My Reading Spot Weekly Link Round-Up

I thought it was time, once again, to show you my favorite reading spot since its appearance changes over the years. If I ever win the lottery, it will be my favorite year-round reading spot, but right now, I can only bask in it when the water is within the right temperature range. (It's hard to turn the pages when you have icicles on the tips of your fingers.)

You'll probably notice a thing or two that looks different. Two umbrellas instead of one, for instance. Denis shortened the pole on the big umbrella so it provides more shade and allows me to operate the crank from where I sit in the pool, but even with the umbrella tilted, it doesn't shade me from the sun coming in from the side, and that's the reason for the second umbrella.

There's a "black blob" off to the left that holds the mosquito coils that I burn while I'm out there. I know everything on this planet has a rhyme and reason for being here, but I've never quite figured out the rhyme or reason for mosquitos. I loathe the little beasts.

If you feel like looking closely enough, you'll see a big insulated drink cup and my book, but the other thing that undoubtedly caught your eye was the fact that the big pink umbrella isn't opened up all the way. (And while we're on the subject...hot pink? That's what the Arizona sun does to deep red in a short period of time.) There's a reason why that umbrella isn't opened all the way, and it doesn't have anything to do with it being defective. (1) I don't get into the pool until 2PM or later, so the sun isn't directly overhead which is when I would need the maximum amount of shade. (2) July and August are the months for Arizona's monsoons. Monsoon storms usually build in the afternoons, and the storm will first announce itself with wind gusts. I've learned the hard way that umbrellas opened all the way will blow over easily in strong winds, and it's difficult to juggle a book and an umbrella at the same time. The umbrella before this one was on its last legs and wouldn't open all the way, and when Denis was shortening this replacement, it dawned on me that the partially opened version didn't blow over in strong wind gusts. Live and learn, eh?

With all this talk about sitting in the pool with storms brewing, strong winds, and toppling umbrellas, you're probably wondering if I stay in the pool during these storms. The answer is short and sweet: No!

And now it's time for the links! 

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• The long history of Southern women "taking to bed." 
• How one museum is giving a voice to former mental health patients.
• Jane Austen used pins to edit her manuscripts. Ah, those days before word processors and white-out! 
• The Navajo Nation has opened its first street-side libraries thanks to teacher Duane Yazzie. 
• Trying to fry an egg on the sidewalk has been a summer pastime for over one hundred years.
• A brief history of the Ned Kelly Awards.
• The wildness of girlhood, which-- in many cases-- was talking about me. How about you?
• Adrian McKinty had given up on writing. A late night phone call changed everything.

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• Southampton's Holyrood Church.
• The Roman cisterns of Fermo.
• Is this the childhood home of Lady Jane Grey, England's Nine-Day Queen?
• The Frick revives 18th-century frescoes destroyed during World War II.
• Ancient DNA sheds new light on the Biblical Philistines.
• This 33,000-year-old man may have been killed by a left-handed murderer. 
• Ancient Chinese graves have revealed evidence of early skull reshaping.
• A 900-year-old Viking chess piece bought for $6 just auctioned for $1.3 million. (I love the little guy's eyes!)
• Stunning 1,600-year-old Biblical mosaics have been found in an ancient Galilean village.

►Channeling My Inner Elly Mae Clampett◄

• The noise made by wild hippos can be deafening. 
• A little squirrel sits on top of his human's gasoline can guitar while the human plays a tune. 
• The St. Kilda Pier penguin colony.
• California eagles defy the odds by taking in a baby hawk. 
• Coral grows at about the same rate as human hair.

►The Happy Wanderer◄

• The home that inspired Peter Pan is reopening as Scotland's National Centre for Children's Literature and Storytelling.

►Fascinating Folk◄

• The real "Charlotte Gray": Pearl Witherington, the French Resistance leader with a million-franc bounty on her head.
• How a Pennsylvania kid went west, became the Sundance Kid and joined Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch.

►I ♥ Lists & Quizzes◄

• Six mysteries that capture that essence of England's capital.
• Merriam-Webster's words for summer quiz. 
• The most terrifying buildings in literature.
• Ten facts about Clue for its 70th anniversary.
• The top ten books about walking in Britain.
• Where's her movie? Six mighty women who each deserve a film of her own.
• Twelve thrilling mystery novels with badass female protagonists. 
• A witty dictionary of Victorian slang.

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!