An Epic Library, Hotel Hack, Walruses in the Arctic & More: Endnotes 25 October

Every Friday, we celebrate the weekend — and all the reading and relaxing and daydreaming time ahead — with Melissa's favorite book- and travel-related links of the week. Why work when you can read fun stuff?!

This post is part of our Endnotes series.

The photo above captures the Baal Shamin temple in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra. Known as the ‘Pearl of the Desert,’ Palmyra was located at the border of an oasis and was a luxury caravan center from the first to the third centuries. The ruins blend Greek, Roman, Persian, and Islamic influence and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Sadly, in 2015, Palmyra was seized by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) which destroyed many of the ancient ruins. In 2017, the Syrian Army retook the site and some of the ruins are in the process of being restored. {more}

• Roxane Gay makes the case for checking your bag, and along the way, astutely points out the misery of airplane travel.

• Rejuvenate yourself with this heart-warming story of a woman reunited with her childhood copy of The Secret Garden at the Museum of English Rural Life.

• We are smitten with these classic novels presented as pulp fiction. Mel is currently reading Frankenstein; the flap copy reads thusly: ‘This Kid was born on the wrong side of the Lab… Frankenstein’s monster is on the rampage; terrorising the locals, unleashing murderous hell… and reading novels in his stpare time. Can his petrified creator stop this reign of terror before his girlfriend gets the chop?’

• Walruses in the Arctic Ocean being serenaded by an accordian player.

• When the Brontë siblings were children, they made tiny books — less than 2 inches tall — by hand and filled them with stories. Next month, a Paris auction house will put one of Charlotte’s tiny books up for auction, and the Brontë Parsonage in Haworth, England, is on a quest to bring the book home. You can help!

• This is a brilliant hotel room curtain hack.

• Real Gabinete Português de Leitura, a.k.a., the ultimate library of our dreams. Click through for stunning photos.

• Smithsonian has the true story of Jack London in the Yukon Territory, and it might be even more swashbuckling than his fiction.

• Bookish podcast of the week: We introduced you to an Aztec vampire named Atl this week. Now, learn more about the Aztecs in this episode of ‘You’re Dead to Me,’ the very funny and very smart pod about history for people who think they don’t care about history.

• Travel podcast of the week: The Amateur Traveler (which has an epic theme song) travels to Transylvania to talk about Vlad the Impaler (obvs), but also the stunning scenery, dramatic castles, medieval towns, rolling hills, and the friendly people.

Wishing you a weekend filled with just the kind of adventures you like.

Top image courtesy of Marie Jirousek.