The Summer Has Sprung Weekly Link Round-Up

 

It would seem that triple-digit temperatures are here to stay for the next few months. We actually got a bit of rain last week, which is extremely unusual for May. (Lest anyone think that was a complaint, rest assured that it wasn't!)

The remaining items here at Casa Kittling are well on the way to being repaired. The last will be the pool pump/filter. Denis has always been the Pool Master, keeping our backyard oasis in sparkling condition, but the past year forced us to look for outside help to maintain the pool. After all that surgery, Denis just wasn't able to take care of it. Unfortunately, our experience with pool cleaning companies has not been the best-- either exorbitant pricing or incompetent employees-- but there is good news. Denis's back has healed where he can actually do most of the maintenance work on keeping the pool in good shape. Once the work is done on the pump and filter, he should be good to go. I don't think I have to tell you how wonderful it is to see him more like his old ornery self!

 

Blooms on a Bishop's Cap cactus

I hope you're all ready for summer. Enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• Here's a first look at the upcoming Killers of the Flower Moon movie.
• What emojis can't express: how handwriting reveals our true selves. 
• Seattle libraries and transit are branching into social work to take on mental health issues and drug use. 
• This graph looking at the Big Five US trade book publishers is eye-opening. 
• Why the Brits love up lit. 
• Reading books is not just a pleasure; it helps our minds to heal. 
• Celebrating the power of older women protagonists. 
• UC Berkeley students occupied the Anthropology Library, hoping to save it from closure. 
• Star Trek fans can now virtually tour every Starship Enterprise bridge. 

 

►Book Banning & Censorship◄

• On the 90th anniversary of Germany's book burnings.
• Social studies textbook publishers are censoring topics to comply with Florida law.
• A Nebraska high school librarian has resigned over a controversial book policy.
• A Florida school district is reviewing a children's book about Billie Jean King after a parent complained.
• A Kansas school district is reviewing a Bible ban after a student challenge.
• Commissioners are pushing to keep a book club group from using the Klamath County (Oregon) Library.
• A high school senior urges the Blount County (Tennessee) Board of Education not to remove library books.
• Polk (Florida) teachers must verify that all classroom books are district-approved.
• Two Florida mothers are at the center of the fight against book banning in America.
• Salman Rushdie: "The freedom to publish hasn't been under such threat in the West until recently."
• Tiananmen Square books have been removed from Hong Kong library shelves in a run-up to the 34th anniversary of the killings.
• PEN American and Penguin Random House sue a Florida school district over its "unconstitutional" book bans.
• Middle school students in a Pennsylvania school district staged a walkout to protest a new book policy.

 

 

 

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• The mystery of an "impossible" Egyptian statue may be solved.
• Someone buried treasure 2,000 years ago and never returned. A hiker just found it. 
• Researchers now say that Roman Emperor Caligula's massive party ships were not burned by the Nazis during World War II; a US artillery unit was to blame. 
• Ancient urine flasks were uncovered in a trash dump at Caesar's forum in Rome. (Just garden variety medical equipment, folks.)
• A team of archaeologists are saying that a shipwreck found off a Florida beach is much larger than originally suspected. 
• A double hoard of Viking treasure has been discovered near Harald Bluetooth's fort in Denmark. 
• Archaeologists have discovered an ancient necropolis near a Parisian train station. 
• Scientists have finally solved the mystery of how the Maya made plaster so strong. 

 

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄

• Which animal kills the most people every year?
• Mammals with pouches are more evolved than humans... sort of.
• Watch a creative raven named Odin paint abstract art with her beak.
• Watch a teeny tiny tenrec take a dust bath in a teeny tiny tub.
• Three cheers for the Henry Street salamander tunnels.
• Why male California sea lions are getting bigger.
• Watch whales exfoliate their skin on the ocean floor.
• Sage the service dog is the first to deploy on a US naval ship, in this case, the USS Gerald R. Ford.

 

►The Wanderer◄

• Five places where you can still find gold in the United States.
• Ahead of its 100th anniversary, Route 66 will get much needed upgrades. 
• An Australian property owner thought he had the world's tallest tree... 
• The State of Minnesota has dedicated a highway to Prince. 
• Explore this map of more than 3,000 Scottish witches. 
• Take a look at this size comparison of historical monuments. 
• These are America's eleven most endangered historic places. 
• Take a look at the Great Green Wall of Africa project. 

 

►Fascinating Folk◄

• How Josephine Herbst, the "leading lady" of the Left, chronicled the rise of fascism.
• The curious case of Charles Osborne, the man who hiccupped for 68 years straight.
• The greatest literary feuds and gossip of all time.
• Who was Sanora Babb?
• Why actress Sarah Bernhardt was the first modern celebrity.
• What made Edna Lewis the Mother of Soul Food.

 

►I ♥ Lists◄

• Ten readers share the best book they ever found at the library.
• Eight Edgar Award-winning authors every mystery fan should read. 
• Seven mysteries with savvy senior sleuths. 
• Forty of the most anticipated beach reads of 2023. 
• Fifteen books by Mexican and Mexican American authors. 
• Sixteen historical mysteries featuring strong female sleuths. 
• Eight quietly creepy books for Shirley Jackson fans. 
• Fifteen must-reads by Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander authors. 

 

 

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.

No matter how busy you may be, don't forget that quality Me Time curled up with a good book!