Strong Sense of Place | Travel Through Books (Melissa & Dave)

Spend a bookish weekend with us in a country manor house! For centuries, nobles and ne'er-do-wells have gathered on country estates for a bit of leisure, a lot of sumptuous food, sparkling conversation, and general good cheer. You’re invited to join us at Trevor Hall for a modern take on the traditional manor house weekend. Together, we’ll make ourselves at home in this historic Georgian mansion surrounded by the picturesque North Wales countryside. We’ll talk about books, share gourmet meals in the Great Hall, play parlor games, ramble in the Welsh hills, listen to stories by candlelight, and be dazzled by an illusionist from London. Our weekend begins in Manchester, England — a UNESCO City of Literature. We’ll take over a boutique hotel in the city center where we’ll enjoy an evening pub meetup, spend the night, and start our morning with a breakfast fry-up. Then we’re off to the Elizabeth Gaskell House for a private tour of the Victorian villa where the author wrote her classic novel ‘North and South’ (and entertained literary friends like Charlotte Brontë and Charles Dickens). After a restorative tea-and-cake break, we’ll ride together via private motor coach — just over an hour — through the rugged countryside to Llangollen, a charming historic town on the River Dee in North Wales. Our destination: Trevor Hall. The Hall is a Georgian mansion on a wooded hilltop overlooking green slopes dotted with sheep and horses. After a tour of the house and gardens, we’ll ease into country living in the Hall’s luxurious (and tastefully eclectic) rooms. With literary activities, entertainment, and surprises planned throughout the weekend, you’re sure to be delighted — and have plenty of time to connect with old and new bookish friends. For complete details about the weekend and lots of photos, visit strongsenseofplace.com/weekend. For early access to tickets for a Readers' Weekend at Trevor Hall, join our Patreon. To be notified the minute tickets go on sale, join our free Substack newsletter. Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio. Some effects are provided by soundly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two books: The Morningside by Téa Obreht and James by Percival Everett. Then Mel tells us about an unforgettable Sri Lankan meal at Rambutan. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/StrongSense and get on your way to being your best self. Links The Morningside by Téa Obreht The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht Téa Obreht on How She Found The Morningside Excerpt of The Morningside by Téa Obreht James by Percival Everett Podcast: Sri Lanka: Remarkable, Relentless, Resplendent Rambutan: Recipes from Sri Lanka by Cynthia Shanmugalingam Rambutan website and Instagram Recipes from Rambutan here and here Borough Market website Cubitts eyeglasses Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this show, we’re excited about two books: The Murders at Fleat House by Lucinda Riley and Starter Villain by John Scalzi. Then Mel explains what she means when she says the magic word ‘Gothic.’ Links The Murders at Fleat House by Lucinda Riley Starter Villain by John Scalzi Our review of Well-Schooled in Murder by Elizabeth George What is Goth? Gothic Literature: Basics of the Genre & Key Elements Gothic: An Illustrated History by Roger Luckhurst YouTube: Tristan and the Classics Video: Gothic Literature — Teach Yourself Course Video: 8 Aspects of Gothic Books Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Facebook Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we’re excited about two books: A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand and Murder Most Royal by S.J. Bennett. Then Mel talks about the delicious show Food & Fashion at the Museum at FIT. Links A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson How the Haunting of Hill House Rewrote Horror’s Rules Curious Toys by Elizabeth Hand SSoP Podcast — Amusement Parks: Wheeeeeeeeeeeee! Murder Most Royal by SJ Bennett The Windsor Knot by SJ Bennett A Three Dog Problem (UK) / All the Queen’s Men (US) by SJ Bennett The Museum at FIT The Museum at FIT online archive Food and Fashion by Melissa Marra-Alvarez & Elizabeth Way Exhibit — Ballerina: Fashion’s Modern Muse Exhibit — Paris, Capital of Fashion Exhibit — The Corset: Fashioning the Body Exhibit — Gothic: Dark Glamour Exhibit — A Queer History of Fashion: From the Closet to the Catwalk Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Facebook Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two books: The Tumbling Girl by Bridget Walsh and The West: A New History in Fourteen Lives by Naoíse Mac Sweeney. Then Mel shares the highlights of the first Pulitzer Prize winners. LINKS The Tumbling Girl by Bridge Walsh The West: A New History in Fourteen Lives by Naoíse Mac Sweeney Pulitzer Prize website All the winners organized by year. Herbert Bayard Swope’s Wikipedia page See photos of his mansion on Long Island here and here. Julia Ward Howe’s Wikipedia page. Josef Pulitzer and the Crowdfunding Campaign That Saved the Statue of Liberty. SSoP Podcast Episode 27 — Newsroom: From Clacking Typewriters to Viral Video. An American Childhood by Annie Dillard Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators by Ronan Farrow The Crofter and the Laird by John McPhee _Less: A Novel by Andrew Sean Greer Middlesex: A Novel_ by Jeffrey Eugenides The Shipping News: A Novel by Annie Proulx So Big by Edna Ferber Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Facebook Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two new books: Every Tom, Dick & Harry by Elinor Lipman and On the Hippie Trail: Istanbul to Kathmandu and the Making of a Travel Writer by Rick Steves. Then Dave shares a sweet poem about the good stuff: love and dogs. Links Every Tom, Dick & Harry by Elinor Lipman Podcast: Mel talks about Ms. Demeanor by Elinor Lipman Visit Elinor Lipman’s website. Elinor Lipman is the new EM Forster. Fight me. Review of The Inn at Lake Devine by Elinor Lipman Review of The Way Men Act by Elinor Lipman Review of Isabel’s Bed by Elinor Lipman On the Hippie Trail: Istanbul to Kathmandu and the Making of a Travel Writer_ by Rick Steves Photos from On the Hippie Trail on Rick Steves' website Video: Rick Steves talks about his book Taylor Mali’s website What Learning Leaves by Taylor Mali Video: Taylor Mali performing ‘How Falling in Love is Like Owning a Dog’ Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Join our FREE Substack to get our (awesome) newsletter and join in chats with other people who love books and travel. Do you enjoy our show? Do you want to make friends with other (lovely) listeners? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Substack Patreon Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio! Some effects are provided by soundly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

According to people in the know, there are two Frances: Paris and the rest of the (alluring, picturesque) country. In this episode, we’re celebrating the châteaux, coastlines, cathedrals, cuisine, mountains, and museums that give France its unique je ne sais quoi. It’s hard to argue with the notion that France offers the best of everything. From scenery and snacks to iconic art, world-changing history, and culture-shaping fashion, it’s practically ground zero for the good things in life. The light is golden. The wine is luscious. The cheese is heavenly, and the scenery is so beautiful, it makes the heart yearn.  You can take a road trip or a bike ride among the purple rivers of lavender fields in Provence or the gilt-and-green vineyards in Burgundy. Loll in the sun and splash in the sea along the Riviera — or tour a château where nobles ruled and romanced 500 years ago. Wander the streets and cafés that inspired Vincent Van Gogh, then relax under a shade tree with a perfect baguette and the world’s best butter. In this episode, we take a virtual road trip around France, explore the Bayeux Tapestry, and get curious about an obscure (and deeply romantic) French law. Then we recommend five great books that took us to France on the page. Clara Reads Proust by Stéphane Carlier, translated by Polly Mackintosh Joan by Katherine J. Chen Murder on the Île Sordou by M.L. Longworth A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin, translated by Hildegarde Serle For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit our show notes. Sign up for our free Substack to connect with us and other smart, friendly people who love travel and books. Transcript of France: Mostly Here for the Butter Do you enjoy our show? Do you want access to awesome bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon! Strong Sense of Place is an audience-funded endeavor, and we need your support to continue making this show. Get all the info you need right here. Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two books: Empty Theater by Jac Jemc and Yellowfaceby R.F. Kuang. Then we discuss great reading resolutions for a bookish 2024. Links Empty Theater by Jac Jemc Yellowface by R.F. Kuang The reading resolutions we discussed in our show came from our fantastic (friendly, empathetic, imaginative) supporters on Patreon. Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside. Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We'd love to hear from you! -- Take our survey at strongsenseofplace.com/survey. In this episode, we get excited about two books: the audiobook version of Rivals, written by Jilly Coooper (read by Georgia Tennant) and Big Book of Bread: 125+ Recipes for Every Baker from King Arthur Flour. Then Mel shares her extreme enthusiasm for sandwiches and The Sammies Awards.  Links Rivals by Jilly Cooper(read by Georgia Tennant) King Arthur Flour Big Book of Bread: 125+ Recipes for Every Baker Podcast: How the Sandwich Consumed Britain Read: How the Sandwich Consumed Britain The art of the Ultimate Sandwich The Guardian Audio Long Read podcast The Guardian Long Read archive Sandwich Designer of the Year Awards Recap of the 2023 Sammies Meet the Chef Behind the UK’s Best Sandwich, the Smokey Roll Smokey Roll recipe Mountain Feta & Merguez Wrap by Simon Broadribb Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Join our FREE Substack to get our (awesome) newsletter and join in chats with other people who love books and travel. Do you enjoy our show? Do you want to make friends with other (lovely) listeners? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Substack Patreon Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio! Some effects are provided by soundly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two books: This Is Christmas, Song by Song by Annie Zaleski and The Bathysphere Book by Brad Fox. Then Mel gets daydreamy about the deliciousness of fresh toast. Links Whamageddon 2023 Video: Blame it on Christmas by Shea Diamond Video: It Snowed by Meaghan Smith Video: Think of Christmas by Anne-Marie This Is Christmas, Song by Song: The Stories Behind 100 Holiday Hits by Annie Zaleski Duran Duran’s Rio by Annie Zaleski Lady Gaga: Applause by Annie Zaleski Pink: Raise Your Glass by Annie Zaleski The Bathysphere Book: Effects of the Luminous Ocean Depths by Brad Fox Video: The Final Frontier in a Little Ball Beryl Shereshewsky’s YouTube Channe Beryl Shereshewsky’s and Instagram YouTube Playlist: Beryl Shereshewsky’s Toast Series Video: What People From 5 Countries Are Eating on Christmas Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fictional detectives are some of the most beloved characters in print and on-screen. It’s easy to relate to someone with an overblown sense of justice and a need to set the world right (or as right as it can be). There are nosy neighbors like Nancy Drew and Miss Marple with no real credentials whatsoever and police detectives — Hello, Harry Bosch! Ta, Inspector Lynley! — with entire departments behind them. Relentless journalists, dogged medical examiners, resourceful bounty hunters (We see you, Stefanie Plum!), and, perhaps, the most endearing detectives of them all: private eyes. This show is all about the gumshoes who work outside the pesky laws of search warrants and chain of evidence. Who maybe toil in an office with a frosted glass door and a dame with moxie tapping away at a typewriter — or perhaps the dame with moxie is the detective. This installment celebrates independent investigators who distract and delight in their search for the truth. In this episode, we meet the world’s first PI and first American lady detective, delve into Poe scholarship and the problem with his ‘The Murders in the Rue Morgue,’ and discuss one of the kindest mystery authors. Then we recommend five books we love that put us in the thick of dangerous inquiries, including the escapades of a thoroughly modern detective agency, an urban mystery with a bookish PI, a British caper with an unforgettable hero, a how-to for wannabe detectives, and a noir-tinged fantasy novel about a reluctant sleuth. Here are the books about Detective Agencies we recommend on the show: The Verifiers by Jane Pek IQ by Joe Ide Odds Against by Dick Francis The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Private Investigating by Steven Kerry Brown The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes. Sign up for our free Substack to connect with us and other lovely readers who are curious about the world. Transcript of Detective Agency: Discrete Inquiries, Mysteries Solved Do you enjoy our show? Do you want be friends with other (lovely) people who love books and travel? Please support our work on Patreon! Strong Sense of Place is an audience-funded endeavor, and we need your support to continue making this show. Get all the info you need right here. Thank you! Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio. Some effects are provided by soundly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yes, Norway has cities that are well worth a visit — Hallo, Oslo! Hei, Bergen! God morgen, Tromsø! — but nature is right there at every moment. Where the coast of Norway meets the Norwegian Sea, there are more than 1700 fjords, stunning waterways lined with sheer rock cliffs and dotted with dramatic waterfalls, storybook villages, and friendly goats and sheep. The best way to experience the fjords? By boat, of course: a dinner cruise, catamaran, sailboat, kayak, ferry, whale watching boat, or a breathtaking ride on a fjord safari. Inland, you can meet the locals of past and present. Stop by the fascinating Viking Village to time travel to 1000 (and learn to throw an axe!) — or spend an afternoon among the bears, reindeer, wolves, lynx, and leopards at the Bjørn Parken (Bear Park). You can feed a fox! When you’re ready for a meal, too, sink your teeth into Norway’s national snack: the hot dog — with lingonberry jam and french-fried onions — or try the ubiquitous and one-of-a-kind brunost (brown cheese). Caramelized, savory, and surprising, it’s just what you want on a cracker or waffle. And don’t sleep on the smoked salmon, pickled herring, or shrimp plucked from the nearby icy waters. In this episode, we get excited about all the exhilarating, unexpected, delightful adventures Norway offers — and talk about why the Norwegian government employs financial planners and moral philosophers. Then we recommend five great books we love that took us to Norway on the page: The Bell in the Lake by Lars Mytting, Deborah Dawkin (translator) We Die Alone: A WWII Epic of Escape and Endurance by David Howarth The Hike by Lucy Clarke Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman The Sunlit Night by Rebecca Dinerstein Knight For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes. Sign up for our free Substack to connect with us and other lovely readers who are curious about the world. Transcript of Norway: Vikings, Bears, Boats, and Bergen Do you enjoy our show? Do you want be friends with other (lovely) people who love books and travel? Please support our work on Patreon! Strong Sense of Place is an audience-funded endeavor, and we need your support to continue making this show. Get all the info you need right here. Thank you! Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio. Some effects are provided by soundly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two books: ‘Weyward’ by Emilia Hart and ‘Psych: The Story of the Human Mind’ by Paul Bloom. Then Dave tells the story a recently solved code that reveals new secrets of a famous Queen. LINKS Weyward by Emilia Hart https://bit.ly/3KoeYh8 Psych: The Story of the Human Mind by Paul Bloom https://bit.ly/3Z5zJSY Video: Emilia Hart shares three books that inspired her https://bit.ly/3xFRA79 Paul Bloom’s TED talks https://bit.ly/3ErSszY National Geographic on the decoded letters https://on.natgeo.com/3KsKpqI From Cryptologia: Deciphering Mary Stuart’s Lost Letters from 1578–1584 https://bit.ly/3XS76Yq Transcript of this episode https://bit.ly/3KgOhuO The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: - Our site - Instagram - Facebook - Twitter - Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since we launched Strong Sense of Place in 2020, we’ve produced five seasons — 56 episodes — of the show. We’ve also shared our affection for books through 101 episodes of The Library of Lost Time podcast — and we’ve introduced you to 500 books we love. Thanks to you, we’ve had over one million downloads (!) and, the best part of all, we feel like we’re part of a massive book club filled with the best people. Thank you for that! In this mini-episode, we each looked back through our book recommendations to find our top 10 titles from the first five seasons of the show. Maybe you’ll find your new favorites, too! Find all the book titles and the corresponding podcast episodes on our blog. Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Our FREE Substack Instagram Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we’re excited about two books — ‘Ms. Demeanor’ by Elinor Lipman Moreno-Garcia and ‘Speech Team: A Novel’ By Tim Murphy — then Mel gets nostalgic about Concorde and those zippy flights across the Atlantic. Links Ms. Demeanor by Elinor Lipman Speech Team: A Novel by Tim Murphy Visit Elinor Lipman’s website. Elinor Lipman is the new EM Forster. Fight me. Review of The Inn at Lake Devine by Elinor Lipman. Review of The Way Men Act by Elinor Lipman. Review of Isabel’s Bed by Elinor Lipman. My Ride on the Concorde. What It Was Like to Fly Concorde in the ’70s. Concorde Stories: Remembering the ‘Pocket Rocket’. What Food & Drink Were Passengers Served On Concorde? Vintage Champagne on the Edge of Space: The Supersonic World of a Concorde Stewardess by Sally Armstrong Supersonic: The Design and Lifestyle of Concorde by Lawrence Azerrad Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Facebook Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two books: Jane & Edward by Melodie Edwards and Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto. Then Dave invites us all to get delightfully nerdy about punctuation. LINKS Jane & Edward by Melodie Edwards Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto An Admirable Point: A Brief History of the Exclamation Mark! by Florence Hazrat Semicolon: The Past, Present, and Future of a Misunderstood Mark by Cecelia Watson Melodie Edwards website Excerpt of the novel Jane & Edward in print and audio Jane & Edward readers’ guide Sometimes it’s too much! But the exclamation point has a point. (gift link) Video of LL Cool J on The Electric Company, rapping about punctuation. Transcript of this episode The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: - Our site - Instagram - Facebook - Twitter - Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re on our summer holiday so we’re replaying this popular episode of The Library of Lost Time. We’re back next week with a new episode of Strong Sense of Place about Norway! LoLT: Postcard Pen Pals and Two New Books — 30 June 2023 In this episode, we get excited about two new books — ‘100 Places to See After You Die’ by Ken Jennings and ‘What the Dead Know’ by Barbara Butcher — then Mel gets excited about postcards from around the world. LINKS - 100 Places to See After You Die: A Travel Guide to the Afterlife by Ken Jennings. Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs by Ken Jennings. Maphead: Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks by Ken Jennings What the Dead Know: Learning about Life as a New York City Death Investigator by Barbara Butcher. Visit the Postcrossing.com website, Twitter, and Instagram. Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Facebook Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two new books — The Power of Saying No by Vanessa Patrick and Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum — then Dave shares fun facts about Shakespeare’s First Folio. LINKS The Power of Saying No by Vanessa Patrick Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum SSoP Podcast Episode 53 — Theater: Act One, Scene I, Lights Up. Celebrating the 400th anniversary of the Bard’s First Folio. Video: Unboxing Shakespeare’s First Folio. The Book of William: How Shakespeare’s First Folio Conquered the World by Paul Collins. Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Facebook Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we’re excited two new books: The Extinction of Irena Rey by Jennifer Croft and Why We Remember: The Science of Memory and How It Shapes Us by Charan Ranganath. Then Dave shares his thrilling experience at Guys and Dolls in London. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/StrongSense and get on your way to being your best self. Links The Extinction of Irena Rey by Jennifer Croft Flights by Olga Tokarczuk Excerpt of The Extinction of Irena Rey by Jennifer Croft Why Translators Should Be Named on Book Covers 27 Great Books In Translation Why We Remember: The Science of Memory and How It Shapes Us by Charan Ranganath Nye at the National Theatre, London National Theatre Tour info Six, The Musical around the world Guys and Dolls at the Bridge Theatre, London Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, London Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you were born anytime after, say, 1974, you probably associate Lebanon and its capital city of Beirut with political strife, violence, and bombed-out buildings. But this beautiful, misunderstood country is far more than its troubled past. Lebanon is a tiny nation on the eastern side of the Mediterranean. Its capital city of Beirut was once known as the Paris of the East, a holiday getaway for movie stars, moguls, and spies. Lebanon’s coast is still a dreamy beach destination with long stretches of sand — or dramatic rock formations — lined with palm trees on one side and perfect turquoise-blue water on the other. The name Lebanon comes from the Semitic word lbn in reference to the snow-kissed Mount Lebanon range. The interior’s rugged mountains are great for winter skiing and hiking among the fragrant cedar trees during the warmer months. You can also visit wineries, explore ancient ruins, dance the dabka, and eat delicious things like hummus, kibbeh, kofta, tabbouleh, and baklava — a.k.a. some of Mel’s favorite food in the world. In this episode, we briefly walk through the long history of Lebanon, delve into amazing stories of sibling rivalry and bank robbery, and Mel shares the story of her Lebanese great-grandmother. Then we recommend great books that took us to Lebanon on the page. Here are the books about Lebanon we recommend on the show: House of Stone: A Memoir of Home, Family, and a Lost Middle East by Anthony Shadid Between Beirut and the Moon by A. Naji Bakhti The Hakawati by Rabih Alameddine The Slow Road to Tehran: A Revelatory Bike Ride through Europe and the Middle East by Rebecca Lowe Rose Water and Orange Blossoms: Fresh & Classic Recipes from my Lebanese Kitchen by Maureen Abood For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit our show notes. Transcript of Lebanon: WORDS. Do you enjoy our show? Do you want access to awesome bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon! Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two books: The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel and Book and Dagger by Elyse Graham. Then Mel recommends the History Extra podcast for your Spooky Season storytelling needs.  Links The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel Book and Dagger by Elyse Graham History Extra podcast Ancient Egypt: The Big Questions Salem: Investigating the Witch Trials More episodes about witches Halloween episodes Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Join our FREE Substack to get our (awesome) newsletter and join in chats with other people who love books and travel. Do you enjoy our show? Do you want to make friends with other (lovely) listeners? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Substack Patreon Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio! Some effects are provided by soundly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we’re excited about new books: Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett and Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar. Then Mel shares her excitement about a webcam in the Namib Desert. Links Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar video: Namibia Desert live stream 360° view of the desert surrounding the watering hole 10 Interesting Namib Desert Facts 11 Things to do in the Namib Desert Gondwana Namib Park Secrets of Survival: Life in the Namib Desert Namibia’s Skeleton Coast: A journey through the ‘end of the Earth’ video: Namibia’s Wild Skeleton Coast video: Where Namib Desert Meets Atlantic Ocean This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/StrongSense and get on your way to being your best self. Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two new books — ‘Unpacking for Greece’ by Sally Jane Smith and the new DK Eyewitness title ‘Europe by Train’ — then Mel gets excited about adaptations of ’Around the World in 80 Days. LINKS Unpacking for Greece by Sally Jane Smith. Sally Jane Smith’s website, Twitter, and Instagram. Europe by Train by DL Eyewitness. The super-handy train travel website The Man in Seat Sixty-One. Lonely Planet’s Guide to Train Travel in Europe. 80 Days website. Video: Why 80 Days is a perfect game. Around the World in 80 Days TV show and the show trailer. Strong Sense of Place podcast: Newsroom: From Clacking Typewriters to Viral Video. Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland’s History-Making Race Around the World by Matthew Goodman. Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Facebook Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two books: Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson and All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley. Then Dave tells a (true) tall tale about an extraordinary map of the New World.  LINKS Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson https://bit.ly/3ljcA0O All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley https://bit.ly/3jHKagu Q&A with Benjamin Stevenson https://bit.ly/3JScXJW Tour the Met with author Patrick Bingle https://bit.ly/40CAdBA Map of Juan de la Cosa on Wikipedia https://bit.ly/3ljcFBE Map of Juan de la Cosa on Google Arts & Culture https://bit.ly/3Xhi35x Madrid Naval Museum https://bit.ly/3x8KDLA Transcript of this episode https://bit.ly/3kNeLJz The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two books: Honor the Dead by Amy Tector and Sociopath: A Memoir by Patric Gagne. Then, our special guest author, Amy Tector, shares how she starts her day with poems.  Links Honor the Dead: Dominion Archives Mystery #3 by Amy Tector by Amy Tector Sociopath: A Memoir by Patric Gagne  Honor the Dead: Dominion Archives Mystery #3 by Amy Tector by Amy Tector Sociopath: A Memoir by Patric Gagne Amy Tector’s website Amy Tector on Substack: Méli-Mélo The Foulest Things: Dominion Archives Mystery #1 by Amy Tector Speak for the Dead: Dominion Archives Mystery #2 by Amy Tector The Honeybee Emeralds by Amy Tector Louise Penny Transported Me Home When I Needed it Most — an essay by Amy Tector Video: Murder and Mayhem in the Canadian Archive w/ Amy, Mel, and Dave Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about three books: Gifts from the Kitchen by Kristine Kidd and A Christmas Cornucopia: The Hidden Stories Behind Our Yuletide Traditions by Mark Forsyth. Then Dave recommends entertaining, accessible graphic novels for newbies. Links Buy: Gifts from the Kitchen by Kristine Kidd Internet Archive: Gifts from the Kitchen by Kristine Kidd A Christmas Cornucopia: The Hidden Stories Behind Our Yuletide Traditions by Mark Forsyth Polar Vortex: A Family Memoir by Denise Dorrance Hidden Systems: Water, Electricity, the Internet, and the Secrets Behind the Systems We Use Every Day by Dan Nott The Way Things Work by David Macaulay How It All Ends by Emma Hunsinger Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Join our FREE Substack to get our (awesome) newsletter and join in chats with other people who love books and travel. Do you enjoy our show? Do you want to make friends with other (lovely) listeners? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Substack Patreon Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio! Some effects are provided by soundly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a replay of an episode featuring Dinner Party by Sarah Gilmartin and You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith. Then Dave tells the tale of remarkable women involved in London’s criminal underworld. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/StrongSense and get on your way to being your best self. LINKS Dinner Party by Sarah Gilmartin You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith Maggie Smith’s website and Twitter Legal Design Podcast: Fighting Crime by Design with Lorraine Gamman Podcast: London: The Tower, Tudors, and a Nice Cuppa Tea Wikipedia: Shirley Pitts Wikipedia: Alice Diamond Gone Shopping: The Story of Shirley Pitts, Queen of Thieves by Lorraine Gamman The Guardian: Girl Gang’s Grip on London Underworld Revealed Criminal Secret Society: The Story of Forty Elephants Video: Diamond Annie and the Forty Elephants — The All-Female Gang That Terrorized London Abbie Davis with her cover of 'London Town' Transcript of this episode The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’ve ever wanted to go behind the scenes of the best theme parks in the world — Hello, Disney! — you’re going to love today’s bonus episode. We were thrilled to talk to friend-of-the-podcast Tasha Sounart about her job as Creative Director in the Theme Parks group of Pixar. In this delightful conversation, we talked to Tasha about what a day at Pixar is like, what inspires her creativity, and which Pixar world she’d like to visit. For more on Tasha, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit our show notes. Find Tasha on Mastodon: @tashasounart@worldkey.io Tasha recommended the book Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths. Lauren Passell’s excellent podcast recommendation newsletter Podcast the Newsletter. Easy Homemade Caramel Popcorn. SSoP — Amusement Parks: Wheeeeeeeeeeeee! Transcript of this episode. Do you enjoy our show? Do you want access to awesome bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon! Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two new books — ‘Return to Valetto’ by Dominic Smith and ‘National Dish’ by Anya von Bremzen — then Dave shares a delightful poem about wonder by Reina del Cid. LINKS Return to Valetto by Dominic Smith. The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith. Strong Sense of Place podcast: Museums: A Gathering of Muses, A Clutch of Curators. National Dish: Around the World in Search of Food, History, and the Meaning of Home by Anya von Bremzen. Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking: A Memoir of Food and Longing by Anya Von Bremzen. The CrashCourse YouTube Channel. Video: Hank Green talks about the Big Bang. Reina del Cid’s website, Twitter, and Instagram. Video: Reina del Cid reciting her poem ‘Big Bang’. Strong Sense of Place podcast: New Orleans: Pass a Good Time. Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Facebook Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two new books: Aftertaste: A Novel by Daria Lavelle and Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir by Tessa Hulls. Then Mel delves into the story of New Jersey’s favorite beachy souvenir for National Taffy Day. Links Aftertaste: A Novel by Daria Lavelle Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson Butter Honey Pig Brea by Francesca Ekwuyasi Cinnamon and Gunpowder by Eli Brown Lush by Rochelle Dowden-Lord Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir by Tessa Hulls Podcast: Mel recommends Piglet by Lottie Hazell The History of Fralinger’s Salt Water Taffy Inside the Epic Quest for a More Perfect Taffy A Mathematical History of Taffy Pullers by Jean-Luc Thiffeault Cape May Magazine: Fralinger’s Salt Water Taffy Buy Fralinger’s Original Salt Water Taffy Tasty’s recipe for salt water taffy Peanut Butter Salt Water Taffy from Food52 Video: How Shriver’s Salt Water Taffy Is Made Using A 200-Year-Old Technique Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Join our FREE Substack to get our (awesome) newsletter and join in chats with other people who love books and travel. Do you enjoy our show? Do you want to make friends with other (lovely) listeners? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Substack Patreon Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio! Some effects are provided by soundly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two books: So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison and The Wildes by Louis Bayard. Then Dave shares the exploits of the world’s greatest art detective. Links Rachel Harrison’s website So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison — hear Mel talk about it Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison — hear Dave talk about it Cackle by Rachel Harrison The Veil audiobook by Rachel Harrison, Louisa Krause (narrator) The Wildes: A Novel in Five Acts by Louis Bayard Jackie & Me by Louis Brayard Courting Mr. Lincoln by Louis Brayard The Black Tower by Louis Brayard The Pale Blue Eye by Louis Brayard Podcast — Detective Agency: Discrete Inquiries, Mysteries Solved Arthur Brand’s website and Instagram Meet the World’s Greatest Art Detective Confessions of an Art Detective The Indiana Jones of the Art World Hitler’s Horses: The Incredible True Story of the Detective who Infiltrated the Underworld by Arthur Brand Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Join our FREE Substack to get our (awesome) newsletter and join in chats with other people who love books and travel. Do you enjoy our show? Do you want to make friends with other (lovely) listeners? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Substack Patreon Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio! Some effects are provided by soundly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two new books: The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig and I See You’ve Called in Dead by John Kenney. Then Dave talks about the stellar winners of the 2025 Pen America Awards. Links The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig Invasive by Chuck Wendig I See You’ve Called in Dead by John Kenney Truth in Advertising by John Kenney Writer’s Digest interview with John Kenney The Boat Who Wouldn’t Float by Farley Mowat Pen America website and Instagram Pen International website Pen American Literary Awards Finalists Dead in Long Beach, California by Venita Blackburn With My Back to the World: Poems by Victoria Chang On Freedom by Timothy Snyder Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Join our FREE Substack to get our (awesome) newsletter and join in chats with other people who love books and travel. Do you enjoy our show? Do you want to make friends with other (lovely) listeners? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Substack Patreon Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio! Some effects are provided by soundly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A bookshop is a special (maybe enchanted) place found all over the world and staffed by booksellers who seem to have a preternatural ability to put just the right book in your hands.  People have been buying and selling books since about 300 BCE. During the latter part of the Roman empire, when all the best homes included a personal library, the book trade was boomin’. Back then, shops posted a list of titles for sale on their doors.  The kind of store we think of when someone says ‘bookshop’ was initially tied closely to printing. The first booksellers were also editors and printers who made the books, then sold them to the reading public. Eventually, those specialties split apart: Publishers worked with authors to create books, and booksellers placed them into the hands of readers.  And we’re all better for it. In this episode, we talk about the world’s oldest bookshop and discuss some remarkable bookstores around the world, including a bookshop in paradise and Scotland’s National Book Town. We also learn about a shocking bookstore-related medical phenomenon! Then we recommend great books that took us inside the world of bookshops. Here are the books about bookshops we recommend on the show: The Sentence by Louise Erdrich Bibliophile: An Illustrated Miscellany by Jane Mount Spine Poems by Annette Dauphin Simon Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner Booked to Die by John Dunning The Last Equation of Isaac Severy by Nova Jacobs Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit our show notes. Transcript of Bookshops: Mostly Paper and Magic. Do you enjoy our show? Do you want access to awesome bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon! Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we’re excited about two books: The World Central Kitchen Cookbook: Feeding Humanity, Feeding Hope by José Andrés and I Love Russia: Reporting from a Lost Country by Elena Kostyuchenko. Then Dave shares his enthusiasm for the Best New Public Library of the Year. Links The World Central Kitchen Cookbook: Feeding Humanity, Feeding Hope by José Andrés I Love Russia: Reporting from a Lost Country by Elena Kostyuchenko World Central Kitchen website World Central Kitchen’s Chicken Chili Verde recipe ‘You May Have Been Poisoned’: How an Independent Russian Journalist Became a Target 2023 Nominees for Public Library of the Year Barcelona Library Named Best New Public Library in the World Jay-Z limited edition library cards Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Facebook Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we’re excited about two books: What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez and The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza by Mac Barnett & Shawn Harris. Then Dave talks about the soothing appeal of slow travel videos. Links What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez Isabel Ibañez website and Instagram The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza by Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris Website for The First Cat in Space Video: The live cartoons that inspired the book The First Cat in Space The First Cat in Space and the Soup of Doom by Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris Video: Train ride through the snow in St. Moritz YouTube channel: Nomadic Ambience YouTube channel: Watched Walker YouTube channel: Keezi Walks Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Facebook Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two great books: One Woman Show by Christine Coulson and To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose. Then Dave recites a delightful poem from British poet Brian Bilston. Links One Woman Show by Christine Coulson Video: Christine Coulson at Hudson River Museum Metropolitan Stories by Christine Coulson Podcast: Museums: A Gathering of Muses, A Clutch of Curators To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose Brian Bilston’s website and Twitter And So This is Christmas: 51 Seasonally Adjusted Poems by Brian Bilston You Took the Last Bus Home by Brian Bilston Days Like These: An alternative guide to the year in 366 poems by Brian Bilston Meet the Author: Brian Bilston (Suffolk Libraries) Brian Bilston: the Poet Laureate of Twitter (The Irish Times) Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re delighted to announce that Season 7 of the Strong Sense of Place podcast kicks off on Friday, 30 May! We’ve put together an itinerary of thrilling destinations with a journey to every region of the globe. Pack your (virtual) bags for Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, and two exciting destinations in the United States. (Hint: There will be incredible vistas and majestic trees involved in our visit to America.) This time, we’re also celebrating two favorite holidays for maximum fun. Get ready to immerse yourself in the food, sights, sounds, and scenery of far-flung destinations around the world. Be sure to pack your curiosity in your carry-on and leave room for lots of books! Click right here to see stunning photos of our Season 7 destinations. Transcript of this episode. Join our FREE Substack to get our (awesome) newsletter and join in chats with other people who love books and travel. Do you enjoy our show? Do you want to make friends with other (lovely) listeners? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Substack Patreon Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio! Some effects are provided by soundly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a replay of an episode featuring books from beloved authors that are excellent summer reads: 'Killers of a Certain Age' by Deanna Raybourn and 'Fairy Tale' by Stephen King. Then Mel takes us around Europe with the Polish street artist Nespoon. BOOKS Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn https://bit.ly/3RBg1dW Fairy Tale by Stephen King https://bit.ly/3AVh01I DISTRACTION OF THE WEEK The Library of Lost Time https://bit.ly/3PIqMd8 NeSpoon on Instagram https://bit.ly/3ql5GHj NeSpoon on YouTube https://bit.ly/3BeS6M8 NeSpoon website https://nespoon.art Video of the mural at the Museum of Lace and Fashion https://youtu.be/XeFNYiYC0VE More about the square in Belorado, Spain https://bit.ly/3RmCL1s German video (with some English) featuring NeSpoon's various works https://youtu.be/ehh5A0AW-p4 Colossal magazine https://bit.ly/3etn6PC Five questions with NeSpoon https://bit.ly/3euaeZD Transcript of this episode https://bit.ly/3cNqmoy The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production!https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside -https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two new books: A Lively Midwinter Murder by Katy Watson and The Way by Cary Groner. Then Dave recommends fun boardgames to play with your friends and family this holiday season.  Links A Lively Midwinter Murder by Katy Watson The Dead of Winter by Nicola Upson The Way by Cary Groner Sky Team dice game — how-to video Harmonies board game — how-to video Flip 7 card game — how-to video Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Join our FREE Substack to get our (awesome) newsletter and join in chats with other people who love books and travel. Do you enjoy our show? Do you want to make friends with other (lovely) listeners? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Substack Patreon Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio! Some effects are provided by soundly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we’re excited about two new books: the cookbook ‘Portico’ by Leah Koenig and ‘The Square of Sevens’ by Laura Shepherd-Robinson. Then Dave shares highlights from the nominees for a renowned nonfiction prize. Links Portico: Cooking and Feasting in Rome’s Jewish Kitchen by Leah Koenig Website for cookbook author Lean Koenig Leah Koenig’s cookbooks The Food of Rome’s Longstanding Jewish Community Gets Its Due The Square of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann Time’s Echo: The Second World War, the Holocaust, and the Music of Remembrance by Jeremy Eichler The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human by Siddhartha Mukherjee Ultra-Processed People: The Science Behind Food That Isn’t Food_ by Chris Van Tulleken Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Facebook Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about three books: 'The Christmas Party' by Georgette Heyer, 'The Christmas Murder Game' by Alexandra Benedict, and 'The Writer's Journey' by Travis Elborough. Then Dave shares a fantastic resource for finding the best books of the year.  BOOKS The Christmas Party by Georgette Heyer https://amzn.to/3VjHeUl The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict https://bit.ly/3tXkhKR The Writer's Journey: In the Footsteps of the Literary Greats by Travis Elborough https://bit.ly/3UYd3m1 Our History of the 20th Century by Travis Elborough https://amzn.to/3i3d6OT A Traveller's Year: 365 Days of Travel Writing in Diaries, Journals, and Letters by Travis Elborough https://amzn.to/3U6QEBO Atlas of the Unexpected by Travis Elborough https://amzn.to/3VdC3oS Atlas of Vanishing Places by Travis Elborough https://bit.ly/3ESRLQU Rollergirl: Totally True Tales from the Track https://amzn.to/3AFsIhN DISTRACTION OF THE WEEK The Largehearted Boy List of Online 'Best of 2022' Book Lists https://bit.ly/3VfxSsI Gosford Park trailer https://bit.ly/3AzRyQ0 Transcript of this episode https://bit.ly/3GCiGSk The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two new books: Perspective(s): A Novel by Laurent Binet and The Impossible Thing by Belinda Bauer. Then Dave shares the app that’s decoding nature’s secrets in his favorite park. Links Perspective(s): A Novel by Laurent Binet The Impossible Thing by Belinda Bauer HHhH by Laurent Binet — hear Mel talk about it on our Prague podcast episode The Black House by Peter May — hear Mel talk about it on our Scotland episode Seek by iNaturalist: download the app for Apple or Google, watch a demo video, get the user’s guide Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Join our FREE Substack to get our (awesome) newsletter and join in chats with other people who love books and travel. Do you enjoy our show? Do you want to make friends with other (lovely) listeners? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Substack Patreon  Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio! Some effects are provided by soundly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this show, we get excited about two books — Pockets by Hannah Carlson and Roaming by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki. Then Dave tells us the best way to see whales in South Africa. Links Pockets: An Intimate History of How We Keep Things Close by Hannah Carlson Roaming by Jillian Tamaki & Mariko Tamaki This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki & Mariko Tamaki What Should I Read Next podcast: Strong Sense of Summer How the Humble Pocket Came to Signify Feminist Liberation Take a look at the art in Roaming Hermanus Whale Festival 30 Best Things to do in Hermanus Video: Why Everyone Wants to Visit Hermanus Seeing Whales for the First Time in Hermanus Hermanus Whale Festival: The Only Eco-Marine Festival in the World Whale-watchers and animal lovers, the Hermanus Whale Festival is here Video: Hermanus - South Africa South Africa Street Food Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Facebook Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two books: Master Slave Husband Wife by Ilyon Woo and Mr. Breakfast by Jonathan Carroll. Mel shares the exciting news about the return of an iconic 20th-century train. LINKS Master Slave Husband Wife by Ilyon Woo https://amzn.to/3DNfbGn Mr. Breakfast by Jonathan Carroll https://bit.ly/3XePHsz Excerpt from Master Slave Husband Wife https://bit.ly/3X9KhPu CBS Sunday Morning interview with Ilyon Woo https://cbsn.ws/40FRERF Hudson River Rail Excursions https://bit.ly/3I7TgMM Video excursion on the vintage train https://youtu.be/LpwCQX46h7A Transcript of this episode https://bit.ly/40CQCGb The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two books: Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal and A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher. Then Mel shares her excitement about an unfinished Brontë novel that got finished. LINKS Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher J. Ryan Stradal’s website, Instagram, and Twitter The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal Last Summer at the Golden Hotel by Elyssa Friedland Our podcast episode Hotels: The Liminal Space with M&Ms in the Mini-Bar Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë Emma Brown: A Novel From the Unfinished Manuscript by Emma Boylan & Charlotte Brontë Wikipedia entry: Emma Brown The New York Times’ review of Emma Brown by Emma Boylan Librivox recording of the Emma fragment (Pro tip: skip the Preface and go directly to Chapter 1.) Emma Brown by Clare Boylan on Internet Archive Transcript of this episode The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Facebook Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two books: Never Sleep by Fred Van Lente and The Wager: A Talk of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann. Then Mel shares tips for getting great poetry into your life. LINKS Never Sleep by Fred Van Lente Girl in Disguise by Greer Macallister The Wager: A Talk of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann How Kate Warne, America’s First Woman Detective, Foiled a Plot to Assassinate Abraham Lincoln Ridiculous History Podcast: Kate Warne, the Pinkerton Detective Who Saved Abe Lincoln The Atlantic: Reading a Poem: 20 Strategies Poets.org: How to Read a Poem The Writing Center: How to Read a Poem Library of Congress: How to Read a Poem Out Loud Instagram: Poetry is Not a Luxury Instagram: Seeing the Poem Instagram: Poets.org The Guardian: Poem of the Week Poetry Foundation: Poem of the Day Poets.org: Poem of the Day The Slowdown: This podcast from former U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith features a daily reading of a poem and a brief reflection on its meaning and significance. Poetry Foundation: Mary Oliver Nikita Gill on Twitter and Instagram Transcript of this episode The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Facebook Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two books: Dinner Party by Sarah Gilmartin and You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith. Then Dave tells the tale of remarkable women involved in London’s criminal underworld.  LINKS Dinner Party by Sarah Gilmartin You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith Maggie Smith’s website and Twitter Legal Design Podcast: Fighting Crime by Design with Lorraine Gamman Wikipedia: Shirley Pitts Wikipedia: Alice Diamond Gone Shopping: The Story of Shirley Pitts, Queen of Thieves by Lorraine Gamman The Guardian: Girl Gang’s Grip on London Underworld Revealed Criminal Secret Society: The Story of Forty Elephants Video: Diamond Annie and the Forty Elephants — The All-Female Gang That Terrorized London Transcript of this episode The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Facebook Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two books: The Lioness of Boston by Emily Franklin and The Partisan by Patrick Worrall. Then guest Jeremy Anderberg shares a fun website to find great new-to-you titles.  LINKS The Lioness of Boston by Emily Franklin The Partisan by Patrick Worrall Video: The history of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Video: A tour of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. An Explosive Netflix Documentary About the $500 Million Isabella Stewart Gardner Heist. Netflix: This is a Robbery: The World’s Biggest Art Heist. Portrait of Isabella Stewart Gardner by John Singer Sargent. Isabella Stewart Gardner ‘Come to Tea’ mug. Jeremy Anderberg’s Read More Books, The Big Read, and Instagram. Shepherd.com Transcript of this episode The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Facebook Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we’re excited about two new books: Piglet by Lottie Hazell and Local: A Search for Nearby Nature and Wildness by Alastair Humphreys. Then Dave tells us about the awesome Stanfords bookshop. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/StrongSense and get on your way to being your best self. Links Piglet by Lottie Hazell — audiobook Piglet by Lottie Hazell — print Local: A Search for Nearby Nature and Wildness by Alastair Humphreys Stanfords Map and Travel Bookshop Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards 2024 Wikipedia: Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is New York City the world capital of… everything? It’s sure putting up a good effort. We could talk about how the New York Stock Exchange started under a tree (!) on Wall Street and how NYC is now the financial capital of the world. Billionaires, millionaires, blah blah blah.  Let’s talk about what really matters. Like… the best pizza and bagels in the world, the Met and the New York Public Library, art deco skyscrapers and bodega cats, Carnegie Hall, Broadway, Rockefeller Center, and that one place on the corner in Brooklyn with the best Polish pastries.  There’s the immediately identifiable New York accent and the 800 or so languages spoken by New Yorkers from all around the world. The City That Never Sleeps is the ultimate melting pot; we’re all better for it. New Yorkers are a unique breed who’ve changed the personality of the city over and over again. Dutch and British settlers named the place, immigrants made it cosmopolitan, the elite of the Gilded Age filled it with skyscrapers, and barriers were busted by the artists of the Harlem Renaissance. And let’s not forget the unnamed good samaritan on the subway who will warn you that the next station is closed so you need to transfer. In this episode, we grab an imaginary coffee to go in a ‘We Are Happy to Serve You’ cup and explore the ultimate bookish day in New York City. In Two Truths and a Lie, we meet the musicians of the Phantom of the Opera on Broadway and visit a Brooklyn store where you can buy a can of chutzpah. Then we recommend six great books that took us to New York City on the page, including two graphic novels, a love letter to ’90s Manhattan, a frothy family saga, historical fiction with a challenging heroine, and a collection of short stories from a master of fiction. Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan LaserWriter II by Tamara Shopsin Olga Dies Dreaming by Xóchitl González Hello, NY by Julia Rothman Roaming by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki Table for Two: Fictions by Amor Towles For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes. Sign up for our free Substack to connect with us and other smart, friendly people who love travel and books. Transcript of New York City: NO! SLEEP! TILL BROOKLYN! Do you enjoy our show? Do you want access to awesome bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon! Strong Sense of Place is an audience-funded endeavor, and we need your support to continue making this show. Get all the info you need right here. Thank you! Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio. Some effects are provided by soundly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If we say ‘Mongolia,’ and you imagine an eagle hunter on horseback silhouetted against an endless blue sky and vast open plains, you are not wrong. Ditto for thinking of Chingiss Khan, frigid winters, and resilient nomads in gers (yurts). While those perceptions are valid, Mongolia may have some surprises for you. The sun shines 250 days a year, and summer days are luxuriously long and warm. Yes, Khan is a national hero (see: the 3-story glimmering steel statue of the Mongol leader on horseback), but Mongolians are most welcoming. The flap door of a ger is open to all, friends and strangers alike — and a hot bowl of milk tea will appear as soon as you cross the threshold. In the capital city of Ulaanbaatar, you can eat in restaurants, visit a temple, and wander through museums. When you’ve had enough of the bustle, ride into the steppes — on a horse, a camel, or an all-terrain jeep — and back in time. Under that vast sky, you can head north to spruce forests that stretch toward Russia, or west to the jaggy Altai mountains, or south to the wind-swept dunes of the Gobi Deserts (and, eventually, China). In this episode, we meet a formidable Mongolian warrior princess, listen to the otherworldly sound of Tuvan throat singing, and travel back in history with the annual Naadam Festival (a.k.a. the Mongolian Olympics). Then we recommend five great books that took us to Mongolia on the page: Akmaral by Judith Lindbergh Rough Magic by Lara Prior-Palmer Stand on the Sky by Erin Bow Border Crossings: A Journey on the Trans-Siberian Railway by Emma Fick When I’m Gone, Look for Me in the East by Quan Barry For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes. Sign up for our free Substack to connect with us and other friendly readers who are curious about the world. Transcript of Mongolia: Under the Eternal Blue Sky Do you enjoy our show? Do you want be friends with other (lovely) people who love books and travel? Please support our work on Patreon! Strong Sense of Place is an audience-funded endeavor, and we need your support to continue making this show. Get all the info you need right here. Thank you! Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio! Some effects are provided by soundly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We know you don’t all celebrate the American holiday of Thanksgiving, but it’s never a bad idea to express gratitude and devote a day to being cozy. In that spirit, we’ve made a little gift for you to show our appreciation. Watching the movie ‘Home for the Holidays’ is an annual Thanksgiving tradition in our house. The film is based on a brilliant short story by Chris Radant that is, sadly, out of print. Both the story and the film tell the tale of a family Thanksgiving in all of its gluttonous, annoying, loving glory. It’s a celebration of affection, patience, and forgiveness. Since you can’t get the story as an audiobook, Mel went into our blanket fort recording booth to read the story out loud, and then Dave worked some editing magic. Boom! We made our first homegrown ‘audiobook.’ We’re very grateful that you’ve all joined us on our Strong Sense of Place reading-traveling adventures. We hope you enjoy the story! Read the short story by Chris Radant Transcript of this episode Do you enjoy our show? Do you want access to awesome bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon! Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two books: 'City Under One Roof' by Iris Yamashita and 'Endurance: 100 Tales of Survival, Adventure and Exploration' by Levison Wood. Then Mel talks about why Realm is her favorite new place to find awesome fiction podcasts.  LINKS City Under One Roof by Iris Yamashita https://bit.ly/3Zp5HdO Endurance by Levison Wood https://amzn.to/3ir27z8 Walking the Himalayas by Levison Wood https://amzn.to/3Xf4ELq Walking the Nile by Levison Wood https://bit.ly/3CC4K8j Interview with Iris Yamashita https://youtu.be/hMoK9Y_PmoU Realm.fm https://www.realm.fm/ Marigold Breach https://bit.ly/3CCntAG The Witch Who Came in From the Cold https://bit.ly/3vRSTix Spark Hunter https://bit.ly/3X1hzBa Jameela Jamil and Manny Jacinto https://youtu.be/5L_oJTukaIA Transcript of this episode https://bit.ly/3Znk8iu The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two books: The Divide: A Novel by Morgan Richter and Mina’s Matchbox by Yōko Ogawa, Stephen B. Snyder (translator). Then author Morgan Richter explains why now is a great time to read Batman comics.  Links The Divide: A Novel by Morgan Richter Mina’s Matchbox by Yōko Ogawa, Stephen B. Snyder (translator) The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa, Stephen B. Snyder (translator) Morgan Richter’s website, YouTube channel, and Twitter Nightwing Vol. 1: Leaping Into the Light by Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo (illustrator) Catwoman 1: Trail of the Catwoman by Darwyn Cooke & Ed Brubaker (illustrated by Cameron Stewart, Mike Allred, Brad Rader) Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Join our FREE Substack to get our (awesome) newsletter and join in chats with other people who love books and travel. Do you enjoy our show? Do you want to make friends with other (lovely) listeners? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Substack Patreon Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio! Some effects are provided by soundly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we’re excited about two new books — ‘Silver Nitrate’ by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and ‘The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale’ by Jon Klassen — then Dave shares a fascinating art project about phantom islands. Links Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Visit Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s website, Twitter, and Instagram. Gods of Jade and Shadow by by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale by Jon Klassen Follow Jon Klassen on Instagram. Jon Klassen’s Hat Box by Jon Klassen (the trilogy) I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen We Found a Hat by Jon Klassen This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen The scoop on phantom islands from Wikipedia, Atlas Obscura, and Explorers Web. Andrew Peckler’s Phantom Islands — A Sonic Atlas. The album Sounds from Phantom Islands. (The vinyl is sold out, but mp3s are available.) Andrew Peckler’s new musical release Cue. Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Facebook Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two books: The Bookseller of Venice by Giovanni Montanaro (translator: Edward Williams) and _ Creation Lake_ by Rachel Kushner. Then Mel recommends the immersive, interactive walking tours from Secret City Trails.  Links The Bookseller of Venice by Giovanni Montanaro, Edward Williams (translator) Libreria Acqua Alta Libreria Studium Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner Secret City Trails interactive walking tours Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Join our FREE Substack to get our (awesome) newsletter and join in chats with other people who love books and travel. Do you enjoy our show? Do you want to make friends with other (lovely) listeners? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Substack Patreon Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio! Some effects are provided by soundly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s our November tradition! This week, we’re replaying a special Thanksgiving episode of our show. ==== We know you don’t all celebrate the American holiday of Thanksgiving, but it’s never a bad idea to express gratitude and devote a day to being cozy. In that spirit, we’ve made a little gift for you to show our appreciation. Watching the movie ‘Home for the Holidays’ is an annual Thanksgiving tradition in our house. The film is based on a brilliant short story by Chris Radant that is, sadly, out of print. Both the story and the film tell the tale of a family Thanksgiving in all of its gluttonous, annoying, loving glory. It’s a celebration of affection, patience, and forgiveness. Since you can’t get the story as an audiobook, Mel went into our blanket fort recording booth to read the story out loud, and then Dave worked some editing magic. Boom! We made our first homegrown ‘audiobook.’ We’re grateful you’ve all joined us on our Strong Sense of Place reading-traveling adventures. We hope you enjoy the story! Read the short story by Chris Radant Transcript of this episode Sign up for our free Substack to connect with us and other lovely readers who are curious about the world. Do you enjoy our show? Do you want access to awesome bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon! Strong Sense of Place is an audience-funded endeavor, and we need your support to continue making this show. Get all the info you need right here. Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Housekeeping note: There will be no 'Library of Lost Time' next week. The next episode will appear on Friday, June 2. 'Strong Sense of Place' will appear before then, on Monday, the 29th of May, with our episode about the theater. Thank you! In this episode, we get excited about two books: 'Tasting History' by Max Miller and 'This Isn't Going to End Well' by Daniel Wallace. Then Mel transports us to a street in Vilnius, Lithuania that’s made for book lovers.  LINKS Tasting History by Max Miller This Isn’t Going to End Well by Daniel Wallace Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions by Daniel Wallace Video: Big Fish movie trailer. Tasting History with Max Miller on YouTube Atlas Obscura: Literature Street in Vilnius, Lithuania Video: Tour of Literature Street The wild ride of Adam Mickiewicz’s Wikipedia page Pan Tadeusz; or, The last foray in Lithuania by Adam Mickiewicz on Gutenberg.org Video: The Origin of Pan Tadeusz Video: Pan Taduesz movie trailer Mel’s Bigos recipe Transcript of this episode The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Facebook Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As you read these words and listen to our podcast, we’re all riding on a ball about 8000 miles (13,000 km) across. Our rotating disco ball in space is dancing around the sun at about 67,000 mph (107,000 km/h). Our sun is about 93 million miles (150 million km away), shooting us with subatomic particles. Probably not maliciously, but who knows? The sun might be a trickster. It’s also filling our solar system with light so we can see all the other planets, comets, asteroids, dwarf planets, and moons in orbit. As humans, it’s nearly impossible to not put ourselves at the center of the world — we all have main-character energy. For millions of years, we puny humans have looked up at the sky and tried to understand just what the devil is going on and where we belong in the whole situation. In this episode, we try to unpack many of the mind-blowing facts we know about space and our expanding universe — and we get real about the emotional impact of embracing our stardust origins. We talk about the condition called the Overview Effect and whether or not space smells funny. Then we recommend great books that took us there on the page: Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowell The Mars House by Natasha Pulley The Milky Way by Moiya McTier Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertolino For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes. Sign up for our free Substack to connect with us and other lovely readers who are curious about the world. Transcript of Outer Space: We Are All Made of Stars Do you enjoy our show? Do you want be friends with other (lovely) people who love books and travel? Please support our work on Patreon! Strong Sense of Place is an audience-funded endeavor, and we need your support to continue making this show. Get all the info you need right here. Thank you! Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio! Some effects are provided by soundly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two new books: When We Were Real by Daryl Gregory and The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones. Then Mel shares the meaningful story of the new Witches of Scotland tartan. Links When We Were Real by Daryl Gregory Daryl Gregory’s website Read an excerpt from When We Were Real Podcast: Mel talks about Spoonbenders in our Chicago episode Mel’s write-up of Spoonbenders Podcast: Mel talks about the P&T Knitwear bookshop The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones The Witches of Scotland website, Instagram, and TikTok The book: How to Kill a Witch: The Patriarchy’s Guide to Silencing Women The podcast: Witches of Scotland Tartan Episode Smithsonian magazine on the campaign and tartan Nicola Sturgeon Issues Apology for ‘Historical Injustice’ of Witch Hunts. Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Join our FREE Substack to get our (awesome) newsletter and join in chats with other people who love books and travel. Do you enjoy our show? Do you want to make friends with other (lovely) listeners? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Substack Patreon Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio! Some effects are provided by soundly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sri Lanka is known for its rich, full-bodied Ceylon tea, fishermen on stilts, and staggering beauty. If you want to visit an elephant sanctuary, trek to a mountaintop monastery, or swim (and surf) in crystal-blue waters, this teardrop-shaped island in the Bay of Bengal is the place to go. In contrast to its warm, soothing climate is its long history of civil war. The conflict that raged from 1983 until 2009 between the mostly-Sinhalese government and the insurgent Tamil Tigers had a profound and lasting effect on the population. But none of that has curbed Sri Lankans’ welcoming temperament nor the island’s natural charms. There’s world-class street food — all manner of crunchy, savory fried things, spicy curries, and tropical fruits like nothing you’ve ever seen before. There are sparkling waterfalls, whale watching and leopard sightings, and an iconic train ride through lush green jungles dotted with colorful flowers. All giving truth to the name Sri (Resplendent) Lanka (Island). In this episode, we explore Sri Lankan legend, get nostalgic about Duran Duran, hear the details of a remarkable airplane adventure, and get very curious about wood fruit. Then we recommend five great books that took us to Sri Lanka on the page, including an adventure memoir by the world’s best travel writer, an unusual crime story, a colorful cookbook, and two dream-like novels set during the civil war years, one of which Mel clutched to her chest in a hug. Here are the books about bookshops we recommend on the show: Anil’s Ghost by Michael Ondaatje The Hamilton Case by Michelle de Kretser Rambutan: Recipes from Sri Lanka by Cynthia Shanmugalingam Elephant Complex: Travels In Sri Lanka by John Gimlette The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit our show notes. Transcript of Sri Lanka: Remarkable, Relentless, Resplendent. Do you enjoy our show? Do you want access to awesome bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon! Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two books: A Season for That by Steve Hoffman and The God of the Woods by Liz Moore. Then Mel explains why she’s so excited to get the new episode of the ‘Pack One Bag’ podcast every week.  Links A Season for That by Steve Hoffman Steve Hoffman’s website and an interview with the Star Tribune Still blog by Mary Jo Hoffman and an interview with Yoga Journal Still: The Art of Noticing by Mary Jo Hoffman The God of the Woods by Liz Moore Long Bright River by Liz Moore Podcast: Pennsylvania: Political Player, Potato Chip Maker The ‘Pack One Bag’ website Deadline Magazine on the podcast and the upcoming TV remake Stanley Tucci Compares WW2 Fascism Story to Now — ‘It’s Happening Today’ Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Join our FREE Substack to get our (awesome) newsletter and join in chats with other people who love books and travel. Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Substack Patreon Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio! Some effects are provided by soundly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Saudi Arabia is the largest country on the Arabian Peninsula, a sea of sand (95% of the country is desert) that holds 17% of the world’s petroleum reserves. Its cities encapsulate the country’s contradictions: ancient souks and ultra-modern skyscrapers, women veiled in abayas but also entering the workforce, petroleum refineries, and sparkling beach resorts. Cards on the table: Saudi Arabia has an abysmal track record on human rights, with women, LGBTQ+ communities, and journalists the target of discrimination and violence. Women are still legally classified as minors, with male relatives making significant decisions on their behalf. But in the last few years, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — known as MBS — passed laws that lessened some restrictions with Saudi Arabia. And he’s invited the world in: His Vision 2030 plan opened Saudi Arabia to tourism. Road signs and menus now appear in English, Western credit cards are widely accepted, and you can even catch an Uber.  In this episode, we dive into the changing norms in Saudi Arabia, talk about some of the amazing sights that are now open to the Western world, and discuss the ambitious Neom project: a ‘city of the future’ in the desert. Then we recommend five books that took us to Saudi Arabia on the page: City Of Veils by Zoë Ferraris MBS: The Rise to Power of Mohammed bin Salman by Ben Hubbard Cardamom and Lime: Recipes from the Arabian Gulf by Sarah Al-Hamad The Green Bicycle by Haifaa Al Mansour Eight Months on Ghazzah Street by Hilary Mantel For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes. Sign up for our free Substack to connect with us and other lovely readers who are curious about the world. Transcript of Saudi Arabia: Old Ways and New Directions (?) Do you enjoy our show? Do you want be friends with other (lovely) people who love books and travel? Please support our work on Patreon! Strong Sense of Place is an audience-funded endeavor, and we need your support to continue making this show. Get all the info you need right here. Thank you! Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio. Some effects are provided by soundly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we’re excited about two new books — ‘The Bookbinder’ by Pip Williams and ‘Tabula Rasa, Vol 1’ by John McPhee — then Dave tells us about the fascinating work of the Long Now Foundation. Links The Bookbinder by Pip Williams Tabula Rasa, Vol 1 by John McPhee Pip Williams on the Invisible History of Female Bookbinders. A New Novel That Captures the ‘Poetic Materiality’ of Books. Our review of The Crofter and the Laird by John McPhee. Hear Dave talk about ‘The Crofter and the Laird’ in our podcast episode Scotland: Wraiths, Rebels, and Royalty. The Long Now Foundation website. The Long Now Foundation YouTube channel. Radical Sharing event — 23 August Our podcast episode Amusement Parks: Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!. Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Facebook Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re on summer holiday! In honor of the Olympics taking place in Paris right now, please enjoy this replay of our Paris episode. Paris: It’s Always a Good Idea - 24 August 2020 When you daydream about Paris, whatever sparkling, romantic images you conjure are probably not too far off the mark. It is, after all, know as the City of Lights and the City of Love. The Eiffel Tower can be seen from almost everywhere and is a constant reminder that you are IN PARIS. The streets are lined with cafés, the tables and chairs arranged so you can sit next to your companions and look out on the people passing by. The smell of baguettes wafts in the streets in the early morning. And when the sun gets lower in the sky, burnishing the buildings with its glow, people fill the cafés, drinking wine, smoking cigarettes, and talking, while their hands gesture in the air to make a point. It is, in many ways, just like the movies. In this episode, we talk about some of our favorite experiences visiting Paris and how it really does live up to its dreamy reputation. Then we discuss the books that transported us there: an insightful memoir about one lively (and typically Parisian) street, an illustrated novel about the magic of everyday life, a fictional biography of Madame Tussaud, a modern crime novel with a snappy heroine, and a confection of a story that centers around an exceptional bottle of wine. For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes. Sign up for our free Substack to connect with us and other friendly readers who are curious about the world. Transcript of Paris: It’s Always a Good Idea Do you enjoy our show? Do you want be friends with other (lovely) people who love books and travel? Please support our work on Patreon! Strong Sense of Place is an audience-funded endeavor, and we need your support to continue making this show. Get all the info you need right here. Thank you! As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Facebook Twitter Patreon Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio! Some effects are provided by soundly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we’re excited about new books: The Fury by Alex Michaelides and Maude Horton’s Glorious Revenge by Lizzie Pook. Then Dave recommends the delightful Planet Word Museum in Washington, DC. Links The Fury by Alex Michaelides Maude Horton’s Glorious Revenge by Lizzie Pook Planet World website video: Welcome to Planet Word video: Introducing Planet Word video: CBS Sunday Morning: A visit to D.C.’s Planet Word This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/StrongSense and get on your way to being your best self. Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we’re excited about two books: The Future by Naomi Alderman and Watership Down: The Graphic Novel by James Sturm & Joe Sutphin. Then Amy from The Perks of Being a Book Lover podcast recommends Wes Anderson’s Roald Dahl adaptations on Netflix. Links The Future by Naomi Alderman Visit NaomiAlderman.com and Naomi on Instagram. Naomi Alderman: ‘A writer’s job is courage. You’ve got to be as honest as you can.’ Watership Down: The Graphic Novel by James Sturm and Joe Sutphin A New Graphic Novel Version of ‘Watership Down’ Aims to Temper Darkness With Hope Wes Anderson’s Roald Dahl shorts on Netflix Meet the ‘Little Company’ Cast of Wes Anderson’s Roald Dahl Short Films Listen to The Perks of Being a Book Lover podcast The Perks of Being a Book Lover on Instagram Our appearance on The Perks of Being a Book Lover Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Facebook Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two books: The Company by J.M. Varese and Sweet Enough: A Dessert Cookbook by Alison Roman. Then Dave shares stories from a recent trip to the Shetland Islands. LINKS The Company by J.M. Varese Sweet Enough: A Dessert Cookbook by Alison Roman J.M. Varese’s website and Instagram. Arsenic and Old Tastes Made Victorian Wallpaper Deadly. The Dickens Project at UCLA. Interview with Alison Roman, author of Sweet Enough. _Snacking Cakes: Simple Treats for Anytime Cravings by Yossy Arefi Shetland with Laurie, plus her Instagram and Patreon. Transcript of this episode The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Facebook Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we’re excited about new books: Strawberry Fields by Patrick D. Joyce and The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden. Dave shares some events worth traveling to in 2024. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/StrongSense and get on your way to being your best self. Links Strawberry Fields by Patrick D. Joyce Back in the USSR by Patrick D. Joyce Patrick Joyce’s website The Wall by Peter Sís Prague Spring by Simon Mawer Podcast: Prague: Castles and Cobblestones The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden Podcast: The Forest: Meet a Witch, Climb a Tree The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab National Geographic: 10 unmissable events worth travelling for in 2024 Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swim in Istanbul Ride Africa Child.org Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about fun new books: The Expert of Subtle Revisions by Kirsten Menger-Anderson and On Air: The Triumph and Tumult of NPR by Steve Oney. Then Dave recommends a tranquil dark sky festival. Links The Expert of Subtle Revisions by Kirsten Menger-Anderson On Air: The Triumph and Tumult of NPR by Steve Oney The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley Prague Spring by Simon Mawer Skellig Coast Dark Sky Festival Wikipedia on the amazing Skellig Michael Kerry International Dark-Sky Reserve Kerry Dark Sky Tourism 2025 Dark Sky Festivals and Star Parties DarkSky International Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Join our FREE Substack to get our (awesome) newsletter and join in chats with other people who love books and travel. Do you enjoy our show? Do you want to make friends with other (lovely) listeners? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Substack Patreon Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio! Some effects are provided by soundly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two new books — ‘The Only One Left’ by Riley Sager and ‘The Art Thief’ by Michael Finkel — then Dave shares the amazing story of the gilded age socialite Ida Wood. LINKS The Only One Left by Riley Sager. Visit Riley Sager’s website and Instagram. Riley talked about his book in this video from The Poisoned Pen bookshop. Smithsonian magazine: Why 19th-Century Axe Murderer Lizzie Borden Was Found Not Guilty. The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel. Our podcast episode Maine: Lighthouses, Lobster Rolls, and the King of Horror. The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel. Smithsonian magazine on Ida Wood: Everything Was Fake but Her Wealth. Wikipedia entires for Ida Wood and her husband Benjamin Wood. A personal essay: My Crazy Aunt Ida. Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Facebook Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we’re excited about two new books: The Pale House Devil by Richard Kadrey and Collision of Power: Trump, Bezos, and The Washington Post by Martin Baron. Then Anne Bogel from the What Should I Read Next? podcast shares a delicious reading habit. Links The Pale House Devil by Richard Kadrey The Dead Take the A Train by Richard Kadrey Sandman Slim series by Richard Kadrey The Pale House Devil: Excerpt and Cover Reveal Collision of Power: Trump, Bezos, and the Washington Post by Martin Baron What Should I Read Next? podcast with Anne Bogel Anne’s Modern Mrs. Darcy website Anne Bogel on Instagram and Twitter What Should I Read Next? on Instagram and Twitter Alison Roman’s cookbooks and Substack The Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer Well Fed: Paleo Recipes for People Who Love To Eat by Melissa Joulwan Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child Koshersoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew by Michael W. Twitty Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi Thai Street Food: Authentic Recipes, Vibrant Traditions by David Thompson Turkey and The Wolf: Flavor Trippin’ in New Orleans by Mason Hereford 12 Inspiring Cookbooks That Will Transport You Around the World Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Facebook Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we’re excited about two new books: The Lost Van Gogh by Jonathan Santlofer and North Woods by Daniel Mason. Then Dave shares the heartbreaking story of the hack on the British Library. Links The Lost Van Gogh by Jonathan Santlofer The Last Mona Lisa_ by Jonathan Santlofer Jonathan Santlofer’s website Gabriel Allon series by Daniel Silva The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith Podcast: Museums: A Gathering of Muses, A Clutch of Curators The Seville Communion by Arturo Pérez-Reverte Podcast: Spain: Valencia, Velázquez, and Vermouth North Woods by Daniel Mason British Library website Knowledge Under Attack Rhysida, The New Ransomware Gang Behind British Library Cyber-Attack How to Lose a Library Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

India seems committed to being over-the-top in the best way possible. It’s colorful, noisy, crowded, vast, deeply historic, spiritual, vibrantly modern, multi-lingual, and stunningly beautiful.  Want to get loud? India is the place for you! Sure, its population of 1.4 billion people might overwhelm you with the sheer crush of humanity, but its cities have an undeniable energy once you’re acclimated. Delhi, the capital, has everything that makes travel great: ancient forts, mosques and temples, leafy parks and botanical gardens, sprawling bazaars, and bustling lanes of street food.  Feeling like a quiet retreat? India is the birthplace of yoga and meditation. You could visit Rishikesh, on the bank of the Ganges, to practice asanas in the birthplace of yoga.  India is also a fantastic place to shop for jewelry in a market, eat the best curries in the world, browse epic English-language bookstores, wander through centuries-old forts, and, of course, marvel at the Taj Mahal. In this episode, we celebrate the poet Kabir Das, talk about dolphin rights, dig into Salvador Dali’s quirks, and explore India’s Golden Triangle. Then we recommend five great books that took us to India on the page: Loot: A Novel by Tania James City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi by William Dalrymple Dishoom: Cookery Book and Highly Subjective Guide to Bombay by Shamil Thakrar, Kavi Thakrar, Naved Nasir The Last Dragoners of Bowbazar by Indra Das The Bandit Queens: A Novel by Parini Shroff For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes. Sign up for our free Substack to connect with us and other lovely readers who are curious about the world. Transcript of India: The Continent Masquerading as a Country Do you enjoy our show? Do you want be friends with other (lovely) people who love books and travel? Please support our work on Patreon! Strong Sense of Place is an audience-funded endeavor, and we need your support to continue making this show. Get all the info you need right here. Thank you! Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio! Some effects are provided by soundly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've put together an itinerary of 12 fantastic destinations with stops in every region of the globe. So pack your bags for the Caribbean, Asia, Africa, Europe, South America, and two dramatically different spots in the eastern US — plus three super-fun themes. Get ready to explore customs, history, scenery, food, art, and more — all you need is your favorite reading chair and your curiosity. To see stunning photos of our Season 5 destinations, visit our blog at http://strongsenseofplace.com/2023/01/30/ssop-podcast-season5-announcing-12-exciting-destinations/. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about three new books: The Café with No Name by Robert Seethaler & Katy Derbyshire (translation) and The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami. Then Mel recommends starting the day with the new word game ‘Order Up. Links The Café with No Name by Robert Seethaler, Katy Derbyshire (translator) The Tobacconist by Robert Seethaler, Charlotte Collins (translator) The Field by Robert Seethaler, Charlotte Collins (translator) The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar Order Up Adam Wagner: Patreon and Twitter BBC: The Deepest Hole We Have Ever Dug Orion Magazine: Inside the Deepest Artificial Hole on Earth Wordle Connections Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Join our FREE Substack to get our (awesome) newsletter and join in chats with other people who love books and travel. Do you enjoy our show? Do you want to make friends with other (lovely) listeners? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Substack Patreon Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio! Some effects are provided by soundly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we’re excited about two new books: Broughtupsy by Christina Cooke and The Curse of Pietro Houdini by Derek B. Miller. Then Mel celebrates the birthday and work of author Judith Viorst. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/StrongSense and get on your way to being your best self. Links Broughtupsy by Christina Cooke The Curse of Pietro Houdini by Derek B. Miller Podcast: Jamaica: Let’s Get Together and Feel All Right Video: Christina Cooke reads from Broughtupsy Christina Cooke website SSoP review: Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi Video: Alexander 1990 animated special NPR: For 50 years, Alexander’s been having terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days NPR: ‘Nearing 90,’ Judith Viorst Says She’s Never Been Happier Video: Scholastic interview with Judith Viorst Judith Viorst’s Decades Podcast: The Other F Word with Judith Viorst Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you’re ready to let the good times roll, there’s no place like New Orleans to cut loose, indulge in local grub, sip something intoxicating, and soak up the atmosphere while tapping your toes to some of the best music on the planet. New Orleans was born as a port city in 1718. What set New Orleans apart then (and now) is how it created a unique culture from the diverse people who populated the city. New Orleans got its defining characteristics — a sense of hospitality, its food, its music — from enslaved and formerly enslaved people, Native Americans, and immigrants from France, Spain, the Caribbean, and Italy. There’s a lot to see and do, but if we’re being honest, the real draws are food and music — and the annual street party that brings them together: Mardi Gras. In this episode, we dig into a little bit of history and a whole lot of music and food, including the magic of jambalaya and the difference between cajun and creole. We also tell you how to find the best parades during Mardi Gras and get real about a haunted house.  Then we recommend great books that took us there on the page: The Axeman’s Jazz by Ray Celestin https://bit.ly/3Jt5uAE The Ballad of Perilous Graves by Alex Jennings https://bit.ly/3wJOYVy Turkey and the Wolf: Flavor Trippin’ in New Orleans by Mason Hereford, JJ Goode https://bit.ly/3kYvDNs Nine Lives: Death and Life in New Orleans by Dan Baum https://amzn.to/3JpVb0b The Lost Book of Adana Moreau by Michael Zapata https://bit.ly/3XS5Bu6 For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes at https://strongsenseofplace.com/podcasts/2023–02–20-new_orleans Transcript: https://strongsenseofplace.com/transcriptions/46_new_orleans_transcript Do you enjoy our show? Do you want access to awesome bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon! Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace You can always find us at: - Our site - Instagram - Facebook - Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two books: The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer and The Vulnerables by Sigrid Nunez. Then Dave recommends three great tabletop games to play with your favorite people. Links The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer Jean Meltzer’s website The Matzo Ball website What It’s Like to Attend a Jewish Singles Dance on Christmas Eve The Vulnerables by Sigrid Nunez Sigrid Nunez’s website Suspects: Claire Harper Takes the Stage Video: Suspects Review - with Zee Garcia Scout Video: You Should Be Playing SCOUT! Video: Scout - GameNight! How to Play and Playthrough Ready Set Bet Video: Ready, Set, Bet! Review: The Game Where Everyone is Shouting Video: Ready Set Bet Review: An Experience Like No Other! Panic on Wall St & Camel Up Had a baby! Chronicles of Crime Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Transcript of this episode The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have a slew of new listeners — hello, new book friends! — so we’re sharing this episode from 2020 in which we answered questions about how we choose the books we read for the show, whether or not we really love everything we recommend, how we met, previous jobs, and other behind-the-scenes info. Hope you enjoy the peek into our lives and work! Sign up for our free Substack to connect with us and other lovely readers who are curious about the world. Transcript of this episode Do you enjoy our show? Do you want access to awesome bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon! Strong Sense of Place is an audience-funded endeavor, and we need your support to continue making this show. Get all the info you need right here. Thank you! Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio. Some effects are provided by soundly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two books: Speak for the Dead by Amy Tector and I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai. Then Mel shares a story about the Gotham Book Prize that will warm your literature-loving heart.  LINKS - Speak for the Dead by Amy Tector - Amy’s Substack - The Newburyport Literary Festival - Bustle interview with Rebbeca Makkai - Amy Tector’s awesome Substack - I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai - The Gotham Book Prize - The 2023 Finalists - Get a $25 gift card when you buy all 11 finalists - The story of P&T Knitwear - Transcript of this episode The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: - Our site - Instagram - Facebook - Twitter - Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two books: 'Cold People' by Tom Rob Smith and 'Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life' by Dacher Keltner. Then Mel shares the delicious history of Berlin's currywurst.  LINKS Cold People by Tom Rob Smith https://bit.ly/3WDixCv Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life by Dacher Keltner https://bit.ly/3Hy5UVf Currywurst History https://bit.ly/3XEjwnt Currywurst Recipe https://bit.ly/3kGY3vv Top 20 Hangover Foods https://bit.ly/3H9VoBR Herta Heuwer Memorial Plaque https://bit.ly/3XSlxfq Herta Heuwer Google Doodle https://bit.ly/3H7Co7l Transcript of this episode https://bit.ly/3HvMlg7 The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two books: The Absinthe Forger by Evan Rail and The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper by Roland Allen. Then our guest Evan Rail shares his enthusiasm for fountain pens and special inks.  Links The Absinthe Forger: A True Story of Deception, Betrayal, and the World’s Most Dangerous Spirit by Evan Rail The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper by Roland Allen Evan Rail’s website and Instagram Evan’s interview with Radio Prague International Pelikan fountain pens Rohrer & Klingner inks Rohrer & Klingner Alt Goldgrun (gold-green ink) - see it here Rohrer & Klingner Solferino (purple) - see it here. Kaweco pens — and the Kaweco Sport Parker Quink ink cartridges Herbin inks Herbin Lie de Thé (brown) - see it here. Diamine inks Diamine Writer’s Blood (maroon) Diamine Bloody Absinthe (green and red) Diamine Aurora Borealis (teal green) Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Join our FREE Substack to get our (awesome) newsletter and join in chats with other people who love books and travel. Do you enjoy our show? Do you want to make friends with other (lovely) listeners? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Substack Patreon Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio! Some effects are provided by soundly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two books: 'The Snow Ball' by Brigid Brophy and 'Nine Liars' by Maureen Johnson. Then Mel and Dave share poems to usher in the new year. LINKS The Snow Ball by Brigid Brophy https://bit.ly/3uOllRK Mozart the Dramatist by Brigid Brophy https://amzn.to/3HxjQis Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson https://bit.ly/3j088Tt Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village by Maureen Johnson & Jay Cooper https://bit.ly/3iVujKq The Box in The Woods by Maureen Johnson https://bit.ly/3Fqf0AZ Tell Me by Kim Addonizio https://bit.ly/3BuGkNa Swearing Smoking Drinking & Kissing by Kim Addonizio https://amzn.to/3hnZdL6 You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith https://bit.ly/3Fo6Rgj these are the words by Nikita Gill https://amzn.to/3q2wY5f Panel discussion of Brigid Brophy's work https://youtu.be/YZHQl2cIMtg Kim Addonizio's website https://bit.ly/3FOLFli Kim Addonizio on Poetry Foundation https://bit.ly/3YkKReV Maggie Smith's website https://bit.ly/3Hxu02B Maggie Smith on Twitter https://bit.ly/3HzoCvY Nikita Gill on Twitter https://twitter.com/nktgill Nikita Gill on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nikita_gill Transcript of this episode https://bit.ly/3FpsnBp The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two new books: Cold Kitchen: A Year of Culinary Travelsby Caroline Eden and Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor. Then Dave shares his enthusiasm for the 2025 Grammy nominees for best audiobook recordings. Links Cold Kitchen: A Year of Culinary Travels by Caroline Eden Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor Last Sundays in Plains: A Centennial Celebration by Jimmy Carter My Name is Barbra by Barbra Streisand: print and audiobook …And Your Ass Will Follow by George Clinton All You Need is Love: The Beatles in Their Own Words by Peter Brown & Steven Gaines: printand audiobook Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones by Dolly Parton: print and audiobook Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Join our FREE Substack to get our (awesome) newsletter and join in chats with other people who love books and travel. Do you enjoy our show? Do you want to make friends with other (lovely) listeners? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Substack Patreon Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio! Some effects are provided by soundly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two books: Accidentally Wes Anderson: Adventures by Wally & Amanda Koval and Polostan by Neal Stephenson. Then Wally and Amanda from Accidentally Wes Anderson recommend a silly-fun music hotline.  Links Accidentally Wes Anderson website and Instagram Accidentally Wes Anderson: Adventures by Wally and Amanda Koval Accidentally Wes Anderson by Wally and Amanda Koval Accidentally Wes Anderson: Adventures audiobook narrated by Jeff Goldblum Radio Prague on the Red Arrow train Polostan by Neal Stephenson Video: Neal Stephenson at the Long Now Foundation NPR on Callin’ Oates Video: She’s Gone Video: Sarah Smile Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Join our FREE Substack to get our (awesome) newsletter and join in chats with other people who love books and travel. Do you enjoy our show? Do you want to make friends with other (lovely) listeners? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Substack Patreon Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio! Some effects are provided by soundly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two books: The Main Character by Jaclyn Goldis and The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley. Then Dave shares a very cool phone trick for tracking your books. Links The Main Character by Jaclyn Goldis Video: Jaclyn Goldis on the Chris Voss Podcast The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley Video: Kaliane Bradley’s first TV interview on Good Morning America Video: How to Convert Image to Text in iPhone & Android Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Join our FREE Substack to get our (awesome) newsletter and join in chats with other people who love books and travel. Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Substack Patreon Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio! Some effects are provided by soundly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we’re excited about new books on our TBRs: The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai and Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange. Then Mel talks about cooking chicken soup from around the world. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/StrongSense and get on your way to being your best self. Links The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai & Jesse Kirkwood (translator) Wandering Stars by by Tommy Orange There, There by by Tommy Orange The Chicken Soup Manifesto: Recipes From Around the World by Jenn Louis Jenn Louis’ website A Journey Around the World, as Told Through Chicken Soup Four recipes from The Chicken Soup Manifesto Ye Ocholoni Ina Doro Shorba (Ethiopian peanut soup) Video: Jenn Louis at Powell’s Books Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you think a trip to Brazil is an invitation to the best party ever, you are correct! Colorful, sizzling, breathtakingly beautiful, and populated with friendly people (and amazing animals), Brazil is the place for good times, good food, good drinks, and good energy. We begin with the Amazon, a vast rainforest and river teeming with magical creatures like pink dolphins, bioluminescent mushrooms, and — yes — piranhas and anacondas. (Shout-out to the friendly capybaras!) Brazil’s cities offer something for everyone — the capital city of Brasília’s futuristic architecture, Sao Paulo’s international food scene, and Rio’s seductive combo of city sights and sparkling beaches. (There’s a reason we’ve been singing about the tall and tan, young and lovely girl from Ipanema for decades.) While you’re surely ready to dance the samba and drink a few caipirinhas, did you know Brazil is also the place for award-winning cheese? Or a spring-fed pool that feels like champagne? Or ‘chestnuts from Para’? In this episode, we explore Brazil’s rainforest and urban jungles, dig into the fascinating (really!) story of Brazil nuts, and meet one of the world’s finest Emperors. Then we recommend five great books that took us there on the page: The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao by Martha Batalha, Eric M.B. Becker (translator) Ways to Disappear by Idra Novey The Silence of the Rain by Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza, Benjamin Moser (translator) Daytripper by Fabio Moon and Gabriel Bá Flesh and Bone and Water by Luiza Sauma For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes. Sign up for our free Substack to connect with us and other awesome readers who are curious about the world. Transcript of Brazil: Sugarloaf, Samba, and Sao Paulo Do you enjoy our show? Do you want to be friends with other (lovely) people who love books and travel? Please support our work on Patreon! Strong Sense of Place is an audience-funded endeavor, and we need your support to continue making this show. Get all the info you need right here. Thank you! Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio. Some effects are provided by soundly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two books: 'Really Good, Actually' by Monica Heisey and 'How to Sell a Haunted House' by Grady Hendrix. Then Dave explains why the Tollywood movie 'RRR' is the best action-adventure movie since 'Raiders of the Lost Ark.' LINKS Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey https://bit.ly/3ZskOD4 Monica Heisey's perilous trip to Paris https://bit.ly/3CFuLUe Read an excerpt of Really Good, Actually https://bit.ly/3itfjnb I Can't Believe It's Not Better https://amzn.to/3IkaTcY How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix https://bit.ly/3X2lCx9 Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix https://bit.ly/3GvrOGW My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix https://bit.ly/3jZhj6V The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix https://bit.ly/3vQrM7F RRR on Netflix https://bit.ly/3vQfX16 The real story of the two freedom fighters in RRR https://bit.ly/3CDBWMA 5 Reasons to Keep ‘RRR’ on Your Radar https://bit.ly/3GVEicm Transcript of this episode https://bit.ly/3WWvicm The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we’re excited about two books: The Three Dahlias by Katy Watson and World Within a Song by Jeff Tweedy. Then Carrie from The Perks of Being a Book Lover celebrates the return of beavers to the Thames. Links The Three Dahlias by Katy Watson A Very Lively Murder by Katy Watson Book club questions, cocktail recipes, and more Three Dahlias extras World Within a Song: Music That Changed My Life and Life That Changed My Music by Jeff Tweedy Let’s Go (So We Can Get Back): A Memoir of Recording and Discording with Wilco, Etc. by Jeff Tweedy How to Write One Song: Loving the Things We Create and How They Love Us Back by Jeff Tweedy Listen to The Perks of Being a Book Lover podcast The Perks of Being a Book Lover on Instagram Our appearance on The Perks of Being a Book Lover Transcript of this episode The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Facebook Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The mountains of Jamaica rise up out of the turquoise-blue Caribbean. From those jaggy peaks, rolling hills — covered in lush green rainforests — taper down to soft-sand beaches along the coast. It makes perfect sense that the first Jamaican inhabitants — the Taino from South America — gave the island a name that means ‘Land of Wood and Water.’ It’s all as if paradise is beckoning you to come, sit, relax. Music floats on the air in both the rhythmic lilt of reggae music and Jamaican patois, a creole language that combines elements of English, Spanish, and African languages. Yes, there are pirates in Jamaica’s past, along with Spanish conquistadors, British interlopers, and a history of slavery. But Jamaica is now a cultural superpower, sharing its feel-good music (with a message), colorful cuisine, star athletes, and multicultural gifts with the world.  In this episode, we explore the so-literal-they’re-poetic names of some Jamaican towns, sing along to our favorite Bob Marley tunes, dig into the history of jerk chicken, and spy on Ian Fleming’s Jamaican estate. Then we recommend five great books that took us to Jamaica on the page. Here are the books we recommended in the show: Black Cake: A Novel by Charmaine Wilkerson https://bit.ly/3XSUjVH If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery https://bookshop.org/a/1240/9780374605988 Black Heart of Jamaica by Julia Golding https://amzn.to/3Yx6cRK Motherland: A Jamaican Cookbook by Melissa Thompson https://bit.ly/3ZjfUrj West Winds: Recipes, History and Tales from Jamaica by Riaz Phillips https://bit.ly/3YXmkg9 The Last Warner Woman by Kei Miller - audio https://amzn.to/3Yx6JmI The Last Warner Woman by Kei Miller - print https://bit.ly/41oF4GP For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes at http://strongsenseofplace.com/podcasts/2023–03–06-jamaica Transcript: http://strongsenseofplace.com/transcriptions/47_jamaica_transcript Do you enjoy our show and website? Do you love bonus content? Do you enjoy chatting with other book lovers? Please consider supporting our work on Patreon! You’ll get access to bonus goodies, input on which destinations we cover each season, and become part of the Strong Sense of Place community. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside. Get all the info you need right here. https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace You can always find us at: - Our site - Instagram - Facebook - Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we’re excited about new books: The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years by Shubnum Khan and Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree. Then Mel shares the podcasts that have captured her imagination. Links The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years by Shubnum Khan Spooky & Sublime: 43 Gothic Novels with a Strong Sense of Place Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree The Well podcast Doug Jones on The Well: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 Ethan Peck on The Well: Part 1 and Part 2 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds In Our Time podcast 10 episodes recommended by the editor of BBC Sounds CrowdScience podcast Michael Sheen: Margins to Mainstream podcast A Writing Chance This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/StrongSense and get on your way to being your best self. Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two books: Maria: A Novel of Maria von Trapp by Michelle Moran and Navola by Paolo Bacigalupi. Then Dave delves into the mystery of Mongol warrior Genghis Khan’s lost tomb. Links Maria: A Novel of Maria von Trapp by Michelle Moran Michelle Moran’s website Maria by Maria von Trapp on Internet Archive Podcast: Theater: Act One, Scene I, Lights Up Navola by Paolo Bacigalupi Paolo Bacigalupi’s website Burial place of Genghis Khan Why Genghis Khan’s Tomb Can’t Be Found Podcast — Mongolia: Under the Eternal Blue Sky The Mongol’s Coffin by E. Chris Ambrose Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Join our FREE Substack to get our (awesome) newsletter and join in chats with other people who love books and travel. Do you enjoy our show? Do you want to make friends with other (lovely) listeners? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Substack Patreon Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio! Some effects are provided by soundly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this show, we’re excited about two books — Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig and The Secret Hours by Mick Herron. Then Craig from Overdue Podcast shares why he loves the game Connections. Links Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig Chuck Wendig’s website Terrible Minds Chuck Wendig’s book tour schedule Wanderers by Chuck Wendig The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig Star Wars: Aftermath by Chuck Wendig The Secret Hours by Mick Herron Slow Horses series by Mick Herron Video: Slow Horses trailer Connections on New York Times Games The New York Times Finds a Match With the Word Game Connections Listen to the Overdue Podcast Twitter: Overdue Podcast Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Facebook Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about three books: ‘The Christmas Party’ by Georgette Heyer, ‘The Christmas Murder Game’ by Alexandra Benedict, and ‘The Writer’s Journey’ by Travis Elborough. Then Dave shares a fantastic resource for finding the best books of the year.  The Christmas Party by Georgette Heyer The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict The Writer’s Journey: In the Footsteps of the Literary Greats by Travis Elborough Our History of the 20th Century by Travis Elborough A Traveller’s Year: 365 Days of Travel Writing in Diaries, Journals, and Letters by Travis Elborough Atlas of the Unexpected by Travis Elborough Atlas of Vanishing Places by Travis Elborough Rollergirl: Totally True Tales from the Track by Melissa Joulwan The Largehearted Boy Essential and Interesting ‘Best of 2023’ Book Lists The Largehearted Boy List of Online ‘Best of 2022’ Book Lists Video: Gosford Park trailer Transcript of this episode The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we’re excited about two new books: ‘The Continental Affair’ by Christine Mangan and ‘The Quickening’ by Elizabeth Rush. Then Dave explains why you should put the Edinburgh Fringe Festival on your must-visit list.  Links The Continental Affair by Christine Mangan The Quickening: Creation and Community at the Ends of the Earth by Elizabeth Rush Our review of Christine Mangan’s Tangerine A refreshing Moroccan orange salad inspired by the book Palace of the Drowned by Christine Mangan] The Lady Vanishes by Ethel Lina White Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore by Elizabeth Rush Visit the website for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival Wikipedia: Edinburgh Fringe Festival The Guardian editorial on the Fringe Chriskirkpatrickmas: A Boy Band Christmas Musical Review Edinburgh Fringe Musicals: A Bedside View of Marriage, Covid Diaries, and Shamilton! Edinburgh Fringe 2023 Week One Roundup: Capote, Wilde and a Lovesick Angler Georgie Grier Offered Support After One Person Attends Her Edinburgh Show Transcript of this episode The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Facebook Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two new books — ‘100 Places to See After You Die’ by Ken Jennings and ‘What the Dead Know’ by Barbara Butcher — then Mel gets excited about postcards from around the world. LINKS 100 Places to See After You Die: A Travel Guide to the Afterlife by Ken Jennings. Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs by Ken Jennings. Maphead: Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks by Ken Jennings What the Dead Know: Learning about Life as a New York City Death Investigator by Barbara Butcher. Visit the Postcrossing.com website, Twitter, and Instagram. Transcript of this episode. The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace As always, you can find us at: Our site Instagram Facebook Twitter Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we get excited about two new books: 'The Family Game' by Catherine Steadman and 'The Explorer's Library: Books That Inspire Wonder' by Atlas Obscura. Then Mel discusses The Big Read book club led by writer Jeremy Anderberg.  BOOKS The Family Game by Catherine Steadman https://bit.ly/3GAd0bF The Explorer's Library: Books That Inspire Wonder by Atlas Obscura https://bit.ly/3ACthsM Atlas Obscura https://www.atlasobscura.com/ Gastro Obscura https://www.atlasobscura.com/gastro DISTRACTION OF THE WEEK Read More Books newsletter by Jeremy Anderberg https://bit.ly/3XAeYPo The Big Read 2023 Schedule https://bit.ly/3XrKq1W Get 20% off your first year of The Big Read https://bit.ly/3TZHuH8 Jeremy Anderberg on Instagram https://bit.ly/3ExlYDF Transcript of this episode https://bit.ly/3EqZbJX The Library of Lost Time is a Strong Sense of Place Production! https://strongsenseofplace.com Do you enjoy our show? Want access to fun bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon. Every little bit helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - https://www.patreon.com/strongsenseofplace Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Snuggled up next to Spain on the Iberian Peninsula and perched on the westernmost edge of Europe, Portugal has a long love affair with the sea. The Age of Discovery, launched in 15th-century Lisbon, carried Portuguese sailors to far-flung lands and brought sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, coffee, gold, spices, and chocolate back home. Today, the traditions of the colonies — and a Moorish invasion or two — are integrated into Portugal’s cuisine, music, architecture, and the azulejos that tell stories of Portuguese life in colorful ceramic tiles. Portugal has treasures to offer every kind of traveler: the fortified wine of Madeira and the port of the Douro Valley, ancient Roman ruins and crenelated medieval castles, lush hilltop gardens and one-of-a-kind beaches, savory fried snacks and perfectly-sweet pastries — and bookish delights including a baroque library, a literary hotel, and a church-turned-bookshop. In this episode, we hit the high seas with Portuguese explorers, take a virtual visit to the world’s oldest operating bookstore, and learn the multifaceted story of the Portuguese poet Pessoa. Then we recommend great books that took us there on the page, including a punch-you-in-the-feelings thriller, a charming history of Lisbon, a different kind of WWII story, a swashbuckling adventure starring a language-loving ape, and a memoir-cookbook hybrid that reads like the best kind of travel guide. Two Nights in Lisbon_ by Chris Pavone Queen of the Sea: A History of Lisbon by Barry Hatton Estoril by Dejan Tiago-Stankovic The Night in Lisbon by Erich Maria Remarque The Murderer’s Ape by Jakob Wegelius, Peter Graves (translator) My Lisbon: A Cookbook from Portugal’s City of Light_ by Nuno Mendes For more on the books we recommend, plus the other cool stuff we talk about, visit show notes. Sign up for our free Substack to connect with us and other lovely readers who are curious about the world. Transcript of Portugal: Storytelling, Surfing, and Ineffable Saudade Do you enjoy our show? Do you want access to awesome bonus content? Please support our work on Patreon! Strong Sense of Place is an audience-funded endeavor, and we need your support to continue making this show. Get all the info you need right here. Thank you! Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio. Some effects are provided by soundly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices