The Procrastinator's Weekly Link Round-Up

Spring has sprung in the Sonoran Desert, and my mind is on anything and everything but blogging-- hence the fact that the posts for Thursdays and Fridays have been appearing late.

I have a much-anticipated house guest arriving next Wednesday, and I've been spring cleaning myself into a tizzy. (Cathy's Cleaning Clue#1: Do not get ammonia in a cut on your finger unless you want to invent the latest dance craze.) I've also been thinking of menus and of a trail or two we might want to explore while he's here.

No more ugly metal bookend!

Our house guest isn't the only thing I've been thinking about. I'm also going to convert a seldom-used room into a craft room where I can have all my bits and pieces organized in one spot, as well as have a big table to spread projects out on and leave them there if they're not completed. This means I've been staring at walls and making plans.

I've also begun stitching a cover for Denis's Nook. So far, so good. Remember me telling you about the bookend cover I designed and made? Well, here it is to the left-- and you also get to take a look at my Advanced Reader's Copy shelf. (Something tells me you folks are going to be clicking on this photo to read book spines!)

I've been reading up a storm, too, which should tell you something else. With all I've been doing, I haven't been sleeping much. Excitement, I think. This is the first house guest we've had since my diagnosis and surgery. Don't get me wrong: I know why people didn't come to visit, and I agree with their decision, but it still made me feel a bit like Typhoid Mary. I know. I know. Stupid!

Anyway, I've got a few links for you this week, so let's get down to business!


Bookish News & Other Interesting Stuff

• An article in The Paris Review on how books have been shelved through the ages.
• Have you heard of the Diagram Prize? It is awarded each year to the book with the oddest title, and there are some beauts in the short list this year!
• The Albatross bookmark has some definite possibilities!
• The day my Nook got nicked.
• The latest on Consumer Attitudes Toward E-Book Reading.
• The ongoing debate on which is better: eBooks or paper books: Tim Parks says eBooks can't burn; William Petrocelli states the case for paper books. My two cents? Granted, an eBook can't burn; however, someone can push a button or two and have all your eBooks erased from your reader.... Just sayin'. I'm firmly straddling the fence on this issue because I have--and love-- both.
• Will J.K. Rowling's new book be shelved in the Mystery section?

I ♥ Lists

• 10 fantastic novels with disappointing endings.
• I can never get enough of these lists: The best 100 opening lines from books.
• 20 more beautiful bookstores from around the world.
• National Pig Day: The greatest oinkers in literature.
• 10 great magical books for adults.
• A brief history of great books, awful movies.
• 14 movie cameos by the authors of the original books.
• 20 awesomely untranslatable words from around the world.
• 100 books that defined the noughties.

Book Candy

• An industrial floor lamp bookshelf.
• Neil Gaiman's personal library.
• Inside the Academy Awards Greenroom Library.
• A vintage dictionary pendant necklace.
• I keep waiting for this pile of books to topple....
• A pyramid wall of books.
• A used bookstore in Putney, London.
• Kids' furniture shaped like giant books.
• A book bench.
• An oak book bench in England.

New to My Google Reader

• Entomology of a Bookworm
• Stacy's Books
• Charlotte's Web of Books

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!