Friday, April 25, 2014

The Into This Life Some Rain Must Fall Weekly Link Round-Up

It has definitely been a week of ups and downs here at Casa Kittling. The down was when Denis's cell phone rang in the middle of an appointment at the bank to tell us that the alarm system in our house had been set off. The thieves were evidently in the right spot at the right time and saw that both of us were leaving the house at the same time. They did manage to get away with a few things (the most upsetting to me being my father's and my grandfather's dogtags), but (and I can't stress this enough) it could have been a lot worse. The gap in our alarm system that we didn't know we had has been taken care of. It's going to take time for my anger to fade, but it will.

On a much needed bright note, one of my past blog posts has born some splendid fruit. The owner of the marvelous house in the photo to the left came across my post and emailed me with some of the history of the place, and it's fascinating! I've emailed back to ask for permission to share the information with all of you, so a follow-up post is definitely in the works, but I will share a tidbit with you: this is one of the oldest homes in the UK. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book! No wonder it pulled me in like a magnet as I walked past!

Once again I seem to have lost the plot. (Good thing I'm not trying to write a book, eh?) Let me go round up those links!

Books & Other Interesting Tidbits
  • Richard H. Hoggart, one of the most well-known defenders of banned books, has died at the age of 95.
  • Even if your ancestors don't hail from Yorkshire (as some of mine do), you should find Ghost Legends of Yorkshire downright fascinating.
  • The library eBook situation is appalling.
  • 54% of adults in the USA read eBooks.
  • When parents are the ones too distracted by devices.
  • Americans who read more electronically read more, period.
  • Is reading antisocial (to which I reply, "Who cares?")?
  • Previously I shared a link concerning one of my favorite author's books being banned in a school in Idaho. Now these Idaho students will be getting copies of that book to read.
  • How to decode that the British really mean when they talk.
  • How scandalous is your reading history? (Not quite as scandalous as I'd hoped, unfortunately. Must do something about that!)
  • How much of a book addict are you?

I was born a traveling (wo)man...
  • 7 places in America history nerds need to see.
  • America's coolest desert towns.
  • I would love to travel the forbidden road of the French Alps!
  • The abandoned secret cinema of the Sinai Desert.
  • There's a webcam in Scotland keeping track of Lucy, a 50-year-old osprey who's laid 60 eggs, raised 50 babies, and is currently sitting on her next clutch of eggs. Now that's a momma!
  • America's most scenic waterside drives.
  • On our next trip to the UK, we're going to Lavenham, Suffolk!

Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones
(Art, Architecture, Archaeology...)
  • In this digital age, you can find lost art in more places than your granny's attic.
  • At home with the first feminists-- A La Ronde, the eccentric Devon home built by women.
  • Drones unearth more details about Chaco culture in northwestern New Mexico.
  • Ancient puppy paw prints have been found on Roman tiles.

I   ♥  Lists



  1. First of all, I share your sadness and outrage at the robbery of your house, and particularly the theft of important family memorabilia. Awful. I sympathize. Maybe there is a way to get them back? Is that possible?

    But second, my spirits are lifted by the story about the book ban beaten by students in Idaho. I love those women who bought the books for those who opposed the absurd ban. Rah, rah, Washington.

    Third, I've read about 12 or so scandalous books, about 12 Pulizer Prize-winning books, and about 8 of those under 200 pages. But I must do better with the Pulitzers and the scandals, must get up those numbers.

    I love the list for books addicts. I guess I am one. I look at books all day from my computer and in my bedroom. I have five or so books to read on my bed, along with my NY Times. I can read two or three at a time, but usually one pulls me in quickly. If I have a good book, I may not want to go out or I take it out to a stoop or cafe. On and on; that list is dangerous.

    Well, back to this wonderful roundup tomorrow. I have to read a lot more of the posts.

    Take care of yourself, enjoy and hope you can get back those momentos.

    1. I doubt very much that we ever get our things back. It's just the way it is. It's a good thing I'm not the type of person who's overly attached to the things in my life.

      I have a follow-up about the banned book in Idaho that I'll be posting next week. It was a success, and everyone who had anything to do with fighting that ban deserves the highest praise.

      My numbers are higher than yours on those three quizzes, but they can always be higher. In fact, I have a copy of the book that was banned in that Idaho school, and I intend to read it very soon.

  2. I'm angry for you that someone broke into your home! And, why steal those dogtags? I sure hope they're recovered.

    1. I doubt very much that they will be, Kathy, but I certainly appreciate the sympathy.

  3. Cathy - Oh, how frightening!!! We were broken into twice when we were first married - such a violation! And that they took your mementos. How awful!!! I hope you get them back. I know what you're going through - ugh!! But thanks for the lists :-)

    1. Yes, those lists can take a person's mind off all sorts of things!

  4. I've only read one book by Sherman Alexei, a short story collection, which I liked very much. I may need to read the banned one.

    Some of the greatest works of fiction are banned; it's incredible. The Grapes of Wrath, The Jungle, Invisible Man, Beloved, The Color Purple and others made me think, expanded my world perspective, taught me things. I assume that is what the book banners want to prevent.

    1. There are always people who don't seem to want the truth (about anything) to be known.

  5. Wow. I have to echo the above--why steal dogtags? Do they think they'll be worth something on ebay or something? Or maybe they're just trophies? (I wonder what they thought when they saw your library?)

    I'm so sorry. There's always a sort of psychological slime trail left behind by thieves. Yuck.

    1. They didn't get as far as my library, Pepper. The second they stuck their noses into the main part of the house, the alarm was tripped and they ran. Now if they feel like a return trip, the second they even try to stick their noses into the house at any supposed access point, period, the alarm will be tripped.

      Psychological slime trail... it fits, and I like it. Consider it borrowed!

  6. So sorry to hear about you being burgled Cathy but glad you are both OK and no lasting damage was done. I've been burgled twice over the years and always took the same attitude - no one got hurt and it's just stuff after all. I'm not particularly attached to stuff either - even the loss of stuff that is meaningful such as your family members' dog tags is not the end of the world because no one can take your memories of those people.

    Alas my reading history is not that scandalous either

    1. You're exactly right, Bernadette. No one was hurt, and that's the most important thing, although I wouldn't mind giving the thieves a few lumps with my baseball bat. (I've been informed by an Aussie friend that a cricket bat would be even better.)

      At this stage of my life, I find myself wanting to be more scandalous, so I simply must read more banned books. ;-)

  7. Once when our house was broken into they took my Mom's Timex watch along with our TV and DVR. A Timex? Worthless to anyone but me since my mother had died just a few months earlier. Most things they steal we can replace but dog tags and Timex watches won't buy drugs and that really burns my you-know-what. I suppose you've noticed they never steal books.

    1. Sometimes I think thieves steal things like dog tags and Timex watches simply because they know how much it will hurt. Part of me wants to understand the minds of people who think that way. Another part of me doesn't want to get any deeper into the psychological slime trail they leave behind.

