S'mores & Hot Dogs, Library Novels, Judy Blume, Olympic Torch & More: Endnotes 28 July

S'mores & Hot Dogs, Library Novels, Judy Blume, Olympic Torch & More: Endnotes 28 July

Friday, 28 July, 2023

Every Friday, we celebrate the weekend — and all the reading and relaxing and daydreaming time ahead — with Melissa's favorite book- and travel-related links of the week. Why work when you can read fun stuff?!

This post is part of our Endnotes series.

rule

Is there any better celebration of humans’ discovery of fire than the classic s’more? Honey-flavored graham crackers, rich chocolate, sweet marshmallows, and the smoky char of an open-air fire — it’s a classic for a reason. Here’s a 1-minute video with lovely production values and a hint for making next-level s’mores. Should you want to really commit, here’s a recipe with all of the ingredients made from scratch. The Greatist shares ideas to upgrade the classic — and here are 12 s’mores combos that will blow your mind.

 
  • Sinéad O’Connor was a creative force of nature — the voice, the integrity. A punk rock role model for the ages. Did you know she was in the 1992 adaptation of Wuthering Heights? From SlashFilm: ‘Wuthering Heights opens on the wild and windy moors. A lone, penitent figure in a hooded robe walks toward a stone cottage overtaken by moss and vines. O’Connor begins the opening narration in voiceover, and once inside the hallowed habitation, unveils her angular, angelic face. She appears for no more than five minutes as Brontë, but her singular, assured, disarmingly humble presence sets the viewer up for a movie that never again reaches the heights she attained. It’s the blessing and curse that Sinéad O’Connor bestowed on everyone she worked with, and everything she worked on.’
  • Oooh! You’ll like this immersive piece about how the National Archives preserves priceless historical documents. ‘The National Archives has been responsible for preserving federal records since 1934. Its primary building in downtown Washington is part research library, part administrative office and part museum. Key founding documents — the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights — are displayed in its rotunda. The agency takes extreme precaution to slow the degradation of these fragile records, made of parchment and featuring iron gall ink.’

  • You will probably also enjoy this essay by Simon Sarris on Reading Well. I could have pulled many quotes; here’s a good one: ‘Reading is letting someone else model the world for you. This is an act of intimacy. When the author is morose, you become morose. When he is mirthful, eventually you may share in it. And after finishing a very good book, one is driven a little mad, forced to return from a world that no one nearby has witnessed.’

  • This tiny Italian car is ridiculously cute.

  • So much painful truth in this: Stop Trying to Have the Perfect Vacation. ‘Entitlement and endless optimization have turned travel into an unfun bloodsport.’

  • Summer quiz! Test your knowledge about sharks. (I got 6/10.) And if you worry about sharks when swimming in the ocean, this should make you feel a lot better.

  • This is such a pretty library:

 

Strong Sense of Place Bonus Episode

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 podcast 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.

 color photo of pixar pier at night with ferris wheel lit up in color showing the face of mickey mouse
Pixel Pier at Disneyland Resort.

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. [transcript]

 

When you’re curious, you find lots of interesting things to do. — Walt Disney

Top image courtesy of Matva/Shutterstock.

Want to keep up with our book-related adventures? Sign up for our newsletter!

keep reading

Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got the genius of artist Edward Hopper, excellent books about tennis, how to steal a masterpiece, a cat with a passport, and more.
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got why to read 'The Diary of a Provincial Lady,' quirky airfield restaurants, memorable bookstores, Edinburgh objects, and more.
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got a nude author talk, 50 best mysteries, secrets of Moscow's Metropol Hotel, Moby-Dick fashion, murdery Jane Austen, and more.

sharing is caring!

Can you help us? If you like this article, share it your friends!

our mission

Strong Sense of Place is a website and podcast dedicated to literary travel and books we love. Reading good books increases empathy. Empathy is good for all of us and the amazing world we inhabit.

our patreon

Strong Sense of Place is a listener-supported podcast. If you like the work we do, you can help make it happen by joining our Patreon! That'll unlock bonus content for you, too — including Mel's secret book reviews and Dave's behind-the-scenes notes for the latest Two Truths and a Lie.

get our newsletter

Join our Substack to get our FREE newsletter with podcast updates and behind-the-scenes info — and join in fun chats about books and travel with other lovely readers.

no spoilers. ever.

We'll share enough detail to help you decide if a book is for you, but we'll never ruin plot twists or give away the ending.

super-cool reading fun
reading atlas

This 30-page Reading Atlas takes you around the world with dozens of excellent books and gorgeous travel photos. Get your free copy when you subscribe to our newsletter.

get our newsletter
Sign up for our free Substack!
follow us

Content on this site is ©2024 by Smudge Publishing, unless otherwise noted. Peace be with you, person who reads the small type.