A Nose Above the Parapet Weekly Link Round-Up

 

I haven't been on the computer at all since Monday, which is when I put these links together, and I can't say that I've missed it. Next week is the procedure on my leg, if the vascular surgeon decides to go through with it. (My leg is in a bit of a mess now.)

In the meantime, I've been enjoying some gorgeous weather, some good books, care letters and packages from friends, and the slightly twisted sense of humor Denis and I share.

I hope all is well with you and yours. I'll leave you with a t-shirt from my virtual closet...

 

Enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• The history-- and surprisingly dark theories-- behind "Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater."
• Decorating houses with Edith Wharton: on interior design as art and literary practice.
• School vouchers were supposed to save taxpayer money. Instead they blew a massive hole in Arizona's budget.
• The secrets of a long-overlooked cipher linked to Catherine of Aragon.
• Penguin Random House underscores copyright protection in an AI rebuff.
• A Carrie TV series from Mike Flanagan is in the works at Amazon.
• This Harry Potter series will explore the books "more in-depth" than the films did, says Warner Bros. TV boss Channing Dungey.
• Have you purchased a weirdly low-quality paperback book lately? This may be why.

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• A junk dealer discovered a "horrible" painting in a cellar sixty years ago. It might be a $6.6 million Picasso.
• The discovery of a 5,000-year-old society in Morocco reveals an ancient farming culture.
• A study has found that medieval walrus ivory may reveal trade between Norse and Indigenous Americans hundreds of years before Columbus.
• Metal detectorists unearthed 1,000-year-old Viking coins on a small island in the Irish Sea.
• Archaeologists discovered intricately decorated coffins belonging to the only daughter of an ancient Egyptian governor.
• Basement renovations in a home near Paris unearthed a cemetery spanning 700 years, with Roman-era graves.
• A treasure hunt for an ornate golden owl buried in France has ended after 31 years.
• A 5,000-year-old cemetery in Spain has twice as many females as males, and nobody knows why.

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett ◄

• This green-flashing firefly could become the first ever listed as endangered in the U.S.
• This compassionate teacher adopts deaf puppies who he trains to become caring therapy dogs.
• How did two bowhead whales that were 60 miles apart sync their diving?
• Coyotes might make "puppy dog eyes," suggesting the facial expression evolved for more than just cuteness
• Watch remarkably rare footage of a bigfin magnapinna squid walking the ocean floor upon their 13-foot tentacles.
• The chonky superstar of Fat Bear Week is missing, and the competition won't be the same without him.
• Why there is a court battle over this beaver being released into the wild.
• The northern bald ibis is back from the brink.

►The Wanderer◄

• How recovering the history of a little-known Lakota massacre could heal generational pain.
• Ashville's Biltmore Estate will reopen for the holidays after sustaining damage from Hurricane Helene.
• How setting has come to define great crime fiction-- in Scandinavia, Britain, and the desert of the American Southwest.
• Go chasing waterfalls.
• The making of the American West's last great outlaw hideouts.
• Outback Noir: Darwin and the Northern Territory.
• More than one in three tree species around the globe are at risk of disappearing.
• Japan's Mount Fuji has now remained snowless for the longest time in its 130-year record.

►Fascinating Folk◄

• He escaped slavery and became a Civil War hero. Now, Robert Smalls is getting a statue in South Carolina.
• Freida McFadden didn't mean to become a bestselling novelist.
• Bookstore historian Evan Friss sees bookselling as activism.
• Meet Montana's Teacher of the Year: Kevin KickingWoman.
• America's oldest living person, Elizabeth Francis, has died at the age of 115. She was a supercentenarian and "Houstonian icon."
• Alan Bennett at 90: "What will people think? I don't care any more."
• These Black Americans were killed for exercising their political right to vote.
• Quincy Jones was a "musician's musician" who was uniquely beloved in he cutthroat music industry.

►I ♥ Lists◄

• Never mind whodunit: read these whydunit and howdunit mysteries.
• Bookish gifts for audiobook lovers.
• Celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day with these excellent books.
• Six great suspense novels featuring mysterious mansions.
• Five essential books for understanding Native American history.
• Laugh out loud with these 18 funny books.
• Sci-Fi reads featuring archaeology.
• Six chilly "And then there were none" inspired thrillers perfect for winter.

That's all for this week! Don't forget to stop by next Friday when I'll probably 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!