An Enjoying Spring Weekly Link Round-Up

 

Things have been rather sedate here at Casa Kittling, which is nice for a change. Denis did have a couple of medical appointments, and his surgeon wants him to concentrate on his physiotherapy then come back in six to eight weeks. Obviously, there seems to be no hurry to perform that second surgery. 

Meanwhile, I've been watching (and listening to) all the baby birds here on the property and keeping all the birdbaths and fountains filled. I've completed one knitting project and have started another, using some of the yarn that I bought while shopping with Karen when she was here. Ever since I first slapped eyes on it, I've been itching to get my needles out and start working with it. Am I an addict? Heavens, no!

Denis and I went to the Desert Botanical Garden last Thursday, and although the place was heaving with people (I heard over a dozen different languages while we were there), it was still a lovely afternoon to be there.

An April afternoon at the Desert Botanical Garden.

Time is running short, so I'd better get to work. I hope all of you are well and happy and enjoying the spring. Enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• Are future bestselling authors all going to be TikTok stars?
• Steve Thompson's new adaptation of Elizabeth George's books about an odd couple detective duo is betting on Britishness, universal themes, and chemistry.
• The American Library Association has sued Trump.
• Why we turn to detective fiction in times of upheaval.
• The first folding eReader is smaller than a paperback.
• A book bound in the skin of a 19th-century Suffolk murderer has gone on display.
• This is how Meta AI staffers deemed more than 7,000,000 books to have no "economic value."

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• An ancient "military outpost" in North Macedonia might be the birthplace of Alexander the Great's grandmother.
• Archaeologists have unearthed rare trace of the first ancient factory dedicated to purple dye production.
• Archaeologists in Peru discovered the graves of men, women, and children killed in battle, then buried with honor. More from Live Science.
• The world's super rich are buying up T.rex fossils and it's hampering research. (They're probably trying to build their own Jurassic Park.)
• A long-lost "Merci Train" that was given to New Jersey after World War II has been found.
• Did every civilization have inequality? A new 10,000-year study reveals a surprising answer.

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄

• How a mega freeze in Florida may have caused Burmese pythons to evolve at a blindingly fast speed.
• Biologists rejoice as extremely rare Guam kingfishers lay their first wild egg in nearly forty years.
• Watch gorgeous footage of a chameleon changing color multiple times in three minutes.
• The Dracula parrot: the goth bird whose piercing screams echo through New Guinea forests.
• Check out the first confirmed footage of the colossal squid, a rare and enigmatic deep-sea species.
• A study suggests that salmon are being exposed to our anti-anxiety medication, and it's making them take more risks.

►The Wanderer◄

• The "world's largest wildlife crossing" will help animals walk safely over eight lanes of California traffic.
• Redwood forest tree art in Australia.
• Residents of all ages in Chelsea, Michigan formed a human chain and helped a local bookshop move each of its 9,100 books-- one by one-- to a new storefront about a block away.
• A new study has found that tree rings bear witness to illegal gold mining operations in the Amazon.
• How the Bolivian capital of La Paz successfully implemented an aerial gondola public transit system.
• The Southwold (England) Sailors' Reading Room.

►Fascinating Folk◄

• J.K. Rowling's journey from Harry Potter creator to gender-critical campaigner.
• Why being the child of a crime writer made it inevitable Abbi Waxman would become one.
• On Eleanor Rigby as a product of the combined genius of John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
• Students fighting book bans are the focus of the new documentary Banned Together.
• Anna Wintour: the Devil rarely wore Prada.
• The long, strange trip of the Titanic victims whose remains surfaced hundreds of miles away, weeks after the ship sank.
• Sixteen of the greatest painters of all time whose influences live on today.

►I ♥ Lists◄

• Five World War I mysteries written by women.
• Six mystery and thriller movies oozing with romance.
• Fourteen new bookish mysteries that will keep you guessing.
• Ten mysteries set in the bleak midwinter.
• Most Americans want to read more books. These accessories can help.
• New mystery and thriller movies and TV coming in Spring 2025.
• Criminal doctors in classic crime novels.

That's all for this week! No matter how busy you may be, don't forget that quality Me Time curled up with a good book!