The More-Than-Slightly Distracted Weekly Link Round-Up

You've undoubtedly noticed that posts here on Kittling: Books have been few and far between this week-- especially after Tuesday. Never fear! This book blogger is just as fine as frog hair-- and so is Denis-- I just had a good reason for going AWOL: a very special house guest that deserved all my time and attention. Although he had to leave far too soon, I now have the time to put myself into high gear and attempt to resume normally scheduled programming.

Oops! Since I have mentioned regularly scheduled programming, I may as well warn you ahead of time. Next week I know there will be no link round-up. It's the week of my birthday/ our wedding anniversary, and we have some special celebrating planned throughout the week. Sounds like I'm turning into a party girl, doesn't it?

Click to get a good look at that fierce beady little eye!

Phoenix recently experienced the longest, fiercest cold snap it's had since 1988. Bird baths and fountains were frozen solid, and I had to cover up the Arabian jasmine in hopes that it wouldn't freeze.

While the cold spell lasted, our wind chimes sported an extra hummingbird. This male Anna's hummingbird staked out the feeders hanging in front of the family room window as his and his alone-- probably because they got the most sun and thawed out quickest. When not guzzling at one of them, he spent the rest of his time perched on the beak of one of the metal hummingbirds so he was right there to chase away any other hummer that had the temerity to want to drink from his private reserve of Casa Kittling's Finest Nectar!

Bookish News & Other Interesting Stuff

• Amateur astronomers discover 42 alien planets that could sustain life while the non-amateurs now believe the Milky Way galaxy isn't quite as big as we've been thinking.
• Bookstores are community resources.
• The 2013 Edgar Awards nominees were announced.
• McDonald's in the UK will distribute books instead of toys. (How about doing that in the US???)
• Doubleday announced Dan Brown's next novel. (Don't throw those old encyclopedias at me just because I enjoyed The DaVinci Code!)
• The gene pool needs a bit of chlorine: a thief was busted after he posted his vacation photos on Facebook.
• A bookstore in Arkansas has a 22-year-old owner.
• The news isn't good for Barnes and Noble, and the theories as to why it can't last increase daily.

Digital Reading

• Thanks to an app called Field Trip, you'll be able to read a story and take a trip at the same time.
• Three articles on Biblio Tech, the first bookless library in Texas: One, Two, and Three.
• The "gamification" of children's books.
• Total Boox hopes to change how we buy eBooks.
• Advertisers are beginning to pay more attention to digital magazines.
• McGraw Hill starts marketing eBooks to libraries.
• Digital reading is on the rise for children, but there's a qualifier.

I  ♥  Lists & Quizzes

• Are you as well read as a 10th grader?
• How well do you know these authors?
• 8 book adaptations that won Golden Globes.
• 4 mysteries with great settings and plots.
• 26 books to read before they're adapted into 2013 movies.

Book Candy

• Bookshelf Porn with another photo of a wonderful library space.
• Take a look at the Safo Sofa.
• The squaring movable bookshelf.
• Beautifully organized home libraries.
• The bookcase ladder.

New to My Google Reader

•  Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave

That's it for this week. Stop by in two weeks when I'll have a freshly selected batch of links for your surfing pleasure!