Monday Melange

Main Entry: mé·langePronunciation: \mā-ˈläⁿzh, -ˈlänj\Function: nounEtymology: French, from Middle French, from mesler, meler to mix — more at meddleDate: 1653: a mixture often of incongruous elements

Stuff to tell you:

--At GraceReign, aspiring authors are encouraged to take their passion and make it happen.

--More people are turning to the Internet for their campaign info.

--One of America's first telephone books (circa 1878) is hitting the auction block.

--It's a bird! It's a plane! It's---Gas Men????

--Neatorama shows us some of the strangest Internet Cafes from around the world.

--(Especially if you were around during the 70's to enjoy wacky Christian album covers), don't miss this edition of Divine Vinyl.

--I've been so frustrated in recent years, since it seems forever since one of my favorite novelists, Rosamunde Pilcher, has written anything. (Wikipedia says she retired from writing in 2000.) So I Googled "writes like Rosamunde Pilcher," came up with a list of authors, and went to the library. My favorite so far is Marcia Willett. She has so much in common with Pilcher--including a strong sense of "place" and wonderfully drawn characters. One critic said Willett's characters feel so real to the reader, you feel you should call or e-mail them afterwards. I read A Summer in the Country, loved it, and plan to go back for more.

Have a happy Monday!