I actually wrote to Beverly Cleary back in 2nd grade! She sent me back a really cute postcard with an illustration on the front done by the same artist who illustrated the Ramona books, of Beverly at her writing desk and Ramona shoveling piles of letters that had stacked up all around her. There was a pre-printed…

I just re-read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which I hadn't looked at in some 15 years. I'd completely forgotten all the Wilbur Mercer "empathy box" stuff - I guess the movie brainwashed it out of me. I still haven't read Ubik - sounds like I should move it up the list!

Same here with Joe - Mr. El Barko and myself used to see him every time he came to NYC, and the last time he came, we skipped it for some reason, said to ourselves, oh, we'll catch him next time around. George Harrison's death was similarly upsetting to me, falling as it did so closely after 9/11 and him being…

Every time I think I'm done crying over Carrie Fisher, I find out that I'm not done crying over Carrie Fisher.

I know you're probably being sarcastic, but that's actually one of those weird little movie moments that became part of my friends and my personal lexicon back in high school. To this day, if one of us comments that something's "FAAAN-tastic," we all know we're doing Miguel Ferrer in Hot Shots: Part Deux.
Excellent…

Or buy them used!

I was just trying to explain this bootleg to my family last week during the holidays. I didn't have any internet-searching tool at my disposal at the time, so they were just looking at me like I was some kind of maniac. Thank you, AV Club, for reminding me that I did not hallucinate this!

Happy New Year to the only comment section I read on the internet! I don't comment very much, but I enjoy the heck out of you guys and gals. Keep it real in 2017, AV Clubbers!

Agreed - the comments section on this story got particularly snipey. I think everyone's hit the "anger" stage of the 7 stages of grief.

Don't feel bad - I wasn't able to listen to Bowie's Blackstar until about two weeks ago, despite buying it back in January. Grief is weird.

Awesome article, Gwen. I started reading Carrie's novels last year (I'd tried stealing Postcards off my mom's shelf when I was a kid, but I was too young, didn't get it) and found so many unexpected pleasures. I feel like if she hadn't been an actress, these books - Postcards, at least - would've had her mentioned…

Hugs, Shulkie. I am sitting here stunned…actually, to use the word "devastated" doesn't feel hyperbolic. I watched an old Charlie Rose interview with her last night and she was so brilliant and funny and warm…I don't even know what to say right now. I have to go interact with my family and pretend to be normal and…

I am so not okay with this news. I'm sitting here in front of my laptop completely nauseated, hitting "refresh" on a Carrie Fisher news alert, waiting and hoping and actually literally praying to hear that she's okay. I'm so not okay.

I've been wanting to re-read the Wizard of Earthsea books for a while now. I read them back in 7th grade and I've been wondering how they'll hold up to reading them as an adult. 2017's going to be the year I find out!

I've enjoyed both the new Vader comics and the Star Wars series - the individual series have been hit and miss, though. Lando was great; Princess Leia pretty good; Chewbacca kind of fun but inessential. I think your enjoyment of those depends on how much you already love those characters. I didn't really read any…

Despite the fact that the last line was nice, I agree - I wish they hadn't shown CGI Leia's face. The hair and outfit are so iconic, they could have just shown her from the back, then panned down to the disc handoff, and I think it would have been just as powerful.

Yes yes - the best thing about this movie, to me, is that it restored Vader to his proper terrifying-ness after the prequels softened him. That whole final corridor sequence was so badass. And it retroactively makes Leia even more of a sassy little badass when she confronts him so nonchalantly in IV.

Can't argue with most of these, though I thought Lady Dynamite would have ranked higher. That's a top 5 for me.

My list, not necessarily in order:
Bowie - Blackstar
Iggy Pop - Post Pop Depression
Shura - Nothing's Real
Childish Gambino - Awaken, My Love!
ATCQ - We Got It From Here…
Michael Kiwanuka - Love and Hate
White Denim - Stiff
Field Music - Commontime
Whitney - Light Upon the Lake
Flock of Dimes - If You See Me, Say Yes
case/lang/v…

Likewise. I bought Blackstar back in January, but wasn't able to listen to it until this past week. I could never get into a headspace where I felt like I was emotionally prepared to handle the last Bowie album ever. When I finally listened to it, rather than spiraling ever deeper into depression, I felt uplifted,…