Weekend Links 4-9-22

 Hard to believe it's been more than a month since we last checked in with a roundup of links. Hopefully we can get back on track. At least Major League Baseball ended its lockout during my absence and games got underway earlier this week. All is right with the world again.

Rachel Balkovic might not yet be a household name but my guess is that she will be one day. Last night, she made her debut as the manager of the Class A Tampa Bay Tarpons (Yankees affiliate) making her the first woman to manage an affiliated major or minor league baseball club. An added bonus: the Tarpons won the game.

Baseball is often referred to as the family business. It's not unusual for multiple generations of players to come from the same family. But the Caray family is a little different as this season will mark the debut of the fourth generation of announcers to cover the game. 

Subscription boxes are all the rage these days. For readers, there are some especially gret choices to be found from independent boookshops.

The value of reading old books and reading them slowly.

It's not secret that I am a fan of the reboot of All Creatures Great and Small. One of the enduring mysteries is how they shoot live animal births.

At the National Cathedral in Washington, D. C. there is a Darth Vader gargoyle. Wait, what?

One entrepreneur has discovered a way to recycle used chopsticks.

Speaking of entrepreneurs, check out London's smallest coffee shop.

How America's first female detective foiled a plot to kill President Abraham Lincoln.

Betty Crocker is synonymous with baking. But it was the women of the test kitchens that helped build i into the successful brand it is today.

For fans of The Twilight Zone, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" is considered one of the series' best episodes. Guest star William Shatner recently shared why the episode felt so claustrophobic.

I will admit that although i have read a number of Agatha Christie's books I hadn't considered mch a Christian writer she was until I read this article.

How food plays such an important role in the novels of Dorothy L. Sayers.

A story that starts with a grandfather's tale leads a writer in search of the truth. Sometimes the journey is far more interesting that the destination. 

Weekend Links 2-26-22

 Sorry for the long absence. The last few weeks have been a bit crazy. Though I haven't been posting I have been accumulating links of interest for you to enjoy below. Given the recent events in the news perhaps it is good to have a distraction.

There's a saying that you can't con an honest man. That hasn't stopped some from trying, though. Here are some of the most elaborate cons ever undertaken. Fair warning: a couple of these are kind of gross. 

How a John Ford western inspired Citizen Kane. Now I need to go watch both movies again. 

Heinz is synonymous with the number 57 thanks to some very clever marketing.

The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia is featuring a new immersive Harry Potter exhibition. Something tells me it will be very popular.

Magpie Murders has just premiered on BritBox in the UK and wlll air on PBS this summer in the US. Here's a review of the series. Author Anthony Horowitz says it's the first time he's gotten a TV adaptation right. Plus, a peek behind the scenes.

The best Agatha Christi novels, according to the Queen of Crime herself. Related: her one novel that revolutionized crime fiction. Her books also represent a deep moral structure primarily a firm belief in good and evil. Although her novels are frequently adapted for film and television, her genius gets lost in translation.

What makes a great mystery? It's not just the puzzles but the characters.

The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California is a must-see tourist attraction thanks in large part to Harry Houdini.

Uncovering the darker side of Jane Austen's novels.

Mi5 is know as part of Britain's Secret Service. However, their Instagram account reveals some of their secrets.

How All Creatures Great and Small took US audiences by storm.

The connection between the term gaslighting and Hollywood.

Weekend Links 1-28-22

 We're bracing for more winter weather here where I live. Between the weather and the continuing lockout of Major League Baseball it seems like spring will never arrive. We must not lose hope. Better days are ahead. In the meantime, here are a few items of interest for your weekend reading. 

One thing the South is known for is barbecue. One group is trying to assemble the oral histories of pitmasters before it is too late.

A popular pastime in England is to be a detectorist. You never know what treasures you will uncover.

Cold case solved? A team of historians believe they have figured out who betrayed Anne Frank's family to the Nazis during World War II.

While we are on the subject of World War II, check out some of the ingenious methods used by British Intelligence to help prisoners of war escape. 

Confessions of a Scrabble enthusiast.

More word games: why Wordle went viral.  I confess that I am hooked. Related: the creator shares the secrets of the online sensation.

Before there was the internet, there  was Zoom, the first viral kid's TV show. Hard to believe that it has been 50 years since it first went on  the air. 

I confess that I am a practioner of Tsundoku.

If you did need to cull your library, here are some helpful tips.

Weekend Links 1-15-21

 Happy long holiday weekend. We're bracing for a winter storm this weekend. However, there's part of me that's a little skeptical of dire predictions of bad weather. The last storm we were supposed to have turned out to be nothing of consequence. We'll see what happens. In the meantime, here are a few links of interest for your weekend reading. 

All Creatures Great and Small has just started airing season two in the U. S. and it is the perfect balm for these difficult times. If you are interested in James Herriott's original books, here is the order in which you should read them.

H. A. Rey is best known for his Curious George books, but he also had a keen interest in astronomy. The illustrations featured in this article are wonderful. 

This is a good reminder what an excellent series Foyle's War was to watch. Here is what one writer learned from rewatching the series.

I am really looking forward to this: the trailer for the BritBox series Magpie Murders is out and it looks fantastic. I thoroughly enjoyed the book so I am pumped to watch this when it comes out next month. 

The annual elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame are due to be announced in a couple of weeks. One fan's attempt to track the voting has forever altered the election process. Personally, I like seeing how the votes are tracking before the announcement is made. 

I agree with this: you should listen to CDs in their entirety.

Why The Princess Bride is such a great movie.

For some reason I think that "office supplies" means something different in Manchester.

Weekend Links 1-8-22

 I don't know about you, but I still can't get used to writing out 2022. We are already a week into the new year and it doesn't feel much like a new year yet. Hopefully that will change in the coming weeks. 

Here are some links of interest for your weekend reading:

New journals have been discovered of the only man to eyewitness the death of two presidents. His writings provide fascinating insight into this period of American history.

The Devil In The White City by Erik Larson is a non-fiction book that reads like a thriller. It also happens to be a favorite of mine. Now the book is being turned into a television series and I am intrigued. 

This week marked J. R. R. Tolkein's 130th birthday and while I have never read any of his works, I certainly appreciate that  he was a literary giant. For example, take a look at his refusal to work with Nazi-leaning publishers in Germany in 1938. I also didn't know that Tolkein was quite the prankster.

I'm not sure why i was unaware that this existed until this week but it has been playing on repeat: Carole King and James Taylor Live at the Troubador. Related: the stories behind some of their biggest hits.

Photo essay: Historic movie theaters that have been reused for other purposes.

Answering the important questions; what's the difference between yellow cheese and white cheese?

How potato chips became our favorite snack.

This upcoming podcast looks very interesting particularly if you are a fan of Jane Austen's novels.