A Let's Hope This Works Weekly Link Round-Up

 

It's been almost a year since I began having all this trouble with my leg, and it shows no signs of stopping. Last week, my doctor referred me to a vascular surgeon. It might be that the valves in the veins of that leg are faulty and can be corrected by surgery. We'll see. I've made an appointment and have a very long Dial-a-Ride journey to look forward to. I've adopted a wait-and-see attitude, although I have had some valued feedback that confirmed something I'd thought of myself: that that type of surgery can be pretty hit-or-miss. Like I said, I haven't had the appointment yet, so it does no good to try to second-guess the outcome.

Denis and I have decided to go to an author event at The Poisoned Pen on Denis's birthday, so we have that to look forward to. (Susan Elia MacNeal, if you're curious.) 

Other than that, nothing earth-shattering has been happening around here. Denis put together a new nightstand for the guest room. The curtains and curtain rod in there are fixed. We're good to go!

 

A good springtime spot to sit.

 

Meanwhile, I hope things are going well for all of you, that the weather is fine, your health is good, and you have plenty of good books to read (and the time to read them). Enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• The Industrial Revolution and the rise of policing.
• An overdue book was returned to a Colorado library after 105 years.
• A lost silent film featuring Clara Bow was discovered in a $20 box of old reels.
• Digital reading soars in Seattle, creating problems for local libraries.
• Amazon is filled with garbage eBooks. Here's how they get made.
• The problem with giant book preview lists.
• Audible will be turning all seven of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books into full-cast audiobooks.
• We're all reading wrong.
• But why a Penguin?

 

►Book Banning & Censorship◄

• Why book bans are bad for mental health.
• Few parents actually opt students out of Florida school library books. 
• In light of the temporary pause of partnership between Storybridge and the Amarillo Independent School District, a storm of debate has followed; raising questions about censorship, inclusivity and education.
• The Arkansas State Library Board rejects proposals to withhold funds based on content. 
• A bill to criminalize Alabama librarians for "obscene" content has failed in that state's senate.
• The Western Sydney Australia's Cumberland City Council has voted to overturn a ban on same-sex parenting books in libraries.
• An Idaho public library will become adults-only on July 1, 2024.
• As U.S. book bans intensify, public school textbooks have become the latest target. (Sorry, kids. We ripped out chapter five of your history text.)

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• DNA reveals that the ancient Indigenous lineage of the Blackfoot Confederacy goes back 18,000 years to the last ice age.
• Spectacular frescoes of Helen of Troy, Apollo, and Zeus have been unearthed among the ruins of Pompeii.
• Ancient skeletons unearthed in France reveal Mafia-style killings.
• An ancient Roman monument-- surrounding a treasure-filled spring-- has been found in France.
• A metal detectorist found a 6,000-year-old artifact in the forest that may have been a holy gift.
• An intimate artifact from a warship sunk off Key West was found stashed in a piece of furniture.
• Archaeologists say that a discovery in a Maya pyramid reveals a dramatic dynasty collapse. More from Smithsonian Magazine.
  
• An 1,800-year-old mini portrait of Alexander the Great was found in a field in Denmark.

 

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄

• Watch a female octopus drag a male around during sex in rare footage captured off an Indonesian island.
• A family in Oklahoma accidentally ended up with 50 baby octopuses after their pet-- thought to be male-- laid dozens of eggs. (Rather a fitting "next up" link after the first one, eh?)
• What Flaco the owl's death teaches us about making cities safer for birds.
• Scientists translate sleeping birds' silent songs into sound-- and they may have recorded a nightmare.
• Watch black cats lie in wait for a model train to exit a tunnel.
• Scientists have cloned two black-footed ferrets from frozen tissues in a conservation effort.
• Follow the soap opera-worthy relationship drama of the world's oldest common loons.
• Endangered ocelots may be expanding their range in Texas.

 

►The Wanderer◄

• Alaska's long history of serial killers.
• Soutra Aisle, the ruins of a world-renowned medieval hospital in Fala, Scotland.
• An ancient Maya practice could be the key to growing vegetables on Mars.
• I remember seeing the Duke of Wellington's mounting stone in London.
• This captivating Arizona garden is among the most beautiful in the U.S. 
• Twelve breathtaking images of the Northern Lights spotted in shocking places.
• Five movies you didn't know were filmed in Utah.
• Monet's Thames paintings will finally go on view in London nearly 120 years after the original exhibition was postponed.

 

►Fascinating Folk◄

• The unexpected history of the "Little Jack Horner" nursery rhyme.
• How Lizzie Borden got away with murder.
• Ellen Ochoa, former NASA astronaut and first Hispanic woman in space, has received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
• Sixteen rare videos of iconic artists at work, from Monet to Matisse to Dalí.
• Abir Mukherjee on writing a conspiracy thriller "from a position of anger."
• Jack DuBrul on life and times with Clive Cussler.
• These American women left their country and took their talents to Paris.
• How Caribbean-born artist Guillaume Lethière became the toast of 18th-century France.

 

►I ♥ Lists◄

• Twelve memoirs from people who rose above impossible circumstances.
• Twelve books about female friendship.
• Twenty-one words created by Shakespeare (and four that weren't).
• Ten great books about books.
• Twenty-four of the best 2024 book covers so far.
• Eight cookbooks worth reading from cover to cover.
• Twelve unique bookmarks to save your place.
• Thirty author names you might be mispronouncing.

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!