blog

Notes on books and travel.

Diners, Food in Austen, 365 Stories, Odd Books, Bruegel's Art & More: Endnotes 08 April
Diners, Food in Austen, 365 Stories, Odd Books, Bruegel's Art & More: Endnotes 08 April
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got Silent Book Club, weird and wonderful animals, retro recipes, gorgeous jungle hotels, Jeopardy champ Amy Schneider, and more.
Announcing our New Project: The Library of Lost Time
Announcing our New Project: The Library of Lost Time
We heard you when you said you wanted more book- and travel-related stuff from us. So today, we're sharing the first episode of 'The Library of Lost Time,' our exciting new video/podcast project. Hope you love it!
14 Compelling Novels That Weave Stories Within Stories
14 Compelling Novels That Weave Stories Within Stories
An engaging story that's well-told is one of life's great pleasures. And a story that meanders with good intentions into backstories and side stories and related stories? Well, that's the very best kind of word sorcery.
Madrid, Holbein Exhibit, Dickinson's Inner Space, Gothic Novels & More: Endnotes 01 April
Madrid, Holbein Exhibit, Dickinson's Inner Space, Gothic Novels & More: Endnotes 01 April
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got the food worth eating in every state, reading 'Hamlet,' paternoster elevators, vintage menus, Oscars gowns as books, and more.
'And Yet the Books' by the Polish Nobel Prize-Winning Poet Czesław Miłosz
'And Yet the Books' by the Polish Nobel Prize-Winning Poet Czesław Miłosz
Poet Czesław Miłosz lived through the most dramatic events of 20th-century Europe. He worked in the Polish Resistance, translated Shakespeare, and composed poetry of great power, including this love letter to books.
Toronto, Ukrainian Art, Index Magic, Destination Restaurants & More: Endnotes 25 March
Toronto, Ukrainian Art, Index Magic, Destination Restaurants & More: Endnotes 25 March
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got a podcast transcript in ASL, foreign language pronunciation, a Middle East quiz, medieval cookies, an ode to Paris, and more.
Indian Stuffed Peppers with Butter-Curry Sauce Inspired by 'The Widows of Malabar Hill'
Indian Stuffed Peppers with Butter-Curry Sauce Inspired by 'The Widows of Malabar Hill'
Stuffed peppers are old-school comfort food, but they're way more fun when you spice 'em up. And thanks to a velvety curry sauce that tastes like cardamon-cumin clouds, these stuffed peppers are a little bit fancy.
Grand Hotel, Books for Ukrainian Kids, Women's Prize for Fiction & More: Endnotes 18 March
Grand Hotel, Books for Ukrainian Kids, Women's Prize for Fiction & More: Endnotes 18 March
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got a Ukrainian war diary, kids' books in translation, the history of the jackalope, a new novel from Diana Abu-Jaber, and more.
16 Coming-of-Age Stories Set Around the World
16 Coming-of-Age Stories Set Around the World
Let's all extend our gratitude to fictional characters for GOING THROUGH STUFF so we can live vicariously through them on the page. There's food, family, fights, and forgiveness — so, basically, all the good stuff.
Tossa De Mar, Fairy-Tale Magic, Gotham City Art, German Roadtrip & More: Endnotes 04 March
Tossa De Mar, Fairy-Tale Magic, Gotham City Art, German Roadtrip & More: Endnotes 04 March
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got the history of the question mark, Pennsylvania scrapple, Ukrainian novels, LA's Union Station, fiction podcasts, and more.
Two Poems from Ukraine's Rock-Star Poet Serhiy Zhadan
Two Poems from Ukraine's Rock-Star Poet Serhiy Zhadan
These lyrical poems by Ukrainian poet Serhiy Zhadan weave sensory imagery with history, memoir, and feelings of fear, love, bravado, sorrow — you know, all that human stuff. They're equally sobering and uplifting.
King Penguins, Fairytale Retellings, Nile Cruise, Doughnuts & More: Endnotes 25 February
King Penguins, Fairytale Retellings, Nile Cruise, Doughnuts & More: Endnotes 25 February
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got new writing from Aghan women, a vampire hunting kit, Edward Gorey's sweeter side, the science of bookstore design, and more.
'The Paradox Hotel' Author Rob Hart Recommends Books with a Strong Sense of Place
'The Paradox Hotel' Author Rob Hart Recommends Books with a Strong Sense of Place
Rob Hart's novel 'The Paradox Hotel' deftly combines sci-fi and detective tropes into something fresh and fun. What inspires his imagination? Strong heroines, a bunch of must-read classics, and very scary horror.
Egyptian Monastery, Healing Art, Ukrainian Lit, Lucy Foley & More: Endnotes 18 February
Egyptian Monastery, Healing Art, Ukrainian Lit, Lucy Foley & More: Endnotes 18 February
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got a stunning Czech library, a lost Eiffel Tower restaurant, identity-switching novels, how wonder can transform us, and more.
12 Great Books Set in the Forest That We Love
12 Great Books Set in the Forest That We Love
We cannot resist a sun-dappled path that winds among tall tree trunks, then seems to disappear around a curve just up ahead. What lies beyond: Danger? Treasure? Adventure? There's only one way to find out: Walk on.
Sejong the Great, Dancing Trees, Charlotte Brontë's Fashion, Word Games & More: Endnotes 11 February
Sejong the Great, Dancing Trees, Charlotte Brontë's Fashion, Word Games & More: Endnotes 11 February
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got odd travel jobs, pretty pop-up books, novels about family curses, an ode to soup, tours inspired by Agatha Christie, and more.
Add Atlantis Books in Santorini, Greece to Your Must-Visit Bookshop List
Add Atlantis Books in Santorini, Greece to Your Must-Visit Bookshop List
One of the treats of travel is browsing the shelves of a bookstore in a far-flung locale. It feels both completely foreign and blessedly familiar all at once. Add Atlantis Books on Santorini to your must-visit list.
Ethiopian Coffee, Black Cake, Gilded Age Reads, Jet Lag & More: Endnotes 04 February
Ethiopian Coffee, Black Cake, Gilded Age Reads, Jet Lag & More: Endnotes 04 February
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got croissant cereal, amazing online reading groups, Harlem Renaissance photographs, the story of a Soviet cookbook, and more.
Stay Cozy with These 6 Books Set in the Cold and Snow
Stay Cozy with These 6 Books Set in the Cold and Snow
Writer Elizabeth Held has great taste in books. Her newsletter, 'What To Read If,' is a welcome arrival in our email each week. In this post, she recommends novels in which dramatic snowstorms play a starring role.
Haldon Belvedere, The Gilded Age, Cross-Writing, Introvert Comics & More: Endnotes 28 January
Haldon Belvedere, The Gilded Age, Cross-Writing, Introvert Comics & More: Endnotes 28 January
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got the Prague Times podcast, 100 best books by women, thinking like an elephant, responsible travel in 2022, cozy words, and more.
Yearning for Home: 'Tell Me About Istanbul' by Nazim Hikmet
Yearning for Home: 'Tell Me About Istanbul' by Nazim Hikmet
In this lyrical poem about Istanbul, Turkish poet Nâzım Hikmet captures all the complicated feelings inspired by 'home.' It's a romantic love letter, a protest, and a clear-eyed tribute to the city on the Bosphorus.
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
We'll never share your email with anyone else. Promise.

This is a weekly email. If you'd like a quick alert whenever we update our blog, subscribe here.

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
We'll never share your email with anyone else. Promise.
follow us

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