A Whole Heapin' Helpin' of a Weekly Link Round-Up

Now is the time to come clean and tell you that I wasn't insanely busy for two solid weeks; I was only insanely busy for one week. Last week, Denis and I were relaxing down in Bisbee, so I had to work myself into a tizzy to get posts written and scheduled (along with everything else) so I could loll at my leisure with a clear conscience.

Denis and I had never stayed in the cottage at the end of July, so this time we got to see what the Mule Mountains looked like once the monsoon rains had had a chance to soak in and work their magic. Whenever I sat in the white wicker rocker outside, all the bushes and shrubs that had never been before were now bursting with blossoms. It was like sitting in my own private butterfly and hummingbird garden. We had never seen that part of Cochise County so green before, and we appreciated every second of it.

On a more humorous note, it took me a day or two to become used to the two Clark's spiny lizards that would take up position outside at the top of the bathroom window to gobble up unsuspecting insects-- and to peer in at me while I was seated on the throne. The last two days we were there, the lizards were no-shows, and I actually missed them!

I was scarcely online the entire week we were gone, but I've still managed to rustle up a whole heapin' helpin' of links. I'd better round them up and get this show on the road!

Books, Movies & Other Interesting Tidbits

• Abraham Lincoln's handwriting has been found in a book on racial theory.
• When you use the word "novel," just what exactly do you mean?
• Psychologists have discovered that a surprising thing happens to kids who read the Harry Potter books.
• A bookmark that reminds you to read via Twitter. (That's something I've never needed a reminder for!)
• Is it wrong for bibliophiles to spoil movies or TV shows for others? (Yes, we should go elsewhere and chatter amongst ourselves.)
• The state of worldwide library eBook lending.
• Do we need consumer protection for eBooks?
• An interesting article about the man who documented the last native tribes in America.
• Amazon posted this update concerning their business interruption with Hachette. The New Yorker believes their pitch to authors failed.
• Lost Dr. Seuss stories are going to be republished.
• Season 5 of Game of Thrones is probably going to upset fans in a major way.
• Are you a book hoarder? There's a word for that.
• A Richmond mom brings literacy to laundromats.
• A new trailer for Outlander was revealed during Comic Con.
• George RR Martin has donated $10,000 to a UK wolf charity after a 13-year-old's pocket money plea.
• The children's book Bob, Son of Battle is being modernized, and I just can't decide whether or not I like the idea.
• Bel Kaufman, author of Up the Down Staircase, has died. The book made quite an impression on me all those years ago.
• Yaddo has been designated as a National Historic Landmark.
• A bathroom reading habits infographic.
• First edition books are a first-class way to invest.
• Why you should ignore book blurbs.
• Want to see the world? Check out a library in Queens.

I   ♥  Lists

• The top ten British mystery shows every Anglophile will enjoy. (The trouble is that there are so many there's on one list that can contain them all!)
• 28 breathtaking photos of lighthouses.
• 20 relaxing vacation spots for book lovers.
• 16 of the most magnificent trees in the world.
• 62 of the world's most beautiful libraries.
• Translations of some of the more common things a book snob says.
• 19 wonderful vintage school library posters.
• 10 of the most depressing places in literature.
• The 35 writers who run the literary internet.
• 13 dysfunctional literary couples who should have broken up.
• How to become a terrible library patron in 5 easy steps.
• 8 tips for moving when you have a ton of books.
• 20 colorful stairways around the globe.

Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones

• A Wyoming cave with fossil secrets is to be excavated.
• A museum rediscovers an ancient skeleton... in storage. (Reminds me a bit of the ending of Raiders of the Lost Ark....)
• A 2,100-year-old king's mausoleum has been discovered in China.
• Iron Age bones discovered in Denmark are revealing some bizarre ancient rituals.
• The origins of the mysterious World Trade Center ship have been revealed.
• The mysterious plain of megalithic jars.
• Dinosaurs evolved into birds after shrinking for 50 million years.
• Tyrannosaur "gangs" terrorized the ancient landscape.

Book Candy

• I love these bookshelves at St. Mark's Bookshop in New York City.
• Several of the surrealistic book paintings of Alireza Darvish are marvelous.
• More gorgeousness: these Chinese Lord of the Ring book covers.
• I don't know how happy I would be with it, but you can add a bed to the back of your bookcase.
• The world's coolest bookstores.
• Karn, not your run-of-the-mill bookcase.
• A first for me: this literary straightjacket.

That's all for now. Don't forget to stop by next Friday when I'll have a freshly selected batch of links for your surfing pleasure. Have a great weekend!