Friday, July 19, 2013

Let Them Come to You Weekly Link Round-Up




Our short break down in the Mule Mountains outside of Bisbee, Arizona was over in the blink of an eye. Normally we go down in January and June, but for one reason and another, July had arrived before we were unloading our provisions at the cottage. This was our first monsoon season down there, and it rained for three of the four nights we were there. As the sky filled with lightning, the thunder rattled the windows, and wave after wave of rain created waterfalls down the sides of the mountains, I was reminded of how monsoon season used to be-- years ago-- here in Phoenix before we planted endless fields of concrete and asphalt and reaped a changed climate with our crops. Now the monsoon is very grudging with its rain. Mostly we suffer through gigantic dust storms and winds that topple power lines and trees. Summer monsoons too often mean microbursts that try to tear off chunks of your house and/or fill your pool with mud.

Thick-billed Kingbird
So it was very nice indeed to experience a monsoon in the Sonoran Desert the way that it should be. Denis and I didn't do much except read and enjoy the cooler temperatures.

Summer isn't the best time to go out exploring in the desert. Sometimes it's best to sit in the shade, watch cloud shadows chase each other over the mountains, and let the critters come to you. That's what I did, and for all that "work" I got to see a new-to-me bird, damselfly, butterfly, and lizard. (Yes, that kingbird to the left was a new one for me.) Not bad for all that "effort," eh?


Now... where did I put all those links???


Bookish News & Other Interesting Stuff
  • If you haven't heard at least a note or two of the cacophony surrounding The Cuckoo's Calling, I hope you had some fun under that rock. First J.K. Rowling was outed as the book's author, Robert Galbraith. Then the publishers who'd turned down the book were beating their heads against the wall. Then the book reaches Number One on Amazon. Stephen King goes on record as admiring Rowling's try for anonymity. Signed first editions of the book are selling for thousands of dollars. Latest on the newswire is that a law firm admits to leaking the tasty tidbit. Whew!
  • And since we're talking about Harry Potter's mum, take a look at Diagon Alley on Google Street View.
  • I like it! Tel Aviv inaugurates a beach library.
  • The movie based on The Book Thief has a November release date.
  • Diana Gabaldon's Outlander is going to premiere on Starz. Let the fisticuffs over casting begin!
  • Jane Austen may appear on the £10 note.
  • Some statistics to prove just how important reading is.
  • An infographic for you to use to determine your reader species... and how to make infographics of your own.
  • Tarquin Hall, author of the delightful Vish Puri series set in India, shares his alternative guide to Delhi.
  • How Twitter stopped the Zimmerman juror's book. (If tweets can do this, let's ramp it up a notch or three!)
  • Figures. Someone asks, "Are you reading less?" at the precise time that I'm reading more.
  • Veronica Mars-- a television series that I enjoyed in the past-- is being turned into a series of mystery books.

Book Candy

I  ♥  Lists and Quizzes

Time for me to head to the pool with my books and "bucket" of ice cold drinks, so that's all for this week. Don't forget to stop by next Friday when I'll have a freshly selected batch of links for your surfing pleasure.

Enjoy your weekend!

6 comments:

  1. You were in Bisbee, Cathy? Stop by Lynn Bracken's dress shop? [L.A. Confidential humor]

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  2. Cathy - I love it that you've included that link on the research that supports reading. It is so important to our lives isn't it? Oh, and that 'photo is wonderful. You really have a talent for photography.

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    1. Thanks, Margot. The quality of my photos increased when one pro told me that many photographic flaws can be forgiven as long as the animal's eye(s) is (are) in focus.

      I agree-- I think many, many people have no clue just how important reading is to each and every one of us.

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