Three Interesting Things

1. I feel like I am always offering the caveat that this is an early study, but, well, I was always telling my siblings that my job was to prepare them for the harsh realities of life and such, and it seems that they are discovering a high correlation between teen pregnancy (or lack thereof) in older siblings and that behavior repeating for younger siblings.  Now, clearly, there are other similarities of circumstance for siblings, so it's not just that.  But, I'll be waiting by the mail for my big sibling's day card.  What do you mean there's not a big sibling's day?
2. As someone who spends a lot of time in the company (virtual and otherwise) of both authors and readers, I found this post about what readers really owe authors a refreshing change.  And well, there's is this one too. 
3. And combining my love of books with my love of DC - there is the DC By the Book project, working to map DC books. 

All Those Very Special Episodes

So. People, sometimes even people with access to things like data often share theories about baby booms.  Blizzard babies.  Hurricane babies.  Superbowl babies.  Economy dip babies. And now, it appears there might be some correlation between the rise of TV watching and the falling birth rates.  (Which, if you think about it gives more credence to all the power outage related babies theories.) Now certainly the answer to curbing population growth is not just TV, as they note in the article, Egypt's birthrate direction shifted up quite quickly after some family planning services were dissolved. And, as the longer article linked within mentions, there are also theories about female literacy, urbanization, and rising GDP.  And some seem to suggest that it is not simply having entertainment, but having entertainment that also depicts small families that is having the effect.  It's something to ponder.  And yes, correlation does not equal causation, but it's just so nice to see people attributing a positive effect to television watching (and literacy) that I could not let it pass.

Three Interesting Things

1. Dear Author had posted a link to an article about guys with guitars being hotter, per a recent study.  Intrigued, I did a little more digging and found this article which, among other things mentions that the study is very preliminary and that the comparison was between a guy holding a guitar and a guy holding a sports bag (which I think was supposed to indicate that he was sporty, and not, you know, carrying around a bag big enough to fit a person) and that really, the guy with a guitar had a higher success rate, but it was still only a 30 percent success rate. 
2. Choir singing may reduce anxiety.  Now they compared it to doing nothing, not just singing by yourself, but there seems to be something to this group singing thing.  (And yes, my biases may be showing here.) 
3. And as reality TV watchers who have seen contestants who do great in silly challenges only to fizzle in the go out and do great finale know, imposing limits can actually enhance your creativity. 

Let's Talk About Closure

I've talked before about the differing nature of series and the types of closure a book within each will or will not provide. Given the rise of what I keep referring to as installment books, it seemed a good time to talk about that some more. 

Now, up front, I want to clarify that I am not talking about serials, where the story is intended to be broken up in to pieces and (hopefully) the reader is aware that they are signing on for the story a piece at a time. 

I have recommended the Hunger Games series to many people, but also warned them that the first one ends in a more natural stopping point and the second, well, you might just want to have the third right there next to you.  Certainly I'm not blaming Suzanne Collins, I don't have a better place to end that book, but I often compare it toEmpire Strikes Back because yeah, stuff happens and stuff gets found or fixed or resolved but he is still trapped in the carbonite!

I've come across quite a few YA series of late where it ended and, well, just because it's an ebook doesn't mean I didn't stare in disbelief and try to check if there were more pages. 

One of the things I think "Nashville" does really well is to introduce a tiny scene at the end of each episode that leaves you going, oh, well, that's going to be trouble.  And (so far) none of those have been terribly misleading or involving character's in mortal danger.  Now, sure, part of that is that the stakes in "Nashville" are usually emotional or financial.  And yes, they (usually, barring schedule hinkyness) are usually on the following week so only have to keep you up for seven days, not the months until the next book comes out. 

And I may be spoiled by the linked romance series, where someone falls in love, or the romantic suspense where at least one baddie is usually apprehended, but it's a challenge for me.  Yes, all the author promised me when I got that book was that book.  But, I start to wonder if someone should warn me, this book is not designed to provide plot closure.  I'm all for planting seeds of thing to come, and sure, not everyone's grand ideas are standard paperback size, but warning labels, I am seriously considering them now. 

Three Interesting Things

1.  If you were looking for some life rules, this isn't a bad list. 
2. Kimberly MacCarron (who, full disclosure, I know and love, and I might have read part of her award nominated story in a contest and loved it when I didn't know it was hers) has a great post about taking the life plunge. 
3. And if you might be at reading this at work right now (although, of course, I am sure you are not), well, employees who take web surfing breaks apparently are more productive, so there's that.