A Milestone Weekly Link Round-Up

It's not exactly a milestone for the Weekly Link Round-Up, it's more of a personal milestone. Wednesday, Denis and I went to the Gilbert Riparian Institute-- known as the Water Ranch to locals. Using reclaimed water, the 110-acre preserve contains several ponds and natural desert riparian trees and plants. Just think of it as an oasis. It has become a prime winter feeding ground for countless species of migratory birds, and Denis and I love to go there to see what sort of wildlife is out and about for us to photograph.

We saw some old favorites, and as far as dragonflies go, love was definitely in the air, but for once this visit to the Water Ranch wasn't really about the critters; it was about me. The last time we went there, I was a few months away from my cancer diagnosis. I had to keep my eyes peeled for the next bench on the path up ahead so I could sit down and rest. I got some wonderful photos, but it was exhausting.

This time, I gave almost all the benches a miss, and the times I did sit down, it was more to take advantage of the shade than it was to rest. Denis and I even managed to get lost and walk much, much further than intended. Not only did I keep pace with him, I even kept ahead of him a time or two. That made me very happy indeed! If you're diagnosed with cancer, please don't let fear paralyze you. Don't wait. Get the facts and get rid of the bastard! (Sorry for the language, but that's exactly what cancer is.) Do what it takes and get back to being you!

Thus endeth the harangue. Now-- to the links!

Bookish News & Other Fun Stuff

• Author Larry McMurtry on How to Run a Bookstore.
• Take a look at this wonderful miniature bookcase and books that were made in 1904!
• Have you seen the theatrical trailer for Janet Evanovich's One for the Money?
• An article about the research Sharyn McCrumb did for her wonderful book, The Ballad of Tom Dooley.
• I can't wait till Monday to see what Book Riot is all about!
• A very interesting article on the future of publishing-- The Perfect Storm Is Looming....

Christmas Shopping

It's never too early to start shopping... or start making your list and checking it twice!

• A t-shirt every reader needs.
• Got an old couch or chair that needs a little help? Cover it with books!

Lists, Lists, Lists

• Top ten classical books.
• 10 Literary Road Trips.
• The last words of 25 famous dead writers.
• 21 songs written about other famous people.
• Top 10 American cities for book lovers.
• The best 100 opening lines from books.
• The best 100 closing lines from books. (Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities gets my vote for the book having the best opening and closing lines.)
• The Smithsonian talks about the top ten books lost to time.

Never Enough Bookshelves

• Have you heard of The Bookcase Project on Facebook?
• Bookshelves in kitchens.
• Rubber bookshelves. Ooookay....
• A secret bookcase door and floor to ceiling bookshelves.
• A sliding bookcase passage.

eBooks & eReaders

• Could Amazon's Kindle Fire dethrone Apple's iPad?
• One person's opinion of the Kindle Fire.
• The 10 most influential tablets on the market.

Social Media & Blogging Tips

• Twitter Etiquette 101.
• To delete or not to delete (blog comments).
• Can visitors comment easily on your blog?
• The New Yorker on What Facebook Really Wants.

New to My Google Reader

• Gaskella
• Finding My Way... in England
• Wandering in the Stacks
• Literature and a Lens
• Songs and Stories

Whew, what a list! Hopefully there are one or two in there that piqued your interest. Don't forget to stop by next weekend when I'll have a freshly selected batch of links for your surfing pleasure!