It's official: I'm going through books like a house afire. I'm not a speed reader, and I don't think I'm really reading any faster than I normally do; it's just that when I sit in the shady end of the pool, I can't hear politicians and other solicitors ring the doorbell, and I can't hear the phone ring (so I miss even more politicians and their recorded messages about how wonderful they are). I'm not where I can see that that window ledge needs to be dusted or that I really should run a dust mop over the living room floor. In other words, when I'm in the pool, I'm distraction-free and can really immerse myself in one story after another. Yes, I am lucky, and yes, I know it... and I'm very thankful for it.
Since I am going through so many books, I have increased the number of reviews you see here on the blog, but there's been a slight change in plan. Instead of reviewing everything I read here, whenever I have a novella, short story, or a collection of short stories, I'm going to do a quick reaction to those on my blog's Facebook page. If you're interested in seeing them but haven't "liked" my page, you can get to it from the Let's Connect section on my sidebar. I share a lot of other things there as well, and some folks have found it easier to leave comments there than it is here. Whatever floats your boat-- if you're happy then I'm happy!
Oh oh-- those danged links just tried to make a break for it! I better get 'em rounded back up so y'all can see the goodies I discovered in the past week!
Books, Movies & Other Interesting Tidbits
- When we read fiction, how relevant is the author's biography?
- Under the Dome episode written by-- and tweaked for TV by-- Stephen King.
- More common sense, this time from the American Academy of Pediatrics: they support reading aloud to children from infancy.
- I've had a crush on Robin Ellis since he starred in Poldark. I follow his blog and enjoyed his recent post about helping a family of hedgehogs.
- One library system and the American Library Association are under fire for inappropriate computer usage.
- UK groups and authors are rallying to support reading in prisons.
- You will be shocked when you learn how often young people read.
- Organized crime focuses on book scanning in Spain.
- Mary Poppins's real-life model appears in an unseen P.L. Travers story.
- Stephanie Kwolek, the inventor of Kevlar, has died at the age of 90.
- J.K. Rowling tweeting to her fans made the news.
- Marcus Redthunder talks about how A&E's Longmire gets it right. (Who's Marcus Redthunder? The real-life inspiration for Henry Standing Bear, that's who.)
- Instead of begging, a homeless man reviews books on the street and sells them.
- I went through all my skincare products after reading about microbeads.
Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones...
...or is it David Attenborough?
- Artifacts dating back 4,500 years were found atop a cupboard in Britain. Here's a second article about the discovery.
- A 4,000-year-old burial with chariots has been discovered in the South Caucasus.
- More on the sunken kingdom that is re-emerging from the sea in Wales.
- Two well-preserved dinosaur skeletons have been found in Russia.
- An explorer says he's found the shipwreck of LaSalle's ship the Griffin at the bottom of Lake Michigan.
- One of Monet's paintings of the Water Lilies fetches $55 million in an auction in London.
- Scientists are probing satellite images for the lost ark of Noah.
- A newfound horned dinosaur, the Mercuriceratops, had some pretty spectacular headgear.
- A Spanish "pit of bones" has yielded 17 remarkable early human skulls.
- An Egyptologist has unraveled an ancient mystery.
- A great white shark has baffled the scientists tracking it off the U.S. coast.
- A rare Roman "Nero" coin has been unearthed in England. (The next time I'm in the UK, I'm renting a metal detector and going for a walk!)
I ♥ Lists
- 19 dilemmas every book lover has faced at least once.
- Damian Dibben's top ten time travel books.
- 6 Caribbean writers to discover this summer.
Book Candy
- An unusual "book" coffee table from France, circa 1960.
- For anyone who does cross stitch, I found a "Read More" pattern to download.
That's all for now. Don't forget to stop by next Friday for a freshly selected batch of links for your surfing pleasure.
Have a great weekend!
The same thing has happened to me, Cathy. I'm not a speed reader either (the slowest in my family as a matter of fact) but I seem to be going through books like a bat out of hell this year. Almost 60 this year before the end of June. I *never* get to 60 normally until about Sept/Oct. I can't work it out. As far as I can see I'm not spending that much more time reading than any other year. It's weird and I'm happy it's not just me!
ReplyDeleteIt's a right good situation to be in, isn't it? :-)
DeleteI still want to come spend some time in that pool of yours!
ReplyDeleteCome on over!
DeleteCathy - I'm so glad that you're taking the time to really focus on your reading instead of wasting your time with robocalls. And I love your reviews! Oh, and the links, too. And speaking as a person with an inner Indy Jones of her own, I like the history ones! :-)
ReplyDeleteI thought I recognized a kindred spirit!
DeleteOh, you are so fortunate to have zipped through books. Must be the warm weather and the blooming plants and the birds chirping around that are inspirations. Or it's the pool.
ReplyDeleteI didn't really read in June, the first time in years. I need new glasses, for one thing. And I've been busy and people keep suggesting dvd's to me, so too much movie watching, not enough reading. (I can hear my parents telling me this unconsciously.)
It's getting very hot in the city and my favorite cafe has turned into a bar so I can't sit there. I must figure out a strategy.
Also, my library branch has few mysteries. I went to the dentist's today and the library across the street has tons of them, so I'm about to change venues for borrowing books.
I'm hoping my summer is even half as productive as yours as far as reading goes.
I hope it is, too, Kathy!
Delete