The Marvel Universe has become a force unto itself. After 15 years and 40 movies and series (and counting), keeping everything straight in your head can get a little difficult. And if you didn’t get in on the ground floor it can be downright overwhelming to try and join now. Enter Smart Pop Explains Marvel Movies and TV Shows. This unauthorized
Read MoreOver three hundred years ago a young woman with special healing powers called out to the night and was heard by something. Before she called to it, it didn’t know that it was, and after she called to it, it existed to serve her… or so it says. And so began the Mayfair line of witches. In The Witching Hour (Lives
Read MoreS.A. Sidor brings us back to that center of horror, Arkham, Massachusetts. In the Lair of the Crystal Fang: An Arkham Horror Novel, another eldritch being is trying to break free and destroy our world. This time, five Arkham residents have noticed the danger and come together to try and save the city. Andy Van Nortiwck, Jake Williams, and Maude Brion
Read MoreEdge of Catastrophe: A Terraforming Marvel Novel is set six hundred years from now when humans have finally moved off of planet Earth. Over two centuries have been spent trying to terraform Mars to allow humans to survive there and things aren’t going as well as hoped. While a handful of cities have been established, they are all encased within protective
Read More“As you wish.” Aaahhh. Has there ever been a more romantic phrase? Well, there may be a few that are on par but Westley’s (Cary Elwes) simple declaration sums it all up so sweetly. Now, using the all-new The Princess Bride: The Official Cookbook by Jenn Fujikawa you can say these sweet words to your beloved after they pick a recipe
Read MoreWhen I was watching the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special on Disney+ I absolutely fell in love with Mantis (Pom Klementieff). I felt so bad when she gave up her candy cane to help smooth over Drax’s interaction with the police. I felt like that instantly put her on the nice list! So I decided to make these peppermint bark
Read MoreThe Amber Spyglass is the thrilling conclusion to Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series. Our young heroes, Lyra and Will, have been separated and need to find each other. Once they do it’s a grueling trip to literal Hell and back for them. Elsewhere mortals and angels fight Heaven for true free will. [Warning: Spoilers from The Amber Spyglass are below!
Read MoreEveryone wonders what it would be like to meet their ancestors. But imagine if you suddenly were transported through time and space and came face to face with one of them. What if you found yourself in the position of saving their lives (and by extension yours)? Now imagine that ancestor is someone you never could have dreamed of having, nor
Read MoreThe story of Lyra that began in The Golden Compass (Northern Lights outside the US) continues and expands in Philip Pullman’s The Subtle Knife. At the end of The Golden Compass, Lyra leaves her world and enters an entirely new universe and that is where we start in The Subtle Knife. For a quick recap of the first entry in Pullman’s
Read MoreThe Golden Compass (Northern Lights outside the US) by Philip Pullman has been a favorite book of mine for literally twenty-seven years. I bought my copy from a book order in the third grade and I have read it… more than twenty-seven times! Something about this fantasy world where people have daemons and polar bears can talk caught my eight-year-old imagination
Read MoreNow that the turkey and stuffing are digested and the weather has turned from cool to ice cold, it’s safe to say that the holiday season is finally upon us! It’s time to string up the lights and settle into a Christmas movie with a nice cup of hot chocolate. Not quite sure which one to watch? You can’t go wrong
Read MoreThe Cuckoo is the third installment in the Under the Northern Sky trilogy from writer Leo Carew. His first two books in the series The Wolf and The Spider were released to a great deal of both critical and reader acclaim. He has been called the next George R.R. Martin by some and fans have been eagerly awaiting The Cuckoo. It
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