A Quiet Weekly Link Round-Up

That doesn't mean that the links I've rounded up are meek and mild; it just means that this past week has been a bit of a snooze here at Casa Kittling.  The two most exciting events have been the delivery of a new slow cooker and my making a start at reorganizing linen cupboards and a shelf or two in the pantry. See what I mean? A real yawn of a week-- but I'm not complaining since I also spent afternoons out in the pool reading, watching clouds evaporate in the sky, and trying to catch a glimpse or two of our shy summer visitors.

One of our shy summer visitors

All right, you talked me into sharing the best photo I've managed to take so far. The fellow you see peeking at me from the other side of the hummingbird feeder is a male juvenile Bullock's Oriole. He flew into our neck of the woods with a young female almost two weeks ago, and I hope they decide to stay until it's time to winter in Mexico.

The first couple of times I saw more than the tailfeathers of this guy, I thought to myself, "What a pretty boy!" With my leaning toward crime fiction, this pair of orioles have been christened "Pretty Boy Floyd" and "Ma Barker."

On to the links (and I'm not talking golf here)!


Bookish Lists & Quizzes

• The hottest scenes in literature.
• 13+ photos from Harry Potter-themed weddings.
• 10 best books turned musicals.
• 15 most ridiculous book titles ever.
• Top 10 journalist's tales.
• 5 great vacations for readers.
• 5 architecturally impressive libraries.
• 5 food memoirs.

Bookish News & Other Fun Stuff

• Sleepover at the Fairfield Public Library.
• A day in the life of 400 archaeologists.
• World Book Night is coming to the U.S.
• See what happens in the basement of a library?
• Why there's still a place in the world for author readings and signings.
• Laughter can help your heart's health. (Duh.)
• A dress made of books. (Don't spill your drink.)
• Antiques Roadshow's (USA version) most valuable find ever.
• A&E okays "Stephen King's Bag of Bones" miniseries starring Pierce Brosnan.

eBook News

• Apple forces Amazon to change Kindle app.
• eBook apps are back on the iPad.
• Apple's in-app purchase policy closes integrated eBook stores.
• Panasonic Japan to launch Android eBook reader.
• Kindlegraph-- where you can have authors sign their books on your Kindle.

Social Media & Blogging Tips

• Blog traffic secret: woo the groupies.
• How to promote your blog without feeling like a sleazeball.
• 10 tips for blog housekeeping.

New to My Google Reader

• No Page Left Behind

That's all 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!