The Looking for Volunteers Weekly Link Round-Up

I can't believe that it's just about time for me to start getting Casa Kittling ready for a British Invasion. (Our niece-- great-niece?-- is coming over from England for two weeks.) Where does the time go?!? Denis and I will be taking her out and about to places like the Sky Walk at Grand Canyon West, down the Diamond Creek trail to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, to Oatman to (hopefully) feed the wild burros, and I'd love to get her over to Monument Valley and up to the White Mountains where it will be cooler. I'll need some luck with booking rooms, though!

One of the things I must do is some work out in the garden. I've been pushing my luck with the temperatures as it is. That rain we got not too long ago has made things go ballistic, so I have to sharpen up my pruning sheers. Could I get a volunteer from the studio audience?

Speaking of growing things, I'll leave you with another cactus flower from the Desert Botanical Garden while I mosey out to the corral to round up all those links I've been saving....

 

►Books, Movies & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• The lost Neruda works can now be found in Then Come Back. 
• Nevada Barr talks about the beauty of our national parks.
• George R.R. Martin has an idea for a spin-off of Game of Thrones. 
• You know how I've dipped my toe into the world of critiquing book cover design? Well, one of my readers found the Caustic Cover Critic blog. Thanks, Reta! 
• If Jane Eyre were published today, would it be marketed as genre fiction? 
• The Martian author's next novel is a crime story set on the moon.
• Yikes! I know he's tasty, but... A scarf worn by Outlander's Sam Heughan sold at a charity auction for £10,000!
• Here's what a Pulitzer Prize does for a book's Amazon sales rank. 

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• When you're so rich, you don't notice your Picasso is missing.... 
• A 17th-century dress belonging to an English noblewoman has been found on a Dutch island... but why was she there? 
• Dinosaur feathers have been discovered in Canadian amber.
• London's "Crossrail skulls" could be rebels executed during the time of the Roman Empire. 
• A Polish historian claims he's found the location of the long lost Amber Room in a crumbling Nazi bunker. This priceless treasure was stolen from Russia during World War II.
• What they wore to the Vanderbilt Ball. 
• Archaeologists in Arkansas believe they've found the remains of deSoto's cross. 
• An eccentric uncle left his relatives an old garage in his will, but it's not as bad as you think. 
• A painting looted by the Nazis is coming to auction in New York City. 
• A 2,400-year-old mosaic has been found in southern Turkey which depicts a skeleton with a rather cheery piece of advice.
• Lost medieval music is being performed for the first time in 1,000 years.
• An Israeli brewery has recreated a 2,000-year-old beer. 

►Channeling My Inner Elly Mae Clampett◄

• This is the closest thing to a dragon you will ever see.
• Twelve smiling animals that will make your day.
•  The National Audubon Society has announced its 2016 photography awards winners.
• Sixteen pictures guaranteed to make you fall in love with possums.
• Ten hilarious animal photo submissions for the Comedy Wildlife Photo Contest.

►Shakespeare & Other Fascinating Folk◄

• Shakespeare's original classroom has been opened to the public.
• Things we say today that we owe to Shakespeare. 
• Cooking with the Bard: Shakespeare's forgotten foods.
• An illustrated starter guide to phrases coined by Shakespeare. 
• Six forgotten female warriors from Scotland's past. 
• Nobuo Okano, book repairman. 
• A new discovery has shed light on ancient Egypt's most successful female pharaoh, Hatshepsut. 
• She's the new face of the $20 bill, but I bet you have no idea how tough Harriet Tubman really was.
• A 400-year-old Shakespearean mystery. 
• Shakespeare and his stuff.
• Shakespeare is going to be featured on new coins in the UK. 

►The Happy Wanderer◄

• Mona Lisa's villa is on the market for $23 million.
• A huge coral reef has been discovered at the mouth of the Amazon River.
• Let's take a look at Tennessee's Templeton Library. 
• The lovely Chinese watchtowers built with proceeds from the California Gold Rush. 
• Take a look at a book lover's dream home in Madrid. (Not enough shelves for me....)
• Let's visit the Bunch of Grapes Bookstore in Martha's Vineyard. 
• The oldest libraries around the world. 

►I ♥ Lists & Quizzes◄

• Nine great unconventional true crime books. 
• Name the author of each famous book. (This one's tough! Not only do you need a good memory but excellent eye/hand/mouse dexterity!)
• The top ten books written about books. 
• Can you pass this basic literature test?

That's all for this week! Don't forget to stop by next Friday when I'll be sharing a freshly selected batch of links for your surfing pleasure.

Have a great weekend, and read something fabulous!