• Toby Buckell did a thoughtful post about the GoodReads acquisition by Amazon, which prompted me to create a mailing list to send out the occasional newsletter with news (obvs), extras, giveaways, and chatty stuff like book recs. Sign up here; I'll even wish you a happy birthday, if you like.
• In the past couple of weeks, I've returned to yoga, by way of some excellent local classes. So I particularly love this Sara Ryan post about the idea of sitting with the discomfort and how that applies to creative work as well. (I love yoga, I do, and am so glad to be doing it again…except for the occasional ridiculous non sequitur along the lines of "unhinge your jaw." Because I am neither an eldritch horror nor a character on V. Though the idea of them being in a yoga class–especially together–is pleasing.)
• Bookish murals from around the world. Gorgeousness.
• The wonderful Nalo Hopkinson profiled by the LA Times.
• Gate to Hell found–noxious gases apparently a dead giveaway.
• 14 Words That Are Their Own Opposites.
• The news from Iain Banks is completely heartbreaking, and his statement on it has touched many of us, I know. I hope if I'm ever faced with such awful circumstances, I can handle them with such grace.
• An excellent piece by Nichole Bernier on the role of the paperback, talking cover changes and the like, at the Millions: "Here’s what I learned, after a month of talking to editors, literary agents, publishers, and other authors: A paperback isn’t just a cheaper version of the book anymore. It’s a makeover. A facelift. And for some, a second shot."
• Michael Grant offers some typically wry advice for writers at the Guardian. Snippet: "Writers often offer up helpful hints, and I've done the same in moments of weakness, but here's the truth as I see it from my own narrow and subjective perch: You can either come up with stories or you can't. You either have the ambition and work ethic to sit there typing for months on end or not. But you do it by doing it." (On his second piece of advice, of course, I disagree, because I come from the proud school of Read Everything.)
• And now for the best thing of the day: Preserved Moments of Historical Sass (Vol. 2) from Messy Nessy Chic. So many excellent photos. So. Many.

• Drowning, swimming, floating, all of the above. Just a few quick links, because I hate to let this place get too dusty even in the middle of Sinus Infection Deadlineville (the lesser known ghost town you pass through on the way to Complete Overloadtown). All will be well.
• One thing that gives me the happies lately? Pretending we're all going to live on this Greek island together, drinking boiled coffee, socializing, napping, writing, and living forever.
• The amazing invisible bike helmet.
• Agent Rachelle Gardner offers some thoughts on making a living as a writer and part two.
• The always fascinating Richard Nash at VQR with an essay: "What is the business of literature?"
• You all read Terri Windling's blog faithfully, right? So many days, I find just what I need there. This morning was one of them.
• Narrative structural diagrams for several different radio shows on cocktail napkins. Pretty.
• I love envelopes, especially old ones or ones with scribbled on messages. I tend to use even boring old bill envelopes as makeshift notepads. Messy Nessy Chic loves them too, and has the pictures to prove it.
• I've passed this link on to my favorite milliners already, but sharing here too. A great piece from Movie Star Makeover on Lilly Daché, old Hollywood's favorite hatter.
• And if this handful of links isn't enough for you, Big Think has a little round-up of interesting, provocative things for spring. And it is, you know, springtime. If only nature would behave that way.

Look, when I'm working lots I take little breaks and snuffle up interesting stuff, which keeps brain overdrive from causing me to scare door-to-door pamphleteers in my bathrobe or yell at guys who let their dogs run loose to attack mine (at least, it keeps me from doing exclusively those things). Since I'm currently working nonstop, there are many links to pass on. And this is after the tumblr frenzy. I can't explain it. Only demonstrate. Herewith:

• This post just makes me insanely happy: dear friend Chris Barzak on visiting the set of Jamie Marks is Dead, the movie currently being made based on his FABULOUS first novel One for Sorrow. I hope this means a whole bunch more people read it. See also: a great process-heavy guest post he did here when the book came out.
• Austin Kleon digs up some great Steve Albini quotes about why "connections" (fake ones, hence quote marks) don't matter. He may be talking about music, but every word of it's true of every artistic business, in my opinion anyway. Especially this: "Work on music you’re passionate about and want to make for its own sake. If your music resonates with other people then your music will eventually earn you something, but if not you’re still doing something you enjoy."
• Another fab piece by Carrie Frye at the Awl, "How to Be a Monster: Life Lessons from Lord Byron": "Whatever his intentions there, the point remains that two years after he'd left Byron's employment Polidori was writing a needling story based on Byron and using the vampiric character Byron himself had created to skewer him. It was like biting him with his own teeth."
• How to look like David Bowie. IMPORTANT.
• Weird Girl Reading List from Emily Temple. (Via Leila.)
• Corn vampires!
• Malinda Lo with some excellent comments on the (gorgeous) Two Boys Kissing cover.
• Libba Bray with a breathtaking, amazing post about what haunted her at 17 at Nova Ren Suma's to celebrate the release week of Nova's new novel 17 & Gone. (I'll be doing a post here too, because I LOVELOVE Nova's writing…but it won't be anything like this one. Seriously, if you read nothing else I point to, go read this.)
• My beloved Barbara Stanwyck gets the deluxe Hairpin treatment from the fabulous Anne Helen Petersen: "She was, as they say, a “hard-boiled girl of easy virtue,” which is another way of saying that she was smart and had a good time, and that I would want to be her friend." Read the whole piece; fascinating, as ever.