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Notes on books and travel.

Cat Islands, Butlers in Lit, Square Waves, Victorian Puns & More: Endnotes 30 July
Cat Islands, Butlers in Lit, Square Waves, Victorian Puns & More: Endnotes 30 July
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got a 'confusing words' quiz, nighttime travel photos, Q&A with Matt Haig, summer sandwiches, rose windows, LeVar Burton, and more.
Meet Three Heroines with Moxie in 1918 Dublin in 'The Pull of the Stars'
Meet Three Heroines with Moxie in 1918 Dublin in 'The Pull of the Stars'
Time travel to Dublin, Ireland, during the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 in the company of three remarkable women. This is historical fiction with a page-turning plot that hinges on quiet moments and heroic feats.
SSoP Podcast Mini-Episode: Dave's Emergency Surgery
SSoP Podcast Mini-Episode: Dave's Emergency Surgery
Our podcast has been MIA since May. In this mini-episode of our show, we explain where we've been and why. Unfortunately, it wasn't an exciting vacation. David had emergency cancer surgery — but don't worry: He's OK.
Madrid Bookshop, Austen Cookbook, Victorian Circus, Train Talk & More: Endnotes 23 July
Madrid Bookshop, Austen Cookbook, Victorian Circus, Train Talk & More: Endnotes 23 July
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got Chuck Wendig's new haunted house novel, 'the pavement surgeon,' where lost luggage goes, nerding-out with rare books, and more.
The Seven Deadly Sins Have Checked-In at a Cornish Cliffside Hotel in 'The Feast'
The Seven Deadly Sins Have Checked-In at a Cornish Cliffside Hotel in 'The Feast'
Found on the southwestern tip of England, Cornwall is known for its dramatic stone cliffs, crashing surf, and hiking paths — a brilliant setting for this story of a summer holiday that's not all sugar and sunshine.
10 Novels About Vacations Gone Horribly, Fantastically Wrong
10 Novels About Vacations Gone Horribly, Fantastically Wrong
A room service menu and stocked mini-bar, five-star service, a posh guest room, perhaps even a swim-up bar; these are things of which dream vacations are made. But it's so much fun when fictional holidays go awry.
Iceland, Literary Jeopardy, Retro Rest Stops, Ode to Used Books & More: Endnotes 16 July
Iceland, Literary Jeopardy, Retro Rest Stops, Ode to Used Books & More: Endnotes 16 July
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got 'Jane Eyre' as a sacred text, bookstore cats, a chat with Daniel Silva, crossword puzzle secrets, European must-see, and more.
It's an Epic Adventure with Mystery and Romance in Natasha Pulley's 'The Kingdoms'
It's an Epic Adventure with Mystery and Romance in Natasha Pulley's 'The Kingdoms'
This novel has so much good stuff: a foreboding lighthouse and a secret society dinner, tall ships and sooty London streets, love-to-hate-'em villains and heroes with undeniable mettle — plus mystery and adventure.
Croatia, Seabourne Magazine, Global French Fries, Gothic Covers & More: Endnotes 09 July
Croatia, Seabourne Magazine, Global French Fries, Gothic Covers & More: Endnotes 09 July
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got surfing with Agatha Christie, a beautiful Budapest flat, mythical spots IRL, who versus whom, Dick Francis novels, and more.
Set Sail for Glamour, Intrigue, and Uh-Oh! A Bit of Disaster in 'The Last Cruise'
Set Sail for Glamour, Intrigue, and Uh-Oh! A Bit of Disaster in 'The Last Cruise'
This novel has everything a dramatic adventure requires: compelling characters making (very) questionable decisions, the timeless conflict between haves and have-nots, an opulent setting at sea, and impending peril.
Book Whisperer Elizabeth Held Recommends Her Favorite Books with a Strong Sense of Place
Book Whisperer Elizabeth Held Recommends Her Favorite Books with a Strong Sense of Place
Writer Elizabeth Held has excellent taste in books, and her newsletter 'What To Read If' is a welcome arrival in our email each week. She tackled our challenge to recommend irresistible books for armchair travelers.
Paris Stairs, Canadian Writers, Beach Pajamas, Literary Tarot & More: Endnotes 02 July
Paris Stairs, Canadian Writers, Beach Pajamas, Literary Tarot & More: Endnotes 02 July
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got improv typewriter poetry, city squares around the globe, best crime novels, Lewis Carroll's 'Alice' illustrations, and more.
It's a Deadly Excursion Deep into the Mexican Jungle in 'The Ruins'
It's a Deadly Excursion Deep into the Mexican Jungle in 'The Ruins'
When drunken, sun-burnt, bikini-clad tourists ditch their Cancun resort for a jungle trek, the situation turns decidedly deadly. Intimidating locals, squabbling frenemies, scorching heat; this beach read has it all.
Hallstatt, Brontë Biopic, Depression-Era Travel, Cover Reveals & More: Endnotes 25 June
Hallstatt, Brontë Biopic, Depression-Era Travel, Cover Reveals & More: Endnotes 25 June
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got Edwardian dinner etiquette, abandoned German ballroom, dancing on a giant typewriter, American accents, fiction pods, and more.
Explore Swedish Tradition in the Coming-of-Age Novel 'Popular Music From Vittula'
Explore Swedish Tradition in the Coming-of-Age Novel 'Popular Music From Vittula'
Young Matti is our guide to the brutal, beautiful landscape of Pajala, a town in Swedish Lapland near the Arctic Circle. Yes, it's freezing, but it's warmed by friendly banter, family connection, and homemade food.
10 Unputdownable Novels Set in Hotels, Resorts, Inns, and Pensions
10 Unputdownable Novels Set in Hotels, Resorts, Inns, and Pensions
There are so many things to love about hotels: Bellhops! Room service! Tighter-than-a-drum sheets! Lobby bars! Plus the intriguing possibilities of all those strangers inside the same walls, together but separate.
Wynwood Walls, Summer Poem, Literary Walks, Tillie Walden, & More: Endnotes 18 June
Wynwood Walls, Summer Poem, Literary Walks, Tillie Walden, & More: Endnotes 18 June
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got an animated Cinque Terra, foodie books for Juneteenth, book-nerd humor, Moroccan design, history of the asterisk, and more.
It's a Mysterious and Thrilling Train Ride in the Noir Classic 'The Lady Vanishes'
It's a Mysterious and Thrilling Train Ride in the Noir Classic 'The Lady Vanishes'
The action begins so innocently with a sunny holiday in Eastern Europe: fresh air, green mountains, friendly banter. But when our heroine Iris boards the train to London, her journey home goes spectacularly awry.
Budapest, Historical Lit, Victorian Piers, Piranesi Book Club & More: Endnotes 11 June
Budapest, Historical Lit, Victorian Piers, Piranesi Book Club & More: Endnotes 11 June
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got flying Concorde, a fab South Korean library, a new fave summer drink, Tangier crime novels, castles in period films, and more.
The Past is Alluringly Haunting in Kate Morton's 'The Lake House'
The Past is Alluringly Haunting in Kate Morton's 'The Lake House'
This sun-drenched and somehow still Gothic-tinged novel has so many things we love: an abandoned mansion, intertwining timelines, family secrets, true love, betrayal, redemption. Basically, it's all the good stuff.
15 Thrilling Nonfiction Books That Read Like Suspense Novels
15 Thrilling Nonfiction Books That Read Like Suspense Novels
Travel to Chicago, Cuba, Ireland, Scotland, Vietnam, and more with these well-researched, compellingly told tales of adventure. The pages practically turn themselves, and the people who populate them? Unforgettable.
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