Unloading the Links

Even weeks when I feel like I'm just not seeing or reading that many interesting articles on books and reading, I still wind up with so very many in my bookmarks folder.  So, in an effort to do a little winter cleaning, here are some links for you to peruse at your leisure.

• First up, The Lost Art of Library Postcards. I feel like the art of postcards has been lost. I remember loving the racks of them in every vacation destination.  I can't remember the last time I sent or received one.  I certainly don't recall having ever seen postcards of libraries.  Now, I am incredibly fond of the branches in my local library system, but I can't begin to imagine them on postcards.  
• When trying to read a particularly frustrating article about the best books of the year on Huff Post, I stumbled across these pages with the best books of years, or summers.  I have never been able to resist a book list. There are plenty of books that Publisher's Weekly considers the best in a particular time frame that I've never even heard of.  So, here we have the Best Summer Books of 2012, the Best Books of 2012, the Best Books of 2009, the Best Books of 2010, the Best Books of 2011, the Best Summer Books of 2013, and finally, the Best Books of 2013.  There are plenty of great books I've read, or wanted to in these lists, as well as books that I need to get familiar with.
• This week, I've found a few Book Riot articles that I couldn't begin to want to share with anyone. The one about how girls in YA literature have to be likable, or they are vilified by book reviewers, but guys can be complex and have faults, and they avoid the shaming.  There were lots of commenters who seemed grateful that someone finally pointed out this atrocity.  I think it's a total bunch of crap. But, I stumbled across two articles, each with 10 reading nooks that are just crying for someone to curl up with a book and a blankie and read, or nap, or hide.  First, I found 10 Really Terrific Reading Nooks and it turned out that at the end of the article, there was a link to this one, 10 Excellent Reading Nooks.  Now, I just want to find these places, or a place in my house to create one.  Suddenly, all of the great spots in my house where I go to curl up with a book are kind of disappointing.
• Do you love Bertie Wooster and Jeeves?  Either the characters in P.G. Wodehouse's books or as enacted by Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie?  I really like Fry and Laurie, but I prefer the Wodehouse books.  It seems that the hapless man and his amazingly efficient butler/valet are making their way back to the stage.  Jason Diamond at Flavorwire discusses his thoughts on Wodehouse in this article.
• I signed up for Tumblr, but have yet to bring a version of my blog to the site. Instead, I follow all kinds of interesting people who did get their acts together enough to do more than just lurk in the shadows looking at everyone else's work. If you are like me, Buzz Feed found 10 Literary Tumblrs That Are Killing It..
• Here's a book list, actually the short list of the books nominated for the Queensland Literary Awards..  I don't read many Australian books. I guess the best way to pick out some is an award shortlist.  
• With the remake of The Great Gatsby and the book Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald which is on my TBR list, but I haven't gotten to yet, the good people at Flavorwire, discuss how 2013 could be Mrs. Fitzgerald's year.  It's not a bad argument.
• Here's an article and a list compiled by Jason Diamond at Flavorwire of 7 Great Works of Fiction Inspired by Famous Architecture.  Of course, the only one I'm very familiar with, the detestable Ayn Rand and her The Fountainhead, isn't truly inspired by famous architecture, so much as a famous architect.  
• Back to the Fitzgeralds, here's a Flavorwire Exclusive: Excerpts of F. Scott Fitzgerald's teenage diary.  How many 13 year olds begin writing their memoirs?
• I used to be a crack pumpkin carver. I'd spend the week leading up to Halloween coming up with designs and carving pumpkins for myself and to give to friends and family.  I haven't carved a pumpkin since my mom died. Halloween 2007 was the day of my mother's funeral.  When I can separate the two, I would like to carve some bookish pumpkins... maybe, kind of like these.
• Remember Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous?   I would totally watch a show highlighting the libraries of the rich and famous.  Book Riot posted photos of some libraries to lust after. 
• Last one for today, is this Buzz Feed post of the 15 Wittiest Things Oscar Wilde Ever Said.  With so many to choose from, I admire anyone who can definitively say that they've picked the best.

I'll be back with more, probably a lot sooner than even I anticipate.  Until then, happy clicking!