A Hither Thither & Yon Weekly Link Round-Up

This has been one of those weeks that we all love, so this intro will be short and sweet and then we'll move right along to the links.

Beyond the usual grocery run and other weekly errands everyone is used to, Denis has had his doctor appointments, I've had my doctor's appointment, and-- most fun of all-- I had to get my driver's license renewed. I can't stand such excitement.

I'm being released by the great folks at the John C. Lincoln Wound Clinic and have been referred to a lymphedema clinic that's a half of a mile from our house. That's where we'll get down to the nitty-gritty in terms of what I'll have to do to get my leg healthy and happy again (and keep it that way). It seems there are all sorts of gizmos besides compression socks that are available, so it will be interesting to see what happens.

Now that all that stuff is out of the way, I think I'll go celebrate. After all, today is my birthday/anniversary! Head 'em up! Moooove 'em out!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• Shedunnit-- how Agatha Christie became cinema hot property.
• The car culture that's helping destroy the planet was by no means inevitable.
• eBooks at libraries are a huge hit, leading to long waits, reader hacks, and worried publishers.
• America's first banned book really ticked off the Plymouth Puritans. 
• "We wanted our patrons back"-- Public libraries are beginning to scrap late fines to alleviate inequity.
• Jessica Fletcher and the long afterlife of Murder, She Wrote.
• Janet Evanovich wins big with a Stephanie Plum series and TV deals.
• How Paris's open-air urinals changed a city-- and helped dismantle the Nazi regime.

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• A Babylonian tablet from 3,000 years ago could be the "oldest-ever fake news".
• A rare Mozart portrait flew above its presale estimate at an auction in Paris.
• Vintage books were discovered inside the walls of a flood-damaged Utah library. 
• A study claims that the Roman Empire did not fall because of the plague.
• A 112-year-old message in a beer bottle was found inside a wall at a New Jersey university.
• Anne Boleyn has had a bad reputation for nearly 500 years. Here's how one historian wants to change that.
• Elizabeth I's idiosyncratic handwriting identifies her as the scribe behind a long-overlooked translation.
• Pablo Picasso's electrician has been convicted of hoarding over 270 of his artworks.

►Channeling My Inner Elly Mae Clampett◄

• An 18,000-year-old puppy discovered in Siberia could be the missing link between dogs and wolves.
• The U.S. Army is developing better hearing protection for its dogs. 
• Seals with high-tech hats are collecting climate data in the Antarctic.
• Pig-monkey hybrids are born alive in China in a world first.
• Invasive mice are gnawing the scalps of endangered albatrosses.
• Plants may let out ultrasonic squeals when stressed.
• These two types of whales are drawn to the Sea of Okhotsk.
• Lice-filled dinosaur feathers have been found trapped in 100-million-year-old amber.

►I ♥ Lists◄

• Ten Sci-Fi and Fantasy must-reads from the 2010s.
• Five authors who wrote too close to the flame.
• Thirteen booksellers rave about their favorite reads.
• Literary Hub's fifty favorite books of 2019.
• Author Paige Shelton compiled a list of ten movies that will make any kid into a lover of classic suspense.
• Three new crime novels that eloquently tackle issues of race.
• Ten of the best Mark Twain books.
• Twenty of the best book club books of the past decade.

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!