Literary Introverts, Travel & Empathy, New Library Podcast & More: Endnotes 06 December

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.

Can’t you almost taste the cool, crisp air in the photo above? That’s Tuolomne Meadows (pronounced too-ALL-uh-me) in Yosemite National Park. It’s 8600 feet above sea level and is a wonderland for summer hikers with trails leading to alpine lakes, dramatic waterfalls, and granite domes. In the winter, you can only get there on cross-country skis. {more}

• Need to buy airline tix for the holidays? According to this report, you’ve got until about 9 December to get decent deals. ‘The cheapest airfares for Christmas travel will be between November 23 and December 9… Booking during that window can save travelers around 15 percent.’

• If you’ve ever wanted to write for The Paris Review, now is your chance! The prestigious publication recently announced an open call for its volunteer reading program. Deadline is 23 December.

• This ‘Countries by Borders’ quiz was surprisingly hard; I am humbled. Want to give it a go?

• I’m excited to read The Sacrament by Olaf Olafsson, a thriller set in Reykjavik, Iceland. LitHub has an excerpt!

• This poem What Happened to Your Book Today by Kate Messner was written to cheer up writers who feel diminished by awards season. But I want you to read it because it’s a love letter to the magic of books.

• Hi! My name is Melissa, and I’m an INFJ. Here are four introverted book and movie characters that will make introverts feel seen.

• This lovely Chinese gentleman looks like he popped right out of the pages of a fantastical novel, and now I need to make a cormorant my familiar.

• Discuss: The Turn of the Screw is a Christmas story. And while you’re considering that, take a look at these illustrated greeting cards inspired by the story.

• Oh, English! You are a delightful language.

• I loved (loved loved loved) the stories in the audio collection Haunted Voices: An Anthology of Gothic Storytelling from Scotland, and I’ll be talking about it on our podcast in January. But if you want a copy for yourself or a gift, now is a great time to buy. It’s 20-percent off all through December. Just use the code HAUNT20 at the checkout.

• The most common last name in every country.

• Everything about this protest poem called PASSPORT is Good with a capital G.

• Dynamo soccer player Megan Rapinoe on how travel increases empathy.

• Bookish podcast of the week: In each episode of the new Ex Libris Podcast, the host meets a great writer in a library or bookshop of their choosing — then they talk about our favorite things: libraries, writing, and books. In this episode, author Ken Follet discusses his relationship with the library and his new book about Notre Dame Cathedral.

• Travel podcast of the week: We’ve been celebrating the sea on our blog and Instagram this week. So we recommend the Ocean Podcast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for a quick tutorial on The Nautical Origins of 10 Popular Phrases.

Happy weekend! I like the cut of your jib.

Top image courtesy of James Donovan.