Victorian Mansions, Malaysian Food, Award-Winning Travel Photos & More: Endnotes 07 February

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 snowy creature above is an Arctic fox, photographed in Iceland by photographer Jonatan Pie (who is ‘lucky to live in Icelandic mountains and interact with the only wildlife that is around.’) That fox is Little Rebba, who visits the photographer’s window and begs for snacks. These foxes are particularly hardy animals — they can survive temperatures as low as -58F/-50C thanks to the furry soles of their feet, little ears, and short muzzle. Although she’s camouflaged in the winter, come spring, Little Rebba’s coat will probably turn grayish brown to help her hide among rocks and plants after the thaw. {more photos by Jonatan Pie}

• What do a Chihuahua, a Star Wars skateboard, Red Lobster takeout, and an Ed Sheeran tank top have in common? Weird stuff left in Ubers.

• Did you know that Punxsutawney Phil — the famous groundhog of Groundhog Day — lives at a library?!

• This is very timely, given that our podcast this week is all about Scotland: Smithsonian Magazine delivers a brief history of Scottish history.

• I want to throw a literary-themed party in this Victorian mansion in Abilene, Kansas.

• Related: The hidden killers in Victorian homes. Do not lick the wallpaper:

• Dining with nomads in Kyrgyzstan. (The photos are gorgeous.)

• Obviously, we love crime novels with a strong sense of place. In this piece, Nick Petrie, the author of the thrilling Peter Ash series, makes his case for why crime writers need to travel.

• Maggie Smith reading a poem out loud is the beauty in the world you need.

• Wanderlust Travel: The 10 Best Photos of People

• Whoa! In the Prague episode of our podcast, I recommended the book HHhH, a novel about the assassination of SS General Reinhard Heydrich. The house in which the assassination plot was hatched is for sale!

• I’ll just leave this here: Inside the world’s oldest public library in the English-speaking world.

• Another literary quiz? Yes, please!: Can You Identify The Iconic Book Character From The Way They Are First Described? (I got 6 out of 9.)

• The only office where filing papers is like an amusement park ride: wall-sized filing cabinets and elevator desks. (More photos and info here, too.)

• This should be a surprise to absolutely no one: The people who read this blog and listen to our podcasts are smart and talented. Readers are the best. Treat yourself to Stay Close to the Fire, a short story by Danielle Kiowski.

• Bookish podcast of the week: In each episode of the Mortified podcast, adults read from their adolescent journals. It’s a tribute to the humor and humiliation of being a teenager. Enjoy episode 166: My Diary is a Jane Austen Novel.’

• Travel podcast of the week: The Away to Go Podcast from Fathom magazine covers all kinds of inspiring travel stories. In this episode, Auria Abraham, a.k.a. ‘The Sambal Lady,’ recounts her experience leading a food tour of Malaysia.

May you find the peace of the open ocean right in your own neighborhood.

Top image courtesy of Jonatan Pie.