A Back to Reality Weekly Link Round-Up

Posts were few on the ground this past week, and there's a good reason for it. Denis and I had our first house guest in 'way too long, and I focused on what was the most important. (Sorry, blog. You're important, but you're not #1!) Mike's even better than a blood brother because I got to choose him, so any time he can come down for a visit is a cause for celebration. The icing on the cake is that Denis loves having him here, too, so in effect I have both my favorite guys within hugging range.

Mike and Denis enjoying spring training

Mike's week here didn't start auspiciously. Denis caught a nasty viral gastro-somethingorother, and although I tried my best to steer clear, I caught a tiny bit. All this meant was that I felt like warmed-over death the evening Mike arrived-- and Denis was back to his chipper self. Fortunately I had a bit of time to recuperate: as you can see to the left, the two of them spent an afternoon enjoying a Spring Training game between "their teams," the Seattle Mariners and the Arizona Diamondbacks, while I slept the rest of the bug away.

Me and my Peter Graves hair

Mike comes down here to relax, and he got a bit of that accomplished. In the evenings while Denis was at work, Mike and I watched movies and sat by the pool talking and star gazing. (Gotta love Phoenix in March!) I even let him take a photo or two of me, which is a scary proposition! Once again I thought about chaining Mike to something so he couldn't leave, but I couldn't. (Although I don't think I would've met with much resistance!)

Those days flew by, and now I'm back to reality... and some links! I hope I've rounded up some good ones that you'll enjoy checking out over the beverage of your choice. Let's get started!

Bookish News & Other Interesting Stuff

• Toola, an otter pioneer who raised orphan pups, has died.
• Take a look at this video: the story of Jordan, a boy who was taught to read, thanks to a dog named Drew.
• Join the fight to save Undershaw from the developers. What's so important about Undershaw? It's the house in which Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote many of his Sherlock Holmes stories.
• A Booklover's Map of America showing landmarks of literary geography from 1933.
• The detail in these is incredible: Insane art formed by carving books with surgical tools.
• I first became acquainted with Lizzie Borden as a child jumping rope in grade school. Her murder case has gotten a whole new look.
• A very unsettling article, but one that should be read: Let's watch a girl get beaten to death.
• What someone thought the "book reader of the future" would look like from his 1935 perspective.
• I love art, and when I found this article showing the palettes of famous artists, I found it fascinating. Then I found more information in Why Preserve Van Gogh's Palette?

I ♥ Lists

• Oprah says these are 9 things you should never say in a book club. 
• 10 of the most powerful female characters in literature.
• 10 more of the most powerful women in literature.
• Top 10 female science fiction characters.
• The top 25 baseball books for your desert island.
• The 10 best movies adapted from memoirs.
• 10 evocative writers of place.
• Top 10 weird histories. (Just the kind of history I like!)
• Top 10 villains.
• 10 big authors' houses for sale.
• The 10 best fictional bookstores in pop culture.
• The fake books of Charles Dickens.

eBooks

• The experts are now saying that tablets are changing our reading habits... and not for the better.
• A review of the Solar Focus Powered Cover for the Kindle 4.
• Looks like the Google ICS tablet will debut in May.

Book Candy

• I love these window boxes!
• A pair of falling bookends.
• The Guardian, a UK newspaper, is collecting photos of bookshelves.
• The Library Collection, a line of candles with scents named after literary greats.
• Bookity's handmade recycled book paper decorations and jewelry.
• Take a look at this fabulous Harry Potter cake!

New to My Google Reader

• Brain Pickings
• The Paperback Bookworm

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!