Ted Lasso Reads SFF, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Changelings

To view this email as a web page, go [here.]( [Tor.com Newsletter]( [Forward to a Friend]( [An illustration of little red riding hood and the wolf]( INTO THE WOODS [Mother and the Wolf: Maternal Power in Fairy Tales]( “I was trying to tell a story about motherhood, and each time I set out from home I got lost in the woods.” In this personal essay, Julie Phillips discusses the connections between motherhood, writing, and living a creative life, drawing inspiration from fairy tales as well as the experiences of artists and writers such as Ursula K. Le Guin, Angela Carter, and Audre Lorde. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( [A screencap from Ted Lasso of Ted, Beard, and Nate]( FÚTBOL IS LIFE! [SFF Reading Recommendations for the Characters of Ted Lasso]( We never thought we’d get so wrapped up in a show about sports, but Ted Lasso has captured our hearts! Jason Sudeikis has talked a lot about how heavily the show is influenced by Star Wars—so maybe the characters would like to explore some other speculative fiction as well! Here, Alex Brown recommends an SFF book for each of the show’s main characters. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( [A photo of yellow balloons with happy faces on them]( HOW DOES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL? [Five SFF Characters Who Could Have Greatly Benefited From Therapy]( People will do ambitious but wildly irrational things (set up a moon base, try to conquer the world, etc.) rather than admit they have emotional problems they just cannot face without help. Sometimes SFF characters make choices that could have been avoided if only they’d had a healthy outlet to work through their problems. Here, James Davis Nicoll spotlights five books with characters who desperately need a therapist. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( [Fanart of Sanderson's Cosmere universe]( THE WORLD OF SANDERSON [Cosmere Cashmere: Finding the Best Fit for Sanderson’s Cosmere Planets]( Brandon Sanderson’s fans are familiar with the Cosmere, the interconnected world in which many of his books and series take place. But…have you ever wondered how cashmere would fare in the Cosmere? Cole Rush dares to ask the tough questions, ranking each of the major Cosmere planets according to which climates and magic systems would be the best fit for a worldhopper with a taste for the finer things in life. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( [A painting of a woman reading]( MARK AS READ [A Reader Is Not a Consumer of Books]( Some things we do with books: Read them, obviously. Engage with them. What we don’t do? Consume them. And it is past time to push back on using this language of capitalism to talk about the experience of art. In a new Mark As Read column, Molly Templeton considers the importance of the language we choose to use when discussing the stories we love. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( [A photo depicting a small book and Pizza Hut meal]( CLOSE READS [Book It! for a New Millennium]( If you’re an adult of a certain age, you’re no doubt familiar with the BOOK IT! program where—if your elementary school teacher deemed you read what you said you did—Pizza Hut treated you to a free personal pan pizza. In a new Close Read column, Vanessa Armstrong reminisces about the reading program that helped her connect with other readers. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( [A screencap of Odo from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]( SFF BESTIARY [The Sum of Too Many Fears: Star Trek’s Changelings]( We first meet Star Trek’s Changelings in Deep Space Nine, in the person of Odo—he doesn’t know what he is or where he comes from, only that he can transform into anything at all, from an inanimate object to a humanoid alien. Here, Judith Tarr discusses Trek’s unique take on the concept of changelings and the very real fears they represent. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( [A screencap from Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3]( BACK TO THE MCU [Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 is Messy and Overstuffed, and It’ll Probably Make You Cry]( Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a bumpy ride. When it works, it really really works. When it doesn’t, it can feel interminable. It’s a messy, overlong, and ultimately pretty effective conclusion to the GOTG trilogy. Leah Schnelbach reviews the film here. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( ORIGINAL FICTION [“The Puppetmaster” by Kemi Ashing-Giwa]( A banished warrior teaches her treacherous uncle that once made, some oaths cannot be broken…and some monsters cannot be chained. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( Follow Tor.com to get updates on all of our original fiction. FOLLOW US: [Follow Us on Facebook]( [Follow Us on Twitter]( [Follow Us on Tumblr]( [Follow Us on Pinterest]( This email was sent by: Macmillan 120 Broadway New York, NY, 10271, US We respect your right to privacy - [view our policy]( Macmillan believes piracy hurts writers, readers and everyone who loves books. Learn more and report suspicious activity [here.]( To subscribe to this or other email communications from Macmillan, please click [here](. Visit our [profile center]( to update your email address and/or other information. 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