What can I say? I used to be Johnny-on-the-spot with doing my income taxes. As soon as I had that W-2 in my hot (not so) little hand, I would scurry to my desk and get to work. Those were the days when I was getting a big refund every year. Getting married seems to have put the kibosh on big refunds. (Never fear, Denis more than makes up for the smaller refunds!)
It might hit 100° F. (38° C.) here today. Since the pool's not quite warm enough for me to jump in, I think I'll work on more book donations. Or the taxes. Sorry. I didn't realize that sigh was going to be so huge. Let me help you pick up all those papers....
Now on to the links!
Bookish News & Other Fun Stuff
- It was fun looking through these 28 Vintage Book Club Mailers.
- E-books and Phoenix area schools have been in the news lately: Scottsdale schools are reporting their e-book purchases are starting to pay off, and a Gilbert school now has a Nook Club.
- And now someone is falling out of love with his e-Reader.
- Go to his website, and you'll find out why Don Marco is called The Master Crayon Artist.
- NPR's reading list of books to help you understand Japan.
- The FBI is seeking the public's help solving encrypted notes from a murder mystery.
- These bookshelves may be beautiful and evocative, but they're not very functional.
- A message in a bottle that was found 24 years later.
- What we stand to lose in a world where writing a great book isn't good enough.
- Want to know which areas of the United States are growing, and which are shrinking? Check the census data. (Unfortunately, one of the areas was no surprise to me.)
- What a small Greek bookshop is doing to try to stay alive.
- Check out this wonderfully photographed guided tour of the Strahov Library.
- Check out this series of photos showing a dress made of discarded children's Golden Books.
- Top Ten books on motherhood.
Social Media & Blogging Tips
- 10 tips for creating a blog sidebar that informs without overwhelming the reader.
Around the Water Cooler in the Book Blogosphere
- On Do Some Damage, author Joelle Charbonneau wants to know Where Do You Draw the Line? How accessible should authors be?
- Author Kristen Lamb talks about Why Pen Names Suck & Can Make Us Crazy.
- Caite of A Lovely Shore Breeze talks about The Dangerous World of Amazon Reviews.
- Eva of A Striped Armchair talks about Sticking With a Book.
- Jen of Jen's Book Thoughts ponders the importance of book blurbs.
- In saving the best for last, Lenore of Presenting Lenore now has a book and film deal. Fantastic news!
New to My Google Reader
There you have my picks of the week. Enjoy!
Stop by next weekend when I'll have a freshly chosen batch of links for your surfing pleasure!
Thanks for including my news in your link list this week! I am so excited :)
ReplyDeleteCathy - Thanks for this round-up of links, as ever :-). I always find new blogs to read and helpful info here.
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised to see that Austin is #3 on the growth list of the census. We are booming down here.
ReplyDeleteWe haven't done our taxes either. I think this is latest we've ever been in all our years of marriage! We've been busy. :-)
Our taxes are confusing because of Dave's business. Thank heaven for our accountant - they're all finished and filed!
ReplyDeleteLenore-- I think "so excited" doesn't even begin to express how you're feeling right now! Congratulations!!!
ReplyDeleteMargot-- I'm glad you find it useful. :)
Kay-- I was reading through your blog and looking at all the photos. You certainly have been busy!!
Barbara-- No businesses here. Just straight W-2's and the like. *sigh*
I wondered what was wrong about Texas so perhaps I am a bit tired ;)
ReplyDeleteThank you for bringing us a bunch of lovely, tax-free links (they still are, aren´t they?)
Dorte-- They are still tax-free... unless they just passed a new law!
ReplyDelete