Grace Lapointe

URGENT: because the Israeli Parliament has hindered UNWRA’s operations, fundraisers like the ones listed above may be the only way for many people to survive.

Also, for personal reasons (health, family), I may not see or be able to respond to messages.

Cross-posted to my Medium blog.

Also, why do I as a disabled person donate to crowdfunding campaigns? As I just said to a friend, the IDF is blocking and bombing aid workers. I also believe in choice and autonomy. Many people can’t live on canned food. You don’t stop having disabilities and/or allergies if someone is trying to murder you. We all know our own needs best.

Best Middle Middle Grade of the 21st Century

I have 2 blurbs in this group Book Riot post: the best middle-grade books of the 21st century.

The occult store in Obsession, where Bear buys the One Wish Willows, is called The Green Man, like the inn in The Wicker Man. I might have more thoughts on books and movies soon.

Wicker, Man!

This has been an interesting week or two to be a fan of the movie The Wicker Man on social media. A lot of people are enthusiastic about the upcoming, unrelated movie Wicker, based on Ursula Wills-Jones’ short story “The Wicker Husband.” Because of the way search engines and algorithms work, more people might start finding my blog post on The Wicker Man. I always enjoy watching or writing about that movie.

I recently learned there’s an upcoming sequel to The Wicker Man. I wouldn’t call the 2011 companion film The Wicker Tree a sequel. The setting and chronology don’t quite match up to the first movie.

I recently contributed to a couple of group posts for Book Riot, with more to come soon.

The Best Adaptations of the Century So Far (group post)

the best books of 2026 so far (contributor to a group post)

Please keep sharing and donating to the verified fundraisers I share on social media at glapointewriter. It helps people survive genocide!

The Wicker Man

I finally blogged in depth on one of my favorite movies, its music, and symbolism.

An Appointment with The Wicker Man

from my deleted Twitter account:

“Grace Lapointe @glapointewriter Sep 18, 2021

TW execution I’ve always believed execution is literally a hypocritical, socially sanctioned human sacrifice. With a ritual, rationale, & scheduled time.”

Also, I contributed two blurbs to this group Book Riot post:

The Best Books of 2026 (So Far)

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARCs!

Wuthering Heights and more on streaming

New today on Book Riot: 7 of the Best Bookish Shows and Movies on Tubi

I also blogged about Wuthering Heights and its 2026 movie.

Here are some more movies and series free on Tubi. These are subject to change, often monthly.

Camelot

The 2011 Starz series was canceled after 1 season. I would have loved to see Eva Green have more time to play Morgan le Fay. There are some big changes to the myths here, especially Guinevere and Excalibur, but it does mention Merlin glamouring Uther Pendragon to rape Igraine. Arthur was conceived via “sorcery and rape,” as the show says, like in Malory. I always point out that Merlin enables rape in Le Morte d’Arthur by Thomas Malory. I’m fascinated by King Arthur and often say I’ll give almost any version a chance.

The Last Unicorn

This is a beautiful animated film, based on the novel by Peter S. Beagle. Christopher Lee voiced the villain, King Haggard. I blogged about its themes of love vs. possession in 2024.

Much Ado About Nothing

The 1993 version is one of my favorite Shakespeare productions. The cast is amazing: Emma Thompson, Denzel Washington, Michael Keaton, Keanu Reeves, and Kate Beckinsale. I did NOT like the 2012 Joss Whedon version, but that’s on Tubi too.

Other movies I saw on other platforms recently:

Bugonia (spoilers!):

Bugonia is a remake of Korean director Jang Joon-hwan’s 2003 film Save the Green Planet! Emma Stone’s performance is great. I haven’t seen the original, but I’ve read that all life on Earth dies at the end. Yorgos Lanthimos changed the ending in Bugonia by making the extraterrestrials kill all the humans but leave all the non-human life to survive.

Online discussions are divided. Some people consider the ending of the 2025 film hopeful. I consider it ecofascist (sacrificing humanity for the sake of the environment), not hopeful. It’s “hopeful” only if you necessarily conflate humanity with industrialization and capitalism. Capitalism and colonialism (not humanity in general) are threatening and destroying life on Earth.

Project Hail Mary

I don’t want to give anything away, but I loved this. Great sci-fi that makes sense.

important note

Finally, if you enjoy my writing, please share or cite it, or follow my 2 blogs: here and on my Medium. They’re different from each other and always free. I think search engines are changing, and fewer people are finding my work.

Please follow No Tech for Apartheid and boycott Amazon and Google if you can. And refuse to use genAI. I use Firefox and Duck Duck Go now and turn off all genAI. I’ve also heard Vivaldi is a good browser and Ecosia is a good search engine that plants trees to try to offset its carbon footprint.

Also, please follow the BDS movement and boycott McDonald’s, Starbucks, and many more pro-Israel companies.

First Post of 2026!

Wow, I didn’t realize I hadn’t posted yet this year. Here are my published articles from 2026 so far!

What Romances by Disabled Authors Do Differently

What Happened to TV and Movie Novelizations? (paywall)

What Happened to TV and Movie Novelizations? (no paywall)

Bridgerton Season 4 is a Cinderella Retelling. But Why?

To be clear, I like Bridgerton. I love the diversity, but it is important to remember that it exists in an alternate reality without real-world, systemic racism. I love that and the disability representation. Hazel (Gracie McGonigal) has a limb difference. A previous season had a Deaf character using British Sign Language.

Oscars Rant

Yes, sometimes I rant about the Oscars. This year, I was disappointed that One Battle After Another won more Oscars than Sinners. I loved Sinners!

Brooke Obie wrote an excellent analysis of One Battle After Another and how it fetishizes women of color. Perfidia Beverly Hills (!) is a racist “angry Black woman/baddie” stereotype and a sexual predator. Also, after Leonardo DiCaprio’s character forgets his old password, the new recruit puts him through to an old friend on the phone. The friend asks him: “What’s my favorite type of pussy?”

The “right” answer? “Mexican hairless!” These men think they’re woke for fetishizing women of color. Chase Infiniti and Benicio del Toro gave the best performances in the film, but received no Oscars.

Help Genocide Survivors!

At my social media accounts, @glapointewriter on Instagram and Upscrolled, I still share a lot of verified fundraisers. Israel is letting only a tiny amount of so-called “aid” into Gaza–and Palestinian families must pay for it! There is still a huge need. Even a little time and money helps immensely when we work together.

2025 in Review

If you click on only one link in this post, please make it one that helps people survive genocide. Please help continue Alice Wong’s brilliant legacy by helping Palestinians stay online and alive through a donation to Crips for eSims for Gaza. You can also support any of the campaigns the volunteers at the Butterfly Effect Project verified. Volunteers and organizations around the world verify families’ identities with location, secure video calls, and ID documents. I share verified fundraisers on my Instagram.

My Bluesky account, glapointewriter.bsky.social, was permanently banned in 2025 for sharing verified fundraisers from Palestine. Bluesky’s “safety” department is much harsher in banning Palestinians than it is towards people like me from outside Palestine. Still, allies sometimes get banned too. Bluesky and Meta’s complicity in genocide and in suppressing free speech are apparent. I recommend Upscrolled instead, a mobile social media app created by Palestinian developers.

This year, I stopped uploading any of my work (old or new) to Academia.edu. It uses genAI without my consent (for example, it creates genAI “summaries” and “podcast episodes” of my work. Thanks to everyone who reads my writing. The most important work we can do is help people survive.

My 2025 Publications

January

The Best Recent Coloring Books, from Classic Fairy Tales to Streaming Series

February

Genre-Defying Historical Fiction

March

Are We in a Golden Age of Plagiarism?

April

100 Years of Gatsby, Old Sport! (non-paywall version on my Medium blog)

May

The Story Beside the Story: 6 of the Best SFF and Horror Sidequels

June

Why Oppressive Fictional Societies Suppress Reading–and How They Mirror Our Current Culture

August

Why are There So Many Fake Shakespeare Quotes?

and on my Medium blog without a paywall

The Ableist “Mercy Killing” in The Thursday Murder Club

October

Quiz: Can You Match the Children’s Classic to Its Opening Lines?

BR Quiz and International News

November

A History of Sci-Fi Book Cover Trends

Brief Thoughts on Ableism in The Substance

On Frankenstein, Adaptations, and Disability

December

The Best Gifts For Readers (That Aren’t Books)

What Happened to These High-Profile, Canceled Adaptations?

Age Is A Mindset: 6 of the Best New Granny Hobby Books

Frankenstein!

Here are some thoughts on Frankenstein and the new adaptation on Netflix. I’ve been hyperfixated on this novel since my early teens. I also enjoy the movie Mary Shelley and the occasional retelling.

Sci-Fi Cover Trends; The Substance

A collage of several SFF covers from different decades.

New on Book Riot:

A History of Sci-Fi Book Cover Trends

Brief Thoughts on Ableism in The Substance

BR Quiz and International News

Here’s a fun quiz (I hope).

There is a tentative ceasefire in Gaza, but the genocide and oppression are not over. If you donate to verified fundraisers from Gaza, like the ones on Gaza Funds or the Butterfly Effect Project, please keep doing so. It’s also not too late to start! Many people’s homes have been destroyed, and they have no income beyond these survival fundraisers. They work hard to survive. Please don’t abandon them now.

I’ve mentioned for years that I keep all my electronics for as long as possible. This is primarily not to save money. It’s to cut down on the demand, when these companies often use child labor and unsustainable environmental practices. Please do not buy the new iPhone 17! Keep electronics until they stop working, and then buy old or refurbished models.

If you’d like to learn more, I recommend following these groups on social media and donating to their aid initiatives if you can:

Team Congo
The Future of Congo
Sudanese American Physicians
No Tech for Apartheid

And many more!

The Thursday Murder Club

The Ableist “Mercy Killing” in The Thursday Murder Club

Spoilers for the Netflix movie. I haven’t read any of the novels.

Also, guess whom Penny murdered? A young man who killed his girlfriend in the 1970s. How ironic.