Summer Reads and Octopus Photos

eed an octopus?

Who doesn't love gazing at undersea images?

The United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has been exploring the Marianas Trench, including "bottomfish habitats, new hydrothermal vent sites, mud volcanoes, deep-sea coral and sponge communities, and seamounts, as well as subduction zone and trench areas. The geology of the Mariana region is incredibly complex and dynamic. Despite decades of previous work in the region, much of the Monument and surrounding areas remain unexplored.

"The three-leg 2016 Deepwater Exploration of the Marianas expedition will help us identify and better understand new geological phenomena and habitats – such as extreme life living in the deepest oceanic trench on the planet, enormous mud volcanoes, active hydrothermal vents, chemosynthetic communities, and possibly deep-sea coral and sponge habitats..."

Lots of exciting things to see -- and some are available as desktop wallpapers! And Octopus Friday images!

Speaking of the sea, and the beach, and reading, here are two neat maps to help you pick your next read:

The Canadian 100 mile book diet:
"The literature-loving minds behind 49thshelf.com have just launched an interactive feature to connect readers across the country and support talented Canadian authors. Called the 100-Mile Book Diet, it features a Read Local interactive map of Canada highlighting fiction and non-fiction reads (even cookbooks!) according to where in Canada they’re based or where the author comes from."

There's also a map of Penguin Classics around the world:




I'm still trying to read a lot of Swiss authors and books set in Switzerland. I need to read some Sophie Alp, for instance:

They've just updated the 50 Franc note, and are no longer featuring images of people on currency, so I snapped a photo of an old note

And I just got this new release, also set in Switzerland!:

The Gustav Sonata by Rose Tremain

What are you reading this summer?