Saturday, January 12, 2013

A Box of Parts Weekly Link Round-Up




It's been a busy week here at Casa Kittling. There were two trips to The Poisoned Pen for author signings. The house certainly looks strange without all the colorful and cozy Christmas decorations up. (I wish they were all as fast to put up as they are to take down and put away!) Speaking of cozy, we're going to need that here in the Valley of the Sun. Tonight is the first of four nights with temperatures expected in the "hard freeze" range-- the coldest cold snap since 1988 they tell me. You have to be light on your feet to venture in our back garden because the hummingbirds are flying thick and fast between all the feeders. I know it's going to be cold when they stop squabbling and suck up nectar until you'd think they'd pop. They're going to need all the energy they can get to survive through these next nights, so Denis is keeping an eye on nectar levels.

A box of parts...
Although many things have captured my attention and time this week, I've still found time to stitch in the evenings while I watch my television  programming of choice. To the right, you see the "box of parts" I finished filling this evening. The striped pieces in the back will be stitched together to form a window valance. The star shapes in the front will be lined with felt and then stitched together to form baskets. I'm not quite sure why I didn't complete each project as I finished the required pieces! I guess I was on a stitch roll and didn't want to stop!

Enough! Let's get to those links so I can curl up with a good book underneath a cozy comforter (and next to my furnace of a husband)!


Bookish News & Other Interesting Stuff
  • In an attempt to feed my inner Indiana Jones, here are two articles. One about a 2,000-year-old treasure discovered in a Black Sea fortress, and the second about an ancient shipwreck where 2,000-year-old eye medicine was found.
  • Feel like trying to guess these classic books from their phantom covers? (I found several to be rather easy.)
  • From phantom book covers, I thought I'd move to lousy book covers.
  • The Wal-Mart Effect on bookselling.
  • If you're worried about the future of books, here's what you can do.
  • Take a look at the list of authors (grouped by genre) who are appearing in this year's Tucson Festival of Books. If I didn't have plans to be elsewhere, Tucson is definitely where I would be!
  • Laugh and the book club laughs with you.
  • I thought you might like to take a look at a dollhouse built inside an acoustic guitar.
  • Looks like someone's trying to develop the Game of Books for us readers.
  • Wow, the cats sure are smart in Brazil: one was caught trying to sneak a saw and a cell phone into a prison.
  • Compare your reading speed to the national average. 
  • What to do online when a loved one dies.

Digitally Speaking
  • McGraw-Hill is set to debut adaptive eBooks for students.
  • Libraries are beginning to find agreement here and there with eBook distributors.
  • Amazon has a new deal with A&E for Prime instant videos.
  • Librarians are working to make available eBooks more visible to their patrons.
  • Game of Books creator Aaron Stanton talks about the game of reading.
  • The third book in Betty Webb's Gunn Zoo series is now available. I don't know how long this deal will last, but the first book, The Anteater of Death, is available for 99¢ on Nook and Kindle.

Book Candy

I  ♥  Lists

That's it for this week. Don't forget to stop by next weekend when I'll have a freshly selected batch of links for your surfing pleasure!

6 comments:

  1. Cathy - I so admire how good you are artistically! I'll bet that window valance will look terrific. We're having a cold spell here, too, and I couldn't be happier. I love it when there's real weather. Stay warm. And thanks for the links.

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    1. I moved here to get away from the one bit of "real" weather I detest: cold. Fortunately this doesn't happen very often. The last time we had a cold snap that lasted as long as this one is supposed to, Reagan was in the White House!

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  2. I WILL be in Tucson! It's a weekend I have yet to miss and it's worth every minute. Thanks so much for sharing your Saturday Link Round Up. It really helps me feel so connected when I "fall off the grid" into my working world! You're terrific at helping me catch up.

    Thanks a million for all your work...and stay warm. We were cold at this casa. I am so glad for a warm house, a warmer husband, hot tea and plenty of books. Also Chinese take-out was pretty great too... :)

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    1. My crockpot is particularly nice when it's cold-- and all those other things you listed, too! I'm horrible at leaving comments, but I've been keeping an eye on what you've been up to. :-)

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  3. The line-up of authors for Tucson is amazing! Might think about it. I also like the photos of authors in the snow. cheers. http://www.thecuecard.com/

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    1. I have to get to Tucson for the festival! It might've been this year, but more important plans cropped up.

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