Mosquito Ring Tone - It's true!

Old people can't hear it, at least this old person can't. But when I turned the volume up it actually hurt my teen's ears! Want to take a listen yourself? The tone can be downloaded at NPR.org and there's an interesting article to read while you're not hearing anything.

Invisible Ink

On a completely different note I ran across another bookseller's website, Invisible Ink, where ghost and haunting books are the focus. There's info on ghostly tours to take, books on ghosts and hauntings the world over and frightening fiction. I particularly liked the FAQ section, question 11, "Why should I buy from you"? The owner, Chris Woodyard, is working on a 7,000+ item bibliography of non-fiction ghost books. He tells you what to look for if you think a house is haunted and says he has the ability to see buildings and architectural features that no longer exist (that could be a bit disconcerting!).

Shelf Awareness

Ahhh, it's the day after the longest day of the year and those of us in the southern U.S. might relish the idea that the days are once again getting shorter (and, ultimately, cooler - someday). Not so if you live north of latitude 58 degrees. I remember feeling as if fall (aka winter) was on its way once that magic midsummer day had come and gone. After the fireweed finished blooming and began scattering its fluff, well, it was time to begin missing summer.

In my internet ramblings I've run across another informative site for bibliophiles, Shelf Awareness. This site provides daily enlightenment for the book trade, something we can all use...

Happy Solstice!

BiblioTravel

WoW! Yesterday was my day to discover some really cool places on the net. More librarians, Fiona Scannell and James Schellenberg, have created a site for "books that take you away". Their goal is to "provide a free online resource for identifying stories that are set in distinct locales." You can find a book by the usual author and title, and you can search by genre and setting of the story. So, here's a spot I can browse for those mysteries set in the Southwest U.S. that I enjoy reading (although there aren't that many listed yet but I suspect they are continually adding new entries.)

Landscapes of Crime

Once I start posting after a dry spell I seem to come across lots of things to post. Generally this is because I'm doing research on a particular subject using our wonderful FREE internet and stumble across so many interesting things. Like did you know that the word omniphagous doesn't seem to be in any dictionary yet is used quite often on various internet sites especially those discussing insects. Anyone know a dictionary where this word is listed?

I digress. The reason for this post is to share another mystery site that recommends mysteries set in particular locations, G.J. Demko's Landscapes of Crime. There is even a page for Florida and Louisiana mysteries. Not an extensive list, actually not a list at all, but some recommendations for books set in these locales. This site also has MAPS! of the number of mysteries set in particular states and countries (mysteries written in English). I guess if you're a writer and you see an underserved state or country you could do your part and write a mystery for that area.

Golden Gate Mysteries

Over 1,200 mysteries set in the San Francisco area have been compiled by Randal Brandt, Brancroft Library curator. All these wonderful mysteries can be found here: Golden Gate Mysteries. I'm quite fond of mysteries set in the Southwest U.S. and bibliomysteries but I just may pick a few from this list to become better acquainted with this locale (I've always enjoyed Marcia Muller's Sharon McCone mysteries which are set in the San Francisco area). What a useful resource Randal has created! Perhaps another industrious soul will do this for mysteries set in the Southwest? Well, someone has. The folks at BiblioTravel!