The Plans Are Afoot Weekly Link Round-Up

I have a feeling that you can tell how successful a vacation is by how quickly you start planning the next one. I'm moving through all our UK trip photos about as quickly as a geriatric glacier. I have posted my photos that were taken in the wonderful Leakey's Bookshop in Inverness on my Facebook pages, and I hope to have a write-up and a few of them ready to share with you here on the blog within the week. While Denis and I were in the Highlands, I fell madly in love with Balnakeil Beach, which is in a remote area of northwest Scotland. Beautiful cliffs, almost-white sand, deep turquoise waters.... *sigh*  I told Denis that I wanted to find a suitable cottage that's within sight and a very short stroll of that heavenly place-- and I did!

The Bothy on Balnakeil Beach

It's a small cottage, and Denis and I are already planning to spend a week there. I don't care that it's remote. I like remote. We can get provisions on the way there, and if the only things I do for that week are spending time with Denis, walking that beach, hunting for shells, and reading, I will be thrilled. You can't see it in this photo, but there's a big window on the other end of the cottage that overlooks the beach.  It'll be a couple of years before we get there, but just planning for it makes me smile!

Nothing much going on here at Casa Kittling. Cleaning, cooking, doctors' appointments, author signings-- and I've been on a reading high. This week I reviewed four books, two rated "A" and the other two rated an "A+". Now if that's not music to a bookaholic's ears then nothing is!

Bookish News & Other Interesting Stuff

• Last week, I told you that a first edition copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone annotated by J.K. Rowling was up for auction. It sold for £150,000 ($227,000+). You can also read more about the other authors who annotated their books for this auction.
• Why the great Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami translated The Great Gatsby.
• I love some of the fake writing assignments this author gave to online cheaters.
• Salon.com tells us "Beware of book blurbs." I don't put too much store in them-- especially the ones that have "..." in them. (It means they've left some important bits out!)
• After forty years, a new Pearl Buck novel will be released this fall.
• Even the royals love Harry Potter.
• My heart goes out to the people of Moore, Oklahoma. (I know someone who lives there. Fortunately she and her house are all right.) For those of you who aren't familiar with tornadoes, you can read more about what happened... and you can see the utter devastation on Google Maps. The more I scrolled to trace the tornado's entire path, the more my heart broke.
• I'm looking forward to the premiere of the second season of "Longmire," so here's an article about its star, Robert Taylor.
• Stephen King on what he read as a kid.
• The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards faces a pretty hefty fine for some overdue library books.
• The world's most famous (well...almost) literary pub.

Digital Reading

• The new E-ink Sony 13 inch eReader debuts, complete with video. They're also working on models with a flexible screen to be available in 2014.
• The New York Times eBook bestseller list will be available online only.
• Amazon is bringing out a licensed program for fan fiction.

I   ♥   Lists

• 10 movie titles with bad grammar.
• The most searched authors and titles on Google.
• Eoin Colfer's top ten villains.
• The great big reading poll.
• 10 classic books that have been turned into ballets.
• Famous books that you didn't know were censored.
• 12 things famous authors absolutely hated.
• 8 animals as bookish as you are.
• 11 tactics to keep your reading choice a secret. (Frankly, my dears, I don't give a fiddle-dee-dee if everyone knows what I'm reading....)

Book Candy

• The "This Is a Bookshop" sign has gone viral.
• A bookcase that suspends books on threads.
• Abibliophobia: the book lover's greatest fear.
• Incredible reading rooms from around the world.
• Love him or hate him, take a look at Dan Brown's house!

That's all for this week. Don't forget to stop by next weekend for more of my ramblings-- and a freshly selected batch of links for your surfing pleasure!