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.
That magical view is New Year’s Eve in Prague with the historic Charles Bridge in the foreground and Prague Castle on the hill beyond. The bridge was built in 1357 by Charles IV, and according to legend, he included his interest in numerology in its construction. The building of the bridge started on July 9, 1357, at 5:31 a.m. — and that forms the numerical palindrome 1-3-5-7-9-7-5-3-1 (the year 1357, the 9th day of the 7th month at 5:31). On New Year’s Eve, we’ll be on our neighborhood bridge to watch the fireworks and ring in 2020. Happy New Year to you!
Perhaps you’re in the mood for a French dinner party?!
This is an older link, but it’s so beautiful: A 100-Year-Old Holocaust Survivor on How Books Save Lives
Something much lighter to make you giggle: this fast food from around the world is… amazing.
We’re devoted fans of Miss Phryne Fisher, lady detective, both in print, on TV, and soon, on the big screen. Did you know there’s a Phryne Fisher fan convention?! (You can read our reviews of a few of the Phryne Fisher mysteries here and here and here and here.) And here’s the dazzling trailer for the upcoming film:
We love this non-preachy, practical advice for becoming a better reader from The New York Times.
Read the charming graphic novel The Night Bookmobile online.
Wanna daydream about 2020 travel?! Lonely Planet has recommendations for the 10 cities, countries, and regions you might want to visit — IRL or in your imagination.
Bookish podcast of the week: We loved the book Miraculum by Steph Post. In this episode of The Writer’s Bone Podcast, she talks about the inspiration for the book, her research process, and how she developed her remarkable heroine Ruby.
Travel podcast of the week: The BBC show Slow Radio collects ambient sounds from locations around the world; it’s a soothing antidote to modern life. In this episode, you’ll go on an audio tour of medieval Moorish Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.
Top image courtesy of Senohrabek.
Want to keep up with our book-related adventures? Sign up for our newsletter!
Can you help us? If you like this article, share it your friends!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Content on this site is ©2024 by Smudge Publishing, unless otherwise noted. Peace be with you, person who reads the small type.
