-ebook-is.html'>BEYOND CASABLANCA 2nd Edition Ebook is Now Available</a> </h3> <div class='post-header'> <div class='post-header-line-1'></div> </div> <div class='post-body entry-content' id='post-body-3838659072162982904' itemprop='description articleBody'> A while back my publisher at Westview announced some changes in the way they work. Sadly, the downside of the alteration is that the print version of BEYOND CASABLANCA is no longer available from online stores (I can still get print copies directly). On the plus side, I'm now able to run promotions and sales on the Kindle version of the book. As of August 6, 2014, the new ebook version of BEYOND CASABLANCA is available, and you can find it <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MGYYHSY" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisvt8VmoJ6VND88nAs0HWXm12UBRsWtuFTltmoty4ubc2W0kk4fBtE-9chPkJj-_FJx8RPRfMarDfGs0SNaCq6IiVGuNa0eeTfE7dcFaEdk4qsa-3vE-dICtbFDSPVjrWBZAO9j5_OdLo/s1600/Beyond+Cas+100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisvt8VmoJ6VND88nAs0HWXm12UBRsWtuFTltmoty4ubc2W0kk4fBtE-9chPkJj-_FJx8RPRfMarDfGs0SNaCq6IiVGuNa0eeTfE7dcFaEdk4qsa-3vE-dICtbFDSPVjrWBZAO9j5_OdLo/s1600/Beyond+Cas+100.jpg" width="210" /></a></div> The best part of releasing the new version is that I was able to fix a few errors that had been bothering me since 2012! I had a date wrong and an alphabetizing error, and both of those have just bugged the heck out of me ever since I first noticed them. All of the important content is the same, though, so don't worry if you already have a print or ebook copy.<br /> <br /> This is a huge month for me as a writer; I have several projects coming to fruition, and I hope 2015 will be an exciting year of reaching new readers and finishing even more books. I do have another classic movie book in the works, but I have also been working on a novel and a short story collection. If you're interested in the wildly varied projects I have worked on, you can visit my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Jennifer-C.-Garlen/e/B009BHNAVE/ref=la_B009BHNAVE_af?rh=n:283155,p_82:B009BHNAVE" target="_blank">Amazon Author Page</a>.<br /> <br /> Thanks to everyone who has supported and enjoyed BEYOND CASABLANCA. I hope it will find more readers and inspire lots of people to watch more old movies!<br /> <br /> <br /> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </div> <div class='post-footer'> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-1'> <span class='post-author vcard'> Posted by <span class='fn' itemprop='author' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/Person'> <meta content='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' itemprop='url'/> <a class='g-profile' href='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' rel='author' title='author profile'> <span itemprop='name'>Jennifer Garlen</span> </a> </span> </span> <span class='post-timestamp'> at <meta content='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/08/beyond-casablanca-2nd-edition-ebook-is.html' itemprop='url'/> <a class='timestamp-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/08/beyond-casablanca-2nd-edition-ebook-is.html' rel='bookmark' title='permanent link'><abbr class='published' itemprop='datePublished' title='2014-08-06T18:47:00-05:00'>6:47 PM</abbr></a> </span> <span class='post-comment-link'> <a class='comment-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/08/beyond-casablanca-2nd-edition-ebook-is.html#comment-form' onclick=''> No comments: </a> </span> <span class='post-icons'> <span class='item-control blog-admin pid-1381533247'> <a href='https://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=3838659072162982904&from=pencil' title='Edit Post'> <img alt='' class='icon-action' height='18' src='https://resources.blogblog.com/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif' width='18'/> </a> </span> </span> <div class='post-share-buttons goog-inline-block'> <a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-email' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=3838659072162982904&target=email' target='_blank' title='Email This'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Email This</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-blog' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=3838659072162982904&target=blog' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=270,width=475"); return false;' target='_blank' title='BlogThis!'><span class='share-button-link-text'>BlogThis!</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-twitter' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=3838659072162982904&target=twitter' target='_blank' title='Share to X'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to X</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-facebook' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=3838659072162982904&target=facebook' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=430,width=640"); return false;' target='_blank' title='Share to Facebook'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Facebook</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-pinterest' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=3838659072162982904&target=pinterest' target='_blank' title='Share to Pinterest'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Pinterest</span></a> </div> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-2'> <span class='post-labels'> Labels: <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/Beyond%20Casablanca' rel='tag'>Beyond Casablanca</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/books' rel='tag'>books</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/classic%20movies' rel='tag'>classic movies</a> </span> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-3'> <span class='post-location'> </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div></div> <div class="date-outer"> <h2 class='date-header'><span>Monday, April 21, 2014</span></h2> <div class="date-posts"> <div class='post-outer'> <div class='post hentry uncustomized-post-template' itemprop='blogPost' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/BlogPosting'> <meta content='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifzTw667eZ-m-oRGdxA_YM6D_VIUzkDVVb9F2XH-R3FmXr2tNO1z9UJd6z6zdVz4ptXrs2nvaBD8wsvi45g-6NGjKFtLW0J18rtvYCssNqq038qt8-l9iOFPp3Zg3TZrh94tPyWugycDw/s1600/Funny+the+Book.jpg' itemprop='image_url'/> <meta content='6674155568953505652' itemprop='blogId'/> <meta content='6923526926212351860' itemprop='postId'/> <a name='6923526926212351860'></a> <h3 class='post-title entry-title' itemprop='name'> <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/04/funny-book-by-david-misch.html'>FUNNY: THE BOOK by David Misch</a> </h3> <div class='post-header'> <div class='post-header-line-1'></div> </div> <div class='post-body entry-content' id='post-body-6923526926212351860' itemprop='description articleBody'> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifzTw667eZ-m-oRGdxA_YM6D_VIUzkDVVb9F2XH-R3FmXr2tNO1z9UJd6z6zdVz4ptXrs2nvaBD8wsvi45g-6NGjKFtLW0J18rtvYCssNqq038qt8-l9iOFPp3Zg3TZrh94tPyWugycDw/s1600/Funny+the+Book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifzTw667eZ-m-oRGdxA_YM6D_VIUzkDVVb9F2XH-R3FmXr2tNO1z9UJd6z6zdVz4ptXrs2nvaBD8wsvi45g-6NGjKFtLW0J18rtvYCssNqq038qt8-l9iOFPp3Zg3TZrh94tPyWugycDw/s1600/Funny+the+Book.jpg" width="215" /></a></div> David Misch, a TV and movie writer whose work includes <i>Mork & Mindy</i>, <i>Duckman</i>, and <i>The Muppets Take Manhattan</i> (1984), is a big fan of classic movie comedies, which shows in his book-length contemplation of comedy, <i><a href="http://www.funnythebook.com/" target="_blank">Funny: The Book</a> </i>(2012). Although not targeted specifically at classic movie fans, <i>Funny: The Book</i> certainly has plenty to keep those readers entertained, but it also ranges far and wide across human history to ponder the nature of humor, even taking in biology, religion, Lenny Bruce, and existentialist philosophy. The result is a book that is thought-provoking, educational, and, yes, funny, and it really ought to appeal to anyone who wants to take comedy a little more seriously.<br /> <br /> Misch devotes whole sections of his book to personal favorites like The Marx Brothers and Buster Keaton, but classic movie references and discussions pop up in every chapter (the caption beneath one photo of Edward G. Robinson in <i>Little Caesar</i> made me laugh, but of course it's only funny if you recognize Robinson and the role he's playing). Bob Hope, Jack Benny, Milton Berle, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Mae West, and Laurel & Hardy all make appearances, as well. Even chapters that are really about more recent comedians and other genres reveal Misch's interest in and knowledge of classic film.<br /> <br /> Cinephiles with a looser definition of "classic" will particularly enjoy chapters about Steve Martin, Woody Allen, and Richard Pryor, while those who also keep up with current media will appreciate the discussion of <i>The Office</i>. The academically inclined will approve of Misch's efforts to cover ancient history, mythology, the Jungian concept of the Trickster, and even the physiological aspects of humor. Misch manages to incorporate a lot of intellectual material into the book in a way that makes it painless and even entertaining to absorb.<br /> <br /> If you happen to be familiar with Charlene Fix's 2013 book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Harpo-Marx-Trickster-Charlene-Fix-ebook/dp/B00BR2GT28/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1398099441&sr=1-5&keywords=harpo+marx" target="_blank"><i>Harpo Marx as Trickster</i></a>, you will definitely find an interesting parallel in Misch's work, since both books cover the Trickster archetype and the Marx Brothers as embodiments of it, although each author explores the idea in a unique way. Those who enjoy Misch's chapter on Buster Keaton should also check out <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Buster-Keatons-Silent-Shorts-1920-1923-ebook/dp/B00B60DR8A/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1398099573&sr=1-11&keywords=buster+keaton" target="_blank"><i>Buster Keaton's Silent Shorts: 1920-1923</i></a> by James L. Neibaur and Terri Niemi, which goes into more detail about Keaton's particular style of comedy. Edward McPherson's 2007 biography, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Buster-Keaton-Tempest-Flat-Hat/dp/1557046646/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1398099706&sr=1-7&keywords=buster+keaton" target="_blank"><i>Buster Keaton: Tempest in a Flat Hat</i></a>, would also make a very good follow-up selection.<br /> <br /> Personally, I really enjoyed <i>Funny: The Book</i>, and it prompted me to think about the classic movie comedies I love and why they make me laugh. I was particularly inspired to ask other people what movies they thought were funny and why, and there might well be an upcoming blog post on that topic.<br /> <br /> To sum it all up - If you read <i>Funny: The Book</i>, be prepared to laugh out loud and think deeply at the same time.<br /> <br /> <i>Note: The publisher provided me with a free review copy of this book. No promise of a positive review was made or expected in exchange for this courtesy.</i> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </div> <div class='post-footer'> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-1'> <span class='post-author vcard'> Posted by <span class='fn' itemprop='author' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/Person'> <meta content='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' itemprop='url'/> <a class='g-profile' href='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' rel='author' title='author profile'> <span itemprop='name'>Jennifer Garlen</span> </a> </span> </span> <span class='post-timestamp'> at <meta content='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/04/funny-book-by-david-misch.html' itemprop='url'/> <a class='timestamp-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/04/funny-book-by-david-misch.html' rel='bookmark' title='permanent link'><abbr class='published' itemprop='datePublished' title='2014-04-21T12:11:00-05:00'>12:11 PM</abbr></a> </span> <span class='post-comment-link'> <a class='comment-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/04/funny-book-by-david-misch.html#comment-form' onclick=''> No comments: </a> </span> <span class='post-icons'> <span class='item-control blog-admin pid-1381533247'> <a href='https://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=6923526926212351860&from=pencil' title='Edit Post'> <img alt='' class='icon-action' height='18' src='https://resources.blogblog.com/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif' width='18'/> </a> </span> </span> <div class='post-share-buttons goog-inline-block'> <a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-email' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=6923526926212351860&target=email' target='_blank' title='Email This'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Email This</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-blog' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=6923526926212351860&target=blog' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=270,width=475"); return false;' target='_blank' title='BlogThis!'><span class='share-button-link-text'>BlogThis!</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-twitter' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=6923526926212351860&target=twitter' target='_blank' title='Share to X'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to X</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-facebook' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=6923526926212351860&target=facebook' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=430,width=640"); return false;' target='_blank' title='Share to Facebook'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Facebook</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-pinterest' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=6923526926212351860&target=pinterest' target='_blank' title='Share to Pinterest'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Pinterest</span></a> </div> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-2'> <span class='post-labels'> Labels: <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/book%20review' rel='tag'>book review</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/books' rel='tag'>books</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/Buster%20Keaton' rel='tag'>Buster Keaton</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/Comedy' rel='tag'>Comedy</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Marx%20Brothers' rel='tag'>The Marx Brothers</a> </span> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-3'> <span class='post-location'> </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div></div> <div class="date-outer"> <h2 class='date-header'><span>Monday, April 14, 2014</span></h2> <div class="date-posts"> <div class='post-outer'> <div class='post hentry uncustomized-post-template' itemprop='blogPost' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/BlogPosting'> <meta content='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4fwyiDsWWhMh1XnqRg2jjAfI3UVjX8f9wHaWuPBu3diurjWSulYLIE2HT1FvbTpu8m2gGPfkRuWJ-JNWO_x-JdmMQyV7NVN68J92K21blnG6gVnT_huxdsggnM3uMmlTzohFQEQPt_tc/s1600/Complicated+Women.jpg' itemprop='image_url'/> <meta content='6674155568953505652' itemprop='blogId'/> <meta content='7418983617412001583' itemprop='postId'/> <a name='7418983617412001583'></a> <h3 class='post-title entry-title' itemprop='name'> <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/04/book-review-complicated-women-by-mick.html'>Book Review: COMPLICATED WOMEN by Mick LaSalle</a> </h3> <div class='post-header'> <div class='post-header-line-1'></div> </div> <div class='post-body entry-content' id='post-body-7418983617412001583' itemprop='description articleBody'> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4fwyiDsWWhMh1XnqRg2jjAfI3UVjX8f9wHaWuPBu3diurjWSulYLIE2HT1FvbTpu8m2gGPfkRuWJ-JNWO_x-JdmMQyV7NVN68J92K21blnG6gVnT_huxdsggnM3uMmlTzohFQEQPt_tc/s1600/Complicated+Women.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4fwyiDsWWhMh1XnqRg2jjAfI3UVjX8f9wHaWuPBu3diurjWSulYLIE2HT1FvbTpu8m2gGPfkRuWJ-JNWO_x-JdmMQyV7NVN68J92K21blnG6gVnT_huxdsggnM3uMmlTzohFQEQPt_tc/s1600/Complicated+Women.jpg" width="204" /></a></div> First published in 2001, Mick LaSalle's <i>Complicated Women: Sex and Power in Pre-Code Hollywood</i> is primarily a feminist consideration of Pre-Code actresses and the roles they were able to play before Joseph Breen threw a big, wet blanket on the Tinseltown party in 1934. Although it is probably not an ideal introduction to Pre-Code pictures for the absolute novice, <i>Complicated Women</i> is a very good resource for those who already know something about the era and its stars, and it's written in a casual, personal voice that will appeal to classic movie fans who aren't necessarily academic in their approach to pictures.<br /> <br /> LaSalle, who reviews movies for the <a href="http://blog.sfgate.com/mlasalle/" target="_blank">San Francisco Chronicle</a>, focuses on the actresses who helped to define the distinctive themes and styles of the Pre-Code era. Starting with Norma Shearer and Greta Garbo, he works his way through discussions of Jean Harlow, Barbara Stanwyck, Kay Francis, Joan Crawford, Ann Harding, Joan Blondell, Ann Dvorak, Miriam Hopkins, and other leading ladies who rose to stardom during the early days of the talkies. LaSalle contrasts the kinds of pictures these women were making before 1934 with the melodramas that came into favor after the strict enforcement of the Hays Code, and he argues that Hollywood - and perhaps society as a whole - were forced to take a big step backwards in terms of women's liberties and sexual freedom because of the rabidly conservative forces that lined up behind Joseph Breen. In LaSalle's view, the Hays Code was primarily and vindictively concerned with screen images of women enjoying active sex lives, pursuing careers, and being perceived as morally complex individuals; the Code attempted to shut down these visions of gender equality and force women to see themselves in the old 19th-century roles as domestic angels or worldly temptresses, with the temptresses inevitably being punished for their sins.<br /> <br /> The book reveals LaSalle's particular interest in Shearer and Garbo, to whom he devotes the lion's share of his attention. In contrast, he clearly has no love for Joan Crawford, whom he often describes in pejorative terms. While his discussions of Harlow, Stanwyck, and Blondell are intriguing, most readers will probably finish the book wishing there had been more pages dedicated to them. There's a reason Norma Shearer graces the cover of <i>Complicated Women</i>, and Shearer fans will be delighted to find LaSalle championing her cause most emphatically. LaSalle's treatment of the movies made in the later 1930s and 1940s might upset fans of that period, especially those who love the women's weepies, or melodramas, that made huge stars of Crawford and Bette Davis. LaSalle finds these pictures stifling in their reactionary images of women who must give up sexual freedom, economic independence, and even personal integrity in order to please the flawed men who expect so much from them. He observes that 1940s film noir escapes from the Code's strictures in its depictions of the <i>femme fatale</i>, who often conforms to the letter of the Code by getting killed for her iniquities but also impresses viewers with her strength and refusal to submit to conventional morality. Toward the end of the book, LaSalle speculates about more modern actresses as the heirs to Shearer and Garbo's legacies, but classic movie fans might find these segments the least compelling of the whole work, since they deal in actresses who might not even be familiar to those who haven't seen a lot of their films.<br /> <br /> Reading the book in 2014, it's hard not to wonder what LaSalle thinks has changed since <i>Complicated Women</i> was first published. Pre-Code movies have become much easier to watch with the advent of streaming and specialized services and television channels. Has Shearer's reputation risen with the success of Turner Classic Movies and the arrival of Warner Archive and Warner Archive Instant? Have the movies finally caught up with Pre-Code visions of women's sexual and professional lives? While LaSalle did publish a follow-up, <i>Dangerous Men: Pre-Code Hollywood and the Birth of the Modern Man</i>, in 2002, he hasn't produced another book since then. Maybe it's time for him to provide readers with a new consideration of Pre-Codes that turns more of its attention to the other actresses who enjoyed their greatest success during that brief, wild fling before Breen and his cronies shut the party down.<br /> <br /> <i>Complicated Women</i> is currently available in paperback on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Complicated-Women-Power-Pre-Code-Hollywood/dp/0312284314/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-2&qid=1397495068" target="_blank">Amazon</a> for just over $12. It would make a great Mother's Day gift for Norma Shearer devotees or fans of Pre-Code film. <div style='clear: both;'></div> </div> <div class='post-footer'> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-1'> <span class='post-author vcard'> Posted by <span class='fn' itemprop='author' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/Person'> <meta content='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' itemprop='url'/> <a class='g-profile' href='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' rel='author' title='author profile'> <span itemprop='name'>Jennifer Garlen</span> </a> </span> </span> <span class='post-timestamp'> at <meta content='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/04/book-review-complicated-women-by-mick.html' itemprop='url'/> <a class='timestamp-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/04/book-review-complicated-women-by-mick.html' rel='bookmark' title='permanent link'><abbr class='published' itemprop='datePublished' title='2014-04-14T12:12:00-05:00'>12:12 PM</abbr></a> </span> <span class='post-comment-link'> <a class='comment-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/04/book-review-complicated-women-by-mick.html#comment-form' onclick=''> No comments: </a> </span> <span class='post-icons'> <span class='item-control blog-admin pid-1381533247'> <a href='https://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=7418983617412001583&from=pencil' title='Edit Post'> <img alt='' class='icon-action' height='18' src='https://resources.blogblog.com/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif' width='18'/> </a> </span> </span> <div class='post-share-buttons goog-inline-block'> <a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-email' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=7418983617412001583&target=email' target='_blank' title='Email This'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Email This</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-blog' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=7418983617412001583&target=blog' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=270,width=475"); return false;' target='_blank' title='BlogThis!'><span class='share-button-link-text'>BlogThis!</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-twitter' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=7418983617412001583&target=twitter' target='_blank' title='Share to X'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to X</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-facebook' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=7418983617412001583&target=facebook' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=430,width=640"); return false;' target='_blank' title='Share to Facebook'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Facebook</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-pinterest' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=7418983617412001583&target=pinterest' target='_blank' title='Share to Pinterest'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Pinterest</span></a> </div> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-2'> <span class='post-labels'> Labels: <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/book%20review' rel='tag'>book review</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/books' rel='tag'>books</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/feminism' rel='tag'>feminism</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/gender' rel='tag'>gender</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/Greta%20Garbo' rel='tag'>Greta Garbo</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/Mick%20LaSalle' rel='tag'>Mick LaSalle</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/Norma%20Shearer' rel='tag'>Norma Shearer</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/Pre-Code' rel='tag'>Pre-Code</a> </span> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-3'> <span class='post-location'> </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div></div> <div class="date-outer"> <h2 class='date-header'><span>Tuesday, February 18, 2014</span></h2> <div class="date-posts"> <div class='post-outer'> <div class='post hentry uncustomized-post-template' itemprop='blogPost' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/BlogPosting'> <meta content='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUEsRdFabpHesi033NRbRFDE8PqMqq9L5G8PnYK5C0kKMTNJJIvSDJyiIy8Qxurfz8DK1oXGXcwxToLyfnZnVwYVSYjGGRpo1NIiK9zYHGDQrNN3ssuIPzJBd2RdAyZVys_x8Dbvw5zo4/s1600/Spinsters+cover.jpg' itemprop='image_url'/> <meta content='6674155568953505652' itemprop='blogId'/> <meta content='7772440931691035014' itemprop='postId'/> <a name='7772440931691035014'></a> <h3 class='post-title entry-title' itemprop='name'> <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/02/short-stories-for-classic-horror-fans.html'>Short Stories for Classic Horror Fans</a> </h3> <div class='post-header'> <div class='post-header-line-1'></div> </div> <div class='post-body entry-content' id='post-body-7772440931691035014' itemprop='description articleBody'> Here on Virtual Virago, I write primarily about classic movies, but that's not the only kind of writing that I do. In the last year I finally gathered my courage and started publishing short stories on Kindle at Amazon; I'm also slowly working my way through a novel, but I love the faster turnaround time that short fiction allows, and I taught short stories for so many years that they feel very comfortable and familiar to me.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUEsRdFabpHesi033NRbRFDE8PqMqq9L5G8PnYK5C0kKMTNJJIvSDJyiIy8Qxurfz8DK1oXGXcwxToLyfnZnVwYVSYjGGRpo1NIiK9zYHGDQrNN3ssuIPzJBd2RdAyZVys_x8Dbvw5zo4/s1600/Spinsters+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUEsRdFabpHesi033NRbRFDE8PqMqq9L5G8PnYK5C0kKMTNJJIvSDJyiIy8Qxurfz8DK1oXGXcwxToLyfnZnVwYVSYjGGRpo1NIiK9zYHGDQrNN3ssuIPzJBd2RdAyZVys_x8Dbvw5zo4/s1600/Spinsters+cover.jpg" width="201" /></a></div> The short stories that I write generally fall into the categories of horror, fantasy, or science fiction, but they are deeply influenced by my lifelong passion for classic horror movies and literature. I'm not particularly interested in gore; I prefer the psychological thrills of Val Lewton's work to the slashers of more recent years. Poetic justice is also a going concern; I like to see bad apples forcibly tossed out of the mortal barrel. Hopefully those are things that you also enjoy.<br /> <br /> Here are the short stories currently published on Kindle; I hope you'll take a look and maybe even read one or two. I put them on free promo as often as they are eligible, but I certainly wouldn't mind a few actual sales!<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Desiccated-Jennifer-Garlen-ebook/dp/B00GF5F4TG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1392743988&sr=8-2&keywords=desiccated" target="_blank">DESICCATED</a> - You know how all of those old mummy movies feature reincarnated Egyptian princesses? You get one here, too, but seen from the perspective of an overwhelmed young mother. Most of my stories play in my head like <i>Twilight Zone</i> episodes, but this one has more of an <i>Amazing Stories</i> feel to it.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Spinsters-Jennifer-Garlen-ebook/dp/B00F3PD5AE/ref=la_B009BHNAVE_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1392744204&sr=1-5" target="_blank">THE SPINSTERS</a>- I love <i>Arsenic and Old Lace</i>. I have a thing for oddball old ladies. These sweet little spinsters have a surprise or two for an unscrupulous con man who preys on the elderly.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/This-Not-Life-Jennifer-Garlen-ebook/dp/B00FBUUHSE/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0AN7SBEQB0JPH13WD2KN" target="_blank">THIS IS NOT A LIFE</a>  - Shakespeare, Magritte, and the conventions of classic science fiction mingle in this story, which also owes a debt to <i>Forbidden Planet</i>. I originally had the title in French, but I decided that was a bit too much. Still, "Ceci n'est pas une vie" has a certain ring to it, I think.<br /> <br /> <br /> Several more stories are currently in various stages of completion. I hope to have a full book-length collection up on Kindle sometime in the spring!<br /> <br /> If you're curious about the other kinds of writing that keep me busy, you can check out my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Jennifer-C.-Garlen/e/B009BHNAVE/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0" target="_blank">Amazon Author Page</a>, although it doesn't include the editions of classic novels I have worked on for Barnes & Noble. <div style='clear: both;'></div> </div> <div class='post-footer'> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-1'> <span class='post-author vcard'> Posted by <span class='fn' itemprop='author' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/Person'> <meta content='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' itemprop='url'/> <a class='g-profile' href='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' rel='author' title='author profile'> <span itemprop='name'>Jennifer Garlen</span> </a> </span> </span> <span class='post-timestamp'> at <meta content='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/02/short-stories-for-classic-horror-fans.html' itemprop='url'/> <a class='timestamp-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/02/short-stories-for-classic-horror-fans.html' rel='bookmark' title='permanent link'><abbr class='published' itemprop='datePublished' title='2014-02-18T11:44:00-06:00'>11:44 AM</abbr></a> </span> <span class='post-comment-link'> <a class='comment-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/02/short-stories-for-classic-horror-fans.html#comment-form' onclick=''> No comments: </a> </span> <span class='post-icons'> <span class='item-control blog-admin pid-1381533247'> <a href='https://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=7772440931691035014&from=pencil' title='Edit Post'> <img alt='' class='icon-action' height='18' src='https://resources.blogblog.com/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif' width='18'/> </a> </span> </span> <div class='post-share-buttons goog-inline-block'> <a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-email' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=7772440931691035014&target=email' target='_blank' title='Email This'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Email This</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-blog' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=7772440931691035014&target=blog' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=270,width=475"); return false;' target='_blank' title='BlogThis!'><span class='share-button-link-text'>BlogThis!</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-twitter' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=7772440931691035014&target=twitter' target='_blank' title='Share to X'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to X</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-facebook' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=7772440931691035014&target=facebook' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=430,width=640"); return false;' target='_blank' title='Share to Facebook'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Facebook</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-pinterest' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=7772440931691035014&target=pinterest' target='_blank' title='Share to Pinterest'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Pinterest</span></a> </div> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-2'> <span class='post-labels'> Labels: <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/Amazon' rel='tag'>Amazon</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/books' rel='tag'>books</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/horror' rel='tag'>horror</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/personal' rel='tag'>personal</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/Science%20Fiction' rel='tag'>Science Fiction</a> </span> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-3'> <span class='post-location'> </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div></div> <div class="date-outer"> <h2 class='date-header'><span>Friday, January 24, 2014</span></h2> <div class="date-posts"> <div class='post-outer'> <div class='post hentry uncustomized-post-template' itemprop='blogPost' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/BlogPosting'> <meta content='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_RqHGs1UuIkzISVplTb4HrFbOqZVOJK2jdCcCiTfbHau1rlYtNdEuyD60QAnhBPPu3m23N84HXYpiFPI374eN1azy1vkvZ3D0bFspF6TG2YWngHjPHnfihKCMRfi8hYNU4JIMF_kA2os/s1600/Beyond+Cas+2.jpg' itemprop='image_url'/> <meta content='6674155568953505652' itemprop='blogId'/> <meta content='8797377698599484512' itemprop='postId'/> <a name='8797377698599484512'></a> <h3 class='post-title entry-title' itemprop='name'> <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/01/beyond-casablanca-ii-is-now-on-kindle.html'>BEYOND CASABLANCA II is now on Kindle</a> </h3> <div class='post-header'> <div class='post-header-line-1'></div> </div> <div class='post-body entry-content' id='post-body-8797377698599484512' itemprop='description articleBody'> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_RqHGs1UuIkzISVplTb4HrFbOqZVOJK2jdCcCiTfbHau1rlYtNdEuyD60QAnhBPPu3m23N84HXYpiFPI374eN1azy1vkvZ3D0bFspF6TG2YWngHjPHnfihKCMRfi8hYNU4JIMF_kA2os/s1600/Beyond+Cas+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_RqHGs1UuIkzISVplTb4HrFbOqZVOJK2jdCcCiTfbHau1rlYtNdEuyD60QAnhBPPu3m23N84HXYpiFPI374eN1azy1vkvZ3D0bFspF6TG2YWngHjPHnfihKCMRfi8hYNU4JIMF_kA2os/s1600/Beyond+Cas+2.jpg" /></a></div> My second collection of classic movie reviews is now available on Kindle, and to celebrate its arrival it will be free all this weekend. I hope that anyone who enjoys the blog will download a copy!<br /> <br /> BEYOND CASABLANCA II: 101 CLASSIC MOVIES WORTH WATCHING offers a whole new collection of classic film reviews to expand your movie watchlist even farther beyond the original book's selections. This time I've moved into the 1960s to include great films like <i>The Music Man</i> <i>(1962)</i>, <i>Wait Until Dark</i> (1967), and <i>Guess Who's Coming to Dinner</i> (1967). You'll find silent films like <i>The Cat and the Canary</i> (1927), <i>The Doll</i> (1919), and <i>The Phantom of the Opera</i> (1925). As always, the book covers every genre and decade, and the movies selected represent more than 75 directors and hundreds of notable performers.<br /> <br /> Unlike the Leonard Maltin guide, which offers only capsule reviews, I provide an essay-length discussion of each movie included, although I try to keep spoilers and plot summary to a minimum so that you can fully enjoy watching the pictures for yourself. Every review ends with suggestions for what to watch next, and the three index sections group movies by year, director, and notable cast members so that you can find more of what you like best.<br /> <br /> Right now the new book is only available on Kindle, but the original continues to be in both paperback and Kindle editions. I'll let everyone know if a paperback edition of BEYOND CASABLANCA II becomes an option in the future.<br /> <br /> Here's the link to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HX8V038" target="_blank">BEYOND CASABLANCA II</a> on Kindle! <div style='clear: both;'></div> </div> <div class='post-footer'> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-1'> <span class='post-author vcard'> Posted by <span class='fn' itemprop='author' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/Person'> <meta content='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' itemprop='url'/> <a class='g-profile' href='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' rel='author' title='author profile'> <span itemprop='name'>Jennifer Garlen</span> </a> </span> </span> <span class='post-timestamp'> at <meta content='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/01/beyond-casablanca-ii-is-now-on-kindle.html' itemprop='url'/> <a class='timestamp-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/01/beyond-casablanca-ii-is-now-on-kindle.html' rel='bookmark' title='permanent link'><abbr class='published' itemprop='datePublished' title='2014-01-24T09:49:00-06:00'>9:49 AM</abbr></a> </span> <span class='post-comment-link'> <a class='comment-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/01/beyond-casablanca-ii-is-now-on-kindle.html#comment-form' onclick=''> No comments: </a> </span> <span class='post-icons'> <span class='item-control blog-admin pid-1381533247'> <a href='https://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=8797377698599484512&from=pencil' title='Edit Post'> <img alt='' class='icon-action' height='18' src='https://resources.blogblog.com/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif' width='18'/> </a> </span> </span> <div class='post-share-buttons goog-inline-block'> <a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-email' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=8797377698599484512&target=email' target='_blank' title='Email This'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Email This</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-blog' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=8797377698599484512&target=blog' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=270,width=475"); return false;' target='_blank' title='BlogThis!'><span class='share-button-link-text'>BlogThis!</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-twitter' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=8797377698599484512&target=twitter' target='_blank' title='Share to X'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to X</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-facebook' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=8797377698599484512&target=facebook' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=430,width=640"); return false;' target='_blank' title='Share to Facebook'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Facebook</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-pinterest' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=8797377698599484512&target=pinterest' target='_blank' title='Share to Pinterest'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Pinterest</span></a> </div> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-2'> <span class='post-labels'> Labels: <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/Beyond%20Casablanca%20II' rel='tag'>Beyond Casablanca II</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/books' rel='tag'>books</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/classic%20movies' rel='tag'>classic movies</a>, <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/search/label/movie%20review' rel='tag'>movie review</a> </span> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-3'> <span class='post-location'> </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div></div> <div class="date-outer"> <h2 class='date-header'><span>Friday, January 17, 2014</span></h2> <div class="date-posts"> <div class='post-outer'> <div class='post hentry uncustomized-post-template' itemprop='blogPost' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/BlogPosting'> <meta content='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSS5lHE7KE017f9YX4sYuoeUqn2Q8e8bD8GHXg9BD6ptNww36M3qqEyASIPAW4q08tcueYcrRheVY_gynfakd7KhOgtQ4w5piR1AFL-aDwvP8BGcXHxPPDustHUISBfI8ItgA8g437Qd0/s1600/Jennifer+author.jpg' itemprop='image_url'/> <meta content='6674155568953505652' itemprop='blogId'/> <meta content='1694897661862921905' itemprop='postId'/> <a name='1694897661862921905'></a> <h3 class='post-title entry-title' itemprop='name'> <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/01/a-sneak-peek-at-beyond-casablanca-ii.html'>A Sneak Peek at BEYOND CASABLANCA II</a> </h3> <div class='post-header'> <div class='post-header-line-1'></div> </div> <div class='post-body entry-content' id='post-body-1694897661862921905' itemprop='description articleBody'> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSS5lHE7KE017f9YX4sYuoeUqn2Q8e8bD8GHXg9BD6ptNww36M3qqEyASIPAW4q08tcueYcrRheVY_gynfakd7KhOgtQ4w5piR1AFL-aDwvP8BGcXHxPPDustHUISBfI8ItgA8g437Qd0/s1600/Jennifer+author.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSS5lHE7KE017f9YX4sYuoeUqn2Q8e8bD8GHXg9BD6ptNww36M3qqEyASIPAW4q08tcueYcrRheVY_gynfakd7KhOgtQ4w5piR1AFL-aDwvP8BGcXHxPPDustHUISBfI8ItgA8g437Qd0/s1600/Jennifer+author.jpg" width="200" /></a></div> I am almost ready to announce the publication of BEYOND CASABLANCA II: 101 CLASSIC MOVIES WORTH WATCHING, and with any luck it will be ready for readers in the next few days. In the mean time, I wanted to share the Table of Contents so that you can get a peek at the 101 movies I'm reviewing in the new book. Here are all of the films included in the new collection!<br /> <br /> <br />  <br /> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Apartment (1960)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Bad Seed (1956)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Band Wagon (1953)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Birds (1963)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Blood and Sand (1941)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Brief Encounter (1945)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Canterville Ghost (1944)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Cape Fear (1962)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Captains Courageous (1937)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Cat and the Canary (1927)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Charade (1963)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Cheaper by the Dozen (1950)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Desk Set (1957)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Dial M for Murder (1954)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Divorcee (1930)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Doll (1919)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Don’t Bother to Knock (1952)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Dragonwyck (1946)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Enchanted Cottage (1945)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Eyes without a Face (1960)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Father of the Bride (1950)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Fort Apache (1948)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">42<sup>nd</sup> Street (1933)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Fury (1936)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Girl from Missouri (1934)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Grand Hotel (1932)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Great Race (1965)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Gunfighter (1950)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Gunga Din (1939)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Haunting (1963)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">High Sierra (1941)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Holiday (1938)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">House on Haunted Hill (1959)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">How Green Was My Valley (1941)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I Married a Witch (1942)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Innocents (1961)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Island of Lost Souls (1932)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Jane Eyre (1943)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Jason and the Argonauts (1963)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Jazz Singer (1927)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Jewel Robbery (1932)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Lawrence of Arabia (1962)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Letter (1940)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Lifeboat (1944)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Little Caesar (1931)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Lodger (1944)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Mad Love (1935)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Man from Laramie (1955)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">McLintock! (1963)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Midnight (1939)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Mister Roberts (1955)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Modern Times (1936)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Monkey Business (1952)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Music Man (1962)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">My Darling Clementine (1946)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">National Velvet (1944)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Niagara (1953)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Night Nurse (1931)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Night of the Demon (1957)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Of Human Bondage (1934)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">On Approval (1944)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">On Dangerous Ground (1952)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Palm Beach Story (1942)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Pat and Mike (1952)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Peeping Tom (1960)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Phantom of the Opera (1925)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Roman Holiday (1953)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Ruggles of Red Gap (1935)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Safety Last! (1923)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Seven Year Itch (1955)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Stalag 17 (1953)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Stranger (1946)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Swing Time (1936)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Tension (1949)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">They Drive by Night (1940)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Thing from Another World (1951)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Three Musketeers (1948)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Torch Song (1953)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Touch of Evil (1958)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Trouble with Angels (1966)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Vertigo (1958)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Wait Until Dark (1967)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Westward the Women (1951)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">White Christmas (1954)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Witness for the Prosecution (1957)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Women (1939)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">You Can’t Take It with You (1938)</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">If you read the blog very often, you'll recognize some of these movies as ones that I have reviewed here, but lots of the reviews are exclusive to the new book. As you can see, I'm venturing a little farther forward in time with this collection by including movies from the 1960s. That trade-off means the focus is a little more explicitly American and British; one of these days I'll put together a world cinema collection, but for now my audience tends to be more mainstream. Like the original book, BEYOND CASABLANCA II offers movies from many different genres, decades, directors, and stars, and balancing all of those elements with the need to get most of the alphabet covered is no small task.</span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">BEYOND CASABLANCA II is going to be available exclusively on Kindle for now; I want to see how it does before I commit to doing a print edition. The retail price will be $4.99, but I hope to run a free promo for it once it goes live. </span></div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </div> <div class='post-footer'> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-1'> <span class='post-author vcard'> Posted by <span class='fn' itemprop='author' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/Person'> <meta content='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' itemprop='url'/> <a class='g-profile' href='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' rel='author' title='author profile'> <span itemprop='name'>Jennifer Garlen</span> </a> </span> </span> <span class='post-timestamp'> at <meta content='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/01/a-sneak-peek-at-beyond-casablanca-ii.html' itemprop='url'/> <a class='timestamp-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/01/a-sneak-peek-at-beyond-casablanca-ii.html' rel='bookmark' title='permanent link'><abbr class='published' itemprop='datePublished' title='2014-01-17T17:04:00-06:00'>5:04 PM</abbr></a> </span> <span class='post-comment-link'> <a class='comment-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/01/a-sneak-peek-at-beyond-casablanca-ii.html#comment-form' onclick=''> No comments: </a> </span> <span class='post-icons'> <span class='item-control blog-admin pid-1381533247'> <a href='https://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=1694897661862921905&from=pencil' title='Edit Post'> <img alt='' class='icon-action' height='18' src='https://resources.blogblog.com/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif' width='18'/> </a> </span> </span> <div class='post-share-buttons goog-inline-block'> <a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-email' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=1694897661862921905&target=email' target='_blank' title='Email This'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Email This</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-blog' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=6674155568953505652&postID=1694897661862921905&target=blog' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=270,width=475"); 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Check out <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Casablanca-Classic-Watching-ebook/dp/B00B5MSWPC">BEYOND CASABLANCA: 100 CLASSIC MOVIES WORTH WATCHING.</a> It's available in paperback and Kindle editions on Amazon.com.<br/> </div> <div class='clear'></div> </div><div class='widget Profile' data-version='1' id='Profile1'> <h2>About Me</h2> <div class='widget-content'> <dl class='profile-datablock'> <dt class='profile-data'> <a class='profile-name-link g-profile' href='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' rel='author' style='background-image: url(//www.blogger.com/img/logo-16.png);'> Jennifer Garlen </a> </dt> </dl> <a class='profile-link' href='https://www.blogger.com/profile/05400915069469993143' rel='author'>View my complete profile</a> <div class='clear'></div> </div> </div><div class='widget PopularPosts' data-version='1' id='PopularPosts2'> <h2>Popular Posts</h2> <div class='widget-content popular-posts'> <ul> <li> <div class='item-content'> <div class='item-thumbnail'> <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/01/genre-index-for-beyond-casablanca-ii.html' target='_blank'> <img alt='' border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpgzfuL1WMWm4XhEe5NZ5C1-IGMtpasbIxdY23zwBTs_NgJih54M4UXLBiDJzBGnEGDPe_-fFn1k18AuIJIQER3QkZGXUlldDetzrQj1qOCQY3izkZKQZUaUTvsI-xdYTPGNVFBz651X4/w72-h72-p-k-no-nu/Beyond+Cas+2.jpg'/> </a> </div> <div class='item-title'><a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/01/genre-index-for-beyond-casablanca-ii.html'>Genre Index for BEYOND CASABLANCA II</a></div> <div class='item-snippet'> A friend of mine requested an index of the films in BEYOND CASABLANCA II organized by genre. The book has three index sections already, wi...</div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> <li> <div class='item-content'> <div class='item-thumbnail'> <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-good-bad-and-ending-of-les.html' target='_blank'> <img alt='' border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxdYUPUiC5VqKzEkG5Tbt1h7x8M0BdyTm3Pu0FX1cTkznx9lxs-UfZhP5-86nNi12LwF4AChMox1Ydcv_Lp3fnCcuHfrYNWAeg3fH9YS2qnQV8xgesGmpqvN7xb5zReay-0n7hz-uYaoI/w72-h72-p-k-no-nu/Diabolique.jpg'/> </a> </div> <div class='item-title'><a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-good-bad-and-ending-of-les.html'>The Good, the Bad, and the Ending of LES DIABOLIQUES (1955)</a></div> <div class='item-snippet'> Spoiler alert! This essay discusses the ending of the film at length. Viewers who want to be surprised by the ending should not read thi...</div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> <li> <div class='item-content'> <div class='item-thumbnail'> <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2025/01/2024-movie-log-in-review.html' target='_blank'> <img alt='' border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBFXQVac5s2hQEuZcueVOpGi09Ho5hqAzenWaZVAB1zLrbMSJSRZXhU90GFSeiPBwv4riZcZSZEgwL_5y_ZnOHbYn4EvL2n4lMA4ae_2pf7GkIOP87t5Ppvr1X1SfEjJTam2S-3bnP8nLBqWMLEgSNN3gOnODwl3BnwOy5exCJ-4UShBrE8vD2TuqIHw8/w72-h72-p-k-no-nu/Hundreds%20of%20Beavers.jpg'/> </a> </div> <div class='item-title'><a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2025/01/2024-movie-log-in-review.html'>2024 Movie Log in Review</a></div> <div class='item-snippet'>It's time for my annual look back at the previous year's movie viewing! 2024 was another busy year for my family, and as usual my mo...</div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> <li> <div class='item-content'> <div class='item-thumbnail'> <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/10/heavy-life-and-films-of-laird-cregar.html' target='_blank'> <img alt='' border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8qXrlg_FuYVtOOsdEZqAbx3DMw3H8fhwWZLWMeos6_cNvLhqQMGzvBYybwgnqaIYHBUzu41LN-H1tD338-BWbJghzOtTMmnD1MruJFZl3pT7TfVwzY6j7XOVNjMsNTfmbgLUHDYznHP4/w72-h72-p-k-no-nu/Black+Swan.jpg'/> </a> </div> <div class='item-title'><a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/10/heavy-life-and-films-of-laird-cregar.html'>Heavy: The Life and Films of Laird Cregar</a></div> <div class='item-snippet'>             Laird Cregar is by no means a household name today, but in the early 1940s the up-and-coming 20th Century Fox star stood perche...</div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> <li> <div class='item-content'> <div class='item-thumbnail'> <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/03/classic-movies-without-cable.html' target='_blank'> <img alt='' border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlmncnKwt3YgFmvYQkSmMmw91_Zri_Im8UuLcYA94Cb6QH5kn2Ad1fP118otPX4gP-tRMymQiwy0v5NRzc-uU8cbm-4iaAFBI6Wv6SpCawigJM9c3kCVQAcqPcgLlGJoR3zl6ickQoC_U/w72-h72-p-k-no-nu/Netflix+DVD.JPG'/> </a> </div> <div class='item-title'><a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/03/classic-movies-without-cable.html'>Classic Movies Without Cable</a></div> <div class='item-snippet'> I love Turner Classic Movies. I really do. In addition to showing classic films on television, they also produce great DVD collections, bo...</div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> <li> <div class='item-content'> <div class='item-thumbnail'> <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2023/01/2022-movie-log-in-review.html' target='_blank'> <img alt='' border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC4D01wTnZcpktEUjA-TaD0YP1_0_E-ivXEAbKqqMSmXBoMW1KsK9J2pzaqim1hudjkf86I-chm4kVRsjvNbCb-qMM2dw7cDgAYdb-89e02vWJpkjsiLUK0UX97JyNN1VVn1PTD7Gt9Ysh4NswUKOvJIfV_PZfQC42FkpKso30MdDCfobxmutmjo_X/w72-h72-p-k-no-nu/Sparrows.jpg'/> </a> </div> <div class='item-title'><a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2023/01/2022-movie-log-in-review.html'>2022 Movie Log in Review</a></div> <div class='item-snippet'>Happy New Year! Here's my annual post listing every movie I watched in the previous year. Getting the Criterion Channel rather late in 2...</div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> <li> <div class='item-content'> <div class='item-thumbnail'> <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2019/07/three-favorite-movies-in-stranger.html' target='_blank'> <img alt='' border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE6jwNCief2qTvzIyrdUSGRAcYJspTaejCyaS_I4uqPLIVrZqQxHn8mXRDTmfxjAP_u3mpROsu-SkLTR_gMCaMhOrKmmWFbS6mgBYtbPMn4iIeb8UBW5f85Rac016Qt2fHpPvf9TzolM8/w72-h72-p-k-no-nu/Stranger+Things+3.jpg'/> </a> </div> <div class='item-title'><a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2019/07/three-favorite-movies-in-stranger.html'>Three Favorite Movies in STRANGER THINGS 3</a></div> <div class='item-snippet'>*Warning! Mild spoilers ahead, but only related to minor incidents. No major plot points are discussed. The third season of Stranger Thing...</div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> <li> <div class='item-content'> <div class='item-thumbnail'> <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2012/08/25-classic-movie-stars-who-changed.html' target='_blank'> <img alt='' border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPcA1sZzCc6TOAS5_QULZivm_KcWNHaKYUTZsv5GqsPbxEW7cqnoEjuHHm-r9l1QboBQJujn-iYRqK8nvtwVdoxgtUstOJEs9EMAtXFjhtUuymEoT4-5uSaRcfEGiIXV_noNCwFUIBG_U/w72-h72-p-k-no-nu/John+Wayne.jpg'/> </a> </div> <div class='item-title'><a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2012/08/25-classic-movie-stars-who-changed.html'>25 Classic Movie Stars Who Changed Their Names</a></div> <div class='item-snippet'> Marion Morrison became John Wayne.   During the studio system era, film actors and actresses changed their names for a variety of r...</div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> <li> <div class='item-content'> <div class='item-thumbnail'> <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2022/04/classic-movie-duos-katharine-hepburn.html' target='_blank'> <img alt='' border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhall0__yLGEDYsvjSz77NynWppvf-5QtT2frRAAmaOhFNCL1laD5unSVLpAtz5tFEIoLBVWpQ8n0aj1kgXPogLo_--4nZWbFovcGjFsQDHEhaDcPUptsdRb_KnWMZN4Qd_NVKZCsqe2gnrpa-3rH7kV-M5WWBEavI6cSMjPX-6C5cTpOBW3EpFwAAW/w72-h72-p-k-no-nu/Sylvia%20Scarlett%20KH%20CG.jpg'/> </a> </div> <div class='item-title'><a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2022/04/classic-movie-duos-katharine-hepburn.html'>Classic Movie Duos: Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant</a></div> <div class='item-snippet'>Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant only made four movies together, but each one is worth watching for the formidable duo and the ways in which...</div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> <li> <div class='item-content'> <div class='item-thumbnail'> <a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/03/my-grandmother-and-marjorie-main.html' target='_blank'> <img alt='' border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLnQYHKp4zZ4H8A9TGNHklYjs1OaUMhNPamojbXf3Ih9YTWDSvNrCP8yMG5nVeIS2aUCdlad-CuAtsL9cVW7pRt-G9wkXCdappYG0AQosNSFpTWWokur9s_gMlzy6tedeTGIkliGe6nQ/w72-h72-p-k-no-nu/Family+Photos_NEW.jpg'/> </a> </div> <div class='item-title'><a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/03/my-grandmother-and-marjorie-main.html'>My Grandmother and Marjorie Main</a></div> <div class='item-snippet'>In order to explain my deep and abiding affection for character actress Marjorie Main, I have to begin with my grandmother. Her name was Mau...</div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> </ul> <div class='clear'></div> </div> </div><div class='widget BlogList' data-version='1' id='BlogList1'> <h2 class='title'>My Blog List</h2> <div class='widget-content'> <div class='blog-list-container' id='BlogList1_container'> <ul id='BlogList1_blogs'> <li style='display: block;'> <div class='blog-icon'> <img data-lateloadsrc='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_svQIfy1A-tuLnTwZY8dxY1hwnELG6P5DO-2Z_XlypL05YulzUseKWNft1sRyDAwIU-egwwh8frBq3BcgH5J92ol1nQzi1fOgtUijTQhPTl7w=s16-w16-h16' height='16' width='16'/> </div> <div class='blog-content'> <div class='blog-title'> <a href='https://www.classicfilmtvcafe.com/' target='_blank'> Classic Film and TV Caf茅</a> </div> <div class='item-content'> <span class='item-title'> <a href='https://www.classicfilmtvcafe.com/2025/02/the-how-to-destroy-monster-according-to.html' target='_blank'> The "How to Destroy a Monster According to the Movies" Quiz </a> </span> <div class='item-time'> 10 hours ago </div> </div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> <li style='display: block;'> <div class='blog-icon'> <img data-lateloadsrc='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sCyi-kCK2tSmEyaXyrOxBZpXNljOhxPdAQdBZi83Y6DDMsAVPN3zTPaVCpMGaEWHpAd3pvoL-D8WzLBOs7gdcAOjSam4xNF42cyDH14A_Wz9Y5TV7-MxS6bD5l=s16-w16-h16' height='16' width='16'/> </div> <div class='blog-content'> <div class='blog-title'> <a href='http://greatentertainersarchives.blogspot.com/' target='_blank'> A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE</a> </div> <div class='item-content'> <span class='item-title'> <a href='http://greatentertainersarchives.blogspot.com/2025/02/hollywood-urban-legend-robin-williams.html' target='_blank'> HOLLYWOOD URBAN LEGEND: ROBIN WILLIAMS </a> </span> <div class='item-time'> 1 day ago </div> </div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> <li style='display: block;'> <div class='blog-icon'> <img data-lateloadsrc='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uFCv-pzqK4vyg8TX3xE44Z63-WH4SfIQx10vMbT6eg7UmYP4Ux_VQsUhjMFi5JRx6A56AXjGUAIEjq6wYPVYwhq8qfKAJgPRHRhEFPRQdBNPUE=s16-w16-h16' height='16' width='16'/> </div> <div class='blog-content'> <div class='blog-title'> <a href='http://classicmovieman.blogspot.com/' target='_blank'> Classic Movie Man</a> </div> <div class='item-content'> <span class='item-title'> <a href='http://classicmovieman.blogspot.com/2025/02/sullivans-travels-is-satirical-look-at.html' target='_blank'> Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake in Preston Sturges’s “Sullivan’s Travels” </a> </span> <div class='item-time'> 6 days ago </div> </div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> <li style='display: block;'> <div class='blog-icon'> <img data-lateloadsrc='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_v_Ab2HDZdzPyUcCeMk1w6FcN46l9QIEGe3ssVOau_ePnX9gz2pK-1RPmYG8iAKp0nxFsgM_tgJe0EOHKeEFAbKSH207Z1Ut3k4nh-b=s16-w16-h16' height='16' width='16'/> </div> <div class='blog-content'> <div class='blog-title'> <a href='http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/' target='_blank'> 2,500 Movies Challenge</a> </div> <div class='item-content'> <span class='item-title'> <a href='http://www.dvdinfatuation.com/2025/02/2987-prime-of-miss-jean-brodie-1969.html' target='_blank'> #2,987. 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data-lateloadsrc='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uXfUP0owJoV0_aNn3pgAwjwbPGfCekezTe4ZvfByCuC817JcALXMbmIQN08qC3D4S4EQ_efEZms6SS0f6e3e6qvA2YQBSqGnoe7eClD2Kz3u7EdZiacQ=s16-w16-h16' height='16' width='16'/> </div> <div class='blog-content'> <div class='blog-title'> <a href='http://myloveofoldhollywood.blogspot.com/' target='_blank'> My Love Of Old Hollywood</a> </div> <div class='item-content'> <span class='item-title'> <a href='http://myloveofoldhollywood.blogspot.com/2015/12/im-back-and-dames-are-fabulous-in-fur.html' target='_blank'> I'm Back and The Dames Are Fabulous In Fur! </a> </span> <div class='item-time'> 9 years ago </div> </div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> </ul> <div class='clear'></div> </div> </div> </div><div class='widget BlogArchive' data-version='1' id='BlogArchive1'> <h2>Blog Archive</h2> <div class='widget-content'> <div id='ArchiveList'> <div id='BlogArchive1_ArchiveList'> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate expanded'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy toggle-open'> ▼  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2025/'> 2025 </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(4)</span> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate expanded'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy toggle-open'> ▼  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2025/01/'> January </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(4)</span> <ul class='posts'> <li><a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2025/01/classic-films-in-focus-rope-1948.html'>Classic Films in Focus: ROPE (1948)</a></li> <li><a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2025/01/book-review-hitchcock-hotel-2024.html'>Book Review: THE HITCHCOCK HOTEL (2024)</a></li> <li><a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2025/01/love-in-disguise-on-criterion-channel.html'>Love in Disguise on the Criterion Channel</a></li> <li><a href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2025/01/2024-movie-log-in-review.html'>2024 Movie Log in Review</a></li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2024/'> 2024 </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(11)</span> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2024/10/'> October </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2024/09/'> September </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2024/08/'> August </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(2)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2024/06/'> June </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2024/05/'> May </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2024/03/'> March </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2024/02/'> February </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(2)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2024/01/'> January </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(2)</span> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2023/'> 2023 </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(17)</span> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2023/12/'> December </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2023/10/'> October </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2023/09/'> September </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(3)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2023/08/'> August </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2023/07/'> July </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(2)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2023/05/'> May </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(2)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2023/03/'> March </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2023/02/'> February </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(4)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2023/01/'> January </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(2)</span> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2022/'> 2022 </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(17)</span> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2022/12/'> December </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(2)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2022/11/'> November </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(3)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2022/10/'> October </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(2)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2022/09/'> September </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2022/08/'> August </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2022/06/'> June </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2022/04/'> April </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(2)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2022/03/'> March </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2022/02/'> February </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2022/01/'> January </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(3)</span> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2021/'> 2021 </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(16)</span> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2021/12/'> December </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(2)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2021/11/'> November </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2021/10/'> October </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(3)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2021/09/'> September </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(4)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2021/04/'> April </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2021/03/'> March </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2021/02/'> February </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(2)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2021/01/'> January </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(2)</span> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2020/'> 2020 </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(21)</span> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2020/12/'> December </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(2)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2020/11/'> November </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(4)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2020/10/'> October </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(3)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2020/07/'> July </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(2)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2020/06/'> June </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2020/05/'> May </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2020/04/'> April </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2020/03/'> March </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2020/02/'> February </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(2)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2020/01/'> January </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(4)</span> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2019/'> 2019 </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(16)</span> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2019/12/'> December </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(2)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2019/10/'> October </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(2)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2019/09/'> September </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(4)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2019/08/'> August </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2019/07/'> July </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(2)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2019/06/'> June </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2019/05/'> May </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2019/02/'> February </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2019/01/'> January </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(2)</span> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2018/'> 2018 </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(22)</span> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2018/11/'> November </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2018/09/'> September </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2018/08/'> August </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2018/07/'> July </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2018/06/'> June </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2018/05/'> May </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2018/04/'> April </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(3)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2018/03/'> March </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(2)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2018/02/'> February </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(6)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2018/01/'> January </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(5)</span> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2017/'> 2017 </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(19)</span> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2017/11/'> November </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2017/10/'> October </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(2)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2017/09/'> September </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(2)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2017/08/'> August </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(2)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2017/07/'> July </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(4)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2017/06/'> June </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2017/05/'> May </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2017/04/'> April </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(2)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2017/03/'> March </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2017/02/'> February </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(1)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2017/01/'> January </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(2)</span> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2016/'> 2016 </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(41)</span> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2016/12/'> December </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(2)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2016/11/'> November </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(4)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2016/10/'> October </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(4)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2016/09/'> September </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(2)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2016/08/'> August </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(2)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2016/07/'> July </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(6)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2016/06/'> June </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(2)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2016/05/'> May </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(4)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2016/04/'> April </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(3)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2016/03/'> March </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(4)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2016/02/'> February </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(5)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2016/01/'> January </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(3)</span> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2015/'> 2015 </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(57)</span> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2015/12/'> December </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(3)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2015/11/'> November </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(4)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2015/10/'> October </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(7)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2015/09/'> September </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(2)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2015/08/'> August </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(3)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2015/07/'> July </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(5)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2015/06/'> June </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(14)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2015/05/'> May </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(3)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2015/04/'> April </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(7)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2015/03/'> March </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(2)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2015/02/'> February </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(2)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2015/01/'> January </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(5)</span> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/'> 2014 </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(111)</span> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/12/'> December </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(3)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/11/'> November </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(8)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/10/'> October </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(9)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/09/'> September </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(7)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/08/'> August </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(13)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/07/'> July </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(6)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/06/'> June </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(10)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/05/'> May </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(13)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/04/'> April </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(14)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/03/'> March </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(8)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/02/'> February </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(11)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2014/01/'> January </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(9)</span> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/'> 2013 </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(144)</span> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/12/'> December </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(8)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/11/'> November </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(9)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/10/'> October </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(9)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/09/'> September </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(15)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/08/'> August </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(18)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/07/'> July </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(14)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/06/'> June </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(16)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/05/'> May </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(9)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/04/'> April </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(12)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/03/'> March </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(6)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/02/'> February </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(13)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2013/01/'> January </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(15)</span> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2012/'> 2012 </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(144)</span> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2012/12/'> December </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(13)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2012/11/'> November </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(13)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2012/10/'> October </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(34)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://virtualvirago.blogspot.com/2012/09/'> September </a> <span class='post-count' 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