A Murphy Needs to Move Weekly Link Round-Up

 

Denis and I "bundled up" and boarded the Dial-a-Ride bus to spend a few hours at the Phoenix Zoo Wednesday, so there will be photos of that in the future. Most of us in the U.S. are very familiar with Murphy's Law ("Anything that can go wrong will go wrong"), but did you know that, in the U.K., Murphy goes by the name Sod? Just thought I'd toss out that bit of trivia.

Why am I bringing up Murphy/Sod? Because I'm convinced that he's alive and well and living in Casa Kittling, that's why! I even think I know his favorite place in the house: our Google calendar where we list all our appointments and outings. Lately, Murphy has been in cahoots with the weather god to freeze Denis and me to the bone. Yep. You guessed it. It was 45°F/7°C. when Denis and I got on that bus to head to the zoo. Yes, it was a bright, sunny day, but there was a wind blowing straight down from the Arctic Circle that made critter watching a mite bracing. 

If this happens again, I think I'm going to call the exterminator! (But as you can see in the photo, it was a lovely day regardless.)

 

 

February 15 in Phoenix. Yeah...Life is rough!

 

Enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• The renaissance of feminist bookstores.
• How easy is it to pirate books? 
• Reading is precious, which is why one woman has  been giving away her books. 
• Little Free Library is launching an Indigenous library program. 
• How BookTok influencers revamped Penguin Random House's TikTok strategy. 
• Against copyediting: is it time to abolish the Department of Corrections? 
• Crime fiction heroes: to age or be forever young? 
• What literature do we study from the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s? 

 

►Book Banning & Censorship◄

• Bullying librarians is for Know-Nothings.
• Alabama schools canceled Black History Month events that had been scheduled with an award-winning Black children's author.
• Parents are reacting to empty library and classroom shelves as the Duval County (Florida) Public School District continues its book review process.
• Major corporations have backed a book-banning North Dakota legislator.
• An Alaska library board keeps LGBTQ books in the youth sections.
• A Penncrest lawyer resigns from a Pennsylvania school district as schools pull books from shelves.
• Nine Westchester (New York) school districts have been placed on Turning Point USA's "Most Radical" for teaching DEI (Diversity, Equality, Inclusion). 
• Schools are finding few volunteers willing to hear book challenges.
• This goes along with an earlier link in this section-- Florida teachers are emptying out their libraries to avoid felony charges.

 

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• A "replica" sword in Chicago's Field Museum is really 3,000 years old and may have been used in battle.
• Archaeologists have unearthed a Viking hall in Denmark. 
• Egyptian archaeologists are touting firsts among the latest discoveries unearthed in the ancient city of Luxor. 
• A 52-foot-long Book of the Dead papyrus from ancient Egypt has been discovered at Saqqara. 
• Archaeologists uncovered a golden secret in the mouth of a 17th-century socialite "who did not have a good reputation". More from Smithsonian Magazine. More from Live Science.
• Ancient Roman residences with "pigeon towers" have been discovered in Luxor, Egypt. 
• Beneath a busy street in Jerusalem sits a 1,000-year-old moat with a secret handprint. 
• Did ancient Egypt have a pigeon problem? 

 

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄

• How the elusive pink fairy armadillo became one scientist's obsession.
• Scientists have discovered that sea spiders can regrow their anuses (and other body parts).
• A street cat named Bob has his own memorial statue in London.
• This black bear became so fascinated with a wildlife camera that it took hundreds of selfies.
• Watch some brave little penguins crowd surf some grumpy sea lions.
• Humans aren't the only mammals that live longer with friends.
• Toronto's Berczy Park fountain pays tribute to dogs.
• Dolphins and humans work together to catch fish in Brazil.

 

►The Wanderer◄

• The birthplace of Joan of Arc.
• What did the ancient Egyptian pyramids look like when they were first built?
• The great, always bizarre, Florida crime fiction tradition. 
• São Paolo: City of extremes.
• Thrillers set in stunning locales. 
• Eight books about the history (and digital legacy) of the Oregon Trail. 
• Mysteries and thrillers set in the Southwest.
  

 

►Fascinating Folk◄

• Elizabeth Siddal, the real-life "Ophelia".
• How did Amy Robsart die?
• 19th-century potter Thomas Commeraw, one of New York's few free Black entrepreneurs, finally gets his due.
• How Peg Bracken's I Hate to Cook Book fought domestic despair with laughter.
• A Crime Reader's Guide to the Classics: Marcia Muller.
• Steven Womack: On writing while dying.
• Mary, Queen of Scots' cryptic prison letters have finally been deciphered.

 

►I ♥ Lists◄

• Twelve books about rich people behaving badly. (Sometimes I wonder if they do anything else...)
• Ten novels about office jobs. 
• Twenty-five historical crime, mystery, and horror novels to look forward to in 2023. 
• Twenty-two of the best funny mystery movies you can stream. 
• Eight Japanese mysteries and thrillers to broaden your horizons. 
• Which crime shows should you watch in February? 
• Thirteen cool slang terms from the 1950s. 
• Hundreds of Frank Lloyd Wright's designs were never built. Here's what they might have looked like. 

 

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.

 

Don't forget to spend some quality Me Time curled up with a good book!