Author Archives: Cora

Halloween 2026 with Bonus Toy Photos

Last Saturday was Halloween. I already wrote about the history of Halloween in Germany and how it went from something completely unknown in the 1970s and 1980s to theme for student parties in the 1990s to mainstream holiday fun in … Continue reading →

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Three More Icons Lost in Three Days: In Memoriam Eric Bauza, Walter Koenig and Sir Patrick Stewart

Back in August, when we lost Dolly Parton, Tim Curry and Peter Cullen in the space of three days, I wrote that 2026 is shaping up to be another annus horribilis like 2016, when we lost a lot of beloved … Continue reading →

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Toys, Comics and Great Food: Cora’s Adventures at the 2026 Vintage Toys of the Universe Convention in Lommel, Belgium, Part 1: Through the Ruhrgebiet to the Dutch Border

Vintage Toys of the Universe is Belgium’s biggest vintage and retro toy show and has been going for a couple of years. I first became aware of the con in 2024 and actually attended last year, though unfortunately I caught … Continue reading →

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Non-Fiction Spotlight: Management Lessons from The Lord of the Rings: Organisation Theory, Leadership and Sustainability on Middle-Earth by Fiona Moore

My spotlight projects have been lying dormant the past few years, as life got in the way. But I always planned to bring them back and today we celebrate the return of the Non-Fiction Spotlight project. For more about the … Continue reading →

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The He-Man and Transformers Industrial Heritage Tour or Cora’s Adventures at the 2026 Toyplosion in Castrop-Rauxel, Part 1: Road Trip in the Fog

Last Saturday was the 2026 Toyplosion, billed as Germany’s and Europe’s biggest retro toy convention, now in its fourth year. As in previous years, the 2026 Toyplosion took place at the Europahalle in the Ruhrgebiet city of Castrop-Rauxel. For me, … Continue reading →

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Some Comments on the 2026 Dragon Award Winners

It’s the first September weekend, which means that Dragon Con, a huge multimedia convention, took place in Atlanta, Georgia. This also means that the winners of the 2026 Dragon Awards were announced this weekend. But before we get to the … Continue reading →

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Some Comments on the 2026 Hugo Winners

The winners of the 2026 Hugo Awards were announced last night or rather very early in the morning at LACon V, the 2026 Worldcon in Anaheim, California. My thoughts on the finalists may be found here and the full voting … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Comics, Fanzine Spotlight, Film, Non-Fiction Spotlight, Semiprozine Spotlight, TV | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Three Icons Lost in Three Days: In Memoriam Dolly Parton, Tim Curry and Peter Cullen

Everyone who lived through it still remembers the annus horribilis that was 2016, when not the UK narrowly voted in favour of Brexit and Donald Trump was elected for the first time, but also when we experienced an uncommon wave … Continue reading →

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Cora Goes Virtually to LACon V, the 2026 Worldcon

Like the title says, I will be virtually participating in LACon V, the 2026 Worldcon, this weekend. Here is my schedule and where you can find me: The Fan Hugo Categories Thursday, August 27, 12:00 PDT, Virtual 2 Fannish Hugo … Continue reading →

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Wherein Cora Gets Into a Car Accident

So I was in a car accident yesterday. But don’t worry, I’m fine. I wasn’t even in the car, when it was hit. And the other people involved in the accident are okay as well – thankfully, no one has … Continue reading →

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