biweekly links 6-13-2018

How did it get to be June already?

How Tudor slander courts left us with some fabulous insults: nobody throws shade like an angry Tudor (see also here and here) but the offended gave as good as they got.

A story of survival: New York’s last remaining independent bookshops: having recently spent a pleasant hour in a new-to-me local(ish) used book store I’m reminded again why I love independent bookstores. Sanctuary and support of community are all well and good but there’s also the factor of serendipity – finding something you never knew existed, or never thought you’d find. Please feel free to share your own favorite indie bookstores in the comments!

H.R. Giger’s Tarot Cards: The Swiss Artist, Famous for His Design Work on Alien, Takes a Journey into the Occult: OMG Geiger made a Tarot deck!! Having recently found my old decks (Tarot of the Witches, the old trusty Rider Waite [fun facts about Pamela Colman Smith, who did the art for the RT deck]) and received another (Tarot of Atlantis) as a gift, I’m reminded that while I can’t read them (no weird chip, remember?) I do love the art. What are your favorites?

woman in beehive hairdo holding tarot card with a fool on it
Yes, that’s Jane Seymour in the Bond film “Live and Let Die” but no, that’s not one of Geiger’s designs (it’s from tarot of the Witches). More’s the pity as a Giger-designed Bond film could be hilarious. Courtesy the 007 Wikia