An In Dire Need of Distraction Weeky Link Round-Up

 

I feel like a cow in a slaughterhouse that's just had a shot from a bolt gun right between the eyes. Denis and I are muddling along. I can't say we're fine, but we're okay. There's been no change to my leg, and the best place for me is still in bed... and I think that's where I shall go as soon as I finish this post. I want to shut out the world with a good book, and I am reading one (Sharon Short's Trouble Island).

Nope, news from the outside world has put me in dire need of distraction, and that made me think of three television series that I've really been enjoying recently.

I just watched the first episode of Inspector Ellis on Acorn TV. Not only did I enjoy the story, but I am definitely intrigued by the main character. I want more!

Denis and I are enjoying High Potential, an American remake of a French series on ABC/Hulu. I like the stories, the interplay between the characters, and Denis also loves the main character's legs. (Even I have to admit that they are very fine.)

The third series is my favorite: Kathy Bates in Matlock. What a gem! (On CBS/Paramount+)

Now I'll give you some links. If you're looking for the book banning/censorship section, you'll find it missing. I'm already too far down in the dumps to bog down in that mire!

Have a good weekend, and enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• See 200 new words and phrases added to Merriam-Webster.
• The Guardian wonders "how did bookshops suddenly become cool?" (Erm. Haven't they always been cool?)
• Can you match the last line to the famous novel?
• Can you identify these last lines of classic mystery and crime novels?
• Bookselling: How the market transformed American bookstores.
• The secret to Pride and Prejudice's enduring appeal? Lizzy Bennet has game.

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• Students stumble upon a message in a bottle written by a French archaeologist 200 years ago.
• A mysterious white substance smeared on 3,600-year-old mummies is the world's oldest cheese.
• Excavations have revealed that a razed city that rebelled against Rome "remained uninhabited for over 170 years."
• This shipwreck's location was a mystery for 129 years. Then two men found it just minutes into a three-day search.
• Fifty Viking Age burials have been discovered in Denmark, including a woman in a rare "Viking wagon."
• Se a newly uncovered throne room in Peru that may have belonged to an ancient queen.

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett ◄

• Fifteen astonishing facts about bats.
• These fish have legs, and they can use them to taste prey.
• Fifteen photos that capture the exotic undersea lives of jellyfish.
• Is wildfire smoke causing birds to tend to empty nests?
• Amid rising temperatures, sloths' slowness may put their survival at risk.
• Alex the golden retriever has been promoted to "chief happiness officer" at a Glendale, Arizona hospital.
• This family accidentally ended up with 50 baby octopuses after their pet-- thought to be male-- laid dozens of eggs.

►The Wanderer◄

• What it's like to experience polar night in the world's northernmost town.
• Five historic places to experience Charleston, South Carolina's captivating past.
• Crime and Cacti: the David Mapstone mysteries by Jon Talton.
• The new Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary will be co-managed by Indigenous peoples.
• The ten rudest (and most polite) cities in the U.S.
• The global origins of town names in every U.S. state (with maps).

►Fascinating Folk◄

• Victoria Claflin Woodhull, the first woman to run for president, was a spiritualist, Wall Street broker, and a free-love advocate.
• The birth of Miss Marple, the perpetual spinster detective at the heart of Agatha Christie's works.
• Belle da Costa Greene, the savvy librarian who was the true force behind New York's iconic Morgan Library.
• Art dealer Berthe Weill paved the way for Picasso, Matisse, and Modigliani. So why haven't you heard of her?
• Belinda Mulrooney, the enterprising woman who built-- and lost, and rebuilt-- a booming empire during the Klondike Gold Rush.
• Lee Child on writing short stories.

►I ♥ Lists◄

• Thirteen dining-related taboos from around the world.
• The best medieval crime novels.
• Eight Native and Indigenous mysteries and thrillers.
• A murder of Ladies MacBeth.
• Eleven amazing historical coincidences.
• 22 books to read while curled up by a fireplace.

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!