Friday, April 30, 2021

An Act of Optimism Weekly Link Round-Up



It's almost impossible for me to believe that tomorrow is May 1, but then, ever since Denis retired, I'm lucky if I know what day of the week it is. Thank goodness for Google calendar sending me alerts so I remember all my appointments!

After reading post after Facebook post of friends all registering to attend Left Coast Crime in 2022, I approached Denis about it. It's being held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which is a (short) day's drive from Phoenix, and I have fond memories of the one I attended here in Phoenix. 
 
I had the idea that Denis wouldn't go for it, but he agreed so quickly that my head is still spinning. Perhaps it's got something to do with the fact that we haven't taken a trip anywhere since 2017. We both like to get out and about and see new things, and Denis has met several authors by attending The Poisoned Pen's events with me, so I guess his giving me the green light should not have surprised me. We're both registered now, and I've made reservations for a room in the hotel in which Left Coast Crime is being held. Call it my act of optimism that things will have returned to some semblance of normal so we can once again attend wonderful things like this. 


To say that we're looking forward to this is a vast understatement.

Enjoy the links!


►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄
 
►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄
 
►Channeling My Inner Elly Mae Clampett◄
 
►Fascinating Folk◄
  • How Ann Cooper Hewitt's forced sterilization led to a mayhem charge and exposed a secret world of medical atrocities.
  • Dorothea Dix: the compassionate crusader who revolutionized care for the mentally ill.
  • Will Thomas: Confessions of a librarian and historical mystery novelist.
 
►The Happy Wanderer◄
  • Milan: Italy's capital of style goes noir.
  • Google Earth debuts a new timelapse feature showing a timelapse of the planet's changes since 1984.
 
►I ♥ Lists◄

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.

Stay safe. Stay healthy. And don't forget to curl up with a good book!

12 comments:

  1. Congratulations for making reservations for both of you at Left Coast Crime next year. How exciting. I think perhaps your spouse is having cabin fever. It's great that he is enjoying mystery fiction and writers, too. But this trip and conference is definitely something to look forward to.
    Thanks for the links. Have read some and have more to go in my armchair travels. I never knew about the real first lady of British crime. I also have ideas about which women to honor on quarters. And I could write my own book about the pleasures of traveling through books, and the education that comes from it --and then the searches for maps, photos, history, found online.
    We don't even have to leave our favorite reading spots to travel. But I am glad you both are going to Albuquerque. To me that's like going to another country. It must be beautiful there.

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    1. To tell you the truth, I prefer Santa Fe, but that's really not being fair to Albuquerque since I've never explored the city. There's a lot of beautiful territory in New Mexico.

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    2. Yes, of course, Santa Fe. My aunt had a good friend there, the sister of the artist Noguchi, and she went there often years ago. I'd love to go to Santa Fe, but I'll have to do it virtually.

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  2. Also, I hope you like "And Now She's Gone," which I was mesmerized by and could not put down. It is unlike any book I've read.

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    1. I'm just back from the doctor and about ready to pick up the book.

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  3. So happy to hear you're going to LCC, Cathy! It'll be so much fun, and I really hope you'll enjoy it. It's so nice to have something to anticipate, isn't it? Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm heading to Spain for some tapas and a look at that ancient bathhouse...

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    1. I really enjoyed myself at LCC when it was here in Phoenix, and I'm definitely looking forward to sharing it with Denis.

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  4. Left Coast Crime sounds wonderful. Let's hope things are back to normal by then. Surely...

    I've never attended one of those big conventions, but I find it intriguing, for sure. I need to find out more about it because this is likely to be as close to me as this one will ever get.

    That ancient writing board is amazing. I love seeing the teacher-corrections in red like that, proving that some things never change, I guess.

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    1. When LCC was in Phoenix, I got an email from Kay Stewart wanting to know if I'd be there. I'd been on the fence-- never been to something like that, not a fan of being in crowds-- but I knew she'd be the perfect companion, so I bit the bullet and attended. I'm so glad I did. LCC tends to be smaller than Bouchercon and the other one (whose name escapes me at the moment), and many of the authors I spoke with preferred LCC.

      I hope you decide to attend!

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  5. Yay! I am so glad you are making plans for the future, Cathy. It sounds like a great event and such fun to attend with your spouse.

    I am going to check out those nature documentaries...

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    1. I can't pass up a good nature documentary!

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  6. Agree with Ann Patchett, but they have to be good books.

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