Links: A Free Book, History, & Women in Publishing

Oh joyous hump day! How’s the Bitchery doing? Reading some good books? Avoiding any inclement weather? Good! Now buckle in for some links!

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Tor.com is giving away free digital copies if Some of the Best from Tor.com, 2016. The anthology features 25 short stories and novelettes from the previous year:

These stories were acquired and edited for Tor.com by Ellen Datlow, Ann VanderMeer, Carl Engle-Laird, Liz Gorinsky, Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Justin Landon, Diana Pho, and Miriam Weinberg. Each story is accompanied by an original illustration.

They also feature some big names in scifi and fantasy. Be quick, though, as the offer ends January 17!

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This next link comes from Reader Veronika (thanks, Veronika!) and features the true story of a woman who disguised herself as a man, while working in the British Navy:

Barry became the first doctor in the British Empire to perform a successful cesarean operation. It was one of many major medical contributions the Irish surgeon accomplished for the British military, from enforcing stricter standards for hygiene, improving the diet of sick patients, to popularizing a plant-based treatment for syphilis and gonorrhea. Barry served around the globe, eventually earning the title of Inspector General, the second most senior medical position in the British Army.

But despite these achievements, Barry’s reputation was kept a secret for nearly a hundred years. The military locked away the doctor’s records after finding out Britain’s Inspector General was born a woman.

Anyone else think this sounds like some perfect plot fodder for a historical romance?

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I really love this essay by Emily Gould over at Buzzfeed, regarding the pressure women in publishing feel to remain likable:

Being an extremely social, sociable, accessible person should not be the price of being a professional writer, but for women it almost inevitably is. No one ever explicitly says you have to send friendly notes to critics along with your galleys, maybe even on cute stationery, or bake cookies for your readings, but when you see your peers doing this and it seems to be working, it’s hard not to feel like that’s the standard we’re all being held to, unless we want to do the mysterious and uncertain work of crafting the opposite kind of unapproachable/distant persona.

Of course, the sense of being likable and approachable reaches far beyond the world of publishing, but it’s often indicative of publishing circles where criticisms are met with vitriol.

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For all The Office fans out there, Reader Tara R. sent us a link where you can watch any of The Office characters stare at you in a wide variety of emotions:

The website has catalogued “every single time a character speechlessly breaks the 4th wall and stares at the camera,” so it has 706 clips that were collected over the course of a year and a half. It’s an ambitious project, so we ran it through a quick litmus test, and it passed easily.

The emotions range from happy to sad to even horny. Have fun!

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Laptop Cord Winders

I have one of these from Above the Fray, and it's great for keeping my MacBook cord contained and safe from being pulled or frayed. There are earbud winders, too! -SW

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A note from Sarah: In the last Business Update, several of you mentioned that the content about Google Calendar was especially helpful – and I’m so very glad to hear that! I wanted to make sure to share the newsletter sign up while I put the finishing touches on the course I’m building.

I’ve been sending out tips and step-by-step instructions for specific organization and time management strategies through the Organization Academy mailing list. 

You can sign up if you’d like weekly suggestions on how to better organize your time and schedule. You’ll also get information about the course when it’s ready.

 My goal is to help you declutter your schedule and organize your calendar so you have more time for the things you really want to do. Like read All The Things!

And if you’ve got questions, you can always email me.

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Don’t forget to share what super cool things you’ve seen, read, or listened to this week! And if you have anything you think we’d like to post on a future Wednesday Links, send it my way!