A Rebellious Weekly Link Round-Up

 

Denis and I did get to the Phoenix Zoo last week, and we had a very enjoyable outing (once all the screaming grade schoolers got back on their buses). Now that I've typed that, I feel like a curmudgeon, but when did non-stop, ear-splitting shrieking become an indicator of enjoyment? Laughter would be so much better! See? I'm not against all noise, just the DANGER WILL ROBINSON type that should mean lives are at stake.

And that reminds me of a lesson my mother taught me. (Mom would've been 88 this past Monday.) I would be outside playing with the neighbor kids, and a lot of screaming was involved. Mom finally had enough and came out to have a little chat with us. She told us that the major way she "kept an eye on us" while we were outside was by sound-- and that screaming meant that something was very wrong: call an ambulance wrong. That made perfect sense to us all, and we quickly supplanted screeching with shouts and laughter. Much better. 

Funny how lessons like that can last a lifetime.

Now... to get back to the Phoenix Zoo, photos will be shared. Probably next Wednesday. Many of you faithful readers undoubtedly noticed that there were no book reviews posted this week. Now that I'm getting out and about, I have even less time to spend doing things I normally do, and I have to admit that I rebelled and decided it was a No Book Reviews Week. I may resume regular posting next week. Taking October off is having repercussions.

 

The new Predator Passage at the Phoenix Zoo.

 

I'm going back to my book now. It may be a Did Not Finish because I'm tiring of the author's attempts to be clever-- and telling us about it when he thinks he is.

Enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• On the tyranny of slush piles.
• The inescapable  connections between crime fiction and poetry.
• Are our short attention spans really getting shorter?
• Two new reports shed insight on the book-owning and book-reading habits of Americans.
• A brief look at the history of bookmarks.
• How to do the dishes.
• What are thriller writers truly afraid of?
• Goodreads asks users to help combat "review bombing".
• Artists can use this tool to protect their work from A.I. scraping.

 

►Book Banning & Censorship◄

• The history and rise of book bans in Ireland.
• The danger of banning books for children.
• The ACLU, parents, and students sue an Alaska school district over book bans.
• Editorial: Don't pull books from shelves without a review process.
• An Indiana public library has shelved its controversial book review policy.
• A central Arkansas school district has dropped the library's digital learning tools, citing a lack of "filter".
• The far-right group Moms for Liberty reports more than $2 million in revenue in 2022.
• An Oklahoma state board wants proposed textbooks altered after Moms for Liberty complained.
• In the battle over books, who gets to decide what's age-appropriate at libraries?
• Karen Smith, the incoming Pennsylvania school board chair took her oath on a stack of banned books.
  

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• An opulent ancient Egyptian tomb containing 5,000-year-old wine may have belonged to a long-forgotten female pharaoh.
• An earthquake revealed a giant Aztec snakehead beneath a Mexico City university.
• An ancient Egyptian cemetery holds rare Book of the Dead papyrus and mummies.
• A 2,000-year-old decorated Roman sandal has been unearthed in Spain.
• Cold War satellite images reveal nearly 400 Roman forts in the Middle East.
• Drought has exposed ancient rock carvings in Brazil.
• Ancient Egyptians may have spiced their mummies.
• Sacrificial pits filled with 120 horse skeletons were found in a Bronze Age city in China.

 

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄

• This fluffy little anteater may be a new species.
• At least 125 river dolphins have died amid drought and heat in the Brazilian Amazon.
• Almost 1,000 birds died in one night from striking a Chicago building.
• The world's most beautiful bird lives in Yellowstone National Park.
• See 12 winning images from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest.
• "Love Locks" at the Grand Canyon could be harming endangered California Condors.
• Meet Grazer, the winner of Fat Bear Week 2023.
• Watch a platypus build a cozy nest for her new baby.

 

►The Wanderer◄

• Why do we vote on Tuesdays?
• America's 25 most expensive zip codes.
• Madrid's Prado Museum shows what's behind famous paintings-- literally.
• Your personality depends on which U.S. state you live in.
• Stunning winners of the UK Landscape Photographer of the Year contest.
• Many popular houses in L.A. were part of a scam by a con artist who disappeared.
• More cities are banning right-on-red turns. Here's why.
• An astronaut tool bag is now orbiting Earth.

 

►Fascinating Folk◄

• The long shadow of Adelbert von Chamisso.
• From the governor's mansion to the White House and beyond, Rosalynn Carter was a tireless advocate for the vulnerable.
• Did an enslaved man named Enrique beat Magellan to circling the world?
• Admire the creative facial hair from the 2023 National Beard and Moustache Championships.
• Dervla Murphy: the godmother of hitting the road.
• The high-flying life of Mary Riddle.
• What Tookoolito taught explorers about the Arctic.
• Sara Josephine Baker, the doctor and public health pioneer who saved the lives of 90,000 children.

 

►"Best of 2023" Book Lists◄

• Amazon's best mysteries, thrillers and suspense.
• BookMarks: The best reviewed non-fiction of 2023.
• CrimeReads: The best crime novels of 2023.
• Library Journal: Best crime fiction of 2023.
• Open Letters Review: Best thrillers.
• Open Letters Review: Best mysteries.

 

►I ♥ Lists◄

• Five historical mysteries featuring unconventional women.
• Best new fictional detectives of the last five years.
• Your book club will love these dual-timeline novels.
• Eleven mysteries and thrillers set in abandoned places.
• Native American novels recommended by Indigenous booksellers.
• Six mysteries set in hotels.
• Wilderness thrillers featuring fearless women.
• Indigenous authors shine in these 2023 releases.

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!