A Plastic Only Weekly Link Round-Up

 

Although I wasn't happy about it, I decided to err on the side of caution and not attend The Poisoned Pen events for Ann Cleeves and Craig Johnson on Labor Day. It would've meant several hours with my bum leg hanging down, and I'm so close to getting the whole thing healed that I didn't want to chance it. At least both events are on the bookstore's Youtube channel, so all is not lost. 

I also had a surprise last week when I received a letter from what I call a "window shopping" company. My name and address were handwritten on the envelope, and I was wondering why on earth they were contacting me. Now you may be wondering what a window shopping company is. That's a company that sends out catalogs with all these things that make your mouth water and your heart go pitty-pat,  but they're so expensive that you just stare, salivate, and then toss the catalog in the recycle bin.

This company had gotten in touch with me because a friend had written to them to buy one of their items and have it shipped to me as a gift. The problem with the order is that the friend had sent cash as payment, and they don't accept cash.

 

 

Since they didn't have my friend's complete address, they sent the money and the order to me. Someone at that company should be rewarded for their honesty!

I'll be boarding Dial-a-Ride for a trip to the doctor today. I'm crossing all possible body parts in hope that he'll release me. Having home health nurse visits means you're not in any shape to go out gallivanting and enjoying yourself, and I've been good. I've stayed home (except for my weekly trips to the doctor) All. Summer. Long.  Join me in singing a chorus of "Please release me, let me gooooooooooo!"

Enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• Why our most engrossing mysteries are underwater.
• Amazon removes books "generated by AI" for sale under the author's name.
• A report finds YouTube more popular than TikTok for young book buyers.
• A UK survey has found that The Gruffalo is likely to be a child's first book.
• Slanting the history of handwriting.
• Publishing scammers are using AI to scale their grifts.
• The ideal way to read in the bath.
• On the difficulty of getting rid of books.
• The Blind Side was always trash.
• Booksellers want the Justice Department to investigate Amazon.

 

►Book Banning & Censorship◄

• Here are all the banned, restricted books in Manatee County schools after the new Florida law.
• Georgia made it easier for parents to challenge school library books. Almost no one has done so.
• Knox County (Tennessee) Schools is considering updating its policy language related to the "Age Appropriate Materials Act".
• The fight against book bans prompts Orchard Park (New York) teens to start a national organization.
• The national debate over books has come to West Texas, and librarians are stuck in the middle.
• 28 speak out on books at Iredell-Statesville (North Carolina) Schools board meeting.
• Starting this year, Katy (Texas) Independent School District parents will be notified whenever their child checks out a library book.
• A judge stays the Escambia County (Florida) book banning lawsuit to consider dismissal.
• The first app to "help" libraries and schools with book bans has arrived, and it's not what it seems.
• A Georgia school district canceled an author's talks after he said "gay".
• There have been several public library bomb threats recently.

 

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• A vast Goth cemetery brimming with grave goods and ornate silver jewelry has been discovered in Poland.
• Temple ruins on an uninhabited Greek island have revealed 2,400-year-old statues.
• A cult center was destroyed 2,600 years ago in Greece. Now experts are uncovering its secrets.
• The blood-red walls of a Roman amphitheater have been unearthed in Israel.
• Italy will have 24-hour armed guards put in place after German tourists caused $10,800 in vandalism at a historic landmark in Florence.
• Pompeii's archaeological puzzles can be solved with a little help from chemistry.
• Decapitated skulls-- full of cavities and gems- from the ancient Maya have been uncovered in Mexico. More from Live Science.
  
• An ancient priest's remains are a first-of-a-kind find for a team in Peru.

 

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄

• How the impact of poachers led to the evolution of tuskless elephants. Mother Nature can find a way...
• How Maui's wildfires threatened endangered birds.
• The "world's rarest" giraffe born without spots was born in a Tennessee zoo.
• The "polar bear capital of the world" is soon to be overrun with a record number of bears due to shifting sea ice.
• An elusive sea creature that "walks" on its "hands" has been seen for the first time in 27 years.
• Wolves in Yellowstone National Park bring "toys" back to their anxious pups. More from Smithsonian Magazine.
  
• How color-changing hogfish use their skin to "see" themselves.
• A mass die-off strikes endangered emperor penguin chicks across four of five West Antarctica colonies.

 

►The Wanderer◄

• The sticky history of baklava.
• Why traffic roundabouts aren't popular in the U.S. 
• Loch Ness monster lovers are coming together for their biggest hunt in 50 years.
• Distinctive U.S. accents that are specific to a region.
• A year's worth of rain fell in Death Valley in one day, and the photos show the damage.
• Crime and the City: Toulouse, France.
• Killer lakes: why limnic eruptions may be the world's rarest natural disasters.

 

►Fascinating Folk◄

• Dave the Potter's mark on history.
• Pius "Mau" Piailug, the master navigator of Micronesia.
• 101-year-old Jayne Burns still works part-time at a craft store.

 

►I ♥ Lists◄

• Mysteries that explore the dark side of the Jazz Age.
• Four books per season for all the seasonal readers out there.
• New historical mysteries.
• 12 of the best books about religion.
• The last decade of summer bestsellers.
• Six eye-opening books about artificial intelligence.
• David Bowie's top 100 must-read books.
• The best police procedural shows and where to watch them.

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!