book picks 50 must-read fantasy books by women Rob Beschizza

books Punk programmers and queer hackers expose Reagan-era tech corruption in Cory Doctorow's new novel, on Kickstarter now Mark Frauenfelder

graphic novels An anti-boring book guide: six great gift picks Mark Frauenfelder

politics Trump picks liar and puppy killer Kristi Noem to lead Homeland Security Ellsworth Toohey

politics Kamala picks Tim Walz for VP, and Trump struggles with spelling Jason Weisberger

Entertainment The mind-bending world of nontransitive dice Mark Frauenfelder

audiobooks Original Buffy the Vampire Slayer cast members reunite for new audiobook sequel to the show Thom Dunn

politics Judge blocks Arkansas law that made it a crime to let kids access "harmful materials" in libraries or bookstores Rob Beschizza

Noname new album Sundial drops this summer Elías Villoro

crowdsourced names are the best names Saltimus Prime and Snowbi Wan Kenobi among winners of snowplow naming contest Jennifer Sandlin

television Studies show watching Pokemon and Spongebob may make your kids smarter Devin Nealy

National Football League Resources that shine a critical light on the NFL Jennifer Sandlin

Sinema Kyrsten Sinema: Senator, and … Facebook Marketplace re-seller? Jennifer Sandlin

los angeles Help build kitsch queen Allee Willis's creative legacy by bidding on a vintage ashtray (with wacky-fun artifacts) from her estate Rusty Blazenhoff

trolling CA's Gov Newsom trolls Desantis Jason Weisberger

music Wax Italia: Digging for 45s in Florence and Rome Lee Keeler

tabloids Celebrity blow-up sex dolls and Wayne Newton's face "melting" in this week's dubious tabloids Peter Sheridan

music Thelonious Monk, 40 years after his death David Pescovitz

makers My favorite maker tips for 2021 Gareth Branwyn

music Paul McCartney tells the story of writing Eleanor Rigby David Pescovitz