Coffee Break Reading List (May 21, 2020)

For awhile I'd been putting together a little round-up of articles and news that I found interesting and posting it every other Monday. Then life happened and I got out of the habit. And then the coronavirus happened, and I thought I would get back to it, just on a different day. Well, turns out I have had trouble figuring out what day it is, never mind being able to get started on this! So today I've put together another Coffee Break Reading List, and while I'd like to keep doing it periodically (and somewhat regularly), at this point I make no promises - to myself or to others! - about regular schedules.

Some of the things around the web that I've been reading or exploring during recent coffee breaks: 

• This article from Tom Nikkola asks a valid, and perhaps chilling, question: What if we've all been primed?  Think about how often you've heard the phrase, "Stay home. Stay safe." or something like it over the past few months, and consider whether your attitudes and behavior might have changed because of those mantras. 

• As we reopen, here are some valuable thoughts from the Gospel Coalition on how to approach the return of church services: Church, Don't Let Coronavirus Divide You
• As a book-lover, and an Austen fan, I found this article on Electric Lit very interesting. Why We Turn to Jane Austen in Dark Times explores the enduring popularity of Austen's works and why readers seem to gravitate towards her books during difficult times.
• Are you familiar with ASMR? I don't care for it much, but it seems to be quite popular among teens and young adults. Big Think provided a summary of how ASMR, music, and memory may be related in Study: Memories of music cannot be lost to Alzheimer's and dementia. I guess the part of our brains that responds to ASMR also catalogs music, and is not damaged by Alzheimer's, and even patients with advanced memory problems and dementia can be brought out of their confusion through the power of music.
• The website Church Leaders lists eight powerful reasons Why Older Women Must Invest in Younger Women in Your Church. I think I'm probably considered "older" now, and while I still need the example and encouragement of the women older than me, I also need to be intentional about mentoring the younger generations. 

Some fun things I've found during coffee breaks: 

We've all needed some creative or fun projects to keep us busy during downtime, and over the past couple of months, many of us have had more downtime on our hands. Or have been in need of something to keep kids busy. The internet is loaded with ideas, of course, so these are just a couple of things that have caught my eye - 

• IKEA is legendary for their put-it-together-yourself instructions, and comes through for kids at home with blanket fort instructions! Visit Mashable to see IKEA made blanket fort instructions for kids . . . and some other fun ideas too! I believe I need to construct a Castle. 

Yesterday's Doodle led me here and I was not disappointed:

My card - not sure what I win?

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What I've been reading during longer coffee breaks:

A Murderous Relation by Deanna Raybourn

Rosemary - or Too Clever To Love by G.L. Robinson

  

Find out more at my book blog Just A Second.

Found anything interesting on the web lately? Read any good books? Leave a comment and let me know!