blog

Notes on books and travel.

Cranberry Bogs, Close Reading, Shawarma, Tove Jansson's Art & More: Endnotes 22 November
Cranberry Bogs, Close Reading, Shawarma, Tove Jansson's Art & More: Endnotes 22 November
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got words of the year, restoring a Venetian palace, new mystery adaptations, sandwich tips, a new British sleeper train, and more.
Chestnuts, London Pubs, Literary Retellings, Readable Cookbooks & More: Endnotes 15 November
Chestnuts, London Pubs, Literary Retellings, Readable Cookbooks & More: Endnotes 15 November
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got an interview with the author of Orbital, a 17th-century color guide, how to fold napkins, drinking culture in Czechia, and more.
SSoP Podcast Episode 68 — Seattle: City of Superlatives
SSoP Podcast Episode 68 — Seattle: City of Superlatives
Grab your rain slicker, favorite sunglasses, and TBR to join us on a virtual trip to Seattle. Snowy mountain peaks, fresh sea air, evergreen forests, and bookish delights to lure you indoors after outside playtime.
Heiligenkreuz Abbey, Steampunk Books, Airline Mags, Nunavik & More: Endnotes 08 November
Heiligenkreuz Abbey, Steampunk Books, Airline Mags, Nunavik & More: Endnotes 08 November
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got how to pack like Poirot, funny mystery novels, a charming Swiss Alps hotel, the rise of cookbook stores, Uzbekistan, and more.
Multnomah Falls, Rare Wharton, Old Prague Pics, Cromwell on Screen & More: Endnotes 01 November
Multnomah Falls, Rare Wharton, Old Prague Pics, Cromwell on Screen & More: Endnotes 01 November
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got transporting priceless art, the Algonquin Round Table, unique apartment buildings, Miss Jean Brodie, handmade books, and more.
SSoP Podcast Episode 67 — Cemetery: Celebrate Life, Honor the Dead
SSoP Podcast Episode 67 — Cemetery: Celebrate Life, Honor the Dead
Join us for a stroll through the cemetery. It's just a museum — in the form of a peaceful park — filled with stories of the lives people lived, the monuments that honor them, and the living who pay their respects.
Literary Werewolves, Floating Breakfast, Skating Witches, litRPG & More: Endnotes 25 October
Literary Werewolves, Floating Breakfast, Skating Witches, litRPG & More: Endnotes 25 October
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got Halloween movie locations, manor house paintings, Día de los Muertos, a new Bram Stoker story, a library dungeon, and more.
Fall in Napa, Best BookTube, Yurts, Typhoid Mary, Poetry Jukebox & More: Endnotes 18 October
Fall in Napa, Best BookTube, Yurts, Typhoid Mary, Poetry Jukebox & More: Endnotes 18 October
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got funny (wrong) Jane Eyre quotes, a spy-inspired Europe trip, Notre Dame's restoration, Holbein's spooky engravings, and more.
SSoP Podcast Episode 66 — Brazil: Sugarloaf, Samba, and Sao Paulo
SSoP Podcast Episode 66 — Brazil: Sugarloaf, Samba, and Sao Paulo
To-do list for a fantastic trip to Brazil: Sip a caipirinha. Sunbathe at Copacabana Beach. Take a big bite of feijoada. Dance the samba. Splash in a waterfall at Jalapão State Park. Shake a tail feather at Carnaval.
Casa Loma, Anne Radcliffe, Mary Bennett, Witches, Int'l Pancakes & More: Endnotes 11 October
Casa Loma, Anne Radcliffe, Mary Bennett, Witches, Int'l Pancakes & More: Endnotes 11 October
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got the world's hazelnut capital, an absinthe crime story, noteworthy books for October, creative note-taking, seahorses, and more.
Florence, Baba Yaga, Real-Life Middle-Earth, Gothic Novels & More: Endnotes 04 October
Florence, Baba Yaga, Real-Life Middle-Earth, Gothic Novels & More: Endnotes 04 October
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got a reading list for people who love lists, what we can learn from D&D, a perfect weekend in Venice, cute Euro towns, and more.
SSoP Podcast Episode 65 — Saudi Arabia: Old Ways and New Directions (?)
SSoP Podcast Episode 65 — Saudi Arabia: Old Ways and New Directions (?)
Saudi Arabia inarguably has a troubling track record on human rights. In the last few years, its Prime Minister backed a vision with fewer restrictions and big plans for tourism. Will old ways or new ideas prevail?
Kilkenny Castle, Fall Mysteries, Haunted Forests, Cat Fiction & More: Endnotes 27 September
Kilkenny Castle, Fall Mysteries, Haunted Forests, Cat Fiction & More: Endnotes 27 September
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got the Wuthering Heights debacle, autumn quotes, a sausage-loving dog, a Wes Anderson show in London, Slovenian food, and more.
Walk the Beat with a Clever Gumshoe in Howard Nemerov's Poem 'The Private Eye'
Walk the Beat with a Clever Gumshoe in Howard Nemerov's Poem 'The Private Eye'
Down fog-dimmed alleys and into smoky speakeasies saunters the dedicated PI — following where the clues and, maybe, an alluring femme fatale lead him — in pursuit of the truth, no matter how hard that truth may be.
Fall Foliage, Librarian Sleuths, Haunted Hotels, Grocery Lists & More: Endnotes 20 September
Fall Foliage, Librarian Sleuths, Haunted Hotels, Grocery Lists & More: Endnotes 20 September
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got an ode to The Chicago Manual of Style, Impressionism at the National Gallery, why to visit Armenia, Medieval cats, and more.
SSoP Podcast Episode 64 — Detective Agency: Discreet Inquiries, Mysteries Solved
SSoP Podcast Episode 64 — Detective Agency: Discreet Inquiries, Mysteries Solved
From the beginnings of real-life detection in 18th-century France to the hard-boiled capers of 20th-century noir and thoroughly modern lady detectives, we delve into the delightful mysteries of literary detection.
Ancient Egypt, New Nespoon Art, Cursed Objects, Freaky Fall Reads & More: Endnotes 13 September
Ancient Egypt, New Nespoon Art, Cursed Objects, Freaky Fall Reads & More: Endnotes 13 September
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got an ancient notebook, London's library of pressed flowers, the original tarot card art, Italy's new mountain hotel, and more.
Poland, Best Graphic Novels, Istanbul Pastry, New Horror Fiction & More: Endnotes 06 September
Poland, Best Graphic Novels, Istanbul Pastry, New Horror Fiction & More: Endnotes 06 September
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got Britain's best literary forests, train travel diaries, vintage cassettes, Prague's best Czech food, Moleskine magic, and more.
SSoP Podcast Episode 63 — Panama: Jump Back, What's That Sound?
SSoP Podcast Episode 63 — Panama: Jump Back, What's That Sound?
If you all you know about Panama is that it's home to the Canal, get a load of this: There's a welcoming, bustling Capital, silky sand beaches, and a volcano you can climb — plus, sloths, turtles, jaguars, and more.
Heidelberg, Reading Spots, Famous Staircases, Best 2024 Books, Verona & More: Endnotes 30 August
Heidelberg, Reading Spots, Famous Staircases, Best 2024 Books, Verona & More: Endnotes 30 August
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got the new animal-centric book cover trend, a new book podcast, inside Jason Reynolds' library, a fab new Bali hotel, and more.
Omega Park, Foodie Novels, Voynich Manuscript, Hot Dogs, Book Bars & More: Endnotes 23 August
Omega Park, Foodie Novels, Voynich Manuscript, Hot Dogs, Book Bars & More: Endnotes 23 August
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got thriller-fantasy mashups, 39 literary adaptations coming in fall, Shakespearean insults, the real Hundred Acre Wood, and more.
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.