A Breakthrough Weekly Link Round-Up

 

It's been an interesting week. I really like the occupational therapist I went to in Scottsdale last Friday. Kathy specializes in lymphedema, and although I categorically refuse to name my lymphedema pump after my best friend, I liked the way she explained things and the way we could discuss various issues. (And she's a reader!) After talking it over, Kathy encouraged me to make one major change in my routine. It's a pain in the behind, but I'm already seeing improvement, so my routine has been changed. I'm not someone who's going to argue with results!

Another major breakthrough occurred last week, and I'm still a bit stunned. I actually listened to a good chunk of an audiobook... and didn't fall asleep! I also got a lot of knitting done, so it's a win-win.

What I want to know is if it's going to be a win-win-win. Will I be satisfied with the review I write of that book when I don't have a physical (or digital) book to refer back to? That's going to be the rub, methinks.

I don't know if you all know this, but I have lists of the books I've read since 2008 here on my blog. They're listed by author name, by title, by genre, and by setting. Since these lists go all the way back to 2008, they are quite long, and in the past couple of weeks, Blogger's been having hissy fits and not wanting to let me update them. At first, they wouldn't let me update the lists while sitting at my desktop computer, but working here at the laptop was no problem. Then on Tuesday, it wouldn't let me update my lists on either computer. What to do, what to do...? Since the lists were long enough to choke a Percheron, I wondered what would happen if I cut them all in half. So I did. Lo and behold, I could update them once they'd all been switched from one post into two (or three, like my Settings list). I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this time-consuming fix will keep on working and that Blogger won't decide to turn its nose up at it. We shall see. 

Speaking of we shall see, I hope you enjoy the links I've rounded up for you this week!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• The importance of research for William Shaw's The Trawlerman.
• A dark history of tea in fiction and real life.
• "Without books, we would not have made it": the power of fiction during the pandemic.
• An Aboriginal memory technique may work better than Sherlock's "memory palace."
• I've been enjoying listening to this cover of Ennio Morricone's "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" performed on classical guitar.
• This couple celebrated their wedding day at the bookstore where they had their first date.
• Scientists are creating a blood test to measure Covid-19 immunity.
• On sensationalism, Mormon fiction, and the murderous Mormons of popular culture by Mette Ivie Harrison.
• Murder at Full Moon: John Steinbeck wrote a werewolf mystery that no one wanted to publish... until now. 
• Booksellers to CDC: In my store, you mask up.
  

 

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• An enormous, stunning Tiffany stained-glass window has debuted after 100 years in obscurity.
• Scottish archaeologists have discovered the only surviving traces of a razed medieval town.
• The oldest gold artifact in southwest Germany has been found.
• A private trove of literary treasures, from Emily Brontë's handwritten poems to Robert Burns' musings is up for sale. More on this from the New York Times.
  
• Kidney stones and Queen Victoria's underwear: fifteen of the most expensive oddities ever sold.
• The rosary beads of Mary, Queen of Scots were stolen in a heist at Arundel Castle in England.
• A silver medieval seal featuring an engraved Roman gem has been unearthed in England.
• Researchers have discovered a hidden portrait in a 15th-century duchess's prayer book.

 

►Channeling My Inner Elly Mae Clampett◄

• Red-handed tamarins can mimic other species' accents.
• Watch two bees work together to successfully remove the cap on a soda bottle.
• Sixteen playful facts about otters.
• The world's two oldest common loons are a couple-- and amazing parents.
• The positive and negative impacts of Covid on nature.
• Watch a baby giraffe discover her shadow for the very first time.
• This Yellowstone tourist is no "bison whisperer," just reckless.
• Grand Canyon National Park has issued a wildlife safety warning: watch out for squirrels.
• An elderly wild horse named Hazel has developed the habit of "harem hopping," and the reason will melt your heart.

 

►Edible Craftsmanship◄

• Russian baker Yulia Kedyarova makes incredible cakes with edible galaxies and gardens inside.
• Leslie Vigil tops her nature-inspired cakes with realistic buttercream botanicals.

 

►Fascinating Folk◄

• Meet Joseph Pierce, one of the only Chinese Americans who fought in the bloodiest battle in U.S. history.
• Laurence des Cars, the Louvre's first female president in 228 years.
• Mia Armstrong is a ten-year-old model who states that Down syndrome is her super power. She's determined to change the way the world sees her.
• Ruth Freitag, librarian to the stars, has died at the age of 96.
• Maya Angelou and Sally Ride will be among the first women to be featured on U.S. quarters.
• Stephanie St. Clair, Harlem's "Numbers Queen," dominated the gambling underground and made millions.

 

►The Happy Wanderer◄

• Eighteen shipwrecks you can see without getting your feet wet.
• An extremely rare phenomenon has been reported among centuries-old cacti in the Arizona desert.
• Explore the new seven wonders of the world.
• Vancouver: books and murder in "Terminal City."

 

►I ♥ Lists◄

• Eight novels for fans of Where the Crawdad Sings.
• Eleven novels based on little-known moments in history.
• Twenty of the best thrillers and mysteries coming out this summer.
• 56 unusual words for everyday things.
• Cozy mysteries featuring delicious and doable recipes.
• Ten Latin phrases people pretend to understand.
• Five great debut memoirs to listen to while you're traveling.
• Top ten books about depression.
• Read by the seaside with these eight coastal stories.

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!