About a week ago there was a semi-viral tweet going around, asking respondents to name non-Star Wars characters who would be good Jedi. Most of the answers predictably included characters from big SFF franchises like Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, and the MCU, plus action movie icons like Jason Bourne, Ellen Ripley, and … Continue reading Jane Austen and the Jedi
the sister genre to the '90s Dad Thriller Note: I first posted this on my brand new Substack publication, which you can most definitely subscribe to if you feel so inclined. I don't know yet what exactly I'm going to do here vs. over there, if I'm going to write different things for each, etc. … Continue reading Exploring the ’90s Mom Romcom
Because I participate at varying levels of involvement in online fandoms for several franchises/media works, I often see fans posing questions like "who would win in a fight, [insert character] or [insert other character]?" Basically, discussions that are overwhelmingly concerned with powerscaling and/or combat skills as if they're playing League of Legends or something. Like … Continue reading The Best & Worst Fictional Characters to Invite to Your Book Club
It is the middle of summer and many of us are travelling–or dreaming of travelling!–and looking for a good book to read on the plane or the train, on the beach or by the pool, or an audiobook for that family road trip. But what exactly do we look for in a vacation read? Do … Continue reading What Makes a Good Vacation Read?
I’ve always had a harder time with Persuasion than other Austen novels. Every time I reread it, I get this sense that Anne has been placed in this box by everyone around her, by her society and time, and even by the narrative itself, and she can’t break out. It frustrated me because I could … Continue reading Un-Persuaded: Who is the Real Anne Elliot?
One of the most interesting discussions to me in the Star Wars fandom is in what order one should view Star Wars media. This is kind of a complex question, because there is SO MUCH Star Wars media at this point, really an embarrassment of riches. And it gets more complicated when you are recommending … Continue reading So You Want to Watch Star Wars? Here’s What (I Think) You Should Watch First
With a new season of Bridgerton almost upon us, Pop DNA decided to cover the Netflix series and the books it's based on for the month of February. We had my TikTok mutual Sanjana (aka @baskinsuns; check out her BookTok and her Newsletter!) as a guest for one episode to discuss the history of historical … Continue reading The Fantasy of Historical Romance
This idea started, as many things do, with Taylor Swift. As the entire English-speaking world must know by now, Swift recently released her re-recorded version of her 2012 album Red, and it's stirring up some decade-old emotions for all of us. While listening to the 10 minute version of "All Too Well" several times over … Continue reading Guessing These Pop Singers’ Inner Jane Austen Heroines
This post is sponsored by Kicking Ass in a Corset by Andrea Kayne, available now wherever books are sold. Have you ever thought about why we all want to be Lizzy Bennet so much? I know I’ve subconsciously (and sometimes intentionally) shaped my personality, and even made decisions, based on my deep emotional connection and … Continue reading What Would Elizabeth Bennet Do? Or, How to Kick A** in a Corset
The title of this post comes from a comment by TikTok user @dramaticsonglyrics on one of my recent videos. I had never heard this phrase before, but thought for sure it must be from a famous quote. But strategic googling shows that, no, in fact, it is not very common. The phrase "delicate feminism" got … Continue reading The Delicate* Feminism of Jane Austen
Rhonda With A Book 