An Arizona Autumn Weekly Link Round-Up

A lot of folks don't like southern Arizona because they think there aren't four distinct seasons. There are; you just have to know where to look. When you're in the southern part of this state, you usually have to be at elevation to find the distinct signs of season change. There's nothing like a thousand feet here and there to bring about the changes most people are used to.

I remember the first time I traveled through Cochise County in the southeastern corner of Arizona (a county that's larger than some states). It was autumn. The spine of the Dragoon Mountains was jagged and sharp in the clear air, and I was looking out over tall spires of yucca plants, huge agaves, and more mesquite and creosote bushes than I'd ever know what to do with... until I came up over a rise.

Now... it's usually easy to tell where there's water in this state because all of a sudden a brilliant green ribbon will appear seemingly out of nowhere. But at this time of year, I saw gold. When I drove up over that rise, the winding ribbon of the San Pedro River was laid out in bold strokes of gold. Much like the photo above, only all the trees had turned, not just most of them. I rank it as one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen, and when I think of autumn, that's usually what pops into my mind's eye first. I may not care much for autumn, but it can be beautiful.

Now it's time to head on out to the corral to get those links ready for you all. Head 'em up! Moooooooooove 'em out!

►Books, Movies & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• Danielle Steel's desk is unlike anything you've ever seen. 
• #ProjectLiteracy's bedtime story with Idris Elba. Love his voice! 
• Amazon defends deleting one-star reviews of Hillary Clinton's new book. (#1-- read the book first!) 
• Why books and reading are more important than ever. 
• "Spinster" and "Bachelor" were, until 2005, official terms for single people. 
• A Spanish crime novelist who killed two people and cut up one of the bodies "was acting out his own novel's plot." Yes, truth is stranger than fiction....
• And it gets stranger: There was a real-life drama recently as police found an actual dead body on the set of the new BBC serial killer thriller Rellik.
• When Chicago was the real literary capital of the United States. 
• Accessing Africa through science fiction.

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• The royal tomb of an ancient Mayan ruler has been found in Guatemala. 
• A colossal dinosaur-eating crocodile has been discovered in Texas.
• A canoe unearthed by Hurrican Irma could be hundreds of years old. 
• Rare Roman cavalry swords and toys have been unearthed along Hadrian's Wall. 
• At an army base in Kansas, there's a secret collection of incredible finds. 
• A mass grave filled with ancient Roman skeletons has archaeologists baffled in Turkey.

►Channeling My Inner Elly Mae Clampett◄

• Dian Fossey's life with gorillas is revealed in a rarely seen film.
• Summer in the Heartsick Mountains when talk turns to fireflies. 
• The stunning underwater picture this photographer wishes "didn't exist." (I agree with him.) .
• This tiny transparent fish could possibly save your life.
• Long thought extinct, the Javan tiger may have been spotted in Indonesia.

►The Happy Wanderer◄

• The National Parks face a looming existential crisis. 
• The top ten places to see autumn leaves. 
• The best bars in New York City where you can read in peace. 
• A photographer has reconstructed a 1,400-mile route along the Underground Railroad.

►Fascinating Folk◄

• Three things to know about Francesca Caccini, the Renaissance musical genius you've never heard of. 
• Hans Christian Andersen was a terrible houseguest, according to letters written by Charles Dickens. 
• Stanislav Petrov, the "man who saved the world," has died at the age of 77.

►I ♥ Lists◄

•  Top ten contemporary short stories.
•  Seven writers who were also editors (and the books they edited).
• In honor of the book's thirtieth birthday, here are 75 covers of Toni Morrison's Beloved from around the world. 
• A video showing literary home decor ideas from eight famous writers’ bedrooms. 
• Found: thirty lost English words that may deserve a comeback.

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!