Friday Odds & Sods is Not Just Another Pretty Face

One-twelfth of the way through another year, and although it might not look or feel like it, signs of rebirth are none the less trickling through the wintery air.  Take, for instance, the return of the name Bush to our politics, which rather like unto a Hammer Horror monster, refuses to stay dead for long.  Or on a slightly more optimistic note, the return of Harper Lee to the literary arena, no doubt heralding the revision of high school syllabi across the country, and about which more below.  In that same spirit, your humble correspondent has finally recovered from his doubt of the grippe, and is once again ready to provide you with the highest quality Odds & Sods.

• Continuing with our theme of literary maps from last year, Google provides a map of Middle-Earth, which although a tie-in to a mediocre movie, is nonetheless of interest.
• To return to the matter of Harper Lee, two articles paint a portrait of a reclusive artist in decline and those who would try to profit off the situation.
• In other notes from the Lost and Found files, the Tolstoy's wife's long-lost novel and the prayer notebook of Flannery O'Connor.
• Finally, to close out the week, some mellow music for a weekend spent warm indoors by the fire.