A Clearing Out Weekly Link Round-Up

I wouldn't believe it if it hadn't happened to me. I think I told you-- well, I know I told somebody!-- about reorganizing cupboards and countertops in the kitchen. We also had our combination pantry/broom closet scheduled for a clear-out, too, but things kept getting in the way. Last week, Denis said that we'd do it this Tuesday. I raised an eyebrow, knowing what was already scheduled for that day, but I didn't say anything. I figured we'd do it if he remembered, and if he didn't, I'd keep my mouth shut. He didn't remember.

We had a well-deserved lie-in on Wednesday, and when I finally showed myself, all I wanted was some tea and some time to read email and the like. Denis had other plans, and he kept at me until I got to moving in the right direction. That's a first!

We cleared out the pantry, and now you can barely tell it's the same space. It's amazing how a person can spend a lot of time clearing out and reorganizing an area and then turn right around and junk it up again.

We were ruthless-- especially with the time- and labor-saving machines I bought to help me with housecleaning only to find that they really didn't suit my requirements. We put several things out at the curb. If the wrong person had driven by, we risked getting fined by the city, but we knew the people in the area well enough to know that our stuff wouldn't be out there long enough to gather one speck of dust. We were right. Now we have a pantry with a couple of empty shelves (!!!), and it's reorganized so that the door actually shuts and latches without a fight. I think it's time for some R&R now, don't you?

But I'd better mosey out to the corral first. Head 'em up! Moooove 'em out!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• Book editor Juliet Grames reflects on the many rules she's recently broken.
• What's behind the American cult of eternal adolescence.
• A new study reveals how one person's "smellscape" can differ from another's.
• The true crime that captivated one of America's most enigmatic writers.
• Ohio becomes the latest state to attempt to stop book donations to the incarcerated.
• Vochol-- the VW Bug decorated with over two million glass beads. 
• How do you turn kids into bookworms? All ten children's laureates share their tips.
• Kristin Scott Thomas joins Lily James and Armie Hammer in a new Netflix adaptation of Rebecca.

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• The Colossi of Memnon-- two of the most imposing monuments of ancient Egypt.
• Restoration reveals that a long-lost cupid was painted over after Vermeer's death. 
• Paul Revere's house, built in 1680, is the oldest structure in Boston. 
• Remarkable 4,500-year-old tombs have been found in Giza.
• The pirate cemetery of Madagascar, the resting place of the world's notorious pirates.
• For the first time, "all the Rembrandts" are on display in Amsterdam.

►Channeling My Inner Elly Mae Clampett◄

• Bengal tigers may lose a vital habitat by 2070. 
• The key to biodiversity in Antarctica is penguin poop.
• 108 neglected lions were found on a South African breeding farm.
• This horse was the gold standard for Roman chariot racers.
• China's proposed national panda park will be three times the size of Yellowstone. 
• How evolution brought a flightless bird back from extinction.
• Seven hungry kookaburras laugh at a man with food.

►Fascinating Folk◄

• Meet Marion Donovan, the mother who invented a precursor to the disposable diaper. 
• Mary Baker, the English servant girl who pretended to be an exotic island princess.
• Bertha Heyman, the Prussian grifter who swindled her way to her own one-woman show.

►I ♥ Lists & Quizzes◄

• Twenty-two nonfiction books that prove the resilience of the human spirit. 
• From Caster Semenya to Martina Navratilova: the best books on sporting outliers.
• Seven mystery books for fans of Andrea Camilleri.
• Fifteen of our favorite pop culture bookshops.
• Match the obscure book with its famous author.
• Tim Pears picks the best books on rural life.
• The twenty best speeches in the history of crime cinema.
• Claustrophobic Noir-- books for when the walls-- and life-- are closing in.

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!