The New York Times Papercuts Blog has posted a list with notes of the music Ann and I have been listening to recently. Everything from Ray Davies* to Willard Grant to The New Pornographers to Supersystem. Check it out.

What’ve you been listening to? And why do you like it or hate it? What’s the soundtrack to your life right now?

*JB’s gonna hate that one.

These old Indian comics were one of the three pillars of my childhood reading, the other two being Tintin and Asterix & Obelix. We lived in the Fiji Islands, which had a large Indian population. I’d buy these from the corner Chinese grocery store, about a quarter-mile from the beach. At least, that’s my recollection. It’s also possible we bought some of them in India. Most are based on famous historical figures or on Hindu or Buddhist religious stories. Some of the interior art is not of as high quality, but the covers are great. I’m turning 40 next week and have been indulging myself by going through some childhood favorites.

Here are some more images and details of interiors.

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I’ve just posted my latest Pop Culture Report both here and on Amazon’s book blog, Omnivoracious. For those who haven’t seen the others, it’s a DIY come-into-my-house-and-look-at-some-recent-cool books kinda thing. Check out the version on Amazon, where I’ve posted links to all of the books mentioned in the report.

Feel free to embed the video on your own blog or site with your own comments about the books I’ve reviewed. And let me know here what you think, too. The more attention these video features get, the more able I am to continue doing them. (Small apology this time around: a lightning strike or two during the filming caused a couple of hiccups.)

Here’s the direct link to it on YouTube.

Here.

And here.

Here, too.

Er, with comments.

Just to preserve it on the new blog. I think most of you have seen these already?

(Art by John Coulthart)

io9 has just posted our gi-normous feature on The Art of Lovecraft: Artists Inspired by Lovecraft, published by Centipede Press. We interviewed Ian Miller, Bob Eggleton, John Coulthart, John Picacio, Harry O. Morris, and Jerad Walters (the publisher) for the feature, and it includes more than 20 selections from the book in a really cool gallery format. Please spread the word–it’s an important volume, and one of the most beautiful books we’ve ever seen. (See also this piece on the book.)

Below find “outtakes from the interviews that we couldn’t fit into the feature.

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Some linkage for you this morning, to be followed later by some follow-up on our io9 art feature, on The Art of Lovecraft book we love so much. In the meantime, feel free to add your own news or bizarre links in the comments. Self-promotion is acceptable.

First off, Steampunk gets a long and creatively written rave in the LA Times. Paul Di Filippo is having his story from the anthology, “Victoria,” podcast. And this weekend, a feature on the antho along with Ann reading a brief excerpt from Molly Brown’s story will appear in/on the Tallahassee Democrat/website.

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Artist Zach Taylor has been working on preliminary sketches for a Torture Squid comic book/graphic novel. I’m providing him with a rough textual treatment for him to use as the basis for the storyline. We haven’t sought out a publisher–we’re going to finish it first. (Zach, btw, has created some great Evil Monkey for President swag, based on my EM persona, available here. Check it out.)

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My interview with Michael Phillips about e-books and fiction generally. He’s definitely a fan of the darker stuff, whether dark fantasy or dark mainstream. Phillips has a physical disability and has to use e-books, so he has a somewhat unique perspective.

Excerpt:
Amazon.com: Are there any books you can’t get in e-book form? Which ones are on the top of your wish list?
Michael Phillips: Too many. Michael Cisco, for instance, is a brilliant writer, but none of his stuff is available. I’d love to read Steven R. Donaldson, but he’s not available either. Even the Harry Potter series isn’t available. Sometimes audio books fill in the gaps, but they’re not always available either, or they’re abridged. Also, hearing an audio book just isn’t the same as reading the written word. Words and paragraphs paint their own pictures, written text has a certain beauty.

Per my post on current favorite fantasists in the short story form, Matt Staggs has now taken it upon himself to do short interviews with all of the writers on the list. Which should provide readers with more and fascinating information. First up is Kate Bernheimer.

I’m not sure the excerpts below can really convey the funny that is 30 Rock. I know Ann and I are late to the party here, but this story of the performers, writers, and others associated with a Saturday Night-like NBC show is brilliant. We just watched the first season on DVD, the second on on-demand, and it was like comedy crack or something. Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey, Tracy Jordan, and the others on this show are great choices. The plotlines are complex, yes, but also often surreal, as when Jordan hallucinates seeing this weird blue creature for an entire episode. I think this is what I really love about the show: it gets so darn strange at times. If you haven’t already seen 30 Rock, check it out.