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Notes on books and travel.

SSoP Podcast Episode 26 — Costa Rica: Cloud Forests, Coffee, and Capuchin Monkeys
SSoP Podcast Episode 26 — Costa Rica: Cloud Forests, Coffee, and Capuchin Monkeys
Costa Rica offers a sweet combination of chill (sunny beaches, pura vida) and action (volcanoes! ziplining! surfing!). Join us on a virtual trip to Central America and prepare to blow up your TBR with great books.
Yosemite, Color in Gothic Lit, Polish Tango, Campfire Stories & More: Endnotes 13 August
Yosemite, Color in Gothic Lit, Polish Tango, Campfire Stories & More: Endnotes 13 August
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got iconic poems, weird English spelling, UNESCO World Heritage sites, fictional magical schools, reading at the beach, and more.
There's Mystery and Murder Afoot at Summer Camp in 'The Box in the Woods'
There's Mystery and Murder Afoot at Summer Camp in 'The Box in the Woods'
Summer camp should be a time to make memories and lifelong friendships. But in 1978, Camp Wonder Falls was the site of a brutal murder in the woods. Now Stevie Bell is out to solve the cold case and a new murder.
Dick Allen's Poem 'If You Get There Before I Do' Captures Vivid Snapshots in Time
Dick Allen's Poem 'If You Get There Before I Do' Captures Vivid Snapshots in Time
By sharing his sharply-observed moments with a touch of poignancy, Dick Allen's poem invites you to wander through warm, nostalgic memories of your own. It's a meditation on the welcome weight of snapshots in time.
Istria, Camping Horror Novels, Road Trips, Flash Fiction & More: Endnotes 06 August
Istria, Camping Horror Novels, Road Trips, Flash Fiction & More: Endnotes 06 August
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got an ode to in-flight magazines, fiction from Erik Larson, Prague architecture, being a good hotel guest, blackhouses, and more.
Real life and fiction collide in the modern Gothic mystery 'The Stranger Diaries'
Real life and fiction collide in the modern Gothic mystery 'The Stranger Diaries'
This novel has all the elements of an ideal escapist read: Gothic atmosphere on a school campus, a mysterious diary, a creepy 19th-century story, possible ghosts, an intrepid detective, and an unreliable heroine. Yes.
16 Enthralling Family Sagas with a Strong Sense of Place
16 Enthralling Family Sagas with a Strong Sense of Place
We cannot resist an epic family saga: Secrets kept and revealed. Half-truths passed through the generations. Expectations and sacrifice. Tales of bravery, love, and loyalty that defy the odds. These books have it all.
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.
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