The God Rest Ye Merry Weekly Link Round-Up

My decorating is done, and now is the time for me to relax and enjoy the season. My neighbors are still decorating, and I always enjoy seeing more and more lights appear along the street at night.

I'm planning my stitching for gifts and more decorations for next year, and even have an idea or two for non-Christmas items. And I mustn't forget the requests that have been made by friends for other stitched goodies. (Yes, I take requests!)

I went through a period of time a couple of years ago while recuperating from surgery when I really couldn't concentrate enough to read, and I found myself stitching up a storm. I gave away many things as gifts, but still had a boatload taking up valuable shelf space. Now I know why.

Yesterday Denis and I met a dear friend of mine who's going through her own battle with cancer. She's had to retire from work, and her gift budget is a bit limited. I took a shopping bag filled with things I'd made during my needlepoint frenzy, and I'm happy to say that every item will be gifted to others. My heart feels good about helping her out a bit-- and that my creations will go on to be used by others. As you can see, making money from my needle is the least of my concerns!

I hope all of you can enjoy this holiday season as much as I do.

Bookish News & Other Interesting Stuff

• Have you seen the Girls Who Read video?
• Resist the urge to eat this 23-foot-wide gingerbread house.
• Just to put our cold temperatures in perspective, Antarctica recently experienced the coldest day in recorded history.
• A recent study shows that almost 70% of readers will not abandon print books. (I'm one of the 70%.)
• I had fun with the How Millennial Are You? Quiz. I'm definitely a Baby Boomer (average score on quiz 11), but my score of 68 shows that I must be young at heart. How about you?
• A judge has approved the final eBook settlements.
• Human genes aren't the only ones being studied. Distinct humpback whale populations have been found in the North Pacific.
• Why Chaucer said "Ax" instead of "Ask."
• The more things change, the more they remain the same. Science reporter Emily Graslie reads her mail.
• The wonderful and terrible habit of buying too many books.
• Norway plans to digitize all the books in the National Library of Norway.
• Don't rely on autocorrect! Oxford University Press releases a spelling app for kids.
• Kate Parker talks about the history behind her Victorian Bookshop mystery series.
• Are libraries essential? There's a mixed message in the latest Pew Survey. One of the messages is that 90% of Americans said library closures would hurt their communities.
• DaVinci's string organ must be heard to be believed. Yes, they're still building things from Leonardo's plans, and I love the sound of the string organ!
• Don't turn a bored stay-at-home dad loose with your Post-It notes!

Book Candy

• Scots libraries have been turned into works of art.

I  ♥  Lists

• 10 things extraordinary people say everyday.  
• 16 fantastic gifts for lit lovers who have enough books. (Who has enough books?)
• 10 charities that encourage reading.

That's all 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!