Lovely Links #21

Here are some of the wonderful or interesting things I've found around the blogosphere lately ...

Blogging

• I contributed to another book list over at Flashlight Worthy Books. This time the theme was The Best Books About Love ... That Your Book Club Probably Hasn't Read. Go check it out and see if you agree with the two titles I recommended.
  
• Ever wondered how to make images larger when using Blogger? This post from Plays With Needles walks you through it step by step.
• That same blogger's family has a wine-tasting part every winter and it looks like it is lots of fun - hop over and check out the photos and tell me you wouldn't want to be there too!

Miscellany

• If you haven't checked out ZooBorns then you are missing your daily dose of cuteness. This is a site dedicated to baby animals in zoos all over the world. Subscribe to their blog and your Google Reader will make you smile every day.
• SciFi meets Sesame Street in this fabulous series of videos.
• The world's oldest cookbook has some, um, unique recipes ...
• The world's smallest library fits in a phone booth!
  

Lovely Links #20 & Kiddo Scores!

Before I get to my Lovely Links I have to share a video with you. This is from Kiddo's ice hockey game this past Saturday (Halloween day, 10/31) when he scored his very first in-game goal - woohoo! He's #32 in the black jersey.

Welcome to the 20th edition of Lovely Links! I hope you enjoy the fun and interesting things I've seen around the internet lately ...


*** All Things Bookish ***

• Ever wonder if there are authors whose books are similar to an author you love? Plug an author's name into the Literature Map and find out!
  
  
• What's the deal with Reading Challenges? This blogger shares the benefits she's gained from her experiences with them.
  
  
• A great post on the how and why of writing book reviews, found thanks to this post.

*** History and Historical Fun ***

• A mock Roman naval battle in New York City? Yup, it happened.
  
  
• Speaking of naval battles, check out this article about King Henry VIII's flagship "Mary Rose" which sank in a 1545 battle. So many artifacts have been recovered - and there are pictures!
  
  
• Check out this home video from way back when Disneyland first opened - you won't believe how bright and colorful everything looks!
  
  
• A naval discovery from the War of 1812 practically in my back yard - VERY cool.

*** Nature ***

• A hidden valley discovered containing 40 new species! Think that's science fiction? Nope, it is fact. And there are even real-life R.O.U.Ses!
  
  
• These baby turtles are possibly the cutest ugly little things I've ever seen.
  

That's all for now. Until next time ...

Lovely Links #19

Here are the things that have caught my attention lately - hope you find some of them interesting as well!


Reality & Life

• The first thing I have to share with you is a video. Rather than giving you the link I'm posting it here in the hopes that you'll actually watch it. :) This guy wrote a song in response to his bad experience on United Airlines - gotta love creativity!

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• My blogging friend Ranger Sarah just moved to a new house ... and you simply MUST see the office that she now has! Book lovers will be swooning.
  
  
• The new Lego Toy Story figures are really cute!!! Go here to check them out.
  
  

Books & Bookish Events

• Have you ever had a "book hangover"? One of my blogger friends used that term in this short post and I had to laugh - that is the perfect name for what you get the morning after you've stayed up too late to read. Too funny!
  
  
• Author Michelle Moran is promoting her upcoming novel, CLEOPATRA'S DAUGHTER, by having several contests on her blog. Some are targeted to teens since the main character in this book is a young woman. And she's giving away Roman artifacts - very cool!
  
  
• The first review of the upcoming "Wheel of Time" book THE GATHERING STORM (by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson) is up at Dragonmount. Spoilers are clearly marked so you can easily avoid them, so do go over there and read it.
  
  
• Buzz Aldrin preps Buzz Lightyear for his space flight in this cute video. The real Buzz (Aldrin, that is) will be at the Baltimore Book Festival in September - hopefully I'll get to meet him!
  
  
• Has a REVIEW ever brought tears to your eyes? This one by Maw Books did that to me. The book is a children's book called 14 COWS FOR AMERICA. I'd heard of it before but the quote and videos included in this review really touched me.
  

History

• A series of fascinating podcasts about Henry VIII. I listened to all of them and really enjoyed the one by Philippa Gregory and several of the David Starkey ones.
  
  
• Speaking of Henry VIII, the English government helped fund the breathtaking restoration of Dover Castle pictured here. The castle now looks as it did when Henry ruled there. I so wish I could see it in person!
  
  
• Here's a video compilation of 500 years of female portraits that is quite beautiful. It even won an award on YouTube. My aunt shared this video on Facebook and I thought it was amazing.
  
  

Movies

• This blogger posted the two clips from New Moon that were shown at ComicCon - all the screaming girls made me laugh so hard!
  
  
• Remaking The Secret of NIMH?! I'm heartbroken over this news. I loved this movie as a child and Kiddo loves it now - why mess with something like that?!
  
  
• Have you seen the trailer for the Johnny Depp Alice In Wonderland movie yet? What do you think of it? Personally, it kind of creeps me out ...
  
  
• Are you familiar with the story THE PORTRAIT OF DORIAN GRAY? It's been adapted into a horror movie called Dorian Gray and you can check out the trailer here.

Lovely Links #18

Welcome to another edition of Lovely Links, the post where I share all the fun things I've found online lately. Enjoy!

*** Reminder: I'm giving away a copy of THE LOCAL NEWS
by Miriam Gershow - click here for details. ***

Movies

• More info on the upcoming 2-part movie version of THE HOBBIT - I am SO excited about this!
  
  
• The first details I've seen about the 2-part finale to the HARRY POTTER books are available here. Oh how sad I will be when these movies are finally over. :(
  

Reality

• This heartbreaking article tells the story of young African girls who are raped by HIV-infected men who believe sex with a virgin will cure them. It is horrible but very worth reading. This story will be featured in the upcoming documentary Tapestries of Hope.
  
  
• On a lighter note, the wonderful blogger Chartroose had some nice things to say about me way back in May. I kept meaning to post a thank you ... so sorry for the delay, but THANK YOU CHARTROOSE!
  
  
• Ti from Book Chatter introduced me to a wonderful blog called Don't Know Much About. It is based on a series of books (Don't Know Much About History, Don't Know Much About Geography, etc.) and every day posts excerpts from the series. This is a WONDERFUL way to learn new things - I love this blog!
  
  
• Rebecca wrote about her friend, a Public Affairs Officer stationed in Iraq and his blog. His posts are short and usually funny so definitely go check him out. And if nothing else, go read this post and video about the Demon Fish!
  

Books

• Do you know how to find library book sales in your area? Book Sale Manager is the newest online tool to help you do just that! See what you can find in YOUR area right now.
  
  
• Well-written and interesting review of Brandon Sanderson's WARBREAKER by Grasping for the Wind. I've read ELANTRIS by this same author and enjoyed it very much. WARBREAKER is not on my TBR list but it does look like a great book.
  
  
• BookTV has a new and improved website! Check it out here - but do be patient, as it sometimes takes a while to load.
  

Nature

• The Baltimore Aquarium helped to rehab an injured harbor seal and released him on July 9. Click here to read the story and track his progress using the transmitter attached to his fur (he'd gone over 700 miles when I last checked) or watch a video about it here.
  
  
• Ever wonder what causes that lovely "after the rain" scent? It's caused by bacteria ... who knew?!
  
  
• Will the Scottish Orkney Islands be underwater one day?

That's all for now folks!

Lovely Links # 17

I'm now officially back from my Disney vacation but this is a pre-scheduled post so I can't tell you how much fun I had just yet. I'm always overwhelmed with things to do and blogs to catch up on after a few days away, so I hope you'll put up with my pseudo-absence a little longer. In the meantime, enjoy these links!

Books

• What do The 6th Sense (the movie) and The Turn of the Screw (the book) have in common? Click here to find out.
  
  
• What are your thoughts on strong female characters? Which are your favorites? Get in on the discussion at OCD, vampires, and rants, oh my!
  
  
• SciFi publisher Tor Books (whose website I totally love: tor.com) launched an online store recently. And they are promoting not only their own books but scifi/fantasy from a wide variety of publishers. Read an interview about it here and check out the store here.
  

Life & History

• This one minute video about the impact of adoption is amazing. Go check it out! And the blog it is posted on is one of my favorites - the couple recently adopted their daughter from China, and they have grandchildren her same age.
  
  
• Beach erosion in England reveals historical artifacts. Watch the video here.
  
  
• Ancient people roasted mammoths for dinner - cool!
  
  
• The sport of "Hill Cheese Rolling"? Looks crazy to me but the photos are worth checking out for sure.
  
  
• Plays With Needles is a blog I read consistently and it is one of my favorites. I'm NOT a creative person but this blogger certainly is! Hop on over here to see her latest creation and read the story she weaves around it ... simply amazing in my opinion. (Yes, this is the same blogger I met recently.)
  

Nature

• Jellyfish are some of the most interesting looking creatures in the sea, don't you think? I'm thrilled that our local aquarium has added them to their exhibits. Check out these stories and videos featuring some of the amazing jellies that can now be seen at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland. And this story tells how they constructed the exhibit - too cool! Here's the official website for the Waterfront Invasion.
  
  
• And speaking of sea creatures, check out this info on satellite tagging and find out how you can track ocean animals on the internet.
  
  
• If you are a dog-lover then you have to check out the video that Dreamybee posted - tell me that doesn't make you smile!
  

Movies

• Remember how much I loved LITTLE BEE? Nicole Kidman loved it too. She's fighting for the movie rights so she can play one of the main characters, Sarah. The book was sold in Britain as THE OTHER HAND.
  
  
• Have you seen the trailer for the Robert Downey, Jr. Sherlock Holmes movie? It is definitely NOT what I expected but I think it could be really good. Check it out and let me know what you think.
  
  
• Watching the new Star Trek on the International Space Station ... WOW! Oh, and lots of behind the scenes footage from the various Star Trek tv shows will soon be available.
  
  
• Ghostbusters III? Yup, they're making it. Kiddo will be thrilled - he's recently discovered the first two movies and loves them.
  
  
• Are you a Lord of the Rings fan? Then you have to check out this amazing fan film, The Hunt for Gollum. It cost only $4,500 to make and looks to be amazing! I haven't had a chance to watch it yet but this review and this review both have great things to say. Watch the trailer here.
  
  
• Have you ever been disappointed at the way a movie ended? Check out these alternate ending for Star Wars IV, Lord of the Rings, and Beowulf. And if you want more fun you can find lots of others here.
  
  
• What's the deal with remaking old movies lately? They're redoing Short Circuit, Flight of the Navigator, and a whole bunch of others ...
  
  
• The first trailer for THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE ...
  
  

Hopefully I'll be here for real tomorrow!

Lovely Links #16 - The Disney Edition

Can you guess where I'm going on Friday? That's right - Walt Disney World in Florida! Hubby and I are complete Disney fanatics and we've gotten Kiddo on the wagon as well - he is only 7 and he's been to Disneyland 6 times and Disney World once. This will be his 8th Disney trip ... crazy!

Other than our love of all things Disney, there is another reason we enjoy our trips there so much. Remember all of Kiddo's food allergy issues? Disney can handle it. Yup, that's right, his situation is no problem for them. We have NO worries when we go there - they make him delicious and safe meals everywhere we go, and they work with us to make sure he gets to experience the parks like every other kid his age. For that reason we HIGHLY recommend Disney trips to everyone we know.

So you can share in my excitement I'm devoting this edition of Lovely Links to all things Disney - yea!


Fun Disney Stuff

• This woman celebrated her 100th birthday at Disneyland. What's more, she was supposed to have been on the Titanic ...
• Disney to revamp Star Tours ride ... that's kiddo's favorite! And the filming has already begun.
• Disneyland in California has the new characters from UP - check it out here. And you can read about the research that went into the movie here.
  
• Is the Disney Train coming to a city near you? This amazing 40-car train is helping to promote the upcoming Disney movie "A Christmas Carol." Read more about it here and watch a short trailer for the movie here. Then you can read an interview with the star of the film, Jim Carrey.
  
• Kiddo is a huge LEGO fanatic and I'm dreading what this announcement from Disney and LEGO means for my budget.
• Money donated by guests at Disney parks helped wildlife injured in the recent fires in Australia.

Disney Planning Links

These are some sites I've found helpful recently. If you know of any others, please post them in the comments and share why you love them.

• Mousesavers.com - for money-saving tips and deals plus a helpful newsletter
  
• TouringPlans.com - for crowd estimates, travel and touring tips, and their WDW Today podcasts
  
• The Disney Blog - for info and updates
  

Lovely Links #15

Lovely, lovely links! There are always so many interesting things to find and share - I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Fun & Interesting

• More tips for photographing your kids (or your pets!), brought to you by 5 Minutes for Mom.
• Want to read the original notes from the creation of Indiana Jones? Now you can.

History

• How keeping it in the family spelled the end of the line for the Hapsburg royal dynasty.
• The last Titanic survivor auctions her possessions to earn money to continue living in her chosen nursing home ... unfortunately, she doesn't make enough.
  
• I love the comments made in this interview with Susan Higginbotham, author of THE TRAITOR'S WIFE, on accuracy in historical fiction. It is the 6th question, if you just want to skim to that point. Go Susan! I wish all authors thought like you on this.
• Recreating the ancient temple at Karnak.
  

Books

• Laurie R. King reads from THE BEEKEEPER'S APPRENTICE set to a video of the Sussex Downs, cottages, 1917 England, and sheep. It is quite lovely.
• This Book Swap and Salad Club sounds like a lot of fun - I may have to suggest this to MY book club as a break from our routine.
• What do hockey players and the Bronte sisters have in common? This post explains it all.
  

Books into Movies

• Coming in August, The Time Traveler's Wife. I know a lot of you really enjoyed this book but I found the audio version rather, um, boring ...
  
• Coming in December, The Lovely Bones. A few gals in my book club read this and loved it but I've not been brave enough - the subject matter is a bit much for me.
• A peek on the set of Harry Potter 6, coming in July.
  
• New Moon's werewolf pack undressed, plus a very short comment from Taylor Lautner. And they are going to film Breaking Dawn ... you knew it was coming, but this is sooner than expected. AND the poster for New Moon can be seen here.
  
• A clue as to where Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One will end.

That's all folks!

Lovely Links #14

I've been finding all sorts of fun and interesting things online recently so that means it is time for another Lovely Links. Hope you enjoy them!

Fun Stuff

• Spontaneous dancing at a train station in Belgium - this is GREAT!
  
• Ever wondered about the difference between Pixar and Dreamworks studios? This hilarious cartoon will end your confusion forever.
  
• If you are on Twitter you can follow Darth Vader's tweets! And R2D2's, and lots of other sci-fi characters. (Hmm, maybe I should be tweeting too? Yeah, I think not. Too addicting.)
• Have you had your allotment of cuteness for the day? These baby Asian small-clawed otters will definitely help with that - they are too cute to pass up!
• If you've read Twilight you have to go check out this short comic - you will totally identify!
  

History

• Ever wondered where the sign "Rx" came from? Wonder no longer.
  
• Schindler's actual list (one of them anyway) is found.
• Remember Billy Joel's song "We Didn't Start the Fire"? Did you catch all the historical references in there? Go check out this amazing video that includes images for EVERY SINGLE REFERENCE in the song - and you'll be singing along for the rest of the day too.
• Are you a fan of the TV show "The Tudors"? Check in at S.Krisha's blog every Monday for a recap of the most recent episode and chime in with your comments.
• Those ancient Chinese terracotta statues may not be warriors ... but servants.
  

Books

• Are audio books considered "cheating" or do they count as reading? This post examines that idea.

Reality

• An update on the child actors from the film "Slumdog Millionaire" can be found here. Thanks to Amy for pointing this out.
• Talk about a UNIQUE way to celebrate Passover! Author Laurie R. King attended a Seder meal at which there was lots of singing ... "Matzo, Matzo, Man" was only one of the many song adaptations. This post is VERY funny - I've been sharing it with everyone.
• Never judge a book by the cover, or a person by their appearance ... and this clip bears that out:
  
  

Lovely Links #13

It is time again for Lovely Links, the post where I share with you all the fun and interesting things I've found around the internet lately. This time I've broken the list into groups ... do you like it better this way? Opinions, please.

And now, the Lovely Links ...

Books & Words

• Open Mind Insert Book reviewed a fascinating book about scientist who experiemented on themselves. Her review includes some of the things they did to themselves - go read it and be horrified.
  
• My recap of my book club's discussion of CHANGE OF HEART (a book I despised) is up at ReadingGroupGuides.
  
• Check out some of the most commonly mispronounced words in the English language. You can listen to each one too! I have to disagree with one of their corrections though - no one should ever be pronouncing the "l" in yolk ... it's just ODD.

History

• Here's your chance to hear an ancient Greek harp-like instrument. Read the details here and be sure to click the link directly below the picture (or this link) to actually HEAR the instrument. It is amazing to think that we're listening to something the Greeks listened to ...
• Life imitates Indiana Jones? Well, not exactly, but this scene COULD have been in one of the movies - that's for sure!
  

TV& Movies

• Any fans of the TV show JERICHO out there? No, they are not bringing it back again (darn!) but they ARE making a comic book series out of it. And a feature-length film.
• Speaking of movies, they're making one of WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE.
• The actor who played Darth Vadar is battling cancer.
• A kids movie about THE BOOK OF KELLS? Yep, and it looks pretty cool too. Too bad it isn't being released in the US.
  

Other Interesting Things

• Are you a gardener? Then check out my local newspaper's new Garden Blog. There are tips specifically for mid-Atlantic gardeners, but I'm sure there will be great info for all gardeners as well!
  
• The scrapbooker in me was THRILLED with this post about creative camera angles. These are simple tips we all can use to break away from boring photos.
• Absolutely gorgeous artwork inspired by Tolkien and other fantasy authors. I would love to have this stuff framed in my house.

Those are my Lovely Links for today. I hope you have enjoyed checking out the things that have caught my attention recently. Happy March to you all!

Lovely Links #12

It is time again for Lovely Links, the post where I inundate you with the wonderful/awful/strange/amazing things I've found online recently. Here we go!

• Ok, so this one isn't so "lovely" but it *is* fascinating. Check out this real-life abandoned island, one of the world's most toxic environmental disaster zones.
  
  
• Scientists in Australia are studying the platypus and here's some video of their work. First off, platypus's are adorable, are they not? And second, there's a cute guy in the video too! He's a young American named Steven Kolymyjec who is a University student in Australia. Is it just me, or are there very few cute scientists in the world today? I wish him lots of success in his studies - I'd love to see more of him!
  
  
• Klingon Summer School ... and a little old lady with a batleth ...
  
  
• One of Henry VIII's love letters to Anne Boleyn - in his own writing.
  
  
• The New Annotated Dracula is getting rave reviews and I really want a copy of this book to own. Tor.com's reviewer loved it and talks about "heavy and creamy paper" ... ah, heaven!
  
  
• Amazing photos from Captain Scott's doomed Antarctic adventure in 1910 ...
  
  
• Are you a fan of Neil Gaiman? I'll admit I have yet to read anything by him, but I'll also admit that I'm not very hopeful ... he doesn't seem like "my type" you know? This reviewer says the same thing and is looking for reasons why he's wrong - head on over and share yours.
  
  
• Guys Lit Wire is putting the focus on authors from around the world - have you read anything from his list?

And that's it for today. I hope you've enjoyed this tour of the blogosphere ...

Lovely Links #11

It is that time again, time for Lovely Links! Here is a short list of things I've come across lately that I thought you mind find interesting ...

• Are you a LOST fan? Then why are you not hanging out at the LOST Books Challenge Blog?! There are more than just book reviews over there, did you know that? Each week we are linking up to episode recaps at a variety of blogs, plus we're posting links to interviews with the cast and other LOST tidbits as we find them. Come on over and join us!
  
  
• Hey Lady! Whatch' Readin'? completely blew my mind with this post about whether you are an introvert or an extrovert. If you asked me (before I read that) which I was, I'd have said extrovert without hesitation. But now I'm convinced I'm an introvert ... who knew?!
  
  
• Ousted TWILIGHT director Catherine Hardwicke has a book coming out all about her experiences directing the film. The write-up at Redbox's blog, Redblog, definitely made me laugh!
  
  
• Lots of mummies, from 400 years ago up to a 2-year old girl who died in 1920, all on display in Italy - the photos in this post are amazing and creepy at the same time.
  
  
• Ever wonder when you should post the review for an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) you receive from a publisher? Reviewer X has some excellent guidelines direct from the publicists.
  
  
• 500 years ago King Henry VIII's of England took the throne. This fascinating article by author Philippa Gregory discusses the King's enormous size later in life and includes pictures of his armor and other clothing, all of which are part of an exhibit at in The Tower of London.
  
  
• Legendary sci-fi/horror memorabilia collector Forrest Ackerman died recently and his collection is going up for auction. There are some amazing things up for grabs. Personally I'd like the book pictured here but I guess I'm in the minority - of the items shown, it has the lowest price tag.
  
  
• And on a more personal note, I have another post up at ReadingGroupGuides.com. This time I recapped my book club's experience reading Jhumpa Lahiri's INTERPRETER OF MALADIES. Hop on over to read it, and leave a comment if you like.

That's all for this edition of Lovely Links ... but I'll be back with more very soon!

Lovely Links #10

Welcome to this 10th edition of Lovely Links, a post where I link you up to all the interesting things I've come across recently. Here we go!

• A few weeks ago Booking Through Thursday had a post about music. While browsing some of the songs people linked to on YouTube, I was reminded of one of my very favorite musicals, Aida. Here's a link to the song I love the most from that show. It's called Elaborate Lives and it is a love song between an lordly Egyptian and a slave woman (who used to be a princess of Nubia). The song always gives me chills ... and it doesn't hurt that the guy is really sexy!
  
  
• How would you like to live on a tropical island for 6 months, during which your only job is to explore the island and scuba dive, then blog about it? This is a legitimate job! The story is here and details are here. You have until Feb. 22 to apply ... what are you waiting for?!
  


• Speaking of tropical islands, an island would likely be a safe place to be living if your hometown were nuked. Check out this interactive map where you can nuke the city of your choice and determine how far-reaching the effects will be. What fun! (Is it creepy that it was actually fun?! I think it is.)
  
  
• I LOVE the Dune books so this look at the making of the audiobooks was quite interesting.
  


• "Preproduction on The Hobbit is underway." Did you hear that?! Another addition to the Lord of the Rings movie series - yeah! I read The Hobbit when I was in the first grade and I have loved it ever since. I can't wait to see the movie. Kiddo and I just watched the old animated version recently.
  
  
• Speaking of Tolkien, over at Tor.com they are doing a re-read of all The Lord of the Rings books in order. Each chapter is thoroughly recapped and analyzed and commenters are chiming in with their thoughts. If you're a fan, you'll love it. And if you've never read it, this would be *sort of* like having someone read and explain it to you - what could be simpler?!
  
  
• And finally, speaking of Tor.com and re-reads, they are ALSO doing the re-read/analyze thing with Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series, in preparation for the release of book 12 in Nov. '09. You know from my left sidebar how addicted I am to these books! This re-read is going at a much faster pace that the Tolkien one though (there are many more books to get through). The conversation in the comments is fantastic - I'm loving it!

That's all for now. Happy linking!

Lovely Links #9

Welcome to this 9th edition of Lovely Links where I give some linky love to things I found fascinating recently. Most of it is book related (go figure!) but some is just plain interesting. Enjoy!

• Calling all Twilight fans! In case you haven't heard, Taylor Lautner, the actor who played Jacob in the movie, WILL get to keep that role in New Moon. If you recall from my movie review, I had a hard time with him in the movie because he was Sharkboy, but after reading New Moon I am solidly on Team Jacob!
  
• Book club in-fighting? Read all about it in the New York Times.
  
• A few authors out there are openly courting book clubs - I think it is great!


• In case you missed it, my monthly post is up at ReadingGroupGuides.com. My topic this go round was the unique titles that surfaced at my book club's Christmas Party Book Swap. Click here then scroll down to the post dated Jan. 5, 2009. Comments are always appreciated!


• Ready for a laugh? How 'bout this laptop vs. dragon commercial? This has nothing to do with books ... it is just plain funny.
  
• Such a Pretty Fat is the book pick at Costco. Huh? According to Book Club Girl, it's a funny book about weight loss. So NOT my kind of book. However, the video is HILARIOUS and you simply must go see it.
  
• Scientists are discussing a wish list of extinct animals that could eventually be brought back to life through DNA and surrogate mothers. The list (you'll have to scroll down that page to see the list) is fascinating, and other scientists are doing similar research. However, didn't we learn our lesson with Jurassic Park?
  
  

That's all for now ... see you next time!

Lovely Links #8

In this 8th edition of Lovely Links we're taking a trip through time and even through other worlds - enjoy!

• Audio recordings from WWI-era England are now available for your listening pleasure. These recordings were made by one family and include family updates, songs, and other messages. The compilation is very short but eerily fascinating to listen to. We're hearing voices of people born between 1850 and 1904!
  
• A 2,000 year old Greek computer? Yup, that's right. Check out this explanation and video - amazing!
  
• Coming soon to a Colosseum near you, the Gladiators! Well, sort of.
  
• Ever wish you could live in a fantasy world like Luke Skywalker or Harry Potter? Think you life is a bit boring? Here's how to add some fantasy to your own world and be prepared for whatever quest may come your way.
  
• In the same vein, here's what to do if you find suddenly find yourself thrust into a Renaissance drama!
  
• And finally, a fascinating 5 minute video overview of the amazing changes in information technology and other interesting facts.

Lovely Links #7

My Lovely Links for today include some serious and some fun topics ... hopefully a good mix of the two.

• Any fans of Agatha Christie out there? Have you heard her actual voice before? You can do it here!
• Tor.com posted recently about the role and portrayal of religion in science fiction. I found it fascinating.
• Are you the parent of a young boy? Check out this video about the gender gap between boys and girls in schools. And learn more about the book here.
• How about some bookish TV? Check out this hilarious video.
• I know many of you are quite particular about the way you organize your bookshelves, but this is a new one for me!
• In this book-inspired website you can find out if you are a witch, get Shakespeare to curse you, learn how to play crazy games in a museum, and much MUCH more. (Read this post for more info.)
  

Lovely Links #6

For this week's Show and Tell I have some (mostly bookish) Lovely Links for you ...

• Check out the video in this post - is the largest, most secluded bookstore in the US ... and I totally want to visit!

• Invisible book shelves?! Yep, that's right - and they're cool too!

• Check out the cool way this author responded to negative reviews for his upcoming book. Gotta love it!
  

• "When the genocide in Darfur has ended, what will you say you did to stop it?" Maw Books made a difference in September. If you missed out on your chance to support her, at least go read this book review post - it's very worth your time.
  
  
• In the mood for something lighter and more fun? You must visit Dr. Roundbottom's website! According to tor.com: This site is a little bit fiction, a little bit photographic art, and a whole bunch of steampunk Victoriana. It’s a lot of fun. There are clockwork spiders, ocular fungus, snails with mushrooms growing on their shells, fire faery trees, steam wraiths, park crabs, and more. Now doesn't that sound like fun?!
  
  
• And back to reality, check out these amazing photos from the aftermath of Hurricane Ike.
  

Lovely Links #5: To Book Club or Not To Book Club?

This edition of Lovely Links is inspired by National Reading Group Month here in the US and brought to you by The Book Club Madam (that's me).

• What is National Reading Group Month? Learn about it here. Is your city holding a special event? Probably not, considering how short this list is.

• Are you in a face-to-face book club? An online book club? Or do you avoid structured reading like the plague? A few weeks back MizB did a Musings Monday on this exact topic ... check out the answers and links in the comments!

• Have you ever visited my book club's blog? It's only updated a few times a month but I do include our members thoughts on and ratings of each book we read.
  
  
• Random House Publishing is hosting a Book Club Fest all month featuring author interviews and some giveaways too.
  
  
• Are you part of a book group? If so, chances are that you are already familiar with this site. It's a great resource for book club tips. Even if you're not in a club but you'd STILL enjoy this site if you like hearing from authors - there are author guest posts every few days. Hey, did you know that I'm one of the blog's contributors?
  
  
• If you live anywhere near San Jose, CA, there's still time to register for this amazing event. I WILL get there one day, I promise! Here's what authors are saying about it. Are you going?

So tell me, are you part of a book club? Why or why not? Post a comment and share your thoughts!

Lovely Links #4: Banned Books Week Edition

Welcome to the midpoint of banned books week! I'm receiving lots of banned/challenged book reviews but there is always room for more. Just post a comment to this post and I'll get you added. Remember, I need the reviews by Friday evening.

Here are some links I've come across recently that deal with the subject of banned books.

• Here is the official website for Banned Books Week.
• Google lets you preview portions of banned books here.
• Book Club Girl has several great links posted, including the MySpace and Facebook pages for BBW. Who knew there was such a thing?!
• The Debutante's Ball, a blog featuring new female authors, has been posting about banned books all week here, here, here, and here. I expect there will be more over the next few days so be sure to head back over there again.
• This post on Rebecca Reads was sparked by a not-so-nice commenter.
  
• And I briefly wrote about this last year on my book club's blog.

UPDATE: I just came across this link from Time Magazine. It highlights several banned/challenged books and gives reasons for the challenge to each one.

Do you have other links to share? Feel free to post them in the comments. (If you're reading this is a blog reader, you may want to click over to check out the comments - I'm sure there will be some great links in there!)

FYI, I'll be back to my book festival posts tomorrow.

Lovely Links #3 - Book Fest Edition

For this edition of Lovely Links I'm focusing on videos from or related to Book Festivals ...

• Author Manil Suri shakes it at the Brooklyn Book Festival. You have to watch through to the last part - it is just TOO funny!
  
  
• Why have a book festival to begin with? We book bloggers could give you lots of answers! Catherine Lockerbie shares her reasons here.
  
  
• The National Book Festival had live Russian translation by Yevgeny Yevtushenko.
  
  
• This Burlington Book Festival montage asks "Are Books Dead?" They even get input from kids!
  
  
• For those attending the Baltimore Book Festival, here's a way to get some extra attention and honor Edgar Allan Poe at the same time. Be sure to click on the "More Info" tab in the gray box on the right of the screen or you'll have no idea what the video is all about. (FYI, I will NOT be dancing along ... sorry to disappoint.)
  

You can find me at the Baltimore Book Festival every day this coming weekend. So, how 'bout it? Will you be attending a book festival this year? Tell me all about it!

Lovely Links #2

Every once in a while I like to share some new and exciting links with you. (It's been a while since my last Lovely Links post - sorry.) So here's what I have to share with you today ...

• Please take a minute to read this post. It has absolutely nothing to do with books but it really hit home for me. Literally everything in that post is something that I have thought/felt/said myself. I wish I could get all my IRL friends and family to read it ...
  
  
• Are you involved in a book club? Why not reach out to your community? There are tons of ways to get involved. You could donate books to your local library or school like this group did. You could sponsor a teen book club or kids book club, maybe just for the summer. Or you could be inspired by a book you read and choose a cause to support like this group did (scroll down to the June 17th post).
  
  
• There's quite a bit of buzz in the blogosphere about a new site called Field Report. Have you ever wanted to review other bloggers' posts? Or maybe you've secretly hoped to get feedback on your own writing? Field Report lets you do both! It's all about everyday people - me, you, the guy down the street, the woman delivering the mail - reading, writing, sharing, and even winning money! There are no fees, no obligations, no spam ... just a great way to connect with other readers and writers.
  
  
• Have you ever heard the phrase "You can judge someone unless you've walked in their shoes"? Or maybe you've "stuck your food in your mouth" a time or two, saying something you didn't realize was hurtful because you didn't know the whole story? We can't really walk in someone else's shoes though - so how do we make that connection? How do we even attempt to understand what other people are going through? There's a new blog out there working to remedy that situation: Bridges. This site is currently gathering bloggers from all over the blogosphere who are willing to share about the difficulties in their lives: addiction, infertility, cancer, allergies, religion, body image, elder care, and much, much more. Check it out, or better yet, add it to your blog reader; every day you'll get to read a post that will give you insight into someone else's life. What better way to become a more sensitive person? (Oh, and you may see a guest post or two from me about kiddo's allergies sometime in the coming months.)
  

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy my Lovely Links! Please let me know which ones you visit and what you think of them.

UPDATE: I just had to come back and post this spoof trailer for Twilight! It is TOO funny!