A Pardon Me While I Pout Weekly Link Round-Up

 

I had intended to yak about a cheerful little topic today, but I'm definitely no longer in the mood.

For those of you wondering how Denis is doing (bless your kind hearts), the doctor has determined that whatever is happening to his back is arthritic, and he'll be going to a specialist tomorrow (Thursday). We have high hopes that they'll be able to formulate a plan of attack because Denis does not want to stay on these pain killers any longer than he has to. What gobsmacked me was how quickly this seemed to strike him... or is this something that crept up so slowly that it was undetectable? I never did think that arthritis was a quick mover.

Now... is Denis's state of health why I'm "in a mood"? No!

When I learned that Left Coast Crime was being held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in April, I signed up, and Denis and I have been looking forward to attending ever since. There was just one problem: due to my mobility issues, I need an ADA room with a shower, and there weren't any available at the Hyatt when I made a reservation. (The Hyatt is where the convention is being held.) I've been checking, but-- regardless of the room rate-- there still aren't any available. 

Yes, I could see about staying elsewhere and shlepping back and forth and back and forth, but part of the fun of these conventions is being Right There for all the camaraderie and not worrying about drinking and driving around a strange city at night. So it looks like no ADA room, no Left Coast Crime, and that's why Denis and I aren't happy.  All I can say is that if there are people who've reserved ADA rooms who don't really need them, they should be ashamed of themselves. But then, people who would do that are the sort who feel no shame, eh? 

Regardless my mood, I hope you enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• Author Jane Cleland on getting to know her namesake by researching Austen's sizeable correspondence.
• This test will tell you how many books you can read in a year.
• The long linguistic journey to "dagnabbit." (A word frequently used in my youth.)
• Inside the fiction group in a maximum-security psychiatric hospital.
• The most daring escape from a POW camp in history began with the construction of a Ouija board.
• How the potato chip took over America.
• A literary mystery may finally be solved as a man is arrested for stealing unpublished books.
• The Streisand Effect won't save us from censorship.
• Should you look up words you don't know while reading?

 

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• This interactive map allows users to explore England's hidden archaeological landscape.
• A 1,500-year-old winery has been found in Israel.
• A gold "sun bowl" has been discovered near a Bronze Age swamp in Austria.
• Giant ram's head statues have been found on the Avenue of Sphinxes in Egypt.
• Remote-sensing reveals details of an ancient Olmec site in Mexico.
• Hidden Maya complexes hint that the famous calendar was already in use 3,400 years ago. How the Maya kept time.
  
• A medieval tannery has been discovered at a monastic abbey in England.
• Henry VIII's favorite ship has a bacteria problem and now scientists have identified the culprits.

 

►Channeling My Inner Elly Mae Clampett◄

• This bull elk had a car tire stuck around its neck for two years before wildlife officers could finally remove it. (Bet that elk doesn't go poking its nose into dark circular objects anymore...)
• Scientists are predicting that polar bears could vanish by the end of the century.
• Watch this giant purpleback flying squid explore a shipwreck at the bottom of the Red Sea.
• How the call of the common loon is used incorrectly in movies and television shows.
• Ancient Japanese wolves may be the closest wild relative to modern dogs.
• Tinsley, a very loyal Shiloh shepherd, helped police find her human and a passenger after a horrific car wreck on a New Hampshire highway.
• Denver thrift store employees found a missing cat inside a donated recliner. (Sounds like the cat didn't want to be parted from its favorite napping spot.)
• Beavers are reshaping the Arctic tundra, and here's why scientists are concerned.
• Just when you thought you'd seen it all: watch this goldfish drive an aquarium on wheels.

 

►The Wanderer◄

• One of Newport's famed Gilded Age mansions just went on the market for $30 million.
• Why the eruption in Tonga was a "once-in-a-millennium" event for the volcano.
• See fantastical maps from Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, and more.
• The coolest place to drink is your local bookstore.
• The deadliest disaster at sea killed thousands, yet its story is little-known. Why?

 

►Fascinating Folk◄

• Zora Neale Hurston on what white publishers won't print.
• Twenty famous writers on being rejected.
• A cold case investigation has named a surprise suspect in Anne Frank's betrayal.

 

►I ♥ Lists◄

• The best historical fiction books of 2022.
• Eleven mysteries set in elite communities.
• Fourteen hilarious non-fiction books.
• According to Rotten Tomatoes, these are the thirty worst movies of all time.
• Nine poetry books that capture the Black experience.
• Eight kinds of murder mystery plots.
• The most anticipated crime shows of 2022.

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!