Friday, July 25, 2014

The One-Armed Paperhanger Weekly Link Round-Up




It's been one of those weeks. You know-- when your to-do list is five miles long, but you only have a half mile's worth of time to get it all done in? This is where the post title ties in. Back where I grew up, we had a saying for when you were so frazzled: "Busier than a one-armed paperhanger with the hives." That's me right now, and next week doesn't look to be any better, so I'm going to warn you right now-- Don't be surprised if there's no link round-up next week. Unless I turn into Popeye and someone feeds me a can of spinach....

On to the links! (And please don't worry. It's all good. I'm just busy!)


Books, Movies & Other Interesting Tidbits
  • In Florida there's a barbershop that serves up a side of books with its haircuts.
  • Libraries are not a Netflix for books.
  • A plan to turn California into six states may actually make it to the ballot. Personally I think they need to mull this over a while longer.
  • One of my favorite actors, James Garner, has died at the age of 86. Mom didn't wash her hand for three days after he kissed it at the Illinois State Fair, smiled at her, and called her honey. I've loved him since forever. His grin and wry sense of humor were perfect for "Maverick" and "The Rockford Files." R.I.P., you gorgeous man.
  • It seems that Singapore has had second thoughts about destroying children's books depicting gay and lesbian characters.
  • We'll soon be able to read 15 heretofore unpublished stories written by Elmore Leonard.
  • Amazon isn't killing writing, the market is.
  • Amazon makes Kindle Unlimited official, and Oyster responds. So does the Huffington Post.
  • Great movies that had no business being great. 
  • Is Amazon trying to buy Simon and Schuster?
  • Still on the busy bee front, an Amazon Kindle "pleasure reading house" has opened in China.

Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones 
& David Attenborough
  • A huge new crater has been found in Siberia, and theories are thicker than a swarm of bees. 
  • Archaeologists are hard at work excavating a colonial battleground in New York state.
  • Other archaeologists have discovered a rare Roman "free choice" cemetery.
  • A shipwreck site is yielding gold bars and thousands of coins.
  • You've probably heard about the "great Pacific garbage patch"-- halfway between California and Hawaii-- but did you know that it's forming islands? (If this keeps going, they're all going to want admission to the UN....) 
  • Money grubbers just can't leave well enough alone. They won't give up trying to build all around the edges of Grand Canyon National Park. I have just one question for them: Where's the water coming from? (The obvious answer isn't necessarily the correct one in this instance.) 

I  ♥  Lists & Quizzes

Book Candy

That's all for this week. Don't forget to stop by two weeks from now when I'll have a freshly selected batch of links for your surfing pleasure.

Have a great weekend!


      8 comments:

      1. Cathy - I know all about being frantically busy, but thanks for the links. I'm glad you mentioned James Garner; he will be missed. And oooh, that sunken ship? Time to click on that one!

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        1. Things like that really pique my interest-- and yours, too, Margot!

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      2. I loved the long list of links! I've been looking at them off and on today.

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      3. There's a good non-fiction read (though I'm not crazy about the title) about the finding of that shipwreck: Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea, by Gary Kinder. But it was clearly written before some of the developments mentioned in that article!

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        1. I've read that book, Kate, and I had the same reaction!

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      4. The article on why libraries are not Netflix is a fabulous defense of libraries, librarians, library workers and cities' funding of these essential institutions. The writer lays out the case thoroughly and expertly. After all, she is a librarian.

        Where would many of us book lovers be if we hadn't had libraries in our childhoods? It is a terrible deprivation for a child to be without a library, especially in more disadvantaged areas where families don't have money to spend on books and assorted programs.

        Also, I did poorly on the moon quiz, as I am just not familiar with much British writing and some contemporary works.

        I love the Brazil bookshop and the facade of the one in Provo, Utah. Wish we had that in New York; more people would visit them.

        And I love the crazy book lady mug. I'm tempted.

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        1. I'm really tempted by that mug, too, Kathy!

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      Thank you for taking the time to make a comment. I really appreciate it!