Our Blog

(Beacon Press)

So you love Octavia E. Butler. We get it. We love her too.

But now what?

You’ve read Octavia E. Butler’s Kindred (1979), and you loved the time travel plot that wove seamlessly with slave narratives of the pre-Civil War South. You’ve read Fledgling (2005) too, or maybe you enjoyed Butler’s other shorter fiction like “Bloodchild,” her novelette which won the Nebula and Hugo Awards in 1985. Perhaps the current political climate had you racing towards her dystopian novels Parable of the Sower (1993) and Parable of the Talents (1998), which presented a view of the future that includes environmental horrors, walls erected around the middle class, and a terrifying fundamentalist leader whose rally cry is “Help Us to Make America Great Again.”

If you’ve enjoyed reading Butler’s fiction, we have some other writers whose work you should add to your reading list.

Nancy Drew was an iconic teen sleuth who solved mysteries involving clocks and staircases all while driving a hip blue convertible. Ever wonder what the original Nancy Drew would be like in today’s world? Yes, there is a Nancy Drew movie out right now, but ever wonder how the original character — the one whose stories are bound in a yellow spine – would handle today’s world?

Since the OGND (original gangster Nancy Drew) first appeared as a literary icon, it’s no longer a mystery if suddenly the person on the other end of the phone hangs up. There’s no more calling the phone company to track down a number. There’s no element of surprise anymore when one answers the phone. With the advent of *69, redial, caller ID and phones that flash your friend’s face on your screen when they call, we have lost any element of surprise or mystery when a phone rings. Answering phones and sudden hang-ups are no longer a clandestine mission, anymore than they are aggravating.

Here are some other instances that might trip up the OGND up in today’s world:

via GIPHY

Dating

First dates are no longer mysterious when there is Tindr, Bumble and J-Date. Not only would Nancy not have to sniff out her dream date from a slew of restaurant goers, she'd know what he looks like from his online profile! On top of that, she wouldn’t have to give side-eye or twist her mouth wondering his backstory because she already stalked him on Facebook. For these reasons alone the OGND might stay perpetually single today. Unless, of course she finds the one guy who is a serial killer, and he didn’t add that to his profile. Then her dating life would get interesting…
 

via GIPHY

Friends

Remember the time when you would sit by a landline phone waiting for your friend to call you back because she had to answer her call waiting? Or maybe you and your BFF got in a fight and it was a battle of who was going to call who first? Or you were waiting for the phone to ring to confirm plans to go to the mall? Yeah, the only waiting Nancy would do these days is waiting to see those 3 dots pop up when your friend is texting you back… but either forgot what he or she wanted to say…or forgot to hit send. Plus, if they just ghost you without turning off the "read" message, well, it won’t be a mystery if Nance stops talking to you, now will it? To the OGND, these high-tech friends would just be annoyances, like mosquitoes at a barbecue rather than intriguing. She won’t be uncovering something salacious and sinister in this mind-boggling episode.
 

via GIPHY

Mysteries

Since you can DVR, or binge on Netflix and Amazon, plus fast-forward through any show and movie, mysteries are well…no longer a mystery. Want to know who dunnit? Fast-forward to the end. Back OGND’s time videotape had not been invented yet. If she wanted to watch a mystery after a day of solving mysteries, she would have to sit through the whole show or movie. It’s not very relaxing to take work home with you – but to each their own. None of this fast-forward to the end nonsense. Nowadays she would get bored and fast. And being the top-notch detective that she is, she would know the perp in a Law and Order: SVU episode by the end of the cold open. Bo-ring.

via GIPHY

Food

The mystery of “What is in this dish?” is no longer a mystery. Since there are so many folks with food allergies these days, ingredients are either listed on the menu or the wait staff can rattle them off to you. “Is that sherry I taste in this onion soup?” The OGND would once wonder while at a relaxing dinner with her father — is now replaced by a harried waiter or waitress overhearing this as they walked by their table. Quickly, he would pivot back to Nancy and immediately ask if she was allergic. Nance wouldn’t have to leave the restaurant ever wondering what made the food taste so darn good. That secret is loooong gone.

In summation, the original Nancy Drew would be awfully bored and not challenged in the least in this new world. Every possible ounce of a mystery can now be solved in Act One or in less than ten minutes.

Season 15 of The Bachelorette has started and the drama is already ramping up. (Chill, dudes!) We’re still dissecting the entrances and opening weird flexes of all of Hannah B’s suitors. But what if – just to shake things up – Chris Harrison introduced a new group of men for next week? We were thinking…some literary dudes might fit the bill? Here’s our dream line up of literary bachelors – and exactly how we envision those first moments at the mansion playing out.

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash

When Rosario Dawson confirmed the rumor that she and Cory Booker are dating, we couldn’t help but squeal. We admit it: our first thought was “Could Rosario Dawson potentially become First Lady?” But then we walked ourselves back. Sure, we love Dawson’s activism – and the fact that she wants to run for office one day – but we’re feminists through and through. Dawson’s accomplishing so much on her own. There’s no reason we should think of her as powerful because she’s dating Cory Booker. She’s got enough power to move mountains on her own. Today, we’re looking at some of our favorite activists, letting their achievements shine. Get ready to get inspired.

Photo by Dan Farrell on Unsplash

What do you get when you cross magic, teenagers, and comics? The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Netflix’s ode to Archie comics' favorite witch. Now that we’ve seen the first season, we can’t help but conjure a list of books for the bewitching characters of Greendale.

It’s German chemist Robert Wilhelm Eberhard von Bunsen’s 207th birthday on March 31—aka National Bunsen Burner Day. To commemorate the birth of the man who invented that instrumental piece of laboratory equipment, we’re highlighting some of our favorite scientists from Sam Maggs’ Wonder Women – women who broke down barriers, made significant contributions to the field, and, in a couple of cases, didn’t even get credited for their work. Today is for them.