blog

Notes on books and travel.

8 Novels Set in Private Schools That Will Make You Glad You're a Grownup
8 Novels Set in Private Schools That Will Make You Glad You're a Grownup
Private schools can be like a psychology experiment about what happens when you jam x-number of kids into an enclosed environment and crank up the stress. It's agony for the characters, and such good fun for us.
Japanese Pizza Toast, Authors' Homes, How Books Got Cheap & More: Endnotes 07 August
Japanese Pizza Toast, Authors' Homes, How Books Got Cheap & More: Endnotes 07 August
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got the joy of estivating, Erin Morgenstern's book recs, Mexican cookbooks, behind the scenes at '70s Zoom, bookshop magic & more.
Run Away to a Small College Town with the Romantic Dramedy 'The Way Men Act'
Run Away to a Small College Town with the Romantic Dramedy 'The Way Men Act'
What's a former popular girl supposed to do when she doesn't conquer the world as she planned? Our heroine Melinda LeBlanc heads back to her hometown of Harrow to lick her wounds, regroup, and give it another go.
14 Inspiring and Imaginative Instagram Accounts to Take You Around the World
14 Inspiring and Imaginative Instagram Accounts to Take You Around the World
It's never a bad time to gaze on beautiful historical libraries, unusual bookshops, archival photos, or travel pics that transport you to somewhere else in an instant. These Instagram accounts inspire our imaginations.
Vintage Library Pics, the Agatha Christie of Mexico, Staycationing & More: Endnotes 31 July
Vintage Library Pics, the Agatha Christie of Mexico, Staycationing & More: Endnotes 31 July
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got an interview with Lee Child, buildings shaped like food, travel books by authors of color, amazing movie theaters, and more.
Take a Road Trip to Wyoming & Montana to Solve a Thrilling Cold Case with 'Celine'
Take a Road Trip to Wyoming & Montana to Solve a Thrilling Cold Case with 'Celine'
This page-turning novel features two unforgettable heroines and a taut cold case — plus family secrets, crushing tragedy, and a clarion call for hope — set against the majestic landscape of Yellowstone National Park.
Let's Take a Virtual Walk in Colorful Garden Displays Around the World
Let's Take a Virtual Walk in Colorful Garden Displays Around the World
Whether it's formal French-style, a wild-and-wooly English garden, or something else all-together, a botanical garden is a lovely place to take a stroll, have a sit, look at the clouds, or get lost in a great book.
Drive-In Book Fest, 1920s Cairo, Pandemic Comics, Carmilla Movie & More: Endnotes 24 July
Drive-In Book Fest, 1920s Cairo, Pandemic Comics, Carmilla Movie & More: Endnotes 24 July
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got a stunning temple in Bali, the happy story of Black Garnet Books, Daniel Silva's reading life, Mexican horror comics, and more.
Fall Under the Spell of the Mysterious, Sexy Fairy Tale 'The Governesses'
Fall Under the Spell of the Mysterious, Sexy Fairy Tale 'The Governesses'
This weekend, you'll find yourself languorously lolling around a sun-lit garden with three unusual girls. These are not your buttoned-up and bespectacled governesses of classic lit. It's sexy times in fairy tale land.
SSoP Podcast: A Mini-Episode With Answers to Questions from Our Audience
SSoP Podcast: A Mini-Episode With Answers to Questions from Our Audience
We told you in our audience survey that you could ask us anything, and you're a curious bunch. In this mini-episode, we answer your queries, including how we choose books for the show and if we really love them.
Europe's Great Libraries, Galapagos Photos, Secret Books & More: Endnotes 17 July
Europe's Great Libraries, Galapagos Photos, Secret Books & More: Endnotes 17 July
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got a shipwreck hotel in Africa, 'Holiday' magazine, an essay about how books ground us, an examination of Britishness, and more.
Raise a Glass to the Worst Wedding Ever in the Gleefully Sinister 'The Guest List'
Raise a Glass to the Worst Wedding Ever in the Gleefully Sinister 'The Guest List'
This weekend, you're invited to a destination wedding on an island off the coast of Ireland. Pretty people, blue skies, crashing surf, open bar, love in the air, and... oops! a little murder at the wedding reception.
Two English-Language Bookshops We Love to Visit in Stockholm, Sweden
Two English-Language Bookshops We Love to Visit in Stockholm, Sweden
One of our favorite ways to mingle with locals in new-to-us cities is among the shelves of a neighborhood bookshop — it's even better when they include English-language books. These two in Stockholm are must-visits.
Storytelling in Dublin, American Sandwiches, Trans-Siberian Railway & More: Endnotes 10 July
Storytelling in Dublin, American Sandwiches, Trans-Siberian Railway & More: Endnotes 10 July
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got new cartoons from Gary Larson, beautiful small towns in Europe, a library trivia quiz, free online literary festivals, and more.
Travel From Modern Savannah to WWII-Era Philippines with 'The Good Luck Stone'
Travel From Modern Savannah to WWII-Era Philippines with 'The Good Luck Stone'
Long-held secrets rise up like ghosts to haunt their keepers. The story of Audrey, our 90-year-old heroine, begins and ends in Savannah, but it's the middle bit in the war-ravaged Philippines that defines her life.
SSoP Podcast: A Mini-Episode About Survey Results & What We're Reading Right Now
SSoP Podcast: A Mini-Episode About Survey Results & What We're Reading Right Now
There is no Strong Sense of Place without you, and we're so grateful for the feedback you shared in our audience survey. In this mini-episode, we share some of the results and talk about the books we're reading now.
Dragon Bridge, Mexican Gothic, Vintage Train Travel, Bookshop Kittens & More: Endnotes 03 July
Dragon Bridge, Mexican Gothic, Vintage Train Travel, Bookshop Kittens & More: Endnotes 03 July
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got the best-dressed characters in fiction, a Babylonian dinner, breathtaking pics of water lilies, Cincinnati's Book Bus & more.
Grab a Candelabra and Your Courage to Visit the Haunted Manor House of 'Mexican Gothic'
Grab a Candelabra and Your Courage to Visit the Haunted Manor House of 'Mexican Gothic'
This weekend, take an unsettling but stylish adventure to an isolated mansion in 1950s Mexico. Yes, the Doyle family is creepy and the house is quite sinister, but our heroine Noemí is a charming and feisty companion.
Secret Rooms and Gilded Gewgaws: A Brief Tour of 8 Majestic Libraries
Secret Rooms and Gilded Gewgaws: A Brief Tour of 8 Majestic Libraries
Let's take a virtual tour of stunning libraries from Europe to the UK and across the pond to NYC. It's a celebration of free-thinking, love of learning, and really tall bookshelves. No passport nor library card required.
Hiking Slovenia, Black Sci-Fi, Boxing Vocab, Postcard Collecting & More: Endnotes 26 June
Hiking Slovenia, Black Sci-Fi, Boxing Vocab, Postcard Collecting & More: Endnotes 26 June
Every Friday, we share our favorite book- and travel-related links. This week, we've got Queen Vic Market in Melbourne, remembering Carlos Ruiz Zafón, handmade maps of coronavirus lockdown, Jane Austen fest online & more.
Extraordinary Adventures in Victorian London with 'The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter'
Extraordinary Adventures in Victorian London with 'The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter'
This weekend, take yourself off to Victorian London with a group of monstrously determined young women. You'll foil villains, beat back personal demons, and make a sound argument for why dresses must have pockets.
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.