Novels in Translation, Nevada Road Trips, Nautical Terms & More: Endnotes 21 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 scenic path above is the oak avenue leading to Wormsloe Historic Site in Savannah, Georgia. The path, guarded by regal oaks and Spanish moss, is 1.5 miles (2.4km) long and terminates at the former home of Mr. Noble Jones, who arrived from England in 1733. Today, the site is a museum with demonstrations of colonial life and ruins of the Jones house. {more on the Wormsloe Historic Site}

• I think we all flinched a bit this week with a new revelation about Miss Havisham in Dickens’ Great Expectations. She is 40 years old.

• This is a fascinating story about the Hezhen art of making clothing from fish skins. (Thanks to CleverManka for sharing.)

• This very cool research project uses the text of Jane Eyre to better understand the ways that source material is read, absorbed, and adapted by translators: ‘Translation is creative, not mechanical; it is a matter of growth as much as, or more than, loss. Translators are writers. Languages are not separate boxes but are rather intermingled areas on the ever-shifting continuum of language variation.’

• A great audiobook, your favorite snacks, and the open road. Now you’re ready for 10 epic road trips across Nevada.

• I cannot wait to see the Honorable Miss Phryne Fisher leap from the pages of Kerry Greenwood’s novels to the big screen.

• Silvia Moreno-Garcia, the author Gods of Jade and Shadow (a book we LOVE set in Mexico), traces the connection between the gothic novels of the mid-20th century and the domestic noir of today.

• Feast your eyes on these stunning photos of living root bridges, known as jing kieng jri, in northeast India. Created from a bamboo frame and Ficus elastica roots, the bridges look magical, and unlike concrete and steel, ‘these structures typically become more resilient with age and can survive centuries.’

• This embroidered silk purse has a secret inside: four parchment fragments, cut from a medieval manuscript.

• Larry McMurtry’s home library.

• This is refreshingly honest and relatable: ‘I Hate Traveling Solo—And I’m Totally Okay With That.’ (I, a confirmed introvert, also prefer to share my travel experiences with other people.)

• This seems like a fun way to get into comics: America’s Post-War Fling with Romance Comics

Links about the Sea

This week we released our podcast episode called The Sea: Tales of Poets and Pirates. We found so many interesting links and videos that swept us away, we couldn’t fit them in all our show or show notes. Here are some of the best:

• It’s a virtual deep-sea dive! This whimsical illustration shows the plants and animals that live at each level of the ocean. Scroll down, down, down…

• What?! There are whales alive today who were born before Moby Dick was written.

• A Modern Love essay about a life-changing romance aboard a cruise ship.

• 10 sailor-related terms and 50 nautical phrases to sprinkle into conversation (if you’re nerdy like we are).

• Bookish podcast of the week: The Perks of Being a Book Lover podcast is all about how reading is a social experience. In episode 10, they talk to Brandon Vigliarolo. He’s a historical reenactor at Locust Grove, an 18th-century mansion in Louisville, Kentucky, and he makes handmade books. This one is so good.

• Travel podcast of the week: The hosts of the Taste of Prague podcast are seasoned travelers. In this episode, Zuzi and Jan share their best travel tips. Super helpful and interesting.

May you follow your curiosity to a fascinating place this week!

Top image courtesy of Ashley Knedler.