Friday Links

Happy Friday, everyone! I hope you all had a terrific week and that you have even better plans for the weekend. Here in the U.S. we kick off Daylight Savings Time, so don’t forget to spring forward Saturday night before you go to bed. Yes, we lose an hour, but we gain all that lovely evening light. Makes me think of reading outside after dinner as a kid, no flashlight required.

So, I come bearing links to help you get in the weekend mood, including lists and lists of book recommendations. Wishing you many happy hours of reading and writing time ahead!

The Morning News Tournament of Books – This takes place every year and pits some of the most critically acclaimed and award-winning books of the year against each other. Always interesting to see reader responses from the judges.

Advice from Artists on How to Overcome Creative Block, Handle Criticism, and Nurture Your Self-Worth – Everyone can use a little bit of this.

26 Characters: Celebrating Childhood Story Heroes – For anyone in the UK or planning to travel there this year.

Spritz Has a New Technology that Might Change Reading Forever – Speed-reading app. Not sure how I feel about this. Love the premise, but I suspect it might take all the enjoyment out of the process, and also possibly make me a little crazy. Still, interesting.

Stephen King’s Reading List for Writers – Not a definitive list, but one comprised of the best books he’d read over a 3-4 year period. This list is from his book, On Writing, but it’s interesting both as a recommended books list and as a peek at a successful working writer’s influences.